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  • From: Ian Hutchesson <mc2499 AT mclink.it>
  • To: <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Perspective on Phoenician and Hebrew
  • Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 01:40:29 +0100


At 08.51 14/02/00 +0100, Niels Peter Lemche wrote:
>Only one problem: Why archaizing? Why not (and maybe Garbini also think
>so--it seems so) simply say that the West-Semitic dialect of this
>inscription is showing an archaic form of Hebrew/Amorite...

I have just browsed another Garbini book which was a diachronic survey on
the Semitic languages written in 1972 ("Le lingue semitiche", Napoli), in
which he said the following about the relationship between Phoenician and
Hebrew.

"It isn't easy to establish the historical origin of Hebrew, which, while
it fits comfortably within the Amorite dialects of the southern sedentary
dwellers, nevertheless remains the linguistic expression of a semi-nomadic
population located in the region relatively late. Even without adding that
the Israelites abandoned their languages to adopt that of Canaan, it seems
obvious to admit that they modelled on the latter their own literary
language, which is that which we know."

>early 1st
>millennium south Levantine variety. The HB shows a different stage (probably
>a number of) in the development of this language.
>
>NPL
>
>> I was browsing a book by Garbini a few days ago ("I fenici: storia e
>> religione" [The Phoenicians: history and religion], Napoli, 1980) and was
>> taken by his comments about the Hebrew language...

---------------------------------------------------------

Further on the "so-called Gezer 'calendar'":

Here is an argument from silence. Garbini it seems first wrote on the
problems of the 'Gezer calendar' in 1956. In 1980 he is only relating his
earlier conclusions. If one makes a survey of the more recent Israelite
archaeological books, one will find that the 'Gezer calendar' is simply no
longer mentioned. If it's Phoenician why should it be included in a book on
Israelite archaeology?

Naturally without the 'Gezer calendar', we are faced with archaeological
evidence that only dates to the seventh century BCE and this accords with
the notion of a Judaic state which flowered not long before Hezekiah's time
and reached its apex during his reign.

I would be interested to hear if anyone can dredge up an authoritative
archaeology of Israel written within the last ten years or so that mentions
the artifact.


Ian





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