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July 8, 2008
I'm a Citation Already
Considering how little I have published and how long ago I published it, I'm always surprised to see my name in a scholarly paper or book. But there it is on pages 38 and 39 of Victor Hurowitz' "The Wisdom of Šūpê-amēlī - A Deathbed Debate Between a Father and Son" in Wisdom Literature in the Mesopotamia and Israel. I'm even quoted on page 39,
The geographical and temporal proximity to Israel at the supposed time of its emergence raises special interest, and Smith already asserts that "the structure of biblical wisdom literature was already fully developed and available in Babylonian garb in the area of the Mediterranean basin even before the appearance of Israel."
I take this to be a favorable reference. But I do worry that the word "already" implies an unimaginably long time ago, even some dark and ignorant age, and a certain amazement that folks who labored in that distant past could have had a coherent thought on this subject or any other. Let me assure any who may be uncertain, in 1975 we were all fully committed to bipedalism, many of us were literate, and most were fully clothed and even wore shoes when on campus at institutions of higher learning. In the summer, shoes were optional.
So what was this work of mine that is so referenced? "Wisdom Genres in RS 22.439" in Ras Shamra Parallels; the Texts from Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible II.
Shameless self-promotion? Sure, why not?
References:
Hurowitz, Victor, "The Wisdom of Šūpê-amēlī - A Deathbed Debate Between a Father and Son" Richard J. Clifford ed., Wisdom Literature in the Mesopotamia and Israel, Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2007
Posted by Duane Smith at July 8, 2008 3:45 PM | Read more on Akkadian |
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Comments
So what does it say about us in 2008 that shoes are now optional on campuses of higher learning . . . particularly mine (although I suppose Cal can hardly be considered culturally normative . . . )
Posted by: Jay at July 8, 2008 5:13 PM
Cal was not exactly culturally normative in 1975 either.
Posted by: Duane Smith at July 11, 2008 8:01 PM
>an unimaginably long time ago, even some dark and ignorant age
No Google, no e-mail..that indeed was a dark age.
Posted by: Aydin at July 13, 2008 6:38 AM
Hillel used to say: "If I am not for myself who is for me? and being for my own self what am I? and if not now when?" (Aboth I.14). I have always thought that your work in RSP II was overlooked. Scholars should have seen this long ago, and they should have learned that there was didactic literature at Ugarit. This is what I said in 1990 in The Sage in Israel and the Ancient Near East, p 73. Also on p 74 I give a longer quote from your work, which includes the citation covered in your blog. It is nice when finally someone gets it right. We have to speak up and "if not now when?"
Sometimes I wonder if anyone "out there" understands or pays any attention to what is going on. In the June 9 & 16 issue of The New Yorker, James Wood has a review of Bart Ehrman. Wood is a little better that Erhman but not much. They don't know what is going on. They talk about Job but know nothing; Erhman says, "Ancient Jews and Christians never questioned whether God existed; "and they are still calling Jesus an apocalyptic. The only thing worse than this is a letter about it in the July 7 & 14 issue.
Posted by: Loren Fisher at July 13, 2008 8:26 AM
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