This is the second in a series of articles that explain the nature and purpose of the Hebrew Scriptures. It builds on information presented in the January 1997 and April 1997 issues and explains the powerful impact the Book of Deuteronomy had on the Prophet Jeremiah. It explains how, as a result, he compiled information from existing sources and wrote the Deuteronomic History as a preface to his own writings. The article explains his purpose in composing the Books of Joshua, Judges, the two Books of Samuel, and the two Books of Kings.
One answer in this set refutes the misguided notion that God created “man” in His image and likeness instead of just “The Man.” In so doing, it points out the obvious fact that “The Man” created in Genesis 1:26–27 cannot possibly be the man described in Genesis 2:7 because the order in which each account says God created the man and other living creatures does not agree. It then provides a simple explanation that resolves that “contradiction,” an explanation with which the Early Church Father Irenæus fully concurs but “literalists” today will undoubtedly take umbrage: The man Adam was created on the third “day” of Creation; “The Man” Jesus Christ was created two thousand years ago—on the sixth “day.”