Rabbis Language And Translation In Late Antiquity Willem F Smelik by Willem F. Smelik 9781107026216, 1107026210 instant download after payment.

Exposed to multiple languages as a result of annexation, migration,
pilgrimage and its position on key trade routes, the Roman Palestine
of Late Antiquity was a border area where Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew
and Arabic dialects were all in common use. This study analyses the
way scriptural translation was perceived and practised by the rabbinic
movement in this multilingual world. Drawing on a wide range of
classical rabbinic sources, including unused manuscript materials,
Willem F. Smelik traces developments in rabbinic thought and argues
that foreign languages were deemed highly valuable for the lexical
and semantic light they shed on the meanings of lexemes in the
holy tongue. Key themes, such as the reception of translations of the
Hebrew Scriptures, multilingualism in society, and rabbinic rules for
translation, are discussed at length. This book will be invaluable for
students of ancient Judaism, rabbinic studies, Old Testament studies,
early Christianity and translation studies.