Ralph the Sacred River

"The artifex verborum of the dream ... was no less adept than the waking Coleridge in the metamorphosis of words." — John Livingston Lowes, The Road to Xanadu.
Observations on language (mostly ancient), religion, and culture.
By Edward M. Cook, Ph.D.

Monday, April 06, 2026

Magical Mystery

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 While looking at a few Aramaic texts at the excellent Princeton Geniza Project, I came across an amulet that begins like this:     אשבעית ...
Sunday, December 28, 2025

ralphiesralphiesRALPHIES

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 My view of America 2025 is best summed up by two pop-cultural references.  One of them is the Twilight Zone episode " It's a Good ...
Friday, October 10, 2025

Blowin' in the Howlin' Wind

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Back in 1974—before the flood—I went to hear Bob Dylan in person for the first time, in Fort Worth, Texas, backed by The Band. The set list ...
1 comment:
Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Ralphies 2024

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 I observe that "Ralph" began 20 years ago, in November 2004.  At the time, it seemed like a cutting-edge thing to do.  Then Twitt...
Thursday, December 26, 2024

Hell and Donald Trump

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 Donald Trump, with his usual delicacy, seems to have spent most of Christmas telling various parties to "go to hell." or, more pi...
2 comments:
Saturday, December 14, 2024

A Previously Unnoticed Alternative Targum to Psalms 38:4

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       In preparing a reader's edition of the Targum to Psalms, I came across an alternative targum (marked תרגום אחר) in the margin of ...
2 comments:
Sunday, December 31, 2023

Ralphies 2023

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Wow, what a crazy year. Lots of ups and downs. But there is one thing solid in an unstable world: the Ralphies.  Movies : Did I see any movi...
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About Me

Ed
Washington, DC
College professor at Catholic University of America, Department of Semitics.
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