Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

> Dear colleagues,
> 
> When I have heard a couple of years ago about the the so called
> "Bible codes", quite naturally I considered them to be another trick
> of some clever guys with a computer. Quite recently I received an
> apology of the method from its supporter claiming that the results
> were proven statistically.
> 
> I am still very cautious about the method but such a claim can't be
> simply discarded because we don't like it. What do you think? Do you
> have any other arguments? Has someone tried to repeat the experience
> or to do the same with another sequence of Hebrew letters? In a
> word, was there an independent expertise?

My question about all this is: which Hebrew text?  BHS?  Some 
other?  Was it appropriately emended based on text-critical 
principles?  Which ones?  How was the base text decided?  Who 
decided and on what principles?  How do textual variants affect 
these codes?  I have yet to see an adequate answer to these and 
similar questions.  I have no problem believing the Scriptures are 
inspired, and in fact am [flameproof suit on] an unabashed 
inerrantist.  However, I don't need stuff like this to "prove" it, nor do 
I feel threatened by textual criticism.  There are places, I realize, 
where we're not certain what the text is and are still working on 
recovering it.  This whole "Bible codes" thing seems to subtly 
suggest that the text is fixed, known and cast in stone; that is 
hardly the case.  Hence, I'm more than a little skeptical about the 
idea.

Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
A Bible that's falling apart means a life that isn't.