Biblical Hebrew Forum

[peter_kirk AT sil.org]

In this connection I will quote some more from the New Bible 
Dictionary article "Brick-Kiln" by K.A. Kitchen (published 1962). 
Unfortunately no mention of Dr. Dent, but some other leads on similar 
material (I have not looked these up):

"Outside of Daniel, Nebuchadrezzar's cruel punishment is attested not 
only in Je. xxix.22 but also by actual inscriptions: in a Babylonian 
letter of c.1800 BC and in an Assyrian court regulation of c.1130 BC 
people were (or might be) thrown into a furnace for punishment: see 
G.R. Driver, Archiv f?r Orientforschung, XVIII, 1957, p.129, and E.F. 
Weidner, ibid., XVII, 1956, pp.285-286. The practice is used as a 
comparison in Ps. xxi.9. On the 'fiery furnace' being a brick-kiln, 
compare the reference to the flames from similar modern brick-kilns 
lighting up the sky near Babylon by R. Koldewey, The Excavations at 
Babylon, 1914, pp.81-82. The brick-kilns of ancient Babylonia may have 
looked like the large pottery-kiln excavated at Nippur and pictured in 
B. Meissner, Babylon und Assyrien, I, 1920, p.234 and figs. 55,56."

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator 
_________________________________
Subject: Re: dan 3:6
Author:  <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk> at Internet
Date:    13/01/2000 13:45


On Wed 12 Jan 2000 (14:33:04), jwest wrote:
> the aramaic word 'attun, translated "furnace" here-  does it specifically 
> mean "kiln" or "oven"?  what i am wondering is if the story portrays
> the 3 hebrews being tossed into a brick kiln or a bread oven. 
>
> my sense is that it is a kiln.  but i dont wanna go shootin off my 
> mouth without knowing aforehand.

 Dear Jim,

 It would seem more likely that it was the furnace used to smelt (melt?) 
 the metal for the giant image that Nebuchadnezzar ordered to be erected
 in the Plain of Dura. But for my money, a brick- or lime-kiln would be big 
 enough to take 4 men at once; but hardly a bread-oven. The great heat of 
 this 'aTTuWN NuWRa' would burn up any bread before it could cook at all.

 EJ Young writes "/Furnace/ - Haevernick calls attention to the description 
 of the traveller Chardin (/Voyage en Perse/, VI), who was in Persia 
 1671-77, and who notes that two furnaces of fire were kept burning for a 
 month for consuming those who overcharged for food. JA Montgomery suggests 
 that this furnace '... must have been similar to our common lime-kiln, with 
 a perpendicular shaft from the top and an opening at the bottom for 
 extracting the fused lime.'" (/The Prophecy of Daniel/, Eerdmans, 1949,
 p 88).

 I'm always suspicious of anecdotal evidence. But a now elderly former 
 colleague wrote in his "Popular style" book on Biblical Archaeology, 
 unfortunately without adequate attribution,

 "Dr Dent comments, 'It may have been in the plain between the Tower of 
 Babylon and the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar that the image of gold was set 
 up.... Excavators at Babylon have found a furnace with the inscription 
 'This is the place of burning where men who blasphemed the gods of 
 Chaldea die by fire'. Also, a ruined college library was discovered 
 revealing curricula for native princes. They were instructed and trained 
 especially for 'Interpretations of dreams and visions'. 'Impiety to any 
 gods - cast alive into a fiery furnace' and 'Untoward acts relative to a 
 king - cast alive into the den of lions'. (Dr EKV Pearce, /Evidence for 
 Truth/, vol 2, /Archaeology/, 13 Lismore Road, Eastbourne, Sussex,
 1993, p 131).

 Does anyone know of this mysterious "Dr Dent", probably an archaeologist, 
 or the bibliographical details of any publications over his name?

 Shalom
 Ben
--
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
 <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) 
 http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm