Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>]

At 12:47 PM 12/31/99 -0800, you wrote:
>
>Wrong.  There are no complete MSS of the LXX before the 4th cent.  AD. 

Ken you are ill informed on this issue.  There are LXX text type mss from
the dead sea region- which manuscripts have been known to scholars since the
later half of this century.  You may want to read Tov's book on textual
criticism of the hebrew bible before venturing into the unknown.

and by the way, who on earth has ever said anything about "complete mss of
the lxx"?

> And we
>are talking about Cicero.  The case is _exactly_ parallel:  MSS from much 
>later
>than the alleged autograph. 

you might be talking about cicero- but I am talking about the hebrew bible.

> You said that the only thing that qualified as
>hard evidence is the MS.  You cannot have your cake and eat it too.  You are
>required by what you said to assert the complete LXX never existed before the
>4th cent.,

as i have pointed out- septuagintal texts exist as early as the first
century bce.

> that no Gospel, except John, existed before 200 AD, that Josephus

you are grossly misrepresenting me.  i said we had no hard evidence till we
had ms evidence.  a book may or may not have existed, but we dont KNOW it
did until we have evidence.  Good grief, why is this simple concept so
difficult for folk to grasp?????

>was written in the middle Ages when the first MS appears, and so forth.  
>Either
>be consistent, or don't make clams without argumentation.

my argumentation is simple.  we do not have PROOF of the existence of a text
until we have a ms of that text.  you seem to think that merely claiming
moses wrote deut. is sufficient evidence.  i then must say to you- show me a
mosaic period manuscript.  you cant, you wont, and you dont.  so instead of
addressing the real issue you talk about cicero and josephus and a host of
red herrings.  just please try to focus on the issue at hand.

again, since it seems that folk are unable, unwilling, or incapable of
understanding me i will say it again- you CANNOT prove the existence of an
object until you have an object!!!!  you can suggest its existence.  you can
posit its existence.  but you cant prove its existence.

thus, in terms of the HB, you can make any claim you want to about any book
you wish to- but until you have a ms you dont have proof that it exists.

period.
end of story.
and enough of this.

Jim

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

Jim West, ThD
jwest AT highland.net
http://web.infoave.net/~jwest