For example, an Encyclopedia Britannica article states what the editors of that publication believe about the first alphabet. It is widely believed that the concept of using an alphabet to record a written text was developed in Syria by the Phoenicians. Was the first alphabet Phoenician? contention is that Hebrew is the language that is represented in the original proto-consonantal script-not Phoenician (or another language) as has been generally believed. For example, we have 26 symbols in our alphabet. With an alphabet, only a few symbols are needed. An alphabet uses a set of symbols to record the basic significant sounds of a spoken language. In contrast, an alphabetic system is easy to learn. Learning all the symbols for thousands of words makes writing and reading difficult skills to acquire. The earliest post-Flood systems of writing appear to have used individual symbols (such as Egyptian hieroglyphs) to represent words.

However, a number of writing systems appeared shortly after the Flood. We cannot be certain if the pre-Flood patriarchs knew how to write. Sample of Egyptian hieroglyphs used to represent alphabetic characters The world’s oldest alphabet Evidence suggests it may have been developed by the Hebrews, not the Phoenicians, as believed.īy James R.

Is paleo hebrew read right to left