RED DAVE

Is there some reason why the two questions I posted. which are repeated in post 38, haven't been addressed?

RED DAVE

Peter Kirby

Maybe people are assuming that I volunteered to answer the questions, and so are waiting for me to answer them and see no need to do so themselves.

I didn't volunteer; my aim has been from the outset to get more participation.

Panpsychist

If I understand things correctly, ancient Hebrew (and pre-Hebrew) writings were important nonethelss at these times, especially as magical writings. The most ancient proto-hebrew text is a curse in Semitic which is part of the wards guarding an egyptian sacrophagus [see thread elsewhere. So I don't know if oral transmission was the rule in religous/magical matters.

I what way is the source of the flood tale in the epic of Gilgamesh extensive?

You mean what is the oldest known copy or fragment of it? I don't know.

Clouseau

Magical matters always concerned an elite. Religion of the people obviously didn't. The religion of Jahweh was obviously a religion of the people, or it was nothing at all, if the Pentateuch is to be believed. It was therefore very likely to have been transmitted orally rather than in written deposit, though there is no reason to suppose that written deposit did not exist for essential matters used as reference, for which very few educated persons were required.

spin

That's called guessing. There is nothing to back this claim up.


spin

spin

That explains why for much of the early Jewish history Yahweh was a privilege of the Aaronic bloodline and only the high priestly son of Zadok could enter the holy of holies. That's as elite as it comes.

Back to this oral stuff. Nothing behind it at all.


spin

RED DAVE

From RED DAVE:
From Panpsychist:
The entire tablet XI of the Epic is devoted to the Flood tale. It's about 80 lines long. Here's the Epic.

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/...ian/gilgamesh/

From Panpsychist:
From Panpsychist:
No, I mean source. As the Epic of Gilgamesh is the source for the Biblical Flood tale.

RED DAVE

spin

There was I just getting ready to SOMA and watch the answers come my way. How disappointing.


spin

(Couldn't help that acronym... S = sit -- and follow your nose to a smelly end )

Panpsychist

It isn't at all clear to me what the earliest Hebrew religous beliefs were, nor is it clear that illiteracy was that widespread. Some of the oldest writings mentioning YHWH are hexes scribbled by poor workers; others include praises to YHWH and to his Ashtoret - his wife. I just don't know enough to say whether it's likely that Moses would have been able to pen down a book, assuming such an historical figure ever existed (which I doubt very much).

Panpsychist

Oh. I don't really know the answer to either question, then. I believe the tale of Gilgamesh itself is presumably a source for the flood tale, and I don't think an earlier local one is extant. I believe the Eicha book is thought to be an authentic, more-or-less preserved, literary work of the time, inspired by similar Mesopatemian works but original; so it has no source.