Scholar, please don't post and run...

by in a new york bethel minute 99 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • scholar
    scholar

    Jeffro

    Reply to post 538

    I do ignore the form of reckoning that you employ in a awkward attempt to harmonize Daniel 1:1 and Jeremiah 25:1 but I simply reject it because these two verses are historically incompatible. There is no historical or biblical fact that connects these two texts. Jeremiah refers to an epochal event at the near beginning of Jehoiakim's reign and Daniel refers to an epocha event that occurred at the end of Jehoiakim's reign.

    The fact that Nebuchadnezzer was not a king in the third regnal year of Jehoiakim's reign is an insurmountable objection to your interpretation for the reason it was not until a year later that his in Jeholiakim's fourth year that Neb became a 'king' in any sense at all. When Daniel was taken to Babylon it was most certainly the case that Neb was a king because he had ruled as king for seven or eight years.

    Yes 2 Kings 24:13 refers to Neb bringing all of the teasures of the house of Jehovah in that first deporatation to Babylon but Daniel refers to the additional fact that some of the utensils of the house of Jehovah were brought to Babylon on that same occasion. So, one event with different items were part of the booty which included all the treasures, some utensils, and higher stationed people of the land. These two texts are referring to the same event.

    No, Daniel obviously used a different method of reckoning as shown in Daniel 1:1 and 2 wherein Daniel employs a secondary reckoning of the years of the king's reigns is demonstrated. He reckons by counting from epochal events within the reign that put the king in a new relationship and this is well proven by Josephus comments on the coincidence of Jehoiakim's reign and that of Neb reign in their respective eight and 11th year.

    If it is the case that you have self-originated this model then you are to be congratualated but it is still the old and current theory within scholarship.

    The comment by Berossus on the'captives taken from the Jews' does not necessarilly equate with Jewish captives. At any rate Berossus conflicts with Josephus and the Bible on this specific point.

    The third year of Jehoiakim' kingship does indeed coincide with his death in his 11 th year because it was that year that Neb replaced hin with Jehoiachin and it was that same year that Neb invaded Jerusalem and deported the first captiveds to Babylon. No other solution provides an account of this three years of vassalage which could have only happened towards the end and not the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign.

    scholar JW

  • Jeffro
    Jeffro
    1. You give a quotation from the Insight volume regarding Nebuchadnezzer's forays into Hattu but the evidence does not show that he took captives from Judea, part of Hattu in his acc or first regnal year. In fact, Josephus excludes Judea from that earliest foray into Hattu during the fourth year of Jehoiakim and when Neb became king. I refer you to Antiquities Of The Jews, Book10, Chapter 6 where this geographical location, Judea is exempted from that invasion. Also, the cunieform evidence does not state the precise nature of the booty in either of his acc year nor in his 1st regnal year. So, your evidence for such a claim is completely missing and further the Bible says nothing about Neb taking captives in that year.

    Josephus does not exclude them from having any contact with Nebuchadnezzar. He says that they were not "conquered", unlike other parts of Hattu such as Ashkelon. A comparison of Josephus, Berossus, and the original cuneiform documentation give a complete picture that booty was taken from Judah which included human captives, which is apparent to an unbiased reader. But you prefer to look at things piece-meal style so that you can ignore things that seem small before they come together as a whole.

    Further , for your information Carl Jonsson in his GTR, 3rd edn, 1998, p.205 provides a fine map of Judah and the surrounding nations which clearly shows Hattu..

    Um.... okay.. not sure what your point is. Unless you're saying that Jonsson wrote it on behalf of the Society in defense of my comment that the Society never indicates where the region is.

    2. You next quote Josephus in Against Apion, Book 1, 19 wherein Josephus quotes Berossus' abbreviated account of Neb's reign. You claim that the statement "the captives he had taken from the Jews' means that Neb took Jewish captives or that he took captives from Judea. Your interpretation conflicts with Josephus' own account of history which differs from Berossus on this point if in fact that is what Berossus means. His statement can be read in different ways but those captives are not said toi be Jewish captives but captives belonging to Jews who were living outside of Judea.

