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Well don't write such things about GOD. I guess if GOD become angry on you you will loose every thing in your life. so always gie espect and pray to GOD.
I have good proof that God is powerless to harm me if I own an iron chariot.
lets leave aside giants, and leave aside the broader question and evidence regarding them moving in peacefully (or even not moving in at all, but being canaanites who became monotheists). The canaanites we know from the Amarna letters were multiple city states - no overarching central authority. When the Assyrians attacked the Northern Kingdom, Assyria was a small empire, ruling most of mesopotamia and modern "syria". And, of course, the Israelites were divided into two kingdoms. Bablylonia (which took the south kingdom) was a larger empire than Assyria, and Rome of course far larger than either.
If I didnt see the mention of giants and other miracle material, and if I didnt have other evidence leading to skepticism of the conquest, I dont think I could deduce the conquest story to be embellished only from the issue of the balance of military forces.
If as you say and if I understand what you are implying that the Jews probably were locals that adopted a religion, then the conquests leading up to the "taking of the promised land" were exaggerated like the songs about Saul killing thousands and David killing tens of thousands many stories where the odds seemed insurmountable etc. were likely stretched. We may have just had a group of travelers that settled down and were very convincing of their traditions and the locals bought into it.
W/o going into the detail of my previous research as I no longer have my notes, the first diaspora also resulted in a rewrite of what we now know from an xian perspective as the OT.
Based on the story leading up to the promised land, the many conquests of Judah, the fighting arm, where did they lose this battle savvy? Surely a nation oppressed as the story goes would pass these superior battle skills onto subsequent generations? Even when they returned after the 1st diaspora, they should logically have been prepared for the Romans. We really do not have much knowledge just how this invasion happened from a xian biblical perspective, it is like at the NT suddenly the Romans are there and in full control.
These are the musings I have been perplexed with and have never had a satisfactory answer to. Add to that the idea that one day god loves the Jews, then they haughty and then god gets pee'ed off and then lets some other nation almost wipes them out and so on.
Based on the story leading up to the promised land, the many conquests of Judah, the fighting arm, where did they lose this battle savvy? Surely a nation oppressed as the story goes would pass these superior battle skills onto subsequent generations? Even when they returned after the 1st diaspora, they should logically have been prepared for the Romans. We really do not have much knowledge just how this invasion happened from a xian biblical perspective, it is like at the NT suddenly the Romans are there and in full control..
the hasmoneans (maccabees - the Jewish rulers of the time from 140 BCE to about 50 BCE) managed to defeat the seleucid empire to gain independence, than proceeded to expand their kingdom taking over nearby gentile areas - edom, samaria, the gallilee (which they 'settled' with judaens) So they certainly had battle savy only a hundred years before the roman conquest.
Why the difference? 1. Internal divisions among the Jews 2. The overwhelming size, skill, and power of Rome. I mean really, Rome beat Carthage, which was the super power of the mediterranean world, and then beat Macedonia.
You should read Josephus on The Jewish War, and also read something on the rise of Rome.
Maybe, but with a little inspiration and hard work, they could have had the ability within a century or so.
I dont think so. the work of watt and newcomen came after centuries of development in metalurgy, in math, in machining. Which came after centuries of development of mining, etc.
Can you throw a javelin from your lexus, with accuracy, while its moving?
What relevance would that have, exactly?
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