Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament
James Barr
In this expanded version of James Barr’s classic work, three additional articles by the author are added. They are (1) “Philology and Exegesis: Some General Remarks, with Illustrations from Job,” (2) “Ugaritic and Hebrew sbm?” and (3) “Limitations of Etymology as a Lexicographical Instrument in Biblical Hebrew.” The text of the original edition (Oxford University Press, 1968) remains unchanged. In addition to the seventy-five pages of additional material, this expanded version concludes with a postscript by Professor Barr, placing the articles within the context of the book.
- Description
- Table of Contents
I. TEXTUAL TREATMENT AND PHILOLOGICAL TREATMENT
II. SOME EXAMPLES IN GREATER DETAIL
(1) speak
(2) speech
(3) be impudent, shameless
(4) not meaning know
(5) call
(6) body of elders
(7) fresh vegetables
(8) herald
(9) pleasant, delightful and dig, bore
(10) protect and warrior
(11) A Grammatical Example
(12) Enclitic Mem
(13) Some General Statements
III. SOME HISTORICAL ASPECTS
(1) The Disuse of Hebrew among the Jews
(2) Linguistic Elements in Jewish Interpretation
(3) Early Intra-linguistic Relations
(4) Aspects of the History of Jewish Grammatical Studies
(5) More Recent Trends
IV. ASPECTS OF COMPARATIVE PHILOLOGICAL METHOD
(1) History
(2) Sound
(3) Meaning
(4) General
V. PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS IN PHILOLOGICAL TREATMENTS
(1) General
(2) Metathesis and Dialect
(3) Loan-words and Words of non-Semitic Origin
(4) Area Preferences within Comparative Philology
(5) Problems of the Lexicographical Tradition
(6) ‘Aramaisms’ and Similar Terms
VI. THE DISTRIBUTION OF HOMONYMS
(1) General
(2) Homonyms and Communication
(3) The Count of Known Homonyms
(4) Homonymy and Style
VII. THE DISTRIBUTION OF LEXICAL RESOURCES IN THE SEMITIC LANGUAGES
(1) General
(2) Biliteral Theories
(3) Semantic Fields
(4) Words with Opposite Meanings (Addad)
(5) Patterning of Roots and Compatibility of Consonants
(6) Words Known Through Personal Names
(7) Lexicostatistics or Glottochronology
VIII. THE MASSORETES, VOCALIZATION AND EMENDATION
(1) General
(2) Fallibility in the Consonantal Text
(3) The Importance of the Vocalization
(4) Evidence for Pre-Massoretic Vocalization
(5) Conclusions
IX. LATE HEBREW AND THE LOSS OF VOCABULARY
(1) General
(2) The Question of the Hebrew Text
(3) The Question of the Versional Text
(4) Imprecise Methods of Translation
(5) The Use of Favourite Words
(6) Etymologizing
(7) Free Rewriting
(8) Additional Points in the Use of the Versions
(9) Uncertainty about the Meaning of the Version
(10) The Versions and the Grammar of the Original
(11) Conclusions
XI. SOME PARTICULAR LINGUISTICS, LITERARY, AND CULTURAL PROBLEMS
(1) Onomatopoeia
(2) Some Linguistic-cultural Relations
(3) Parellelism
(4) Religious Factors
(5) The Argument from Actuality
XII. SUMMING-UP
Appendix: Comparison of Syriac and Hebrew Verbs
ABBREVIATIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX OF EXAMPLES
INDEXES
POSTSCRIPT
PHILOLOGY AND EXEGESIS
UGARITIC AND HEBREW ‘SBM’?
LIMITATIONS OF ETYMOLOGY AS A LEXICOGRAPHICAL INSTRUMENT IN BIBLICAL HEBREW
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