Aramaic Studies during the past Thirty Years

Abstract

THE generation of Orientalists that has been active between the end of World War II and the present time has seen an enormous increase of teaching and research in all fields. Periodical publications and collective enterprises have multiplied. Subjects for which it was difficult to find even one book are now often represented by a dozen. The number of academic institutions which offer instruction in at least some of our subjects has vastly increased all over the world. It was once the case that even a large and renowned university with all the basic facilities could boast of only one student at a time in a large field; now, it is not difficult to find many interested students even in smaller colleges. While we may still complain, and rightly so, that we are neglected and misunderstood by the general public (or should I say that we are almost unknown to it?), there can be no doubt that our subjects now find a certain degree of intelligent attention even in the nonacademic world.