Chili

. . . but Almah means virgin and if it does not mean that it should because a virgin birth is the necessary condition or Elizabeth could not have concevied John at her ripe old age.

Do you think maybe that those sholars are embassaed for the words used in the Hebrew bible because they cannot handle them, and is that not typical of a scholar?

rhutchin

I thought a polemical was a controversial argument that discussed the matter on its merits.

If the argument did not discuss the thing on its merits, I thought the discussion would not be polemical.

I look at Carrier's argument regarding the date of the birth of Christ to be a good example of a polemical argument.

Does all this really matter??

Petergdi

In polemics the author describes his opponents' position for the purpose of arguing against it. The description is nearly always felt to be inaccurate by the people who are argued against. You must have experienced this yourself. When you read someone describing Jewish beliefs for the purpose of arguing against them, how often do you feel that the arguer is being fair? I bet the answer is "hardly ever" and that this is true even when the arguer is honestly trying to be fair.

I think the solution is for you to state what you think the various bible passages mean, and explain why you think they mean what they do. Avoid speaking for your opponents as much as possible.

Peter.