    Your defense here is laughably weak. It is unlikely that when the captives were taken from any particular area, they bothered to ask if there were any stray Jews amongst them. It is quite obvious from Josephus quote of Berossus that Jews were taken from Judah. There really is no conflict with Josephus at all. Firstly Josephus explicitly says that he agrees with Berossus' accounts, and also as stated above, Josephus only said that Judah was not "conquered" at that time.

    3. You raise the matter as to Why Jewish captives were not taken in Neb's acc year, the reason being omitted in the Kindom publication. The simple answer to this question is that it wasnot God's time for this specific judgement to occur. Jehovah used Jeremiah to foretell when these judgements would occur and their manner of occurrence for Judah and its kings had a long history of a broken covenant relationship and during this time Jehovah allowed various forms of discipline to befall his people. For example, a key event when Jehoiakim became a vassal to Egypt and followed by domination to the next power Babylon. There were a long series of episodes that befell the Judean monarchy which eventually led to their complete removal in 607.

    That's not an answer, its a superstitious theory based on a preconception to support a doctrine. What is more, you contradict yourself by saying that "there were [was] a long series of episodes that befell the Judean monarchy" 'before it was time', but then deny that Nebuchadnezzar could have taken Judean captives because it 'wasn't time yet'. It is much, much more likely that Jehoiakim, upon being confronted by Nebuchadnezzar's troops in 605BC (your 625) allowed him to take captives and 'part of the treasure' (as opposed to 'all of the treasure' that was taken in 597 [your 607]) in exchange for not being conquered. This is consistent with Josephus, Berossus, and the extant cuneiform documentation.

  • Jeffro
    Jeffro

    Scholar said:

    Reply to post 538

    Seeing as this is my 536th post, either scholar was replying to a post I have not yet made, or he was asking me to reply to his 538th post, which said:

    stevenyc
    If it was not 607 then What is it then?
    scholar JW

    The faulty logic in expecting an exact alternative date in lieu of the erroneous 607 date has been indicated previously.

    I do ignore the form of reckoning that you employ in a awkward attempt to harmonize Daniel 1:1 and Jeremiah 25:1 but I simply reject it because these two verses are historically incompatible. There is no historical or biblical fact that connects these two texts. Jeremiah refers to an epochal event at the near beginning of Jehoiakim's reign and Daniel refers to an epocha event that occurred at the end of Jehoiakim's reign.

    I have already provided information that indicates that the bible, Babylonian cuneiform documents, Berossus, and Josephus are all completely compatible with captives being taken in Jehoiakim's 3rd year (accession-year system).

    The fact that Nebuchadnezzer was not a king in the third regnal year of Jehoiakim's reign is an insurmountable objection to your interpretation for the reason it was not until a year later that his in Jeholiakim's fourth year that Neb became a 'king' in any sense at all. When Daniel was taken to Babylon it was most certainly the case that Neb was a king because he had ruled as king for seven or eight years.

    Jehoiakim's 3rd year (accession-year system) was indeed Nebuchadnezzar's accession year, and just prior to that his father Nabopolassar was very ill and Josephus quotes Berossus as saying that the administration had secured the throne for Nebuchadnezzar awaiting his return, so there is absolutely no problem here. Your reasoning implies that the accession-year system would be applied by Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar but not Jehoiakim, which is unlikely as Daniel wrote after being trained in Babylonian customs, and would have applied the accession-year system to both.

    Jeremiah's reckoning that Jehoiakim's fourth year was Nebuchadnezzar's first, is equivalent to Daniel's reckoning that Jehoiakim's third year was Nebuchadnezzar's accession year; this is confirmed by Daniel 2:1, three (cardinal) years later, which was in Nebuchadnezzar's 2nd year.

