What is the Origin of the Latin Alphabet?

Could the shapes of the Latin letters also originate from the Hebrew language? And what about the names of the letters?

(Photo: shutterstock)(Photo: shutterstock)
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Regarding the names and shapes of the Latin letters, going further back in the history of letters reveals that even the 'great-grandfather' of the commonly used English alphabet throughout the West is but a 'descendant' of the Hebrew alphabet.

The English alphabet derives from the Latin alphabet, which in turn derives from the Greek alphabet. Examining the names of the Greek alphabet reveals a surprising similarity to the Hebrew alphabet.

The first four letters of the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, correspond to Aleph, Bet, Gimel, Dalet.

The letters: Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu, Nu, Xi, correspond to the Hebrew letters: Zayin, Chet (those nations could not pronounce Ch, so instead of "Chat" they said "Et," with their common pronunciation ending "Eta"), Tet, Yod (the pronunciation of the letter D changed to a sound similar to T. "Yot" instead of "Yod," with their common pronunciation ending "Yota"), Kaf, Lamed, Mem, Nun, Samekh.

The letter Pi is our letter Peh, Rho is Reish, and "Tau" is our letter Tav in its original and correct pronunciation, where the letter Vav in the word "Tav" is pronounced like the letter W in English.

The Greek Letter

Name

Hebrew Origin

Α α

Alpha

Aleph

Β β

Beta

Bet

Γ γ

Gamma

Gimel

Δ δ

Delta

Dalet

Ε ε

Epsilon

Hey

Ζ ζ

Zeta

Zayin

Η η

Eta

Chet

Θ θ

Theta

Tet

Ι ι

Iota

Yod

Κ κ

Kappa

Kaf

Λ λ

Lambda

Lamed

Μ μ

Mu

Mem

Ν ν

Nu

Nun

Ξ ξ

Xi

Samekh

Ο ο

Omicron

Ayin

Π π

Pi

Peh

Ρ ρ

Rho

Reish

Σ σ

Sigma

 

Τ τ

Tau

Tav

Υ υ

Upsilon

 

Φ φ

Phi

 

Χ χ

Chi

 

Ψ ψ

Psi

 

Ω ω

Omega

 

 

 

And what is the origin of the Greek alphabet? According to the writings of the Greek historians themselves, they received it from the Phoenicians – the people who lived during that time in what is now Lebanon. The Phoenician alphabet is very similar to the ancient Hebrew script (known as "Da'atz script")!

Continuing our journey backwards, most letters of the ancient Hebrew script look very different from our square script (known as Ashurite script). However, they are very similar to the ancient Canaanite script and appear to be derived from it. A simple examination of the ancient Canaanite letters reveals that most are similar in shape and symbol to our holy letters, and this script is copied from and based on them! This further demonstrates that the root of all alphabet shapes is our alphabetical origin. As mentioned, during the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel, even the letters were altered and passed down to future generations in a distorted form, merely hinting from some angle to their original source.

Here are examples of the clear connection between the ancient Canaanite script and its source, the language of sacred Hebrew and its letters:

In Hebrew, the meaning of the word "Aleph" is ox, as in: "Shgar Alapecha v'Ashtarot Tzonecha." The shape of the letter Aleph in the ancient Canaanite script clearly resembles an ox's head! Additionally, the horns of the ox with part of its head were intentionally made in a way that strongly reminds of the original – the shape of the Aleph (from this drawing, an ox's head with simpler lines developed until the appearance of the letter A in English, as demonstrated in the table of this chapter). It can be proven with certainty that the origin of the Canaanite letter is the Hebrew Aleph, and it was from there that the Canaanite letter derived, followed by the Phoenician, Greek, etc., not the other way around. This is due to the fact that in Greek, the first letter is pronounced "Alpha," like the synonymous word for ox in Hebrew, while in Greek, the ox is called "Bous," which has no relation to the pronunciation of the letter Aleph.

The letter Bet, which means house in Hebrew (as explained in the chapter on the letter Bet), appears in the Canaanite script as a closed room (in ancient Hebrew, the word "house" means "room").

The letter Gimel looks like a foot and appears in our Hebrew text as γ.

The letter Dalet resembles a fish. Remember that the word "fish" starting with a Dalet is a Hebrew word.

The letter Hey looks like a comb, somewhat like the shape of the Hey after being altered (from which the shape of the letter E evolved).

The letter Vav looks like a vertical line with a circle at its top, resembling the curve at the head of the Hebrew Vav (from this shape developed the form of the letter F, whose pronunciation also varies among Latin nations, as even today some say "Savta" instead of "Sabta").

The letter Chet looks like a ladder, like the letter Chet on top of another Chet (from which developed the shape of the letter H).

The letter Kaf looks like a container with something inside, reflecting the meaning of the letter Kaf according to the secret of the letters, which represents a vessel (from which developed the form of the letter K).

The letter Lamed looks like a loop (loop is a Hebrew word).

The letter Mem resembles water waves. Here, not only does Mem derive from the Hebrew word "water," but the shape also hints at the secret of the letter Mem, which is the secret of water (as clarified in the chapter dealing with the letter Mem. From this shape of water waves in the Canaanite script, the form of the letter M developed).

The letter Nun looks like a snake crawling. The word "snake," starting with a Nun, is a word in the holy tongue (from this form in the Canaanite script, the shape of the letter N evolved).

The letter Ayin looks like an eye. Again, "Ayin" is a Hebrew word, and it alludes to the power of sight, which is the secret of the letter Ayin (as explained in the chapter on the letter Ayin. From this eye shape in the Canaanite script, the letter O evolved, the pronunciation of which among Latin nations is like the letter Ayin minus the depth of its original Hebrew speech).

The letter Peh looks like a smiling mouth. Again, it is a Hebrew word, reflecting the essence of the letter.

The letter Qof looks like holes through which something can be threaded, representing the eye of a needle. It became more evident in the later Canaanite script, where the needle with its hole is highly prominent in the letter's form. Here too, "Qof" (the needle) is a Hebrew word, hinting at the essence of the letter. (From this form evolved the letter Q, with the eye of the needle distinct and prominent from the needle).

The letter Reish resembles a head and is similar to the shape of the letter Reish (when the Greeks changed the writing direction, from right to left – to left to right, they turned the face of this letter to the right, and so it remains in Greek and Russian today. Only in Latin (and subsequently in English) did an additional leg R appear, and the letter P served as Peh.

The letter Shin looks like waves with three peaks, resembling the original Shin, albeit altered.

The letter Tav is somewhat like a shape even today some write quickly, forming the letter Tav with two intersecting lines (from this form evolved the shape of the letter T, where the lowercase t retains the intersecting lines).

* * *

It is therefore discovered that the root of all alphabets in various scripts is the Hebrew alphabet, the same letters with which the world was created and distorted during the generation of division, except among those who remained loyal to their Creator and passed down the Hebrew language, along with the form and secret of its letters, from generation to generation, in utmost secrecy.

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