Moshe Goshen-Gottstein (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: משה גושן-גוטשטיין) (6 September 1925 – 14 September 1991) was a German-born professor of Semitic

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Ling ...

and biblical

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...

at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, and director of the lexicographical institute and Biblical research institute of

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academi ...

Biography

Moshe Goshen-Gottstein was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. He immigrated to Palestine in 1939 to escape the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

, and studied at the

. He married Esther Hepner, a

clinical psychologist Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...

, and had two sons, Alon (who is now director of

the Elijah Interfaith Institute ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

) and Yonatan. He was a resident of Talbiya,

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Esther Goshen-Gottstein wrote a book about her husband's recovery from a four-month coma in the wake of heart surgery, "Recalled to Life: The Story of a Coma."

Academic career

From 1950 on, Goshen-Gottstein taught at Hebrew University. He became a professor in 1967. Goshen-Gottstein made important contributions in the areas of

Biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 ...

linguistics and Semitic linguistics. His numerous articles and books included "Medieval Hebrew syntax and Vocabulary as Influenced by Arabic", "Introduction to the Lexicography of Modern Hebrew" and "The

Aleppo Codex The Aleppo Codex ( he, כֶּתֶר אֲרָם צוֹבָא, romanized: , lit. 'Crown of Aleppo') is a medieval bound manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. The codex was written in the city of Tiberias in the tenth century CE (circa 920) under the ...

" (in which he established the authenticity of this codex). He worked on several dictionaries, among them the "Millon ha-Ivrit ha-Hadashah" ("Dictionary of Modern Hebrew"), the first synchronic dictionary of Hebrew. He was the founder of the

Hebrew University Bible Project The Hebrew University Bible Project (HUBP) is a project at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to create the first edition of the Hebrew Bible that reproduces the text of the Aleppo Codex and includes a thorough critical apparatus. It was begun in 1 ...

, which he directed for many years.The Institute of Jewish Studies – General
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Awards

In 1988, Goshen-Gottstein was awarded the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

in Jewish studies

Journal Publications

* 'The Aleppo Codex and the Rise of the Massoretic Bible Text', ''Near Eastern Archaeology'' vol. 42, no. 3, 1979:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goshen-Gottstein, Moshe 1925 births 1991 deaths Linguists from Israel Jewish biblical scholars German biblical scholars Israeli biblical scholars Grammarians of Hebrew Israeli lexicographers Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine Israel Prize in Jewish studies recipients Bar-Ilan University faculty 20th-century Jewish biblical scholars 20th-century linguists 20th-century lexicographers

Biography

Academic career

Awards

Journal Publications

See also

References