EL114_MIDTERM HEBREW AND PERSIAN LITERATURE

Hebrew

Comes from Middle English EBREU, from Old French, derived from Latin HEBRAEUS.

The Samaritans and Jews.

Ancestors of Hebrews

Abraham

Hebrews claim to be descendant of Biblical Patriarch

Canaan(formerly known as Israel)

Settlement of Hebrews (1400 BC)

Samaritans and Jews

Hebrews were ancestors of these two groups.

Hebrew

A member of the Canaanite group of Semitic languages, originally spoken by ancient Jews, but by 586 BC it started to replaced by Aramaic.

Abraham

Biblical patriarch whom Hebrews claim as an ancestor.

Canaan

Ancient land where Hebrews settled, corresponding to modern Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Hebrew Language

Language of the early Jews, replaced gradually by Aramaic after 586 BCE.

Tanakh

Hebrew Bible

Biblical Hebrew

Earliest form of Hebrew language associated with the Hebrew Bible, characterized by its poetic and prose texts including religious and historical writings; the language in which the books of the Bible were originally written.

Mishnah

A compilation of Jewish oral traditions and laws

Mishnaic Hebrew

Form of Hebrew linked to the Mishnah, used between 2nd and 4th centuries CE.

Song of Deborah

An ancient Hebrew poem in chapter 5 of Judges, considered by scholars as one of the oldest examples of Hebrew language and poetry.

Modern Hebrew

the language of Israel in modern times

Medieval Hebrew

Developed as a literary and liturgical language in the Middle Ages, influenced by Greek, Spanish, and Arabic[6th - 13th century CE]; It spanned from the 6th to the 18th centuries CE.

Modern Hebrew

Revived as a spoken language in the 19th century, spearheaded by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda; is the standard form of the language spoken in Israel today and has evolved to accommodate modern concepts, technologies, and everyday communication.

Hebrew Poetry

is a form of literary expression that has long and rich tradition dating back thousands of years

Synonymous Parallelism

Repeating the same idea using different words

Parallelism in Hebrew Poetry

Repetition or mirroring of ideas in Hebrew poetry to create rhythm and emphasis.

Psalms

Includes hymns, thanksgiving, royal psalms, wisdom psalms, laments, liturgies.

Wisdom Writings

Includes proverbs, legends, riddles, and sayings.

Other types of Hebrew Poetry

funerary dirges, songs of war, curses, drinking songs, love poems

Prophecy

Includes threats, judgment, salvation, visions, disputations, judicial speeches, laments

Hebrew Prose

Written Hebrew that follows prose conventions, which is non-poetic or non-verses writing, chracterized by its use of grammatical and syntactical rules

Narrative Style

Prose type including saga, tale, novella, legend, and myth.

Reportorial Style

Prose type including historiography, biography, genealogy, and lists.

Genesis Creation Story

Biblical story describing creation in six days, resting on the seventh, is the literal truth and happened around 6,000 years ago.

Evil and Free Will

God as creator must have created evil but he also gave us free will to choose what we know is right. Being able to choose what is good is more significant.

Sustainer

When God created the world he created enough resources to feed and provide for all species. The fact that resources are not shared equally is a result of human free will.

Jews interpret Genesis 1:26 as God creating humans in His "image" and "likeness," which refers to humans being endowed with unique qualities like intellect, morality, and the ability to choose, reflecting aspects of God's nature.

How do the Jews interpret Genesis 1:26?

Jews who believe Genesis to be an allegory are therefore able to accept scientific theories about creation such as the Big Bang. Theory and the Theory of Evolution close evolution. The process of change in the inherited traits of a population of organisms from one generation to the next.

How do orthodox Jews interpret Genesis?

Six Days of Creation

Refers to the days in Genesis when God created the world and everything in it before resting on the seventh day.

Day 1 and 2

light and sky

Day 3

Dry land and plants

Day 4

Sun, moon, and stars

Day 5

Sea and flying creatures

Day 6

Land animals and human beings

Psalm 23

is the best known psalm and the favorite biblical passage of many.

Psalm 23

"is a testament to the life of the TRUE BELIEVER starting from the moment he makes

the Lord his SHEPHERD, all through the trials of life where the intimate fellowship of him with

the Lord entitles him to provisions, blessed promises, endurance, and even protection from evil as

he passes through."

Psalm 23

Psalm by David symbolizing faith and trust in God as a shepherd.

Genesis 35:47

The Story of Joseph the Dreamer

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of The Good Samaritan

Luke 15:11-32

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

The Story of Joseph the Dreamer

Genesis 35:47

The Parable of The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11-32

Joseph the Dreamer

Biblical figure sold by his brothers, later rose to power in Egypt.

Good Samaritan

Parable where a Samaritan helps a robbed man, teaching compassion.

Prodigal Son

Parable about a son forgiven by his father after squandering his inheritance.

Persia

came from Persis

Tehran Iranian

capital of Iran [Persia]

Iran

Modern name of Persia, meaning Land of the Aryans.

Tehran

Capital city of Iran.

Iranian Rial [731.81=1 peso]

Currency of Iran.

Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Islam (Shi’ism)

Religions in Iran

Farsi

Main language of Iran

Shahnameh

"Greatest and most influential Persian work; the Persian Book of Kings by

Abolqasem Ferdowsi (977 - 1010 CE)"

The Shahnameh

"epitomizes the spirit of Persian literature up to the present day in that it

preserves the ancient stories of the past while keeping them relevant for every new

generation who reads them."

Omar Khayyam

Most famous poet of Persia

"• It was strongly influenced by Arabic and the culture of the Arab conquerors.

• Poetry is traditionally the most important literary form.

• Epic poetry is an indigenous Iranian literary form.

• Persian prose includes stories, fables, histories, and manuals of conduct.

• Not all Persian literature is written in Persian and by Persians

• Classical Persian poetry is always rhymed

• It is descriptive rather than dramatic, expressionistic rather than naturalistic, organic rather

than architectural."

Characteristics of Persian Literature

Persia

old name of Iran

Iran and Tajikistan

Persian is the official language of two countries

Persian

one of the two official languages of Afghanistan [along with Pashto]

Literature of Persia

"is among the oldest in the world, spanning thousands of years, and has

influenced the literary works of many other cultures."

The Behistun Inscription of Darius I, dated to around 522 BCE.

What is considered the first evidence of Persian literature?

Because most earlier works were lost, except for inscriptions and administrative records.

Why is there said to be no true “Persian literature” before the Sassanian Empire (224–651 CE)?

It was destroyed by Alexander the Great around 330 BCE.

What happened to the library at Persepolis that contributed to the loss of early Persian works?

From around 750 CE, with the rise of the Abbasid Dynasty, through the 15th century CE.

From what period is Persian literature commonly dated?

They incorporated stories and themes from pre-Islamic Iran into their works.

How did medieval poets help preserve earlier traditions?

It is not limited to lyrical compositions, poetry, or imaginative prose; instead, all forms of Persian written works include artistic elements.

How does Persian literature differ from the common definition of “literature”?

Histories, medical treatises, religious texts, and philosophical commentary, alongside poems and fictional tales.

What types of works are considered “literature” in the Persian tradition?

Poetry, which influenced and informed other forms of writing.

What was regarded as the highest form of artistic expression by ancient and medieval Persians?

Rubai

is a poetry style which is used to describe a Persian quatrain.

Rubaiyat

plural form of rubai, used to describe a collection of such quatrains

Ruba’i

"is written as a four-line (or two couplet) poem, with a rhyme-scheme AABA or AAAA."

Masnavi or Mathnawi

"is normally poetry written in rhyming couplets. It is believed it emerged

from an Iranian form around the 4th – 10th century."

The Persian Ghazal

is a kind of verse in which the first two lines rhyme, and then this rhyme
repeats itself only in the second line of each succeeding couplet. Each line of the poem must be of
the same length, though meter is not imposed in English.

Abu Abdollah Jafar ibn Mohammad Rudaki

Rudaki

Hakim Abul Qasem Ferdowsi Tusi

Ferdowsi

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi

Rumi

Khajeh Shams-ud-Din Muḥammad

Hafez

Abu-Muhammad Muslih al-Din bin Abdallah Shirazi

Saadi

Rudaki

Abu Abdollah Jafar ibn Mohammad Rudaki

Ferdowsi

Hakim Abul Qasem Ferdowsi Tusi

Rumi

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi

Hafez

Khajeh Shams-ud-Din Muḥammad

Saadi

Abu-Muhammad Muslih al-Din bin Abdallah Shirazi

Rudaki

"Persian poet in the Samanid court which ruled much of Khorasan (northeastern Persia); called the father of Persian poetry and is credited with making enormous contributions to modern Persian language. He was also an accomplished singer and musician! "

Ferdowsi

great Persian poet. Ferdowsi wrote Shahnameh in 35 years period.

The Shahnameh or The Epic of Kings

one of the definite classics of the world and poem about the heroes of Ancient Persia.

Shahnameh

"is the world’s longest epic poem written by a single poet. It consists of the mythical

and some historical past of 50 Persian Kings from the creation of the world until the Arab invasion

of Iran in the 7th century."

Shahnameh

"contains 62 stories, told in 990 chapters with 50,000 rhyming couplets. It is divided

into three parts—the mythical, heroic, and historical ages."

Rumi

(Molana, Molavi), a 13th century Persian poet and was one of the most passionate and profound poets in history. He is regarded as one of the greatest spiritual masters and poetical intellects.

Masnavi

"Authored by Rumi is widely recognized as the greatest Sufi poem ever written, and has been called

“the Quran in Persian”. It is a collection of over 25,000 verses filled with tales, moral

discourses and analogies which explore the relationship between the self and God."

“Divan-e Shams”

is another famous work of Rumi and is recognized by many as “a masterpiece of wisdom and eloquence”.

“Fihi Ma Fihi” (In It What’s in It), Seven Sessions and The Letters.

Other works of Rumi

Rumi

described as the “most popular poet” and the “best selling poet” in the United States.

Hafez

A 13th-century Persian poet, considered one of the most celebrated poets in Persian literature.

Goethe

A German writer and poet who was deeply influenced by Hafez, honoring him through his poetry collection West-östlicher Diwan.