Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>]

Rolf,

This is not censorship. I'm sorry if I've given you that impression, but 
censorship is not my aim at all. Rather, I'm simply wanting to stick to the 
analysis of the literature and language of the Hebrew Bible, because that's 
what the B-Hebrew forum is about. It's not about theology and it's not about 
science, even though occasionally we will skirt those topics, as we have now. 
Furthermore, you've actually made your statements about science on the forum 
anyway, so my appeal to you (and others) to stick to the literature and 
language is anything but censorship. I'm not calling for any retractions or 
anything like that. I'm simply calling all of us to be disciplined in 
ensuring that what we discuss at B-Hebrew is in accord with the forum's 
purpose and guidelines — B-Hebrew's main game.

Finally, you can still make your arguments about the text without appealing 
to modern science. I don't see the need to go to modern science in order to 
discuss this piece of ancient literature, any more than the issue of modern 
whaling impinges upon a discussion of the book of Jonah. We can talk about 
what the ancients thought and wrote without going to today's scientists. 
Modern science is tangential to the specific discussion taking place here. 
And this is in no way a comment on whether modern scientists are right or 
wrong vis-a-vis the biblical texts. We're just leaving that discussion aside. 
I see how it is related, of course, and I have various opinions on it myself. 
But it is another issue entirely to the one being discussed here.

So let's all just keep on track with a discussion that is at home in B-Hebrew.


GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)
Sydney, Australia