Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Amalekites (evidence for)

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Walter R. Mattfeld" <mattfeld12 AT charter.net>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Amalekites (evidence for)
  • Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2004 11:36:55 +0100

On 08/08/2004 12:12, Walter R. Mattfeld wrote:

...

As you may be aware, many proposals have been made for the siting of Mount
Sinai (over a dozen), but to date, ALL have been rejected because NONE have
the _required pottery debris_ evidence of the Late Bronze Age (1560-1200
BCE) in which the Exodus is understood to have occured. ONLY HAR TIMNA
(Arabic: Gebel Mene'iyeh) has the REQUIRED Late Bronze Age evidence of
Amalekite, Midianite and Egyptian pottery- I have thus argued that this site
is Mount Sinai. ...


But what if the Exodus took place late in the Middle Bronze Age, as postulated by David Rohl?

... However, it does not have the shattered stone tablets- that
site is Serabit el Khadim in the southern Sinai, which was ALSO occupied in
the Late Bronze and Ramesside period. ...


This is a ridiculous example of the argument from silence taken to an absurdity. According to the Exodus account, there were only two shattered stone tablets, small enough that one person could carry both. If their remains haven't been found at any proposed site for Sinai, that proves only that they haven't been found. And anyone who has been to the traditional site as I have will realise how easy it would be for such fragements to be lost forever in the rocky mountains or among the scree, alluvium and sand which fills the valleys - or for that matter underneath St Catherine's monastery or any other ancient site which has not been excavated. In fact such places could easily hide not only two broken stone tablets but also large amounts of broken pottery. The whole thing is an argument from silence.


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






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page