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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Karl Randolph <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Yahwism (was: their altar)
  • Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 10:28:14 +0000

On 15/03/2005 08:46, Karl Randolph wrote:

... So when the returnies from the Exile made Hebrew the language of
religion, legal and high literature, they froze the spelling (in so far as
there were spelling rules) to that which was used in the oldest and most
important books. In fact, this is one of the evidences I see for my claim
that the returnies from the Exile were no longer native speakers of Hebrew
(Ezra's efforts notwithstanding).


I agree with your method of arguing here, but come to the opposite conclusion because the data is opposite. In fact, it is clear from the DSS than Hebrew spelling was not frozen soon after the exile, but remained fluid right through the Second Temple period. For there are significant and consistent differences betwen DSS, Mishnaic and Masoretic Hebrew e.g. DSS and Mishnaic Hebrew rather consistently use a silent alef to mark a long A vowel, but the Masoretic text never does. And, by your argument, this is evidence that Hebrew remained a natively spoken language right through the Second Temple period.

You mentioned specific passages, Genesis 36:31-39 for example, do you have a
list of Moabite ...


Edomite

... kings telling their chronology in a way that can be corrolated with our
modern calandar? If not, why can't this list be one of kings that reigned
before Moses? ...


Possibly, but then how do you explain "before any king reigned over the Israelites" in v.31? And "Dan" in 14:14 must be a post-Mosaic editorial change. But note that I say "editorial change", not "authorship". I see no clear evidence of post-Mosaic authorship in the Pentateuch, other than minor editorial changes which might include the addition of the last part of Genesis 36:31. On the other hand, I see no clear evidence the other way.

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



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