Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

To All:

I see the adoption of the Aramaic names for the months as one evidence for 
the early adoption of Aramaic as the main spoken language among Jews, rather 
than later as some would claim.

Tanakh recorded four names of months: )BYB, ZW, )TNYM, BWL (first, second, 
seventh and eighth months).

That by the time of Ezra and Nehemiah the Aramaic names were in use instead 
of the Hebrew names is a clue that the general population was as familiar, if 
not more familiar, with Aramaic instead of Hebrew at that time.

But then there is the chance that in their apostasy, Jews were adopting the 
Aramaic names for the months even before the Exile as part of their apostasy.

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>

> The "Babylonian" names of the months have been "converted" to Judaism since
> the
> Second Temple period, and no more thought is given to their pagan origins
> than is given to such names as January or March (after Janus and Mars) or
> Sun-day, Moon-day, Woden's-day and Thor's-day by Christians.
> 
> And the use of the Zodiac and related symbols in Jewish synagogue art and
> liturgy also goes way back. We have plenty of 4-6th century Synagogue
> mosaics featuring the Zodiac, complete with Helios himself. Apparently by
> then these symbols had already lost their pagan significance and were no
> longer seen as being in violation of the Second Commandment.
> 
> Yigal
-- 
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