I have reviewed many bible related ancient alphabets and Hieroglyphics which shows that text was written in various directions. I also found some that wrote using the boustrophedon method. This document is meant to reflect my findings on Hieroglyphics and Alphabets that Adam’s descendants used. I was able to find evidence that the ancient descendants of Adam did write ‘left to right’ and they used vowels that were assigned their own letter. This page will also touches on the subject of the 72 languages created at the Tower of Babel.
Boustrophedon
Latin, Hungarian Rovas, Greek Linear B, and Sabaeans sometimes
used a writing system written in horizontal lines running alternatively from
right to left then left to right. This is called Boustrophedon, which comes
from the Greek βους (bous) "ox"
+ στρεφειν (strefein) "to turn", because it resembles the
path an ox makes when plowing field, turning at the end of each row to return
in the opposite direction.
Here is an example of Boustrophedon, ‘ox turning’:
For more information: https://www.britannica.com/art/boustrophedon
Left to Right – Writing
Reflected in the table below, are ancient biblical related languages
that wrote ‘left to right’. I could not
find anywhere that Aramaic or Phoenician was ever ‘left to right’. I did include them in the alphabet examples
since theirs’s was almost identical to Hebrew and/or Greek. The dates used in the table came from the
sites I referenced.
Year
|
Name
|
Tribe
|
Text Name
|
Text
Left to Right
|
Text
Right to
Left
|
Top to
Bottom |
Hieroglyphic
(sacred inscriptions)[1] |
3200 BC
|
Mizraim
(Gen
10:6) |
Egyptian[2]
|
|
|
|
|
Yes, in all directions
|
2686 BC
|
Mizraim
(Gen
10:6) |
Egyptian[3]
|
Old
Hieratic[4]
|
Yes,
religious items[5]
|
Yes[6]
|
Yes
|
|
2500 BC
|
Peleg
(Gen
10:25) |
Pelasgian (Proto-Greek)[7],[8]
|
Greek Linear A[9],[10],[11]
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Yes[12]
|
2250 BC
|
Elam
(Gen 5:32)
|
Elamite[13]
|
|
Yes
|
|
Yes
|
|
1500 BC
|
Wales,
UK Area |
Cimmerians[14]
|
Coelbren
|
Yes
|
|
|
|
1500 BC
|
Mycenaean
Greeks |
Judah-Zarah
|
Greek Linear B[15]
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Yes, logograms
|
968 BC
|
Hebrew
(Gen
10:24) |
Hebrews[16]
|
Ancient or Paleo
|
Yes
|
|
|
Yes
|
600 BC
|
Judah,
Benjamin (Rom 11:1) |
Rome
|
Latin[17]
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
|
500 BC
|
NE
Iberian (includes
France & Celtiberian) |
Heber
(Gen 10:24)
|
NE Iberian Script[18]
|
Yes
|
|
|
Yes,
Syllabic
signs
|
400BC
|
Greek (Septuagint
& NT) |
|
Koine[19]
|
Yes
|
|
|
|
400 AD
|
E.
Germanic |
Visigoths[20]
|
Gothic[21]
|
Yes
|
|
|
|
The Oldest Hebrew Script
Pictured below is possibly the oldest Paleo-Hebrew script
found. The text was written ‘left to
right’.
Also see https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/38/3/2
Proto- Canaanite Writing
A quote
from the site below regarding proto-Canaanite writing:
“Some texts were written from left to right and others, from right to left. However, this writing was no doubt the pioneer of alphabetical
writing. It was used by our forefathers and is the base of a more developed
system of writing: the Hebrew alphabet.” Quoted from https://web.archive.org/web/20190326235342/http://www.hebrewtoday.com:80/content/history-alphabet
1005 BC - During King David Time
A quote from the site below about writing used during King
David’s lifetime:
“Several
ancient languages used similar alphabets. The letter shapes in the inscription
suggest they were written left-to-right. Standard Hebrew—including that used
on the ostracon found at Khirbet Qeiyafa—is written right-to-left. However, at this time in history, the ancient
Hebrew, Egyptian, and Canaanite languages could all be written in either direction.” Quoted From https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/shard-shows-written-language-at-jerusalem-when-david-ruled/
968 BC - During King Solomon’s Time
Below is the Los Lunas
stone that shows Paleo Hebrew writing that was written ‘right to left’. This stone writing is thought to have been
done during King Solomon’s reign.
Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls were
written ‘left to right’ and below is a quote regarding this:
“Though Hebrew is read from right to left,
the individual letters are written from left to right, since the pen must be pulled over
the surface, never pushed (18). Today, Jewish scribes touch the letter with the
pen immediately after completing a stroke, depositing a small amount of surplus
ink on the wide stroke so that when it dries it will be even blacker and form a
raised surface. This is a risky process, because any smudges could render the
whole page unusable. This process also contributes to the problem of flaking.”
From http://cpart.mi.byu.edu/home/dss/about-dss/
The Dead Sea Scrolls are
always shown upside down on the internet so that they appear to be written from
‘right to left’; however, they are really written from ‘left to right’. Below is an example that I turned right side up:
Notice the text is now
sitting on the lines. I can now make out
several of the letters.
Below is how it was reflected on the
internet:
Upside down makes it hard
to interrupt.
