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[lisarose]

Hello,  Thank you for getting back to me.  I been driving myself a little crazy trying to find info.  I am interested in biblical Aramaic.  As far as the script, I was thinking should it be square?  This is where I start getting confused.  I want to be able to read biblical text.  Can you guide me?

Lisa Rose

Greetings Lisa Rose,
A few suggestions:
1. jesusspokearamaic.com - a subscription site where Ewan MacLeod provides beginner Aramaic/Syriac, excellent introduction, especially to the scripts - site is regularly updated
2. eTeacher, for a cost, has Biblical Aramaic classes online with native speaking teachers and students around the globe. Excellent but pricey.
3. Check out Amazon.com if books work for you - Miles Van Pelt (Zondervan) has a Biblical Aramaic book with videos available. Caution, he goes fast and expects you not to continue without mastering each chapter. I don't think he is a native speaker.
4. Michael Heiser occasionally offers an online Beginning Biblical Aramaic course with some excellent videos.
5. Memrise.com is a free place to go to practice vocabulary (many languages) via flash cards. Some have audio! Search under Aramaic and you will find several.
5. I need to hear things, so I prefer to listen as well as read. - www.aoal.org has all chapters read by a native speaker.
Such a worthy pursuit.  All the best to you, Shlama
Shelley

Thank you Shelley for all the information.  I will check out each item that you helped me with.  Eteacher said I have to know how to speak basic Hebrew.  Well that leaves me out.  I wish I lived by a temple, because the Rabbi said he would help me.  But it is far.  But for all your help, I can't say enough thanks.  I believe that the people that want to learn this and more are driven by God.
Lisa Rose     Bless you