Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-05-13


to know is, Whence came the light on the first day.
INQUIRER.
As the church we attend has no such Office
as "elder," our correspondents ssrcastically
expressed belief is erroneous. To answer
the simple question he puts requires no vast
amount of scriptural learning, but is quite
within the run of an average editors attain
ments. Ii "Euqurer" is no more careful in
his examination Of statements he reads than
is shown in his communication before us, We
should think he is often bothered" TIE
first chapter OF Genesis does not say that God
"created" a armament, but he made" it,,
which is different thing; and that WAS not
done on the first, but on the second day.
Also the two great lights and the stars were
"nade," not created. To avoid being both
cred" by proposition, first understand it.
Many foolish Bible deliberations" come from
attem pting 10 criGicise where there has bsen
no trouble taken TO comprehend. Now TO
the question. The frat chapter OF Genesis
IL not a scientific account OF creation. 1t
gives no formal astronomical, geological, ply
biological or biological details, and 10 seek for
such there is only 10 be "bothered," as
countless commentators and diyines and
others are and have been. 1t is simply g
poem upon the creation, such as Addison's
"Spscious Firmament on High" is. 1t Is
metrical, having long and short lines, often
corresponding, as Job and the Psslms have.
Like them also it employs words peculiar to
poetry, such as tshOo, tuauohOo, merakhephath,
and others. This being the case, to treat its
elevated and poetic expressions as one treats
chapter in HerschePs Astronomy, is to get
"botheret" as We know 30 many have done
Addisonis poem in the same way, we should
bslieve that the moon talks and the earth
listens, and several other absurdities. The
poem in Genesis, however, has that general
conformity 10 fact which all good poems
possess, and considering the age of the poem
before rs, composed at time when we as
sumo that man wss 10 a state of profound
ignorance, its general conformity 10 facts
taught by modern science is astonishing
and raises question as to how much OF
natural science was known 1000 or 5000
years ago, which has not yet been answered
Taking then the accounts of the acts related
Ia the stand fourth divisions OF the poem,
called "dsys"-as favorite series OF Ara.
bian stories ara divided into "nights," and
az some Of the palms are divided by re-
curing strain--anG understanding those sc
counts to be given IN poetic and not scientific
language, how came the poet to speak OF the
existence OF light in the fret division of the
poem, while the making of the sun does moi
come in until the foarth7 Strange as it may
perhaps appear to our correspondent, because,
measured by modern teachings upon the
subject, he could do no other way without
violating fact, that tesching informs u:
that the planets aud their primary, the sun
! we're originally one mass. By the oper atior
Of centrifugal force the planets were sepa
rated from the central mas and became
globes revolving in orbits. Our earth
among ihem, was in "A semi-molter
condition; as it cooled the water in the at
| mosphere became condensed. All around
N~re dark masses of vapor hiding Gun, moor
aud stare, and wrapping the globe in intens,
darkness, for the earth was then tohO
travOhoo, an aby,s and avoid. As the cool
ing vent on, the vapors were gradually con
densed until finally they descended to tn,
J earth and became streams and seas. A Tim,
| came in this gradual process when the ligh
| fsiatIy struggled through the susroundiuI
1 ~ ha fpTn al hat
darkness became perceptible. This occur
renee the poet of Genesis represents iu tn
sublime yehi ohr, "Let there be lightp Whel
sse draw the blinds and open the shutters il
| the very early morning because we desir
that light should be where darkness wa.
then light is, but it was outsid
before il was admItted inside. A
length, the earth wal sufficiently relieved o
its envelope of vapor to permit of the sui
becoming visible, and, as the process wen
on, the moon and the stars. This visibilii,
necessarily followed-not preceded-the ap
pesrance of light, and the fact describes &C
cordingly, using the verb ''to be" as before
yehi meorCh, "Let there be lights" In thu
sixteenth Verse it is said, in our translation
God made the two great lights. The Hebrew
tense has no auxiliary verb to convert th,
imperfect into the pluperiect. The con,e1
shows the shade of meaning, and the facts o
the case show that it would be correct tC
render "God had made the two great lights
But the inde6niteness of poetry does not re
quire the formal correctness of a scientific
treatise.