Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Kirk Lowery <klowery AT whi.wts.edu>]

TedBro AT aol.com wrote:

> Could someone refresh our collective memory on what topics are kosher
> on B-Hebrew? Is this list intended for discussion of linguistics 
> only... or does it also include philology, i.e. study of the Biblical
> texts as literature... or does it also include the historical and 
> theological contexts?

>From our charter (http:www.ibiblio.org/bhebrew/):

> B-Hebrew is an e-mail conference of academic professionals, teachers,
> students, clergy and laity, people of any faith, devoted to a better
> understanding of the Hebrew Bible. As such we often discuss a 
> variety of topics related to the Biblical languages, the history of 
> the text and its study, the culture of the Ancient Near East, the 
> literary analysis of the Hebrew Bible, and more.

The main principle that the moderators use to apply this charter is to
ask, "Does this thread or post have any relevance at all to the message
of the Hebrew Bible as expressed in the text?" That would include
philology, text and higher criticism, linguistics, ANE backgrounds
(history, archeology) as they apply to the text. Even theology is a
legitimate subject, as long as the subject is the theology expressed in
the text of the Hebrew Bible.

We allow a wide latitude for discussion as long as the postings are
civil and polite. We do not censor messages for content, religious,
scientific ideology or other worldviews. Since non-academics and
non-professionals are welcome on this list, we don't insist on rigorous
academic standards (although other list members might insist on a higher
standard in order for them to accept assertions offered) in order to
post on the list.

Sometimes threads and discussions will wander off-topic. We allow for
that, since "meta-subjects" are also useful in understanding the Hebrew
Bible. But we will call for a halt to discussions which are not
productive or become solely concentrated on specialist subject domains,
e.g., archeology.

Guidelines for discussion from our charter:

*  Debate that forces particular faith or doctrinal perspectives onto
   a reading of the text is not appropriate subject matter for this
   forum.

* Proselytizing ("seeking to convert someone to a certain religious
  faith") is also not appropriate. Naturally, each of us will share our
  own understanding from our own perspective, but this should not be
  done with the goal of changing other participants.

* Knowledge of Hebrew is assumed, but belittling someone for their lack
  of skill or ridiculing someone for making a mistake--even a basic
  one--is unacceptable.

* All list members should be allowed the dignity of being different.

* Discuss passionately, but keep control of your own emotions. Support
  your counterpoints with evidence, and remember to focus on people's
  ideas and not the people themselves.

* Consider the possibility of responding directly to a person, rather
  than to the entire list, if the content might not be of interest to
  everyone.

* Each of your posts should be signed by name, so members know from whom
  they are hearing and to whom they might respond

Since the goal of b-hebrew is to foster discussion of the Hebrew Bible
in a global community, the moderators tend to err on the side of
latitude, which annoys some list members.

Blessings,

Kirk
B-Hebrew co-chair
-- 
Kirk E. Lowery, PhD, Director
The J. Alan Groves Center for Advanced Biblical Research
Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia
--
"While religion prescribes brotherly love in the relations among
the individuals and groups, the actual spectacle more resembles
a battlefield than an orchestra."
                                         -- Albert Einstein