This volume provides a detailed overview of ancient Aramaic literature, covering a millennium of narratives, poetry, and religious compositions (from ca. 1000 B.C.E. to 100 C.E.). This historical and critical survey encompasses the whole realm of literary production in various ancient Aramaic dialects, from Egypt to Mesopotamia, including the Bible and Qumran. Likewise, all genres and compositions are analyzed here: court tales, such as the Story of Ah. iqar, Tales of the Persian Court, and the biblical and parabiblical Daniel narratives; proverbs; apocalyptic texts; psalms and rituals; epics; historical texts; early targums; and even paraliterary texts such as incantations. The comprehensive study of these literary corpora, throughout their variegated geography and history, will establish them as part of a cogent literary tradition with its own shared features, distinctive trends, and unique complexities.weiterlesen