{"id":10404,"date":"2026-04-10T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=10404"},"modified":"2025-10-25T10:00:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T10:00:46","slug":"looking-at-john-h-waltons-book-2025-new-explorations-in-the-lost-world-of-genesis-part-18-of-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=10404","title":{"rendered":"Looking at John H. Walton’s Book (2025) “New Explorations in the Lost World of Genesis”\u00a0\u00a0(Part 18 of 20)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

0191 A brief re-articulation of this examination is in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tartu-Moscow School of Semiotics<\/em> studies Slavic languages and literature during the 1960s through the 1980s,<\/em>under a sovereign mandate to promulgate scientific understanding<\/em>.  After all, the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics is socialist and socialism (by definition) is more scientific than Christianity (superstition) or capitalism (greed and manipulation).  The official doctrine is Marxism, which constellates the Aristotle-friendly hylomorphe, {material arrangements as matter [substantiate] human conditions as form}.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the topic of this school is Slavic civilization, which manifests, as a narod, before 1000 AD.  The self-awareness of the narod stems from political imposition (the Vikings claim sovereignty, at first) and religious conversion (to Byzantine (or Orthodox) Christianity).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0192 In the course of their godless inquiries, the Tartu-Moscow School of Semiotics excavates an insight from deep within the Slavic imagination.  Aristotle’s hylomorphe is foundational.  But, once a thing exists, its form can entangle matter.  Originating matter substantiates.  Entangled matter… well… would not be there, if not for the form.  In a way, the entangled matter tends to alter the form so that the entangled matter becomes more… um… substantial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0193 Here is a picture of Aristotle’s hylomorphe and the Orthodox’s entanglement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0194 The technical label for the above figure is “confounding”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applied to the early stories of Genesis, the following Christian confounding<\/em> proceeds (more or less) unhindered from the start of the Church until the modern era<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0195 Indeed, Christian theological speculation on the Creation Story and Primeval History<\/em> influences (to some degree) the development of doctrine<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the modern era, Christians only have the Bible as a reference.  No one thinks to challenge interpretations based on the Old Testament, even though this reference is very hard to sort out in a sensible fashion.  After all, humans are created twice.  First, humans appear as images of God in a grand world-building narrative (Genesis 1-2.3).  Second, two humans are fashioned by God, acting as an artisan, in order for them to serve as wardens over His royal gardens (Genesis 2.4-4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0196 Science is successfully born in the 1600s, as mechanical philosophers argue against Aristotle’s four causes, in favor of material and efficient causes shorn of formal and final causalities<\/em>.  Truncated material and efficient causalities<\/em>permit mathematical models of observations and measurements of phenomena<\/em>.  Phenomena<\/em> are the observable and measurable facets of a noumenon<\/em> (a thing itself).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than the hylomorphe, {matter [substantiates] form}, the mechanical philosophers propose that a noumenon<\/em> (a thing itself) [manifests]<\/em> its phenomena<\/em> (observable and measurable facets of the thing itself).  The scientific intent is to build mathematical or mechanical models of observations of phenomena<\/em> using a precisely defined disciplinary language<\/em>… er… terminology<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0197 I suspect that is good enough to produce a very awkward confounding, where phenomena (rather than their noumenon) occupy the position for form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0198 This is important in so far as triumphalist scientists will strive to replace the noumenon with a successful model.  In that way, a model (acting as the noumenon) [appears to substantiate] the phenomena that are observed and measured.  Appearance<\/em> is important, since phenomena<\/em> are only observable and measurable facets of a noumenon<\/em>.  Of course, they are only appearances.  But their mathematical and mechanical models<\/em> seem so real that they may substitute in for the thing itself<\/em>.  Triumphantly!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0199 Of course, my argument is circular.  But, once the model replaces the noumenon,<\/em> which should be a form,<\/em> but is relegated to the matter that manifests as phenomena,<\/em> then all is well, since the model (replacing the noumenon)<\/em> is obviously matter that manifests as the stuff that will be observed and measured<\/em>.  Just ask anyone who has completed a laboratory course in physics, chemistry and biology<\/em>.   The model<\/em> is the matter that is revealed<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0200 With that confusing argument in mind, consider the modern confoundingn that contrasts with the Christian confounding, in regards to the text of Genesis 1-11 as form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0201 For the Creation Story, the entangled matter consists of discoveries in the natural historical and genetic sciences.  Natural history includes cosmology, planetary science, geology and biology.  Walton wants to rule out this entanglement.  How does he plan to do that?  He will take the discoveries in archaeology,<\/em> which are enough to model the cultural rivers of ancient Near East civilizations,<\/em> and use them as a supplement to revealed matter<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As noted earlier, this plan only serves as a temporary restraint.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

0191 A brief re-articulation of this examination is in order. The Tartu-Moscow School of Semiotics studies Slavic languages and literature during the 1960s through the 1980s,under a sovereign mandate to promulgate scientific understanding.  After all, the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics is socialist and socialism (by definition) is more scientific than Christianity (superstition) or capitalism (greed and manipulation).  The official […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[417],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review"],"yoast_head":"\nLooking at John H. 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