    Yes 2 Kings 24:13 refers to Neb bringing all of the teasures of the house of Jehovah in that first deporatation to Babylon but Daniel refers to the additional fact that some of the utensils of the house of Jehovah were brought to Babylon on that same occasion. So, one event with different items were part of the booty which included all the treasures, some utensils, and higher stationed people of the land. These two texts are referring to the same event.
    Daniel wasn't writing to supplement what Jeremiah had recorded in 2 Kings. 2 Kings 24:13 indicates that "all the treasures of the house of Jehovah and the treasures of the king’s house" were taken; there is simply nothing for Daniel to supplement anyway. To argue that the utensils, made from precious metals, were not included in the treasure is rediculous, and is simply a semantic last-ditch effort to suggest that the same event is being discussed.
    No, Daniel obviously used a different method of reckoning as shown in Daniel 1:1 and 2 wherein Daniel employs a secondary reckoning of the years of the king's reigns is demonstrated. He reckons by counting from epochal events within the reign that put the king in a new relationship and this is well proven by Josephus comments on the coincidence of Jehoiakim's reign and that of Neb reign in their respective eight and 11th year.
    "Obviously"? By this you mean it's the only way the Society's interpretation could work. Indeed, why would Daniel inexplicably switch between dating methods without any other frame of reference, leaving the reader to guess when he was talking about. The simple fact is that Daniel consistently refers to kings' reigns using the accession-year system. It is unclear how you think Josephus proves your point, as he only indicates relative reigns consistent with what I have said.
    If it is the case that you have self-originated this model then you are to be congratualated but it is still the old and current theory within scholarship.
    Thank you both for your congratulations, and for acknowledging that I have arrived at the correct conclusion as supported by experts in the field.
    The comment by Berossus on the'captives taken from the Jews' does not necessarilly equate with Jewish captives. At any rate Berossus conflicts with Josephus and the Bible on this specific point.
    Josephus explicitly says he agrees with Berossus, and only says that Judah was not "conquered" at that time; he never said that no captives or booty were taken. Both are in agreement with the sequence of events in Daniel chapters 1 and 2.
    The third year of Jehoiakim' kingship does indeed coincide with his death in his 11 th year because it was that year that Neb replaced hin with Jehoiachin and it was that same year that Neb invaded Jerusalem and deported the first captiveds to Babylon. ;No other solution provides an ; account of this three years of vassalage which could have only happened towards the end and not the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign.
    Jehoiakim paid a tribute to Nebuchadnezzar for his last three years, but that does not place the third year of his reign at that time, and there is nothing to suggest that it should.
  • Rabbit
    Rabbit

    Scholar, you have the personality and warmth of a grave diggers shovel.

    "...identity of "celebrated WT scholars" must remain secret..." BullShit !

    So, what do you do in your spare time ? I mean, other than looking forward to the grisly death of billions of babies, boys, girls and their mommas & daddies ?

    Maybe you're more of a 'fun' person in real life, huh ?

    *sigh*

    Rabbit

  • Alleymom
    Alleymom
    The next paragraph from Insight again mentions Hattu as including Judah, describing the siege against Jerusalem in 597 (617 according to the Society).

    A cuneiform inscription (British Museum 21946) states: "The seventh year: In the month Kislev the king of Akkad mustered his army and marched to Hattu. He encamped against the city of Judah and on the second day of the month Adar he captured the city (and) seized (its) king [Jehoiachin]. A king of his own choice [Zedekiah] he appointed in the city (and) taking the vast tribute he brought it into Babylon."

    The Society, though usually very clear on identifying geographical locations, never gives any direct indication of where Hattu was.Why is this? It is because Jerusalem was in Hattu, and this supports the fact that Nebuchadnezzar did in fact take booty in his accession year, as supported by Daniel 1:1.



    Jeffro ---

    Actually, if you search on "Hatti" rather than "Hattu," you'll find that the Society does identify Hatti/Hattu as the area of Phoenicia and Palestine. And in the second and third quotations below, Judah is part of Hatti land.

