Thanks once again. Yes, it most certainly was an appeal to those in authority. Is that not what we do when we ask you questions about evolution? When no one knew whether or not man had evolved from monkeys, they all appealed to you?
People spend inordinate amounts of time studying and learning so as to become experts in their fields. We all tend to lean on them for their opinions so that we can learn. In many cases, people here have asked questions of you, directly. Are we to assume that your answer is suspect because you have an axe to grind?
Creation ex nihilo was an example, pointing to God having created separately, prior to the actual days of creation. The universe itself, at the Big Bang event, was the creation out of nothing. The days of creation seem to be subsequent to that. I never suggested that Adam was created out of nothing. The text clearly describes the process as you do above. It (creation ex nihilo) is also not the main topic that you and I were discussing. It was whether or not “the beginning” and “the days of creation” were separated by a substantial amount of time. One aspect of this is an issue of Hebrew grammar. Does the grammar suggest that this is the case? Does it allow for this to be the case? Other passages, quoted above also seem to suggest that this creation event (the beginning) was caused by God, outside of space and time as we know them, and out of nothing.
As I stated above, and you have argued against, I still believe it reasonable to consult the commentaries to see what experts, over time, have understood this passage to say and mean.