September 02, 2007 10:19AM
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Registered: 19 years ago
Posts: 13,853
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Accurate in what sense? Certainly the historical books of the Old Testament
preserve what the Ancient Israelites themselves thought was their history. While
historical traditions must be taken with a pinch of salt to reject out of hand
a People's own account of themselves is obviously going much to far - and I don't
believe is even suggested *except* in the case of the Bible.
'Genesis' is obviously ahistorical myth, (in the Cambellian sense) based on Mesopotamian models. The literal existence of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his sons is, I admit, also questionable. Assorted 'founding Patriarchs' could have been conflated and reshaped
into a dynastic line in order to provide a connections for the various tribes that made
up the Israelite people.
'Exodus' is unproven and unprovable but not particularly improbable in some form.
Joshua's conquest of Canaan is obviously inaccurate even by the witness of 'Judges'
But with 'Samuel', 'Kings' and 'Chronicles' we come to near solid ground. The
kingdoms of Israel and Judea certainly existed and must have been established by
somebody. If Solomon's power and wealth were exaggerated that doesn't mean he didn't
exist.
Personally I would question whether post-Christians and especially Atheists
approach Bible history from 'neutral' ground. The latter especially would have
as vested an interest in *disproving* any historicity and a religous Jew or
Christian would in 'proving' it.
Finally there is a vast middle ground between fundamentalist acceptance of every
word as historical as well as religious gospel and the equally extreme position of
*disregarding* everything as "myth" in the sense of lie.
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Author |
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jhemmestad |
August 29, 2007 03:55PM |
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Byrd |
August 29, 2007 05:22PM |
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Doug Weller |
August 29, 2007 11:33PM |
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Ritva Kurittu |
August 30, 2007 03:23AM |
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Mihos |
September 26, 2007 07:46PM |
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Thadd |
October 01, 2007 10:48AM |
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Hermione |
August 30, 2007 05:08AM |
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Doug Weller |
August 30, 2007 01:52PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
August 30, 2007 07:18PM |
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Doug Weller |
August 31, 2007 12:39AM |
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Roxana Cooper |
August 31, 2007 12:28PM |
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Thadd |
September 03, 2007 10:27PM |
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Thadd |
September 03, 2007 10:25PM |
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Pacal |
August 31, 2007 08:27AM |
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Roxana Cooper |
August 31, 2007 12:32PM |
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Byrd |
August 31, 2007 02:35PM |
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Doug Weller |
September 01, 2007 01:49PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 02, 2007 10:19AM |
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Rick Baudé |
September 02, 2007 11:38AM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 02, 2007 04:58PM |
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Thadd |
September 03, 2007 10:34PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 04, 2007 09:42AM |
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Thadd |
September 04, 2007 09:56AM |
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Doug Weller |
September 04, 2007 03:44PM |
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Thadd |
September 04, 2007 08:35PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 05, 2007 09:41AM |
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Thadd |
September 05, 2007 01:15PM |
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jhemmestad |
September 06, 2007 09:05AM |
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Jammer |
September 06, 2007 11:00AM |
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Hermione |
September 06, 2007 11:13AM |
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Jammer |
September 06, 2007 11:19AM |
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Damian Walter |
September 06, 2007 02:16PM |
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jhemmestad |
September 06, 2007 04:37PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 07, 2007 11:44AM |
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Thadd |
September 08, 2007 06:26PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 13, 2007 03:00PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 14, 2007 06:17PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 01, 2007 12:47PM |
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Doug Weller |
September 01, 2007 03:00PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 01, 2007 03:44PM |
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Doug Weller |
September 02, 2007 01:38AM |
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Damian Walter |
September 02, 2007 12:10PM |
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Hermione |
September 02, 2007 12:32PM |
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Doug Weller |
September 02, 2007 02:11PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 03, 2007 04:07AM |
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Doug Weller |
September 03, 2007 01:03PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 04, 2007 11:12AM |
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Doug Weller |
September 04, 2007 03:31PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 05, 2007 09:14AM |
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Pacal |
September 06, 2007 01:27PM |
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Doug Weller |
September 06, 2007 02:19PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 06, 2007 04:37PM |
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Thadd |
September 08, 2007 06:30PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 02, 2007 12:42PM |
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Doug Weller |
September 02, 2007 02:21PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 02, 2007 05:06PM |
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Thadd |
September 03, 2007 10:39PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 04, 2007 09:46AM |
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Thadd |
September 04, 2007 09:53AM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 04, 2007 11:36AM |
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Thadd |
September 04, 2007 08:37PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 05, 2007 09:03AM |
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Thadd |
September 05, 2007 01:19PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 05, 2007 04:26PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 05, 2007 09:44AM |
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Thadd |
September 05, 2007 01:23PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 05, 2007 02:25PM |
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Thadd |
September 05, 2007 05:27PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 06, 2007 09:57AM |
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Damian Walter |
September 06, 2007 02:19PM |
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Thadd |
September 08, 2007 06:39PM |
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Pacal |
September 06, 2007 01:41PM |
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jhemmestad |
September 07, 2007 09:10AM |
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Hermione |
September 07, 2007 09:18AM |
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Thadd |
September 08, 2007 06:42PM |
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Pacal |
September 12, 2007 09:52AM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 14, 2007 06:23PM |
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Thadd |
September 17, 2007 07:42PM |
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Thadd |
September 08, 2007 06:54PM |
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Pacal |
September 12, 2007 10:33AM |
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jhemmestad |
September 12, 2007 11:02AM |
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Hermione |
September 12, 2007 11:16AM |
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Thadd |
September 17, 2007 07:52PM |
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Roxana Cooper |
September 02, 2007 10:29AM |
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Damian Walter |
September 02, 2007 03:23PM |
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Doug Weller |
September 02, 2007 03:43PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 07, 2007 11:47AM |
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Thadd |
September 03, 2007 10:24PM |
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Damian Walter |
September 07, 2007 11:54AM |
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Damian Walter |
September 07, 2007 11:42AM |
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Damian Walter |
September 07, 2007 02:46PM |
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jhemmestad |
September 08, 2007 05:11PM |
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Doug M |
September 09, 2007 06:08AM |
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Thadd |
September 09, 2007 08:23AM |
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Doug M |
September 09, 2007 08:11PM |
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Pete Clarke |
September 13, 2007 06:54AM |
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Damian Walter |
September 13, 2007 03:02PM |
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Mihos |
September 26, 2007 08:45PM |