Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel
Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel

Author: Philip Zhakevich

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2020-12-11

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 1646021053

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In this book, Philip Zhakevich examines the technology of writing as it existed in the southern Levant during the Iron Age II period, after the alphabetic writing system had fully taken root in the region. Using the Hebrew Bible as its corpus and focusing on a set of Hebrew terms that designated writing surfaces and instruments, this study synthesizes the semantic data of the Bible with the archeological and art-historical evidence for writing in ancient Israel. The bulk of this work comprises an in-depth lexicographical analysis of Biblical Hebrew terms related to Israel’s writing technology. Employing comparative Semitics, lexical semantics, and archaeology, Zhakevich provides a thorough analysis of the origins of the relevant terms; their use in the biblical text, Ben Sira, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient Hebrew inscriptions; and their translation in the Septuagint and other ancient versions. The final chapter evaluates Israel’s writing practices in light of those of the ancient world, concluding that Israel’s most common form of writing (i.e., writing with ink on ostraca and papyrus) is Egyptian in origin and was introduced into Canaan during the New Kingdom. Comprehensive and original in its scope, Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel is a landmark contribution to our knowledge of scribes and scribal practices in ancient Israel. Students and scholars interested in language and literacy in the first-millennium Levant in particular will profit from this volume.

Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel
Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel

Author: Philip Zhakevich

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2020-12-15

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 1646021037

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In this book, Philip Zhakevich examines the technology of writing as it existed in the southern Levant during the Iron Age II period, after the alphabetic writing system had fully taken root in the region. Using the Hebrew Bible as its corpus and focusing on a set of Hebrew terms that designated writing surfaces and instruments, this study synthesizes the semantic data of the Bible with the archeological and art-historical evidence for writing in ancient Israel. The bulk of this work comprises an in-depth lexicographical analysis of Biblical Hebrew terms related to Israel’s writing technology. Employing comparative Semitics, lexical semantics, and archaeology, Zhakevich provides a thorough analysis of the origins of the relevant terms; their use in the biblical text, Ben Sira, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient Hebrew inscriptions; and their translation in the Septuagint and other ancient versions. The final chapter evaluates Israel’s writing practices in light of those of the ancient world, concluding that Israel’s most common form of writing (i.e., writing with ink on ostraca and papyrus) is Egyptian in origin and was introduced into Canaan during the New Kingdom. Comprehensive and original in its scope, Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel is a landmark contribution to our knowledge of scribes and scribal practices in ancient Israel. Students and scholars interested in language and literacy in the first-millennium Levant in particular will profit from this volume.

The Tools of an Israelite Scribe
The Tools of an Israelite Scribe

Author: Philip Zhakevich

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13:

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This dissertation examines the technology of writing as it existed in ancient Israel. Specifically, the study focuses on a set of Biblical Hebrew terms that designated writing surfaces and writing instruments, while synthesizing the semantic data of the Bible with the archeological and art-historical evidence for writing in Israel. Chapter 1 reviews the scholarship that exists on the technology of writing in ancient Israel. Additionally, this chapter discusses the methodology that this study utilizes, that is, comparative Semitics, archeology (including discussion of relevant finds from the Levant, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean world), and lexical semantics. Chapters 2-5 contain the analysis of the writing-related terms found in the Hebrew Bible. Each chapter evaluates a number of these lexemes from a literarylinguistic and archeological/art-historical perspective. Chapter 2 analyzes terms denoting reeds, marshes, and manufacturable papyrus material. Chapter 3 considers words referring to stone and plaster surfaces used for writing. Chapter 4 examines a non-homogenous group of terms designating animal skins, scrolls, tablets, ostraca, and uncommon materials used as writing surfaces. Chapter 5 examines lexemes specifying writing instruments as well as accessories of the scribal kit. Chapter 6 discusses Israel's writing technology in light of the writing practices of Mesopotamia and Egypt. I argue in this chapter that Israel's most common form of writing (i.e., writing on ostraca and papyrus with ink) is a technology that Israel borrowed from Egypt. This claim is supported by the fact that the Hebrew terms designating papyrus, ink, and other writing materials are loanwords from Egyptian. Chapter 7 reiterates the main argument of this dissertation: that ancient Israel's writing practices are essentially Egyptian in nature. Additionally, this chapter comments briefly on the areas in need of further research on the technology of writing in ancient Israel.

Scribes and Scribalism
Scribes and Scribalism

Author: Mark Leuchter

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 9780567696182

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This volume is a concentrated examination of the varied roles of scribes and scribal practices in ancient Israel and Judah, shedding light on the social world of the Hebrew Bible. Divided into discussion of three key aspects, the book begins by assessing praxis and materiality, looking at the tools and materials used by scribes, where they came from and how they worked in specific contexts. The contributors then move to observe the power and status of scribal cultures, and how scribes functioned within their broader social world. Finally, the volume offers perspectives that examine ideological issues at play in both antiquity and the modern context(s) of biblical scholarship. Taken together, these essays demonstrate that no text is produced in a void, and no writer functions without a network of resources."--

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature
The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature

Author: Samuel L. Adams

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2020-02-17

Total Pages: 510

ISBN-13: 1119158273

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A comprehensive introduction to ancient wisdom literature, with fascinating essays on a broad range of topics. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature is a wide-ranging introduction to the texts, themes, and receptions of the wisdom literature of the Bible and the ancient world. This comprehensive volume brings together original essays from established scholars and emerging voices to offer a variety of perspectives on the “wisdom” biblical books, early Christian and rabbinic literature, and beyond. Varied and engaging essays provide fresh insights on topics of timeless relevance, exploring the distinct features of instructional texts and discussing their interpretation in both antiquity and the modern world. Designed for non-specialists, this accessible volume provides readers with balanced coverage of traditional biblical wisdom texts, including Proverbs, Job, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes; lesser-known Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom; and African proverbs. The contributors explore topics ranging from scribes and pedagogy in ancient Israel, to representations of biblical wisdom literature in contemporary cinema. Offering readers a fresh and interesting way to engage with wisdom literature, this book: Discusses sapiential books and traditions in various historical and cultural contexts Offers up-to-date discussion on the study of the biblical wisdom books Features essays on the history of interpretation and theological reception Includes essays covering the antecedents and afterlife of the texts Part of the acclaimed Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion series, the Companion to Wisdom Literature is a valuable resource for university, seminary and divinity school students and instructors, scholars and researchers, and general readers with interest in the subject.

The Scribe in the Biblical World
The Scribe in the Biblical World

Author: Esther Eshel

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2022-12-05

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 3110984296

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In der Reihe Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (BZAW) erscheinen Arbeiten zu sämtlichen Gebieten der alttestamentlichen Wissenschaft. Im Zentrum steht die Hebräische Bibel, ihr Vor- und Nachleben im antiken Judentum sowie ihre vielfache Verzweigung in die benachbarten Kulturen der altorientalischen und hellenistisch-römischen Welt. Die BZAW akzeptiert Manuskriptvorschläge, die einen innovativen und signifikanten Beitrag zu Erforschung des Alten Testaments und seiner Umwelt leisten, sich intensiv mit der bestehenden Forschungsliteratur auseinandersetzen, stringent aufgebaut und flüssig geschrieben sind.

Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel
Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel

Author: Samuel L. Boyd

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2021-02-15

Total Pages: 513

ISBN-13: 9004448764

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In Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel, Boyd offers the first book-length incorporation of language contact theory with data from the Bible. It allows for a reexamination of the nature of contact between biblical authors and the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Achaemenid empires.