Hebrew as a language is just over 3;000 years old; and the story of its alphabet is unique among the languages of the world. Hebrew set the stage for almost every modern alphabet; and was arguably the first written language simple enough for everyone; not just scribes; to learn; making it possible to make a written record available to the masses for the first time. Written language has existed for so many years—since around 3500 BCE—that most of us take it for granted. But as Hoffman reveals in this entertaining and informative work; even the idea that speech can be divided into units called “words†and that these words can be represented with marks on a page; had to be discovered. As Hoffman points out; almost every modern system of writing descends from Hebrew; by studying the history of this language; we can learn a good deal about how we express ourselves today.Hoffman follows and decodes the adventure that is the history of Hebrew; illuminating how the written record has survived; the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls and ancient translations; and attempts to determine how the language actually sounded. He places these developments into a historical context; and shows their continuing impact on the modern world.This sweeping history traces Hebrew's development as one of the first languages to make use of vowels. Hoffman also covers the dramatic story of the rebirth of Hebrew as a modern; spoken language.Packed with lively information about language and linguistics and history; In the Beginning is essential reading for both newcomers and scholars interested in learning more about Hebrew and languages in general.
#526249 in Books Marcel Metzger 1997-07-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.25 x .50 x 5.50l; .40 #File Name: 0814624332160 pagesHistory of the Liturgy The Major Stages
Review
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful. A Simple but Well Done PrimerBy John A Lee IIIThis little volume is written by a Roman Catholic from a Roman point of view but will be of interest to anyone interested in the development of Christian liturgy. It does no go over much into a description of the conduct of the rites themselves but instead describes their context; what prompted various practices and how those practices changed over time.After a brief introduction; the author breaks his narrative into several distinct phases. These include Apostolic times; the period before Christianity was tolerated; the period when Christianity became "Official"; and the later medieval period. Some information is given on the Vatican II reforms but this is not a major part of the book. Likewise; some attention is given to Eastern Orthodox practice early on but this subsides with the historical schism of the church and Easter rites are mentioned only in passing later on.Very little will be found in here on Protestant practices but that does not stop the book from being useful to Protestants with an interest in liturgy. In the first place; it is well written and in the second; most of what is examined comes from a common heritage before the Reformation. There will even be found a few snippets that would seem to favor some modern Protestant practice over current Roman practice though they are not presented in this manner. (Unction comes immediately to mind.)This volume does not presuppose a high level of training. Any person who has a basic familiarity with the practices of Christian worship should be able to follow along.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A concise history of the development of the liturgy which ...By R. Padraic SpringuelA concise history of the development of the liturgy which provides the broad brush strokes that make contextualizing more detailed information from other works that much easier.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy TrueGreat quality and very resourceful.
