Archive for January, 2010
It appears that Ellen Van Wolde’s article about the meaning of ברא in Genesis 1 has appeared in JSOT (link to the reference is here). There has already been some discussion over her claim on other blogs, so I’m hoping to get a copy of her article soon (if anyone feels motivated to send me a copy please let me know!).
The abstract at the above link provides the summary (here reproduced in unicode rather than using the BFI method adopted at Sage):
Read more
A recent article in the UK paper The Guardian reports that a newly translated by Irving Finkel (although not, apparently, newly discovered) tablet of Atra-hasis makes reference to the Mesopotamian ark as being “circular” (I assume it means more cylindrical than spherical). Although the provenance of the tablet seems unclear, there has been no doubt cast upon its authenticity that I’ve seen.
The relevant portion of the text is translated thus:
Wall, wall! Reed wall, reed wall!
Atram-Hasis, pay heed to my advice, that you may live forever!
Destroy your house, build a boat; despise possessions And save life!
Draw out the boat that you will built with a circular design;
Let its length and breadth be the same.
As I’ve noted previously, the Mesopotamian conception of the ark recorded a vessel with equal width, breadth, and height, and so it has been widely assumed to have been cubic (a shape with significant cultic connections), but a cylindrical vessel would also easily fit these dimensions.
There are, however, a couple of notes of caution worth raising.
First, I have only seen Finkel’s translation. Without seeing the tablet itself it is difficult to judge how certain the translation “circular” is for whatever term was used on the tablet. The semantic range of the term could be less precise or script on the tablet itself could be unclear and allow some room for movement.
Second, the reports that this was the original shape of Noah’s Ark are simply wrong. The Bible records clear dimensions for its conception of the Ark and they simply cannot be circular (whatever that means in 3D). The biblical account is not merely a retelling of an older story, and hence it cannot be “corrected” by reference to older versions.
Nonetheless, I may need to go back to the drawing board for my lego Ark…
Well, Jim West’s blog appears to have disappeared. Last time this happened it was the result of an attacker, but there are reports that this time it is Jim’s own decision which has led to the closure and deletion of the blog.
Perhaps a clue can be found in one of his last posts, his New Year’s resolutions for 2010:
So here are my New Year’s Resolutions:
1- I resolve to stop holding back when it comes to sharing my point of view.
2- I resolve to mention Zwingli no less than once a week. At least.
3- I resolve to poke fun at dilettantes with a regularity that will make the Swiss rail system look inept.
4- I resolve to be as charming and adorable in 2010 as I was in 1965.
5- I resolve to resolve.
6- I resolve to find the most horrifying photos I can and label them with the names of various bibliobloggers.
7- I resolve to remain the #1 biblioblogger (according to Alexa’s rankings) for the entire year.
8- I resolve to drive 5 miles under the speed limit everywhere I go.
9- I resolve to post book reviews in a timely manner (unlike the folk who are given free books by publishers and then never bother to review them) just as I always have.
10- I resolve to break all these resolutions as soon as I can (except for #’s 1-10).
Of course the problem is #10. If Jim did resolve to break 1–9 as quickly as possible it may be an indication that he was indeed planning to close his blog. However, since he included #10 in the list of resolutions to break, he has introduced an element of uncertainty, because if he breaks #10 then he cannot break #1–9!
What else can we say? Jim was among the most prolific of bloggers, and frequently posted book reviews (as indicated in #9). It seems probable that Jim had books yet to be reviewed, so surely he is morally bound to review them as #9 indicates, yet closing his blog would seem to undermine his ability to fulfil this obligation.
Anyway, whether hacked, closed by choice, or just undergoing a temporary hiatus for a complete Zwinglian makeover, I expect that the truth will out in time.
Incoming links