Читать книгу Hebrew For Dummies - Jill Suzanne Jacobs - Страница 23

Hebrew is no ordinary language. Quite the contrary. Hebrew dates back more than 3,500 years to antiquity, and the Hebrew alphabet is quite possibly the first alphabet known to humankind. Hebrew was the language of King David and King Solomon, and the Bible’s original language. Furthermore, ancient people called the Phoenicians based their alphabet on the Hebrew alphabet. The Greeks based their alphabet on the Phoenicians’ letters. And the Latin letters you’re reading right now are derived from the Greeks’ letters! So, although the Hebrew language may look a little different, only four degrees separate it from what you’re used to.

In Jewish circles, using the terms CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before the Common Era) instead of the terms AD (Anno Domini, or year of our Lord) and B. (Before Christ) is customary. In Hebrew, you say לִפְנֵי הַסְּפִירָה (leef-nahy hah-sfee-rah; before the counting) and אַחֲרֵי הַסְּפִירָה (ah-chah-ray hah-sfee-rah; after the counting). 2021/22 is 5782, dated from the time of Creation, placed at 3761 BCE.