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ELTBefore Introduction: Difference between revisions
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For example, the Rabbis told Jerome (who translated the Bible into Latin) that Hebrew had only 22 letters, like Greek. But that wasn’t true. Hebrew has 28 letters, including six “final forms” used only at the end of words. One of these letters even appeared on the priest’s clothing but wasn’t found in any words. The number 28 made more sense because each letter carries a special meaning. | For example, the Rabbis told Jerome (who translated the Bible into Latin) that Hebrew had only 22 letters, like Greek. But that wasn’t true. Hebrew has 28 letters, including six “final forms” used only at the end of words. One of these letters even appeared on the priest’s clothing but wasn’t found in any words. The number 28 made more sense because each letter carries a special meaning. | ||
The Rabbis also claimed that every Hebrew word came from three-letter roots, like in Greek. But this ignored an important part of Hebrew: the shapes and strokes of the letters themselves have meaning. These shapes are key to understanding Hebrew words, but the Rabbis didn’t focus on them. This is why the final forms are different letters from the standard forms. | The Rabbis also claimed that every Hebrew word came from three-letter roots, like in Greek. But this ignored an important part of Hebrew: the shapes and strokes of the letters themselves have meaning. These shapes are key to understanding Hebrew words, but the Rabbis didn’t focus on them. This is why the final forms are different letters from the standard forms. (See [[ Critique of Rabbinic Interpretation ]] )) | ||
To understand Hebrew better, I realized I needed to move away from the usual methods. I decided to study the letters and their shapes to discover their meanings on my own; inductively. Hebrew had been a dead language; the ancient way of understanding Hebrew had been forgotten, I began reverse-engineering the language. | To understand Hebrew better, I realized I needed to move away from the usual methods. I decided to study the letters and their shapes to discover their meanings on my own; inductively. Hebrew had been a dead language; the ancient way of understanding Hebrew had been forgotten, I began reverse-engineering the language. | ||
