This title was originally conceived as a
workbook and is paced well for someone just starting out in Aramaic. Recognizing
that most students of Aramaic desire to work with the Aramaic passages found in
the Bible, the book is organized around these passages. As mentioned in the
Preface to the First Edition, "These are at first simplified and abridged, in
order to keep the quantity of new vocabulary to within manageable proportions.
Daniel 7, the last biblical passage in Aramaic, is read exactly as it occurs in
the Bible."
Benefits of the Logos Bible Software Edition
The Logos edition is fully searchable and
includes the workbook exercises and answer key. Though not in an interactive
format, exercises can be pasted into a word processor and completed there. The
Logos edition can be searched for keywords or subjects and more.
Praise for An Introduction to Aramaic
"There is little doubt that Greenspahn
deserves high commendation for this work. The book is reader-friendly,
well-organized, and informative." - Andrews University Seminary Studies
"In all, this is a very successful and
long overdue book." - Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
"...our class was able to complete the
entire workbook, thereby gaining a good sense of the basics of Aramaic and a
familiarity with the Aramaic portions of the Bible without becoming entangled in
the intricacies of the original." - Review of Biblical Literature (review
of First Edition)
"Greenspahn has succeeded admirably in
producing a very user-friendly introduction to the Aramaic language." -
Max Rogland, Review of Biblical Literature, May 2004
What is Aramaic and Why Should You Learn It?
(Excerpted from An Introduction to Aramaic
chapter 1)
"...Today few people study Aramaic because they
are interested in the Arameans. Most are motivated by the fact that parts of the
Bible are written in Aramaic, specifically major sections of the books of Ezra
(4:6-6:18 and 7:12-26) and Daniel (2:4-7:28), as well as one sentence in
Jeremiah (10:11) and two words in Genesis (31:47). In order to read the entire
"Hebrew" Bible in the original, then, one must know Aramaic.
"With only some 200 verses of the Bible in
Aramaic, there would be little reason to learn the dialect for that reason
alone. However, mastering this limited body of material can open the door to a
wide range of possibilities.
"Because Aramaic was a dominant language among
the Jews of first century Palestine, a wealth of important texts are written in
it. Although Jesus' teachings survive only in the Greek New Testament, the
Gospels provide ample evidence of Aramaic traditions surrounding him, and the
language's influence can be felt in several other passages as well. Being
familiar with Aramaic can, therefore, deepen your appreciation of the New
Testament. Extensive bodies of both Jewish and Christian literature are also
written in Aramaic. Among these are several of the Dead Sea Scrolls, many
rabbinic texts, including parts of both talmuds and various midrashim, a
substantial number of ancient Jewish Bible translations, called targumim,
masoretic notes to the biblical text, and legal and mystical works from as late
as the eighteenth century. Within Christian tradition, important writings from
the Syrian church, including the Peshitta translation of the Bible, are written
in a dialect of Aramaic known as Syriac. In order to provide a taste of the
riches which await those who have mastered Aramaic, a small selection from some
of these has been included in the final chapters of this book.
"Learning Aramaic can also be a first step into
the Semitic family of languages as a whole, for those who choose to explore some
of its other members. Familiarity with these languages can illuminate elements
of biblical Hebrew by providing greater perspective than is possible from
knowledge of Hebrew alone, much as we can see things better with two eyes than
is possible with only one. For example, it can sensitize us to what might
otherwise seem ordinary and unremarkable features of Hebrew, ranging from its
system of 'tenses' to the existence of internal passives and the changing
function of the participle. Indeed, because they belong to the same Northwest
branch of the Semitic language family, Aramaic can be a relatively easy second
language to learn and a particularly useful way to achieve a deeper
understanding of Hebrew itself, offering insights into the nuances of individual
Hebrew words and alerting us to differing styles within the Bible. It will, for
example, make us aware of 'Aramaisms' not only in late passages, such as the
books of Esther or Chronicles where one would expect them, but also in earlier
parts of the Bible, such as the song of Deborah (Judges 5). These
characteristics have even led some scholars to speculate that certain books of
the Bible were originally written in Aramaic and only later translated into
Hebrew. The knowledge you are about to gain will, therefore, open the door to an
entirely new world, one which is interesting and rewarding in its own right."
About the Author
Frederick E. Greenspahn is Professor of
Religious Studies at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. He received
his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Brandeis University in 1977.
Sample Screenshots
Screenshots from the shipping product, showing
the introduction to an early chapter, a table from the chapter on consonants
(compare with page scan below), and an exercise from one of the later chapters.
Page Scans from the Print Edition
Six pages from the chapter on consonants give a
sense of what's included in each chapter. Click an image to see the full-size
version.
