Subject: What this list is about (Was: Re: Who practices TC, etc.)

From: "James R. Adair" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 13:40:41 -0500 (EST)

This is the first of two messages that I am forwarding to the list.

Jimmy Adair, Listowner, TC-List
Manager of Information Technology Services, Scholars Press
    and
Managing Editor of TELA, the Scholars Press World Wide Web Site
---------------> http://scholar.cc.emory.edu <-----------------

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 1997 09:02:19 -0700
From: Robert B. Waltz <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Subject: What this list is about (Was: Re: Who practices TC, etc.)

On Sun, 26 Jan 1997, Andrew Kulikovsky <[email-masked]> wrote:

>Sigh. Another example of historical criticism making absolutely
>rediculous claims with no real historical evidence to support them -
>forcing a passage to fit a particular interpreter's *theological*
>presuppositions (and I emphasize theological - because they are
>certainly not historical!).

[ ... ]

>The claim that Paul did not write 1 Tim is based on the acceptance of
>pseudonimity.

[ etc... ]

Please... let's not get into interpretation here. This group is
for textual criticism, *not* literary criticism. Any opinions on
theological or literary matters should be accepted here --
particularly if, as in this case, the theology has no effect on
the reading of the text.

This isn't just pettiness; by ignoring theology, we are better
able to work together. Very few people on this list are of my
rather radical theological stripe -- but I can learn from them,
and they from me, as long as we stick to textual matters. If
we started talking about theology, the fights would never stop....

Besides, prove to me that the attribution to Paul in 1 Timothy
1:1 is not a corruption. :-)

But let me be monotonous and repeat my main point: This list is
for textual criticism. There are other lists, and even newsgroups,
for literary, theological, and other "higher critical" matters.
If you must write on these matters, either do it privately or
do it there....

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

                            Robert B. Waltz
                         [email-masked]

Want more loudmouthed opinions about textual criticism?
Try my web page: http://www.skypoint.com/~waltzmn
(A very rough draft of part of the Encyclopedia of NT Textual Criticism)