From: http://www.facsimilefinder.com/facsimiles/dead-sea-scrolls-facsimile#&gid=1&pid=2
Another Source
Willie Martin’s site reflects
the Israelites did write ‘left to right’:
“A common objection raised against the
Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Scandinavian, Celtic being Israel is that they cannot
possibly be Israelites because the Israelites always wrote from right to left,
whereas we write from left to right. Thus Mr. George Goodman, in his pamphlet
against Anglo-Israel Identity states, It is impossible to conceive of a nation
changing its method of writing in so radical a manner.” It is an acknowledged
fact that the early Greeks wrote from
right to left, but many years later they wrote from left to right as they still do today. At one period between the use
of these two methods of writing they wrote alternately from right to left and left to right. This form of writing was known as “Boustrophedon.””
Quote from https://israelect.com/reference/WillieMartin/Writting%20[A].htm
Ancient Alphabets
The next couple of pages contain alphabet examples of early
bible related languages. This is to show
how the alphabet progressed through time. Many shared the same alphabet.
·
LTR means ‘left to right’
·
RTL means ‘right to left’
Notice the ancient Hebrews and Israelites had letters that
represented vowels. They wrote both Right to Left (RTL) and Left to Right (LTR).
Tower of Babel
The bible tells us that all of Adam’s descendants were
speaking one language up until the Tower of Babel incident. After which they were all given new
languages:
“And
the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is
only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will
now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their
language, so that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD
dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off
building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the
language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over
the face of all the earth.” ESV Gen 11:6-9
The book AURAICEPT NA
N-ECES, The Scholars’ Primer, published in 1917 by George Calder states there
were 72 languages created by 72 counselors who were at the Tower of Babel. These
72 languages were created for the descendants of Adam use.
Here is a link to this book https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YLFnjdLUTTQ7JAxPnsIEWePmeTSXxV68/view?usp=sharing
According to the book of Jubilees the original language of
Adam and his descendants became unknown after the Tower of Babel overthrow. Jubilees chapter 12 explains this fact and
the fact that our Father in Heaven gave Abraham back the original language of
Adam which they are calling Hebrew.
Hebrew was the language of Eber who was a descendant of Noah and father
of Peleg. According to verses 16 our
Father in Heaven gave Abraham back the original language of Adam on the night
on the new moon [sic first day of the month] of the seventh month which was the
first day of fall and the Feast of Trumpets.
“And
the Lord God said: 'Open his mouth and his ears, that he may hear and speak
with his mouth, with the language which has been revealed'; for it had ceased
from the mouths of all the children of men from the day of the overthrow (of
Babel). And I opened his mouth, and his ears and his lips, and I began to speak
with him in Hebrew in the tongue of the creation. And he took the books of his
fathers, and these were written in Hebrew, and he transcribed them, and he
began from henceforth to study them, and I made known to him that which he
could not (understand), and he studied them during the six rainy months.”
Jubilees 12:25-27
Here is a link to Jubilees chapter 12: http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/jubilees/12.htm
Here is a link showing
Eber and Peleg’s genealogy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VMMHmTwONYwSPT6x68i30kK2pV_T1AGv/view?usp=sharing
Therefore, this means
that the list of the 72 languages shown above would not include the original language
of Adam called Hebrew.
Conclusion
The study of writing and alphabets is important so that a
better understanding of our history is can be learned. I have put very little
information here in compare to what can be learned; there is a lot more to
explore. It appears that Adam’s descendants
lost their original language at the tower of Babel and we cannot be for sure
what the original language was now. More study is required.
[1]Omnilglot,
online < http://www.omniglot.com/writing/egyptian.htm
> Hieroglyphic
means sacred inscriptions
[2] Omnilglot, online < http://www.omniglot.com/writing/egyptian.htm
> Egyptian writing
[3] Omnilglot, online < http://www.omniglot.com/writing/egyptian.htm
> Egyptian writing
[4] Ominilglot, online < http://www.omniglot.com/writing/egyptian.htm > Egyptian writing, all directions
[5]
William Matthew Flinders Petrie, Online < Hieratic Papyri from Kahun and Gurob > Google Books, p. 12
[6] Omnilglot, online < http://www.omniglot.com/writing/egyptian_hieratic.htm > Egyptian writing
[7] Wikipedia,
online < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_the_Greeks > Proto-Greeks
[8] Hellenic
World, Online, < http://hellenicwords.blogspot.com/2012/04/greeks-or-hellenes.html > Pelasgians
[9]Linear A Text,
online < http://people.ku.edu/~jyounger/LinearA/#8 > About Linear A
[10] Omnilglot,
online < http://www.omniglot.com/writing/lineara.htm > About Linear A, left to right
[11] Wikipedia,
online < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_A > About Linear A, left to right
[12] Wikipedia, online < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretan_hieroglyphs > Early Greek, Linear A sister
[13] Omnilglot, online < http://www.omniglot.com/writing/elamite.htm#proto > Elamite writing
[14] Sovern Wales, Coelbren Alphabet, Online, < https://sovereignwales.com/tag/coelbren-alphabet/ > History
[15] Omnilglot, online < http://www.omniglot.com/writing/linearb.htm > Greek Linear B language
[16] Gods
Secrets, Online < https://godssecret.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/oldest-known-10-commandments-is-in-america-in-ancient-hebrew-script-from-time-of-king-solomon/ > Las Lunas stone shows written left to
right
[17] Omnilglot, online < https://www.omniglot.com/writing/latin.htm#archaic
> Latin writing, left to right & right to left
[18] Ancients
Scripts Online < http://www.ancientscripts.com/iberian.html > NE Iberian Script left to right
[19]Encyclopedia Britannica, Online < https://www.britannica.com/topic/Koine-Greek-language > Koine Greek
[20] Ominglot,
online, < http://www.omniglot.com/writing/gothic.htm>
[21] Wikipedia,
online < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_alphabet > Gothic left to right
