The Six 24 hour Days of Genesis 1

 

Dennis Edwards

Hebrew Scholar Dr. James Barr (1924-2006) Oxford University Professor 1976-1989 said the following:

"There is no professor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world-class university who does not believe that the writer(s) of Genesis 1-11 intended to convey to their readers the ideas that (a) creation took place in a series of six days which were the same as the days of 24 hours we now experience, (b) the figures contained in the Genesis genealogies provided by simple addition a chronology from the beginning of the world up to later stages of the Biblical story."

Dr. Barr, however, did not say he agreed with that interpretation. He did say that that was the obvious rendering of the Hebrew text. 

Dr. Gleason Archer (1916-2004) another famous Old Testament scholar from the States said something similar. "From a superficial reading of Genesis 1, the impression would seem to be that the entire creative process took place in six twenty-four hour days. If this was the true intent of the Hebrew author...This seems to run counter to modern scientific research, which indicates that the planet Earth was created several billion years ago." 

Both these men understood what the Scripture was saying. Both were influenced by modern scientific doctrines to compromise their understanding of the Scriptures to accommodate evolutionary doctrine.