Five Psalms of Individual Lament are woven into Mark’s Passion narrative to tell the story of Jesus’ death. Psalm 40 (41 MT) is alluded to at the Last Supper, and its narrative pattern is evident throughout the trial scene as a model for the story. Psalms 41 and 42 (42 and 43 MT), which should be considered one psalm, are alluded to in the scene at Gethsemane, and their tenor captures well that of Gethsemane. Allusions to Psalm 68 (69 MT) bracket Jesus’ crucifixion. Finally, the Passion narrative alludes to Psalm 21 (22 MT) three times during Jesus’ crucifixion. Clearly, these psalms play a major role in the construction of the Passion narrative and the understanding of Jesus’ death in Mark. In this paper, I will try to determine whether or not the author of Mark used the LXX version of these five psalms. I will do this by (1) examining more closely the references to these five psalms in the Passion narrative of Mark; (2) examining any textual differences between the LXX and the MT, translation of verbs with respect to tense and aspect, and syntactical choices by the LXX translator of these psalms. The second part of this analysis will expose any significant differences between the LXX and the MT that would help determine which version is more amenable to the tone, narrative flow, or thematic presentation of Jesus’ Passion in Mark. This will naturally raise hermeneutical issues for Mark, as a whole, and for the Passion narrative, in particular.

Patricia Ahearne-Kroll

[stephen.ahearne-kroll@yale.edu] Yale Divinity School / 319 Willow St, #3, New Haven, CT 06511. 203-772-1852.

These are the Two Sons of Prosperity: LXX Zechariah 1-6 Centuries After the Restoration of the Temple

There are notable differences between the versions of Zechariah 1-6 in the standard Hebrew and Greek texts. Some of these differences reveal common text critical variations that result from the progress of transmission, while other distinctions seem to reflect the worldview of the translator(s). Given the conservative nature of transmission in antiquity, the altered meaning in the LXX Zechariah does not necessarily expose any purposeful manipulation of the text. Rather, these textual differences suggest the historical and theological assumptions shared by initial translators. Primarily, LXX Zechariah 1-6 advances the significance of Joshua and the temple cult. Although the prophet Zechariah revived hopes for the return of Davidic rule, LXX Zechariah 1-6 does not reveal any development of this hope with a description of a royal messianic figure. LXX Zechariah 1-6 presents the re-establishment of the temple cult, with Zerubbabel as an important guide to Judah’s prosperity and with Joshua as a co-leader in the political realm as the cultic authority of the Jewish people. By expanding the understanding of Joshua and maintaining the portrayal of Zerubbabel, LXX Zechariah 1-6 presents a belief that corresponds to the role of the high priesthood that most likely existed during the time of its translation.

Claudia Bergmann

(University of Chicago) E-mail: cdbergma@midway.uchicago.edu

Idol Worship in Bel et Draco and Other Post-biblical Literature

The prohibition of idol worship has a long tradition in the Hebrew Bible. Biblical writers stress that worshipping idols is of no avail since they are mere lifeless and powerless images fashioned by human hands from mundane materials. In post-biblical times, the prohibition of idol worship is underscored by some new literary tendencies that portray idol worship as not just pointless but even ridiculous. These tendencies are 1) a rationalization of the origin of idols and their alleged powers, 2) an emphasis on the human ability to destroy idols without punishment, 3) the hesitation to extensively compare idols with the one true God.

This paper will describe these tendencies as they appear in Bel et Draco and other post-biblical texts such as the Letter of Jeremiah, Jubilees 12 and 20, Wisdom of Solomon 13-15 and the Apocalypse of Abraham. It will then attempt to draw some conclusions regarding the translation of Bel et Draco in both of its versions.

Götzendienst in Bel et Draco und anderen nach-biblischen Texten

Im Alten Testament hat das Verbot des Götzendienstes eine lange Tradition. Die biblischen Autoren unterstreichen die Sinnlosigkeit des Götzendienst, denn schließlich besitzen Götzen weder Lebenskraft noch Macht, sondern sind von Menschenhänden und aus irdischen Stoffen hergestellt. Das frühen Judentum stärkte das Verbot des Götzendienstes durch weitere Argumente, die den Götzendienst nun nicht nur als sinnlos, sondern auch als lächerlich darstellten. Drei Tendenzen kristallisieren sich heraus: 1) eine Rationalisierung des Ursprungs der Götzen und der ihnen zugewiesenen Fähigkeiten, 2) ein Herausheben der Möglichkeit, dass Götzen ungestraft und durch Menschenhand zerstört werden können, und 3) ein Zögern, die Götzen weiterhin mit dem einen wahren Gott zu vergleichen.

Dieser Vortrag wird diese neuen Tendenzen gegen den Götzendienst in Bel et Draco und anderen nach-biblischen Texten (Brief des Jeremia, Buch der Jubiläen 12 und 20, Buch der Weisheit und Apokalypse des Abraham) thematisieren. Gleichzeitig sollen einige Vorschläge erwachsen, wie diese neuen Tendenzen in die Übersetzungen von Bel et Draco einfließen können.

