Greek, Hebrew Logic Contrasted By Albright in Thursday Lecture

The Hebrew Bible is a "monument of logic born of experience," William F. Albright, noted archeologist and historian, asserted at the opening talk of the Thursday afternoon lecture series last week. Albright, W W. Spence Professor of Semitic Languages, Emeritus, at Johns Hopkins University, criticized several theories comparing Greek and Hebrew thought in his attempt to indicate "The Place of the Old Testament in Logical Thinking."

The examination of "successive stages of logical thinking" demonstrates the differences between Hebrew and Greek thought, the speaker claimed, not the "irrelevant" distinctions frequently made between the differences in actual thought processes in the two languages.

While the Greeks may be credited with the beginning of formal logic, Albright credited Hebrew civilization with the development of a "pre-formal logic" of an "empirical-logical nature." He noted the rejection by a scholar in the history of logic, Lucien Levy-Brule, of his own theory that such "primitive" civilizations as the Hebrews represented a "pre-logical mentality."

Rather the archeologist went on to note several examples of logic based on experience in the Hebrew Bible, asserting that "no book is based so largely on empirical-logical thinking" as the Old Testament. While there are no syllogisms in the Hebrew Bible, Hebrew and other Semitic cultures had "systematized law: they had taken from the multitude of cases general propositions, all stated in the form of 'if . . . , then. . . .'"

A further instance of empirical logic is indicated in the Levitical laws on taboo and hygiene. The speaker rejected the theory that the law prohibiting the eating of pork derived from pagan use of this animal in idol worship. He also doubted that one could ascribe theological-philosophical motives as discipline, development of group identity to the dietary laws at the time of their inception, though he acknowledged that they could be given a "theological-political treatment" in the post-Israelite period.

Another cited aspect of Biblical logic was the "elimination of controversies between 'divinities'" and of the absence of conflict between the will of fate and the will of the god(s), as is found in Greek poetry. Words that might be used in pre-Israelite Near Eastern poetry as actual descriptions of deities are employed in the Old Testament, the speaker added in a purely metaphorical sense.

In the question period Albright asserted that the Greek Thales (whom he had earlier denied to be the first logician) had acquired his "familiarity with physics from his acquaintance with the law." But Thales merely collected examples, and did not develop inductive theorems from them.

Albright intended to prove his view of Hebrew thought on a "historical basis" as a "logic based on experience," but, he concluded, "being a theist, I would also say [it is a logic derived from] the relevation of God."

The second lecture of the Thursday series will consist of a lecture on "The Problem of Communist China" by Michael Lindsay, Professor of Far Eastern Studies at the School of International Service at the American University. It will be held this afternoon at 3 p.m. in Burr B.