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  • From: Jim West <jwest AT Highland.Net>
  • To: Jonathan D Safren <yonsaf AT beitberl.beitberl.ac.il>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Historiography and Jonathan
  • Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 16:38:49 +0000


At 10:30 PM 2/22/99 +0200, you wrote:

>If the Tanakh mentions Hittites in Hebron and elsewhere in Biblical
>Israel; if , in 2 Sam. 24 (paralleled in 1 Chr), David buys the Temple
>Mount from the Jebusite arawnah/awarnah = Hurrian ewir; and the Tell El
>Amarna Tablets are full of Canaanite kinglets with Indo-European and
>Hurrian names, with the ruler of Jerusalem, Puti-Heba, having a Hurrian
>name (Hebat was a Hurrian goddess), then don't the biblical and the
>extra biblical evidence intermesh? Isn't the Bible preserving early
>traditions about the autochtonous inhabitants of Palestine? And isn't it
>strange that a Hasmonean or Herodian author still fad access to such
>ancient traditions, whether oral or written?
>Sincerely,
>Jonathan D. Safren

This is an important point, Jonathan. The central question seems to be why
a Hasmonean tradent would preserve an ancient hurrian name. I suspect that
the reason may be fairly simple. You are right- the compiler is merely
preserving a tradition. Modern writers talk of Moses, for instance. yet no
one would presume that the mere mention of the name means that the modern
author actually lived in Mosaic times. (though the times, the are
a-changin'). In brief- there is nothing against Hasmonean composition in
the use of Hurrian names.
Further, it should surprise no one that a Hasmonean author would have access
to ancient oral traditions. We still do. And we are even further removed
from the times.

Best,

Jim

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jim West, ThD
Quartz Hill School of Theology

jwest AT highland.net
http://web.infoave.net/~jwest





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