Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

The numismatic evidence does not support the idea that Aretas controlled Damascus.

I never defended the idea that Aretas IV controlled Damascus. The same goes for Aryeh Kasher.
Cordially, Bernard

to spin, I found that book from Aryeh Kasher (died 2011), a Jewish scholar, who exposed the same idea as I about that ethnarch. To find the passage in the book, use Google to search on "dispute Sidon Damascus" and then click on "Jews, Idumaeans, and Ancient Arabs: Relations of the Jew...

to spin, You don't need to mention it after having chosen your conjecture of a representative of Aretas IV who was not in control of Damascus laying in wait for Paul at a few gates Who said the ethnarch personally would have to lay in waiting at the city gates of Damascus? You are supposed to keep y...

To spin, a clandestine operation to kidnap someone Where did I talk about that? Because while some of that is true, it involves people who belong in the context, though we are actually talking about an emissary of Nabataea and not people who hold power in Damascus, be they the wealthy or the powers ...

What is "aedile"? What is "oikonomos"?
Cordially, Bernard

This ethnarch was in Damascus, not without. And he guarded the whole city, not just a few gates. You know what your conclusion is and you change the data to get there. I did not say the ethnarch was without Damascus. Preventing Paul to escape Damascus only necessitated watching the city gates. The ...

How does one φρουρεω a whole city, "the city of the Damascenes" (την Δαμακηνων πολιν), Bernard? I answer that already to Stephan. See here http://earlywritings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=131&start=160#p1554 Uh-huh. So your attack on it here is based on better knowledge of the G...

Sadly, no. The Romans took control of Petra several decades later. That's the complete conquest you are talking about. Some secular historians (not consulting Wiki!) wrote that, before, Nabatea was a client kingdom (or vassal, or allied) to the Romans, but it is never stated, just implied. I'll rem...

To Stephan, I do not think soldiers had to surround the city. Just placing some hired men at each of the few city gates would do. Of course, if the ethnarch had a whole garrison at his disposal, the city walls would be well watched, night and day, to prevent Paul to escape this way. But if the walls...

But there is something strange about the usage of the verb φρουρεω. The following citations are YLT of the Hebrew and in each LXX instance the Greek translation has a nominal form of our verb, which suggests that in such contexts in the Judeo-christian Greek tradition word indicates a body of soldi...