A History of the Hebrew Language

A History of the Hebrew Language

Author: Angel Sáenz-Badillos

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1996-01-25

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 9780521556347

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book is a comprehensive description of Hebrew from its Semitic origins and the earliest settlement of the Israelite tribes in Canaan to the present day.


The Story of Hebrew

The Story of Hebrew

Author: Lewis Glinert

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2018-09-11

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 0691183090

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Story of Hebrew explores the extraordinary hold that Hebrew has had on Jews and Christians, who have invested it with a symbolic power far beyond that of any other language in history. Preserved by the Jews across two millennia, Hebrew endured long after it ceased to be a mother tongue, resulting in one of the most intense textual cultures ever known. Hebrew was a bridge to Greek and Arab science, and it unlocked the biblical sources for Jerome and the Reformation. Kabbalists and humanists sought philosophical truth in it, and Colonial Americans used it to shape their own Israelite political identity. Today, it is the first language of millions of Israelis. A major work of scholarship, The Story of Hebrew is an unforgettable account of what one language has meant and continues to mean.


In the Beginning

In the Beginning

Author: Joel Hoffman

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2006-03

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 0814736904

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Written in language simple enough for everyone to learn, this sweeping history traces the Hebrew language's development and covers the dramatic story of the rebirth of Hebrew as a modern, spoken language.


A Handbook of Biblical Hebrew

A Handbook of Biblical Hebrew

Author: W. Randall Garr

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2016-09-12

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1575063727

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Volume 1: Periods, Corpora, and Reading Traditions; Volume 2: Selected Texts Biblical Hebrew is studied worldwide by university students, seminarians, and the educated public. It is also studied, almost universally, through a single prism—that of the Tiberian Masoretic tradition, which is the best attested and most widely available tradition of Biblical Hebrew. Thanks in large part to its endorsement by Maimonides, it also became the most prestigious vocalization tradition in the Middle Ages. For most, Biblical Hebrew is synonymous with Tiberian Biblical Hebrew. There are, however, other vocalization traditions. The Babylonian tradition was widespread among Jews around the close of the first millennium CE; the tenth-century Karaite scholar al-Qirqisani reports that the Babylonian pronunciation was in use in Babylonia, Iran, the Arabian peninsula, and Yemen. And despite the fact that Yemenite Jews continued using Babylonian manuscripts without interruption from generation to generation, European scholars learned of them only toward the middle of the nineteenth century. Decades later, manuscripts pointed with the Palestinian vocalization system were rediscovered in the Cairo Genizah. Thereafter came the discovery of manuscripts written according to the Tiberian-Palestinian system and, perhaps most importantly, the texts found in caves alongside the Dead Sea. What is still lacking, however, is a comprehensive and systematic overview of the different periods, sources, and traditions of Biblical Hebrew. This handbook provides students and the public with easily accessible, reliable, and current information in English concerning the multi-faceted nature of Biblical Hebrew. Noted scholars in each of the various fields contributed their expertise. The result is the present two-volume work. The first contains an in-depth introduction to each tradition; and the second presents sample accompanying texts that exemplify the descriptions of the parallel introductory chapters.


A Social History of Hebrew

A Social History of Hebrew

Author: William M. Schniedewind

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2013-10-28

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 0300199104

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

More than simply a method of communication shared by a common people, the Hebrew language was always an integral part of the Jewish cultural system and, as such, tightly interwoven into the lives of the prophets, poets, scribes, and priests who used it. In this unique social history, William Schniedewind examines classical Hebrew from its origins in the second millennium BCE until the Rabbinic period, when the principles of Judaism as we know it today were formulated, to view the story of the Israelites through the lens of their language. Considering classical Hebrew from the standpoint of a writing system as opposed to vernacular speech, Schniedewind demonstrates how the Israelites’ long history of migration, war, exile, and other momentous events is reflected in Hebrew’s linguistic evolution. An excellent addition to the fields of biblical and Middle Eastern studies, this fascinating work brings linguistics and social history together for the first time to explore an ancient culture.


Ancient Hebrew Periodization and the Language of the Book of Jeremiah

Ancient Hebrew Periodization and the Language of the Book of Jeremiah

Author: Aaron D. Hornkohl

Publisher: Brill Academic Pub

Published: 2014-04

Total Pages: 517

ISBN-13: 9789004269644

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In this book, Aaron Hornkohl defends the diachronic approach to Biblical Hebrew and the linguistic dating of biblical texts. Applying these methodologies to the biblical book of Jeremiah, he dates the work on the basis of its linguistic profile, determining that, though composite, Jeremiah is likely a product of the transitional time between the First and Second Temple Periods.0Hornkohl also contributes to unraveling Jeremiah’s complicated literary development, arguing on the basis of language that its 'short edition', as reflected in the book’s Old Greek translation, predates that 'supplementary material' preserved in the Masoretic edition but unparalleled in the Greek. Nevertheless, he concludes that neither is written in Late Biblical Hebrew proper.


How Old Is the Hebrew Bible?

How Old Is the Hebrew Bible?

Author: Ronald Hendel

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2018-11-20

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0300234880

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From two expert scholars comes a comprehensive study of the dating of the Hebrew Bible The age of the Hebrew Bible is a topic that has sparked controversy and debate in recent years. The scarcity of clear evidence allows for the possibility of many views, though these are often clouded by theological and political biases. This impressive, broad‑ranging book synthesizes recent linguistic, textual, and historical research to clarify the history of biblical literature, from its oldest texts and literary layers to its youngest. In clear, concise language, the authors provide a comprehensive overview that cuts across scholarly specialties to create a new standard for the historical study of the Bible. This much‑needed work paves the path forward to dating the Hebrew Bible and understanding crucial aspects of its historical and contemporary significance.