The Modern Hebrew Alphabet is Actually Aramaic

Hebrew Roots Project ^ | March 2011 | Reuven

[Pharmboy]

An example of ancient Hebrew script...a derivation of proto-Canaanite

During the years I've been researching [My name is Reuven; An English teacher by profession, I...possess an insatiable desire to research anything pertaining to my Jewish roots. Born [and] raised in New York City, I have been an Israeli citizen for more than 30 years, and reside in the charming Galilian town of Karmiel] the Hebrew language and alphabet, I've been astounded to discover that the overwhelming majority of Jews and Christians - even observant ones - have been unaware of the existance of the original ancient Hebrew alphabet, the script in which the Ten Commandments were engraved and the first Torah scrolls were written.

It was the script which served the Israelites from the time of the Forefathers up till the Babylonian Exile. It is my intention, then, by means of this site, to convey basic information about this vital aspect of the Judeo-Christian heritage.

When and why did the Aramaic/Assyrian script replace the Ancient Hebrew script?

Towards the end of the First Temple Period, the Aramaic language had become the lingua franca of what today is the Mideast. Israelites were still using the ancient alphabet, but beginning to speak Aramaic. The minority of Jews who were exiled during the Babylonian Captivity must have found writing in the Aramaic script expedient for managing their daily lives, so by the time they were granted permission to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple, they were thoroughly immersed in that script, and even may have forgotten their original alphabet. The majority of Israelites, who were never exiled but were ruled by a puppet government, undoubtedly retained their original script, although by then they were all speaking Aramaic and transliterating their spoken Hebrew into Aramaic letters.

[jjotto]

Rabbis do indeed speak of this subject. It inevitably shows up in the Daf Yomi and every year in the parshas Yitro and Vaeschanan, although I guess that depends on who your rabbi is and to what extent the congregation actually studies the parsha. But you can’t get much by yeshiva bochurs, by omission or commission!

[Pharmboy]

LOL! (comment about yeshiva bochurs of which I was one). And certainly, rabbis speak of it, but not much among their congregations; perhaps in more scholarly pursuits.

I remember more than 50 years ago when in shul (temple) with my dad and he told me that the Jewish prayer for the dead (kaddish) was not Hebrew but Aramaic. He was, of course, referring to the language and not the alphabet; but, I am certain he went to his grave not knowing that the alphabet for all the prayer books and torahs we looked at over the years were in the Aramaic alphabet.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Interesting. I have heard this before, but thanks for bringing it back up again.

[Guyin4Os]

When I studied beginning Hebrew in Seminary, we spent an hour or so of the first day in class discussing the original Hebrew script. But since the BHS (and the masoretic text) uses the modern script, we spent the following three years using that. Wyee du naught yuse olde Englysh scrypte eyther.

[Pharmboy]

...but the Germans still do (at least when I took Deutsch in high school).

And, Jews using the Aramaic alphabet for the Hebrew language has been going on for more than 2,000 years. My point was other than persons like you and a few others who posted here who took Hebrew in college or are language scholars, the average guy/gal, Jew/Christian is not likely to know this.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1772219/posts?page=42#42

[SunkenCiv]

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• Computers to translate world's 'lost' languages after program deciphers ancient text
• Syria: Scholar Composes Music from Archaeological Ugaritic Cuneiform Tablet
• How the Alphabet Was Born from Hieroglyphs
• Deciphering of earliest Semitic text reveals talk of snakes and spells
• The writing on the rocks

[SunkenCiv]

• Dynasty 0 (Egyptian colonies in Canaan) | Francesco Raffaele
  Posted on 11/27/2004 9:48:47 PM PST by SunkenCiv

  Most of the occurrences of Narmer's name are on jars and jar fragments; an astonishing number of serekhs has emerged in the last 25 years from excavations in Israel and Palestine (Tel Erani, En Besor, Arad, Halif Terrace/Nahal Tillah, Small Tel Malhata, Tel Maahaz, Tel Lod and some more) signifying an apex of commercial contacts between Egypt and Canaan which lasted all through [Early Bronze I] ...These data and the excavation of many Southern Palestine sites, are proof of a very complex series of interrelations between Egypt and peoples centred beyond North Sinai lasting more than two (or three) centuries. It has been ascertained, mainly on the base of ceramic types and fabric, that Egyptian colonies did exist in this area, which must have worked either as tradingposts or as bazaars or points of exchange, storage and forwarding to Egypt of products (wine, oils) and raw materials (wood, ores, copper, resins, honey... In many cases the evidence of imported foreign pottery in Egypt and of Egyptian ceramic types in Palestine (both locally made or imported from Egypt), dates back to early Naqada II (thus before EB Ia, in late Ghassoulian and late Beersheba contexts. Some more serekhs of Narmer have been excavated at Minshat Abu Omar, Tell Ibrahim Awad and Tell Farain-Buto in the Delta and at Kafr Hassan Dawood in a c. 1000 tombs cemetery on the southern limit of the Wadi Tumilat.

