@Romeo Fabulini,
Quote:Only two creatures actually spoke in the Bible, namely the Eden snake and Balaam's donkey, but we know the stories are only abstract and symbolic because neither Eve nor Balaam thought it was strange for a creature to talk. Real humans would definitely have found it strange. Balaam for example reportedly held a conversation with the donkey as if it was perfectly normal!
fact - Neither Eve nor Balaams initial thoughts were recorded in the scriptural account.
Assumption - neither Eve nor Balaam thought it was strange for a creature to talk
While it records their verbal response, it did not record the expression on their face or the tone of their voice, or indeed if there were any pauses before the response, surprise is not always verbal or indeed necessary to the tale, if you demand surprise to be recorded in the account for you to believe a miracle was not allegory, the bible is full of them.
Are we to believe that the 5000 who were fed by Jesus were ungrateful because it did not record them expressing their thanks?
Now when an event is recorded as a perception, using expressions such as he saw, or he heard, these could be debated as allegory, Moses did not record Balaam as "hearing" the donkey speak, rather he wrote that God "opened the donkeys mouth." It was not recorded as a perception but as an event. Balaam was however recorded as having a dream the night prior in which God told him not to go. Why would the writer record one as a dream and the other as a literal event if both were dream like states?
As for Eve, like Balaam she would have spoken to spirit creatures prior to the snake. Why should she question it's ability? Adam was the one who had observed and named all of the creatures, so he might have been less easily fooled. Why do you suppose the serpent approached Eve and not Adam? With the serpent being the most "cautious" of all the animals it is plausible that Eve would not have encountered it to the point that she would know any different. She may have been surprised, although my personal thoughts are that under the conditions of Eden she would be more curious than surprised, but clearly it was not pertinent enough to the account for Moses to record it.
Regardless, if you can assume a single portion of scripture to be allegory to conform to your understanding, could it be said that one could reinterpret most of the bible as allegory?
Quote:An angel was nearby, so we can assume he cast a "dream" illusion over the incident.
And because I just can't help it, you know what it means to assume don't you...
