Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Sidney" <sidlee AT charter.net>]

Sidney Williams

Re: [b-hebrew] Fake words (Yigal Levin)

(2) There is absolutely no evidence that there ever was a "Council" of
Yamnia/Yavine" in the late first century CE.  This is a myth ."

See: Google; Hebrew Canon; Council of Jamina.  The denyiers are in the
majority and are almost Jews.  The proponents have a more logical argument.
History has recorded under many subjects, "A meeting between Jews of
Alexandria and Palestine over whether there are 22 or 24 books of Hebrew.  

"The reader will observe here that Josephus here reckons but 22 inspired
books" - Reason and Revelation 1868, Robert Milligan, page 156.  
5 Books = Law.
13 Books = Prophets.
6 Books = Psalms (From Iesous - Luke 24.44.  NOTE: Books numbered by letter
of the alphabet, with three "Yods" (Ys), producing 24 Books.

24 Books of Old Testament

1) Reason and Revelation, 1868, Robert Milligan, page 157:

"The reader will observe that Josephus here reckons but 22 inspired books.
... The reason for this enumeration is because there are but 22 letters in
the Hebrew alphabet.  

"According to this classification, Judges and Ruth make but one book; the 2
books of Samuel, 2 of Kings, and 2 of Chronicles, made but three in all;
Ezra and Nehemiah are one, Jeremiah and Lamentations are one, and the 12
Minor Prophets, are but one.

Some of the Jewish doctors, however, as in the Talmud, and the Massorah,
separate Judges and Ruth, and Jeremiah and Lamentations, and thus make in
all 24 sacred books."

2) Canon of Scripture, 1988, F.F.Bruce, page 19.

"For the Jews 'the book' is the Hebrew Bible, comprising the Law, the
Prophets and the Writings.  
        Compare: "And He said to them, 'These the words which I spoke to you
... for it is necessary to be fulfilled all the [things] having been written
in the Law of Moses and Prophets and Songs (Psalms) concerning Me" (Lk
24.44).

"The books of the Hebrew Bible are traditionally 24 in number, arranged in
three divisions.  The first division is the Torah ('law' or 'direction'),
comprising 5 books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy).  The second division is (Hebrew): it is further subdivided
into the four Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) and the four
Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the 12
Prophets).  The third division is called (Hebrew) 'writings': it comprises
11 books.  First come the Psalms, Proverbs and Job; then a group of 5 called
(Hebrew) scrolls (Song of Songs. Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther);
finally, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah (reckoned as one book), Chronicles.  This is
the arrangement regularly followed in printed editions of the Hebrew Bible";
page 29.
NOTE: This was the Jews' opinion.  But Song of Songs and Esther contain not
one of the many names of the Gods, and so, they are obviously spurious
writings.  Esther is unrealistic Jewish propaganda and Dong of Songs is
pornography, obsessed with the naked female body.

3) 24 Elders (Rev 4.4), Named by Sid Williams, 1997, Exhaustive Commentary
on Revelation:

        1) Job (1585-??)                9) Hosea (807-727)
17) Daniel (599-520)
        2) Moses (1626-1585)               10) Isaiah (758-698)
18) Ezekiel (594-574)
        3) Joshua (1594-1560)              11) Micah (755-698)
19) Obadiah (587)
        4) Samuel (1110-1070)              12) Zephaniah (640-610)
20) Haggai (519)
        5) David (1050-1010)               13) Joel (713)
21) Zechariah (519-517)
        6) Solomon (1009-970)            14) Nahum (612)
22) Ezra (480-479)
        7) Jonah (822)                     15) Habakkuk (606)
23) Nehemiah (455-443)
        8) Amos (807-782)                  16) Jeremiah (611-569)
24) Malachi (440)

NOTE: The 24 Elders casting their crowns before the throne [in Third Heaven,
in AD 77 - Revelation 4.10] was the "canonizing" of the Hebrew Scripture.

Sidney Williams