Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Oh Karl!

Your comments strike me as odd, and perhaps a little presumptuous. I wasn't taught this model of the verb. In fact, I was taught other models, but came to realise their shortcomings the more I read the Hebrew Bible. This model I've developed has actually been honed over a number of years coming to grips with the Hebrew text and adapting conclusions in light of the texts themselves. It's not a superimposed model. You might think so, and you're entitled to your opinion, but you haven't observed my thought processes over the years. Therefore, your take on reality is purely your own. And as is usually the case, your views can be quite idiosyncratic and supported by very few, if any.

I'm happy to be corrected in my views (unlike others), and will be the first to say that we have not yet mastered the Hebrew verb. I like the model I've developed because I think it has explanatory power in terms of both morphology and function. No model can claim to be 100% watertight—language is not that kind of thing that could allow such accuracy. But where there are weaknesses in my model, I'm happy for people to point them out with evidence, so that we can discuss them constructively with a view to improvement or revision. If, however, people are simply aiming to caricature or despise, then I won't deal with them. I'll deal with folks who are aiming to understand, not win. I prefer to be part of a learning community.

Felicitations, Karl.

GEORGE ATHAS

Dean of Research,

Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)

Sydney, Australia