An Introduction To Biblical Aramaic

The study of biblical Aramaic, an ancient Semitic language from which the Hebrew alphabet was derived, is necessary for understanding texts written during certain periods of early Jewish and Christian history and is especially important for the study of the books of Daniel and Ezra. This new textbook is a thorough guide to learning to read and translate biblical Aramaic and includes an introduction to the language, examples of texts for practice translations, and helpful comparison charts.

"An Introduction to Aramaic" introduces biblical Aramaic to beginning students already familiar with Hebrew. All Aramaic passages in the Old Testament plus other Aramaic texts are included. Includes paradigms, a complete glossary, resources for further study, exercises, and an answer key. Paperback edition available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org).

This easy-to-understand book includes everything you need to learn Biblical Aramaic, including a lexicon of Biblical Aramaic, the complete annotated text of all 269 Bible verses written in Aramaic, and chapter exercises with an answer answer key.

In this volume—the first complete history of Aramaic from its origins to the present day—Holger Gzella provides an accessible overview of the language perhaps most well known for being spoken by Jesus of Nazareth. Gzella, one of the world’s foremost Aramaicists, begins with the earliest evidence of Aramaic in inscriptions from the beginning of the first millennium BCE, then traces its emergence as the first world language when it became the administrative tongue of the great ancient Near Eastern empires. He also pays due diligence to the sacred role of Aramaic within Judaism, its place in the Islamic world, and its contact with other regional languages, before concluding with a glimpse into modern uses of Aramaic. Although Aramaic never had a unified political or cultural context in which to gain traction, it nevertheless flourished in the Middle East for an extensive period, allowing for widespread cultural exchange between diverse groups of people. In tracing the historical thread of the Aramaic language, readers can also gain a stronger understanding of the rise and fall of civilizations, religions, and cultures in that region over the course of three millennia. Aramaic: A History of the First World Language is visually supplemented by maps, charts, and other images for an immersive reading experience, providing scholars and casual readers alike with an engaging overview of one of the most consequential world languages in history.

Modern grammar of Biblical Aramaic and Related Dialects that is up-to-date and engages student interest by beginning with primary texts.

Advances in the Study of Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic by Benjamin J. Noonan examines issues of interest in the current world of Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic scholarship and their impact on understanding the Old Testament; it provides an accessible introduction for students, pastors, professors, and commentators to understand these important issues.

This book introduces the student to the textual study of the Hebrew Bible--to help such a student "perceive the work of the numberless and nameless scribes torn between tradition and fashion in their restrained attempts to update the orthography of Scripture." Sixteen essays serve as the bridge from older methods for the study of orthography to newer ones, using the computer to analyze large bodies of text.