Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peter.r.kirk AT ntlworld.com>]

On 10/07/2003 15:17, Stephen C. Carlson wrote:

> I weighed into state that there is indeed a method for
> distinguishing cognates from loanwords, rather than the
> all-or-nothing approach that seems to be being argued
> in other messages in the thread.
>
> I agree that, in a thread discussion such as this, citing
> the relevant authorities is sufficient to shift the onus
> on the one challenging the scholarly consensus.  In my own
> defence, I must have missed the post where you did exactly
> that!
I had earlier quoted from the TWOT entry including its own reference to 
TDNT. Then I mentioned BDB and K-B. A reasonable set of authorities, I 
think.

> Just because there is a "consensus", that does not make it
> true.  It may be worthwhile to follow up the cites and re-
> evaluate the analysis behind the commonly accepted result,
> particularly if it had gone unchallenged for a century.
> Methods and assumptions do change, after all, so the analysis
> that produced the result may no longer be acceptable today.  
> Sometimes, it may even turn out that no analysis had in
> fact been done originally.
Absolutely! But I didn't say the analysis had only be done more than a 
century ago, just that it was first done then. HALOT (K-B) cite 
references in this etymology:

Akk. /ša rēši/ “the one at the head” (pl. /šūt rēši/ vSoden /Gramm/. 
§46d; MSL 8/1:74) which includes steward, director, and later eunuch 
(AHw. 974a)

vSoden /Gramm/. = W. von Soden, Grundriss der akkadischen Grammatik, 
Rome 1952
MSL = B. Landsberger, Materialen zum sumerischen Lexicon, Rome 1937–
AHw = W. von Soden, Akkadisches Handwörterbuch, Wiesbaden 1965–

Not 21st century scholarship, but not 19th century either. See also 
Rab-Saris, 2 Ki 18:17, in a list of Assyrian titles.

> Please be sure that I am not suggesting that the responsibility
> for this following-up be imposed on you, Peter.  You did your
> part.  Let the challenger, if he is still interested, do his.
Well, I just did some of it. Let any remaining challengers take it further.

--
Peter Kirk
peter.r.kirk AT ntlworld.com
http://web.onetel.net.uk/~peterkirk/