Biblical Hebrew Forum

[rob acosta <robacosta AT hotmail.com>]

Jim
   You wrote:
    "You would have us believe..."
    I am not offering my opinion, only quotes from the scholars.    You 
wrote:   " In sum: "(a)  There’s no way that letters from dead princelings 
that pre-date the building of Amarna by   15 years would have ended up in the 
Amarna archive in the first place.  "    Abdi Ashirta's letters are in the 
archive and even Aldred agrees he died during the reign of Amenophis lll (b) 
" There’s no way that Lab’ayu and Surata would have defied Amenhotep III at 
the height  of his power and wealth, with Surata taking a bribe from Lab’ayu 
instead of delivering Lab’ayu to Amenhotep III for a much handsomer reward.  
So Lab’ayu cannot have died in Year 33 of Amenhotep III, but rather must have 
died in Year 13 of Akhenaten."
   Again, scholars agree Abdi Ashirta dies during the reign of Amenophis lll 
and Pawuru's murder in Sumurafter his visit to Jerusalem proves Labayu died 
in Amenophis ll reign.   Jim,  I see nothing but your opinion here so I will 
let the experts in this field answer for me.      Amarna Letters from 
Palestine, Syria, the Philistines and Phoenicia By W F Albright page 6  "Maya 
followed Yankhamu...The representation of only three royal princesses in his 
unfinished tomb established a date for hisfloruit between the eighth and 
twelfth years of Akhenaten's reign. We may place his rise after the sixth 
year and his downfall after the eleventhyear" This can be found online 
at:http://books.google.com/books?id=oxk7AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=W+F+Albright,+amarna,+palestine&source=bl&ots=W7tYYTtCQx&sig=M
    Donald Redford, in his review of Campbell's book, agrees Maya took office 
in Gezer about year eightof Akhenaten, but disagrees on the length of his 
service, believing Maya was still in office in the last years of Pharaoh.   
K.A. Kicthen also has a slightly different view. He also agrees Maya was in 
Gezer about Year 8but believes Maya began service, with his son Kamose, in 
the last years of Amenophis lll.
    All opinions are available on the internet at a site called "Journal 
Storage", or JSTOR.    Their chronology is far more logical than yours 
because all of the pieces fit when the careers of the commissionersare 
factored in..   1. Pawuru of Gaza is killed in Sumur after the death of Abdi 
Ashirta.    2. Na'aman tells us "Yanhamu was nominated to replace the former 
dead commissioner of Sumur EA:102, 106" (Canaan in the2nd Millenium, page 56) 
  3. Maya replaces Yanhamu (Campbell, )    4. Per Campbell, Redford, and 
Albright, Maya takes office in Gezer in Year 6/8 of Akhenaten.      Jim, 
these are the facts. If you wish to argue please email Na'aman for a start 
and protest, his emailaddress is available to the public.
   It is a simple historical fact Milikilu, Abdi Heba and Suwardaza were 
either dead or removed from office by thetime of Maya's arrival as none are 
mentioned in letters referencing the new commisioner.    Jim, it is simply 
impossible for Labayu to have died after Abdi Ashirta, this would make 
commissionerPawuru, who took part in the retaking of Sumur, a ghost visiting 
Abdi Heba in EA 287,  and scholars agree Amenophis llldied about a year after 
Abdi Ashirta.
  Again, the historical realities of Amarna does not match Genesis 14, and 
this is the heart of the problem,the more one understands, accurately,what 
occurred in the Amarna age, the fewer similarities will beseen with Genesis 
14.       

Rob Acosta