Judeo-Persian
| Judeo-Persian | |
|---|---|
| Native to | |
Native speakers | 60,000 in Israel (2018)[1] |
| |
| Hebrew | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | jpr |
| ISO 639-3 | jpr |
| Glottolog | jude1257 |
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Judeo-Persian refers to both a group of
The speakers refer to their language as Fārsi. Some non-Jews refer to it as "dzhidi" (also written as "zidi", "judi" or "jidi"), which means "Jewish" in a derogatory sense.[2]
Literature
There is an extensive Judeo-Persian poetic religious literature, closely modeled on classical Persian poetry. The most famous poet was
Earliest Judeo-Persian writings
The earliest evidence of Judeo-Persian writing dates back to the 8th century CE. These documents written in Hebrew script document the existence of Jewish communities writing in Judeo-Persian across historical Persia. Archaeologists working in the 20th century discovered Judeo-Persian writings in locations as far-spread as southern India, Xinjiang Province, Cairo, and present-day Iran and Afghanistan. They include court documents, trade documents, headstones, stone inscriptions, and works on religious matters. Linguists have studied these sources since they preserve certain archaic elements of Persian.[3]: 22
Biblical epics
Mowlānā Shāhin-i Shirāzi
The most famous Judeo-Persian poet is the 14th century Shahin-i Shirazi who composed two versified Biblical epics: the first based on the Pentateuch and the second centered on the Book of Esther and the Book of Ezra. In his writing, Shahin uses a language typical of his era’s
Pentateuchal epic
Shahin's Pentateuchal epic cycle consists of 10,000 metered couplet (distich) versification of the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy written in 1327, and a 8,700 couplet length versification of Genesis composed in 1358. He focuses on narratives from the Pentateuch that are also prominent in Islamic literature such as the fall of
Ardarshir-nameh
Shahin’s Ardashir-namah consists of 9,000 metered couplets that adapt narratives from the Books of Esther, Nehemiah, and Ezra. He also includes non-biblical storylines that parallel the Shahnameh and Nizami’s Khamsa.[3] : 28–29 It recounts the biblical narrative of Ardashir (Xerxes) and Esther; and a love story between Ardashir and a Chinese princess. The Ezra-nameh is shorter and often grouped with the Ardashir-nameh.[4]
Emrani
Emrani was a 15th century Persian poet who like Shahin, wrote Persian in Hebrew script. Born in
Shoftim-nameh
Written in 1692 by Aaron ben Mashiah, this versification of the Book of Judges uses the same meter as Emrani’s Fath-nameh.[4]: 50
Daniel-nameh
In 1606, Khajah of
Mishnah and midrash
Ganj-nameh
Emrani’s Ganj-nameh is a commentary on the Mishnaic ethical tractate
Biblical commentaries
Shimon Hakham: Commentary on Exodus 3-4
Shimon Hakham, a Bukharan rabbi who later emigrated to Jerusalem, edited and published at least 29 works in Judeo-Persian, including a complete edition of Shahin’s Torah commentary. He included alongside this edition his own prose commentary on the Book of Exodus.[3]: 198
Historical texts
Bābāi b. Lutf: Kitab-i Anusi (The Book of a Forced Convert)
Babai b. Lutf was a 16th century Jewish author and historian born in Kashan. His 5,000-couplet length Kitab-i Anusi recounts the persecution of Iranian Jews under the reigns of three Safavid shahs: ‘Abbas I, Safi I, and ‘Abbas II who collectively reigned from 1571 to 1666. It focuses on the forced conversions of Jews during this time.[3]: 223–224
Bābāi b. Farhād: Kitāb-i Sar guzasht-i Kāshān (The Book of Events in Kashan)
Ibn Lutf’s grandson, Babai b. Farhad, composed a 1,300-couplet chronicle on the persecution faced by Jews in Kashan during the Afghan Invasion of Iran which occurred from 1722 to 1730. Ibn Farhad describes the voluntary conversion of Jews in Kashan to Islam and how they were allowed to return to their faith seven months later.[3]: 232
Liturgical Poems
- Haft Baradaran (הפת בראדראן): An epic poem by Emrani read on the fast of Tish'a BeAb based on the story of Hannah and her seven sons[6]
