An Introduction to Aramaic, Second Edition (Resources for Biblical Study) [Paperback]

Frederick E. Greenspahn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

An Introduction to Aramaic is a straightforward introduction to biblical Aramaic for beginning students who are already familiar with Hebrew. All Aramaic passages in the Old Testament are included, along with an introduction to other Aramaic texts, such as ancient inscriptions, Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbinic literature, and quotations in the New Testament. There are also paradigms, a complete glossary, and a list of resources for further study as well as practice exercises for each chapter. The second edition clarifies certain points in the first edition, updates the contents, and provides an answer key.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In all, this is a very successful and long overdue book, one which I hope will undergo many future editions." -- —Journal of Hebrew Scriptures<br /> --—Journal of Hebrew Scriptures

About the Author

Frederick E. Greenspahn holds the Gimelstob Chair in Judaic Studies at Florida Atlantic University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Society of Biblical Literature; 2 edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589830598
• ISBN-13: 978-1589830592
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Aramaic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful tool for students of the Bible, July 14, 2000

By 

olaf01 (New Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Aramaic (American Studies in Papyrology) (Paperback)

Greenspahn's new grammar is a welcome and long overdue addition to the field. Until now, the standard work for students trying to get a grasp on the Aramaic of the Bible has been Franz Rosenthal's grammar of Biblical Aramaic. In point of fact, to call Rosenthal's work a "grammar" is a bit generous. Neither a learning grammar, nor really a comprehensive technical grammar, it reads more like a string of notes taken by one of the 20th century's great semitists--which is what it is. A student trying to teach himself Aramaic without a teacher would be lost. That is the great strength of Greenspahn's work.

"An Introduction to Aramaic" is a wonderfully, refreshingly student-oriented approach to the language. It is a beginner's grammar--although it does make the explicit claim that one does need a knowledge of Biblical Hebrew before using this work to dive into the Bible's Aramaic (ironically enough, precisely the opposite claim is made in Rosenthal's grammar!). Not only are the Aramaic portions of Ezra and Daniel covered, but the transliterated Aramaic of the New Testament, and the other snippets of Aramaic from the Hebrew Bible are as well. In addition, the grammar introduces students to extra-biblical Aramaic, including that of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Targumim.

For most of the world, Aramaic classes are hard to come by. If you've had biblical Hebrew and want access to the rest of the Bible's text, this is the grammar for you. Students would most benefit from using a more technical grammar, such as Rosenthal's, in conjunction with Greenspahn's.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Greenspahn's Introduction to Aramaic, June 7, 2001

By 

Elaine Goodfriend (Woodland Hills, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Introduction to Aramaic (American Studies in Papyrology) (Paperback)

This Introduction is structured as a workbook with room left to fill in grammatical and translation exercises. The introductory material about the history of Aramaic is useful and succinct, and the book overall is very user-friendly. Students enjoyed using this workbook and seemed to have a good sense of the basics of biblical Aramaic when they were done. There are problems, however. There are many typos in the work, perhaps one for every 2-3 pages. Further, some of the exercises are unnecessary and annoying even, and should be skipped, such as the many places where the student is told to translate from English to Aramaic. Further, when Greenspahn presents the student Aramaic passages from the Bible, he does so in simplified form, and some times he really ruins the flow and distinctive quality of the biblical text. Also, it's a little pricey. Again, students enjoyed this work and profited from it.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not enough bang for your Buck, September 27, 2002

By 

Blah (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Aramaic (American Studies in Papyrology) (Paperback)

First of all, this book is massively overpriced. Fifty dollars plus for a keep paperback. The number of errors is ridiculous so much so that a special errata section is contained in the back. Furthermore, the explanations of the grammer are weak at best. This book is more of a workbook that a text. This of course does you no good unless you have a teacher who knows the answers. Also don't even think about buying this book unless you already have an extremely solid basis in Biblical Hebrew as the author assumes that you do(In all fairness if you are considering buing this book you probably already know Hebrew).