    *** it-2 p. 893 Sennacherib *** Then, in what Sennacherib refers to as his "third campaign," he moved against "Hatti," a term evidently referring at that time to Phoenicia and Palestine. (Ancient Near Eastern Texts, edited by J. Pritchard, 1974, p. 287) This area was in a state of general rebellion against the Assyrian yoke. Among those who had rejected such domination was King Hezekiah of Judah (2Ki 18:7), though there is no evidence to show that he was in coalition with the other kingdoms in revolt.
    *** it-2 p. 307 Manasseh *** Manasseh was punished for paying no attention to Jehovah’s message, the king of Assyria taking him captive to Babylon, one of the Assyrian monarch’s royal cities. (2Ch 33:10, 11) ‘Manasseh of Judah’ is mentioned in Assyrian King Esar-haddon’s list of 22 tribute-paying "kings of Hatti, the seashore and the islands." Manasseh’s name also appears in a list of kings tributary to Ashurbanipal.—Ancient Near Eastern Texts, edited by J. Pritchard, 1974, pp. 291, 294.
    *** w69 2/1 p. 88 Babylonian Chronology—How Reliable? *** The Bible record is quite detailed in its account of the first punitive expedition against the kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar (or Nebuchadrezzar) in his seventh regnal year (or eighth year from his accession to the throne). (Jer. 52:28; 2 Ki. 24:12) In harmony with this a cuneiform inscription of the Babylonian Chronicle states: "In the seventh year, the month of Kislev, the king of Akkad [Nebuchadnezzar] mustered his troops, marched to Hatti-land [Syria-Palestine], and encamped against the city of Judah and on the second day of the month of Adar he seized the city and captured the king [Jehoiachin]. He appointed there a king of his own choice [Zedekiah], received its heavy tribute and sent (them) to Babylon."—Chronicles of Chaldaean Kings (626-556 B.C.), D. J. Wiseman, pages 67, 73.
    Marjorie
  • scholar
    scholar

    Jeffro

    Reply to post 536

    You have not provided any evidence for your position that Nebuchadnezzer took captives in Jehoiakims's third year (acc). The Bible, secular materials, Josephus and Berossus are completely silent on this matter. No it was not until Jehoiakim;s fourth regnal year that the political circumstances changed from a vassalage under Egypt through to a measure of independence and inhis last three years, vassalage under Nebuchadnezzer. This fact is attested biblically, by Josephus and Jewish tradition.

    Nebuchadnezzer's accession year could not begin until the fourth year of Jehoiakim, during the latter's third year, Nebuchadnezzer was a mere Crown Prince. The system used by Daniel denotes an epochal method of dating which means a dating between special events and that is why scholars use the term 'kingship' rather than reign. Jehoiakim as with Nebuchadnezzer were world rulers. Your method is impossible because Daniel 1:1 links the third year immediately with the time of Nebuchadnezzer laid siege to the temple, deported utensils and captives and installed Jehoiacjin on the throne. The context of Daniel 1:1-2 clearly refer to events that only occurred at the end of Jehoiakim's reign.

    There is a clear difference between the treasures taken to Babylon and the utensils that were taken because 2 Kings 24:13 refers to the cutting up of gold utensils in addition to the treasures. In ch 25:14 there is another reference to utensils of copper. So in the course of both deportations treasures and utensils were taken and in the latter utensils were taken to Babylon.

    Daniel does not consistently refer to the kig's reigns using the acc system of reckoning at all for it is observed by scholars that Daniel' use of malkut is used in an absolute sense for world kingdom. This absolute use of kingdom is repeatedly used in the Aramaic chapters of Daniel.

    Josephus confirms the fact that events ascribed to Jehoiakim occurred not at the beginning of his reign but toward the end which saw an end to Jehoiakim;s wicked rule. Josephus also confirms that Judah was not conquered in the fourth year of Jehoiakim but only in the Neb's 18th year with the land becoming empty, temple destroyed and the seventy years commenced. If he omits any reference to booty or captives taken in Jehoiakim's fourth year then one can only conclude along with the biblical texts that Nebuchadnezzer did not take such things in his first year.

    Jehoiakim paid tribute to Neb in the last three years and then he rebelled which brought about the invasion by Neb and the deposing of Jehoiakim with the deportation to Babylon, all confirmed by Josephus and the biblical narrative.

