James Tabor ‘Calls Me Out’

Tabor sent this letter to various and sundry folk today:

Subject: Enough is Enough–Calling out Jim West

To: Mark Goodacre , Cargill Robert , McGrath James , Antonio Lombatti , “Christopher Rollston A.” , Andy Vaughn , Crossan John Dominic , Greg Snyder , Richard Bauckham , Jack Sasson , Heiser Michael , Rami Arav , “Dr. at UHL Pfann” , Mark Elliott , “Paul Flesher V.M.” , Gibson Shimon , Stephen Goranson , “Davila R. James” , James Crossley , DeConick April , jasonastaples@gmail.com, Paul Anderson , ce-jones@ascsa.edu.gr
Cc: Charlesworth James

Dear colleagues,

I was rather disgusted at Jim West’s latest blog post against our colleague Jim Charlesworth, and he signed it as if folks who don’t understand might think it came from our colleague Jack, see URL below. Jim can speak for himself, of course, though I doubt if he desires to stoop into the low world that West inhabits, but I decided, since I too have been the constant target of West’s slanderous and unprofessional posts, to speak out. I have posted the message below on his blog. He has already replied, I think he sits at his computer 24/7, charging that only those we have bribed with money would support our views.

I would ask your help in telling West, either publicly or privately, to cease and desist. He is simply a poisonous factor in our academic world, with not a single credential of which I am aware, and the media is noticing the rancor (I interviewed with Nightline in NY yesterday and the producer had been reading some of the blogs and made the comment that she was appalled at the behavior, reminded her of the Republic candidates this year with the negative attack ads!).

I have never met West and a few years ago he seemed to “like me” and even included me as one of his “Bibliobloggers of the Month,” and that was after I published The Jesus Dynasty. I had no idea who he was at the time as I had just entered the “blogging” world, like some of you. What amazes me is how many of my “blogging” colleagues seem to almost fear him when he never offers anything of substance to any discussion, just gossip and personal opinions about everything from our culture, politics, to our biblical studies world.

Crossan, Snyder, and I met at Davidson College week before last when Dom was here for a lecture. We were talking about how unfortunate it was that folks like West are allowed to have reign in our “blogging” world, which none of them inhabit but have dipped in on this issue and run away.

Anyway, I hope you will support me in calling him out. He really needs to get a grip here. And I want to thank Andy and the folks at ASOR for providing us the professional forum for discussion of our Talpiot tomb B findings.

Best wishes in this Season, as ever,

James

My response to Tabor and his mailing list follows:

i appreciate james tabor’s desire to ‘call me out’ (i feel like we’re in the old west).

anyway, just a brief response: call me whatever you like. i’m not subject to the views or opinions of others about me and i’ll not be changing my methodology or focus simply because tabor (or davila) or anyone else is disgruntled.

as i’ve always said, and always will, you are free to do as you wish- just as am i.

if i were seeking to gain your approval i wouldn’t be true to myself. so i can choose and i know what i’ve chosen. perhaps if mr tabor is angry enough he can get me kicked out of sbl or ets or sots or the zwingliverein. if he wishes to wage a public campaign against me he’s free to do that as well, just as i’m, again, free to point out the stupidity and lunacy of so much that passes for biblical and archaeological scholarship.

again, all of you, to a man and woman, are more than welcome to call me anything you like. it won’t have any effect on what i do.

best wishes to you all

jim

I’ll say again what I’ve always said since the very beginning: no one makes you come here to read. If you don’t like my tone, if you don’t like what I have to say, if you would prefer to find my dead body on a road somewhere being consumed by birds of prey, that’s perfectly fine. Just. Stay. Away.