According to the Samaritans themselves and Hebrew scholars, this alphabet is the original "Old Hebrew" alphabet.Įven as far back as 1691, this connection between the Samaritan and the "Old" Hebrew alphabets was made by Henry Dodwell " still preserve in the Old Hebrew characters." The Torah Scroll of the Samaritans use an alphabet that is very different from the one used on Jewish Torah Scrolls. The Samaritans are, according to themselves, the descendants of the Northern Tribes of Israel that were not sent into Assyrian captivity, and have continuously resided in the land of Israel. Hartwell continues: "But the most decisive confirmation of this point is to be found in ancient Hebrew coins, which were struck before the captivity, and even engraven on all of them are manifestly the same with the modern Samaritan." In 1854, Thomas Hartwell wrote "The present Hebrew Characters, or Letters, are twenty two in number, and of a square form: but the antiquity of these letters is a point that has been most severely contested by many learned men."įigure 2 – Judean Half Shekel (Image courtesy of Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.) However, history suggests that these Hebrew letters are not the same Hebrew letters used in antiquity. The mention of the Hebrew alphabet brings to mind the Hebrew letters that are familiar to many today that are used in Torah scrolls, Hebrew Bibles and even in Modern Hebrew Books and Newspapers.
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