-
Appendix B: Further Reading
- NYU Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
Appendix B Further Reading The number of things I know nothing about is increasing at an alarming rate. The purpose of this “Further Reading” section is twofold: to substantiate some of the material presented in this book and to direct readers to sources of more information on what they have found here. In terms of the former goal, this section serves the same general purpose as academic footnotes. Readers who want more details than space permits in this book will find references here to the original work on which much of this book is based, as well as references to divergent opinions. I present these with only minor commentary, in the hope that curious readers will investigate the various discussions in the literature and then draw their own conclusions. In terms of the second goal, I have tried to give the reader an indication of what I have found valuable. Those who have enjoyed this book will probably enjoy my recommendations, and those who have not will at least have a list here of other material to be avoided. The first section (“General”) lists some books that broadly complement or expand upon the overall theme of this book, and fulfill one or both of the goals of this reading list. More detailed lists corresponding to each chapter of this book follow, where the reader will find material in support of (and sometimes in opposition to) the information in each chapter, as well as suggestions for where to look for material that expands on the content I’ve presented. Happy reading. 229 230 Further Reading General As a jumping-off point for further research, the serious student of Hebrew will without doubt want to read Saenz-Badillos’ academically rigorous A History of the Hebrew Language (1993). Its nearly seventy-page bibliography in eight-point type is a testimony to the enormous amount of scholarship summarized by the author. The text, while academic and not meant to entertain, clearly and succinctly summarizes the state of scholarship about Hebrew in its various incarnations. The book falls short (by the author’s own admission) in the area of Modern Hebrew, and also (in my opinion) in not taking the modern study of linguistics seriously enough. It also rarely provides the author’s evaluation of conflicting reports in the literature , which can prove frustrating to the casual reader who does not have the means, for example, to decide between an opinion written in German and a conflicting point of view in Italian. In spite of these shortcomings, it is a superb work. Saggs’ Civilization before Greece and Rome (1989) is one of the best books I have ever read. While only one chapter (Chapter 4: “Writing”) is directly relevant to the material I’ve presented, the book is a wonderful window into the ancient world. Unlike Saenz-Badillos, Saggs writes to inform and to entertain, and succeeds admirably at both. His book, which describes the places, people, and events relevant to the early history of Hebrew, is a delightful, informative, insightful and fun tour through material that, while largely well known in academia, is less commonly made available to wider audiences. He also includes new analyses and summaries of old information, making the book a gem for scholars and lay readers alike. The best introduction to the modern study of linguistics that I have found is Pinker’s The Language Instinct (2000). Anyone interested in language will want to read this book, which is written to be both informative and enjoyable; it does well on both counts. The modern study of linguistics has revolutionized the study of language and languages, both old and new, and Pinker does a superb job in bringing the underlying principles of this still-evolving field to life. The nearly fifty plates at the end of Wurthwein’s The Text of the Old Testament (1995) bring over three millennia of Hebrew to life in a way that mere prose cannot. Even without the text of the book, the plates would make his book worthwhile for anyone interested in how Hebrew has progressed and how scholars know about its various stages. The book itself covers the more limited domain of how the text of the Old Testament has reached us, and does so superbly. It is a reference book with succinct and informative summaries of most of the information about the history [18.222.205.211] Project MUSE (2024-04-17 21:53 GMT) Further Reading 231 and study of the...