INTRODUCTION. CHALDEE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. THE Aramean, one of the three grand divisions* of the Shemitish or Oriental languages, comprises two principal subdivisions; viz. the Syriac, sometimes called, by way of distinction, West Aramean, and the Chaldee, or East Aramean. The appropriate region of the latter was the province of Babylonia, between the Euphrates and Tigris, the original inhabitants of which, (related in respect of their origin to the Hebrews and Syrians, and who should not be confounded with the Chaldeans, a tribe which occupied that region much later,) cultivated this language as a distinct dialect, and communicated it to the Jews during the Babylonian exile. The Chaldeans [Xaldaior, ] originated, as is evident from a comparison of the statements of Greek authors, (particularly Xenophon,) with those of the Bible, in the mountains of Armenia. Partly overcome by the Assyrians, they removed to the plains of Mesopotamia, and especially of Babylonia, in the seventh century B. C. They afterwards not only gained their own independence, but rose to universal dominion on the ruins of the great Assyrian Monarchy. The name Babylonians (Ezra 4: 9) we apply, on the other hand, to the original inhabitants of Babylonia, who were of a Shemitish (Aramean) stock. To them belonged the language of which we are treating; and it may therefore not inappropriately be termed Babylonish. For, that the Chaldeans did not speak the same language as the descendants of Aramean, Hebrew and Arabic. Abraham who settled in Palestine did, nor even a kindred dialect, is clear from the Chaldaic names of gods, kings, and offices, which appear in the Old Testament after the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and which are connected with the Medo-Persian language, (see Gesenius' Geschichte der Hebr. Sprach. p. 62 seq.), but which admit no adequate explanation from the Shemitish. The appellation Aramean (language) is derived from 2 Kings 18: 26. Isa. 36: 11. Ez. 4: 7, and Daniel 2: 4. In the first two passages the name is applied to the dialect through which the Assyrian and Chaldean officers made themselves understood in conversation with Hebrews [Jews]; i. e. the universal language of the inhabitants of the Assyrian [Chaldean] kingdom on this side the Tigris. See Gesenius Com. zu Jes. Vol. I. p. 956 seq. In the last case, on the other hand, the Chaldean magians address Nebuchadnezzar in Aramean; which is indeed remarkable. It is manifest however that the same dialect is meant from the sequel, in which the speech of the magians is inserted in the Chaldee dialect, now so called. In the Greek and Latin languages the term Aramean is not wholly wanting, (comp. Strabo I. p. 212. Ed. Siebenkees), although Syriac is very extensively used in respect to Syria, Mesopotamia and Babylonia, and specially of the languages of these countries. Comp. Xen. Cyrop. 7, 5. 31. Jerome on Dan. 2: 4. Strabo II. p. 58.-On the name applied to the Chaldee by the Talmudists, see Lightfoot Hor. Heb. on John 4: 2. and below No. 2. Chaldaic, [77] in the Old Testament, signifies the language of the inhabitants of Chaldea proper, which, according to Dan. 1: 4, was the court language under Nebuchadnezzar. On the other hand, Philo uses Xalduiori of the Babylonian also, and even of the ancient Hebrew. To what extent the Babyloneo-Aramean was cultivated as a separate dialect, and whether it ever became the language of books, history does not inform us. That it continued in Babylonia, in connexion with the proper Chaldee, as the language of ordinary intercourse, is evident, partly from the above-quoted Scripture passages and from several passages in Xenophon's Cyropaedia, but especially from the well known circumstance, that the exiled Jews found the Babylonish, as a living language, in the provinces to which they were carried. It appears also, from the remains of the Pehlvi dialect, that the Babylonish produced a very great influence upon the ancient language of the Chaldeans, (i. e. the Median.) See Gesenius Com. über Jes. Vol. I. p. 947. 2. By means of the Jews the Chaldee was transplant ed into Palestine, where it became the vernacular tongue, and was employed by them, as it had been in Babylonia, as the language of books. Though the Aramean as spoken by Jews partook somewhat of the Hebrew character, no entire or very important corruption of it took place; and to this circumstance alone the Babylonians are indebted, for the survival, or at least the partial preservation, of their language, which, even in the mother country, has, since the spread of Islamism, been totally extinct. The Jews however did not, immediately after their return, adopt the Chaldee exclusively. It was not until the time of the Maccabees, that this language completely displaced the Old Hebrew, as Gesenius has demonstrated. Gesch. d. Heb. Spr. p. 44. Concerning the Chaldee as the language of books among the Jews, see No. 3. It is clear from Ezra 4: 7, 8, that it was also the government-language of the western provinces of the Persian empire. The Samaritans also spoke a dialect very nearly resembling the Chaldee. In later times, the name Hebrew (έβραΐς, ἑβραῒς διάλεκτος, γλῶσ σα τῶν ἑβραίων, ἑβραϊστί,) was transferred to the Babylonish dialect ; comp. Prol. to Sirach, John 5: 2. 