Face to Face: Biblical Minimalists Meet Their Challengers
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Footnotes
Philip R. Davies, “‘House of David’ Built on Sand,” BAR 20:04.
But see the following BAR articles: Kenneth A. Kitchen, “The Patriarchal Age: Myth or History?” BAR 21:02; and Ronald S. Hendel, “Finding Historical Memories in the Patriarchal Narratives,” BAR 21:04.
According to the documentary hypothesis, the Pentateuch was composed at different stages in Israel’s history by four (or more) different authors/editors, indicated by the letters J (Yahwist or, in German, Jahwist), E (Elohist), P (Priestly code) and D (Deuteronomist).
But see Nadav Na’aman, “Cow Town or Royal Capital?” in this issue.
See “‘David’ Found at Dan,” BAR 20:02.
See the following articles in BAR, March/April 1996: Hershel Shanks, “The Fingerprint of Jeremiah’s Scribe,” BAR 22:02, and P. Kyle McCarter, Jr., “Pieces of the Puzzle,” BAR 22:02.
See Tsvi Schneider, “Six Biblical Signatures: Seals and Seal Impressions of Six Biblical Personages Recovered,” BAR 17:04.
Most Scholars read the Tel Dan inscription’s critical six letters, BYTDWD, as Beth David (“House of David”). However, Philip R. Davies argues that because no word-divider separates Beth and David (the Tel Dan inscription places dots between words), the letters form a place-name, like Bethlehem (which means House of Bread). Davies also suggests that DWD (David) can be read as Dod, meaning “beloved,” “uncle” or “kettle.” Thus he argues that the letters could form the place-name Bethdod (House of the Beloved). For critiques of Davies’s reading, see the following BAR articles: Anson Rainey, “The ‘House of David’ and the House of the Deconstructionists,” BAR 20:06; and David Noel Freedman and Jeffrey C. Geoghegan, “‘House of David’ Is There!” BAR 21:02.