Defining the targumim has been a contentious issue, largely because of the widely different ways ... more Defining the targumim has been a contentious issue, largely because of the widely different ways that targumists translate the source text, the Hebrew Bible. This paper utilizes advances in cognitive science, namely prototype theory, to describe the genre, categorizing the targumim in the way that the mind naturally categorizes items. The paper proposes five traits of varying levels of importance that work together with the culturally-conditioned setting of the targumim to form a Gestalt in the mind. This allows for certain targumim to be more prototypical and others to be closer to the fuzzy boundaries of the genre.
It is commonly asserted that Targum Song of Songs was composed in Palestine in the seventh or eig... more It is commonly asserted that Targum Song of Songs was composed in Palestine in the seventh or eighth century CE. This article surveys the most significant criteria used to posit that assertion (such as language, Jewish education, and messianism), and it argues that these criteria are either inconclusive or point to a different Sitz im Leben for the Targum. The article then adds one element to the discussion, the use of the late Latin term olibanum ‘frankincense’ in 4.11. Ultimately, this article argues that the traditional dating and provenance of Targum Song of Songs’ composition should be adjusted. A tenth or eleventh century time period and a location in either southern Italy or Byzantium better fit the evidence.
There is a series of lexically resultative verbs in Biblical Hebrew that can indicate transformat... more There is a series of lexically resultative verbs in Biblical Hebrew that can indicate transformation in ditransitive syntactic structures. This paper analyzes the syntactic constraints that make explicit which object is the host and which object is the goal of the action. This paper also analyzes the semantic particularities of these verbs and several nouns which cluster in these constructions. The results of the paper are as follows. First, when present, a pronominal suffix on a verb or the particle את always mark the host. Second, when prepositions are utilized in these constructions, there is a degree of flexibility in the word order because certain prepositions mark the host and others mark the goal. When prepositions are not utilized, the word order options are limited. Third, this article explains contexts in which the verbs are or are not interchangeable. Fourth, clarity is provided to some verses in the Hebrew Bible. Fifth, this article highlights nominals that are almost exclusively used as goal nouns in transformative, resultative constructions.
Targum Song of Songs contains words from several Aramaic dialects which seemingly should not coex... more Targum Song of Songs contains words from several Aramaic dialects which seemingly should not coexist. This paper is an analysis of the Targum's lexicon with particular attention given to the dialectal status of each word, and by extension the text as a whole. It is argued that the targumist primarily draws upon words from Targums Onqelos and Jonathan. A second layer of influence includes words from targumic Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, and while words from the Babylonian Talmud and Biblical Aramaic are attested, they are not as influential on the overall lexicon. Finally, given the Targum's dependence on literary texts that happen to be written in different dialects, it is argued that some terms only attested in Targum Song of Songs and other Late Jewish Literary Aramaic texts may give evidence to literary texts or traditions that have not survived.
Middle Eastern Christians and Europe: Historical Legacies and Present Challenges, 2018
This paper presents an overview of the Christian Communities of the Middle East (CCME): A Cultura... more This paper presents an overview of the Christian Communities of the Middle East (CCME): A Cultural Heritage Project, an oral history initiative operated by faculty and staff at The Catholic University of America, and it notes certain challenges faced when establishing a cultural heritage project that serves two constituencies—the identifying communities and the scholarly world. CCME is building a digital repository of oral and archival histories for the preservation and dissemination of the cultural record of Christian Neo-Aramaic speaking communities. CCME launched in December 2014 with the following two principles in mind: (1) to record the memories of life in the villages and cities of Iraq in the face of their imminent eradication by ISIL’s invasion, as oral histories provide crucial cultural records; and (2) the history of the modern Middle East is incomplete without an adequate record of the mosaic of human communities existing there until recently. The long-term vision for the CCME Project is to collect oral histories from recent refugees in Europe and the U.S. in order to preserve the memories of these communities in permanent form. This will be a benefit to community members and scholars alike, and it is to this end that the project team has made conscious and strategic decisions to ensure the replicability of the project model.
The goals of the course are to read with facility the Aramaic language of the Targumim, with full... more The goals of the course are to read with facility the Aramaic language of the Targumim, with full attention to the phonology, morphology, and syntax, as an introduction to the Aramaic dialects as a whole. The course will also serve as a basic introduction to targumic literature and method.
