Old Testament Cosmology and Divine Accommodation

Download or read book Old Testament Cosmology and Divine Accommodation written by John W. Hilber and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2020-04-03 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In order to reconcile the discrepancies between ancient and modern cosmology, confessional scholars from every viewpoint on the interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis agree that God accommodated language to finite human understanding. But in the history of interpretation, no consensus has emerged regarding what accommodation entails at the linguistic level. More precise consideration of how the ancient cognitive environment functions in the informative intention of the divine and human authors is necessary. Not only does relevance theory validate interpretative options that are inherently most probable within the primary communication situation, but the application of relevance theory can also help disentangle the complexities of dual authorship inherent in any model of accommodation. The results also make a salutary contribution to the theological reading of Scripture.