Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Andrew C Smith <a.c.smith AT juno.com>]

I've noticed a little trend, both in this B-Hebrew mailing list, and in
the scholarly world in general.

Some people want to present themselves as "iconoclasts" to "shatter
cherished myths" with "radical new views" about this or that in the
Hebrew Bible.

The problem is, sometimes the icons which these folks want to break are
not actually "cherished" views. Two examples:

The news that the Israelites are not a
genetically/genealogically/biologically "pure" group, that they are not
all family, that they are not all descended from Abraham, Isaac, and
Jakob, is supposed to shock us. But whoever reads the Torah knows that
during the Exodus, when the Hebrews left Egypt, the took along "assorted
other peoples", and that the Torah contains rules for "naturalizing"
would-be citizens into the Israelite nation, and that the book of Ruth
(written later, but reflecting events which occured shortly after the
time of Joshua) gives us an example of inter-marriage, but give that
example in such a way that we know that it was not a rare or isolated
case. So the would-be "iconoclasts" merely confirm what the text has
said. (Off-topic, but one might also note how the New Testament reflects
this, as it includes a gentile or two in the genealogies of Jesus.)

Secondly, we are supposed to be shocked (and, the "iconoclasts" hope,
offended - for their desire is often more to offend than to inform) to
learn that the Israelites, and before them, the Hebrews, were rampant
polytheists. Again, however, the text tells us that Abraham and his
family were polytheists (or at least idolaters) before he was called,
that the Hebrew slaves in Egypt worshipped other gods, and we see
recurrent idolatry/polytheism during the wilderness wanderings, under the
judges, and under the kings. This is all clearly in the text, and we need
no "iconoclasts" to show it to us. In fact, it is the point of the text:
to show us over and over again how the people fell away from God, how God
was patient with them, etc.

In sum, if you're going to shatter icons, please make sure that they
actually exist.

- Andy Smith


.



"... if Bach is the sound of God thinking, then perhaps Gershwin is, at
least, the sound of St. Anthony of Padua whistling as he works ..."
- Michael Bywater

___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]