The Story of Hebrew
(eBook)

"Finalist for the 2017 National Jewish Book Award in History (Gerrard and Ella Berman Memorial Award)" "One of CHOICE's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2017" Lewis Glinert is Professor of Hebrew Studies at Dartmouth College, where he is also affiliated with the Program in Linguistics. His books include The Grammar of Modern Hebrew and The Joys of Hebrew. A unique history of the Hebrew language from biblical times to the modern Jewish state This book explores the extraordinary hold that Hebrew has had on Jews and Christians, who have invested it with a symbolic power far beyond that of any other language in history. Preserved by the Jews across two millennia, Hebrew endured long after it ceased to be a mother tongue, resulting in one of the most intense textual cultures ever known. It was a bridge to Greek and Arab science. It unlocked the biblical sources for Jerome and the Reformation. Kabbalists and humanists sought philosophical truth in it, and Colonial Americans used it to shape their own Israelite political identity. Today, it is the first language of millions of Israelis. The Story of Hebrew takes readers from the opening verses of Genesis-which seemingly describe the creation of Hebrew itself-to the reincarnation of Hebrew as the everyday language of the Jewish state. Lewis Glinert explains the uses and meanings of Hebrew in ancient Israel and its role as a medium for wisdom and prayer. He describes the early rabbis' preservation of Hebrew following the Babylonian exile, the challenges posed by Arabic, and the prolific use of Hebrew in Diaspora art, spirituality, and science. Glinert looks at the conflicted relationship Christians had with Hebrew from the Renaissance to the Counter-Reformation, the language's fatal rivalry with Yiddish, the dreamers and schemers that made modern Hebrew a reality, and how a lost pre-Holocaust textual ethos is being renewed today by Orthodox Jews. A major work of scholarship, The Story of Hebrew is an unforgettable account of what one language has meant to those possessing it. "Elegant. . . . The Story of Hebrew covers a great deal of ground in a readable style, studded with stories and quotations that make clear how astonishing it is that out of the fossil DNA of this sacred language, a new creation has arisen."---David Wolpe, Weekly Standard "Witty and learned. . . . I thought that I was well versed in the history of Hebrew, but there was hardly a page in this book on which I didn't learn something new. And Glinert is a pleasure to spend time with; his authorial voice in The Story of Hebrew reminds me of those famous BBC radio talks given by enormously erudite Oxbridge dons: authoritative, amusing, and crystal clear."---Alan Mintz, Jewish Review of Books "The Story of Hebrew does not require even a rusty knowledge of the language. Glinert's writing is compelling for anyone who has some background in the Jewish scriptures and the history of the people who preserved the holy tongue--from ancient Israel to diaspora Judaism and back to Israel again in recent decades. Glinert also explores the role of Hebrew in the Christian imagination, including the way the language shaped American colonial life." "Glinert, a talented storyteller, writes a modern, even colloquial, history of Hebrew, recounting the language's flourishing and what he sees as its inevitable decline over several centuries."---Joseph Lowin, Jewish Book Council "Glinert brings the Hebrew story to life with such a wealth of intriguing cultural detail in so astonishingly few pages of lively, engaging exposition that his account is must reading for all who revel in the history and elasticity of languages."---Ray Olson, Booklist "The most ambitious attempt since William Chomsky's groundbreaking 1957 study, Hebrew: The Eternal Language, Mr. Glinert's biography of Hebrew succeeds in representing the language not just as a vehicle of communication but as a crucible of national cohesion. To read [this book] is to ap