The Septuagint and Oral Translation

Proceeding volume: 59Speaking of oral translation has not been popular in Septuagint research lately. The history of research knows one such theory, developed about a century ago by Paul Kahle, maintaining that there was no one written translation in the beginning but several different oral translations that were written down and eventually unified in a process comparable to the development of the Targums. This theory has been refuted, once and for all, a long time ago. Everything in the textual history of the Septuagint speaks for an Urtext, one translation text behind all the various developments in the textual history. But what was there before this Urtext? Several puzzles around the Septuagint find a natural solution, if an origin in oral translation is presupposed for the Torah or at least parts of it. The only source of arguments for a theory of this kind is the translation itself.Peer reviewe

The Origins of the Kaige Revision

The so-called kaige revision was discovered and first described by Dominique Barthélemy on the basis of the Naḥal Ḥever Minor Prophets Scroll (8ḤevXIIgr, 1st cent. BCE). This was the first time that evidence emerged concerning Jewish revisional activity on the Septuagint with the aim of approximating its wording to the Hebrew (practically proto-Masoretic) text. Traces of this activity have been found especially in the historical books (Judges, Samuel–Kings): in different areas of text or different witnesses in varying degrees of concentration. This paper wishes to inquire into the origins of this activity, not only into (1) its geographical location and dating, but more importantly into (2) its exegetical and theological prerequisites and into (3) the question of which persons and institutions possibly were its initiators. (1) In the scholarly literature, the kaige revision is often described as Palestinian and it is usually dated to the 1st centuries BCE and CE. This is also what the Naḥal Ḥever discovery suggests. Considering that knowledge of the Hebrew language and orientation by the Hebrew scriptures were declining among the users of the Septuagint in the Diaspora, it seems all the more plausible that the revisional activity was a phenomenon at home in Palestine or perhaps more precisely in Jerusalem. (2) The kaige revision had an exegetical and theological motivation. It was connected with the rise of word-for-word interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures, and especially, with the emergence of the scriptural status of the historical books, which meant that these books were gaining interest as objects of exegesis. It is intriguing that greater interest in the historical books also meant increasing editorial activity on the Hebrew text, in order to render these texts more suitable to be regarded as scripture and interpreted in matters of life and faith. (3) The most intriguing question of all is the question concerning the initiators of the kaige revision. Where can we find those learned people who had the need for a “correct” Greek rendering of the Hebrew scriptures, who had good knowledge of both Hebrew and Greek, who were capable of reading Hebrew and reading and writing Greek, and who had the authority to do this kind of work? The place where I would look for them is the Greek-speaking synagogue.Peer reviewe

Rewriting David and Goliath?

The well-known debate about the different versions of the story of David and Goliath has mainly revolved around the question which one, the shorter version of the Septuagint or the longer one of the Masoretic Text, should be considered to be the more original. The view that preference should be given to the shorter form is gradually gaining ground, and that is also the starting point for my presentation. The question I would like to address is: What is the origin of the expansions of the MT? It has been suggested that they would have been part of an alternative story that circulated separately from the story in the First Book of Samuel (e.g. J. Lust). Another theory was proposed by A.G. Auld, together with C.Y.S. Ho, suggesting that the expansions were developed on the basis of the stories of Saul with the purpose of demonstrating how much more glorious David was than Saul. Auld and Ho maintain that there never existed an alternative story, and so far I agree with them. However, I would like to develop a more plausible explanation of the motives and editorial techniques behind the expansions.Peer reviewe

Pauline Heritage in 1 Peter : A Study of Literary Dependence in 1 Peter 2:13–25

Peer reviewe

Corruption or Correction? : Textual Development in the MT of 1 Samuel 1

Peer reviewe

What Happened to the Text in Jer 25:1-7?

Peer reviewe

Usko, toivo ja semantiikka : Septuagintan psalmien kielestä ja sen vaikutuksesta Paavaliin

Aineisto on Opiskelijakirjaston digitoimaa ja Opiskelijakirjasto vastaa aineiston käyttöluvist

Oikeudenmukaisuuden juuret Vanhassa testamentissa

Non peer reviewe