Freethought & Rationalism Archive

FunkyRes · 07-27-2002, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vorkosigan:
<strong>Don't the 14th century Armana letters refer to conflicts in Canaan and mention the Hapiru?

Ugaritic inscriptions of the 14th century also refer to some of the Canaanite gods and their stories who later show up in Jewish writings.

In the period 1500-1000 there are Egyptian references to the nomadic Shasu who are sometimes called YHW. Relationship to Israel?

Vorkosigan</strong>

If I recall, in the Bible Abraham was said to be a Hebrew- so a Hebrew people could have existed before the Jacob line, and mentions of a Hebrew people may not conclude that there was a Jewish nation of tribes at the time the reference to Hebrew was made.

'course, the Bible calling Abraham a Hebrew may not mean a Hebrew people existed back then either.

Jayhawker Soule · 07-28-2002, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FunkyRes:
<strong>If I recall, in the Bible Abraham was said to be a Hebrew ... 'course, the Bible calling Abraham a Hebrew may not mean a Hebrew people existed back then either.</strong>

I'm unaware of such a reference outside of 2 Corinthians. I assume that Abraham (mythical or not) was Ammorite. For example, Mendenhall writes:

Quote:

The abandonment of the EB III urban centers of Palestine around 2300 B.C. would have opened up vast tracts of unregulated steppeland where, for the next several centuries, Amorite shepherds could thrive by greatly expanding their production of sheep. Many biblical scholars today correlate the stories of Abraham's migrations (Gen. 12:1-9) with just such a southwesterly emigration of Amorites.
-Ancient Israel's Faith and History by George E. Mendenhall

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