Biblical Hebrew Forum

[<david.kimbrough AT charter.net>]

Dave,

Do you really think that a 4,000 year old Sumerian cuneiform poem is derived 
from a Hebrew poem.  One Sumerian version is dated at 1700 BC (Ludlul Bêl 
Nimeqi), hundreds of years before any recorded Hebrew writing.  The earliest 
surviving version of Job are the LXX or DSS, which are, round 2,000 years 
old.  It seems like a slam-dunk to me.


> 
> From: Dave Washburn <dwashbur AT nyx.net>
> Date: 2004/06/10 Thu PM 05:08:04 GMT
> To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Job
> 
> Here's the part that has always bugged me: how do you know that these other 
> poems aren't renditions or derived from a very old Job story?  I know it's 
> chic to assume that the HB came last, but I've never seen a good basis for 
> such assumptions.  For that matter, why not conclude that such a theme was 
> popular in the ANE and several cultures built stories around it?  There are 
> lots of ways to look at this.
> 
> On Thursday 10 June 2004 10:56, david.kimbrough AT charter.net wrote:
> > Chris,
> >
> > Job is a Hebrew rendition of a much older poem, "The Righteous Sufferer"
> > which is known both in Sumerian and Babylonian.  The basic themes are 
> > same,
> > a righteous man who performs all of the correct sacrifices and ceremonies
> > falls from grace with the gods and suffers terrible afflictions.  He
> > struggles to understand how bad things happened to righteous men but
> > expresses despair ever knowing.  A little snippet -
> >
> > My god has forsaken me and disappeared,
> > My goddess has failed me and keeps at a distance.
> > The benevolent angel who walked beside me has departed,
> > My protecting spirit has taken to flight, and is seeking someone else.
> > My strength is gone; my appearance has become gloomy;
> > My dignity has flown away, my protection made off....
> >
> >
> > David Kimbrough
> > San Gabriel
> >
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> 
> -- 
> Dave Washburn
> http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
> Learning about Christianity from a non-Christian
> is like getting a kiss over the telephone.
> 
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David Kimbrough
San Gabriel