It's a questionable identificaton. The way BYTDWD is written - as one word rather than two - normally indicates a place name. "Beth" as a prefix, is like "ville" or "burg" in English. Bethany, Bethlehem, Bethsaida, etc. Bethdavid (if that's what it is) should indicate a place name. Usually if its a dynastic name ("House of") it's two words.nili wrote:I understand your comment regarding Solomon, but why do you consider the Tel Dan reference strained?Diogenes the Cynic wrote:Nothing on that list is surprising or controversial except David, which is a little strained.
50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
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Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
Last edited by Diogenes the Cynic on Fri May 23, 2014 7:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
Interesting. Look forward to "digging" into this a bit further
Does anyone have a list like this for New Testament figures?
Does anyone have a list like this for New Testament figures?
My study list: https://www.facebook.com/notes/scott-bignell/judeo-christian-origins-bibliography/851830651507208
Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
Thompson is certainly worth consideration. He is, however, an entrenched minimalist who finds much to be 'questionable.' Would you say that his view on the matter is widely held?Diogenes the Cynic wrote:It's a questionable identificaton. The way BYTDWD is written - as one word rather than two - probably indicates a place name. "Beth" as a prefix, is like "ville" or "burg" in English. Bethany, Bethlehem, Bethsaida, etc. Bethdavid (if that's what it is) should indicate a place name. Usually if its a dynastic name ("House of") it's two words.nili wrote:I understand your comment regarding Solomon, but why do you consider the Tel Dan reference strained?Diogenes the Cynic wrote:Nothing on that list is surprising or controversial except David, which is a little strained.
As for "probably indicates" or "should indicate," I really don't know enough about Aramaic inscriptions to judge. Are there comparable examples that you could offer?
Finally, is there a translation of the stele that you find preferable to that offered by Wikipedia?
Thanks.
Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
I gave a link in the post above Diogenes to George Athas who is an expert on the subject and a non-minimalist.
The Rev Dr George Athas http://www.moore.edu.au/faculty-members/george-athas
Lemke's argument is the most widely known criticism of bytdvd, but it is hardly convincing.
I'm not completely sure what the implication of Athas writing is but he's right about bytdvd.
The Rev Dr George Athas http://www.moore.edu.au/faculty-members/george-athas
Lemke's argument is the most widely known criticism of bytdvd, but it is hardly convincing.
I'm not completely sure what the implication of Athas writing is but he's right about bytdvd.
Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
I picked up his book when it first came out but haven't looked at it in years.semiopen wrote:I gave a link in the post above Diogenes to George Athas who is an expert on the subject and a non-minimalist.
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Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
It is shared by Israel Finkelstein, for one. I think the majority still holds with "House of David," though, but that's not particularly meaningful. Thompson was also distinctly in a minority when he started saying the Patriarchs never existed historically, but now that has become the accepted view.nili wrote:Thompson is certainly worth consideration. He is, however, an entrenched minimalist who finds much to be 'questionable.' Would you say that his view on the matter is widely held?
The question is can you find a BYT construction without a word divider that does NOT indicate a place name.As for "probably indicates" or "should indicate," I really don't know enough about Aramaic inscriptions to judge. Are there comparable examples that you could offer?
The only question is whether is says "House of David" or something like "Davidtown." Normally when it's one word, it indicates a place, not a family dynasty. It's also not a given that DWD necessarily indicates the name, "David." It could also be translated as "Beloved," or even "Uncle."Finally, is there a translation of the stele that you find preferable to that offered by Wikipedia
I'm not arguing for or against anything, I'm saying the identification is questionable. It's not a certainty and a prima facie reading, with no knowledge of the Biblial figure, would normally be taken as a place name, just like any other "Beth" construction.
Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
That surprises me. Can you offer a source?Diogenes the Cynic wrote:It is shared by Israel Finkelstein, for one.nili wrote:Thompson is certainly worth consideration. He is, however, an entrenched minimalist who finds much to be 'questionable.' Would you say that his view on the matter is widely held?
No, that is not the only question. It is simply your only answer.Diogenes the Cynic wrote:The question is can you find a BYT construction without a word divider that does NOT indicate a place name.As for "probably indicates" or "should indicate," I really don't know enough about Aramaic inscriptions to judge. Are there comparable examples that you could offer?
Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
Beit frequently meant "temple" in early literature. Bethaven meant "house of idols". Think of these place names with theophoric: Bethanat, Bethdagon, Bethel, Bethbaalpeor, Bethshemesh... "House of the Beloved" fits in well, given the "beloved" as a reference to a deity, just as "baal" is (meaning "lord").
Dysexlia lures • ⅔ of what we see is behind our eyes
Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
I'm not sure what you're suggesting. To the best of my knowledge 'beit' simply means 'house-of', e.g., beit din, beit midrash, beit knesset. The house of a deity would indeed be a temple. Is there a compelling reason to read dwd a the name of some god?spin wrote:Beit frequently meant "temple" in early literature. Bethaven meant "house of idols". Think of these place names with theophoric: Bethanat, Bethdagon, Bethel, Bethbaalpeor, Bethshemesh... "House of the Beloved" fits in well, given the "beloved" as a reference to a deity, just as "baal" is (meaning "lord").
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Re: 50 people in the Hebrew Bible also in archaeology
It means "Beloved," which is attested at least once in the Tanakh that I know of as an honorific for God (Isaiah 5:1)