Ancient Aramaic and Hebrew Letters.

• Author: Porten, Bezalel

James M. Lindenberger is well known for his excellent commentary, The Aramaic Proverbs of Ahiqar,(1) and his translation, The Tale of Ahiqar.(2) The present work is part of a series (SBL Writings from the Ancient World) whose intent is to aid the humanities scholar in "comparative work," to increase the awareness of the general reader and student of "our cultural roots," and to assist the ancient Near Eastern specialist who does not "control" the Northwest Semitic languages. In fulfilling these intentions this compact book is a distinct success. It contains all the desired auxiliary apparatus - a transnational chronological table; three sketch maps including all places cited; a general introduction covering the epistolary role of Aramaic, the style, form, and content of the letters and the material on which they were written (leather, papyrus, clay), and a detailed justification of the mode of translation; sophisticated chapter introductions and brief textual notes; a detailed list of sources; a concordance of texts; a ten-page bibliography; glossary; and five distinct indices.

Lindenberger is in complete command of his material, familiar with the problems of interpreting difficult texts, and possessed of panoramic vision and discrimination of detail. Individually and collectively, the texts are viewed in their cultural context. Seventy letters are divided into eight chapters: (1) diplomatic-military correspondence (Ashur Ostracon and Adon Papyrus [seventh century B.C.E.]; (2) business and family letters (Hermopolis 1-7 and Padua 1-2); (3) Elephantine ostraca (eighteen texts [ca. 475 B.C.E.]); (4) Elephantine Jewish communal archives (Cowley 21, 30, 33, 37-38, 56, and 34 [end of fifth century B.C.E.]); (5) letters from Persian officials (thirteen skins from the Arsames archive and Cowley 26 [end of fifth century B.C.E.]); (6) Hebrew judicial petitions (Mesad Hashavyahu Ostracon [reign of Josiah]); (7) Judean military-administrative letters from Arad (ten ostraca [mostly ca. 597 B.C.E.]) and Lachish (seven ostraca [ca. 589 B.C.E.]); (8) Canaanite letters (Edomite Horvat Uza Ostracon, Ammonite Tell el-Mazar Ostracon, Saqqarah Phoenician Papyrus).

Lindenberger prefaces to each translation the original text. The Aramaic documents are based on the edition of B. Porten and A. Yardeni.(3) Since all of this material had been collated at source, includes many new readings, and is copyrighted, one would have thought that the authors' consent for...