Story of Hebrew

Lewis Glinert is Professor of Hebrew Studies at Dartmouth College, where he is also affiliated with the Program in Linguistics. His books include The Grammar of Modern Hebrew and The Joys of Hebrew.

• List of Figures ix Introduction 1 1 "Let There Be Hebrew" 8 2 Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome 22 3 Saving the Bible and Its Hebrew 59 4 The Sephardic Classical Age 74 5 Medieval Ashkenaz and Italy: Sciences, Sonnets, and the Sacred 102 6 Hebrew in the Christian Imagination, I: Medieval Designs 124 7 Hebrew in the Christian Imagination, II: From Kabbalists to Colonials 139 8 Can These Bones Live? Hebrew at the Dawn of Modernity 168 9 The Hebrew State 212 Epilogue 246 Acknowledgments 251 Notes 253 Further Reading 261 Index 265

"The most ambitious attempt since William Chomsky's groundbreaking 1957 study, Hebrew: The Eternal Language, Mr. Glinert's biography of Hebrew succeeds in representing the language not just as a vehicle of communication but as a crucible of national cohesion. To read [this book] is to appreciate Hebrew as the grammar of a dynamic dialogue between the claims of the ever-changing present and the imperatives of the past."--Benjamin Balint, Wall Street Journal "An insightful, entertaining, and essential guide to the origins and evolution of the Hebrew language... This is a must-read for students of language and Jewish history."--Publishers Weekly "Glinert brings the Hebrew story to life with such a wealth of intriguing cultural detail in so astonishingly few pages of lively, engaging exposition that his account is must reading for all who revel in the history and elasticity of languages."--Ray Olson, Booklist (starred review) "Elegant... The Story of Hebrew covers a great deal of ground in a readable style, studded with stories and quotations that make clear how astonishing it is that out of the fossil DNA of this sacred language, a new creation has arisen."--David Wolpe, Weekly Standard "The Story of Hebrew ... is enormously rewarding for those wishing to familiarize themselves with the evolution both of the Hebrew language and attitudes toward it... Glinert is an excellent tour guide. Many of the book's most compelling stories are those that help explain how, during the nearly two millennia during which it had generally ceased to be a spoken language, Hebrew continued to be central to the lives of Jews."--Howard Freedman, J Weekly "Valuable... Glinert has written a scholarly book designed for and accessible to the layman. In a brief 250 pages he succinctly and convincingly demonstrates that through the centuries Hebrew was more living than dead."--David Isaac, Washington Free Beacon "The Story of Hebrew is a scholarly, engaging history of the language... Richly detailed and wholly fascinating. Glinert is an engaging storyteller, always lucid, wry and accessible."--Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal "A major work of scholarship, The Story of Hebrew is an unforgettable account of what one language has meant to those possessing it."--Israel News Online "Witty and learned... I thought that I was well versed in the history of Hebrew, but there was hardly a page in this book on which I didn't learn something new. And Glinert is a pleasure to spend time with; his authorial voice in The Story of Hebrew reminds me of those famous BBC radio talks given by enormously erudite Oxbridge dons: authoritative, amusing, and crystal clear."--Alan Mintz, Jewish Review of Books "In this meticulously researched but highly readable work of scholarship by Glinert, the Dartmouth professor tells not just a history of the Jewish language but, indeed, its story. From the opening lines of Genesis to its modern Israeli incarnation, Hebrew has packed more symbolic power than almost any other tongue... An entertaining account that should also serve as a fundamental text for any student of language or Jewish history."--Victor Wishna, Jewish Telegraphic Agency "This book is a gem... The Story of Hebrew is a superb book, meticulously researched and beautifully written... Read this marvelous study."--Curt Leviant, Jewish Independent "Glinert tells a lively story that informs the reader about uses and misuses of the language, along with a social and cultural history of the Jewish people."--John C. Endres, America "Notwithstanding its academic credibility and that of its author, The Story of Hebrew ... makes thrilling reading for the non-specialist. The felicitous narrative of Lewis Glinert, with its clarity and lack of abstruse language or jargon, ensures that a lay reader with an interest in Hebrew will find much to gain from this fascinating study."--Gila Wertheimer, Chicago Jewish Star