19: 13. Acts 21: 40. 22: 2. 26: 14. Rev. 9: 11. 16: 16. Jerome Prol. to 1. Macc. It was even calJoseph. Jewish Wars hand, call the Chalin ¬¬ 7183. See Baba Kama fol. 83, 1. led nároios yλwooα, qový. 2 Mac. 13: 37. πάτριος γλῶσσα, φωνή. Pref. 1. The Talmudists, on the other dee, in distinction from the Old Hebrew, Lightfoot on John 5: 2. Also 70 [Syriac] Sot. 49. 2. Pesach. 61. 1. Compare C. H. Zeibich de lingua Jud. Heb. tempore Christi. Viteb. 1741. The name Chaldaic did not, however, become totally obsolete. We find it again in Jerome, Prol. ad Tob., Judith. It is plain, from the nature of the case, that the Babylonish language would, as spoken and written by Jews, i. e. by those who inhabited Palestine, receive something of the Hebrew character. That such was the fact will be more particularly shown below, No. 3. Still the assertion is incorrect, that the Chaldee which we have, (and which has come to us only through the Jews,) has been extraordinarily corrupted by them, or is a mixture of Hebrew with pure Babylonian. See Michaelis Abh. v. d. Syr. Spr. 36 seq. Wahl Geschichte d. morg. Sprachen. 78 seq. Meyer Hermeneut. d. A. T. vol. I. p. 266. Comp. Jahn Ein Abraham who settled in Palestine did, nor even a kindred dialect, is clear from the Chaldaic names of gods, kings, and offices, which appear in the Old Testament after the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and which are connected with the Medo-Persian language, (see Gesenius' Geschichte der Hebr. Sprach. p. 62 seq.), but which admit no adequate explanation from the Shemitish. The appellation Aramean (language) is derived from 2 Kings 18: 26. Isa. 36: 11. Ez. 4: 7, and Daniel 2: 4. In the first two passages the name is applied to the dialect through which the Assyrian and Chaldean officers made themselves understood in conversation with Hebrews [Jews]; i. e. the universal language of the inhabitants of the Assyrian [Chaldean] kingdom on this side the Tigris. See Gesenius Com. zu Jes. Vol. I. p. 956 seq. In the last case, on the other hand, the Chaldean magians address Nebuchadnezzar in Aramean; which is indeed remarkable. It is manifest however that the same dialect is meant from the sequel, in which the speech of the magians is inserted in the Chaldee dialect, now so called. In the Greek and Latin languages the term Aramean is not wholly wanting, (comp. Strabo I. p. 212. Ed. Siebenkees), although Syriac is very extensively used in respect to Syria, Mesopotamia and Babylonia, and specially of the languages of these countries. Comp. Xen. Cyrop. 7, 5. 31. Jerome on Dan. 2: 4. Strabo II. p. 58.-On the name applied to the Chaldee by the Talmudists, see Lightfoot Hor. Heb. on John 4: 2. and below No. 2. Chaldaic, [7] in the Old Testament, signifies the language of the inhabitants of Chaldea proper, which, according to Dan. 1: 4, was the court language under Nebuchadnezzar. On the other hand, Philo uses Xalduiori of the Babylonian also, and even of the ancient Hebrew. To what extent the Babyloneo-Aramean was cultivated as a separate dialect, and whether it ever became the language of books, history does not inform us. That it continued in Babylonia, in connexion with the proper Chaldee, as the language of ordinary intercourse, is evident, partly from the above-quoted Scripture passages and from several passages in Xenophon's Cyropaedia, but especially from the well known circumstance, that the exiled Jews found the Babylonish, as a living language, in the provinces to which they were carried. It appears also, from the remains of the Pehlvi dialect, that the Babylonish produced a very great influence upon the ancient language of the Chaldeans, (i. e. the Median.) See Gesenius Com. über Jes. Vol. I. p. 947. 2. By means of the Jews the Chaldee was transplant erned, these remains of the Babylonish dialect may be e classes. The purest Chaldee, (i. e. the freest from ars in the Targum of Onkelos on the Pentateuch. respect to words, orthography and grammatical connewhat inferior, is the Biblical Chaldee, which is incout with Hebrew peculiarities; e. g. the substituwhether quiescent or not, the Plural termination rm, the conj. Hophal. Finally, the remaining sed in a language, not only abounding in foreign g many peculiar forms, (e. g. Hiphil □pix from of the Infin. Paël, Ithpeël and Ithpaäl,) part of vriac or Rabbinic, (as prefixed to the 3d p. - prefixed in Passives,) and part arise from conmerals). These peculiarities have been notiy by Eichhorn (Einl. ins A. T. II. 6 seq. 90 eed to be collected into a separate treatise. In dee will constantly be distinguished from the of the Talmud is commonly termed Chaldee. aldaic] originals of several of the |