Biblical Hebrew Forum

[peter_kirk AT SIL.ORG]

If the seventh century is a late date for the composition of Kings, 
what is an earlier date? Prophetic books may be datable to before the 
events which they describe, but I don't think even the most extreme 
fundamentalists claim that for the historical books!

And a methodological point: if account A differs from account B (and 
there is no external evidence), how can we tell which of the two 
accounts is reliable? If you want to prove that contemporaneity is not 
a guarantee of reliability, just read your morning newspaper, and 
compare it with whatever they are publishing in Belgrade or Baghdad.

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator 
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Subject: ANE Inscriptions and the Book of Kings
Author:  yonsaf AT beitberl.beitberl.ac.il at internet
Date:    27/04/1999 06:49

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Likewise, the use of byt dwd, "House of David", in the Tel Dan 
Inscription, as opposed to Judah in kings, is evidence for the late 
composition of Kings, which he puts in the seventh century or later (he 
doesn't go so far as to say that it was composed in the Maccabean 
Period).
Any comments?

--
Jonathan D. Safren
Dept. of Biblical Studies
Beit Berl College
Beit Berl Post Office 44905
Israel