Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Raymond de Hoop <rdehoop AT tref.nl>]

Dave Washburn <dwashbur AT nyx.net> wrote on 31-01-2001 16:13:

Dear Dave,
> Hardly.  The profuse use of the phrase "the virgin `anat" suggests
> that it is a formulaic title, not a descriptive term.  Much the same
> as the Roman Catholic church uses the phrase "The Virgin Mary"
> even though we know from the gospels that she had other children
> and hence apparently lived a normal married life after Jesus
> (assuming the Christian approach, of course, purely for the sake of
> argument - I'll add that disclaimer so I don't get jumped on).  If
> you're going to argue away the Ugaritic evidence, you'll have to
> demonstrate its use from non-formulaic texts, a category into
> which the formulaic names for `anat do not fall.
> 

Your reference to the Roman-Catholic formula is quite illustrative, they
have made the virginity of Mary (after the birth of Jesus, during her
mariage) a dogma.  :-)

However, the formula the virgin Mary is, as far as I know, only used in the
credo (born from the virgin Mary, if I render it correct from Dutch) as a
formula and nowhere else. In each case nowhere in the gospels. In the credo
it refers solely to the believed miraculous event of Jesus conception and
birth. 

With regard to Isaiah 7:14 your remark is quite interesting. (almah has a
definite article, which might point to a formulaic use also: THE (young)
lady/maiden has conceived (in each case not as RSV or NEB: A young woman).

Finally, to be clear: I am not arguing the Ugaritic evidence away, I am
bringing the complete evidence in. >Glmt< as used for one who is not a
virgin, argues against the rendering "virgin". No one would use a title as
"Virgin" for a married woman (unless you would insinuate something regarding
her husband, :-)  ).  In this case a rendering like "young lady" or "maiden"
or the like in a formulaic sense should be better. Well and in case you
dismiss this evidence, you're the one who is arguing the Ugaritic evidence
away. 

Regards,

Raymond

-- 

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Dr Raymond de Hoop          Tel.: ++31 50 553 0115
Boeiersingel 11
NL-9745 CA Groningen
The Netherlands                 E-mail: rdehoop AT tref.nl


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