Cameron Boyd-Taylor

Bancroft Hall / Near and Middle Eastern Civilisations / University of Toronto / R Taylor [rftaylor@sympatico.ca]

Prolegomena to the Study of the Septuagint

At first blush, it might seem surprising that relatively little attention has been paid to the Septuagint as a document of its times. Yet, if we consider the place of Septuagint studies within Academia, namely, that of a sub-discipline within Hebrew Bible scholarship, the reason for this neglect is at once obvious and altogether understandable. As an ancillary undertaking within a loosely defined field of enquiry, the study of the Septuagint has proceeded without an explanatory framework proper to the task, and this has resulted in a tendency for the texts to be treated in an ad hoc manner. So too, the emphasis in Septuagint scholarship has tended to fall on the character of the translation as a textual witness to its Hebrew parent. While such a source-oriented approach to the text is justified by the altogether legitimate concern to describe translation-technique, it often comes down to documenting the perceived fidelity of the translator to his task. This manner of proceeding is no doubt warranted in studies with a strictly limited scope. But as long as theoretical agnosticism reigns within the discipline, the true import of otherwise meticulously conducted research can be lost sight of. Without doubt the foremost desideratum for Septuagint studies today is a theory of translation.

The first priority of such a theory would be to define the primary object of enquiry. In this regard, there is a good case for treating the institutional matrix of the translation as fundamental. In a seminal paper read to the EST Congress in Prague, 1995, Theo Hermans emphasized the place of the translator, and hence the translation, in an existing network of social relations. This is to see the translator as one actively negotiating a complex of social structures by making choices, i.e. by selecting "one option from among the range of more or less practicable, more or less likely options available to them in the circumstances." Such institutionally motivated selection will of course impact on the verbal makeup of the translation. The nexus that obtains between the social expectations that scaffold the work of the translator and the options he or she exercises within that scaffolding is well captured by the term constitutive character.

The burden of my argument is that the study of the Septuagint involves us per force in framing hypotheses touching the constitutive character of the text under description. The process of translation is informed by a set of institutionally motivated expectations that both circumscribe and structure its domain as a field of behavior. Regardless of the sort of question one puts to the text, whether linguistic, historical or hermeneutic, it is of fundamental importance that one provides a working model of the nexus between these constraints and their text-linguistic correlates. The implications of this argument will be illustrated through a discussion of the constitutive character of the quotations from the Greek Psalter found in Peter’s Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:14-41).

Ralph Brucker

(Theol. Fakultät Univ. Hamburg): Bräsigweg 16, 22177 Hamburg, email: Ralph.Brucker@t-online.de

Observations on the ‘Wirkungsgeschichte’ of the Septuagint-Psalms in Early Judaism and Christianity

Among the references to "Scripture" in the New Testament, the Psalms take a prominent role, as can readily be seen by the marginal notes in the standard Bible versions. The Greek form of the quotations normally goes with the Septuagint (LXX).

In my paper, I will contribute some observations on the reception of the LXX-Psalms that emerged from my current work on the annotated German translation of a part of this corpus, and I will offer some provisional conclusions and hypotheses to the discussion.

The focus will lie on the New Testament reception of the Psalms, but due to the more open formulation of the title, there will also be some glances on the ‘Wirkungsgeschichte’ of the LXX-Psalms in Early Judaism (esp. the books of the Maccabees and Philo) and Early Christianity outside the New Testament (Apostolic Fathers and Apologists; Psalm Commentaries of the Greek Fathers of the Church).

German

Die Psalmen nehmen, wie bereits die Bibelstellenverweise in den gängigen Bibelausgaben erkennen lassen, unter den „Schrift"-Bezügen im Neuen Testament eine herausragende Rolle ein, wobei die griechische Textgrundlage in der Regel der Septuaginta (LXX) entspricht.

Ausgehend von der Arbeit an der Übersetzung des LXX-Psalters werden in meinem Referat einige Beobachtungen zur Psalmenrezeption zusammengetragen und vorläufige Schlußfolgerungen und Hypothesen zur Diskussion gestellt.

Den Schwerpunkt bildet dabei die Wirkungsgeschichte der Psalmen im Neuen Testament. Gemäß der offeneren Titelformulierung kommt aber auch die Rezeption der Psalmen im hellenistischen Judentum (bes. Makkabäerbücher und Philon von Alexandria) sowie im frühen Christentum außerhalb des Neuen Testaments (Apostolische Väter und Apologeten; Psalmen-Kommentare griechischer Kirchenväter) in den Blick.

Kristin De Troyer

( Professor of Hebrew Bible / Claremont School of Theology / 1325 N. College Avenue / Claremont CA 91711 Phone: (-1) 909 447 2536 Fax: (-1) 909 447 6258 / Email: Kristin.DeTroyer@cst.edu / Web: www.cst.edu

Reconstructing the Old Greek of Joshua

After briefly describing one of the most important manuscripts for the reconstruction of the Old Greek text, the Schoyen papyrus 2648 (= Ra 816), I will demonstrate that in the Vorlage of the OG text of Joshua, Gilgal did not play an as prominent role as it does in the MT. The OG of Joshua thus witnesses to a pre-Masoretic text of the book of Joshua.

