A History of Hebrew Part 9: Dating the Semitic Alphabet

A History of Hebrew DVD available through Amazon.Com - http://www.amazon.com/History-Hebrew-Its-Language-Philosophy/dp/1621370593

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This is a segment of a much larger video production that I am working on and am looking for feedback (positive and negative) on the layout and content.

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The inscriptions discovered in the past century and a half, have been accurately dated through the advances of archeology.

The original Semitic alphabet with its pictographic letters, can be divided into three periods. The early Semitic alphabet existed between the 20th and 12th centuries BC. However, note that the 20th century date is based on the oldest inscriptions found thus far and it is possible that future discoveries may push the date of the Semitic alphabet back even farther into history. The middle Semitic alphabet, the phoenician and old Hebrew, was in use between the 10th and 4th century BC. The late Semitic alphabet, the square aramaic script, was in use between 5th century BC and into modern times with the modern Hebrew alphabet that is used to this day.

Early Semitic Inscriptions

To date, the Wadi El-Hol inscriptions found in southern Egypt, are the oldest Semitic inscriptions found and date to between the 19th and 20th centuries BC. The Sinaitic inscriptions from the Sinai penninsula date to about the 15th century BC.

Middle Semitic Inscriptions

The Elah Valley Fortress, Tel-Zayit abecedary and the gezer calendar are dated to about the 10th century BC. Between the 12th and 10th centuries BC, the Greek alphabet used the same middle semitic script. The Mesha Stele (or Moabite stone) and the Ammonite inscriptions found in Jordan date to about the 9th century BC. The Siloam inscription from Hezekiah's tunnel and the Tel-Dan inscription which mentions the "house of David," date to about the 8th century BC. The Lachish inscriptions date to the 6th century BC and the Sarcophagus discovered in 1852 in Sidon dates to the 5th century BC.

Late Semitic Inscriptions

The majority of the scrolls from the Dead Sea Caves are written in the late semitic script and date to between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. A few of the scrolls found in the dead sea caves, such as the Leviticus scroll, uses the middle semitic script showing that the script did not fall out of use completely. The letters from General Simon Bar Kockba in 135 AD during the second Jewish revolt against Rome were written in Hebrew with the late semitic script. The late Semitic script continued to be used for the works of the Talmud, the Masoretic Hebrew Bible as well the printed Hebrew Bibles of today.

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Credits

Narration: Jeff A. Benner

Graphics: Jeff A. Benner

Music: Jason Emory

Видео A History of Hebrew Part 9: Dating the Semitic Alphabet канала Jeff A. Benner