Orlinsky Defines Bible Authenticity ,Rejects Cynicism of Archeologists

In an address at the Shaarey
Zedek in which he described the
imperfections of archaeological in-
terpretations and emphasized the
historicity of Biblical texts, Dr.
Harry Orlinsky, professor of Bible
at Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion, drew upon
Bible records to prove the truth of
what has been recorded.
"Archeology can be a disconcert-
ing, even a chastening discipline,"
he declared. "One never knows
what he will excavate and how the
'reshly uncovered materials will
affect his or anyone else's the-
ories."
Prof. Orlindsky rejected "scep-
ticism, even cynicism, toward
the Bible as a historical docu-
ment."
Drawing at length upon incidents
in the Bible to prove his contention,
Dr. Orlinsky asserted:
"It is not very often that arche-
ology can demonstrate a specific
statement or even in the Bible.
For the most part by far, archeo-
logical discoveries in Israel and
elsewhere in Bible lands do not
bear directlly on the Bible. How-
ever, it has become virtually im-
possible to look upon a factual
statement in the Bible as unreliable
simple because there is lacking an
extra-Biblical datum to authenti-
cate it." He added:
"To be sure, modern historians

do not accept every part of the
BiBble equally as literal fact. Yet
they have come to accept much of
the Biblical data as constituting
unusually reliable historical docu-
ments of antiquity, documents
which take on new meaning and
pertinence when they are analysed
in the light of newly discovered
extra-iblical sources.
"This radical re-evaluation of the
significance of the Bible has been
necessitated by the archaeological
discoveries of the past three de-
cades. The material, social, and
religious configurations of the
Sumerian, Egyptian, Babylonian,
Hurrian, Assyrian, Canaanite, Hit-
tite and Aramaen societies can be
delineated to an increasingly satis-
factory degree. It is now possible
to see the entire ancient Near East
from a thoroughly new perspec-
tive, and so it has become neces-
sary to re-examine the Biblical
record in the light of our broad-
ended understanding."
There is an interesting "cau-
tionery note from Dr. Orlinsky
with regards to Bible scholar-
ship." He states that "to say that
the student of he Bible appre-
ciaes everything the excavator
unearths is to understate the
case; the appreciation is very
warm and heartfelt. Neverthe-
less, the facts of the Bible and of
the daily life of ancint Isral do

not yet constitute what we call to slander? Or did the Israelites.
history. They are merely the raw ' forever "backsliding" and running
material, the data, on which the after false gods, actually use these
historian can begin his all-im- shrines for prohibited purposes?
portant task of interpreting sig- Those are questions for the his-
torian.
nificant events of the past."
Elaborating on this point, Prof.
"In short, the data provided by
Orlinsky added:
archeology can be regarded as ne-
"Thus, for example, during the cessaryy and, at times, even indis-
summer of 1970, excavators at Tel pensable clues. But to solve some
Dan in northern Israel uncovered of the great problems of biblical
something which was identified in history and meaning, the historian
numerous press reports as a needs supplementary evidence of
bamah, a place of worship, a many kinds. Just as archeology in
shrine (traditional "high place"). the half-century since World War
20811 W. 8 Mile
On the other hand, several schol- I made possible a breakthrough in
between Southfield d, Telegraph
ars doubt that it was actually a authenticating so much of the bib-
bamah. For the historian, how- lical literature, what is needed
ever, more important than the de- now is the kind of breakthrough
bate over the identification of the that the trained historian can
Our Promise To You:
new discovery is the puzzle over make in the proper interpretation
BETTER SERVICE!
the role of the bamah. The Bible of the data to be found both in the
frequently mentions bamot (plur- Bible and outside it. The field is
al), and the prophets denounced wide open."
them. The historian asks: Were the
bamot really places of idol wor- ryeULULSLULISLISL20QCLSULSLQgQSULQQRS 000000 QC/ 0 (0...99...29-Wp
7,
Gingiss Formal Wear Adds Elegance to Your Special Occasion
ship, or were they places of legiti-
mate worship of Israel's God
Select from highly styled or traditional
-

It `s Nice

To Deal With

Joe Slatkin's

DEXTER
CHEVROLET

534-1400

formalwear. Fancy colored shirts and flared
pants available for rent or sale.

which came to be identified with
idolatry because the authorities in

control of the central shrine in
Jerusalm branded them as such?
The "establishment" might have
had as a possible "motive" their
desire to do away with economic
and political competition. Did, the
Jerusalem authorities, anxious to
hold on to their monopoly, resort

HIGHLY STYLED FORMALWEAR
FOR THE BAR MITZVAH BOY

DON KOHN

Formalwear consultant

gvngiss.

--A

formalwear center

4535 N. WOODWARD
(2 blocks South of 14 Mile)
576-1206

"SHAPED"

Double
Breasted

,titrifTinfillitiaaaaaaonatilirrincrinnnrrnMSICIMMTlibrtfifo

.

of the entering class and to give
precedence to the children of
alumni. But it applies an even-
handed policy toward applicants
from all states outside of Indiana.
According to the new policy state-
ment on admissions issued here,
the university seeks a more even
distribution based upon "the
formation of an undergraduate stu-
dent community academically, geo-
graphically and socially repre-
sentative of the nation's citizenry."

