Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryant J. Williams III" <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net>]

Dear Jim,

Abraham is clearly EBA. It is evident that most of the Patriarchal Narratives
were in the EBA. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Joseph would be found between
2000-1800 BC (BCE). It is also evident that Joseph clearly understood the
prophecy regarding that the Israelites would be in Egypt for 400 years were to
take his body and be buried alongside his father, Jacob. See Genesis 50:24-26;
Exodus 13:19; and Joshua 24:32. This is what the texts say. Every thing else 
is
speculation. It does mean something when one is looking in the wrong century 
for
the Patriarchs.

What you postulated is good to do, if and only if, there is clearly evidence
that clearly shows that what you are saying is correct, but the scholarship is
repeatedly not showing that. Furthermore, it does no good to use various
terminology such as, "late date theory", "pin point accuracy," "modern
scholars," "university scholars,"etc., to produce list anxiety and monopoly. 
It
shows that your theory is redundant in argumentation and not on solid rock, 
but
is on shifting sand. Back to the drawing board.

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <JimStinehart AT aol.com>
To: <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>
Cc: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>; <LBReich AT alum.mit.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 8:32 AM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] TD(L


>
> Karl:
>
> 1.  You wrote:  “[F]or ‘pinpoint accuracy’ you need to take the story of
> Abraham in its context, a context that indicates that Abraham lived in the
> early bronze age, not late.”
>
> Karl, that’s where you’re wrong.  The words in the text are thoroughly
> redolent of the mid-14th century BCE in the Late Bronze Age.
>
> 1.  K$DYM at Genesis 11: 28, 31.  That references the Kassites, the Late
> Bronze Age rulers of southern Mesopotamia.
>
> 2.  NHRYM in the Amarna Letters and at Genesis 24: 10 is the name of the
> Hurrian great power state in eastern Syria during the Late Bronze Age.
>
> 3.  TD(L is an authentic Hittite kingly name, being a nasty Hebrew nickname
> [his murdered older brother’s name] for mighty Hittite King Suppiluliuma I.
>  The only time the Hittites threatened beloved Canaan was under
> Suppiluliuma, at the time of the Great Syrian War in the mid-14th century 
> BCE.
>
> 4.  )B-Y-MLK.  Abraham interacts with Ab-i-Melek, who both in chapter 21 of
> Genesis and in eight Amarna Letters is always catatonic about how to get
> access to contested water wells.
>
> Even the literary concepts in the Biblical text are redolent of the Great
> Syrian War in the mid-14th century BCE, such as the reference at the end of
> chapter 14 of Genesis to Abraham not taking a sandal lace:  “Speiser
> correctly observed that the phrase…neither a string nor a sandal lace is 
> based
on
> Near Eastern formulae….  We now have a text from Ugarit remarkably close to
> Gen 14 in some ways.  Niqmaddu, king of Ugarit, has been plundered by his
> enemies [members of the league of 5 rebellious Hurrian princelings].  His
> [newly-embraced] suzerain, the Hittite king Suppiluliuma, comes to his 
> rescue
and
> drives the invaders away.  In response Niqmaddu attempts to give
> Suppiluliuma a gift as a sign of his appreciation.  The text is damaged at
this point,
> but may be restored to read as follows:  ‘Suppiluliuma, the Great King, saw
> the loyalty of Niqmaddu, and as far as what belongs to Ugarit…Suppiluliuma,
> the Great King, will not touch anything, be it straw or splinter….’  Abram
> appears to follow similar royal etiquette [at the end of chapter 14 of
> Genesis] in refusing anything from the king of Sodom [‘neither a string nor 
> a
> sandal lace’] in return for his accomplishments.”  Victor P. Hamilton, “The
> Book of Genesis Chapters 1-17” (1990), at p. 414.  [Niqmaddu of Ugarit is
> Biblical “Chedorlaomer”, and Suppiluliuma is Biblical TD(L.]
>
> 2.  You wrote:  “There is no linguistic evidence that TD(L was Tudhaliya.
> The only reason we see for you to make that claim, is to make it fit your
> theories.”
>
> Au contraire, Tudhaliya is spelled identically at Genesis 14: 1 and in
> Ugaritic literature.  That’s letter-for-letter accuracy in a Late Bronze Age
> historical context.  But then again, that’s simply par for the course for 
> the
> Patriarchal narratives.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jim Stinehart
> Evanston, Illinois
> _______________________________________________
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> b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
>


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