Beate Ego

(Univ. Osnabrück): Institut für Evang. Theologie, Neuer Graben/Schloss, 49069 Osnabrück, email: bego@uni-osnabrueck.de

The Septuagint Book of Tobit, Observations, Problems, Insights

Recent research on the Book of Tobit is mainly characterized by two insights:

· - The findings of text material in Qumran, which also included numerous Aramaic and Hebrew fragments of the book of Tobit, made it possible to up-date former results of research on this book. After long controversial discussions about the original version of this book, it now appears logical to assume that the long version G II (S) represents the original Greek version of the book due to its strong similarity to the texts of Qumran whilst the version G I is considered to be an abbreviated revision of the text.

· - Particular reference is made to the character of the book as a story of the diaspora under the aspect of its narrative intention. In this context, both male protagonists of the action, Tobit and his son Tobias, appear as ideal characters who express in their actions values such as "justice" and "mercy". Traditional elements like the Torah find a specific interpretation by being redefined in the situation of diaspora in placing the commandment of endogamy as the central value of the Torah.

Based on this assumption, further problems appear within the context of research on the Septuagint. These include the following ones:

· - Reflections on translation techniques in Greek

· - Which tendencies become apparent in the work on G II?

· - Which passages in both text versions show specific conceptions of Greek –Hellenistic origin?

The lecture will present the latest level of research findings on this subject, and deal with the a.m. problems by referring to selected examples.

Heinz-Josef Fabry

(Kath. theol. Fakultät Univ. Bonn): Turmfalkenweg 15, 53127 Bonn, email: fabry@uni-bonn.de

The Messianology of the Septuagint (Abstract)

There is no homogeneous messianism obvious in the Septuagint (LXX). The messianic descriptions in the text of the LXX are dependent on the ideas in its Hebrew „Vorlage". In addition to that LXX shows an interesting independence:

1.) Those texts of the Hebrew Bible known as messianic are often dis-messianized in the LXX (e. g. Hos 11,1; Isa 2,22; 9,5, 42,1; Dan 9,25f.).

2.) Other texts of the Hebrew Bible able to be understood as messianic are weakened and partly dismantled from there messianic character in the LXX (e. g. Isa 4,2; 42,1; 49,1-6; Mic 5,2; Ps 89,4).

3.) In contrary other unmessianic texts of the Hebrew Bible are interpreted in the LXX in a messianic way (e. g. Gen 3,15; 49,10; Num 24,17; 2 Sam 7,16; Am 4,13; Hab 3,2; Zec 3,8; Ps 45, 7-8; 110,3 and many others).

The single examples should be analyzed to examine the messianisation or the dis-messianisation; are such text variations relevant for text critical reasons or do they show specific theological programmatics?

4.) Perhaps, in some proofs interesting traces of the rezeptionsgeschichtliche employment of the texts in early christian times may be found (e. g. Eze 17,23, where a messianic reception of the LXX is going on to be cancelled in the text‘s later history [manuscript 967]).

Such analyses of texts lead us to the immediate context of the conflict between LXX and early christianity.

Deutsch:

Eine einheitliche Messiasvorstellung ist für die Septuaginta (LXX) nicht erkennbar. Zuerst einmal ist sie in der Darstellung ihrer Vorstellungen von ihren hebräischen Vorlagen abhängig. Daneben dann zeigt sie auch ein bemerkenswertes Eigenleben.

1.) Einschlägig bekannte messianische Texte der Hebräischen Bibel werden von der LXX entmessianisiert (z.B. Hos 11,1; Jes 2,22; 9,5; 42,1; Dan 9,25f.).

2.) Texte der Hebräischen Bibel, die sich messianisch deuten lassen, werden von der LXX abgeschwächt (z.B. Jes 4,2; 42,1; 49,1-6; Mi 5,2; Ps 89,4).

3.) Im Gegenzug werden unmessianische Texte der Hebräischen Bibel in der LXX messianisch interpretiert (z.B. Gen 3,15; 49,10; Num 24,17; 2 Sam 7,16; Am 4,13; Hab 3,2; Sach 3,8; Ps 45,7-8; 110,3 u.a.m.).

Es sollen die einzelnen Belege (in Auswahl) analysiert werden, um der Messianisierung oder Entmessianisierung auf die Spur zu kommen: handelt es sich um textkritisch relevante Textvarianten oder zeigen sich hinter diesen Belegen spezifische theologische Programme?

4.) In einigen wenigen Belegen sind vielleicht interessante Spuren einer rezeptionsgeschichtlichen Aufnahme der Texte in frühchristlicher Zeit zu entdecken (z.B. in Ez 17,37, wo eine messianische Rezeption in der LXX in der späteren Textgeschichte [MS 967] wieder rückgängig gemacht wird).

Solche Textanalysen führen uns möglicherweise in den unmittelbaren Kontext der Auseinandersetzung zwischen der Septuaginta mit ihren Tradenten und dem frühen Christentum.

Robert J. V. Hiebert

Associate Professor of Old Testament / Trinity Western Seminary / 7600 Glover Road / Langley, B.C., Canada / V2Y 1Y1 / E-Mail: robh@twu.ca / Phone: 604-888-7511, ext. 3822 / Fax: 604-513-2045

The Hermeneutics of Translation in the Septuagint of Genesis

It is by now a commonplace that translation involves interpretation and is, therefore, the first level of commentary. Just as aspects of the social contexts and various compositional strategies of original authors are discernible in texts, so the milieus of translators and their approaches to translation are reflected in their renderings of literary works. This paper will focus on some of the interpretative dynamics that are operative in the Septuagint of Genesis, which is both a Hellenistic document and Jewish Scripture. The implications of these considerations for the New English Translation of the Septuagint (NETS) version will also be explored.

