Theos-Talk Archives (February 1998 Message tt00226)

David Green wrote:

> JHE scolds me for not
> giving sources for documents
> but he writes about Rajah &
> does not give sources.
> Please share them.
>

Dear David,

I was hardly scolding you, only asking you to give references to documents
you post so that they can be checked.  Regarding the Rajah, I was not
posting a document.  As for giving references, I'm afraid that you did not
read my message carefully enough.  I said that this subject touches on
Judge/Point Loma/Pasadena tradition not discussed among the general public.
I brought up the matter for two reasons: 1) to offset the damage you were
creating by publishing the material out of context.  2) to try to get you to
realize that there is more behind these documents that you reproduce without
care than you are able to surmise from the text.

I think you are also missing the broader message that I have been trying to
get across to you in a subtle way.  So I'll be more plain: I think that
publishing documents out of context for the purpose of having others do your
research and explain them to you is an unfair and improper use of an e-mail
discussion group, and of the intellectual resources of those who might be
able to help you.  If you were sharing research you had done, then it would
be different.  In that case, you might indeed post a document, but it would
include what research YOU have done on it and YOUR conclusions concerning
it.  Such a post would open up a discussion that would perhaps bring to
light new insights, and perhaps even new material that would throw further
light on the subject.  In this case, you might have waited to find the Nov.
1932 O.E. Library Critic and Greenwalt's book; read the commentary that came
with them, and the context which they were presented.  From there, you might
follow-up by tracking down other documents and commentaries related to
these.  Then you will have these documents in context with other documents
and you will have commentaries from more than one point of view.  THEN, you
will be in a position to have a discussion with others who have done similar
research who also have points of view.

JHE