Talk:Daniel Chwolson

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Impact of Chwolson's writings, and of his conversion[edit]

It's difficult for the non-specialist to assess the impact of Chwolson's writings from the material given here. There is a long list of titles, given mostly in Russian, German and Hebrew, but without any English translation.

Supposing the general reader of the English Wikipedia to know nothing of these three languages, how can he or she understand what Chwolson wrote about?

Who were his notable students, and what impact did his writing have on the fields he studied? What is his legacy as a historian of the ancient Middle East?

Impact of Chwolson's conversion[edit]

The fact of his conversion to Christianity is given surprisingly little emphasis. Here are some questions that occurred to me while reading the article:

What is known of his motives for conversion?
What effect did his conversion have among scholars, whether Jewish, Christian or neither?
How was he treated by his former and new religious communities?
Was he an observant Christian, and if so, in what tradition?
Is it possible that his conversion was only a political act?
It seems that he wrote extensively on matters relevant to Jewish history and religion; was this from scientific or religious interest?

If anybody has further information on such issues, the article might be a deal more interesting and informative. yoyo (talk) 12:27, 12 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Languages[edit]

The statement that until he was 18 he knew only Hebrew is certainly false. As a Lithuanian Jew, he almost certainly spoke Yiddish at home with his family and in the Yeshiva. Yeshiva students read material in Hebrew but did not conduct their discussions in it. He must also have learned Aramaic since it is the language in which the Talmud is written. Prior to 18, he therefore surely spoke Yiddish and read Hebrew and Aramaic. He may well also have spoken Lithuanian, although it is possible, if he really kept to home and Yeshiva and had little contact with Gentiles, that he did not learn it.Bill (talk) 02:19, 14 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]