Karen H. Jobes

Associate Professor of New Testament / Westmont College / Dept. of Religious Studies / 955 La Paz Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93108 / 805-565-7269/ fax: 805-565-7101 email: jobes@westmont.edu

The Use of the LXX in 1 Peter

Textual criticism of the LXX and of the NT have proceeded more-or-less independently of each other with good reason. However, there are some important correspondences between textual criticism of the LXX and the NT. Most obviously, both fields deal with the transmission of Greek texts. It would quite surprising if the traits that characterize the transmission of the LXX were unparalleled in the transmission of the NT. Furthermore, the LXX has strong affinities with the NT in matters of content and style. Most of the NT authors, like the LXX translators, were Jews writing in Greek about their religion. Even more importantly, the LXX was adopted by Greek-speaking Christians as their Bible even after the LXX lost prestige among Jewish readers. This means that the people who read and made copies of the Greek NT were to a large extent the same people who read and made copies of the LXX. Moreover, some of the most significant LXX manuscripts - such as Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, and Alexandrinus - also contain the NT. One would expect that scribal patterns would be very similar for both sets of documents. These factors suggest that much could be learned from analyzing the transmission of these two works in tandem.

This paper is an exploratory attempt in that direction. The book of 1 Peter quotes and alludes to the LXX more frequently than any other book in the NT, given its brief length. This paper will present a descriptive analysis of the LXX textual tradition as it is found in 1 Peter.

Robert Kraft

kraft@ccat.sas.upenn.edu Robert A. Kraft, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania // 227 Logan Hall (Philadelphia PA 19104-6304); tel. 215 898-5827 // http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/kraft.html

Continuities and Discontinuities in the Transitions from Jewish to Christian Scribal Practices

This presentation will look at selected phenomena in Greek copies of Jewish and early Christian scriptures and related materials up to the fifth century and the scribal cultures that produced them, including the move from scrolls to codices, the development of conventions for representing "nomina sacra" and other abbreviations, formatting issues within the text blocks, etc. Color pictures will be a part of the presentation. Attention will be paid to continuities and discontinuities in the transmission of scriptural texts between Judaism and Christianity.

Martin Karrer

(KiHo Wuppertal): Missionsstrasse 1a, 42285 Wuppertal, email: karrer@uni-wuppertal.de

Septuagint-Quotations in the Epistle to the Hebrews

[German title: "Der Weltkreis und Christus, der Hohepriester. Von der Septuaginta-Textgeschichte zum Hebräerbrief (Hebr 1,6; 2,17-3,6)."]

The Theology of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Hebr) is based, to an exceptional degree, on quotations from scripture. Hebr quotes 29 different texts of scripture; and if we count every instance where these are mentioned, there are even 35 quotations. These are more scriptural quotations than in any other NT book. According to Hebr, Theology needs to be shaped by listening to the Word (cf. „God has spoken / speaks", 1:1 and passim). The Word comes from on high, and can be recognized in the scriptures of Israel.

All quotations in Hebr are taken from the Greek tradition of Judaism, and, more exactly, from the Septuagint. The history of the Septuagint, again, is complex. The texts continued to undergo change, as well slight simplifications brought about by frequent use as purposeful adaptions to peculiarities of the Hebrew texts.

This paper concentrates on the relevance of biblical textual history for understanding Hebr. This is shown, in an exemplary fashion, in Hebr 1:6 – Dtn 32:43 – Od 2:43, and in Hebr 2:17-3:6 - 1 Sam 2:35 - 1 Kings 2:35 (LXX, cf. lukian. Recension). These examples have been chosen because they are significant for the theology of Hebrews and because in their cases relevant material is extant in Greek recensions and partly in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The result is that we find a history of theology within the Bible itself, though we need not belittle that which is new in the NT. There are many gradual transitions from Early Judaism to Early Christianity. Our insight into this phenomenon deepens as we gain a better understanding of textual history and of theology alike through our investigations into the history of the Septuagint text, and through the exegesis of the NT.

Wolfgang Kraus

(Univ. Koblenz-Landau, Campus Koblenz): Institut für Evang. Theologie, Rheinau 1, 56075 Koblenz, email: kraus@uni-koblenz.de

Contemporary Septuagint Projects. Problems and Perspectives (Bangor/ME, Sept. 2002)

There is a current interest in Septuagint research and –reception. All over the world several projects are aiming at a translation of the LXX into a modern language. The three most important initiatives are the French project ‘La Bible d’Alexandrie’ (BdA), the north American project ‘New English Translation of the Septuagint’ (NETS) and - maybe - the German project ‘Septuaginta-deutsch’.

A major issue which needs clarification when translating the LXX into a modern language is: What character does the LXX have as a translation from Hebrew? Is it an autonomous literary work or does the LXX only want to be a means for guiding its reader to the Hebrew text?

