Queries & Comments

BAR Draws Blood

The arrival of a new issue of BAR absolutely makes my day. As I read the thought-provoking articles, I applaud the authors, I argue with them, I sharpen my wits against them and I even scold them when they draw blood from one of my sacred cows.

Cursed With Anger

I am a delighted reader of BAR. Having been trained as a physicist, I know that in the hard sciences there is plenty of disagreement with regard to “fact.” Physicists dispute the mass of the neutrino (which was originally defined as being devoid of same) and astronomers cannot agree on the value of the Hubble Constant within a factor of two or more, although it has been measured with “increased precision” over the last 75 years.

These disagreements, often appearing as Letters to the Editor, are couched in gentlemanly terms and rarely is a hackle raised.

In Biblical archaeology, on the other hand, I cannot help but observe that many disputes are carried out with great vitriol, disdain, even hate. I cannot think of any other discipline that is cursed with so much anger and harsh feelings expressed in public—veiled though they may be. The personal invective is very dismaying to the casual reader, and if it is this bad in public print, just think how much worse it must be in private correspondence.