Biblical Hebrew Forum

[kenneth greifer <greifer AT hotmail.com>]

Jim, 
 
I feel that you are denying the possibility of the Hebrews having any 
historical records. You only believe that Egyptians had real historical 
records for some reason. 
 
I don't understand why you have to prove every place and battle in Canaan was 
mentioned in the Egyptian records, as if the Hebrew historical records don't 
count. I also don't know why it matters that every place be accurate since 
you are only trying to prove that the patriarchal narratives are based on 
stories in the Amarna letters. You don't mind if all of the stories only have 
a common theme like someone wanted an idol back or someone from Shechem got 
killed. If the rest of the details of the stories don't have to be the same, 
why do all the places have to match?
 
You can't be beaten in an argument because you make the rules. The Dead Sea 
is the Salt Sea except once when you need it to be the Mediterranean Sea. 
Then, every sea that has salt is the Salt Sea. I remember when you said Laban 
the Aramean called a place heap of witness in Aramaic, and you said he spoke 
Hurrian that later became Aramaic and later coincidentally meant heap of 
witness in Aramaic like Jacob called a place in Hebrew. No one can beat these 
kinds of arguments.
 
I think you should self-publish your ideas in a book that you should aim at 
people who like fringe Egyptology. You will find a lot of people who like 
your ideas because they don't know Egyptian , Hebrew, etc, and they can't 
check what you say. I don't think you can convince scholars because they know 
that you are using very low-level linguistics like switching letters and 
guessing meanings of words. I am not trying to insult you. I am just saying 
that you are trying to prove something using linguistics to people who know 
more than you about these ancient languages.
 
If you look at Amazon.com, you will see many books by amateurs using 
linguistics to prove things like you do. I saw one book "the Bible is from 
Arabia" and another "the Africans who wrote the Bible" and there are many 
more. THere is a market for your book if you write one, but it won't convince 
scholars. I think you would have to actually take some time off and study 
each language's grammar rules in more detail before you can use linguistic 
proof about them that might convince scholars. 
 
I also think explanations are not proofs. Anyone can make up an explanation 
for anything, and even if it makes sense, that does not make it true. You 
have many explanations, but I don't think they are proof.
 
Kenneth Greifer
http://www.messianicmistakes.com/
P.S. I also have many unusual ideas about the Torah, but I have found out 
that it is better to put them into an organized book or internet site.
 
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