Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ian Hutchesson" <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

>what exactly is a transparent methodology?  i know what a transparent
material
>object is but how can a method of research be transparent?  if its
transparent
>isnt it in essence invisible?  and if invisible isnt it without substantive
>value?  and if it is without value, why use it as a method?

Dear Jim,

A transparent methodology is one in which the
assumptions are clear and evident in the
carrying out of the methodology, in which all
those assumptions are open to question.

An interesting attempt at a transparent
methodology which I think is worthy of note is
the recent work of Eugene Ulrich. See for
example his article in The DSS in their
Historical Context, T&TClark 2000, ed Lim et
al. or his The DSS and the Origins of the Bible,
Eerdmans/Brill, 1999.

Undatable literary sources are extremely
elusive to use, as you are aware. They cannot
be dated only through internal literary analysis.
Part of the methodology I have advocated is
the use of historically datable yardsticks on
which one can hang indications from literature.
The only problem I can see here is whether the
indications are relatable to the yardstick, but
that is open to inspection and debate, and
therefore transparent.


Ian