Date and provenance of the Aramaic language in the Genesis Apocryphon and in the Book of Daniel : a comparative study with an emphasis on word order

Abstract

The Aramaic of the Genesis Apocryphon (1QapGen) and of the book of Daniel has formerly been compared basically in the areas of orthography and morphology, and on those bases the issues of date and provenance have usually been discussed. This study expands the comparative material to also include syntax with a special emphasis on word order, and from that perspective an interpretation of the data is carried out accompanied by a reassessment of the date(s) and provenance(s) of the Aramaic language of the texts. The interpretation employs diachronic theory, verbal theory, and wave-theoretical perspectives. Throughout the study special attention is given to Daniel 7, which has often been associated with the Maccabean age. It is especially the interpretation of word order within the framework of verbal theory and wave theory that points us toward a homogeneous Aramaic language in Daniel that is distinct both pertaining to provenance and date when compared to the Aramaic of the Genesis Apocryphon.