Pastor John,
I can’t find any information that I’m searching for. I know you’ll be able to assist me. I’m trying to get my brain to comprehend the chronology regarding the dates of historical texts.
My daughter and I were having a chat about the veracity of the Bible, and she asked the common question: “When was the Bible (OT) written?” AND “Weren’t the Greek myths and the Gilgamesh epic and others written long before the Bible?” (I think she’s trying to claim that the Bible is not the original documentation of the Flood story nor the story of the One true God.)
I believe I recall you saying that the Bible stories came first, and others were hand-me-downs throughout other cultures based on here-say knowledge of the Bible stories, told verbally in those days.
But….Moses probably wrote the early scriptures around 1500 BC, according to my KJV. Greek myths were written around 1900 BC, weren’t they? (As if that’s supposed to prove that their gods were more valid than the true Jehovah God in the OT.)
When was the book of Job written? Much earlier , correct?
CB
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Hi CB:
(From one website, May 28, 2014):
” How Old Are Greek Myths?”
“Zeus and the other Greek gods on Mount Olympus, from Aphrodite to Poseidon, are familiar characters to many readers. The Greek stories of gods, heroes and monsters are told and retold around the world even today. The earliest known versions of these myths date back more than 2,700 years [circa 700 BC], appearing in written form in the works of the Greek poets Homer and Hesiod. But some of these myths are much older. Indeed, the Greeks borrowed some of their best material from other, more ancient stories.”
Moses wrote 600-800 years before the date given here. Even if, as some scholars think, Homer wrote as early as during King David’s time (about 1,000 BC), Moses still came centuries earlier. Some classical scholars have even suggested that there never was a man named Homer, so little is known of him. But the figure of Homer is the “go-to guy” for originations of many ancient Greek mythological concepts. The Iliad and Odyssey, which bear his name as the author, were to classical culture what the Bible used to be to Western Culture. They were basic to education and to the Greek understanding of life itself.
The Flood happened 1,656 years after Creation (about 2,500 BC). To my knowledge, nobody holds that the Gilgamesh epic was written before that. Moreover, there are flood stories in many cultures around the globe, all of them originating after the Flood happened, of course, which is a testimony to the reality of the event that is recorded, and was recorded first, in the Bible.
All theories of human social development (including mythological development) before recorded history (written history) are based, of course, on evolutionary doctrine, and they have no foundation. The third millennium BC is the farthest back in time that man’s recorded history goes. Everything taught by man concerning events before the third millennium BC, therefore, is guesswork. Isn’t that astonishing, considering how very much is taught to our children concerning the time before there Third Millennium BC?
And yes, the story of Job took place very early in history, even before Moses. When it was at last written down, no one knows, or can know.
Lastly, while I understand that discussions like this must take place with our children when they are confronted by the skeptical cynicism rampant in the educational system of our decadent culture, let me remind you that nothing convinces souls of the truth of the gospel like the power of God does. Pray that Jesus will touch your daughter. If he does, then what she has heard from men won’t matter to her at all. It won’t even matter to her if the Bible was written last week. She will know the truth, and the truth will make her free.
Pastor John
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Good morning John,
Sorry, I wasn’t able to get to this when you sent it yesterday. I sure liked your answer, though, especially at the end when you say it doesn’t make any difference what a person has heard from men if they have been touched by Jesus to hear and believe the Gospel. There is a lot of physical “evidence” out there to support just about any theory that men come up with, but if someone has truly felt the power of God, that trumps everything else, so that you don’t even have to bother wading through all of the man-made theories to know the truth!
Vince
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Pastor John,
As I was reading this my mind started wondering and it made me feel a little overwhelmed. Then I read your last paragraph and it brought such a peace. The truth will set you free and it’s good to know that the “truth” is all you really need to know!
Michelle
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Amen, Michelle.
jdc