Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

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_Doctor CamNC4Me
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _Doctor CamNC4Me »

I guess I'm a little confused here. The only people I can see asserting that Alma and its variants are male Hebrew names are Mormon apologists. I've been googling for the better part of the last hour and can't find any secular Hebrew scholars who make the same claim. This is a shot on the dark, but are there are reputable sources that demonstrate that Alma or Almah are male Hebrew names?

- Doc
In the face of madness, rationality has no power - Xiao Wang, US historiographer, 2287 AD.

Every record...falsified, every book rewritten...every statue...has been renamed or torn down, every date...altered...the process is continuing...minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Ideology is always right.
_grindael
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _grindael »

Try Yagil Yadin. (spelling might not be correct).
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_ClarkGoble
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _ClarkGoble »

Runtu wrote:If nothing else, Walter Martin is a good reminder of just how crappy Evangelical criticism has been over the years.


It's worth noting that Evangelicals are the main type of criticism actual Mormons encountered the past 50 years - particularly outside of Utah. Within Utah you start to get more naturalistic criticism, especially in the FARMS/Signature battles. However even by the late 90's I bet most Mormons faced Evangelical anti-Mormon arguments not secular ones. Post-911 that's changed, but most of the main apologists writing are from that pervious generation.

These days Evangelicalism is far less of an issue. Heavens, their main focus isn't Mormons but rising secularism. I can't recall the last time an Evangelical tried to anti-me. Even up near temple square.

With the rise of the internet, which had reached a critical mass with the general public by the late 90's, things start to change. I think the role of the internet is overstated in all this, but honestly these days if you do a search for something controversial in Mormonism you're not apt to find Christian critics but naturalistic ones.
_SteelHead
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _SteelHead »

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_Doctor Steuss
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _Doctor Steuss »

grindael wrote:Try Yagil Yadin. (spelling might not be correct).

Yigael Yadin.

I have his book on Bar-Kokhba, but my memory is that it refers to an Almah (not Alma)

Next time I am nearby the storage unit (a.k.a. my parent's garage), I'll dig it out. Might not be until next week though.
"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski
_Doctor CamNC4Me
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _Doctor CamNC4Me »

I mean, I can see why the apologists glom onto Mr. Yadin, but has anyone produced those source documents and looked at Mr. Yadin's transliteration? I'd imagine an archaeologist might write the name down quickly, or in a sort of abbreviated form especially if it's just not etymological to assign Alma as a name to a male Jew.

Anyway.

I've now dedicated a millennia of Internet time (probably over two hours at this point) and the only people I see connecting Alma to a male Hebrew name are Mormon apologists.

- Doc
Last edited by Guest on Thu Aug 16, 2018 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
In the face of madness, rationality has no power - Xiao Wang, US historiographer, 2287 AD.

Every record...falsified, every book rewritten...every statue...has been renamed or torn down, every date...altered...the process is continuing...minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Ideology is always right.
_grindael
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _grindael »

Yeah Doc,

I was only putting forth who the Mormons were claiming. I haven't studied the DSS for years, so I can't say. Since there are no vowels in Hebrew, I'm not sure how he would get the spelling. (I'm not even a novice in Hebrew).
Riding on a speeding train; trapped inside a revolving door;
Lost in the riddle of a quatrain; Stuck in an elevator between floors.
One focal point in a random world can change your direction:
One step where events converge may alter your perception.
_ClarkGoble
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _ClarkGoble »

Doctor CamNC4Me wrote:I've now dedicated a millennia of Internet time (probably over two hours at this point) and the only people I see connecting Alma to a male Hebrew are Mormon apologists.


Does your saying that mean that Peterson is correct and we shouldn't just say it's critics in the past? LOL.

More seriously though, does anyone know the etymology for the male Almas in the early 19th century? I know the feminine form largely became popular after the battle of Alma in the Crimean war. So it's Russian/Ukrainian with a somewhat unknown etymology sometimes tied to Latin and other times to Hebrew as young woman (or virgin). I doubt the male form has the same etymology.

I'd just note of course that Alma lives 500 years after the Nephites arrive. There's no reason to assume it's Hebrew or Semitic at all.
_consiglieri
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _consiglieri »

grindael wrote:OK, I found a modern quote on Alma and who made it...

"Alma is supposed to be a prophet of God and of Jewish ancestry in the Book of Mormon. In Hebrew Alma means a betrothed virgin maiden-hardly a fitting name for a man." - Walter Martin, "Maze of Mormonism".


Brilliant!

Thank you for finding that.

I think I need to now retract the proposition that there were no critics making that claim.

Obviously at least one notorious critic was.
You prove yourself of the devil and anti-mormon every word you utter, because only the devil perverts facts to make their case.--ldsfaqs (6-24-13)
_Doctor Steuss
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Re: Did Daniel C. Peterson Lie Again?

Post by _Doctor Steuss »

Doctor Steuss wrote:
grindael wrote:Try Yagil Yadin. (spelling might not be correct).

Yigael Yadin.

I have his book on Bar-Kokhba, but my memory is that it refers to an Almah (not Alma)

Next time I am nearby the storage unit (a.k.a. my parent's garage), I'll dig it out. Might not be until next week though.

Sorry for taking so long.

My memory was definitely off. It refers to an Alma.

Image

Here's the corresponding image if any of our resident experts feel like taking a crack at it.

Image
"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski
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