Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 14/11/2003 08:52, Karl Randolph wrote:

> Peter:
>
> I hesitate spending even a little on a book that I already know I will use 
> only very sparingly. When I had regular access to the BDB dictionary, I was 
> not impressed by what according to my standards appeared to be rather sloppy 
> lexicography. ...
Agreed, by modern standards.

> ...To me, it appears that that ?sloppiness? is at least in part 
> philosophically biased. The only advantage it has over the tools I presently 
> have is its references to cognate languages which, though useful, must be 
> used with caution if needed at all.
>  
Agreed.

> As for calling BDB?s philosophy anti-Semitic, I stand by it. True, its main 
> target is Christianity as understood by the Reformers, ...
You have here confused the targets of your libel.

> ... but one of the ways to accomplish that goal is to denigrate the 
> intellectual and historical accomplishments of ancient Israel, which is 
> anti-Semitic. How can it not be anti-Semitic? Delegitimizing a people?s 
> ancient accomplishments is one way that belittles their descendents today. 
> The German philosophy that was the basis for Gesenius? work has been refined 
> and developed, and is still taught in theological schools in Europe and 
> America.
>  
Maybe. But is it in BDB?

> More responses are interspersed below.
>
> Karl W. Randolph.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
>
>  
>
> > On 13/11/2003 13:08, Karl Randolph wrote:
> >
> >    
> >
> > > Peter:
> > >
> > > Didn?t you just libel me? Or is it just your opinion, which makes it not 
> > > libel?
> > >
> > >
> > >      
> > My defence is that I wrote what was true, or what you had just said was 
> > true.
> >
> >    
> What I just said is true? Then it?s not a wild guess.
>  
No. You said that certain things were true. Some were true, some were 
not. It is no libel to quote you. And then you I wrote "I think...", 
which logically implies my statement "Karl doesn't know".

>  
>
> ... Likewise, BDB were students of Gesenius and as far as I can tell, agreed 
> with his philosophical presuppositions as well. ...
Two separate statements with no logical implication, so OK. But if you 
are to charge people with anti-Semitism you need positive evidence, not 
the absence of negative evidence "as far as I can tell".

> ... Some of the details may have been different, but the general framework 
> was the same. (It is from sources outside this discussion group that I have 
> seen indications of the philosophical beliefs of both Gesenius and BDB.)
>  
Would you care to elaborate?

> ...
>
> In particular that?s how I read Elaine Keown?s posting on this subject on the 
> 11th. Do you think I read more into it than what is there? I know in other 
> aspects, e.g. writing, theological concepts, etc., that?s exactly what BDB 
> did, so it fits the pattern if they did with lexemes as well.
>  
Elaine mentioned in general terms that there are loan words from many 
languages in BDB. I think almost anyone would agree that among more than 
8000 words in the dictionary there are some loan words, although there 
might be wide disagreement on how many. That is very different from a 
presupposition that nearly every word is a loan word, something which I 
have never seen in any dictionary, and never heard anyone except you 
suggest.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/