Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jonathan Robie <jonathan AT texcel.no>]

Dear B-Haverim,

Please, no personal attacks!

I've been very happy with the way Bryan, Lewis, and Kirk have been running
this list, and by the informative and interesting messages I've seen here.
But I have also seen some personal attacks which I find rather distressing. 

I think we should have certain basic rights on this list:

1. The right to goodwill from the other.
2. The right to be heard by the other and to be responded to with courtesy.
3. The right to have your own view, even if the other has a different view.
4. The right to receive a sincere apology for any jokes you find offensive.
5. The right to participate free from criticism and judgement of you as a
person - though naturally your views may be criticized!
6. The right to be called by no name that devalues you.

Each of these rights should apply not only to individuals, but also to the
groups to which we belong.

I am upset when I see posts like these:

> Have you read any of the works by Stanley Porter and
> others that discuss the issue of whether the Aorist in Greek is temporal
> or aspectual?  If not, then you are too inadequately informed to
> critique the view you are arguing against.  There's a growing mass of
> literature in this regard, and I suggest that you read it first.  

"Too inadequately informed to critique the view you are arguing against",
eh? Ouch. This dismisses the person without addressing anything that person
said.  

It's not my job to decide who is adequately informed and who is not, though
I must point out that many people who are quite familiar with Porter's
works disagree with both his methodology and his conclusions, as is quite
evident in the growing mass of literature mentioned here. So why shouldn't
everyone be entitled to agree or disagree with Porter? If there are
specific things discussed in that literature that might enlighten us and
change our views, why not bring them up here and help us all instead of
berating someone you suspect of not reading the literature? That way, you
can also demonstrate your own mastery of the literature and impress us with
your brilliance, and bring the rest of us to the point that we are
"adequately informed". Or at least cite the titles of some of the seminal
works that have been helpful for you. I don't expect that we can all expect
everyone to have read the same books we have, and one of the purposes of
this list is to foster exchange among people whose backgrounds may differ.

In other word, if someone seems to be mistaken on a point, please specify
where the mistake is, furnish the information we need to understand the
error, and be humble enough to recognize that there may be more than one
point of view.

If you know something, share it!

And now look at this:

> apparently the critque didn't sit well with you.
> you might reread the critque more carefully and more critically.
> if you need access to my own publications in the field i'll respond
> offlist.

Let me put myself in the place of the person who received this. Apparently,
if I disagree with the person who sent this, it means that I can't read
carefully and critically, and if I wish to be enlightened...

Please, share what you know, and avoid personal attacks!

Jonathan
List Owner, B-Hebrew