All the things on Noah's boat

[Bronzeage]

There was a time when men could recite the entire Illiad. There is nothing remarkable about the Pentateuch being preserved through oral tradition until some literate person had time on his hands and a stable home life, which enabled him to write it all down.

Thank you .This makes sense as the most likely explanation to be given by believers. I had asked because I wasn't sure if there was a claim that Noah had records. It does still present the problem of claiming outstanding memories for more than a thousand years. Even an excellent oral tradition would be hard pressed to stay accurate for that many generations.

(I do enjoy the humorous answers, too. )



Now onto what is the christian or Jewish description of "the sons of god" and their family relationship to jesus?

There are always problems when translating from another language and this is multiplied when translating from another time. A metaphor in one language can lose all meaning when literally translated into another. I had a friend from Malaysia who "opened" lights, instead of turning them on. His language preserved the act of opening the door of a lantern, while ours refers to twisting something.

I'm not sure what context "sons of God" is taken, but between Aramaic, Greek, Latin and English, the word "brethren" can be a close relation such as a cousin, what we would call "kin", or a person who is a member of a close knit group. Imagine trying to translate "tight knit" into some other language. We could be a part if a "high thread count cloth" organization.

 

[diana]

There was a time when men could recite the entire Illiad.

While I agree with your thoughts on this post in general, I have to call a "Not as such, no" on this. At least, not "recitation" in the sense that we understand it.

I can, for example, recite the Gettysburg Address. When I say that, I mean I can say it word for word as it is recorded (which isn't necessarily exactly what Lincoln said, but that's beside the point I'm making now). If I get a single word wrong, even if I still have the idea right, my recitation is considered "flawed."

Pre-literate peoples, however, had no such concept of recitation. The very idea of "word for word" repetition is lost on them. Such was the case with the Iliad. The basic elements of the story were memorized, then "recited" in meter. Epithets were routinely used to provide perfect meter. Thus, the performer would learn a story, a meter, and the necessary epithets so he could perform. Such stories were more than likely never performed the same way twice.

Also, if any one performer ever knew, let alone performed, all of the Iliad, I'm unaware of it.

d

 

[Bronzeage]

There was a time when men could recite the entire Illiad.

While I agree with your thoughts on this post in general, I have to call a "Not as such, no" on this. At least, not "recitation" in the sense that we understand it.

I can, for example, recite the Gettysburg Address. When I say that, I mean I can say it word for word as it is recorded (which isn't necessarily exactly what Lincoln said, but that's beside the point I'm making now). If I get a single word wrong, even if I still have the idea right, my recitation is considered "flawed."

Pre-literate peoples, however, had no such concept of recitation. The very idea of "word for word" repetition is lost on them. Such was the case with the Iliad. The basic elements of the story were memorized, then "recited" in meter. Epithets were routinely used to provide perfect meter. Thus, the performer would learn a story, a meter, and the necessary epithets so he could perform. Such stories were more than likely never performed the same way twice.

Also, if any one performer ever knew, let alone performed, all of the Iliad, I'm unaware of it.

d

The night's were long and we didn't have cable. The guy recited as long as the wine lasted and we liked it when he mixed it up.

 

[diana]

hahahahahaha

 

[dockeen]

I have been called an Oddity, does that count as much as reciting the Illiad?

 

[aupmanyav]

We have various traditions in India when religious texts and stories are passed on orally from generation to generation, but we never had anything like what Keith mentions, covering the eyes of the reciters. They include the Vedas (Dwivedis, Trivedis, and Chaturvedis - those who could recite two, three or all the four Vedas) and also Pandavani, Jatra, Padh, Kathakali, etc. Then there were stories of the valor of warring clans recited by Charans and Bhats. The latter were highly revered because if they were not treated well, they could change the story and sing of disrepute to the clan.