Philip Taylor

“Literal interpretation, in the sense of initial dictionary meanings of words, has no privileged place in communication, including that of the Bible.”
― John W. Hilber, Old Testament Cosmology and Divine Accommodation: A Relevance Theory Approach

“The incarnation of the Son of God is the most extraordinary example. God took on human nature to make his gracious attributes personally experienced by humankind (John 1:14–18).”
― John W. Hilber, Old Testament Cosmology and Divine Accommodation: A Relevance Theory Approach

“One can speculate as to why creation ex nihilo seems less important to biblical authors than transcendent sovereignty. Had it been more important, it would be explicated or implicated more strongly. Certainly, it is not expressed in the terms we might wish to find. But the doctrine is nevertheless there, assumed by orthodox Israelites, implicated in Isaiah, Proverbs, and Psalms, and likely implicit in Gen 1 even though it is neither explicated nor implicated in that particular passage.”
― John W. Hilber, Old Testament Cosmology and Divine Accommodation: A Relevance Theory Approach

“This method of accommodation is similar to those found in Ps 58:4–5 and 1 Sam 28:11–15. In those two cases, erroneous assumptions in the audience’s encyclopedic entries about snakes and the underworld are allowed to remain in order to efficiently communicate the relevant point.”
― John W. Hilber, Old Testament Cosmology and Divine Accommodation: A Relevance Theory Approach