Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Randall Buth <randallbuth AT gmail.com>]

vayyixtov Rolf
>A discussion of whether a word or a text is "First Temple Hebrew" or
not is only meaningful if we know the characteristics of  "First
Temple Hebrew" .  Many scholars today believe that the whole Tanakh
was written after the exile. So my questions to you are:>
>
> 1) Which books or parts of books in the Tanakh represent "First Temple 
> Hebrew"?
> 2) Do we find documents outside the Tanakh that are written in "First
Temple Hebrew"?
> 3) On the basis of which criteria can we know that a text is "First
Temple Hebrew"?

The best foundation for a discussion of First and Second Temple Hebrew
is that by Avi Hurvitz in articles and books over 40 years. He has
shown that First and Second Temple Hebrew differ, and has produced a
methodology for dealing with 'accident'. He has also shown that it
is virtually impossible to believe that the whole tanax was written
after the exile. His findings that "P" are pre-exilic is one of the most
helpful contraindications of what might be termed 'Copenhagenism".
But it causes a re-evaluation of standard wellhausenism, too.
On your questions:
1. requires too detailed an answer for this list, but in broad strokes
the Tora is pre-exilic, many of the prophets, and some psalms. Second
Temple include Post-exilic prophets (Haggai, Zech., Mal.), Ezra, Neh.,
Chron., Qohelet, Jonah, Job framwork story.
2. Yes,
e.g., the standard ostraca (Arad, Lashish, yavne-yam,), ShiloaH,
and I would include Mesha`, it is apparently a mutually
intelligible dialect, though with non-Judean features.
3. I would run things thru Avi's methodology. He mostly deals with
vocab, though the methodology could include syntax, and it has
long been known that there are even some spelling details that
have patterns according to First / Second Temple.

PS: I vocalized le-qabbel in the subject header, because too many
people were having trouble with the unvocalized form. It was intended
as a real form for an includsive verb not limited at any one of its forms.
One may read "D-stem Q-B-L" if it helps.

braxot
Randall


-- 
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicalulpan.org
randallbuth AT gmail.com
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