follow up

Christopher Hutson crhutson at salisbury.net
Thu Jul 2 14:01:55 EDT 1998



Nichael's question and Jim's reply:

>
>>Right, I understand that; my question was would "inner room" ever be
used
>>as a euphemism for a privy?  I.e. (and this is genuine question)
were
>>privies ever _inner_ rooms in, as it were, sitz in leben?  And as
such
>>would the intended audience have ever made the necessary connection?

>>
>
>Yes it is- I am thinking in particular of the story in Judges where
Ehud
>goes into the toilet to stab Eglon!  In Hebrew, the text is quite
clear that
>Eglon is sitting on the toilet- Ehud comes in, Eglon stands up (in a
quite
>compromising way!!) and he is gutted!


I think Jim is on the right track here.  This seems like a question
for archaeologists rather than linguists.  Nichael, you might want to
check out Baruch Halpern, "The Assassination of Eglon--The First
Locked-Room Murder Mystery,"  Bible Review 4.6 (1988).  32-41, 44.  Of
course, Halpern is discussing the architecture of Late Bronze Age
Palestine, so you would have to check other sources on "inner
chambers" in first-century dwellings.  

Once you establish that TAMEION *could* refer to a "privy," you must
establish exegetically that it *does* in this particular case.  That
will be more difficult.

Let us know what you flush out.

XPIC

------------------------------------
Christopher R. Hutson
          Hood Theological Seminary
          Salisbury, NC  28144
crhutson at salisbury.net
------------------------------------



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