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  • From: JimStinehart AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Amarna Abdi-Heba
  • Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2007 22:01:15 EST


Yahale:
1. Abraham buys Sarah’s burial plot from “the sons of the Hittites”.
I take that odd phrase to mean the Hurrians. There were never any Hittites
in southeastern Canaan. But the Hurrians were there. In fact, the name “
Abdi-Heba” references a Hurrian god. Most of the Hurrians north of Canaan
were
defeated by the Hittites during this time period. Yet the Hittites adopted
Hurrian culture. So in the mid-14th century BCE (but not before then, nor
long after then), it would make sense for the Hurrians to be referred to by
a
Hebrew author, somewhat disparagingly, as “the sons of the Hittites”.
1. You are right that the Amarna Letters cover an incredibly short
period of time. If there was an 11-year co-regency, then in my opinion the
Amarna Letters are largely confined to only about 4 years.
I do not see the Amarna Letters as having much of any relevance to the
Exodus.
I myself see the Amarna Letters and the Patriarchal narratives as reflecting
the same secular historical background. The bulk of the Amarna Letters
consist of Canaanite princelings complaining about Akhenaten’s lack of
action,
in particular his failure to introduce more Egyptian troops into Canaan.
Akhenaten’s inaction allowed Aziru, the iniquitous Amorite of
Amurru/northern
Lebanon, and Etakama, the Hittite-controlled Hurrian leader of Qadesh, to
operate like bandits and despoil northern Lebanon. And behind them,
encouraging
such banditry temporarily, were the truly dreaded Hittites. In my
controversial view of the case, one main reason for the composition of the
Patriarchal
narratives by the first historical Hebrew was to try to bestir Akhenaten to
muster Egyptian troops to prevent the Hittites from invading Canaan.
The last sentence of chapter 27 of Genesis is anti-Hittite rhetoric from the
heart, in my view, a sentiment that makes sense coming from a Hebrew only in
the mid-14th century BCE time period.
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois



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  • [b-hebrew] Amarna Abdi-Heba, JimStinehart, 12/26/2007

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