Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Michael Abernathy" <mabernathy AT isot.com>]

    Actually, I did not suggest that the texts were all written at one time 
and place.  I suggested that discernable lingusitic differences should exist 
and that it should be possible to find evidence of that in the text. I 
proposed looking at those areas where scribes misinterpreted some passage 
because of linguistic change because I believe those who do not accept an 
early origin for any part of the Hebrew Bible would assume that some of the 
differences were deliberate imitation of earlier texts to make them look 
ancient.  Others appeared to suggest that the Hebrew language was homogenous. 
I reject that.  My speculation concerning the time and place of writing was 
in response to the idea that the language was homogenous. In essence, I was 
saying that it would be unnatural for Biblical Hebrew to be free of dialectal 
differences. I proposed some possible explanations for why Biblical Hebrew 
could be uniform, but I rejected them.  I argued and continue to argue that 
we do find differences in the text due to language development and regional 
variations in usage.  
Such differences should contribute some small amount of evidence concerning 
the origin of the text.  If as others seemed to suggest, no differences in 
the language exist, then that also suggests something concerning the origin 
of the text.  
Sincerely,
Michael Abernathy    
    
>   This may have been so, but, some would say, more likely not have 
> been so. In short, sheer speculation, like much that has been 
> speculated on this subject.
>  
>   Uri


Absolutely. My point is that my speculation is no less likely than 
Michael's that the texts were all written at one time and place, and we 
have no way of knowing which is true.

> */Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>/* wrote:
>
>     the kind of model I have in mind is:
>
>     1) Deuteronomy was written at one time and place.
>
>     2) The other literature e.g. much of Joshua-Kings which so clearly
>     echoes the languages and themes of Deuteronomy was written at a later
>     time, and potentially a different place, in imitation, either
>     deliberate
>     or accidental, of Deuteronomy.
>
>     Therefore, Michael's stylistic argument that Deuteronomy and
>     Joshua-Kings were written at one time and place fails.
>


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

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