The Aramaic Papyri of Elephantine in English: Continued

Abstract

Mere lists of names with here and there a note, sometimes revealing their purpose, more often abbreviated to unintelligibility for the uninitiated, are to most people not very interesting. In this instance, however, they offer not a little insight into the ethnic composition of the frontier post at Elephantine. Moreover, many ancient names, Semitic names in particular, reveal not a little of the religious thought of the people who use them, as George Buchanan Gray has demonstrated for Hebrew. It is hoped that the copious biblical references will be of use to teachers and students and to thoughtful readers in general; to facilitate reference for non-Hebraists, the forms of the American Revised Version are used wherever possible without implying that they represent the Elephantine pronunciation. Chronological order is in most cases impossible to determine; No. i6 should, indeed, probably precede No. 15, as an examination of the cross-references will show, but its relative non-importance relegated it to second place, while the piece de resistance was placed at the head.