The French and the American project have chosen different paths. According to M. Harl, leader of BdA, the LXX is an "oeuvre autonom détachée de son modèle". NETS, however, views the LXX more as in interlinear translation from the Hebrew text. The interest of the French project is predominantly in the Greek text and its ‘Wirkungsgeschichte’, the north American project concentrates on the Greek text and its Hebrew original.

What does the position of the German project look like in contrast?

Using concrete examples, which result from a comparison of the Hebrew text and its LXX translation, an attempt of describing the position of the German project is made. On the one hand, the translators of the LXX did not have a work in mind which should be independent from the Hebrew original; on the other hand, they consciously modified the Hebrew original, which makes the LXX an autonomous expression of Hellenistic-Jewish faith. The latter becomes obvious in (1) the plot of the LXX-books, (2) the psalm headlines, which can be understood as interpretations, (3) conscious references to the cultural and social environment of Alexandria, (4) the modification of theological concepts, e.g. the evasion of anthropomorphism, (5) the relationship of Israel and the peoples in texts from Isaiah.

Finally, resulting from these insights, the concrete program of the German project will be portrayed in sketches.

Siegfried Kreuzer

(KiHo Wuppertal): Dietrich Bonhoeffer Weg 22, 42285 Wuppertal, email: skreuzer@uni-wuppertal.de

From 'Old Greek' to the recensions: Who and what caused the change of the Hebrew reference-text of the Septuagint.

The Septuagint as the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek has undergone several stages with important changes. A very special and complex problem is the different recensional activities. These activities are especially evident in the books of Samuel and Kings with their kaige-sections and the problem of a proto-lucianic recension. While earlier scholarship considered the 'translations' of the 2nd century, especially Aquila, to be new translations, the texts from Qumran and Nahal Hever showed that they continue a process of recensions that already had begun in the 1st century B.C.E.

The identification of the so called kaige-recension in the famous scroll from Nahal Hever also helped to identify and interpret similar phenomena in the Books of Samuel and Kings (resp. Kingdoms I-IV). At the same time, the Qumran biblical texts showed, that in Early Jewish times not only existed the later so called masoretic text, but also several text-types of the Hebrew Bible side by side.

Starting from the Septuagint and the Qumran texts of the books of Samuel the paper will

1) discuss the relation of the Septuagint-text to the different text-types at Qumran,

2) discuss the change of the Hebrew reference-text from the original Septuagint (the so called 'Old Greek') to the recensions, and

3) present a solution to the question of when and how this change came about.

Albert Pietersma

(University of Toronto) pietersm@chass.utoronto.ca // http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~pietersm/

The Hermeneutics of a Translated Text: Possibilities and its Limits. (The Greek Psalter)

This paper argues that the identification of exegesis in a translated text must be based on its textual-linguistic make-up. In other words, what is involved in such an undertaking is a comprehensive explanatory framework that can account for all of the text's linguistic phenomena. Thus what is presupposed is an articulated theory of translation, which delineates inter alia the relationship in which the target text stands to the source text.

Given the scholarly consensus that the Greek Psalter is fundamentally a word-based translation, it would seem to follow that one should commence one's exegetical task at the pre-phrasal level of the translated text, to proceed from there in centrifugal fashion. A couple of examples from the Psalter's superscriptions illustrate what are perceived to be the central questions at issue.

Martin Rösel

(Theol. Fakultät Univ. Rostock): Weigelienhof 1, 18107 Lichtenhagen, email: martin.roesel@theologie.uni-rostock.de

Theology and Anthropology in the Septuagint

In the early days of LXX scholarship there have been some attempts to determine a kind of theology of the Septuagint. This research has especially been burdened by the Work of the Nazi-Theologian G. Bertram who has tried to demonstrate that there is a characteristic LXX-piety (Septuaginta-Frömmigkeit in German). This theology of the LXX should be seen as praeparatio evangelica: the foundation of the New Testament is not to be seen in the Hebrew but in the Greek Bible. Moreover, there have been serious methodological problems because the Septuagint has been viewed as a unity, without considering that the individual books have been translated by different people at different times not only in Alexandria but also elsewhere. But contrary to the neglect of theological questions it is in my view possible to trace some baselines of the theology and anthropology of the LXX.

The paper will initially deal with some statements about God, including the well-known translation of the tetragramm in Ex 3,14, which reminds of Platonic philosophy. The high esteem of the divine name in texts like Lev 24,16 will be highlighted and the question of background and meaning of the translation kyrios for JHWH will be addressed.

Another element is the problem of anthropomorphisms in statements about God. C. Fritsch´s theory from 1943 is still very influential, although there are some problems concerning his methodology. Some examples from the books of Numbers and Psalms will show that a new valuation of the problem seems necessary.

The last part of the lecture will be devoted to the question whether there are differences in the anthropology of parts of the Hebrew and Greek Bible. Here the opposition of pneuma and sarx in Gen 6,1-4 and the use of lexemes like kardia and dianoia (cf. Gen 8,21) have to be discussed. Special attention deserves also the Greek book of proverbs and its educational ideals, here the very valuable research of Johan Cook will be taken up.

The paper will show that that besides the research on the individual books as translation units it is worth looking for theological developments in the Greek Bible; especially when seen from the New Testament. Examinations like these can lead to a research project which aims to reconstruct the theology of the individual books of the LXX and tries to synthesize these results to a kind of theology of the LXX.

