From the 700s B.C.E. to the late 300s B.C.E., Aramaic was the
international language of the ancient Near East. With the arrival
of Alexander the Great in the 300s, Greek supplanted Aramaic, but
Aramaic did not disappear. Although it gradually broke apart into
dialects, in many regions of the former Persian Empire, Aramaic
became the lingua franca of peoples in the regions of Palestine,
Syria, and Mesopotamia. As a result, a wealth of important works
were written in Aramaic and have survived, from apocryphal and
rabbinic texts to numerous translations of Scripture (targumim) and
liturgical texts, as well as legal documents, letters, and
inscriptions. In the decades following the destruction of Jerusalem
and its Temple in 70 C.E. and the failure of the Bar Kokhba Revolt
in 135, large numbers of Jews migrated from Palestine to Babylonia.
One of the three dialects of Aramaic used in Babylonia eventually
formed the linguistic basis for the Babylonian Talmud, along with
Hebrew. In Syria and northern Mesopotamia, Aramaic also developed
into an important local language called Syriac. As Christianity
began to grow, especially after its legalization under Constantine
in the fourth century, Syriac took on a new role. While most
Christians in the Mediterranean world adopted Latin and/or Greek
for religious purposes, those in Syria used Syriac, and it played a
major role in the formation of Christianity in the lands nearest
its origins during its first millennium. The churches translated
Scripture into Syriac, as well as using the language for
commentaries, sermons, and liturgical works. The essays in this
fine volume came into being during a six-week residential seminar
in the summer of 2004 held at Duke University and directed by the
editors. The seminar focused on Aramaic in postbiblical Judaism and
early Christianity and was sponsored by the National Endowment for
the Humanities. The important essays included here were written as
a result of that seminar. Most were written in residence, and all
were done in discussion with the seminar’s participants and
stellar faculty, which in addition to Eric Meyers and Paul Flesher
included Lucas Van Rompay, Michael Sokoloff, Douglas Gropp, Tina
Shepardson, and Hayim Lapin. The essays are arranged in engaging
three sections: Awakening Sleeping Texts, the Details of Language,
and Recasting: Making Old Texts New.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
