HUGGY
I Post Because I Care
Perhaps you could have resisted putting it on this thread.
Bible fiction? How many of the original actors refered to in the bible could read or write? I'm no expert but how much of the general population could read and write? Wouldn't it be true that 2000 years later humans are about a thousand times better educated and think more critically? So how is it that I need a writen list to go to the grocery store and Christians want to take 7 consecutive generations of illiterates verbal hand me down stories for "gospel"? I'm not saying that jesus did not exist but it is quite a stretch to accept accounts as factual.
What comes to mind is that experiment where a story is told to 10 people in a room starting with one person and they turn and relay the story to the next one and so on and so forth until the story has been told to the tenth person. The names and the jist of the story is completely different from the original rendition... And that is within just a few minutes.
The only fall back position is faith. I have little in mans abilities here and now. I have none in the existance of a god. And I have less than any in the education and reliability of man 2000 years ago.
What you feel and emote has nothing to do with the truth, however. Regardless of your beliefs, there is a God, and the bible is more and more considered a factual historical document.
While people may or may not been able to read 3000 years ago, they passed down oral history and traditions which required memory skills we no longer cultivate today. I'm not convinced the Hebrews were illiterate, though. They may not have had printing presses and cheap paper, but I suspect they had a written language which was universally taught to the children.
But I'll have to look into it. Now I'm curious.
You may be right. The Hebrews of Moses' day were barely past the Phoenician era that gave us the first recognizably constructed alphabet and revolutionized the written word. Hebrew writing was almost certainly derived from it.
Bible scholars who have spent a lifetime studying this stuff believe that the ancient Hebrews traveling around the area would stop at religious shrines and leave bits of writings of their thoughts for other travelers to find. It is believed, by many, that some of these writings were incorporated into some of the Old Testament text.
It would be reasonable that the Egyptians, quite culturally advanced for their time, would have educated favored slaves so they would be better able to perform assigned tasks. Those no doubt in turn educated others.
A huge assumption. Paper or anything to write on or with was a scarce commodity and now you are suggesting that "slaves" had or could purchase access to something rare in the possesion of free men? I am afraid too many americans have seen too many bible movies where everybody..slaves included ...speak perfect kings english. Their lives were perfect.. except for the part where they are slaves and everything. They probably had lots of free time being slaves and all. They probably kept thier writing supplies in belly bags while they were building pyramids an shit. Makes perfect sense. Ya think the guys with the whips and the swords were allowing schools for slaves in the rock quarries and the fields? Homework must have been a bitch what with lamps being a luxury. In fact almost everything we would recognise as a possession was a luxury. I wonder what kind of possesions a slave was allowed to have? and...being slaves and everything ...what you wanna bet every aspect of thier lives was at the pleasure and permission of thier owners?
I wonder if the statute of limitations is expired on the Jews for that little "EXODUS"...AKA escape. Here in th USA escape has no such limitations.