History Cursive Hebrew

figure 1: signature of baal shem tov time in 1700s, written in cursive hebrew script.

the brief inscriptions daubed in red ink upon walls of catacombs of venosa oldest examples of cursive script. still longer texts in cursive alphabet furnished clay bowls found in babylonia , bearing exorcisms against magical influences , evil spirits. these bowls date 7th or 8th century, , of letters written in form antiquated (figure 3, column 1). less of cursive nature manuscript, dates 8th century. columns 2–14 exhibit cursive scripts of various countries , centuries. differences visible in square alphabets more apparent. instance, sephardi rounds off still more, and, in arabic, there tendency run lower lines left, whereas ashkenazi script appears cramped , disjointed. instead of little ornaments @ upper ends of stems, in letters more or less weak flourish of line appears. rest cursive of codices remains true square text.

documents of private nature written in more running hand, sample 1 of oldest arabic letters written hebrew letters (possibly 10th century) shows in papyrus, in führer durch die ausstellung , table xix., vienna, 1894, (compare figure 3, column 4). however, since preservation of such letters not held of importance, material of nature earlier times scarce, , consequence development of script hard follow. last 2 columns of figure 3 exhibit ashkenazi cursive script of later date. next last taken manuscript of elias levita. accompanying specimen presents sephardi script. in flowing cursive alphabet ligatures appear more often. occur in letters have sharp turn left (ג, ז, כ, נ, צ, ח), , above in נ, great open bow offers ample space letter (see figure 2).

the following successive stages in development of each letter:

alef separated 2 parts, first being written , , perpendicular stroke placed @ left . turn of 20th century, ashkenazi cursive had these 2 elements separated, ׀c, , acute angle rounded. received abbreviated form connected favorite old ligature , , ligature of alef , lamed contracted oriental aleph owes origin (figure 3, column 7).
in writing bet, lower part necessitated interruption, , overcome obstacle made , and, total omission of whole lower line, .
in gimel, left-hand stroke lengthened more , more.
dalet had stroke put on obliquely distinguish resh; however, since in rapid writing assumed form similar in appearance resh, dalet in analogy ב later changed .
a transformation similar took place in cases of final kaf , of qof (see columns 2, 5, 11, 14), except kaf opened out trifle more qof.
the lower part of zayin bent sharply right , received little hook @ bottom.
the left-hand stroke of Ṭet lengthened.
lamed gradually lost semicircle until (as in both nabataean , syriac) turn of 20th century, became simple stroke, bent sharply toward right. in modern script today lamed has regained semicircle.
final mem branches out @ bottom, , in latest stage drawn out either left or straight down.
in samekh same development took place, afterward became again simple circle.
to write ayin without removing pen surface, 2 strokes joined curl.
the 2 forms of letter pe spread out in marked flourish.
for tsadi right-hand head made longer, @ first small degree, later on considerable extent.
in beginning shin develops same letter in nabataean, afterward central stroke lengthened upward, right arm of tsadi, , joined left stroke, , first stroke left off altogether.
the letters ה, ד, ח, ן, נ, ר, ת, have undergone little modification: have been rounded out , simplified omission of heads.




^ hebrew papyri: steinschneider, hebräische papyrusfragmente aus dem fayyum, in aegyptische zeitschrift, xvii. 93 et seq., , table vii.; c. i. h. cols. 120 et seq.; erman , krebs, aus den papyrus der königlichen museen, p. 290, berlin, 1899. hebrew papyri in collection of erzherzog rainer, see d. h. müller , d. kaufmann, in mitteilungen aus der sammlung der papyrus erzherzog rainer, i. 38, , in führer durch die sammlung, etc. pp. 261 et seq.