The Story of Hebrew

by Lewis Glinert

Overview

The Story of Hebrew 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. Hebrew was a bridge to Greek and Arab science, and 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. A major work of scholarship, The Story of Hebrew is an unforgettable account of what one language has meant and continues to mean.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691183091
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	09/11/2018
Series:	Library of Jewish Ideas , #10
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	1,024,434
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Lewis Glinert is professor of Hebrew studies at Dartmouth College.

Table of Contents

List of Figures ix

Introduction 1

1 “Let There Be Hebrew” 8

2 Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome 22

3 Saving the Bible and Its Hebrew 59

4 The Sephardic Classical Age 74

5 Medieval Ashkenaz and Italy:
Sciences, Sonnets, and the Sacred 102

6 Hebrew in the Christian Imagination, I: Medieval Designs 124

7 Hebrew in the Christian Imagination, II: From Kabbalists to Colonials 139

8 Can These Bones Live? Hebrew at the Dawn of Modernity 168

9 The Hebrew State 212

Epilogue 246

Acknowledgments 251

Notes 253

Further Reading 261

Index 265

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"In this incandescent narrative of an ever-renewing tongue, masterful linguist Lewis Glinert traces how Hebrew, however severely displaced from its native ground, has continued through centuries of tribulation to nurture its heritage. Elegantly luring us from one intellectual movement to the next, he arrives at history's most moving culmination: the language of the Book returning at last to the everyday voices of little children."—Cynthia Ozick, author of Critics, Monsters, Fanatics, and Other Literary Essays

"An absolutely fascinating story—about the history of Jewish culture, the power of language, and the enduring meaning of Hebrew for Jews and non-Jews alike. Written with command, grace, and charm, this is a marvelous and utterly engaging work."—Barry W. Holtz, Theodore and Florence Baumritter Professor of Jewish Education, Jewish Theological Seminary

"Superb. The Story of Hebrew is a wonderful book—elegantly written, meticulously researched, and exciting to read. A magnificent study."—Curt Leviant, author of the novels King of Yiddish and Kafka's Son

"Masterfully written. Glinert's in-depth account of the sociolinguistic, historical, and cultural aspects of Hebrew is entirely new. A significant contribution to the field."—Aharon Maman, Bialik Professor of Hebrew Language, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Editorial Reviews

"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

From the Publisher

01/09/2017
Glinert, professor of Hebrew Studies at Dartmouth, provides an insightful, entertaining, and essential guide to the origins and evolution of the Hebrew language. While doing so, he also makes a convincing case that his subject matter should be of broad interest; Glinert notes that, while “no English speaker today could open a thousand-year-old ‘English’ text and make sense of it” without help, a contemporary Hebrew speaker could read a “three-thousand-year-old chapter of biblical prose and understand it almost unaided.” In detailed yet accessible prose, Glinert explains how that is possible, by tracing how the Hebrew language developed as a social organism. Hebrew was profoundly influenced by how it was used, from the writing of the Hebrew Bible, to its revival, in the 20th century, as a living language as part of the successful Zionist movement to return Jews to their homeland in Israel. The book’s comprehensive scope enables even lay readers to be amused—and edified—by the contrast between the language’s beginnings, with the lyrical language of Genesis, and its current state, with the invention of a Hebrew term for a dispenser for a bag to collect dog poop. This is a must-read for students of language and Jewish history. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"A major work of scholarship, The Story of Hebrew is an unforgettable account of what one language has meant to those possessing it."

Israel News Online

"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."

Christian Century