Aramaic version of the Teachings of Aḥiqar and the problem of ethical monotheism
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Abstract
The article presents a Ukrainian translation of one of the most outstanding works of ancient Near Eastern literature – the Teachings of Aḥiqar. The translation is made from the oldest currently known Aramaic version of the work, dated to the 6th century BC and represented by a manuscript of the 5th century BC (TAD C1.1) from the archive of the Jewish community on the island of Elephantine (Egypt). According to recent research, the Aramaic text of the Teachings is the earliest example of this work and, possibly, the original. The introduction to the translation presents an overview of the primary studies of the Teachings of Aḥiqar, particularly the issues of the literary forms of the prose and poetic parts of the work, as well as discussions regarding the language of the original and its religious evaluation. The latter issue is considered in detail in the article and includes the following aspects: the connection of wisdom with the Divine Principle in ancient wisdom literature; the transcendental nature of wisdom and monotheism as a worldview basis; mythopoetics and wisdom; and comparison with biblical wisdom literature. Given the damage and incompleteness of the ancient Aramaic text, the content analysis was also compared with the later Syriac version, which is considered the closest to the source (after the Aramaic text). Translation of the Teachings of Aḥiqar into the Ukrainian language is made for the first time.
How to Cite
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Aḥiqar, Imperial Aramaic, Elephantine papyri, wisdom literature, ethical monotheism, Biblical Studies
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