The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research

This handbook provides a practical guide for the student and scholar alike who wishes to use the Septuagint (LXX) in the text-critical analysis of the Hebrew Bible. It does not serve as another theoretical introduction to the LXX, but it provides all the practical background information needed for the integration of the LXX in biblical studies. The LXX, together with the Masoretic Text and several Qumran scrolls, remains the most significant source of information for the study of ancient Scripture, but it is written in Greek, and many technical details need to be taken into consideration when using this tool. Therefore, a practical handbook such as this is needed for the integration of the Greek translation in the study of the Hebrew Bible.

The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research is based on much background information, intuition and experience, clear thinking, and a solid description of the procedures followed. The author presents his handbook after half a century of study of the Septuagint, four decades of specialized teaching experience, and involvement in several research projects focusing on the relation between the Hebrew and Greek Bibles.

The first two editions of this handbook, published by Simor of Jerusalem (Jerusalem Biblical Studies 3 [1981] and 8 [1997]), received much praise but have been out of print for a considerable period. This, the third, edition presents a completely revised version of the previous editions based on the many developments that took place in the analysis of the Septuagint, the Hebrew Bible and the Qumran Scrolls. Much new information has also been added.

Eisenbrauns has been involved in the marketing of the previous two editions and is proud to offer now its own completely novel edition. A must for students of the Hebrew Bible, textual criticism, the Septuagint and the other ancient translations, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Jewish Hellenism.

“A most important tool for Septuagint and text-critical research. It gives a thorough introduction into the use of the Septuagint in biblical research and convincingly expresses the relevance of the LXX for textual criticism.”—B. Beeckman, Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses

Preface

Editions of Textual Sources

Abbreviations

Chapter 1. Introduction: Some Basic Notions

A. The aims of the textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible

B. Collecting variants

C. The reconstruction of individual elements in the original text of the LXX

D. The character of the canon of the “LXX”

E. The categories “literal” and “free”

F. Understanding the LXX

G. Editions

H. Electronic tools

I. The evaluation of the LXX in biblical research

Part I

The Reconstruction of the Hebrew Text Underlying the LXX: Possibilities and Impossibilities

Chapter 2. When to Reconstruct Variants?

A. Exegesis

B. Scribal developments

Chapter 3. How to Reconstruct the Vorlage of the LXX—Positive and Negative Aspects

A. Criteria for retroversion

1. Greek–Hebrew equivalents

2. Intuition

3. Textual probability

4. Linguistic plausibility

5. External support

B. The nature of retroverted variants

1. Some types of reliable retroversions

2. Doubtful retroversions

3. The existence of retroverted variants

Excursus 1:The use of concordances in the reconstruction of the Vorlage of the LXX

Excursus 2:The use of electronic tools in the reconstruction of the Vorlage of the LXX

Excursus 3:endentious palaeographical exegesis?

Chapter 4. The Reconstruction of Elements Not Indicated in the Vorlage of the Translators

A. Vocalization

1. Reconstructing “different vocalizations”

2. The translators’ attitude towards the unvocalized text

3. The reconstruction of the vocalization

4. The grapheme ש

5. The translators and the reading tradition

6. The reliability of the reconstruction

B. Word Divisions

C. Sense Divisions

Chapter 5. Variants, Variants/Non-Variants, and Pseudo-Variants

A. Variants

1. Pluses

2. Minuses

3. Transpositions

4. Differences in words

Excursus 1:Matres lectionis and final letters

Excursus 2:Abbreviations?

Excursus 3:The script of the Vorlage of the LXX

Excursus 4:Variants retroverted from the revisions of the LXX

B. Non-Variants

C. Variants/Non-Variants

1. Connective waw/καί

2. Singular/plural forms of nouns and verbs

3. Pronouns

4. Active/passive forms of verbs

5. Prepositions

6. The article

D. Pseudo-Variants

1. Interchange of similar letters in “difficult” Hebrew words

2. Intrinsically improbable readings

3. Deviations from MT in the LXX causing further deviations in the translation

Excursus:tymological Exegesis

Part II: The Nature and Evaluation of the Hebrew Text Underlying the LXX

Chapter 6. The Nature of the Hebrew Text Underlying the LXX

A. The geographical provenance of the Hebrew text underlying the LXX

B. The relationship between the Hebrew text underlying the LXX and ancient Hebrew witnesses of the biblical text

1. Hebrew scrolls from Qumran

2. The Samaritan Pentateuch

C. Characteristic features of the Hebrew text underlying the LXX

D. Evaluation of the literary evidence in the LXX

Chapter 7. The Evaluation of Retroverted Variants in Biblical Research

A. General

B. The evaluation of readings

C. Some rules for evaluation

Excursus:The evaluation of retroverted variants in the BH series

Chapter 8. The Contribution of the LXX to the Literary Criticism of the Bible

Indexes

Index of authors

Index of biblical passages