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Description
The Aramaic language emerged from the Mesopotamian steppe, with the tribes that spoke it and eventually turned their language into a trade language, that gradually conquered the entire Ancient Near East, from Egypt to India. From the patriarchs as wandering Aramaeans, over Israelites returning from the first Babylonian exile to the scholars of the Talmudic periods, and beyond, including medieval Europe, Aramaic was a staple language of Jewish literacy. Indeed, Jewish Aramaic literature belongs to the formative period of rabbinic Judaism, including Biblical Aramaic, Qumran Aramaic, Rabbinic Aramaic in various dialects and literary forms (letters, halakhic debate, Bible translation, Midrash, liturgical poems, medicine, magic, responsa literature, and the Zohar).
This course will offer an essential introduction to both the language and the literature. We will focus on post-biblical Jewish Aramaic literature, initially the Targums (Jewish Aramaic translations), but also the Midrashim, Talmudim and piyyutim (poetry). All texts will be read in Aramaic, with detailed attention to grammar, to the Hebrew source text wherever relevant, exegetical traditions and practices, and linguistic developments.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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