Deutsch

Die Suche nach theologischen Leitlinien innerhalb der LXX ist lange Zeit belastet gewesen durch (auch politisch motivierte) Versuche G. Bertrams, eine „Septuaginta-Frömmigkeit" zu erheben, die s.E. als praeparatio evangelica anzusehen sei (vgl. seinen Art. in RGG3). Hinzu kamen erhebliche methodische Probleme, weil man in der Regel die über einen Zeitraum von mindestens drei Jahrhunderten entstandenen Übersetzungen zu stark als Einheit betrachtet hat. Demgegenüber hat erst die neueste Septuaginta-Forschung zeigen können, dass man durchaus mit einiger Sicherheit Grundlinien des Gottes- und Menschenbildes einzelner Schriften der Septuaginta erheben kann.

Der Vortrag wird sich zunächst mit einigen Grundaussagen über Gott beschäftigen. Dazu gehört die bekannte, an platonische Philosophie anklingende Übersetzung des Gottesnamens in Ex 3,14 und die besondere Hochschätzung des Gottesnamens (Lev 24,16 u.ö.), auch die Frage nach Hintergrund und Bedeutung der Übersetzung kyrios für das hebräische Tetragramm (von der Genesis-LXX an) wird hier kurz angesprochen.

Ein weiteres Elemente ist die Frage nach Anthropomorphismen in Gottesaussagen. Die seinerzeit (1943) am Pentateuch großflächig vorgetragene These von C. Fritsch ist an ausgewählten Beispielen zu überprüfen, hier zeigt sich, dass es besonders bei den Büchern Lev und Num Neubewertungen geben muss; ein kurzer Blick ist dann auch auf den griechischen Psalter zu werfen.

Der letzte Teil des Vortrags wendet sich dann der Frage zu, ob es auch bei der Anthropologie Differenzen zwischen einzelnen Teilen der hebräischen und griechischen Bibel gibt. Zu beobachten ist dies etwa beim Gegenüber von pneuma und sarx in Gen 6,1-4, auch die Lexeme kardia und dianoia (vgl. Gen 8,21) sind hier zu bedenken. Abschließend wird auf das Erziehungsideal des griechischen Proverbienbuches eingegangen, wobei besonders die Forschungen von J. Cook aus Stellenbosch aufgenommen und an einigen Stellen modifiziert werden.

Der Vortrag zeigt, dass es sich neben der engeren Forschung an der Übersetzungsweise der einzelnen griechischen Übersetzungen lohnt, auch umfassendere theologische Fragestellungen in den Blick zu nehmen. Dies ist insbesondere für den neutestamentlichen Schriftgebrauch unverzichtbar. Am Ende solcher Überlegungen könnte ein Forschungsprojekt stehen, das zum Ziel hat, die Theologie der einzelnen biblischen LXX-Bücher zu rekonstruieren.

Harold P. Scanlin

scanlin@compuserve.com Harold P. Scanlin United Bible Societies 1865 Broadway New York, NY 10023 tel. 610-791-9146

What OT Base Text(s) did the NT writers know and use? - A survey of recent developments.

Aaron Schart

(Univ.-GH Essen): Institut für Evang. Theologie, 45117 Essen, email: schart@uni-essen.de

The Septuagint of the Book of Amos: Observations, Problems, Insights

The paper explores the theological intentions which were operative when the writing of Amos was first translated into Greek. First, the Hebrew Vorlage of the Septuagint is examined. It turns out, that the Vorlage represents an earlier consonantal text than the Masoretic text. This can best be demonstrated in the case of the word-chain "YHWH plus titles". However, the translator only had a bad copy of this text available, together with a tradition of vocalization which is, with some interesting exceptions (e.g. Am 6:3), clearly inferior to the Masoretic tradition. With a limited semantic knowledge the translator tried hard to give a faithful literal translation. However, that’s the second part of the paper, in many cases the translator modified the meaning of the Vorlage intentionally. Well known is the tendency to avoid anthropomorphic concepts in respect to God. Other examples are the effort to bring Amos in line with the image, the translator had of a true prophet, and the understanding of the future, which the prophet predicted. The last part investigates how the New Testament authors understood the writings of Amos. Without the LXX-text of Am 9:11-12 the author of Acts (15:16-18), would not have had a Schriftbeweis for his understanding of the Christians as an eschatological community of Jews and gentiles.

Helmut Utzschneider

(KiHo Neuendettelsau): Finkenstraße 3, 91564 Neuendetttelsau, email: utzschneider@t-online.de

Flourishing Bones. The Minor Prophets in the New Testament

1. From the first century B.C. to the second century A.D. the book of Minor Prophets (Dodekapropheton) – or parts and individual texts comprising it – belonged to a Jewish, later a Christian-Jewish reading canon, where they occupied a fixed but – compared to books like Isaiah – modest place. It shows that the books of the biblical canon (even in its central parts) could vary widely in significance; their authority depended on the acceptance they enjoyed among the readers.

2. Different from the understanding in Qumran or by Sirach, the New Testament does not appear to consider the Dodekapropheton as one entity. This seems true in most cases with regard to its parts as well. Rather, the texts of the Twelve found in the New Testament seem to have been regarded as part of a not clearly defined anonymous prophetic tradition.

