THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20263, 24 May 1929, Page 14

THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

FUNDAMENTALIST READING.

EVE AND THE SERPENT.

THE STORY OF ADAM'S RIB. A correspondent, whose letter appeared on Wednesday, put to tho Rev. A. A. Murray three questions bearing on the interpretation of tho early chapters of Genesis. Mr. Murray's answer, which is interesting as representative of the fundamentalist standpoint, is published below. I would like to point out to "Student" that I am in no sense the leadpr or mouthpiece of those who were associated with me at the Town Hall meeting, but I do claim to represent the convictions of a fairly largo percentage of Christian people. "Student" addresses a series of questions to me. They are all important and demand a full answer, but space forbids anything like an adequate treatment of them.

First. —Do I believe a literal serpent spoko to Eve ? If I do, then I am in very fine company, viz., the company of tho Apostle Paul, who said: "But I fear lest by any means as tho serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." 2 Cor., xi., 3. Satan Was The Tempter. Tho generally accepted view taken by Evangelicals is that Satan was tho real tempter, who used the serpent, one of the wisest creatures God had made, as his mouthpiece. That Satan was the real tempter may bo deduced from tho words of Christ, in John viii., 44: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father yo will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him." Wherever the matter is referred to in Scripture a satanic element is assumed in tho original temptation. There is another view, not so popular, yet equally loyal to tho authority of Scripture, and that is that tho sorpent was Satan himself, who appeared as an angel of light. In support of this it is contended that the Hebrew word for serpent is nachash, which means a shining one, and that therefore Satan appeared to Eve as a beautiful angel. Paul, in speaking of false apostles transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, says, "And no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Cor., ii., 13, 14.) Sentence on The Serpent. If we render the word serpent, a shining one, then there is no difficulty in seeing how plausible tho temptation was. It is more than likelj Satan appeared as a glorious angel professing to bo a messenger of light; an advocate of progress and knowledge. lam inclined to accept this as tho truth. There aro those who ridicule the story by referring to it as the incident of the talking snake, but we do not know sufficient of Satan's power to say that he could not, and did not, use tho serpent as his mouthpiece. I do not care what view people take, tho story is authentic. Question 2.—Do 1 believe the Lord passed sentence upon the serpent? Yes, I believe that the serpent was Satan transformed as an angel of light, and that the term "On thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shall De thy meat," is a figure of speech and implies the utmost humiliation, as in Psa. xliv., 25: "For our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly cleaveth unto the earth." Hero then we have Satan's utter humiliation pronounced by God. Adam and Eve. Question 3.—Did God take a rib from Adam and build u woman out of it? It was just, as easy for God to do that as to nvike Adam in tho first place. But I will give an interpretation of the story of the rib that as far as I can see is absolutely loyal to the Scriptures, and in no way detracts from tho literalncss of the story, or from the power of God. The Hebrew word for "rib" in Genesis ii., 21, 22, is tsela. This word occurs forfv-two times in the Old Testament, and in this instance alone is it. translated "rib." In the greater number of cases it is translated "side," or "sides," in other places "chambers." "corners '; but never rib, or ribs. There is another Hebrew word for rib (ala), but it means rib, and nothing else. (Dan. vii., 5.) There are those who believe that Adam was possessed originally of a bi sexual organism, and this conclusion they draw from Gen. 1., 27, whero it is said, God created man in his own image, malefemale created He them." This view is not unscientific, as can be seen from such books as ' Ihe Evolution of Species," by Geddes and Thomson. Whatever view wo may take of it, it was just as easy for God to take a rib from Adam and build a woman, as to take one of his sides, or to separate the male organism from the female. Neither view will satisfy the rationalist, who has no place for an Omnipotent Creator in his programme. Order of the Creation.

Question 4.—Chapter ii. of Genesis does not state that man was created before the animals. In Genesis i., 26, 27, we have announced God's purpose to create a man. "Hero in this verso the noun Adam has the article, and the demonstrative Hebrew "eth" lo indicate that the man Adam created in chapter 11., 7, was the man here purposed. In chapter 1., 26. 27, we have God's purpose to create affirmed, and in chapter ii., 7, wo have tho actual creation of man.