SAMARITAN ALPHABET Meaning and
Definition
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Samaritan alphabet refers to a writing system primarily used by the Samaritans, an ancient religious community residing in present-day Israel and the West Bank. It is a variant of the Paleo-Hebrew script and is specifically employed to transcribe the Samaritan language, a distinct Semitic tongue closely related to Hebrew.
The Samaritan alphabet consists of 22 consonantal characters, similar in shape and order to early Hebrew, as it dates back to the First Temple period in ancient Israel. This non-vocalized script lacks vowels, rendering it an abjad, commonly read from right to left. It has played a significant role in preserving and transmitting the Samaritan religious and historical literatures, including the Samaritan Pentateuch, a rendition of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
The Samaritan alphabet's unique characteristics include certain letter shapes and distinctive diacritic marks to indicate vowels, while also fulfilling essential phonetic functions. Although largely obsolete for daily use, it remains significant for liturgical purposes within the Samaritan community.
In conclusion, the Samaritan alphabet is a writing system developed and utilized by the Samaritans, consisting of 22 consonantal characters and lacking vowels. It serves as a means of preserving and transmitting the cultural, religious, and historical heritage of the Samaritan people, particularly their sacred texts.
Etymology of SAMARITAN ALPHABET
The term "Samaritan alphabet" refers to the writing system used by the Samaritans, an ethnoreligious group in the Levant region. The etymology of the word "Samaritan" comes from the Samaritans themselves, who claim descent from the ancient Israelite kingdom of Samaria.
The word "alphabet" has its roots in ancient Greek. The first two letters of the Greek alphabet are "alpha" (Α) and "beta" (Β), which led to the term "alphabet". This term was derived from the names of those two letters, which in turn have roots in the Phoenician alphabet—a writing system developed by the ancient Phoenicians, an influential seafaring civilization. The Phoenicians spread their alphabet throughout the Mediterranean, which became the basis for several writing systems, including the Samaritan alphabet.