  • scholar
    scholar

    Jeffro

    Reply to post 533

    As I said there is no evidence from either Josephus or the biblical text that says that Nebuchadnezzer took booty from Judah in his acc or first regnal year. I quote d the map by Jonsson as an aside and I fin d your comment offensive and insulting for I was merely being helpful.

    There is no proof from the comments of Berossus that those captives were from Judah specifically for all that is said is that the captives were taken from the Jews but their location is unspecified. Perhaps you are reading too much into an abbreviated account. Yes, Josephus confirms that in Jehoiakim's first year Judah had not yet been conqured as I have repeatedly told you.

    Excuse me! Jeremiah repeatedly warned the nation of Israel by means of Deuteronomy what would happen to them if they continued to violate the covenant. This is no superstitious theory but basic OT theology which you seem to trivialize. You seem not to believe in God's Word.

    Another reason proposed by commentators is that Nebuchadnezzer did not have the military resources to invade Judah, take booty including captives until his very 7th/8th year which accords with the history of the Bible and Josephus.

    scholar JW

  • Cygnus
    Cygnus

    Jeffro, your perseverence is admirable, but if you wish to quit now, nobody would blame you.

    The two of you could invent a time machine, travel back to 605 BCE, and see for yourselves what was what and it still wouldn't change scholar JW's mind.

    Wow, that's a lot of champagne in the St Louis Cardinal's locker room tonight.

    The whole stupid gentile times thing is debunked rather easily, regardless of dating, by Jesus' own words:

    ***

    Rbi8 Luke 21:24 ***

    Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.

    Jesus is talking about future events, like this:

    ***

    Rbi8 Luke 21:20 ***

    Furthermore, when YOU see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near.

    Jesus didn't have any 2520 year period in mind, and neither did his audience.

    I gotta admit, though, 8 years ago I would have eaten this thread up and be all over scholar JW just as you are. These days lots of other things occupy my time and interest, but carry on if you wish, man. I'm just saying, nobody would blame you if you washed your hands of the matter. :)

  • Jeffro
    Jeffro
    You have not provided any evidence for your position that Nebuchadnezzer took captives in Jehoiakims's third ;year (acc). The Bible, secular materials, Josephus and Berossus are completely silent on this matter. No it was not until Jehoiakim;s fourth regnal year that the political circumstances changed from a vassalage under Egypt through to a measure of independence and inhis last three years, vassalage under Nebuchadnezzer. This fact is attested biblically, by Josephus and Jewish tradition.

    Berossus indicates that there were Jewish captives taken on Nebuchadnezzar's return to Babylon in 605, and Josephus explicitly agrees with him. Further, there is no reason to assume that Daniel himself meant any year other than 605, the third year of Jehoiakim's rule. To say anything else is simply twisting scripture to suit an agenda. Josephus neither says, nor implies, that Daniel was taken in 597. What is more, absolutely no source supports 617. You indicate that at Jehoiakim's fourth regnal year (which is his third year by the accession-year system) - 605BC - that things changed with respect to Jehoiakim's reign, and there is a measure of correctness in what you have said. He certainly did feel a measure of independence from Egypt at this time, for it was at this time that Nebuchadnezzar defeated Necho's forces. Thereafter he headed back to Babylon, where on his way he threatened Judah. Jehoiakim let him take some treasure and captives to avoid a larger conflict. 4 years later, Nebuchadnezzar demanded that Jehoiakim pay a regular tribute which he paid for three years but thereafter, in his 11th year - 597BC - he refused, at which point his reign was brought to an end.

    Nebuchadnezzer's accession year could not begin until the fourth year of Jehoiakim, during the latter's third year, Nebuchadnezzer was a mere Crown Prince. The system used by Daniel denotes an epochal method of dating which means a dating between special events and that is why scholars use the term 'kingship' rather than reign. Jehoiakim as with Nebuchadnezzer were world rulers. Your method is impossible because Daniel 1:1 links the third year immediately with the time of Nebuchadnezzer laid siege to the temple, deported utensils and captives and installed Jehoiacjin on the throne. The context of Daniel 1:1-2 clearly refer to events that only occurred at the end of Jehoiakim's reign.

