On 8 Mar 2007 at 8:52, Søren Holst wrote:
Dave Washburn wrote:
I frequently wonder why otherwise competent scholars come up with statements
like this
one:
---
Although chemical analysis indicated that several cave jars were made from
clay found near
Qumran, it also showed material from five other locations, suggesting that
the scrolls might
have originated in many different sites.
---
How? All it suggests is that the JARS might have originated in many
different sites. It says
nothing at all about the scrolls therein.
**
I don't have any particular axe to grind about this, but wouldn't it be fair
to say that it not only suggests the jars *might* come from different places,
but almost conclusively demonstrates this (unless unprocessed clay was carted
around)?
About the *scrolls* it obviously only suggests they *might* come from
different places, but that was what the offending quote said in the first
place. I guess some slightly louder reservations than just the word might
could be a good idea if the quote is meant for journalistic consumption, buit
there's nothing *wrong* being said there, is there?
I should probably have included more context, but I have a thing about
bandwidth. I'll try
to clarify. A few paragraphs before this one, the article set out the standard
Essenes-at-
Qumran theory, mentioned the scriptorium and all the rest. The clear
implication is that
some group at Qumran produced the scrolls in their scriptorium (I put that in
quotes
because I don't think that's what the room was, but that's another topic and I
still have that
thing about bandwidth).
But then it turns around and notes that the jars came from different places,
and it appears
that it just sort of automatically jumps from that to the idea that if the jars
came from different
places, then the scrolls may have, too. It seems to me that the simpler
explanation would
be that a scroll-producing group bought jars from different places and put
their scrolls in
them. Alternately, if the jars and the scrolls are from various places, then
it seems unlikely
that we have a breakaway community with a scriptorium making scrolls to put in
the jars. I
don't see how we can have it both ways.
But my main problem was what appeared to be an automatic leap from
diverse-source jars
to diverse-sources scrolls therein. I don't see any good reason to make that
leap.
Does that clear it up?
Dave Washburn
Bash the ground until bananas come out.
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