Question About The Bible

I've never read the bible and didn't really pay much attention in religious studies so forgive me if this is a really lame question.

What does the bible say about dinosaurs? Does it mention them at all?

That’s a subject of debate. Those who hold to a young Earth position and believe that the Earth is only a few thousand years old say yes. Those who hold to the gap theory say no. The book that you will want to examine in the Bible is the book of Job in the Old Testament. God describes several creatures in Job and one in particular sure sounds like a dinosaur!

A True Christian
In These Last Days,

James

Surely it's quite an important topic to have missed out...?

Originally posted by phixion
I've never read the bible and didn't really pay much attention in religious studies so forgive me if this is a really lame question.

What does the bible say about dinosaurs? Does it mention them at all?

The Bible refers to tanniyns, leviathon, and bohemoth. Are these references to dinosaurs, other mythical beasts, simply different names for modern day animals, or are they anthropomorphic descriptions of other things? No-one knows, but some claim these are dinosaurs.

The description for leviathon sounds more like the description of a volcano than any creature.

Volcano? Huh!?

If indeed the entire descriptions of these beasts (Leviathan, Behemoth, Tannin) are translated accurately, I can not understand how anyone could think that these beasts in the book of Job are not dinosaurs.

Not that this is the most credible source here, but it was interesting and somewhat informative.

www.angelfire.com...

Check out the Leviathan/Behemoth pages.

Originally posted by JKersteJr
Volcano? Huh!?

Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

- possibly vents

His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

- lava is his breath?

In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.

- the cone is the neck?

The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.

- cooled lava flows look scaly at a distance

When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

- if this were an actual animal, would people stay nearby purifying themselves? Makes sense for a volcano though, assuming you believed it could be appeased.

The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.

- obviously no weapon is effective against a volcano

He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

- lava flows consume everything

Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.

Does this make any sense for an actual animal of some kind?

He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

- under sea vents?

He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

- under sea lava flow?

He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

- volcano worshipers?

Behemoth and leviathon appear in extra-Biblical texts as demons, which leads me to suspect that Behemoth may be the anthropomorphism of another geological formation. Perhaps a river?

Originally posted by JKersteJr
If indeed the entire descriptions of these beasts (Leviathan, Behemoth, Tannin) are translated accurately, I can not understand how anyone could think that these beasts in the book of Job are not dinosaurs.

Tannin may or may not refer to a single type of creature. It could simply mean "reptile". You discount other possibilities too quickly.

Ok, I wont completely discredit the idea that maybe he was talking about a volcano, but you have to think that a good deal of the book of Job deals with animals. Go to that page I posted and compare, honestly, which is more likely?

I'm not 100% sure myself, but it sure seems like a pretty good description of a Sauropod class dinosaur.

Didn't mean to sound like I was discounting other possibilities, I have not researched the subject enough to make assumptions, but if I had to guess I'd say it sounds very similiar to a Dino.

[edit on 10/19/2005 by JKersteJr]

If you follow the Biblical model, God created a mature earth about 7000 years ago with Adam and Eve a few thousand years latter came the flood.

The purely creationist veiw holds firm to God creating a mature universe that SEEMs to have existed for ages.. hey if he can create out of void, why not get fancy to. To the Creationist, diosaurs never existed as living creatures, but were formed as fossils when God made the heaven and earth.

The cause of the flood has another explination but that is not goingto be here.

As far as "Leviathans" "Behemoths" they are attributed to aphibians, or other creatures that reside near or in water such as crocodiles. It stands to reason that the people of the time knew about whales, but really only understood them as "Sea monsters". Even Jonah could have been swollowed by a baleen whale found in the Mediteranian.

Also you really should take care not to use instances of terms being used figurativly to actaully be descriptive.

hope this helped

Originally posted by JKersteJr
I'm not 100% sure myself, but it sure seems like a pretty good description of a Sauropod class dinosaur.

It also sounds like an elephant, a whale, a hippo, a mythical beast, a demon, a god from a nearby competing religion, an infamous ruler, a constellation, a metaphor for the beast within us all, or maybe even a mountain or river depending on how figurative the language was intended. The part people like Hovind like to ignore is verses such as this:

(in the description of behemoth)

Job 19
He is the chief of the ways of God

A sauropod was chief of the ways of god?! Unfortunately, Biblical literalists are suffering from the amnesia of history. Job is a parable filled with symbolism, not a literal story. Hovind and his ilk are desparately grasping at anything that sounds sort of like a dinosaur in the Bible to confirm their 6000 year history of the earth nonsense.

I understand that a lot of the scriptures cannot be read figuratively, I really do, but it just seemed to me that at least some of the mentions in Job can be read as literal, but a lot are allegory, and thats why I dont understand it fully yet.

So are you a creationist Jehosephat, just curious, to be honest I think the verses in Job sound like a greater scale than Alligators and they dont quite match up with whales exactly, more serpent like maybe...

