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  • From: RobertSumner0110 AT wmconnect.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Connotations of BARA
  • Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 05:46:49 EST

That the Hebrew text upon which most Old Testament studies are based came
into existence as a direct result of the demise of Hebrew as a spoken
language is
a fact that is frequently overlooked. The Massoretic text, with its
intricate system of vocalization and punctuation was created not only to
standardize
pronunciations, but interpretation as well. The objective was the
establishment of a uniform Judaism throughout the diaspora.
Though the contribution of the Massoretes cannot be diminished, an
unfortunate byproduct of this literary fixation of the text was the creation
of an
illusion of historical linguistic unity. One dialect of Hebrew from a single
historical period became the orthodox language.
The textual criticism of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
accomplished much in terms of identifying possible variant readings which had
been
occluded by the Massoretic scholars, but the tendency was still to rely on
the
accepted consonantal spelling of the Massoretic text, taking into account
occasional "scribal errors." What is forgotten in the process is the
fluidity of
spoken language and the lack of consistency in the representation of that
language with letters during the formative period of the written language.
As a
consequence, many associations and derivations become lost, and can only be
recovered through the application of laws of consonantal equivalence; i.e.
f=p=b,
d=t=th, g=k=ch, etc. The problem here is that all such application is
speculative, AT BEST, and such reconstructive methodologies, though
legitimate, should
only be applied with caution.

Robert Shannon Sumner
Franklin, Georgia




  • [b-hebrew] Connotations of BARA, RobertSumner0110, 12/05/2006

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