On the Possible Old Persian Origin of the Aramaic shym ṭʿm, "to Issue a Decree"
On the Possible Old Persian Origin of the Aramaic שים טעם, "to Issue a Decree"
The Aramaic formula שים טעם 'to issue a decree,' first occurs in the Imperial Aramaic of Daniel, Ezra, and the Aramaic letters of the 5th century B.C.E. The regular use of this formula in the passive voice with a known agent caused E.Y.Kutscher to suspect Persian interference and argue tha...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
1998
|
| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual
Year: 1997, Volume: 68, Pages: 1-9 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The Aramaic formula שים טעם 'to issue a decree,' first occurs in the Imperial Aramaic of Daniel, Ezra, and the Aramaic letters of the 5th century B.C.E. The regular use of this formula in the passive voice with a known agent caused E.Y.Kutscher to suspect Persian interference and argue that the clause was probably a passivum majestatis of Old Persian origin. Expanding on Kutscher, this article proposes that שים טעם may be a Persian calque involving one of three Old Persian verbs: ništā-, framā-, or θah-. A detailed analysis of the verbs finds all three to be possible, but rates ništā- as the most promising. Old Aramaic and Hebrew parallels to שים טעם offer material that challenges this position; yet a closer examination of all the data reveals that the argument for שים טעם as an Old Persian calque is more convincing and gives a better account of the evidence. |
|---|---|
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual
|