Job 32-34

[wolfpurplemoon]

Just read an appropriate post at Pharyngula: The idea that the Bible should be interpreted as a metaphor is a good one — because it melts the superstition away.. I guess I need to stop trying to take every word of the bible literally, not that I know how else to take it.

Elihu was showing respect for his elders by just listening while they squabbled, but now they've reached a dead end in their discussion he's decided to let them know he thinks their arguments were flawed. He is very sure that he knows better than them.

Comments

[jaronsjournal.livejournal.com]

Some parts of the Bible are undisputedly historical in nature. The history sections from Joshua to Chronicles and also Ezra and Nehemiah can be backed up by archeological evidence, as well as records of battles against the Israelites in the Assyrian records and others. For example, Sennacherib of Assyria recorded his own account of his battle against Hezekiah of Judah.

I didn't read the whole link you put there, but usually, when something is meant to be symbolic rather than literal, it's obvious. Maybe it's in a book like Daniel or Revelation where obvious symbols are used throughout the books. It's not as hard as some think to tell what is meant to be literal from what is meant to be something else.

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

Sadly, archeological evidence that a town or tribe actually existed does not mean that a particular book of the Bible is historical. That the Red Sea exists does not mean that Moses parted it, or that Moses even existed.