Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>]

On 25/03/2007 23:42, Bill Rea wrote:
> Peter Kirk wrote:-
>
>   
> > I don't see why possession of a PhD entitles someone to
> > protection from discussion on this list. Maybe if they were really a
> > well known scholar, published in a recognised (not more or less
> > self-published) book, they would deserve some extra respect.
> >     
>
> Perhaps you don't understand what's involved in getting a Ph.D.,
> although I suspect from past postings you do. Let me outline the
> process which applies here.
>
>   
It is indeed a great achievement to complete a PhD and I repeat my 
congratulations to Rolf for achieving this. I hope I have given to Rolf 
the personal respect due to him.

However, it is undoubtedly true that a significant number of scholars 
have been awarded PhDs for work which has later been shown to be 
seriously flawed. This implies that no PhD thesis, or person, should be 
accepted as an infallible authority, rather all such work needs careful 
assessment by others. And this is what some of us have been giving to 
Rolf's work. David, Yitzhak and I have identified several significant 
deficiencies in the work. I consider that we have not only a right but a 
duty to bring these deficiencies to public notice. Of course in doing so 
we allow Rolf to reply and, if he can, to argue that his detractors have 
misunderstood him. He is not obliged to do so. But if, as his approach 
often is, he simply restates his points without interacting properly 
with the criticisms, he is in danger of being discredited.

> ... Thus its not unreasonable to find ``many'' scholars who
> do not accept the documentary hypothesis and for them to be
> outside the consensus view. A consensus view is simply a
> majority opinion.
>
>   
OK, but in this case no one should claim that their personal view is the 
consensus unless there really is a majority, and in my understanding it 
needs to be a large majority. This applies not only to the documentary 
hypothesis (on which I would hold that there is no consensus) but also 
to Rolf's view of the Hebrew verbal system, which certainly cannot be 
described as the consensus.

--
Peter Kirk
E-mail:  peter AT qaya.org
Blog:    http://www.qaya.org/blog/
Website: http://www.qaya.org/