Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jack Kilmon" <jkilmon AT historian.net>]

OK, Don.  If early 6th century BCE is....say 590 BCE...and "Ralph" wrote it 
in 550 BCE (still conforming to the settlement dates for the places listed 
in Joshua 15), we are 40 years apart.  I'll take it.

Jack

Jack Kilmon
San Antonio, TX

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Donald R. Vance, Ph.D." <donaldrvance AT mac.com>
Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 2:23 PM
To: "Jack Kilmon" <jkilmon AT historian.net>
Cc: "Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Aramaic to Hebrew language switch?

> This is demonstrably false. On internal, non-linguistic, and  linguistic 
> grounds, Joshua-2 Kings was composed circa 550 B.C. by a  single author. 
> Who? Who knows. Call him Ralph. As for the Pentateuch,  the language is 
> consistent in the main with the Prophetic History, but  parts are earlier. 
> However, Hebrew language is notoriously difficult  to date qua language. 
> So we can only speculate as to the composition  of the Pentateuch and its 
> date.
>
>
>
>
> Donald R. Vance, Ph.D.
> Professor of Biblical Languages and Literature
> Oral Roberts University
> dvance AT oru.edu
> donaldrvance AT mac.com
>
>
> On Aug 30, 2010, at 12:44 PM, Jack Kilmon wrote:
>
> > From: JimStinehart AT aol.com
> > Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 11:17 AM
> > To: jkilmon AT historian.net
> > Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Aramaic to Hebrew language switch?
> >
> >
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------
> > From: <JimStinehart AT aol.com>
> > Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 4:10 PM
> > To: <randallbuth AT gmail.com>; <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> > Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Aramaic to Hebrew language switch?
> >
> > > Ed Walkwitz and Randall Buth:
> > >
> > > In my considered opinion, the traditional interpretation of the
> > > Patriarchal
> > > narratives as to Abraham’s origins is completely erroneous, both 
> > > textually
> > > and historically.  I view the Patriarchal narratives as portraying 
> > > Abraham
> > > as being indigenous to Canaan.  That is why the first Hebrews and the
> > > Canaa
> > > nites spoke the same language, having only minor dialectal  differences.
> > > The
> > > Patriarchal narratives open with Abraham on a one-time caravan trip 
> > > from
> > > Canaan way out to Ur in southern Kassite Babylonia, to buy lapis  lazuli 
> > > as
> > > commercial merchandise.  No, the early Hebrews weren’t professional
> > > merchants,
> > > but this was a one-time desperation move in the face of having  recently
> > > been
> > > reduced to living in tents in Canaan (whereas Abraham’s father,  Terakh, 
> > > as
> > > a
> > > young man, and Terakh’s ancestors at all times, had lived in settled
> > > villages in a more peaceful, prosperous Canaan).
> > >
> > > Thus YHWH speaks to Abraham at Genesis 12: 1 in perfect Hebrew, a 
> > > language
> > > that Abraham learned at his mother’s knee and spoke as a native.
> >
> >
> > I always find such historical/linguistic speculation based on Biblical
> > narrative to be to be very awkward.  It places the critical  historian in 
> > the
> > uncomfortable position of challenging faith-based opinion and  concepts. 
> > The
> > Biblical texts Genesis-2Kings were composed in Hebrew in the late 7th
> > century-early 6th century BCE.  Place names and borders fit  perfectly 
> > with
> > the reign of Josiah.  The chronological context for the Patriarchal
> > Narrative, aside from arguments regarding historicity, is sometime  in 
> > Middle
> > Bronze Age II (1950-1550) around 1800 BCE.  The Hebrew language of the
> > Biblical texts did not exist at this time but if used broadly and
> > anachronistically for Canaanite, there was indeed a Canaanite  language 
> > even
> > if the acrophonic abjad was not yet developed.  There was also a  wave of
> > Aramaean migration in the 2nd millennium BCE.  There was a Canaanite
> > language in the Middle Bronze Age which a "Wandering Aramaean" could 
> > have
> > adopted.  Canaan and Phoenicia are the same, both mean "Land of  purple."
> > If Abraham was an historical person who migrated to Canaan with his 
> > family
> > in the Bronze Age, it is safe to assume they adopted the language  and 
> > spoke
> > "purplish."  When a loose confederation of nomadic tribes in Canaan 
> > became
> > "Hebrews" is a separate argument.
> >
> > Jack
> >
> > Jack Kilmon
> > San Antonio, TX
> > _______________________________________________
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> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew