CHIEFLY FROM THE GERMAN OF PROFESSOR G. B. WINER; A CHRESTOMATHY, CONSISTING OF SELECTIONS FROM THE TARGUMS, AND INCLUDING THE WHOLE OF THE BIBLICAL CHALDEE, WITH NOTES; AND A VOCABULARY, ADAPTED TO THE CHRESTOMATHY. WITH AN APPENDIX ON THE RABBINICAL CHARACTER AND STYLE. BY ELIAS RIGGS, A. M. BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY PERKINS AND MARVIN, - Codman Press, Andover, 1832. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1832, by PERKINS & MARVIN, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. FLAGG AND GOULD....PRINTERS. PREFACE BY PROFESSOR STUART. My young friend, who now ventures to make his appearance before the world in the following sheets, feeling a diffidence which is natural to youth and modest adventurers in a literary enterprise, prefers an introduction of his undertaking and object to the public by me, rather than to make one for himself. With great readiness I yield to his wishes, because I have it much at heart, to commend the good work in which he has been engaged. The study of the Chaldee language is worthy of commendation, on various grounds. (1) A knowledge of it is highly important, in aiding the student more fully to understand the Hebrew. The basis of Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and Samaritan, is well known by every good oriental scholar, to be one and the same. Hence it may be truly said, that he, who has a solid and fundamental knowledge of the genius of one of these languages, possesses a real knowledge of them all. The meaning is, that the genius, structure, idiom, peculiarities of syntax, and a multitude of the words, are substantially the same in all; so that he, who has acquired a radical acquaintance with any one of them, is prepared to make very rapid and easy progress in them all. The student who understands the Hebrew, has only to read through the pages of the Grammar in the following sheets, in order to be fully satisfied of the correctness of this statement. And if correct, then is it obvious, that in every step of his progress in the study of the Chaldee, he is gaining additional light and satisfaction and confirmation, in regard to the meaning, forms, and structure of the Hebrew. Who will say that the study of Greek, Latin, French (specially the Norman), and Saxon, does not cast light upon the English language? Indeed, how can it ever be radically understood, without some knowledge of these languages? But the Chaldee is much nearer to the Hebrew, than any of these languages to the English. (2) The most important ancient helps extant, for illustrating the meaning of Hebrew words, are in the Chaldee language. The two |