In 1946, Gillis Gerleman proposed a single translator for LXX Proverbs and LXX Job. After he launched this hypothesis, scholars have either confirmed or debunked this hypothesis. Although attempts have been made to come up with an adequate answer to the question of a single translator for both Proverbs and Job, scholars have, thus far, not reached consensus. Moreover, the attempts that have been made are not at all elaborate. Thus, the question remains unsolved.
This book tries to formulate an answer to the question of a single translator for both Proverbs and Job by examining the translation technique and theology of both books. The translation technique of both books is analysed by examining the Greek rendering of Hebrew hapax legomena, animal, floral, plant and herb names. The theology is examined by looking at the pluses in the LXX version which contain θεός and κύριος. The results of these studies are compared with one another in order to formulate an answer to a single translator. By doing so, this book not only formulates an answer to a single translator for both LXX Proverbs and Job but also characterises their translation technique and theology in greater detail.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to call a scholarly work ‘enthralling’ would it? Especially a doctoral dissertation that’s been revised for public consumption. And especially a book that’s festooned with tables illustrating miniscule and technical linguistic data, would it?
No. It wouldn’t. It would be bombastic overstatement. Silliness. Absurdity. Accordingly, I can’t in good conscience say that this book is enthralling. But it is fair to call it fascinating.
While the subject matter is complicated, the volume is not. Divided judiciously into three parts, it looks first at the state of research on the question of the number of LXX translators engaged in rendering Proverbs and Job. One, two, more? It’s not the kind of question that lends itself to an easy answer. One has to do an awful lot of digging to find answers that are even potentially accurate.
Second, the volume thinks about the Greek rendering of Hebrew words that only occur once in LXX Proverbs and LXX Job. This is actually a pretty good way to think about translators. How a person translates hard to define words can tell us a lot about their level of skill. And one translator doesn’t usually exhibit good skills at one point and terrible skills at another though, of course, they can, so that even this sort of method has its drawbacks.
And that’s why the third part of the dissertation looks into the theological proclivities of the translations of Proverbs and Job. One might be able to disguise one’s skill but it’s much harder to hide one’s theology.
The volume ends with a series of conclusions and a look forward to future research on the topic.
There’s plenty to think about here. Plenty of grist for the mill, as it were. But I’ll let you read it for yourself and find out the conclusions Beeckman reaches for yourself as well. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
If LXX studies are your field, you’ll be making a mistake if you skip it.
“After my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:26-27)
We now have our very own anthem! On the occasion of the 2017 International Septuagint Day, Brent Niedergall composed the Septuagint Song. For those interested, I have attached the sheet music. — Marieke Dhont
February 8th is “International Septuagint Day.” Bloggers will be reminding us why it is important to study the LXX, including its text-critical value, its witness to early biblical exegesis, and its place as the first Bible of the Church. Let me offer some other rarely cited reasons:
• It is the largest extant piece of Ptolemaic Greek.
• It is one of the major works of Egyptian Greek literature.
• It is one of the first works of Hellenistic Judaism, though mostly ignored in books on the subject.
• It is (possibly) the largest work of translation literature from antiquity, offering valuable insight for translation studies on both bilingual interference and translation technique.
• It is a work of sub-literary Greek that demonstrates the complexities of Greek register.
• It is a major lexical resource for lesser-known koine words. (not only illustrated by papyri, but illuminating for papyri).
• It testifies to a distinct Jewish-Greek (even Egyptian?) identity.
• It tells us much about educational levels in Egypt and among Jews.
(To understand its theology, we must place it in its context first).
There’ll be plenty of LXX stuff here. For more about the day, visit here.
In 2006, the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies established February 8 as International Septuagint Day, a day to celebrate the Septuagint and encourage its study.
The date was chosen because, as Robert Kraft noted, it is “the one date we know of from late antiquity on which LXX/OG/Aquila received special attention.” Emperor Justinian’s Novella 146 permitted the Jews of the Roman Empire to read the Scriptures in their synagogues in Greek, Latin, or “any other tongue which in any district allows the hearers better to understand the text”. Specifically, “We make this proviso that those who use Greek shall use the text of the seventy interpreters…”
This novella (see English translation) was published on the eighth day of February in the year 553 CE.
