Ha! I would know better than to pick a fight with Jonathan in his field of expertise because he knows 100+ times more than me on the subject and would bludgeon my ignorant protests with primary research papers I don’t even have the necessary background to understand.
I don’t have a problem with multiple authorship or redaction and it is also my impression that it is mainstream biblical scholarship even in Evangelical seminaries to acknowledge it. But I’ve never been to seminary and I haven’t taken a formal Bible or theology class since my required 14 hours at Wheaton in the late 90’s. I don’t know enough about the specifics he mentions to evaluate them.
My main point in highlighting that Walton has a more conservative/Evangelical approach was to counter any tendency some readers might have to dismiss Jonathan’s points as representing (suspect and untrustworthy) liberal or mainline biblical scholarship. I was trying to suggest someone you might be inclined to find credible based on reputation or affiliation who deals with similar or related questions.
And I wouldn’t dare tangle with you on linguistics.
This is wise. And Walton, when he does introduce scholarly material which he knows his audience will find confronting, always does it in an exceptionally delicate and thoughtful manner. It’s one of the reasons why he’s one of my favourite scholars.
This has been such a fun and illuminating dialogue. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. I have one more question that I’d like expounded upon a little more, to get back more on topic:
What was the purpose of the Table of Nations. Even if Egypt (which I mentioned earlier) specifically can be dealt with by reidentifying the word used there with another nation, would you agree that the Table of Nations is still saying that Noah’s three sons and their descendents went on to found a host of other nations and that many of the peoples at least in that area should expect to trace their lineage back to one of them?
Also, any specifics, details, sources or research or seminary work related to this would be helpful. If that is NOT the intended claim of publishing the Table, then what is it trying to convey and how well does whatever it is attempting to convey mesh with what science/hostory/archaeology have to say about the lineages of those nations?
Finally, I know there are multiple theories out there, but who are the Nephilim and which interpretation of them holds the most water and why (from your perspectives)? Also, how do they relate to the cause for the flood, if they relate at all.
This has been a tremendously helpful thread to read. Jonathan’s research on this subject is impressive. I agree that there is very strong evidence for the multiple authors of Genesis 1-11. I recently read a commentary by Walter Brueggeman that describes the scholarly consensus that certain sections had a “Yahwist” or “Priestly” sources. Whatever these sources were, it appears that they were fused into their current form during or after the exile. However, I’ve got to think that Moses had a view on creation that could have been a direct precursor to the final Genesis version (maybe captured in one of the “sources”). This would be consistent with their religious counterparts that would have had creation myths. Similarly, the Pentateuch is very sketchy on references to afterlife, which NT Wright examines at length in Resurrection of the Son God. Daniel is the first time it is explicitly referenced. I think the pre-exilic Hebrew people had to have views on creation and afterlife that for whatever reason were not codified until the exile period. In the latter case, there was clearly still disagreement until the end of the 2nd Temple period. Seeing that both issues are critically important to Christian faith, I have to think that Daniel or whomever brought the final Genesis together captured the essence of what the original sources.
Thanks Andy, I’ve enjoyed having a platform to ask so many questions and @Jonathan_Burke has been a tremendous interlocutor. I’m hoping he can get around to giving his point of view on my final few questions!
