A Critique
of the Primary History, Genesis-Kings being a Hellenistic Creation of the
Hasmoneans
Walter
Reinhold Warttig Mattfeld y de la Torre, M.A. Ed.
19 August
2003
I once
thought (1990-97) the Primary History might be a composition of the
Hellenistic Era written under the Hasmoneans, a notion espoused by
Professors Thomas L. Thompson, Niels Peter Lemche, and Philip R. Davies. I
eventually abandoned this notion when I discovered that NO sites from
Hellenistic times appeared in the Primary History.
What
hamlets, villages, towns and cities would I expect to "surface" in a
Primary History (Genesis- 2Kings) composed in the course of
Hellenistic-Hasmonean era. ? See below for some sites that are attested as
being no earlier than this era. I have not found a single site that came
into being later than the 7th century BCE in the Primary History. The
latest site appearing in the Primary History was determined to be Aroer of
the Negev, modern Ar`arah (I Samuel 30:28), which was founded in the 7th
century BCE (cf. p. 400. Vol. 1. Gerald L. Mattingly. "Aroer #4." David
Noel Freedman, editor. The Anchor
Bible Dictionary. New York.
Doubleday. 1992)
Mattingly
:
"Ar`arah was
excavated between 1975 and 1981 by A. Biran and R. Cohen. They concluded
that this 5-acre site was first settled in the 7th century BC and was
occupied intermittently, until ca. AD 70. Though it is possible that
further excavations might uncover remains from the 11th or 10th centuries
BC, it does not appear that `Ar`arah was occupied in the time of
David."(cf. Vol.1, p. 400, Gerald Mattingly, "Aroer, #4," David Noel
Freedman, Editor. Anchor Bible
Dictionary. New York.
1992).
I would
expect to find at least "a few" of the below place-names in a Primary
History "allegedly written in the Hellenistic age." The absence of the
below sites should be a "wake-up call" for those advocating a late
creation. How will they explain ALL of these sites' NON-APPEARANCE in a
Hellenistic creation (Some of these sites, however, DO APPEAR in other
Hellenistic compositions, like for instance, Maccabees I-IV).
The below
book or "manual" focuses primarily on Israel from Dan to Beersheba. Along
this peripherey appear sites in Lebanon, Jordan, the Arabah and
Negev.
My reference
is :
J.Monson,
et. al. Student Map
Manual, Historical Geography of the Bible Lands. Jerusalem. Pictorial Archive. 1st edition, 1979 [distributed by
Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan] ISBN
0-310-42980-3.
A Listing of
Sites which came into being in the course of the Hellenistic and Hasmonean
Periods (cf. "Section 15-2, Index of Main Names," J. Monson)
A Mini
Archive Reference Number precedes the site
004
Abila (Gilead);
023 Adasa; 046
Alexandrium/Sartaba; 073
Apollonia; 081
Arbela (Galilee);
085 Ariedela
(Gharandel); 087 Aristobulias; 102
Asphar; 292
Docus;
299
Eeitha; 307
Elasa; 315
Emmaus
(Nicopolis); 333 Ephron (Gilead);
352 Gadara; 357
Gamala; 359
Garaba; 380 Gerasa (Gilead); 434 Hippias; 567 Malumas; 504 Kedron (Gedrus); 558
Macherus; 564 Mahalol; 579 Masada; 581 Mazraa; 614 Modein; 627 Nadabath; 643
Nessana; 651 Oboda; 652 Odollam; 657 Orda; 662 Pella (existed in LB but not in Iron Age); 666
Pharathon; 693 Ragaba; 728 Samaga; 744 Seleucia (Golan); 748 Sepphoris; 768 Skoufiye.
Garaba; 380 Gerasa (Gilead); 434 Hippias; 567 Malumas; 504 Kedron (Gedrus); 558
Macherus; 564 Mahalol; 579 Masada; 581 Mazraa; 614 Modein; 627 Nadabath; 643
Nessana; 651 Oboda; 652 Odollam; 657 Orda; 662 Pella (existed in LB but not in Iron Age); 666
Pharathon; 693 Ragaba; 728 Samaga; 744 Seleucia (Golan); 748 Sepphoris; 768 Skoufiye.
If somone
knows of a site founded no earlier than the Hellenistic period, which
appears in the Primary History's biblical narratives, I would appreciate
receiving that information.