Defining the targumim has been a contentious issue, largely because of the widely different ways ... more Defining the targumim has been a contentious issue, largely because of the widely different ways that targumists translate the source text, the Hebrew Bible. This paper utilizes advances in cognitive science, namely prototype theory, to describe the genre, categorizing the targumim in the way that the mind naturally categorizes items. The paper proposes five traits of varying levels of importance that work together with the culturally-conditioned setting of the targumim to form a Gestalt in the mind. This allows for certain targumim to be more prototypical and others to be closer to the fuzzy boundaries of the genre.
It is commonly asserted that Targum Song of Songs was composed in Palestine in the seventh or eig... more It is commonly asserted that Targum Song of Songs was composed in Palestine in the seventh or eighth century CE. This article surveys the most significant criteria used to posit that assertion (such as language, Jewish education, and messianism), and it argues that these criteria are either inconclusive or point to a different Sitz im Leben for the Targum. The article then adds one element to the discussion, the use of the late Latin term olibanum ‘frankincense’ in 4.11. Ultimately, this article argues that the traditional dating and provenance of Targum Song of Songs’ composition should be adjusted. A tenth or eleventh century time period and a location in either southern Italy or Byzantium better fit the evidence.
There is a series of lexically resultative verbs in Biblical Hebrew that can indicate transformat... more There is a series of lexically resultative verbs in Biblical Hebrew that can indicate transformation in ditransitive syntactic structures. This paper analyzes the syntactic constraints that make explicit which object is the host and which object is the goal of the action. This paper also analyzes the semantic particularities of these verbs and several nouns which cluster in these constructions. The results of the paper are as follows. First, when present, a pronominal suffix on a verb or the particle את always mark the host. Second, when prepositions are utilized in these constructions, there is a degree of flexibility in the word order because certain prepositions mark the host and others mark the goal. When prepositions are not utilized, the word order options are limited. Third, this article explains contexts in which the verbs are or are not interchangeable. Fourth, clarity is provided to some verses in the Hebrew Bible. Fifth, this article highlights nominals that are almost exclusively used as goal nouns in transformative, resultative constructions.
Targum Song of Songs contains words from several Aramaic dialects which seemingly should not coex... more Targum Song of Songs contains words from several Aramaic dialects which seemingly should not coexist. This paper is an analysis of the Targum's lexicon with particular attention given to the dialectal status of each word, and by extension the text as a whole. It is argued that the targumist primarily draws upon words from Targums Onqelos and Jonathan. A second layer of influence includes words from targumic Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, and while words from the Babylonian Talmud and Biblical Aramaic are attested, they are not as influential on the overall lexicon. Finally, given the Targum's dependence on literary texts that happen to be written in different dialects, it is argued that some terms only attested in Targum Song of Songs and other Late Jewish Literary Aramaic texts may give evidence to literary texts or traditions that have not survived.
Middle Eastern Christians and Europe: Historical Legacies and Present Challenges, 2018
This paper presents an overview of the Christian Communities of the Middle East (CCME): A Cultura... more This paper presents an overview of the Christian Communities of the Middle East (CCME): A Cultural Heritage Project, an oral history initiative operated by faculty and staff at The Catholic University of America, and it notes certain challenges faced when establishing a cultural heritage project that serves two constituencies—the identifying communities and the scholarly world. CCME is building a digital repository of oral and archival histories for the preservation and dissemination of the cultural record of Christian Neo-Aramaic speaking communities. CCME launched in December 2014 with the following two principles in mind: (1) to record the memories of life in the villages and cities of Iraq in the face of their imminent eradication by ISIL’s invasion, as oral histories provide crucial cultural records; and (2) the history of the modern Middle East is incomplete without an adequate record of the mosaic of human communities existing there until recently. The long-term vision for the CCME Project is to collect oral histories from recent refugees in Europe and the U.S. in order to preserve the memories of these communities in permanent form. This will be a benefit to community members and scholars alike, and it is to this end that the project team has made conscious and strategic decisions to ensure the replicability of the project model.
The goals of the course are to read with facility the Aramaic language of the Targumim, with full... more The goals of the course are to read with facility the Aramaic language of the Targumim, with full attention to the phonology, morphology, and syntax, as an introduction to the Aramaic dialects as a whole. The course will also serve as a basic introduction to targumic literature and method.
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