3. The citations from the Dodekapropheton in the New Testament can be classified into long and short ones. The majority are shorter citations, mainly in the Gospels; the less numerous, long quotations are in Acts and in the Epistles. The wording of the short citations has been strongly assimilated and adapted to their new contexts.

4. The short citations are or contain familiar aphorisms, seemingly quoted from memory, although they do have a more or less clear backing in the written tradition.

5. Beside text forms corresponding to "Old Greek", the following versions of the Greek tradition can be identified as textual sources or original texts (Prätexte) of the written tradition:

a. The long citations in Acts go back to an Alexandrine text.

b. The background of some citations speaking of fulfillment in Matthew and John seem to be texts of a Hebraising, "prototheodotionic" revision.

6. The New Testament does not interpret the original texts taken from the Dodekapropheton, rather it "calls on" them and brings them into play in the respective New Testament text. The Old Testament texts (Prätexte) are then present not only verbatim, in their original wording, but mostly with their own closer or wider context. They play a formative part within the quoting text and its meaning, and in turn may acquire new connotations or forms from it. That may cause tensions and breaks, so that the involvement of the reader is called for in constituting the meaning of the text.

Wade A. White

Dept. of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations / University of Toronto / 4 Bancroft Ave. / Toronto, ON Canada / M5S 1C1 / wade.white@utoronto.ca

A Devil in the Making: Isomorphism and Exegesis in OG Job 1:8b.

This paper will explore the general question of formal equivalence in translation and the terminology used to describe it (with particular focus on the term 'isomorphism'), as well as the degree to which formal equivalence can be regarded as an indicator of either the 'literalness' or 'freeness' of a translation. Though a high level of formal equivalence is often held to be indicative of a more 'literal' style of translation, and not without cause, from a strictly theoretical perspective such is not necessarily the case. On a more practical level the text of OG Job 1:8b will be used as a case in point that this assumption should at times be challenged and that a rigorous methodology for interpretation be maintained even in the midst of perceived literalness.

Florian Wilk

(Fachhochschule Bochum): Weststraße 9, 49201 Dissen, Fax: ++49-5421-930188

The Letters of Paul as Witnesses for the Septuagint-Text

Verschiedene Textfunde aus dem 20. Jahrhundert belegen die Existenz einer genuin jüdischen Rezension der Septuaginta nach dem hebräischen Original; besondere Bedeutung kommt in diesem Zusammenhang der Zwölfprophetenrolle von Murabba¸ at zu.

Die Analyse der Jesajazitate in den Briefen des Paulus erhärtet die in neuerer Zeit mehrfach vertretene These, dass sich derart rezensierte Septuaginta-Texte auch im Neuen Testament widerspiegeln.

Die paulinischen Zitate aus dem Jesajabuch weichen in ihrem Wortlaut vielfach und z.T. erheblich von dem der Septuaginta ab. Auf der Basis einer genauen Bestimmung ihrer Funktion in den Argumentationsgängen des Apostels lassen sich etliche Abweichungen seiner jeweiligen Zitierintention zuordnen und somit als paulinische Abänderungen der Textvorlage erklären. In den übrigen Fällen handelt es sich um Abweichungen, bei denen die griechische Textgestalt eines Jesajawortes unabhängig von dessen neutestamentlicher Verwendung dem hebräischen Original angenähert (vgl. z.B. Röm 10,20) oder angeglichen worden ist (vgl. z.B. 1Kor 14,21).

Ein eigenständiger Rückgriff des Apostels auf dieses Original ist dabei auszuschließen. Einerseits stehen nämlich in seinen Briefen "re-hebraisierte" und – trotz markanter Differenzen zum hebräischen Grundtext – unrezensierte Zitate bisweilen unmittelbar nebeneinander (vgl. z.B. Röm 10,15f.); andererseits stimmt der von Paulus gebotene Text oft ganz (vgl. z.B. 1Kor 15,54f.) oder teilweise (vgl. z.B. Röm 9,33) mit einer der jüngeren griechischen Versionen von Aquila, Theodotion oder Symmachus überein – Versionen, in die nachweislich die Ergebnisse früherer, in vor- und urchristlicher Zeit anzusetzender Rezensionstätigkeit eingeflossen sind (vgl. etwa die Kongruenz zwischen der o.g. Zwölfprophetenrolle und Aquila).

Die skizzierte Untersuchungsmethode lässt sich auf die übrigen Schriftzitate des Paulus übertragen. Sofern seine Briefe es aufgrund ihrer kommunikativen Struktur erlauben, die Funktion eines Zitates präzise zu bestimmen, kann man diejenigen Abweichungen vom überlieferten Septuaginta-Wortlaut benennen, die der Zitierintention des Apostels entsprechen und sich demnach seiner Gestaltungstätigkeit verdanken – kann man also die Gestalt des Paulus vor Augen stehenden Schrifttextes rekonstruieren. Mit seinen verbleibenden Differenzen zum überlieferten Wortlaut der Septuaginta, die großenteils auf dessen Revision anhand des hebräischen Originals zurückzuführen sind, ist dieser "vor-paulinische" Text ein wertvoller Zeuge für die Textgeschichte der Septuaginta. Dies wird z.B. an den in Röm 9–11 verwendeten Schriftworten (vgl. 11,4.35 u.ö.) deutlich.

