From: wcsa@cbnews.cb.att.com (willard.smith)
Subject: Re: Perfect Prophets?
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 13:08:38 GMT
Summary: Mr Archer's attempt to wiggle out of Ezekiel's prophecy is wrong
	 on two points: He misapplyes the obvious use of parallelism and
	 his statement of what finally happened to Insular Tyre are WRONG!



I think it rather wasteful to go back into the details of why Ezekiel's
prophecy is directly related to Insular Tyre and why Nebuchadnezzar was
suppose to be God's tool in executing his judgment. May I simply point
out once again the four reasons which Keil and Delitzsch used to argue
that this passage refers to the island city of Tyre and not the mainland
city. I frankly do not see anything in the Gleason Archer quotation which
presents any significant material that argues against that interpretion.

1- The illusions to "bare rock" and "midst of the sea" which would describe
   Insular Tyre and not Old Tyre.
2- Descriptions of maritime trade in the next chapter which could only refer
   to Insular Tyre (which had two harbors, one on the northern end of the
   island and one on the southern end of the island) and not Old Tyre which
   had no harbor.
3- The illusion to the daughter cities on the mainland which makes sense only
   if you are speaking of Insular Tyre and not Old Tyre.
4- The illusion to the glorious pillars which stood in the temple of Hercules
   in Insular Tyre and not in Old Tyre.

Mr Fuller apparently has problems with the parallelistic structure of
Ezekiel 26:1-14 and How it figures in. He quotes a Mr Archer Gleason to
argue that the prophecy is a two-stage level of punishment for Tyre. This
approach ignores the very obvious form of writing employed by most writers
of the OT.

The first set of parallelistic phrases essentially make up a "threat" by
the LORD.  The key phrases are (wording from NIV):

 A - Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: (v.3)
   B - I will bring many nations against you (v.3)
     C - They will destroy the walls of Tyre (v.4)
       D - Pull down her towers (v.4)
	 E - make her a bare rock (v.4)
	   F - become a place to spread fishnets (v.5)
	     G - her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged (v.6)

Having made this threat, Ezekiel then explains who God will use to carry
out this judgement against Tyre.

 A - Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: (v.7)
   B - I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar, king of kings (v.7)
	     G - He will ravage your settlements on the mainland (v.8)
     C - Direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls (v.9)
       D - Demolish your towers with his weapons (v.9)
	 E - I will make her a bare rock (v.14)
	   F - you will become a place to spread fishnets (v.14)

This form of Extended Synomous Parallelism follows the basic format. The
second sequence amplifies, limits, or explains the first sequence. If Mr
Gleason Archer is unaware of this very basic form of parallelism, then I see
no need to accept blindly his attempt to explain away this very obvious form
of "False Prophecy."

I would like to address one other thing that was said by Mr Archer Gleason
(or at least what Mr Fuller reproduced of Mr Gleason Archer's remarks):

   In point of fact, the mainland city of Tyre was later and assumed
   some of its former importance during the Hellenistic period. But as for the
   island city, it apparently sank below the surface of the Mediterranean, in
   the same subsidence that submerged the port of Caesara that Herod had built
   up with such expense and care. All that remains of it is a series of black
   reefs...
   Gleason Archer, _Encylopedia of Bible Difficulties_

As a matter of fact, Insular Tyre is still in existance. Shortly after
Alexander's sack, the island city was rebuild, but Alexander's mole was never
torn down. Insular Tyre did achieve a level of economic regrowth, not to the
level it once had, but the city still thrives there to this day. You can
drive out to island Tyre on Alexander's mole (the silt has piled up to such
an extent that the mole is hidden.  Mr Archer seems unaware of this common
geographical fact. Moreover, Mr Archer's fantastic description of Insular
Tyre as only a series of black reefs suggests to me that he has a very
fertile imagination which he will use it when his information base is
lacking. Under such circumstances, I doubt that Mr Gleason Archer knows
enough about Tyre to adequately comment on Ezekiel's prophecy.

-=-=-=-

Mr Fuller represents JS's prophecies against the U.S. Government. As I said
last week, many Mormon apologists seem to be accusing the professional Mormon
critics of not keeping up with the current literature. The responses to this
specific charge have been in print since the 1910s. A summary to this charge
was provided in part one of the Mormon FAQ that was posted to the Net Four
months ago (copies of this FAQ are available from the moderator of s.r.c).
Since this is the second time I have had to answer a criticism by referring
to this document, I would encourage Mr Fuller to read this FAQ carefully,
so that future criticisms leveled against Mormonism will not be mired back
in the basics.
-- 

              Willard C. Smith
  Oh God, Make my Words Palatable and Sweet, | att!cbnews!iwtgo!wcsa
   Because I Might have to Eat all of Them.  | wcsa@iwtgo.att.com