James Moore on Elephantine

James Moore has an interview on the Judeans at Elephantine and their socio-religious background that is well worth a listen. He makes the interesting suggestion that Judeans who fled Elephantine might have brought their literary (scriptures?) with them as a possible explanation for their absence from the finds. And I would date the invention of Torah scrolls earlier than he would. :) But all in all fascinating discussion.

The interview is based on his newly published book on the topic.

RIP Hector Patmore

I've just learned that Hector Patmore has passed away while hiking in Scotland. I didn't know him well, but he was always kind and thoughtful in our interactions. Hector made a big impact in our field with his project on the Targums especially. One of his students has prepared a nice tribute in his memory.

Fassberg, The Hebrew of Qumran

Steven Fassberg has published a new grammar of Qumran Hebrew entitled The Hebrew of Qumran. This promises to be a very useful tool.

_______________________________

Via Agade:

Ugarit-Verlag – Buch- und Medienhandel GmbH, Germany, has the pleasure to announce the publication of:

The Hebrew of Qumran

AOAT, 482

Steven E. Fassberg

Hardcover, 373 pp.

Price: 148,00 € / $ 172,00

ISBN: 978-3-86835-382-2

Steven E. Fassberg’s The Hebrew of Qumran provides a comprehensive yet concise account of the Hebrew language of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The study examines the linguistic features of the Qumran texts within the broader development of Hebrew during the Second Temple period, taking into account the diverse linguistic traditions and varieties attested in the manuscripts.

Following an introduction to the Qumran community, the archaeological site, the scrolls, and the history of linguistic research, Fassberg discusses orthography and phonology, morphology and morphosyntax, verbs, particles, and syntax. Particular attention is given to the relationship between Qumran Hebrew and Biblical Hebrew, Mishnaic Hebrew, and other ancient Hebrew traditions, as well as to possible Aramaic influence.

The grammar is complemented by comments on the lexicon, a chrestomathy of selected Qumran texts, a glossary, and extensive indices and bibliographical references. The volume thus provides an important reference work and practical research tool for the study of the language and texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Steven E. Fassberg is the Caspar Levias Professor of Ancient Semitic Languages at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

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Fassberg also provides an interesting personal note on the website:

This grammar owes its existence to Prof. Josef Tropper, at the time editor of the series Lehrbücher orientalischer Sprachen (LOS), who invited me to contribute a short grammar to the series on the Hebrew of Qumran. Because of previous commitments, many years passed before I was able to take up the task. The grammar turned out to be longer than originally intended and Prof. Thomas R. Kämmerer, the head of Ugarit-Verlag, suggested that Alter Orient und Altes Testament (AOAT) might be a more suitable series for the volume. I thank Prof. Kämmerer and the editors of AOAT, Prof. Régine Hunziker-Rodewald and Dr. Ulrike Steinert, for accepting the manuscript for publication.

This monograph does not replace the larger grammar of Elisha Qimron, A Grammar of the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Jerusalem, 2018). All students and scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls are greatly indebted to Prof. Qimron for the massive amount of data he has amassed in his grammar as well as for his countless contributions to the language and the texts of the Scrolls over the past fifty years. It would be amiss not to mention also the pioneering Hebrew work of E. Y. Kutscher, Language and Linguistic Background of the Great Isaiah Scroll (Jerusalem, 1959; English translation Leiden, 1974), which still serves as a beacon to all in the field. The important contributions of many additional scholars are noted throughout the grammar.

Call for Help Digitizing HOTTP

Andrew Case is asking for volunteers to help digitize the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project volumes so that they can be easily distributed and translated. He has done initial AI-generated transcriptions and is asking for those with language/text-critical expertise to check and correct the transcriptions to ensure (and improve) accuracy using a user interface he has created for the purpose. If you have the relevant skills and would like to help make this resource more easily available, email him at andrewdcase [at] gmail [dot] com.

Torah.com on Textual Variation

TheTorah.com has put out a couple of new articles on the text of the Hebrew Bible that might be of interest:

One on Maimonides et al. on the strict standardization of legitimate Torah scrolls and the philosophy behind that.

Another by Juha Pakkala discusses possible theologically motivated editing in the transmission of the Hebrew Bible and the plausibility of omission as an editorial technique.

Psalms Monograph Submitted

At long last, after too many years' delay, I am happy to announce that I have finally sent in the final version of my monograph on the early history of the Hebrew Psalter. It will appear in the FAT I series with Mohr Siebeck. I still have to wait for and check proofs and produce the indices, but the content is finalized and with the publisher now. Thanks to all who helped throughout the process and for everyone else who has been patient throughout the process.

Dershowitz Kennicott Key

I just saw that Idan Dershowitz has made his Kennicott key available on his website. This is a great resource for looking up information and images of the manuscripts collated by Kennicott in the 18th century.