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  • From: Niels Peter Lemche <npl AT teol.ku.dk>
  • To: "'b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu'" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: BAR- what rubbish
  • Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 16:32:59 +0100


well, BAR lives from 'history', its growth has been attached to biblical
archaeology in its worst form, its popularity to its ability to satisfy the
presupposotions of people who believe in the historical truth (as if this is
the only one) of the biblical narrative. Now, should the multitudes follow
us, BAR would die--or so HersheyBAR thinks. Dever, whose school of ph.d.
studies in biblical archaeology was shut down by his university authorities
is also fighting for the survival of his discipline. And somewhere down the
road, i understand him. On ANE it is a recurrent theme that positions in
ANE-studies are regularly shut down. It is more prominent in the states and
in Canada than in Europe, but it is also happening over here. Why? Lavk of
interest? and again why this lack of interest? Probably because ANE-studies
to a large degree started from theology--biblical studies--and now these
studies have proved themselves unable to defend the historical truth of the
Bible. So people will not pay anymore.

If only Dever understood how necessary the historical part of the business
is also in the future to create a dialogue between the ancient past, the
Bible, and modern times, he would probably side with us. After all the
differences are small--what Tom Thompson showed to the people in Chicago
last fall, and what we are going to tell Dever again this year.

NPL


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim West [SMTP:jwest AT highland.net]
> Sent: Friday, 25 February, 2000 15:48
> To: Biblical Hebrew
> Subject: BAR- what rubbish
>
> BAR's editorial staff has once more demonstrated their complete inability
> to
> comprehend the simplest of ideas. The recent issue contains an article
> titled "Can you understand this?"; which excerpts portions of Thomas
> Thompson's "Mythic Past". The editors opine that they dont get it.
>
> However, the excerpt (and the book) are thoroughly comprehensible. One
> wonders why the likes of Dever and others of his ilk are lionized by BAR
> whilst folk like Lemche, Thompson, and Davies and Whitelam are vilified.
> BAR clearly has a political agenda. Its not hard to see that this rag is,
> pardon my editorializing, simply a pro-Israel, right wing,
> anti-palestinian
> piece of crap.
>
> What has this to do with Biblical Studies? Quite a bit- for the public
> are
> spoon fed by BAR the most egregious historical errors under the guise of
> scholarship regarding the Biblical text. My suggestion is that those who
> do
> read BAR should also be aware of the fact that the facts are not always
> rightly represented. This is not a news magazine or simple reporting of
> issues related to Biblical Archaeology- it is a political magazine and
> should be read in that light.
>
> Jim
>
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> Jim West, ThD
> jwest AT highland.net
> http://web.infoave.net/~jwest
>
>
>
> ---
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