The Dead Sea Scrolls and Their Contribution to the Study of Hebrew and Aramaic

Abstract

This chapter traces in broad strokes the impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls on the study of Hebrew and Aramaic, as well as their influence on the question of language contact between Hebrew and Aramaic at the close of the Second Temple period. Research into Hebrew before 1947 tended to concentrate on three topics: 1. Biblical Hebrew as reflected in the Tiberian tradition of vocalization. 2. Other traditions of Biblical Hebrew. 3. Tannaitic Hebrew. Research into pre-medieval Aramaic before the discovery of the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls dealt with 1. The small corpus of Old Aramaic inscriptions. 2. Tiberian Biblical Aramaic. 3. The Elephantine papyri. 4. Targumic Aramaic. 5. Nabatean and Palmyrene. Finally, the chapter turns to the prevailing views on the linguistic situation in Palestine at the end of the Second Temple period current before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Keywords:Aramaic; Dead Sea Scrolls; Hebrew; linguistic situation; Palestine; Second Temple period