06-14-2011, 12:55 AM
Shlama,
i tend to think that it is likely a loanword, too, although with a very good possibility of being a wordplay with paraqlita. the term is found in the Talmud several times, so obviously it was in use by the Hebrews, and in those instances, translating it as "curse-breaker" would not work in that body of literature.
Hebrew does have some instances of wordplays that cross over language barriers -- i.e., RA meaning "bad" / "evil"in the book of Exodus, but also inferring the Egyptian idol of Ra, when it was used by the Pharaoh to Moses. and again, in Proverbs, an instance of the Hebrew TSOPHIYAH that is the exact sonic equivalent to the Greek SOPHIA.
so to push it as solely intended to be of Greek or Aramaic origin is limiting the Semitic function of wordplay from a dual language aspect. i don't know if there is a specific name for such function, but it is something i've run across in my own studies, and thinks it works well, here.
Chayim b'Moshiach,
Jeremy
i tend to think that it is likely a loanword, too, although with a very good possibility of being a wordplay with paraqlita. the term is found in the Talmud several times, so obviously it was in use by the Hebrews, and in those instances, translating it as "curse-breaker" would not work in that body of literature.
Hebrew does have some instances of wordplays that cross over language barriers -- i.e., RA meaning "bad" / "evil"in the book of Exodus, but also inferring the Egyptian idol of Ra, when it was used by the Pharaoh to Moses. and again, in Proverbs, an instance of the Hebrew TSOPHIYAH that is the exact sonic equivalent to the Greek SOPHIA.
so to push it as solely intended to be of Greek or Aramaic origin is limiting the Semitic function of wordplay from a dual language aspect. i don't know if there is a specific name for such function, but it is something i've run across in my own studies, and thinks it works well, here.
Chayim b'Moshiach,
Jeremy