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Re: orion Jars and 1a & 1b dates
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Dear Orion list,
Quoted below is the complete post of Fred Cryer, responding to Mark Dunn's
Nov 3 post.
Am I misreading this post by noting that the subject is the question of
habitation and/or non-habitation at Qumran "around 9/8 BCE"? If so, is it
not also the case that the phrase "more silly rumors" has, as its
antecedent, this previously-mentioned subject? It is a fact well known on
orion that it is Prof. Magness who proposed--I would say discovered-- the
significance of the brief disruption of habitation shortly after 9/8 BCE.
Therefore, I conclude that Dr. Cryer has made an unfair personal attack on
the historical reconstruction of a fine scholar, a tenured Professor at a
fine school, now on leave on a grant at a fine scholarly institution,
author of excellent archaeological articles based on extensive fieldwork
published in peer-reviewed journals, and a friend to orion's purposes, for
taking time to explain something about archaeology and pottery. Jodi
Magness did not write "silly rumors." In the post below--unless I have read
it wrong--Fred Cryer has written a crass, personal, anti-intellectual
attack.
sincerely,
Stephen Goranson goranson@duke.edu
>Dear Mark--
>I agree with you on all counts, including the paucity of the evidence for
>the discontinuance of habitation around 9/8 bce. The tragedy of the
>archaeological picture is that de Vaux didn´t leave any major sectors
>unexcavated, so that we could check his findings today. It was a common
>failing back then, and it does no good to bemoan it, but that´s the reason
>we shall probably never get much more clarity than we have now. And the
>failure of the Ecole Biblique to publish de Vaux´ excavation notes in full
>can only give rise to more silly rumours.
>
>best regards,
>
>Fred Cryer