    For a start, Jehoiakim was certainly not a world ruler. The Society uses 'kingship', but the original word implies nothing about some epochal method. There is no evidence for your suggestion that Daniel uses any form of dating other than the accession-year system referring to the normal reigns of the kings of which he writes. Most sources agree that Nebuchadnezzar's accession year, and Jehoiakim's fourth regnal year both occurred in 605, (though it should be kept in mind that the first month of neither of their calendars matched the Gregorian).

    There is a clear difference between the treasures taken to Babylon and the utensils that were taken because 2 Kings 24:13 refers to the cutting up of gold utensils in addition to the treasures. In ch 25:14 there is another reference to utensils of copper. So in the course of both deportations treasures and utensils were taken and in the latter utensils were taken to Babylon.

    Yes, both 2 Kings 24:13 and 25:14 indicate a much more thorough collection of treasure in 597 and 587 than was taken in the event referred to at Daniel 1:1.

    Daniel does not consistently refer to the kig's reigns using the acc system of reckoning at all for it is observed by scholars that Daniel' use of malkut is used in an absolute sense for world kingdom. This absolute use of kingdom is repeatedly used in the Aramaic chapters of Daniel.

    Jehoiakim never ruled a "world kingdom", which immediately invalidates your suggestion. Assyria was the world power, and then Babylon was the world power.

    Josephus confirms the fact that events ascribed to Jehoiakim occurred not at the beginning of his reign but toward the end which saw an end to Jehoiakim;s wicked rule. Josephus also confirms that Judah was not conquered in the fourth year of Jehoiakim but only in the Neb's 18th year with the land becoming empty, temple destroyed and the seventy years commenced. If he omits any reference to booty or captives taken in Jehoiakim's fourth year then one can only conclude along with the biblical texts that Nebuchadnezzer did not take such things in his first year.

    Again you force me to repeat that Josephus indicates that Jerusalem was not conquered in 605, but this does not preclude captives and booty being taken, given to him by Jehoiakim to allay the siege that began when Nebuchadnezzar came through on his return to Babylon. Josephus specifically says that he accepts what Berossus said about Jewish captives being taken back to Babylon in Nebuchadnezzar's accession year.

    Jehoiakim paid tribute to Neb in the last three years and then he rebelled which brought about the invasion by Neb and the deposing of Jehoiakim with the deportation to Babylon, all confirmed by Josephus and the biblical narrative.

    Finally you give a sentence that, in itself, is actually valid. However, you are probably implying that Daniel was taken at this time, and if so, you are still wrong.

  • Jeffro
    Jeffro

    Cygnus

    The whole stupid gentile times thing is debunked rather easily, regardless of dating, by Jesus' own words:
    ***
    Rbi8 Luke 21:24 *** Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.

    Yes, sometimes I wonder why I bother. I think I'm probably being a bit unambitious highlighting 'scholar's' blatantly flawed sense of logic (and appalling spelling, grammar and syntax as well), though he does make me laugh. And he'll probably think he's had some kind of victory if I stop... though I think I am starting to get bored with posting the same things over and over again, because I know he'll never capitulate. Though I do pity him at times.

    If my hunch is correct, 'scholar' is a painter by trade, and he probably posts here not just to defend his precious doctrines, but also to keep his mind sharp, which I suppose is fair enough, if only he could post something new (or at least valid or even just challenging) once in a while.

    The Greek word esomai is used in the original text of Luke 21:24 for 'will be', and it only ever refers to a future event that has not already begun. Not only is esomai used where you have indicated, but it also appears in the original text immediately before "appointed times" such that the literal rendering is "and Jerusalem will be being trampled by nations, until what should be fulfilled and will be appointed time of nations."

    Of course I've been through that with 'scholar' too, but his 'selective reading' kicks in quicker than he can say "celebrated WT scholars".

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