- Sheshom Dar (ששום דר): A poem read on the festival of Shavuot detailing the commandments, based on the Azharot literature [7]
- Shira-ye Hatani, or Shira, often beginning with the words "Shodi hātān mobarak bād" (שדִי חתן מבארך באד): Verses sung at weddings and festive occasions. Originally composed for the groom during the Shabbat Hatan (the shabbat following the wedding) [8]
- Aminā:
Printing
Beginning in the late 19th century, Jerusalem became a center for printing Judeo-Persian literature. Works from many genres were printed, as well as translations of non-Jewish works into Judeo-Persian. Some of the major figures in this movement included Jews from Central Asia such as Shimon Hakham. [2] [9] In 1917, a “Society for the Promotion of the Hebrew Language” was established in Tehran alongside a Judeo-Persian and Hebrew printing press. This group also published a Judeo-Persian newspaper, Ha-Ge'ulah. Two other Judeo-Persian newspapers were also published in Bukhara and Samarkand.[9]
Characteristics
In the absence of a unified dialect of Persian spoken by Jews, Judeo-Persian refers to local dialects spoken by Jews. It is notable for its preservation of certain archaisms and incorporation of Hebrew words; however, this is less prominent than in other Jewish languages.[2] Judeo-Median is often used to designate the group of dialects spoke by Jewish communities in Central Iran.[10]: 117 Early Judeo-Persian writings displays various orthographies that sometimes demonstrate pronunciation differences from New Persian. It also preserves a transitional stage in certain linguistic features. For example, Early Judeo-Persian uses a preposition p (meaning either ‘to’, ‘by’, or ‘in’) that marks a transition from the Middle Persian’s pad and New Persian’s be. It also exhibits a variety of constructions for
Contemporary Dialects
Some of the primary Iranian cities with Jewish dialects are
See also
- Judæo-Persian languages
- Judeo-Tat language
- Persian Jews
- Judeo-Urdu
Notes
- ^ Judeo-Persian at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ a b c d e "JUDEO-PERSIAN COMMUNITIES viii. JUDEO-PERSIAN – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-300-07905-0
- ^ ISBN 9783110286724.
- ^ ISBN 9004103015.
- ^ Loeb, Laurence D. Outcaste: Jewish Life in Southern Iran. Vol. 31. Routledge, 2011.
- ^ נצר, אמנון. "מוסיקה של קודש ושל חול בקרב יהודי פרס." פעמים: רבעון לחקר (in Hebrew). קהילות ישראל במזרח. 1984. pp. 163–181.
- ^ Chehabi, Houchang Esfandiar; Soroudi, Sorour Sarah. Persian literature and Judeo-Persian culture: collected writings of Sorour S. Soroudi. Harvard University Press, 2010.
- ^ a b Judeo-Persian, Encyclopedia Judaica, Second Edition, Volume 11, Brill
- ^ S2CID 55902997.
- ^ "Judeo-Isfahani". Endangered Language Alliance. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
References
- Judæo-Persian (from the 1906 Public Domain Jewish Encyclopedia)
- Vera Basch Moreen (tr. and ed.), In Queen Esther's Garden: An Anthology of Judeo-Persian Literature (Yale Judaica): Yale 2000, ISBN 978-0-300-07905-0
- Moreen, Vera B. "The Legend of Adam in the Judeo-Persian Epic" Bereshit [Nāmah]"(14th Century)." Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research. American Academy of Jewish Research, 1990.
Further reading
- Moreen, Vera B. (2018). "A brief history of Judeo-Persian literature". In Schmidtke, Sabine (ed.). Studying the Near and Middle East at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, 1935–2018. Piscataway, NJ, USA: Gorgias Press. pp. 479–483.
External links
- Judeo-Persian Literature, Encyclopædia Iranica
- Judeo-Persian Language, Encyclopædia Iranica
- Jewish dialect of Isfahan, Encyclopædia Iranica
- Judæo-Persian literature (from Jewish Encyclopedia)
- Article from Jewish Languages site Archived 2018-05-30 at the Wayback Machine
- A tantalising find from the Jews of medieval Afghanistan[permanent dead link]
- On Judeo-Persian Language and Literature | Part One: State of the Field Archived 2020-11-08 at the Wayback Machine
- Video Archive of Authentic Dialects 7dorim.com (Persian)
