BL461Aramaic Student Challenge

Aramaic Student Challenge

For students in Dr. Rickett’s BL461 Aramaic course, here is a challenge for next week:

  1. Transliterate the Syriac characters of the below text of Psalm 117 into Aramaic square script.

  2. Circle the words in both the Syriac and Aramaic texts that are spelled exactly the same; note differences and underline words that differ.

  3. Using the Hebrew text as a guide, perform a translation of the Aramaic text into English.

  4. As an added bonus, compare these texts to those in your native language identifying/explaining where/how your native language texts differ.

  5. Memorize the Psalm in your native language and share in class next week.

Autopsy: A Guide to Examining Ancient Manuscripts in Person

Autopsy: A Guide to Examining Ancient Manuscripts in Person

If you came to this site because you couldn’t resist seeing for yourself what Word by Word could possibly have to do with autopsies—gotcha! You will find no cadavers or gory CSI scenes here. All this goes to show that appearances can be deceiving, and you have to check things out for yourself. In fact, “autopsy” here just means exactly that: seeing something with your own eyes.

Ancient world's multicultural secrets revealed by handwriting analysis of scrolls

Advanced techniques to analyze the Dead Sea Scrolls and Eastern papyri are revealing vibrant secrets about daily life in the ancient world.

Around 2,100 years ago, a Judaean scribe deftly swirled a stylus to dab the final strokes of black ink onto a piece of parchment.

His work, a copy of the biblical Book of Isaiah from the Old Testament, would soon be complete in the form of a seven-meter-long scroll. But was he finishing his own work—or someone else's?

The Dead Sea Scrolls: 9 Common Questions, Answered

By MIKRA Paleographer, Drew Longacre

The Dead Sea Scrolls don’t interest only academics and scholars. Many average Christians have questions, too. Read on for the answers to the most common questions!

  1. What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

  2. How were the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered?

  3. How old are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

  4. How can scholars tell how old a manuscript is?

  5. Who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?

  6. What do the Dead Sea Scrolls tell us about the history of the Bible?

  7. Do the Dead Sea Scrolls help us understand the New Testament?

  8. Did the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal other texts outside the Bible?

  9. How can we read the Dead Sea Scrolls?

Discovery of Cannabis Use in Israelite Worship?

By MIKRA CEO

Archaeologists have made a first-of-its-kind discovery in Israel. Chemical traces of cannabis were found on what appears to be an altar used in Israelite worship. What do these finds mean for the credibility of the biblical account? How do the moral issues brought up by this discovery stretch all the way back to the Book of Genesis? Find out in this week’s Thinker Update..... READ MORE

Who Wrote and Hid the Dead Sea Scrolls?

Article by MIKRA CEO

The Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time. Yet many questions linger about the identity of the mysterious group who supposedly wrote and hid the scrolls. New ideas are emerging about the story behind the Dead Sea Scrolls. See more in this week’s Thinker Update..... READ MORE

the Bible's Original Languages

Article by MIKRA CEO

Have you ever wondered what languages were originally involved in the production of the Hebrew Bible – and how those languages related to the ancient Israelites, and later to the ancient Jews? The answer is not as simple as it sounds. Find out in this week’s Thinker Update...... READ MORE!

3,500-Year-Old News Reports

Article by MIKRA CEO

When the Israelites came out of Egypt, what was the scale and nature of the miraculous sea parting? This is the central question asked in the film Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle II (planning to be released online in the upcoming weeks). This week’s update asks what can be learned about this miracle from those who witnessed it first hand, or who heard about it from others. Can 3,500-year-old news reports give us insight to this question? Find out in this week’s Thinker Update..... READ MORE!