[ml/nj]

Interesting. I just started reading Hoffman's history of the Hebrew language, In the Beginning. So I guess I'll get to see what he has to say about this.

ML/NJ

[Cowgirl]

My favorite translation of the Holy Bible is George M. Lamsa’s “Translations from the Aramic of the Peshitta.
This translation is from the ancient Eastern text.
You can read the whole thing on line, just google Lamsa Bible.

[Pharmboy]

Probably a lot to say...let us know.

[afraidfortherepublic]

This entire discussion makes me feel so stupid, and it is giving me a headache! I studied French, Italian, and Spanish a barely remember a word of it. **sigh**

Thanks for the interesting post, even though I barely understand it.

BTW, when I was in college (the first time) a requirement for an MD was a proficiency in Latin, Greek, or German. There was an exam that everybody had to take. Whatever happened to that? I doubt that any doctors have to pass those language requirements any more.

[gleeaikin]

The victory of the victors model is probably based on the fact that usually the collaborators fare better in a conquest situation, and thus end up on top even when the conquest has been overcome/lifted.

[Pharmboy]

I graduated college and entered a US medical school in the late '60s (and yes, I graduated). At that time, they only required two years foreign language (Spanish, French, German, Latin, Greek and perhaps a few others also qualified). The only people in my class who took Latin were the ones who went to Catholic school.

And there continues to be the test that we took back then: the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).

And thanks for your kind words.

[hannibaal]

I can answer this aas I am of Lebanese origin. Most of the semitic languages including modern hebrew, are all derived from canaanite I believe. Lebanon’s official language was aramaic until it changed to arabic I think during the Ottoman occupaiton. There are alot of forms of the language and I believe the Maronite church performs liturgy in Aramaic (or Syriac, which is also a very close derivation). All semitic languages have similarities. There are very many similarities between syriac, aramaic and hebrew much in the same way that there are similarities between latin and say italian where you can practically guess what a word means because the roots of the word in both languages is the same.
I dont speak syriac or aramaic but I do have a decent grasp on Lebanese Arabic. I say Lebanese mainly because its a much different accent when spoken than gulf arabic. Also, Lebanese has many words influenced by French and Turkish because well combined those countries had the region for like 500 years.
an example of similarities between aramaic arabic and hebrew.

English: Peace , house
Arabic: Salam , Beit
Aramaic: Shlomo , beita
Hebrew: Shalom , bayit

As for the characters of Arabic. They are the same in most countries, egypt for example have an extra letter which sounds like “G”. other arab countries dont use this letter, instead they pronounce it like “J”. Technically its just a pronounciation difference (which does sound very different) but they use a different character for it which is like the arabic “J” character but with an extra dot. Although not Arabic; Urdu uses alot of the same characters with several extra ones but I believe the relationship between the languages is far removed. I remember having a conversation with a pakistani, and he said he could read the quran in arabic(due to the similarity in the alphabet) but he doesnt understand anything. Accents in the arab world basically are different and you can tell the difference simply from the way a person speaks.

The characters of aramaic hebrew and arabic are pretty different with aramaic looking closer to hebrew than arabic. The letters correspond to one another though and basically when a Hebrew speaking person says alaph, it means a character in hebrew and it also is the name of a charcter in arabic and aramaic yet they are just written differently.
Ok well thats the most that I know, and I dont think there is any sort of organization to what I wrote, I just spewed out what was in my head :P

[afraidfortherepublic]

I was referring to the mid-fifties. (or late 40s, since my info came from my parents). You can’t imagine how many (otherwise) qualified people by-passed the medical program because of the requirement that they be proficient in Greek, Latin, or German. Certainly my French background kept me from even considering it.

I wonder if those pre-requisites were dropped because of Viet Nam? Many requirements were reduced during the 60’s just to keep the best and the brightest in school.

Congratulations!

[Pharmboy]

Thank you for adding to the quality of this thread with your informed reply.

Just to follow up: do the Iranians also use the Arabic alphabet?

[Betis70]

>>I believe the Maronite church performs liturgy in Aramaic (or Syriac, which is also a very close derivation).

As I understand it, Maronites do perform their liturgy in Aramaic. NYer might know better.

Very interesting post Pharmboy.

[Yadan]

I have taught several Marionite Arabs in the Galilee area, and it is my understanding that they pray in Arabic.