Dr. Klein, I have a couple of your books on biblical interpretation and I wanted to say thank you because I never would have received my Master's until I came across them. I first heard your lectures on biblicaltraining.org about eight years ago and got you Intro to Biblical Interpretation. It was overwhelming but informative. Now it seems kind of introductory eight years later. But as I have grown, one thing that has developed is my hermeneutic. I know you are familiar with Walt Kaiser and his hermeneutic, along with the idea that he rejects a "literary" hermeneutic because as he asks, if there is a contradiction between grammar and syntax vs. a literary genre, then grammar and syntax prevail. However, he is an evolutionary creationist, but can only do so if a literary device (such as parallelism), trumps the plain, grammatical and syntactical reading of Gen.1 (in particular, Gen. 1:1-2:4). Can you tell me your hermeneutic, if literary is part of your hermeneutic, and what you make of the Genesis account? Thanks!
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- Sorry. I know this is an OT question, but I tried to keep it within your scope of knowledge.
- A apologize for my tardiness in replying to your question, Stephen. Thanks for your kind words. I think Kaiser's apparent dichotomy between the results of a literary reading and a grammatical reading is a false one. A metaphor is a literary device. To interpret the grammar and words literally is to recognize that they have a literary function within the domain of how metaphors function. When an OT writer affirms that the "trees clap their hands," the literary reading become the grid for understanding how the specific words and grammar of that affirmation are functioning. That said, and with your caveat about my realm of expertise, I think Gen 1 is not intended to give a blow-by-blow historical narrative of how God created. I think we must see it as some kind of poetic attribution of the origin of all of our glorious creation and creatures. They all derive from God creative genius, but not as portrayed in those 7 literal 24-hour days. Grammar contributes to how we understand literature; they are not in conflict.