Biblical Hebrew Forum

[rob acosta <robacosta AT hotmail.com>]

Mr Stinehart:
 
    As usual your response to Mr Chavous was filled with misinformation. 
We've covered this ground many times before, obviously to no avail, but as 
briefly as possible let me offer this recap of real facts versus your 
assertions for the benefit of those who are non students of  the Amarna 
period. 
 
   1.Regarding your many references to Amarna Letter 155 as support for your 
claim of the Great Syrian War in Year14 and Abimilek's relationship with 
Abraham one must read the ENTIRE letter, but you focus on only Abimilek's 
reference to Meritaten and the water crisis faced by Tyre.
 
    According to Mr K.A. Kitchen ( Whom you've made clear whose conclusions 
you dismiss) and many others this was Abimilek's FINAL letter to Pharaoh and 
could NOT have been written LATER than Year 14 but possibly years earlier. At 
the end Abimilek writes: 
"Behold, I go away with all thy ships and my whole city" after Zimredda's cut 
off of access to three specific powerful springs still there today (not 
wells, ) made life on Tyre impossible.
    He is never heard from again. This wasn't some "over the top" missive but 
a final desperate message.

    2. Again, according to Mr Kitchen ("Suppiluliumas and the Amarna Pharaohs 
"page 30) Abimilek's last letter(EA155) was written about TWO YEARS  AFTER 
the Great Syrian War. As you now claim EA 155 was written in Year 13 (A month 
ago you said Year 14)and it is your oft stated idea the Great Syrian War  
took place in Year 14  (the foundation for your entire theory,) your new 
estimate of when EA 155 was written now places the Syrian War in Year 11 or 
12.
    You have created a contradiction to your own theory.
       
   3. You wrote: "There is a split in scholarly opinion as to whether Year 14 
or Year 12 is the historical date of that disastrous war, " Please name a 
scholar, any scholar, who places the Great War in Year 14. I can find no one, 
but it is possible I missed someone so please enlighten me. Estimates I've 
read range from as early as Year 5 to Year12 which is the most commonly 
agreed upon. Again, by the time EA 155 is written , the war is about 2 years 
in the past and Abimilek has already reported ( as per instruction from 
Pharaoh)on the Great War and a number of events known to have taken places 
after the war was over in earlier letters.
   Are you claiming Mr Kitchen and many others are wrong in stating EA 155 is 
 Abimilek's last letter?
 
   4. Mr Kitchen includes Cyril Aldred's 11 Year co regency theory amongst 
the various theories for the year of the Great Syrian War and concludes, in 
after offering much detail,  if Mr Aldred's theory is followed, the many 
events in the Amarna letters makes it impossibe for that war to have taken 
place either before or after Year 12. 
In other words an 11 Year co regency, which you subscribe to,  leaves only 
Year 12 as the only possible year for the Great Syrian War. In short, you 
adhere to a co regency theory that alone completely undermines your theory of 
the Great Syrian war taking place in Year 14.
 
   We now have two of of your favorite references, EA 155 and Aldred that 
actually undermine your theory.
   
   Any argument you may have is with Mr Kitchen or Mr Aldred, not with me. I 
am just the messenger and I have read all your arguments before.      
 
Bottom line is there is a great chasm between your assertions and the 
conclusions of known and respected scholars such as Mr Kitchen.
 
 No one can go to a library or online and read Kitchen or Redford of Campbell 
or anyone else and hope to find a single one of their conclusions that lend 
credence to your assertions regarding Aziru, Abimilek or anyone else. This is 
unfortunate.
We should be able to trust SOME of the many things you assert is based on 
sound research supported by scholars, but this is rarely the case.
   
 
Rob Acosta