Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

> >This is the crux of Ian's reasoning.
> 
> Obviously not, Dave. But I do want to show that one cannot use an unknown
> quantity as though it were fact and hope to get away with it.

Precisely what you're doing with the material I quoted; I thank you 
for agreeing.

> The "crux" of my argument is the archaeological material that points in a
> particular manner, as I see it.
> 
> >If it's wrong, then the rest of the material falls.
> 
> So, this logic is not helpful. If one is going to introduce evidence one has
> to validate that evidence, not just assume it. One can just as easily assume
> the contrary.

And that's exactly what I did, Ian.  I assumed the contrary of your 
late-dating.  Again, I thank you for agreeing with me.  

> >But the idea that the biblical tradition is this late is a
> >definite minority view
> 
> Agreed.
> 
> >(and with good reasons)
> 
> Naaa. Saying so doesn't make the wish come true.
> 
> >and the idea that
> >Israel was "an apparently non-literate society" has no evidence at
> >all to back it up.
> 
> The earliest textual evidence we have to my knowledge is from about the time
> of Hezekiah.

Check out Donner and Rollig, among others.  Once upon a time 
similar things were said about Aramaic, until inscriptions showed 
otherwise.

> >So I suggest that Michael focus on this erroneous
> >premise, and everything else will pretty much fall into place.
> 
> Naturally, Dave, you could have focussed on this "erroneous" premise if you
> had had something to back it up. Not having done so, nullifies the value of
> the statement, doesn't it? You can say anything is erroneous, if you don't
> have to show it. However, as I have already said, your logic is not correct.

I was making a suggestion to Michael, as I clearly stated.  I'm not 
getting into this because I don't have time.  My intent was merely 
to point out the assumptive nature of that one statement about late-
dating and illiteracy.

And that's as much as I have to say.

Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"No study of probabilities inside a given frame can ever
tell us how probable it is that the frame itself can be
violated."  C. S. Lewis