The Myth of Sacred Prostitution in Antiquity
Just came across this book in some readings. Looks like a challenge to the status quo.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0521178045/ref=rdr_ext_tmb
mm.
Comments
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Haven't read it (though thank you for suggesting it), but I suspect the better title might be 'The Myth of 19th Century Scholarship'.
I say this due to there being quite a number of authors in Logos that note the difficulty in tracking back exactly where the idea came from (most Biblicals trying to latch onto Judah's little tryst).
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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I've seen several encyclopedia entries/articles that really downplay the idea. It doesn't seem to have trickled down to the lay level much yet.
"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected."- G.K. Chesterton
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Milkman said:
A quote from that site "did not exist in the ancient world"
You can not prove a negative. That is you can not prove that something did not exist. [You can show that it most likely did not exist]
All it takes is one place and time that it did exist that you have no record of and your proof is wrong.
You can prove that no one has any proof that it did exist but that is not the same thing. [[like UFOs]]
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Wrong David.
UFO's have regularly visited the Sedona area for quite some time. We have not only books on the subject, but witnesses as well. Plus you can hike to some of the landing sites (of course as witnessed by the witnessess).
A dinner party in Sedona is sufficient to find at least one well informed (scientists no less) believer.
Now, not coincidentally, we also have our supporters for divine prostitution as well, with the city council literally spending several days on the queston of proper zoning.
But of course, we're talking 2-3000 years ago; not today.
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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DMB said:
Wrong David.
I think that I said that one could not prove a negative as in you could not prove that UFOs do not exist just because we do not have one in hand. [yet]
I think that they might be able to show that divine prostitution was rare but they can not prove that it was non existent.
[all it takes is once. [UFO or divine prostitution] And if it only happened once the records of it just might never be found. But if it happened as few as one time then it did happen - we just don't know about it]
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Milkman said:
Just came across this book in some readings. Looks like a challenge to the status quo.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0521178045/ref=rdr_ext_tmb
mm.
The authoress, Stephanie Budin, is a member in good standing of the Ancient Near East list. That, however, is no attestation regarding her work (after all, I also am a member). It has been noted that there is no way to prove a negative. While true, one might question whether a practice has been erected on a solid foundation of data or whether it is built upon a foundation of shifting sand. Not having read much of the work in question, I will refrain from commenting on its value. It's always good to have one's presuppositions challenged. Either they are shown to be true (either in whole or in part) or they are falsified.
george
gfsomselיְמֵי־שְׁנוֹתֵינוּ בָהֶם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְאִם בִּגְבוּרֹת שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וְרָהְבָּם עָמָל וָאָוֶן
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David ... just waiting for MJ's dog to attack me.
Actually I carefully posited my example, and then masked it in emotional trivia to 'throw off the scent'.
One has living witnesses(es). The other argues from written allusions by dead people (dead witnesses with squirrelly words). Neither event can be denied (as you say). And both use witnesses. So (assuming the validity of ancient allusive language), UFOs and divine prostitutes have an equal logical (though not statistical) chance of a positive (both having been witnessed sort of).
One is then left with 'the witnesses'. Sedona dinner parties don't include dead people however. So, I'd say UFO's have a better chance.
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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DMB said:
One is then left with 'the witnesses'. Sedona dinner parties don't include dead people however. So, I'd say UFO's have a better chance.
Are you sure of that? Oooooooo ! [S]george
gfsomselיְמֵי־שְׁנוֹתֵינוּ בָהֶם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְאִם בִּגְבוּרֹת שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וְרָהְבָּם עָמָל וָאָוֶן
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