Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Charles David Isbell" <cisbell AT home.com>]

Jim,
In  your brief review of the latest BAR, you list four scholars together:
Lemche, Thompson, Davies, Whitelam.  Do you rank the book by Whitelam (THE
INVENTION OF ANCIENT ISRAEL) as a work of scholarship comparable to the
level consistently attained by  the first  three?
Let me note four facts.  First, I criticized Tom Thompson's MYTHIC PAST
quite harshly in my review of it for The Jewish Studies Book Review, a
review which Tom was allowed to answer in the same forum.  We cannot agree
on many issues.  But second, I have defended both Tom and Niels vigorously
against what I considered a misguided and improper intimation of
anti-Semitism against them by Hershel Shanks.  Third, my respect for the
level of their scholarship is in no way diminished by my disagreement with
SOME [certainly not all or even MOST] of their conclusions.  Four, I would
strongly recommend the review of Shanks' work as an editor offered by Jacob
Neusner in his RABBINIC JUDAISM: DISPUTES and DEBATES (Scholars Press, 1994,
pp. 227-238), where Neusner in his inimitable style sharply calls into
question the credentials of Shanks to speak as a "scholar" of biblical or
archaeological studies.  His review clearly demonstrates that the divergence
of opinion about the relative value of BAR does not form along
Jewish-Christian or pro-anti Israel lines.
However, in my personal judgment, Whitelam's book is offered in a completely
different vein and derives from a totally different level of competence from
what we all recognize as the rigor and excellence of Niels, Tom Thompson and
Davies.  In fact, his most frequently quoted authority, E. W. Said, not only
offers absolutely no credentials as a biblical scholar but is most openly
and avowedly anti-Israel, Jewish, etc.  So I repeat.  On what grounds do you
classify Whitelam in the same category of scholarship with the other three?
Incidentally, my respect for your scholarship is based upon the numerous
thoughtful and helpful posts I have read from you on several lists over a
period of many months.   Perhaps a discussion of Whitelam's book would be an
appropriate topic for B-Hebrew, particularly his use of the term
"palestinian".
Kol Tuv,
Charles
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim West" <jwest AT highland.net>
To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2000 8:48 AM
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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