Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Polycarp66 AT aol.com]

In a message dated 2/4/2000 6:51:15 AM Central Daylight Time, 
MC2499 AT mclink.it writes:

<< 
 The Philistines are not really a part of that wave of people who came in 
such force that they brought down Hatti, Cyprus, Kode, Karkemish and took 
lower Palestine from the Egyptians, so this rationalisation goes. No, let's 
make them something more manageable. They were a slim minority who became the 
ruling elite on the Palestine coast and really spoke a Semitic language, 
notwithstanding the fact that the few examples of Philistine writing is 
similar to Linear A which was found in Crete, where Hebrew tradition locates 
the Philistine origin, ie Kaftor. Why do these Semitic speaking Philistines 
introduce Greek pottery forms into local Palestinian production of pottery -- 
rather than using the local forms? Why do they introduce non-Semitic burial 
customs?
  >>
<< 
 The Philistines are not really a part of that wave of people who came in 
such force that they brought down Hatti, Cyprus, Kode, Karkemish and took 
lower Palestine from the Egyptians, so this rationalisation goes. No, let's 
make them something more manageable. They were a slim minority who became the 
ruling elite on the Palestine coast and really spoke a Semitic language, 
notwithstanding the fact that the few examples of Philistine writing is 
similar to Linear A which was found in Crete, where Hebrew tradition locates 
the Philistine origin, ie Kaftor. Why do these Semitic speaking Philistines 
introduce Greek pottery forms into local Palestinian production of pottery -- 
rather than using the local forms? Why do they introduce non-Semitic burial 
customs?
  >>

Cyrus Gordon predicted that Linear A (not Linear B which was disciphered by 
Ventris) would prove to be a Semitic language.  Preliminary work that I have 
read about seems to prove him to have been correct.  That the Philistines may 
have spoken a Semitic dialect does not indicate that they were indigenous to 
Gaza.  In fact, If I read the post correctly, that was never the claim.  As I 
understood it the claim was that many in Philistia were indigenous but the 
ruling class was not -- this would almost undoubtedly be the "Sea Peoples."

gfsomsel