Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Yitzhak Sapir" <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>]

On Dec 21, 2007 3:15 AM, K Randolph wrote:
> Dear Yitzhak, Bryant, et al:

> This is getting beyond mere discussions of the issues, to advocacy. This is
> not the advocacy of a certain understanding of the Hebrew language, rather
> actual proselytism to an ideological position, or in more common terms,
> proselytism to a faith or religion.

Mr. Williams' message was not just bordering on proselytism, it was much
worse, and probably reflects as unfavorably upon you as it does upon me, or
anyone who might not be convinced by Mr. Stinehart's "puns."

One of the reasons I posted my message was to provide a counterbalance to
your message about different groups viewing the Documentary Hypothesis
differently.  For example, one cannot claim that the "round earth" theory is
discredited just because some groups never accepted the idea.  "Discredited"
when applied to scientific theories speaks and refers to the position of the
theory in scientific circles alone.  This is why my post concentrated on what
kind of "discrediting" has been going on in those circles.

You may want to think that anyone who accepts the Documentary Hypothesis
must have an assumption rejecting the supernatural.  I take many scholars'
word for it that they do not reject the supernatural.  I personally
don't think any
supernatural phenomena has been demonstrated scientifically to date, but I do
not reject the possibility.  This applies to both your idea that the theory is
somehow "based on faith" which it is not, and also to your description of
certain Evangelicals as "heretics" or people who make the very term
meaningless.  The Documentary Hypothesis may never be discredited if there
is no better theory with more explanatory power.  Whether that is the case or
not is a personal assessment, because we cannot see the future.

I really recommend readers interested in the archaeological aspects of the
question read "The Quest for the Historical Israel":
http://www.eisenbrauns.com/wconnect/wc.dll?ebGate~EIS~~I~FINQUESTF

Yitzhak Sapir