Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

George:

On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 6:22 PM, George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au> wrote:

It's certainly possible, Karl, yes. But the possibility of something does not imply its actuality or even its probability. They are separate considerations. So my question is not whether this was possible, but what specific evidence do we have that would lead us to see it as probable and realistic. The very nature of the situation you describe implies a complete lack of evidence,

I wouldn’t say a complete lack of evidence, rather what does the little evidence that we have indicate?

 

without even any collateral evidence to scaffold it in this specific case. So I'd like to know how you know or can confidently assert it. I'm simply applying standard academic rules for logical and evidence-based argumentation. That's all.

While Genesis 1:1–2:4 is poetic, most of the rest of Genesis is prose, not the type of data that is typical of oral transmission. Secondly, while it focuses on a few highlights, those highlights are given with a level of detail that suggests written records. Further, each section closes with “These are the production of …” a literary style that went out of use by around the middle bronze age.

As for the evidence from graffiti, or “tagging” as it’s often called, almost none of it from modern English gives evidence that a fully literate language is behind it. We’re able to recognize its meaning because there’s a whole cloud of witnesses in other writings to clarify the matter.

So my question still stands: How do you know this?

This is a matter of “Do I trust the historical record?”

 

If all you have is possibility, then it's pure speculation. You still might be right, but there's absolutely no way of knowing that or not.

This isn’t pure speculation, rather an analysis of the text. The probability is based on how much one trusts the historical record.

GEORGE ATHAS

Dean of Research,

Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)

Sydney, Australia

Karl W. Randolph.