Editor,
I am writing in response to Richard Berthold's column published in the Daily Lobo on
Nov. 16. Though there are many issues in the column one can address, I want to confine myself to his main conclusion, which is that the Bible cannot be accepted as history.
The Bible is not always easy to read or understand, especially the Old Testament. Time and effort is required. Why is the Bible often difficult to grasp? The people lived a very long time ago. They had a different understanding of the physical world. They spoke a different language. They had a different method of recording events. They lived under different political structures. Most importantly, their religion - their understanding of God, humanity and the world - was in its beginning stages and undergoing development over thousands of years.
Another issue that often makes the Bible difficult to understand is it is a collection of many letters composed in different genres or types of writings. There is prayer, dialogue, song, metaphor, analogy, prophecy, symbolism, wisdom writings, exhortation, apocalyptic imagery, parable and more. Also, contrary to Berthold's idea, there is historical narrative. There are books that are primarily historical narrative, and then there is historical information within the different writing types. Each writing style communicates differently, but they all communicate a truth about God, man and the world.
In spite of the difficulties in correctly interpreting the letters of the Bible, there are two major forces uniting the people and events in the Bible and the people of today - one God and one shared human nature. God is not trapped by time or space, and our shared human nature allows us to enter into and learn from the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago. This is not living in the past, because human nature has not changed. The drama of people in the Bible is the same as ours today - especially the drama within the human spirit. The writings of the Bible are an honest reflection of the human spirit, which is one reason they attract so many people over thousands of years.
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Human beings communicate their experiences in a wide variety of ways, yet each one communicates an authentic reality. The Bible reflects everyday life and its simplicity and drama, its beauty and tragedy.
If you are like Berthold and want to learn about God and his union with humanity in a mundane, simple and uninspiring recording of events, don't read the Bible. However, if you are in search of a personal God who is willing to enter into the beauty and tragedy of real human life, begin with Genesis and work your way through to the crucifixion of the Jesus of Nazareth.
Benjamin P. Sanchez
UNM alumnus
