In this set of articles originally published together in his booklet Orientalia, Lagarde addresses several issues concerning Hebrew studies. The first article, Explanation of Hebrew Words, addresses the use of twelve significant lexemes. Added to this essay is a contribution of Lagarde to the Hebrew reflected in Ephraim the Syrian’s work on Genesis, extant in Armenian. Select passages from Genesis 2 through 38 are given consideration in the light of philological investigation. Together these pieces represent a useful collection of insights into the Hebrew language both through classic philology and through the ecclesiastical interpretation of a scholar in the tradition of Syriac Christianity.

This set of essays originate in Lagarde’s printed collection Orientalia. The first contribution to this booklet is Lagarde’s analysis of the Coptic manuscripts of the Göttingen library. In addition to describing the manuscripts, he provides data concerning the content, including the biblical passages slated for various liturgical seasons, in keeping with the character of the material. To this is attached an article on selections of the Coptic translation of the Old Testament. Here annotated extracts of the Bible are presented in their original Coptic script, along with relevant apparatus by the author.

Taken from the collection of studies published under the collective title Mémoires de l'histoire et de Ia geographie orientales, Mémoire sur la Conquête de la Syrie stands as a monument to the insight of M. J. de Goeje on the Arabic conquest of Syria. This brief account of an important phase of Syria’s history will be sure to please those interested in the general history of the Middle East as well as scholars studying the rise of Islam.

In this formative study of the Babylonian and Assyrian letters, originally published over three articles in Beiträge zur Assyriologie, Delitzsch presents in transliteration and translation, 40 Akkadian letters, along with critical notes and remarks. These letters are addressed to the Queen-Mother and to the King and generally date from the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods and contexts. An example of early analysis of the still-young discipline of Assyriology, this study provides insights into the dynamics of royal life in the late Mesopotamian empires.

In this study on relative pronouns and relative sentences in Assyrian, Kraetzschmar begins with the origin and demonstrative use of relative pronouns, noting the primary position of ša as a genitive and a preposition. Kraetzschmar also addresses relative sentences without ša. He also addresses the conjunctive relative sentence in Akkadian, considering subjective, objective, and sentences with time and syllogistic elements. Although a technical study, this exploration into a key form of expression in the burgeoning era of Akkadian studies will still find a place in libraries of specialists in Mesopotamian languages.

As a scholar of the languages of early Christianity, including Ethiopic and Syriac, Johannes Flemming felt a debt to the learned scholar of the seventeenth century, Job Leutholf (also Hiob Ludolf). Still cited as one of the essential pieces of Leutholf’s biography, this article is required reading for those interested in the life of this remarkable scholar. After sketching an outline of Leutholf’s life, Flemming then moves on to focus on his Ethiopic studies. Flemming concludes his articles with the correspondence between Leutholf and the abbot Gregorius who initially taught him the Ethiopic language.

An early study of the Babylonian kudurru (boundary stone) inscriptions of what is now known as the Kassite Era, this booklet presents a self-contained exploration of two of the markers. Focusing on Kudurru Inscriptions III R. 43 and III R. 41, Belser gives transcriptions and translations of both texts. A detailed commentary follows the presentation of the actual texts, and this is accompanied by notes from the original drawings of the text. Carefully reproduced full text hand-drawn copies are also included.

The third issue of Proceedings of the Midrash session at the SBL Annual meeting published in this series. This volume contains papers on religion in midrash (2006) and modes of biblical interpretation in rabbinic, Syriac and Islamic traditions (2007).

Hannibal's invasion of Italia in 218 BC is depicted from the standpoint of environmental evidence elicited from ancient texts, and analyzed against present-day Earth Science databases. The conclusion is that the Punic Army followed the southern route over the Alps; a proposal first made by Sir Gavin de Beer in the 1960's.

In this continuously cited article on the Babylonian legends of Etana, Zu, Adapa and the South Wind, and Dibbarra, Harper provides a substantial wealth of detail. Each of these myths is treated with an introduction, transliteration, and translation. Philological notes are given along with a summary of the contents. Comparison is also made with other ancient tales that bear resemblance to those contained in this volume. Further remarks by H. Zimmern on the Adapa legend are also included. This study is accompanied by hand-drawn copies of the cuneiform tablets and a photographic archive of the various fragments of the texts.