Learn the Ancient Hebrew Alphabet and Language

Learn the cultural background of the Hebrew language and how to read and interpret ancient Hebrew texts and Inscriptions

The Modern Hebrew alphabet is only about 2,000 years old, but the Hebrew alphabet has a very long and interesting history that goes back another two thousand years. Prior to this modern alphabet, the Hebrew language was written with a more pictographic script, similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs, where each letter was a picture. These pictures help to define the letter within its original Hebrew culture and thereby help to define the words that these letters are written with.

This course will examine the history and evolution of the Ancient Semitic/Hebrew alphabet from its early pictographic origins to its modern forms as well as its adoption into the Greek and Latin alphabets. 

You will learn the origins of our numbering system in the Hebrew alphabet, the meanings of each Hebrew letter, how to recognize the letters in ancient inscriptions and writings and have a basic knowledge of Hebrew word structure.

You will also learn about the root system of Hebrew words, how to interpret them and how the Ancient Hebrew philosophy and culture influence their definition and meanings.