4.0154 Foreskins (2/43)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Thu, 31 May 90 17:38:33 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0154. Thursday, 31 May 1990.


(1) Date: 28 May 1990, 17:40:08 EDT (23 lines)
From: FLANNAGA.at.OUACCVMB
Subject: Foreskins
Forwarded by: onomata@bengus (nissan ephraim)


(2) Date: Thu, 31 May 90 14:09:00-020 (20 lines)
From: onomata@bengus (nissan ephraim)
Subject: Foreskins

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Forwarded by: onomata@bengus (nissan ephraim)

Date: 28 May 1990, 17:40:08 EDT
From: FLANNAGA.at.OUACCVMB
To: ONOMATA.at.BENGUS
Subject: Foreskins

Dear Ephraim, Eureka indeed! I thought the story was more than a rumor,
and I suspect Milton knows more about the Israelite army practices than
most modern commentary might provide, mainly because he had access to
incredibly thorough medieval and Renaissance commentary on Judges. I
have read many of the commentaries on Genesis, some few on Revelation
and Job, but none on Judges. Perhaps it is not synechdoche at all but
an almost superhuman (i.e. Samson-like) achievement--1000 Philistines,
1000 foreskins! If you want to post this to Humanist as well, fine.
Thanks very much for the help. Roy Flannagan

(2) --------------------------------------------------------------35----
Date: Thu, 31 May 90 14:09:00-020
From: onomata@bengus (nissan ephraim)
Subject: Foreskins

To: Prof. Roy Flannagan
<FLANNAGA@OUACCVMB.bitnet>
May 31, 1990

Dear Roy,

Thank you for your message. I have the suspect the ancient Egyptian
army had the interest of making it seem as if a greater share of the Sea
Peoples soldiers were circumcised than true: indeed, let us suppose that
X of the fallen enemies were, and Y were not. Then, honest boasts would
claim X+Y "relics" in all. Then, by cutting one hand of up to Z of the
uncircumcised (where Z is an integer number equal to the minimum between
X and Y), the Egyptian army could make believe that the enemy lost up to
X+Y+Z men, not just X+Y. Therefore, one should be cautious about
deriving ethnographic information concerning circumcision among the Sea
Peoples from the Egyptian data.
Ephraim Nissan