Dinosaur said:
If you read Genesis carefully, it seems to describe two different woman being created, one on the sixth day and one created later.
If you read Genesis really carefully, you'll realise that this is the first of many stories in the Bible which is repeated with slightly different details. Check out all the stories which seem to have contradictory details and you will be able to split out at least two distinct stories which have been intermingled, or which just follow on from each other. Then if you read
extra carefully, you'll see that one version of a story always refers to the Supreme Being as "the LORD" and the other version always as "God".
And you will have had your first glimpse of what is now known as the Documentary Hypothesis. There were three authors of the first four books of the Bible, known to scholars as J (because God is referred to by the tetragrammaton, JHWH), E (because God is called El or Elohim) and P (these parts of the books are devoted to Priestly matters, law, ritual, dates and genealogies - Leviticus is P virtually in its entirety). Then Deuteronomy is the first book of "The Deuteronimistic History" which unites Deuteronomy, Joshua, Samuel and Kings, and whose author is known as D.
My favourite bit of story doubleting seems to me the clearest example of all three authors having a go, because the one story appears three times in three different places in Genesis.
J tells the story as if it happened to Abraham in the days when he was still Abram.
Genesis 12:xi-xx:
11. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
12. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
14. And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
15. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
17. And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
18. And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
19. Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
20. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
Then E tells his version of the story, this time happening to Abraham (and the king involved is Abimelech).
Genesis 20
1. And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
2. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
3. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
4. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
5. Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
6. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
7. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
8. Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
9. Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
10. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
11. And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.
12. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
13. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
14. And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
15. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
16. And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
17. So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
18. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
Finally J tells the story all over again, only this time it happened to Abraham's son, Isaac.
Genesis 26:vi-xi:
6. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
7. And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
8. And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
9. And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.
10. And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.
11. And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
It's also fun to pose questions like, "How many of each animal did Noah take into the ark, and then laugh when they say, "Two". Sometimes it's two. Sometimes it's two of the unclean and of the clean by sevens (possibly seven pairs, but they were needed for sacrifice in any case, and possibly "sacrifice" just means for them to eat!) Seriously, Fundamentalists question science and have careful ways of interpreting the Creation, but the quickest way to destroy the faith of a Fundie is (or
ought to be) simply to get them to read the story of the Flood and then tell them to tell you how many days were the waters on the earth?
