The tower of babel story5/20/2023 Though there are countless languages and dialects, yet ultimate derivation from a parent language is revealed through the continuing studies being made across the boundaries of the major language families. Harold Stigers has an interesting summary of this matter: This scholar, who formerly had considered the account in Genesis 11:1-9 to be no more than a myth, came to the conclusion that the biblical narrative is more credible than had been supposed (1981, 254).ĭr. Aalders has this comment:Ī famous Assyriologist made the amazing discovery that there is a clear relationship between the languages of some of the native people in Central and South America and some of the Islands, on the one hand, and the ancient Sumerian and Egyptian languages, on the other. In his respected two-volume work on Genesis, Dutch scholar G. Jones also suggested that Gothic, Celtic, and Persian belonged to the same linguistic family, now known as Endo-European. ![]() The Sanskrit language, whatever may be its antiquity, is of wonderful structure more perfect than Greek, more copious than Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and the forms of grammar, than could have been produced by accident so strong that no philologer could examine all three without believing them to have sprung from some common source which no longer exists (10). ![]() Sir William Jones (1746-1794), was an accomplished scholar in this language, and in 1786 he wrote: Sanskrit was the ancient and classical language of India. “We have examined all possible forms which language can assume, and we now ask, can we reconcile with these three distinct forms, the radical, the terminational, the inflectional, the admission of one common origin of human speech? I answer decidedly, Yes” (Muller 46-47). In his book, Science of Language, the celebrated professor wrote: Muller (1823-1900) was one of the world’s foremost comparative philologists, i.e., one who studies ancient languages and observes their similarities and differences. The fact is, however, there is absolutely no valid reason for questioning the reliability of the biblical narrative-and for the following reasons: Philologyįirst, language studies have led many scholars to the conclusion that the varied human tongues ultimately can be traced to a common source. Bowie sees the account as a “child-like” “story-answer” characterized by “symbolism,” which was simply primitive man’s way of explaining the origin of different human tongues (1952, 562-565). The approach of religious modernism is scarcely better. “It is highly unlikely that the human inhabitants of the whole earth have ever spoken only one language” (Allen 1990, 43, 44). One infidel has classified this narrative as a “nonsensical” legend. ![]() Skeptics answer negatively and openly scoff at the account. 11:8).ĭid the biblical account the Tower of Babel have its basis in actual history? The sacred decree was implemented, human languages were born, and men were scattered abroad upon the face of the earth (Gen. “Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Gen. The divine Godhead was displeased with the unholy enterprise, hence declared: Intent on making a name for themselves and remaining relatively localized in direct disobedience to Jehovah’s command to fill the earth (Gen. ![]() An ambitious humanity congregated in Shinar (Babylon) and set about to build a great tower, the height thereof reaching unto heaven. One of the beginnings in Genesis is the record of how human beings came to speak different languages.Īccording to the Bible, originally “the whole earth was of one language” (Genesis 11:1). The book of Genesis is a narrative dealing with “beginnings,” as the title of the document indicates.
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