Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

Walter,
> Earlier discussions on this list pointed out differences in the Hebrew being
> used between the "Primary History" (Genesis to 2 Kings) and that of
> Chronicles (1 &2). I would like to make some observations form my research
> on dating the biblical texts.
> 
> As all know by now from earlier postings to this list, I am interested in
> establishing dates for the biblical texts by identifying places mentioned in
> the bible and noting when they came into existence according to the findings
> of modern Archaeology.

Not a bad idea.  My post on `ad hayyom hazzeh was pretty much 
along the same lines, especially wrt place names.  The thread 
diverged into a discussion of the phrase as applied to Rahab, which 
wasn't where I intended to go with it, but c'est la vie.

> I have found what I believe to be a possible historical marker for the
> dating of Chronicles, the mention of Tadmor (2 Chr.8:4).
> The Chronicler ascribed the foundation of Tadmor to Solomon along with his
> mighty chariot cities. Tadmor is mentioned in Assyrian annals, but to date,
> excavations have failed to turn up any structures earlier than the first
> century BCE when the present ruined city was founded as a Late Hellenistic
> creation. The excavators have sought to explain the absence of any earlier
> structures by positing that prior to the foundation of the Late Hellenistic
> city, the area served only as a place of nomadic tent settlements, drawn
> periodically to the area by the springs.

Then  how can we be sure the Tadmor that has been excavated is 
the same one referred to in the Assyrian annals and Chronicles?  
This seems like excessive assumption to me.

> As the Chronicler seems to have envisioned Tadmor as a creation of Solomon,
> who was famous for his building operations, the temple, the palace, and the
> chariot cities, it appears obvious to me that 2 Chronicles 8:4 had to have
> been written after Tadmor had become "a famous city," so I would date
> Chronicles to not any earlier than the 1st century BCE.

But this is only possible if the two Tadmors are the same.  How do 
you account for the Assyrian annals and the Tadmor they 
describe?  It seems to me that you're dodging this little problem.  
To warrant this kind of mention by the Assyrians, it seems to me 
that Tadmor would have had to be more than a nomadic campsite, 
so I strongly suspect the site that the excavators have been 
working on is not the same Tadmor mentioned by these records 
(and by Chronicles).


Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.
                                   Psalm 86:11