Discussion on Exodus

Dr. Stuart brought up an interesting point about the so-called "false Eastern humility." Bible scholars have taken great pains to introduce various theories concerning literary and linguistic style: the Creation Story in Genesis as a poetic form, the Gospel of Matthew as topical rather than chronological, Paul's use of hyperbole to emphasize his point, etc. I am not entirely familiar with the debates surrounding each theory, however I do agree that this is issue is important enough to aid discussions on appropriate interpretation. It is rather naive to assume that words cannot be used differently in other languages and cultures. Perhaps its the curse of monolingual America: Christians have a difficulty understanding literary diversity in the Bible because they never get practice in everyday life.

A side thought: If Moses was engaging in a "ritual protest," then why does he protest twice? Why does God get angry? Why does God then agree to send Aaron to help him? This is not to say that Dr. Stuart's interpretation of Exodus 4 is invalid. However, it seems to be inconsistent with the actual text.