Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ishinan" <ishinan AT comcast.net>]

JERRY SHEPHERD wrote: ..... The first three days of creation, then, describe 
the process by which God brought order out of that chaos, turning disorder 
into order: separating between day and night, separating between waters above 
the sky (vault, dome).  
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ISHINAN: 

Dear Jerry & all,

It is well known that writers in general tend to use themes and topics which 
closely reflected the culture in which they live. Authors of the Bible were 
no exception.  The recent debate about the nature of Sky/Heaven raises many 
more questions than answers. Ironically, this has little to do with any 
theological concern, but rather it has to do with textual interpretation 
which is very much at odds with the period it purports to have been written 
in.

In fact, a discussion about a metal 'dome' implies the knowledge of a term 
referring to the construction of an intricate architectural element which was 
only developed for the first time in history circa the 2nd century A.D. 

 Then, throughout the Roman empire, and for the first time engineers and 
architects began to erect arch structures such as bridges, aqueducts, and 
gates. They also introduced the triumphal arch as a military monument. Vaults 
began to be used for roofing large interior spaces such as halls and temples, 
a function which was also assumed by domed structures. 

Hence, if we cling to this 'dome' theory, then, we are facing a serious 
problem in reconciling the 2nd Century A.D. * date of the Roman Architectural 
Revolution. Such a revolution which gave us the 'vault' and the 'dome' would 
naturally conflict with the tradition that credits Moses as the author of 
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, or even with modern 
scholarship which increasingly sees these as a product of the 6th and 5th 
centuries BC. 

So, for those who insist on the 'dome' interpretation, are you inadvertently 
endorsing a new theory about the date of  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers 
and Deuteronomy?  If so why not saying it out loud. :-)

Best regards,

Ishinan Ishibashi





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*The most famous and best preserved Roman dome - and the largest - is that of 
the Pantheon, a temple in Rome built by Emperor Hadrian as part of the Baths 
of Agrippa Dating from the 2nd century,
>From George.Athas AT moore.edu.au  Tue Sep  4 23:25:42 2012
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From: George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>
To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Thread-Topic: [b-hebrew] Sky (vault,dome)
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Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Sky (vault,dome)
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So in other words, the dome could not possibly have existed conceptually 
before Roman engineers actually built one? By that reasoning, the Tower of 
Babel must date to the 20th century when sky-scrapers were invented.


GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)
Sydney, Australia