Takamitsu Muraoka

An Introduction to Egyptian Aramaic Takamitsu Muraoka

This is an introductory grammar of Egyptian Aramaic, a form of Aramaic which occurs in documents originating in Egypt, mostly in Elephantine where there was a Jewish community during the Persian period. They date from the end of the 7th to the third century BCE. Most of the documents are either administrative or legal in nature, but also include some literary pieces such as Proverbs of Ahiqar, private, familial letters, and documents of religious significance. Basic knowledge of Biblical Hebrew is assumed, but not that of any other Aramaic idiom, though Egyptian Aramaic is very closely related to Biblical Aramaic. In the grammar part of the book, the morphosyntax and syntax occupy nearly half of its pages. In addition, there is an anthology of sixteen, quite extensively annotated texts, followed by a glossary covering all the texts included in the anthology and various indices. A useful instrument for students of Aramaic in general, Biblical Aramaic in particular. Throughout the grammar, constant comparison is made with Biblical Aramaic.