Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 21/05/2004 14:58, Karl Randolph wrote:

> ...
>
> I suspect that you would agree with Peter 
> Kirk that ‘the present is the key to the 
> past’, i.e. that present processes are 
> the same as have happened in _all_ of the 
> past. Therefore, because telling the 
> future is something that is not happening 
> today, past records purporting to be 
> telling the future had to have been 
> written after the “fulfillment”. Those 
> who don’t agree with your theology find 
> your posts a bit tiring at best, absurd 
> at worst. Except where they directly 
> affect understanding Biblical Hebrew 
> language, should they be on this list at 
> all?
>  

Karl, may I clarify something here. You seem to attribute to me the 
words ‘the present is the key to the past’, but I think these go back to 
the 18th century geologist James Hutton. Now I do uphold this principle 
for studies of languages and linguistics, which is the context of our 
previous discussion - at least for all of human history if not "in _all_ 
of the past". But I don't accept that this principle is valid in a case 
like this, of biblical exegesis, especially those related to the unique 
events of God's self-revelation in the Bible. On this matter my position 
is certainly different from that of Liz. Also, by the way, I don't 
accept the premise of the argument which you attribute to me, that 
"telling the future is something that is not happening today"; I believe 
that in exceptional cases the Holy Spirit of God does reveal the future 
today. But that is not really relevant to the immediate issue.



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