Ktav Ashuri, is the term used in the
Talmud; the
modern Hebrew term for the Hebrew alphabet is simply "Alphabet Hebrew". Consequently, the term
Ktav Ashuri refers primarily to a traditional calligraphic form of the alphabet used in writing the
Torah. However, the term
Ashuri is often used in the
Babylonian Talmud to refer to the contemporary "Hebrew alphabet", as opposed to the older
Paleo-Hebrew script. The Talmud gives two opinions for why the script is called
Ashuri: • either because the Jews brought it back with them when they returned from exile in
Assyria (called
Ashur in Hebrew); • alternatively, this script was given at
Mount Sinai and then forgotten and eventually revived, and received its name because it is "me'usheret" (; beautiful/praiseworthy or authorized). The name reflects the fact that the Hebrew alphabet used by Jews (as opposed to the Samaritans) was derived from the
Aramaic alphabet () used in
Assyria and
Babylonia and
Imperial Aramaic was a lingua franca of both states' empires, it thus refers to "the Aramaic alphabet as used in
Judaism", and is sometimes referred to as the "Assyrian script." The name contrasts with the name
Libonaa (or
Liboni) given to the
Samaritan alphabet, and by extension the
Paleo-Hebrew alphabet. This name is most likely derived from
Lubban, i.e. the script is called "Libanian" (of
Lebanon), although it has also been suggested that the name is a corrupted form of "Neapolitan", i.e. of
Nablus. == History ==