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b-hebrew - [b-hebrew] theories of Hebrew writing embedded in Greek NT autographs - then redaction - today proposed emendation

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  • From: Steven Avery <stevenavery AT verizon.net>
  • To: "b-hebrew-lists.ibiblio.org" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] theories of Hebrew writing embedded in Greek NT autographs - then redaction - today proposed emendation
  • Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:32:08 -0400

Hi,

Putting aside the group posting history, the point that I am making to Rolf Furuli about scribal habits and textual transmission are simple.

If your theory of a New Testament text with Hebrew words originally embedded does not reference clearly and astutely the following four issues:

1) Why a diverse variety of writers (allowing they were all Hebrew fluent and skilled) would all do the exact same highly unusual autographic Greek writing, of interrupting their Greek flow to change to a Hebrew script for one word here and there. Today we have no evidence at all that this was ever done. And various gentlemen only guess the places this happened by their particular doctrinal-Christological need (NWT) or, as here, they tentatively limit the question to happening to NT quotes of OT scripture. No matter what, you are placing the exact same unusual writing, never seen in autographic Greek, as changing the style of a variety NT authors, and nobody else.

2) Why every single case of this occurring in the autographs was never recognized in either the manuscript lines, in any Greek, Latin or even Syriac texts. And the conjectured phenomenon was never referenced even once by the ECW who talked about the texts. In other words, there is no trace.

3) Why every single one of these cases got redacted into our current text, ie. The phenomenon then vanished without a trace. Why did they not have a variety of redactions, such as transliterating YHVW or Jehovah and a wide divergence between kurios and qeos in many instances? Why the general textual consistency today? Surely such a cumbersome redaction back into the Greek and Latin texts would leave lots of variant signs in addition to historical notes.

4) Acknowledge that this is simply a master emendation theory, of no textual evidence. Under this theory, the proper NT text was totally hid for 1800 years, and is restored by conjectural emendation, all done against 1-2-3.

If these issues are not addressed, then I think it is fair to say that your theory is of no merit. Granted, I do not think they were addressed by those who earlier floated similar theories, whether it be George Howard or David Trobisch, however that is no reason for not addressing them today.

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Please note that I often find Rolf's writings, and even JW writings, of some interest. The acknowledgement of the name as Jehovah rather than yahweh or other modern attempts is extra-fine ( I wonder if Rolf has any specific critiques of the Nehemia Gordon material, beyond the light dismissal he wrote.) Their concerns about the development of the Trinity doctrine are interesting, even if I do not share their general Christology. Rolf has written interestingly on John 1:18, as I remember.

However, I see some gaping holes in the New Testament emendation-redaction theory being propounded here.

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Shalom,
Steven Avery
Bayside, NY.




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