Dictionary of Loanwords in Yalkut Shimoni (DLYS)

The DLYS (Dictionary of Loanwords in Yalkut Shimoni) project (FWF P 36890)is conceived as follow-up project of the Dictionary of Loanwords in the Midrash Genesis Rabbah (FWF P 30785, 2018-2022) and deals with the investigation of the –predominantly Greek– loanwords in the Yalkut Shimoni (hence: Yalkut), a medieval Rabbinic narrative (“aggadic”) compilation on the Books of the Hebrew Bible. As a subsequent project, DLYS aims at the creation of a digital online dictionary, and follows the overall aim of providing an efficient tool for further cultural and linguistic analysis not only for the purposes of the Rabbinic and Judaic studies, but also in order to promote the research on the interaction between Jewish literary tradition with other cultures in the Greco-Roman worlds in Late Antiquity and in Byzantium, in theological, philosophical terms as well as through everyday situations.

While DLGenR involves the earliest Rabbinic midrash that contains the majority of Greek loanwords, DLYS will deal with the last major compilation of Rabbinic literature: in this way the outcome of both projects will cover text samples from the whole diachrony of Ancient and Early Medieval Judaism. The DLYS as a follow-up project in combination with DLGenR will comprise almost 2/3 of the Greek loanwords in PBH/Aramaic (from the earliest Mishnaic to the latest Rabbinic sources).

The team members, Susanne Plietzsch (PI), Vladislav Slepoy, Michael Gassner (University of Salzburg) & Christina Katsikadeli (ACDH-CH), will work on the project during the period 2023-2026.