Aramaic language

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Middle Aramaic

The third century CE is taken as the threshold between Old and Middle Aramaic. During that century, the nature of the various Aramaic languages and dialects begins to change. The descendents of Imperial Aramaic ceased to be living languages, and the eastern and western regional languages began to form vital, new literatures. Unlike many of the dialects of Old Aramaic, much is known about the vocabulary and grammar of Middle Aramaic.

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Eastern Middle Aramaic

Only two of the Old Eastern Aramaic languages continued into this period. In the north of the region, Old Syriac moved into Middle Syriac. In the south, Jewish Old Babylonian became Jewish Middle Babylonian. The post-Achaemenid, Arsacid dialect became the background of the new Mandaic language.

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Middle Syriac

: See Syriac language for more information.

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Middle Syriac is the classical, literary and liturgical language of Syriac Christians to this day. Its golden age was the fourth to sixth centuries. This period began with the translation of the Bible into the language: the Peshitta and the masterful prose and poetry of Ephrem the Syrian. Middle Syriac, unlike its forebear, is a thoroughly Christian language, although in time it became the language of those opposed to the Byzantine leadership of the church in the east. Missionary activity led to the spread of Syriac through Persia and into India and China.

Related Topics:
Syriac Christians - Fourth - Sixth - Peshitta - Ephrem the Syrian - Byzantine - Persia - India - China

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Jewish Middle Babylonian Aramaic

Jewish Middle Babylonian is the language of the Babylonian Talmud (which was completed in the seventh century). Although it is the main language of the Talmud, in its setting, many works in (reconstructed) Hebrew and earlier dialects of Aramaic are carefully marshalled. Jewish Middle Babylonian is also the language behind the Babylonian system of pointing (marking of vowels in an otherwise mainly consonantal text) of the Hebrew Bible and its Targum.

Related Topics:
Talmud - Seventh century - Hebrew - Hebrew Bible - Targum

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Mandaic

: See Mandaic language for more information.

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Mandaic is essentially the same language as Middle Babylonian in a different script. The earliest Mandaean literature is in Arsacid Aramaic. From 224 CE, Mandaean writings were increasingly put in the more colloquial Middle Babylonian, or Mandaic.

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Western Middle Aramaic

The dialects of Old Western Aramaic continued with Jewish Middle Palestinian (in Hebrew 'square script'), Samaritan Aramaic (in the old Hebrew script) and Christian Palestinian (in cursive Syriac script). Of these three, only Jewish Middle Palestinian continued as a written language.

Related Topics:
Hebrew 'square script' - Old Hebrew script - Syriac script

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Jewish Middle Palestinian Aramaic

In 135, after Bar Kokhba's revolt, many Jewish leaders, expelled from Jerusalem, moved to Galilee. The Galilean dialect thus rose from obscurity to become the standard among Jews in the west. This dialect was spoken not only in Galilee, but also in the surrounding parts. It is the linguistic setting for the Palestinian Talmud (completed in the fifth century) and midrashim (biblical commentaries and teaching). The modern standard of vowel pointing for the Hebrew Bible, the Tiberian system (tenth century), was most probably based on the pronunciation of the Galilean dialect of Jewish Middle Palestinian. The inscription in the synagogue at Dura-Europos are either in Middle East Jordanian or Middle Judaean.

Related Topics:
135 - Bar Kokhba's revolt - Jew - Jerusalem - Galilee - Palestinian Talmud - Fifth century - Midrash - Hebrew Bible - Tenth century - Dura-Europos

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Middle Judaean, the descendent of Old Judaean, is no longer the dominant dialect, and was used only in southern Judaea (the variant Engedi dialect continued throughout this period). Likewise, Middle East Jordanian continues as a minor dialect from Old East Jordanian.

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Samaritan Aramaic

The Aramaic dialect of the Samaritan community is earliest attested by a documentary tradition that can be dated back to the fourth century. Its modern pronunciation is based on the form used in the tenth century.

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Christian Palestinian Aramaic

The language of Western-Aramaic-speaking Christians is evidenced from the sixth century, but probably existed two centuries earlier. The language itself comes from Christian Old Palestinian, but its writing conventions were based on early Middle Syriac, and it was heavily influenced by Greek. The name Jesus, although Yešû` in Aramaic, is written Yesûs in Christian Palestinian.

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