Fundamentalists are usually long on opinion, and short on historical understanding. The ancient Hebrews had two traditions -- the Oral Tradition, and the Written Tradition. And when one considers the changes that languages undergo over the course of thousands of years, it becomes quite clear why both traditions are necessary.

Oral Tradition is very contingent upon sound -- obviously. And what few Fundamentalists realize is that languages undergo shifts in sound. Indeed, the English language had a rather dramatic shift during The Great Vowel Shift.

Written Tradition might seem the perfect solution, until one realizes how few people actually knew how to read or write, or how words actually change in meaning throughout time. How many of us consider an 'imp' to be a 'young shoot of a plant'?

The word 'Literal' comes from the Late Latin word lit(t)eralis, which means 'of or belonging to letters or writing'.

So is the Bible the Literal truth? Of course it is. Does that mean that it isn't mythological in nature? Of course it doesn't.

[link to para-physin.blogspot.com]