When, where, and by whom some books were accepted as parts of the Bible, and others were rejected, is discussed below in the chapter labeled “BIBLE”. This chapter, and the chapter on “WRITING” examine the sources of the information that the various authors put into those books. There are three ways an author could have gotten some or all of the information he put into his book: 1. He might have been an eyewitness to the event, 2. He might have been divinely inspired, or 3. He might have used an oral legend passed down from earlier generations. Of course that legend could have originated with either an eyewitness or a divinely inspired person. § Not all the oral legends on which Biblical Scripture was based could have originated as eyewitness …show more content…
A well-trained ape will obey the commands, even complex commands, of his human trainer. Gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, and chimpanzees can be taught to communicate with their human trainers and with each other in a sign language similar to that used by the human deaf community. Gorillas and chimpanzees can send and understand computer messages, using simplified software. Adult chimpanzees have been observed teaching their young to use the sign language that they learned from their human trainers. § Scientific ideas on the origin of human speech are sketchy and not very informative. Observations are few and indirect. Fossils can be studied to see if anatomical features of the speech organs are present. It is believed that the creation of symbolic art requires a brain capable of processing language. Studies of Neanderthal remains show that at least some of them had vocal organs barely meeting the criteria for speaking. Symbolic art was found in their cave at Lascaux, France. Of course the Neanderthals had been in contact with, and had probably interbred with, humans for thousands of years by the time that art was produced. It is unlikely that most Neanderthals had sophisticated