ABSTRACT

Since the beginning of critical scholarship, biblical texts have been dated using linguistic evidence. In recent years, this has been a controversial topic. However, until now, there has been no introduction to and comprehensive study of the field. Volume I introduces the field of linguistic dating of biblical texts, particularly to intermediate and advanced students of Biblical Hebrew with a reasonable background in the language, but also to scholars of the Hebrew Bibles in general who have not been exposed to the full scope of issues. It outlines topics at a basic level before entering into detailed discussion. Many text samples are presented for study, and readers are introduced to significant linguistic features of the texts through notes on the pages. Detailed notes on these text sample provide a background, concrete illustrations and a point of departure for discussion of the general and theoretical issues discussed in each chapter that will make this volume useful as a classroom textbook.

chapter 1|9 pages

Introduction

chapter 7|28 pages

Dialects and Diglossia

chapter 8|22 pages

Aramaic

chapter 9|27 pages

Mishnaic Hebrew

chapter 10|30 pages

Qumran Hebrew and Ben Sira

chapter 11|32 pages

Loanwords

chapter 12|29 pages

Archaic Biblical Hebrew

chapter 13|20 pages

Textual Criticism

chapter 14|1 pages

Conclusion