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Re: Multiplicity of Scribal Hands
Well, the DNA testing would tell us whether all the animals came from
the same herd, but in the event that might not tell us all that much,
given that ANE temples had quite extensive herds, and the same may
have been the case in ancient Juda (cf. Amos 1,1); so a single large
herd could as easily be that of the temple in Jerusalem as the local
herd kept by the fabled "community". But of course *differences* in
DNA background would point to a multiplicity of herds, and that would
suggest diverse origins, so it might be useful to test for.
What astonishes us here in Copenhagen, given all the chatter about the
same jar- types being found in the ruin as in the caves, is that
apparently no one has thought to do a neutron activation sequence to
see where the clay came from that they were made from. Of course,
that test, too, might not tell us a great deal: if the clay came from
the vicinity, it would not prove that the texts did, too, because one
might have bought local products to house the documents, rather than
lug them all the way from Jerusalem. But a test showing that some of
them came from Jerusalem, or wherever, could put the cat among the
pigeons properly. Worth testing for, one might think. (Lemche's
suggestion, and a good one).
Fred Cryer