Does the Bible support any particular age of Earth?

[McCulloch]

The world is not flat, the world was not "made in 7 days", the world is not 6000 years old etcetera, all this is fiction, WE KNOW THIS.

Where does it say the world is 6,000 years old?

Question for debate: Is there a Biblical Basis for a Young Earth (between 6,000 - 10,000 years old) ?

[Fisherking]

Most theologians are still debating what a "day" means in creation.

Let's have a bit of that debate here. How many different ways can you read, "and there was evening and there was morning the nth day"? Unless you have a prior theological reason to believe that the first six days were not days, you will read that as days. That's how I see it. I would be interested in seeing evidence to the contrary.

It makes more sense to me as a literal day. However, throw it in with 2 Peter 3:8 which says "one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day." Combine them, and you can create new theories.

I agree that scripture teaches a literal 6 day creation. The only reason I see that one would attempt to make old earth theology in Genesis would be to harmonize current scientific theory with scripture.

A literal 6 day creation as in 6, 24 hour days, or 6 as in 6 1,000 year days?

Six days, as in evening and the morning is one day (24hrs).

Fisherking and twobitsmedia both seem to be implying that it is a valid hermeneutic principle to adjust your understanding of the holy scriptures according to the current theories of modern science. Is this so?

I hope It didn't seem I was implying that. I do not think we should ever try to stuff the scientific flavor of the day into the bible. Scripture should be interpreted in light of other scripture, not in light of science.

[ilovepikachuandjesus]

On the seventh day God rested. God rests this very day. That is one reason why many theologians do not think that the days are literal twenty-four hour days. Also the earth (void and formless) existed during and possibly before the first day.

[twobitsmedia]

Most theologians are still debating what a "day" means in creation.

Let's have a bit of that debate here. How many different ways can you read, "and there was evening and there was morning the nth day"? Unless you have a prior theological reason to believe that the first six days were not days, you will read that as days. That's how I see it. I would be interested in seeing evidence to the contrary.

It makes more sense to me as a literal day. However, throw it in with 2 Peter 3:8 which says "one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day." Combine them, and you can create new theories.

I agree that scripture teaches a literal 6 day creation. The only reason I see that one would attempt to make old earth theology in Genesis would be to harmonize current scientific theory with scripture.

A literal 6 day creation as in 6, 24 hour days, or 6 as in 6 1,000 year days?

Six days, as in evening and the morning is one day (24hrs).

Fisherking and twobitsmedia both seem to be implying that it is a valid hermeneutic principle to adjust your understanding of the holy scriptures according to the current theories of modern science. Is this so?

I hope It didn't seem I was implying that. I do not think we should ever try to stuff the scientific flavor of the day into the bible. Scripture should be interpreted in light of other scripture, not in light of science.

I agree. I stated why I believe why I think it is a literal 24 hour day.

[McCulloch]

On the seventh day God rested. God rests this very day. That is one reason why many theologians do not think that the days are literal twenty-four hour days. Also the earth (void and formless) existed during and possibly before the first day.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Whoever wrote the ten commandments seems to think that the six days of creation were literal days.

[ilovepikachuandjesus]

On the seventh day God rested. God rests this very day. That is one reason why many theologians do not think that the days are literal twenty-four hour days. Also the earth (void and formless) existed during and possibly before the first day.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Whoever wrote the ten commandments seems to think that the six days of creation were literal days.

The Sabbath is symbolic of the day the LORD rested. The seventh day to rest is so that we devote an entire day to the LORD. There is huge debate whether this law still applies today but that is another debate.

Moses refering to the six days is just Moses refering to the story of creation, which he was told. That passage shows no proof that the days were literal twenty four days.

[McCulloch]

Moses referring to the six days is just Moses referring to the story of creation, which he was told. That passage shows no proof that the days were literal twenty four days.

No, but the passage shows that the inspired author of the ten commandments believed that the days were literal days. Do you have any valid hermeneutic reason to believe otherwise?

[ilovepikachuandjesus]

Moses referring to the six days is just Moses referring to the story of creation, which he was told. That passage shows no proof that the days were literal twenty four days.

No, but the passage shows that the inspired author of the ten commandments believed that the days were literal days. Do you have any valid hermeneutic reason to believe otherwise?

I don't see that.

Moses has converted, by instruction of God, the symbolic days into literal days so that the Sabbath can be used as a day of rest. For the LORD created the earth in six days is a reference to the creation story, which doesn't mean that those days were literal. I shall speak with a close Christian friend of mine before I state more just to confirm. His knowledge is greater than mine.

[McCulloch]

Moses referring to the six days is just Moses referring to the story of creation, which he was told. That passage shows no proof that the days were literal twenty four days.

No, but the passage shows that the inspired author of the ten commandments believed that the days were literal days. Do you have any valid hermeneutic reason to believe otherwise?

I don't see that.

Moses has converted, by instruction of God, the symbolic days into literal days so that the Sabbath can be used as a day of rest. For the LORD created the earth in six days is a reference to the creation story, which doesn't mean that those days were literal. I shall speak with a close Christian friend of mine before I state more just to confirm. His knowledge is greater than mine.

Or Moses, basing his example on God's creation, instructed the children of Israel to observe the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week when God rested.

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.
He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.
When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.
Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters.
So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father of Enosh.
Then Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters.
So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan.
Then Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters.
So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel.
Then Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters.
So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared.
Then Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters.
So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch.
Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters.
So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah.
Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.
So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech.
Then Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters.
So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.
Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son.
Now he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed."
Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters.
So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.
Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

[mrow]Event in Genesis 5[mcol]Years[mcol]Total Years since Adam started living[row]When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.[col]130[col]130[row]Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father of Enosh.[col]105[col]235[row]Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan.[col]90[col]325[row]Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel.[col]70[col]395[row]Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared.[col]65[col]460[row]Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch.[col]162[col]622[row]Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah.[col]65[col]687[row]Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech.[col]187[col]874[row]Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed."[col]182[col]1056[row]Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.[col]500[col]1556

So Noah according to the Bible, became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth 1556 years after Adam started living, with a margin of error of 10.

[ilovepikachuandjesus]

I shall speak with a close Christian friend of mine before I state more just to confirm. His knowledge is greater than mine.

Sorry for the wait McCulloch. I posed your question and they said what I had said in the above.

[MagusYanam]

Moses referring to the six days is just Moses referring to the story of creation, which he was told. That passage shows no proof that the days were literal twenty four days.

No, but the passage shows that the inspired author of the ten commandments believed that the days were literal days. Do you have any valid hermeneutic reason to believe otherwise?

I agree with ilpaj. You are taking the commandment given from a man who was alive nearly four thousand years ago and grafting it onto a post-Enlightenment interpretive framework. If you asked Moses whether he thought the creation took seven literal days, he probably would have asked you what the hell you were talking about, and what difference it would make.

The creation story has always been treated by Jewish scholarship as a myth, not as literal truth. The Sabbath was kept as part of the traditional law, which plays an extremely important role in Jewish life, and tradition, though it plays an important role in the religious life, needn't rest on a literal truth. Did George Washington actually chop down a cherry tree? No, that was a poem someone wrote six years or so after his death. Did Lei Feng actually live a selfless life of service to his neighbours and to the Communist Party? Probably not, but many young people still look up to him as their role model. I see the tradition of the Sabbath to be in the same vein.