Post History

The practice of understanding scripture to be objectively True and the literal word of God originates with scripture itself, and the men who wrote it. The New Testament contains references to the Old Testament, and its passages are interpreted not as open to interpretation or merely inspirational works of fiction.

### Job

In terms of Job, he is also referenced in Ezekiel 14:

 > The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. 14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God.  
 > ...  
 > 19 “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, 20 even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

And in James 5:

 > My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Job is listed with other men who are treated literally. This in itself shows that the men of that time interpreted the Old Testament (the Jewish law and prophets) as Truth.

### Genealogy of Jesus

You can also look at the [genealogy of Jesus](https://www.complete-bible-genealogy.com/cbgjesus.pdf) in Luke 3 and Matthew 1. They agree with the Old Testament passages, such as the genealogies in Chronicles, and show the biblical age of the world and historical nature of scripture.

### Hebrews

Similarly, the book of Hebrews (among other books) contains references to the account of God creating everything in Genesis. Look at chapter 4:


 > For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:
 > 
 >     “So I swore in My wrath,  
 >     ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”
 > 
 > although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”
 > 
 > 6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:
 > 
 >     “Today, if you will hear His voice,  
 >     Do not harden your hearts.”
 > 
 > 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

This contains references to God creating the world literally in seven days, David as the author of some Psalms (which, while they are songs, the author of Hebrews describes as "God speaking through David", and the indented portions are quotes from Psalm 95), and Joshua is listed as well.

These are not isolated incidents of the Bible referring to other passages literally. The entire Bible contains references to other passages, both in the New Testament and in the Old Testament, and it shows how the people of that day regarded the texts. Literal interpretation of the Bible is not something recent or a modern change as a reaction to the theory of evolution, but rather the literal interpretation of scripture, the creation account included, was the norm up until the "enlightenment" period.


*Verses taken from the New King James Version*