Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jonathan Bailey <jonathan.bailey AT gmx.de>]

If you would like to talk about Hebrew on this list, then please do so. No 
one is
stopping you. Let's not pretend we are victims here and being prevented from 
talking
about grammar. I think it would be more honest to say that we are just 
irritated about
getting mails that are not about grammar.

If it really is too much trouble to ask people to delete mails that do not 
interest them,
and if those people are enough of a majority here to determine that the list 
should be
restricted to grammar, then I ask that somebody direct me to a list where I, 
as a
newcomer to the field, can find an introduction to the broad range of themes
connected with the Hebrew bible including grammar, textual criticism, 
archaeology,
(limited) exegesis, etc. I really am not enthused about the idea of having to 
subscribe
to 5 lists in order to have access to these topics and thereby having to sift 
through 50
superflous mails per day because people like Ken and Paul are irritated about 
having
to sift through 5 mails that they feel are off topic.

(This is not meant to be a belligerent post against Ken and Paul. Paul, in 
particular,
has provided me with valuable commentary in the past, and I enjoy talking to 
both of
these men. I am just using their names as examples, as they seem to be
representing the opinion that I am against.)

I do realize that this list is just about the freest that I have seen, and 
perhaps we can
reach some middle ground. Perhaps we can just ask participants to be a little 
more
weary of their tone and content. I think the Ian/Dave/Peter argument would 
not have
been so objectionable if it were not for the childish direction the 
conversation took. I
really would like to see this list avoid becoming like b-greek, a list which 
I have
unsubscribed myself from on account of their censoring.

Though I imagine that my opinions are not in too great a demand, I would like 
to say
that I feel that the line should be drawn at doing real OT theology. When I 
mentioned
exegesis above, I was speaking from the perspective that, being more of a 
judaist
than a hebraist, I could see myself coming to the list and asking 
historical-critical
questions concerning various points of Jewish exegesis, where I can find 
reference to
these points in the midrashic literature, how these points contrasted or were
influences by Christian and Islamic views, etc. If these sort of questions 
about the
history and development of HB exegesis are too much for this list, then I 
would also
like to know where I can pose them. At any rate, opening the list to topics 
which are
purely OT theology would undoubtedly bring a whole range of pastors to the 
list,
probably even without knowledge of Hebrew, and would be sure to drown out any
other topics. So I would prevent purely theological threads, but I don't see 
too much of
a problem with archeological or historical dimensions. But I realize that my 
opinion
doesn't count for much at this point (nor should it, as a newcomer), so would 
like
information about where I can go if the list does not choose to remain open 
to the
themes that interest me.




Jonathan Bailey
Hochschule für Jüdische Studien
Heidelberg
---------- Original Message ----------

>   There is a scholarly list run the SBL for discussing Hebrew Bible
>issues, called Miqra.  I suggest that those who wish to discuss JEDP go
>do so there.  I'd really like to talk about Hebrew, as suggested in my
>last post.  While I consider the rules on B-Greek far too repressive and
>anti-scholarly, perhaps similar rules are needed here about what is
>allowed.

>Ken Litwak


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