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  • From: jimstinehart AT aol.com
  • To: kwrandolph AT gmail.com
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] H-XT-Y at II Samuel 11: 3
  • Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:51:30 -0400


Karl and Uri:

Karl: I hear where you’re coming from. (See below for pouring more oil on
the fire.)

Uri wrote: “[A]n examination of the preserved PNs in the EA [Amarna] letters
clearly indicates a good percentage of 'Indo -European' background in the
Western Levant at that time. The term includes not only the rulers, or
"kings", in Canaan, but also elsewhere in states like Amurru, or cities like
Gubla, which eventually became Phoenician. All very far from Hatti. For
details one can check the monograph of Richard S. Hess on the Amarna Names.”

Why is it that Uri Hurwitz finds it natural to mention those non-Semitic
names in Canaan from the Amarna Letters in a b-hebrew thread on the Biblical
“Hittites”, yet not a single university scholar has e-v-e-r done so in
evaluating who the Biblical “Hittites” may have been? Here is the #1
scholarly article on who the Biblical “Hittites” were. Note that it never
mentions, even in passing, the words “Amarna”, “EA”, or “Late Bronze Age”.
http://98.131.162.170//tynbul/library/TynBull_1969_20_02_Hoffner_HititologyOT.pdf

I hope people noticed George Athas’ remark on this subject: “…it may be
worthwhile asking not only whether there actually were Hittites or Hurrians
in Palestine at any stage…” Taking that as my cue, let me now expand on
Uri’s point by showing just how dramatic this uncontroverted evidence is.

During most periods of time, we don’t know the names of many rulers of cities
in Canaan. But for Year 13 of Akhenaten’s reign, we know the actual names of
the rulers of most cities in Canaan. Just take a look at the names of these
princeling rulers that I have set forth below. I have picked most of the
most famous cities in Canaan. Are these the Biblical “Hittites”?

Why is it that in evaluating the Biblical “Hittites”, no university scholar
has e-v-e-r mentioned any of these nine well-attested names of princeling
rulers of cities throughout Canaan? Uri quite naturally referred to these
prominent non-Semitic names in the heart of Canaan (albeit only in general
terms). But to the best of my knowledge, all university scholars have
completely ignored all of these princeling names in evaluating the Biblical
“Hittites”. Why?

1. Jerusalem

Ruler: IR-Heba


2. City of Hebron = Qiltu

Ruler: $uwardata


3. Carmel/Gintikirmil (in the Shephelah, west of hill country), plus nearby
Rubutu

Ruler: Tagi


4. Megiddo

Ruler: Biridiya


5. Acco

Ruler: Surata


6. Akshaph

Ruler: Endaruta


7. Qadesh of eastern Upper Galilee (if Gudda$una = Qadesh)

Ruler: Yamiuta


8. Ashteroth

Ruler (or, perhaps more likely, maryannu defender): Birida$wa


9. Kumidu (Egyptian garrison in the southern Beqa Valley, just north of
Qadesh of eastern Upper Galilee)

(Non-Egyptian) commander of this Egyptian garrison (presumably another
maryannu/charioteer): Arawa-na

[The name is per Richard Hess. The last part of the name is damaged. Wm.
Moran does not see the consonant N there.]

Other than the suffix, this name is likely identical to )RYW-K at Genesis 14:
1. Is )RYW-K at Genesis 14: 1 one of the Biblical “Hittites”? Why has no
university scholar ever mentioned the great similarity of these two names in
print? Why has no university scholar ever asked in print whether )RYW-K at
Genesis 14: 1 is one of the Biblical “Hittites”?

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois






-----Original Message-----
From: K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>
To: JimStinehart AT aol.com
Cc: fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr; b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Thu, Jul 29, 2010 3:23 pm
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] H-XT-Y at II Samuel 11: 3


Jim:


On Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 1:03 PM, K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com> wrote:

Jim:


On Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 10:28 AM, <JimStinehart AT aol.com> wrote:





What we need to do is to convince at least one mainstream university scholar
to look at what actually happened in Late Bronze Age Canaan. Then if such
open-minded scholar would compare what actually happened in Late Bronze Age
Canaan to what the Bible says about the Biblical “Hittites”, a refreshing new
dialogue about the historicity of this part of the Bible might well ensue, to
the benefit of one and all.



You don’t know what you are asking for.


… You are asking for one professor to commit professional suicide, for what?
Once he’s drummed out of academia, he can safely be ignored and/or ridiculed.
That’s a pretty big price, and how many professors are willing to do that? …



Another example I meant to include, “oh that…yeah I know, we are told not to
look into this, its pretty well communicated if you research into giants or
other races they will end your career immediately, we are told to say its all
1800’s media fraud regardless of the evidence, in fact they think they have
found a living tribe of Neanderthals in northernmost Canada, but I don’t know
anymore about it, its pretty controversial, again if you ask questions you’ll
be working at McDonalds tomorrow”. This quote found at
http://s8int.com/WordPress/?paged=2 about a student who just graduated from
Berkeley.






Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois





Karl W. Randolph.






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