Biblical Hebrew Forum

[dwashbur AT nyx.net]

The nonbiblical DSS are mostly in Hebrew, but they're also religious 
documents, and 
everyone acknowledges that Hebrew, like medieval Latin, was the language of 
the religious 
establishment.  So they don't tell us much.

On 2 Oct 2006 at 13:37, Oun Kwon wrote:

> What was it in the nonbiblical DSS material? Was it mostly in Aramaic?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Oun.
> 
> 
> > Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2006 18:46:14 +0100
> > From: "Chris and Nel" <wattswestmaas AT eircom.net>
> > Subject: [b-hebrew] Discovering the language of Jesus
> 
> 
> > Dear Oun,
> >
> > I am not able to answer the question about Jesus, but I would like to
> > 'donate' some balance to the idea that all the jews coming back from 
> > babylon
> > spoke Aramaic, this reasoning propagated by many, is entirely unjustified.
> > Nehemiah 13:24 is but a small, indicative clue to the practicality of the
> > situation.  I believe that common sense and modern history can teach us 
> > that
> > many Jews would have retained their native dialects and passed them on.
> > Some would have abandoned their children's language to the language of
> > Babylonia.  My own children have not been allowed to forget their native
> > language in spite of living in an English speaking environment. I have 
> > heard
> > and read it so many times that the Jews spoke aramaic after Babylon -- 
> > and I
> > find it a simplistic view of a complex environment.  Nehemiah 13:24 does 
> > in
> > no way deny that jews may well be conversing in aramaic, the business
> > community, to converse with their neighbours etc, but it also presents an
> > unexpected portrayal of Practical daily life that I am thankful was 
> > inserted
> > into the scripture.
> >
> > Chris Watts
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Dave Washburn
"Mom, are we Republicrats or Demolicans?"