The Samaritan Hebrew alphabet, as it is called by scholars, is a slight development of the paleoHebrew, the ancient Hebrew script. The modern Hebrew that is called by scholars Jewish Hebrew script shows a slight development of the Aramaic script (easier). Samaritans and Jews used the two forms until the first century AD. Since then the Samaritan- Israelites are the only entity that uses this ancient Hebrew script for everyday use. This conclusion is confirmed by the recent findings of over two hundred pieces of inscriptions discovered during the excavations on the summit of Mt. Gerizim by Dr. Itzhaq Magen between the years 1983 to the year 2000. These conclusions were also accepted by the giants of the Semitic language studies - Prof. Cyrus Gordon, Prof. Frank Moore Cross, and Prof. Yoseph Naveh.
In the tablet shown on the right, is a group of square characters from different manuscripts mainly for writing Penteteuch. On the left is a group of cursive characters from different manuscripts, mainly for composing books of prayers and hymns whereas the titles and passages from the Penteteuch according to the festive event are written in square letters. On the left side of the tablet there are Persian, Aramaic, Jewish Hebrew scripts alongside the Paleo-Hebrew and on the right side of the tablet is the pronunciation of the ancient Hebrew letters.
During the past but especially now days every Samaritan boy and girl, after returning from their general school, go to the public center in their neighborhoods. There they learn the script and the reading of the ancient Samaritan Hebrew as well as their special dialect of the Aramaic taught by Samaritan teachers in order to maintain the tradition from generation to generation.
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