----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark E. Shoulson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Peter Kirk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "Peter Constable" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Unicode List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, May 28, 2004 8:04 PM Subject: Re: PH technical issues (was RE: Why Fraktur is irrelevant
> Peter Kirk wrote: > > > On 27/05/2004 20:10, Mark E. Shoulson wrote: > > > >> ... See http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t08/t0805.htm for some > >> Talmudic discussion of the matter. > >> > > It is interesting to see there that Daniel 5:8 (compare v.25 - the > > event can be dated to October 539 BC) is cited as an example of the > > mutual illegibility of palaeo-Hebrew and square Hebrew characters. It > > is suggested there that the original writing on the wall, at > > Belshazzar's feast, was in square characters which only Daniel could > > read. In fact the scenario was more likely the other way round: the > > inscription was in palaeo-Hebrew. Daniel, born in the land of Israel, > > could probably read these glyphs, but maybe the Babylonian wise men > > could not. The language of the inscription is not Hebrew but Aramaic, > > but maybe the letters were palaeo-Hebrew. But then the author of the > > book of Daniel ascribes Daniel's ability to read the writing not to > > the different script but to wisdom given by God. > > Interesting, no? > > I just realized that on "p.59" the translation leaves out a verse from > Exodus 27:10, claiming it its translation makes no sense. Yes, it > does. The verse says "...the hooks of the pillars..." on which R. > Eliezer quoting R. Elazar says "just as the pillars didn't change, the > hooks didn't change." And this makes sense IF you recall that the word > for "hooks of.." is "vavei", the same word as "vavs of..." i.e. the > letters "vav" didn't change... [Dan. v. 8] "They were not able to read the writing, nor to make its interpretation." The waw which is here translated as "nor". Has it, in this verse, allways meant "nor" ? Compare Daniel 5:7 Who can ((read this) â(explain it to me)) gets purple and gold and other rewards, or something like that. I would expect in Daniel 5:8 the logical negation of this, something like: They  (were able to ((read the writing) â (make its interpretation)))
