Teaching the framework hypothesis to youth
Does the Figurative 24-Hour view lead to overly figurative interpretations
of the historical accounts of Genesis?
8/12/01
Christian Renewal
P.O. Box 770
Lewiston, NY 14092
Dear Editor:
In the July 2001 issue of Christian Renewal, Bill Pols challenged
those of us who interpret the six days of creation in terms of a literary
framework to present our position clearly enough to be understood by a child.
In teaching this view to a church youth group, I found that even teens in
middle school can understand the distinction between the use of figurative
and literal language in the Scriptures and thus can grasp a figurative interpretation
of the days of creation. First, I pointed out that the Bible has two kinds
of truth: literal truth (true in an exact sense of the words) and symbolic
truth (true in what the words picture). When I asked them whether particular
passages were literal or symbolic, they had no trouble in classifying John
6:54, John 10:9, and Psalm 19:4-6 as symbolic and 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 and
Isaiah 40:28 ("God...never faints nor is weary") as literal. Next,
we read "In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on
the seventh day he rested and was refreshed" (Exodus 31:17). I asked,
"Does this mean God got tired and had to rest on the seventh day?"
Of course, they realized that God could not literally be refreshed. Then I
asked, "Does this mean it took a literal six days for God to make everything?"
The youth understood that the six days of work could be viewed as symbolic
truth, just as the day of rest is. If I had more time, I could have asked
them to find the similarities between days 1 and 4, between days 2 and 5,
and between days 3 and 6. Then I could have asked, "since the light was
created on the first day, but the sun and stars that gave the light were not
created until the fourth day, do you think the order of the days is literal
truth or symbolic truth?"
Mr. Pols asked, "How can the creation days be treated as non-literal
without at the same time undermining one's commitment to the authority and
clarity of Scripture?" In other words, would the principles of interpretation
that yield a figurative interpretation of the days of creation also lead to
a figurative interpretation of the rest of Scripture if they are applied consistently?
If the first part of Genesis is figurative, then why not interpret the rest
of Genesis figuratively? The answer is in the structure of Genesis: it is
organized as a prologue with the creation days (1:1-2:3) followed by ten historical
accounts, each of which begins with "This is the history/genealogy of"
(2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10; 11:27; 25:12; 25:19; 36:1; 37:2). These ten parts
are in the form of a historical narrative and are thus subject to a more literal
interpretation than the highly stylized prologue. Therefore, for example,
a figurative reading of the days of creation (1:1-2:3) has no bearing on whether
the "history of the heavens and the earth" (2:4-4:26) or the "history
of Noah" (6:9-9:29) should be taken figuratively.
I am a member of the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church of Augusta.
Sincerely,
David R. Bickel, PhD
[DawningRealm.org has a simple introduction to three interpretations
of the days of creation. For a scholarly presentation of the Framework Hypothesis,
see Meredith G. Kline.
See David Roth
for a Redemptive-Historical interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2:3.]
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
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† This cross symbol, when appearing to the left of a topic, designates a category in Theology of the Cross, a directory of Lutheran articles.
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January 16, 2016 9:25 AM
Author information. David Bickel confesses the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, the Augsburg Confession, and the other documents of the Book of Concord because they faithfully summarize the sacred writings of the prophets and apostles. As a layman, he lacks the call needed to publicly teach in the church. | professional web page
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Scripture translations. Copyright information
It was good
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without
form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit
of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, "Let there be light," and there
was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light
from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst
of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And God
made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from
the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the
expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together
into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called
the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas.
And God saw that it was good.
And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation,
plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed,
each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. The earth brought
forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees
bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God
saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third
day.
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse
of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs
and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse
of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. And God
made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser
light to rule the night--and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of
the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the
night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was
good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms
of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse
of the heavens." So God created the great sea creatures and every living
creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds,
and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the
waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." And there was
evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to
their kinds--livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according
to their kinds." And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth
according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything
that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after
our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over
the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and
over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply
and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on
the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant
yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed
in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth
and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth,
everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for
food." And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold,
it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And
on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on
the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh
day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had
done in creation.
Genesis 1:1-2:3 (ESV)