Job 19 is obviously some sort of parable, no doubt about it, so no, the sauropod was not chief of the ways of god.

I dont want you guys to think that I have solidified a belief that Dino's existed as early as 6 years ago because I read some stuff on Angelfire...

I just think that its a believable theory, or a good guess, until I immerse myself in the word I wont be able to scratch the surface anyway, it just interests me.

I've read it throu a few times and haven't really had anything ( in my mind ) pop
out and say Dino's. Yet thats IMO, every one has one.

If its any consellation I talked to a Priest today, I think hes Christian, he's been doing it for at least a good 10 years, he also firmly believes that God was describing Dinosaurs in the book of Job. From what I got out of his comments, God was giving Job an example of his power by basically saying, can you or anyone catch the Leviathan with hook or spear, no...but I can, I created them.

Who knows, I'm sure I'll understand it better in time.

[edit on 10/20/2005 by JKersteJr]

People need to understand that when God talks to Job he is really laying it on thick about how powerful he is. and that if he is so powerful then the smallest thing like his well being is trvial. If you look at the context of every case regarding the leviathan it is a water creature.

Pslam 27:1 In that day,
the LORD will punish with his sword,
his fierce, great and powerful sword,
Leviathan the gliding serpent,
Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster of the sea.

FYI crocidiles can get quite large and possible as long as 6 meters (20.3 Feet) and over 1.5 tons. but the point is, a single person would never mess with a "Leviathan", yet God could. Crocidiles could seem especially fearsome for a person who is nothing more then a herdsman. YOu really need to understand the times and the location of Job. These days you will hardly ever see a crocidile larger then 2-3 meters since they were hunted in the 40s and 50s for thier skin.


I highly doubt there could have been dinosuars during the time of job since it was after the flood

Genesis sheds light on dinosaurs. God made sea creatures and birds on day 5 and land animals on day 6. Then creative activity stopped. So dinosaurs were made on day5 and/or 6.

Originally posted by dbrandt
Genesis sheds light on dinosaurs. God made sea creatures and birds on day 5 and land animals on day 6. Then creative activity stopped. So dinosaurs were made on day5 and/or 6.

You could have simply claimed the creation of land and sea creatures included dinosaurs.

There are those that belive that the early books of the bible, mostly the first 5 (AKA the Torah) are a metaphor for spiritual evolution, i myself belive this.. as i understand the nature of Qabalism & metaphor. The Qabalah is the study of numbers and their relation to the Divine, amung other things, and is the early foundation of judism.

Part of the "metaphoric evolution" theory, is that adam wasnt one single being.. but that he was the archtype of mankind at the "Genesis" of his spiritual evolution, from the time Mankind stop being a monkey and started being a person, to the next step in his spirtiual evolution, at which time (900ish years later) we are told he begot his son Enosh (the next platue of mans development). It is also suggested that cain and abel are metaphors for mans physical desire (Cain) overcomming and killing mans spiritual needs (Abel), this theory is backed by the idea that Caine was a farmer.. and slave to the physical world, while Abel was a sheperd (Arent priests called sheperds?), and as such tended to his flock

That having been stated.. there are those that belive many of those mythic creatures mentioned in the early books were amung other things the last of the dinosuaric species that had yet to die out, and that these remaining creatures died during the great deluge, as God had declared them to be unclean and unworthy of a place on the Arc.
More likely that noah new in his heart that these critters were to dangerous to live, but isnt knowing something in your heart the same as God telling you? it should be if your truly of the faithfull

actually dinosaurs were part of the creation before gen 1:2. (as carbon dating documents).

genesis is literal and not a metaphor for evolution (adam was built from the ground up, pun intended). There are men from gen 1:26 and job 38:7, adn then in gen 2 the creation of ADAM and eve. note that animals are created first in gen 1 and second in gen 2? why is that? 1st genesis is wild animals for the 6th day man to hunt fish. the animals in gen 2 are farm animals for farming (adams orders were to tend the garden).

Originally posted by NuTroll
genesis is literal

You know this how?

Originally posted by NuTroll

genesis is literal and not a metaphor for evolution (adam was built from the ground up, pun intended).

Uhhh.. you do know that most of the major christian churches have admited that simply isnt true dont you?

just last month the hierarcy of catholic bishops said that you shouldnt expect the bible to be totally true in a literal context.. esepecially in the creation

Originally posted by Becon of Light

Originally posted by NuTroll

genesis is literal and not a metaphor for evolution

Uhhh.. you do know that most of the major christian churches have admited that simply isnt true dont you?

just last month the hierarcy of catholic bishops said that you shouldnt expect the bible to be totally true in a literal context.. esepecially in the creation

You do know that the catholic church isn't Biblical and does not teach salvation through Christ alone. It teaches a works based salvation, and since there is no such thing it instructs on how to get to/and leads people to hell.

[edit on 21-10-2005 by dbrandt]