YU Professors Fine and Tawil Make Mark on Jewish Studies Literature Scene
Yaelle Frohlich
Issue date: 11/25/09 Section: News
Meanwhile, Yeshiva College Professor Hayim Tawil's Akkadian lexicon, "An Akkadian Lexical Companion for Biblical Hebrew" is being released this month. The work demonstrates the relationship between Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic and Akkadian, once the main language spoken in what is now known as the Middle East. In an online YU article, Yeshiva College Semitic languages lecturer Dr. Richard White described the new work the "greatest contribution to biblical study published in the past 100 years."
"Professor Tawil's lexicon allows certain expressions in Tanach to be elucidated by their parallels in Akkadian literature," continued White. "[It] provides a connection between the text of the Bible and the world in which the Bible grew up."
In the same article, Tawil articulated that Akkadian is significant for the study of Biblical Hebrew because, with a vocabulary of 50,000 words-compared to biblical Hebrew's 8,000-Akkadian can shed light on linguistic nuances in the Bible.
Tawil's second new book, coming out in early 2010 and co-authored with Bernard Schneider, is "Crown of Aleppo: The Mystery of the Oldest Hebrew Bible Codex."
Combining scholarly elements with mystery novel atmosphere, the book investigates the history of the Aleppo Codex (or, "Crown" of Aleppo). The Crown of Aleppo is a biblical manuscript from 930 C.E.-possibly the most authentic surviving text of its kind-that was housed for hundreds of year's in Aleppo, Syria's Great Synagogue, smuggled out of Syria in 1958 with help from Israeli President Yitzchak Ben-Zvi and now resides in Jerusalem's Israel Museum.
"Professor Tawil's lexicon allows certain expressions in Tanach to be elucidated by their parallels in Akkadian literature," continued White. "[It] provides a connection between the text of the Bible and the world in which the Bible grew up."
In the same article, Tawil articulated that Akkadian is significant for the study of Biblical Hebrew because, with a vocabulary of 50,000 words-compared to biblical Hebrew's 8,000-Akkadian can shed light on linguistic nuances in the Bible.
Tawil's second new book, coming out in early 2010 and co-authored with Bernard Schneider, is "Crown of Aleppo: The Mystery of the Oldest Hebrew Bible Codex."
Combining scholarly elements with mystery novel atmosphere, the book investigates the history of the Aleppo Codex (or, "Crown" of Aleppo). The Crown of Aleppo is a biblical manuscript from 930 C.E.-possibly the most authentic surviving text of its kind-that was housed for hundreds of year's in Aleppo, Syria's Great Synagogue, smuggled out of Syria in 1958 with help from Israeli President Yitzchak Ben-Zvi and now resides in Jerusalem's Israel Museum.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Menachem Wecker
posted 11/26/09 @ 5:20 PM EST
It is curious that the Observer, in covering these great faculty awards, does not quote the faculty members. This sounds more like an AJS press release. (Continued…)
professional resumes
posted 12/30/09 @ 10:09 AM EST
I congratulate Dr. Steven Fine with this award.
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