'SHAPED"

EXACTLY RIGHT FOR
THE OCCASION

One Button

Purdue Abandons Quota System on N.J. - N.Y. Area

W. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (JTA) —
Purdue University has abandoned
an admissions quota system that
applied only to the metropolitan
New York-New Jersey area and
which in theory, discriminated
against ;Jews and other minority
applicants.
The new admissions p o 1 i c y,
presented by President Frederick
L. Hovde and adopted by the board
of trustees, continues to limit out-
of-state admissions to 25 per cent

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
26—Fridcry, March 26, 1971

Early in 1970, a new quota on
admissions from the New York-
New Jersey area was introduced
which did not apply to the rest of
the states of the union, although
the blanket restriction on non-
alumni students was removed.
In spring 1970, Rep. Leonard
Farbstein, a N.Y. Democrat, call-
ed for a Department of Justice
investigation of the system in ef-
fect at Purdue and introduced
legislation to deal with discrimina-
tion on college campuses.

Makes PASSOVER
more delicious!

Drop in Anti-Semitism in Europe Linked to Peace in Middle East

Jerry Goodman, in an address
NEW YORK (JTA) — Peace in
the Middle East will speed up the before the spring conference of
eradication of Western European the alumni of the Rabbi Isaac El-
anti-Semitism, according to the chanan Theological Seminary at
European affairs specialist of the Yeshiva University, linked the re-
duction of Middle East tensions
American Jewish Committee.

Israeli Physicist Claims Discovery
of an Important Heavy Element

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A 41-
year-old Israeli physicist, Dr.
Amnon Marinov, has reportedly
discovered a new super-heavy
element described by a Hebrew
University expert as "of supreme
importance, because it would open
a new field in physical science."
The discovery, which has not
been fully confirmed, was an-
nounced by Prof. Shimon Ofer,
dean of the Hebrew University's
faculty of science. He said Dr.
Marinov, senior lecturer and re-
searcher in nuclear physics at the

Car Driven by Weizman
Kills 81-Year-Old Man

TEL AVIV (JTA)—A car driven
by former Transport Minister Ezer
Weizman ran down and killed an
81-year-old man Sunday night in
Neveh Magon, a residential sec-
tion of Tel Aviv.
The victim was identified as
Dr. Benjamin Gellert, a factory
director, who was said to have
been on his way home from even-
ing synagogue services when the
accident occurred.
Gen. Weizman, chairman of the
Herut faction's executive commit-
tee, was scheduled to appear be-
fore a magistrate to be officially
charged.
Eye-witnesses said Dr. Gellert
was hit by Weizman's car as he
tried to avoid another vehicle
traveling in the opposite direction.
Weizman's daughter, a passenger
in the car, was injured slightly
when he applied the brakes trying
avoid hitting Dr. Gellert.

university, was on sabbatical at
the Rutherford lab-oratories for
high-energy research in Oxford,
England.
Prof. Ofer said Dr. Marinov
had assumed the existence of
a new super-heavy element on
the basis of theoretical studies
and that he had suggested that
the Rutherford labs test them
empirically.
The labs, he continued, placed
a -large research staff at Dr.
Marinov's disposal and after a
year of work, the team found in-
dications that the new element
existed.
Prof. Ofer cautioned, however,
that there was as yet so absolute
proof. If confirmed, the new ele-
ment would belong to the "trans-
Uranian" group in the periodic
table of chemical elements—those
heavier than uranium.
Dr. Marinov was born here in
1930.

to an over-all strengthening of the
community life of European Jewry.
Goodman said that the issue of
Israel is of great concern to both
the Vatican and World Council
of Churches because of their inter-
est and involvement "with Third
World countries who reject the
colonialism and expansionist poli-
cies they feel Israel is practicing."
Despite this concern, Goodman
said, Jews are being accepted
as part of Western European
society, and "organized anti-
Semitism has nowhere near the
impact it had in the first part
of the century,"
He pointed to a recently com-
pleted study by Louvain Univer-
sity, Brussels, which showed a
greater acceptance of Jews by
Catholics.
Of communal life among West-
ern European Jews, Goodman said
it is being revived in all countries
of Western Europe, in different
ways and on different levels. But
there is need to fortify this com-
munal life by strengthening the
European Council of Jewish Com-
munities, he said.

PUT

Produced under strict Rabbinical supervision. Certificate on request.

Remember what real
home-made chopped liver
was supposed to taste like?

Mrs. Weinberg never forgot.

MRS. WEINSERGAI

rOoo

PRODUCTS CORP.. 1790 LASTCPICSTER ROAD.

aeon, New

Classified Ads Get Quick Results

SPRING IN THEIR STEPS!

FOR BOYS . . .

Monk. strap, square
port. A to EEE.

FOR GIRLS . . . Antique

Brown. Extra support
for true comfort.

SHARE in
FREEDOM

with

SAVINGS BONDS/
FREEDOM SHARES

C01 .IV alERE TOO ElIB OK WM

YORK

Tiracirc

SHOE COMPANY

33 EAST ADAMS
19360 LiVERNOIS
20901 KELLY ROAD
235 PIERCE
Birmingham

