Can we do this one line a time?

I am willing to present my reasoning for each line of text.
You can point out the errors in my thinking as we go through them.

You said:
The very first sentence in the Torah:
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." is considered in Judaism to be a summary of what was to happen on the succeeding days.

The first sentence “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
This is either summary of what is to follow as you said ... or the first action God completed.

If the first sentence is a summary of actions which will follow then the creation of the Earth mass will be reviewed in following statements.
If the first sentence is an act which was completed, then the Earth mass will be existing already in the following statements.

The second sentence is ...
“And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.”
The second sentence refers to an earth which exists already therefore the first sentence must be describing an act which is completed and not a summary.

I am not saying that this is the only way this can be read, I am just presenting the reasoning I used.
If you can accept it as a possibility we can go on.

• I owe you thanks and an apology - yanniru - August 12, 2003 - 10:08 UTC
  • Thank you for the gracious exit. - duordi - August 12, 2003 - 12:40 UTC