Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Kurt Noll" <KLNoll AT kwc.edu>]

Dear Liz,

Thanks for the clarification.  Your article sounds exciting and I can't
wait to read it.

I think your question about the compositional date of "P" (however one
might define "P") is a valid question.  From what others have posted on
this thread, I'm guessing we all agree there was a priesthood in
Jerusalem prior to the exile and the traditions from that priesthood are
preserved in the Bible (whether we can now isolate them or not), and
that the process of preservation included modification during the
Persian (and probably Hellenistic) period.  So, for the book you are
reviewing, I guess the real issue is this:  Does the book's author
dogmatically exclude any discussion of Iron Age II, or does the author
merely say that since the material passed through the post-exilic era it
is valid to read what is preserved in the Bible against that historical
setting?  If the former, the author is on shaky ground.  If the latter,
the author is probably sound.

Shalom,
Kurt

*********************************
Dr. Kurt L. Noll
Kentucky Wesleyan College
3000 Frederica Street
Owensboro, KY  42302
http://www.kwc.edu/academic/religion/index.html
(270) 852-3220
KLNoll AT kwc.edu

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something
when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
                                            - Upton Sinclair
**********
>From lizfried AT umich.edu  Fri Feb 28 11:34:36 2003
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From: "Lisbeth S. Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>
To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: RE: RE: RE: [b-hebrew] The Priestly Stratum (Liz)
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 11:41:06 -0500
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Dear Kurt - et al.,

>
>
> Dear Liz,
>
> Thanks for the clarification.  Your article sounds exciting
> and I can't
> wait to read it.
Thanks.
I'm just hoping that it will make some people question their
assumptions.

>
> I think your question about the compositional date of "P" (however one
> might define "P") is a valid question.  From what others have
> posted on
> this thread, I'm guessing we all agree there was a priesthood in
> Jerusalem prior to the exile and the traditions from that
> priesthood are
> preserved in the Bible (whether we can now isolate them or not), and
> that the process of preservation included modification during the
> Persian (and probably Hellenistic) period.  So, for the book you are
> reviewing, I guess the real issue is this:  Does the book's author
> dogmatically exclude any discussion of Iron Age II, or does the author
> merely say that since the material passed through the
> post-exilic era it
> is valid to read what is preserved in the Bible against that
> historical
> setting?  If the former, the author is on shaky ground.  If
> the latter,
> the author is probably sound.
The author assumes, with Wellhausen, that the P stratum is post-exilic
and that the first reference to a stratified priesthood is in Ezekiel.
The Levites as second-class priests results from the influx of these
priests
to Jerusalem after Josiah closed down the bamôt.
He doesn't question these assumptions.
So, on the one hand, I keep thinking, why should we have to keep
reinventing the wheel? But on the other hand, can we take these as
givens?
Why couldn't a stratified priesthood at the Jerusalem temple have
existed from
the beginning (whenever that was)? Every temple that I know of in the
entire ANE
and Egypt had stratified priesthoods.
If you excise Ezekiel's polemics (which is easy to do), then you simply
get a
description of two separate -- but essentially equal -- types of temple
officials.
So, is there anything in the language of the P stratum of the Pentateuch
that
would force us to conclude that pre-exilic Judah did not know a
stratified
priesthood? Specifically can we date Numbers 8:19? Can we determine
whether it preceeds or follows Ezekiel on a linguistic basis?
Thanks,
Liz

>
> Shalom,
> Kurt
>
> *********************************
> Dr. Kurt L. Noll
> Kentucky Wesleyan College
> 3000 Frederica Street
> Owensboro, KY  42302
> http://www.kwc.edu/academic/religion/index.html
> (270) 852-3220
> KLNoll AT kwc.edu
>
> "It is difficult to get a man to understand something
> when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
>                                             - Upton Sinclair
> **********
> _______________________________________________
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