Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 12-31-2009, 04:08 PM

I started this thread as a news item for this forum, since the criminal case touches on events that actually happened in this little corner of cyberspace.

But spin is right, the discussion has gotten a bit outside the subject matter of Bibical Criticism and History.

We will be closing this thread shortly. Anyone can start a new thread in an appropriate forum to discuss the real issues of the DSS or Qumran, or free speech or cyberstalking.

spin · 12-31-2009, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meow

Quote:

Originally Posted by spin

Let's call a spade a spade and realize that this soapbox thread has nothing directly to do with BC&H....

Well, the moderator of BC&H did choose to open the thread and provide what appears to present itself as a "neutral" forum for the vicious accusations, didn't he, and you yourself seem to have made your views on the topic quite clear:

Quote:

Originally Posted by spin

If the allegations are true in Schiffman's regard then I'd think he has every right to be pissed. In this respect Zahavy's comments on it seem supercilious. I'd guess Zahavy would be taking a different tack if it were he who was accused of similar wrongdoings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spin

From what I have heard, email was circulated under Schiffman's name admitting plagiarism. This would be identity theft in order to impute his scholarly position, which would threaten his livelihood.

That seems like a legitimate perspective, but what if Schiffman did engage in "similar wrongdoings"? In that case it certainly wouldn't be very discreet or "friendly" of him to go to the police, would it. Zahavy, who is no fool, decided to say something about this, and you also seem to have made your view clear, in this very thread.

What I'd really like to know, is what kind of indignant or embarrassed reactions we will hear if people begin examining Schiffman's book a little more closely. Because people are bound to be curious about this issue of "similar wrongdoings," aren't they.

But we've seen these kind of things before, and we know how academic delicacy deals with them, don't we. Mallon has a lot to say about the tendency, as he delicately puts it, "to keep the dirty secret from spreading through the extended professional family, and perhaps above all, to keep from getting sued."

I somehow lost my first response to this post. It was to say two things. First that what you are saying still has nothing to do with the aims and interests of BC&H and your pushing the subject will only stimulate another XCV8R drive by to say the same sort of stuff he has already said. The second thing was an aside:

I sympathize with Raphael Golb due to the wretched state of Qumran studies and the lack of transparence in the field, but he did get caught with his pants down and it doesn't matter how much you talk about what-ifs, he is still the one on trial. Anti-semiticism certainly does not seem to be an issue now in Qumran studies given the number of Jews who support the status quo -- and I think specifically of Israelis at the moment, people like Hanan Eshel, Magen Broshi, Jan Gunneweg, Joe Zias and a host of others.

I request again, please moderators, either move or kill this thread. Thank you.

spin

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12-31-2009, 04:08 PM	#101
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	I started this thread as a news item for this forum, since the criminal case touches on events that actually happened in this little corner of cyberspace. But spin is right, the discussion has gotten a bit outside the subject matter of Bibical Criticism and History. We will be closing this thread shortly. Anyone can start a new thread in an appropriate forum to discuss the real issues of the DSS or Qumran, or free speech or cyberstalking.

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