Hi TW,
The correlation between the asteroid and Yah’s flood terminology was my favorite discovery in the chapter, so I’m glad you found it compelling as well.
The dual creation accounts regarding ‘adam/’Adam strongly suggest the conclusion we have both drawn—especially as it relates to the nesamah. And while we may not be 100% accurate, the fact that there is an explanation which is totally consistent with science and Scripture was what was important to me. I say that because there are many compelling revelations in Genesis one and two, making the transition from man to ‘Adam a curiosity, as opposed to an essential teaching. That said, reconciling Yah’s Word with the evidence available to us is important because our eternity is based upon it being reliable and true.
Some of my friends were also aware of the “snow” scenario, but did not say so until after they had read the chapter. By mentioning you, what I wanted to communicate was that I may not have drawn the connection between “concealing and blanketing” and snow had you not sent me your article. It’s the same with the asteroid. Had another friend not sent me an article on it while I was writing the chapter, I may not have noticed the “deep sea water” implication of the word which initiated the flood. What I was trying to imply without overtly stating it, is that Yah works with many people and that He provides what we need to accomplish what He wants done. And the reason I didn’t say so more definitively was that while I don’t want to take credit for Yah’s inspiration and work, I don’t want anyone to consider my commentary inspired either.
Your questions are address below…
Quote:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "TW"
Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 3:14 AM
To: Yada
Subject: RE: Answers to your Questions
Hi Yada
Resending this as I had a computer problem last night and don't know if you got it.
I've read your chapters; thank you very much. I am going to enjoy thinking more about your location for Eden. I am also very glad to know the meteorite and basin information, which makes superb sense.
We agree on the most important things - that Yahuweh took one hominid and made him human by giving him a Neshamah, and that the Flood wiped out all persons with a Neshamah.
I am grateful for the mention as "an English physicist", but the key word "snow" in the Flood was given to me by a wise Elder in the congregation I am part of. (His name is Graham Ford, incidentally.) I simply picked up that ball and ran with it.
We also run with it in slightly different directions. We know each other well enough to be able to kick tough questions about without breaking fellowship, so here are two:
* If the Flood, or the effects of the cataclysm, ravaged only part of the world, why did Yahuweh not just instruct Noah and his family to migrate? He could have got thousands of miles in the time taken to build the Ark. (The usual reply I get is: "the Ark was a visual sermon". But Noah could have given a verbal sermon, like almost all other men of faith in scripture.)
My computer engineering friend, an atheist turned Yahuwdym, and I worked on the paragraph explaining this long after the chapter was actually posted online. Here is our final version of it. And while I only mention the value of the intertwined metaphors in these paragraphs, those associated with the Ark, and discussed throughout the chapter, are foundational to the Covenant. Frankly, the ark was the best way to introduce every important aspect of the Covenant—its nature and purpose.
Quote:Yahweh wasn’t pleased with His creation, so He had a choice. He could ignore them, wipe them out, or prune them back. “God said to Noah, ‘I am pruning (qes – limiting, constraining, and diminishing, even putting a limit to, from qatsats, to cut off part of an extremity by shearing) all humans who are related (basar – people who are preachers and messengers) moving about (bow’ – coming and going, passing by) before (paneh – in front of) Me. Indeed (kiy) the region (‘erets) is filled with (male’ – is overflowing with, is satisfied with, is wholeheartedly in compliance with, and is loudly proclaiming) terrorism, lawlessness, and cruelty (hamas – violence, destruction, and plunder, killing, thievery, injustice, and looting without any moral restraint) because of (min) their (hym) presence (paneh). Look, here and now (hinneh), I will bring ruin to (sahat – catch them in a pit or basin, causing them to decay and decompose, wiping them out by laying waste to) them (hem) along with (‘et) the region (‘erets).” (Genesis 6:13) The basin reference is important. Keep it in mind as we move forward.
Having elected to prune mankind, Yahweh needed a way to keep the good plant safe. While He could have made the vessel Himself, or found a much more straightforward way to protect Noah, his family, and the animals, God prefers doing things with us. And Yah never misses an opportunity to reinforce His message, giving us the opportunity to revel in the brilliance of His Word as He intertwines amazingly sophisticated and relevant metaphors.
But more than that, by building a gargantuan vessel, six-hundred miles from the nearest ocean, God not only memorialized for our benefit how Noah engaged with Him, but also provided His critics and doubters with an overt last warning of “biblical proportions.” There is little doubt that Noah’s shipbuilding exploits were featured regularly in Black Sea Gazette. Everyone in the ‘erets/region would have known about it. And that’s because God wants everyone, and that includes those who have turned their backs on Him, to be left without excuse.
Further, Noah’s undaunted confidence and sense of purpose in the face of unending ridicule, demonstrated the benefit yada’/knowing Yahweh. If you had been open-minded, watching Noah’s fortitude and perseverance, you’d be compelled to contemplate what, or Whom, he knew that you didn’t. As such, Noah’s example demonstrates the difference between faith and trust, between believing and relying. It was, therefore, a wake-up call that was missed by the mockers, just as Yada Yahweh goes unnoticed among those on the cusp of being swept up in another rising storm.
* I agree that ERETZ could be local (the land) or global (the earth) and is not decisive in choosing between. But why was Noah told to take birds into the Ark? Bird life is widely distributed and if the cataclysm was not global then most species would survive.
Eretz seldom if ever means “earth as in global,” but instead “land, region, and realm,” and “earth as in soil.”
All non-migratory birds which were indigenous to the area would have been killed. And while the most severe impact was regional, the region included the whole Middle East all the way from the Persian Gulf to the Black and Caspian Seas. Most all life in this enormous area was instantly killed in the tsunami and what little survived it, would have perished in its aftermath. The entire region would have had to have been repopulated.
Quote:BTW St Petersburg was great, and as you guessed I did not have enough time in the Hermitage.
Russia has changed more than any place on earth these past 30 years. I was there in 1977 and in 2077. But sadly, they are on the cusp of losing everything they have gained. The Hermitage is in my top three museums. I could spend a week there.
Quote:Blessings
TW
PS Why does the name "Yahuweh" not appear in the gospels or letters? This worries me.
It is impossible to write or transliterate Yahuweh or Yahushua in the Greek alphabet. There is no Y, soft H, or W. Therefore, placeholders were used 100% of the time in 100% of the pre-Constantine MSS. If you look at any of the hundreds of OC passages cited in the RC, a placeholder is always used for Yahuweh as it is for Yahushua. This topic is dealt with at great length in at least 20 places in YY. As I’m doing my current edit pass, I’m collecting material by subject and will soon post a topical version of YY.
But this is not the answer to your question. Yahshua, John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul all answered it for you, repeating the one and only answer countless times. And while I could tell you their answer, and tell you why the RC texts upon which we rely aren’t reliable, it would be better for you to find this answer yourself. If it doesn’t come to you after reading and thinking, then I’ll point you in the right direction.
The reason I want you to find this answer yourself is because it is the answer to everything.
Yada
