Abstract

The contribution shows a dispute over periodization of Biblical Hebrew. A strong conviction of development from Early/Classical/Standard Biblical Hebrew to Late Biblical Hebrew still dominates in spite of problems, which were presented in many studies. Difficulties of the conventional periodization derive from source conditions: priority of the medieval MT, which calls for textual and literary criticism, questionable dating of biblical books and texts. In the last decades there were presented important studies in historical linguistics of Biblical Hebrew (variationist analysis) but there is still a need for collaboration between biblical studies (literary and textual criticism) and historical linguistics. For now the linguistic dating of biblical writings seems to be very doubtful.