Glenn Wooden

ACADIA DIVINITY COLLEGE / 31 HORTON AVE / WOLFVILLE, NS B0P 1X0 / CANADA
902-585-2227 (o) 902-679-0703 (h) 902-542-7527 (fax) glenn.wooden@acadiau.ca

Greek 2 Esdras: Observations, Problems, Insights

This "poor cousin" to the deuterocanonical 1 Esdras has received little scholarly attention until recently (Janz 1995), usually being studied only because of its relationship to 1 Esdras, which leaves almost half the book unconsidered. In this paper we will focus on 2 Esdras as a translation in its own right, using Hanhart's 1993 edition of the text. We will set forth some of the main characteristics of this very formal translation. We will note some of the problems that it presents to the scholar and translator, such as the ungrammatical use of the Nominative case. Finally, we will note passages where the translator seems to break free from the formal mode of translating.

Benjamin G. Wright

Professor of Religion Studies / Dept. of Religion Studies / 9 W. Packer Ave. / Lehigh University / Bethlehem, PA 18015 / Email: BGW1@LEHIGH.EDU Tel.: (610) 758-3344; Fax: (610) 758-3391

Translation as Scripture: The Septuagint in Aristeas and Philo.

Gideon Toury in his book Descriptive Translation Studies and beyond (Benjamins Translation Library 4; Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 1995) argues that "translations are facts of target cultures; on occasions facts of a special status, sometimes even constituting identifiable (sub)systems of their own, but of the target culture in any event" (29). He further maintains that the intended position of any translation in its host community is indicated in its textual-linguistic makeup (12). Albert Pietersma has employed Toury’s insights with regard to the Septuagint, arguing for what he calls "interlinearity" as a paradigm for understanding the textual-linguistic nature of that translation ("A New Paradigm for Addressing Old Questions: The Relevance of the Interlinear Model for the Study of the Septuagint"). Pietersma proposes that this model, which he concludes "accounts fully for the Septuagint’s aspect of unintelligibility as well as for its intelligibility," indicates that the translators intended the Septuagint to be used in conjunction with its Hebrew parent text; it was not meant from the beginning to be a free-standing translation. Pietersma’s model underlies the ongoing New English Translation of the Septuagint project (NETS) being pursued under the auspices of the IOSCS, and it also has implications for thinking about the problematic question of the Septuagint’s origins in the Alexandrian Jewish community.

Yet, the Septuagint did achieve a status as a free-standing translation, which Jews read in its own right quite apart from the Hebrew text on which it was based. Both the Letter of Aristeas (301–318) and Philo (Life of Moses ii.25–40) report traditions about the Septuagint’s origins that claim its original independence from its source text as well as its sanction by God. Of course, as Toury notes, "Also significant is the possibility that translations which retain their status as facts of the target culture may nevertheless change their position in it over time" (30). In this paper I will explore, using Pietersma’s paradigm and Toury’s theoretical insights, how the legends in Aristeas and Philo witness the development of a myth of origins that legitimates the use of the Septuagint as scripture, independent of its original social position, one in which the Septuagint and its source text were intimately connected.

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The Septuagint in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity

September 8-11, 2002, Bangor Theological Seminary.

Program

Sunday September 8, 2002

Su 6:00 PM

Opening Reception at the Historic Hannibal Hamlin House (on Hammond Street, just across from the Seminary, warm buffet)

Monday

Mo 9:00-10:15 General Topics

Mo 10:30-11:45

Mo 11:45-12:15 pay fees to registrar, receive stipend.

Mo 12:15 Lunch: Miller's Restaurant, Bangor.

Mo 3:00-4:15 Old Testament Themes

Mo 4:30-5:45

Mo 6:00 Supper: Cold buffet in the BTS Commons.

Mo 7:30-9:00 PM

Public Lecture (BTS Commons)

Tuesday

Tu 8:00-9:50

Tu 10:00-11:15

Tu 11:30-12:00 Sandwich Lunch in BTS Commons

Tu 12:00 Bus leaves from BTS parking lot. Short stop at the hotel.

Tuesday afternoon and evening: Whale Watching Trip to Bar Harbor with Lobster Bake click // //

Wednesday

We 9:00-10:50

We 11:00-12:00

Chapel Service in memory of the events of 9/11/2001. All participants are invited to join the BTS community.

We 12:00 Lunch in BTS Commons. Meet our students.

We 14:00-15:50 New Testament Themes

We 16:00-17:50

We 18:00-18:30 Business Meeting and Evaluation of the Conference

We 19:00-21:00

Concluding Reception at the Historic Hannibal Hamlin House (on Hammond Street, just across from the Seminary, warm buffet).

Abstracts

Opening Reception at the Historic Hannibal Hamlin House
(on Hammond Street, just across from the Seminary, warm buffet)

Tuesday afternoon and evening:
Whale Watching Trip to Bar Harbor with Lobster Bake
click // //

Chapel Service in memory of the events of 9/11/2001.
All participants are invited to join the BTS community.

Concluding Reception at the Historic Hannibal Hamlin House
(on Hammond Street, just across from the Seminary, warm buffet).