Like Canada? Want to go to a LXX Conference there? Then William Ross has news for you-
I’m glad to draw some (rather belated) attention to an upcoming Septuagint colloquium entitled Interpreting the Septuagint in Its Greco-Roman Context, to be held in Montreal, Canada.
Each year, the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies (CSBS) holds its Annual Meeting in conjunction with the Congress of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. For 2024, the Congress, which gathers up to 10,000 scholars and students, will meet at McGill University in Montreal. The Septuagint colloquium will be part of the CSBS Meeting, which means that participants can also attend any CSBS session.
Via Joshua *all things LXX, his generation’s Jim Aitken* Alfaro-
A new, second series series of the Grinfield Lectures has been announced for February 20-22, 2024. Prof. Sébastien Morlet, Professor of Greek language and literature at Sorbonne Université, will give three lectures on the theme “The plurality of the biblical text – past and present.”
The following links can be used to register for participation in each of the lectures via Zoom:
You read that right, friends. This Carnival isn’t just the best biblioblogging posts for the month of December. It’s the best of the entire YEAR!
The best of the footballers… He’s not in the Carnival, but he would be if this were the best of the footballers, 2022.
Usually, posts are divided into major groupings. But this Carnival the best posts in all categories from 2022 will be found below, by month!
Every year there are dozens of ‘the best of the year’ lists. And this one is no different. Well it is a little bit, because it actually IS the best of the best.
So friends, pull up a chair, relax, sit back, and enjoy the very best material (with extensive annotation and commentary from your beloved Carnival host, me) from your biblioblogging friends month by month for 2022.
The Second best post of January was this little review of a very fine book titled Family and Identity in the Book of Judges. Super book. Super review! There are some really excellent women scholars and there need to be more of them.
Sadly our SOTS colleague and friend John Sawyer died at the start of the year. You may not be as familiar with him as you are other Hebrew Bible scholars but believe me, he was a giant in the field.
February
The very happy news was shared in February that the Tyndale Bulletin is now completely freely available! Who shared it? I did. You’re welcome!
And in February A-J Levine discussed her book at a symposium held in Rome. You can watch it here if you missed it then:
March
Chris Rollston took the claims of a ‘Mount Ebal Curse Inscription‘ to the woodshed and beat it silly, It was the best archaeological post in March and it was in all likelihood the best Archaeological post of the year. Though I don’t know that for sure since I haven’t seen or read every post on the topic this year and unlike those weirdos who do ‘best of’ lists without even so much as a blush of shame, I don’t make untrue claims.
That said, it was in March that I recalled the greatest of the Biblioblog carnivals, by Deane Galbraith. 22 years ago. Gosh, that’s a long time. Anyway, this end of year glance back would be profoundly incomplete if it didn’t urge readers, as I did in March, to take a look at Deane’s Carnival. Seriously.
Sad news from March: the goodly and delightful Joseph Blenkinsopp died that month. He was a wit and a genius. A fixture at SBL, CBA, and SOTS. 😦 Norman Gottwald also died that month.
April
Sam Perry and friend had their book on Christian Nationalism reviewed and, believe me, if you haven’t read it yet, your ought to. It is an important topic for biblical scholars and theologians and church historians. And even though Perry is just a sociologist, with not always the best understanding of, or grasp on, matters theological, his analysis, from a social-sciences perspective, is pretty good. If you keep in mind that Perry isn’t a theologian or biblical scholar his book will not annoy (if only he had stayed completely in his lane).
Joan Taylor is an absolute genius. If you missed her discussion on Mary Magdalene in April you missed a treasure. And you can correct your evil neglect right now:
May
James McGrath wins the prize for the best post in May (sure, it was from May, 2019, but let’s be honest, most of the time newer isn’t better, is it). James is, if you aren’t familiar with him, the nerd’s nerd. He loves everything Sci-Fi and he loves biblical studies and he loves Classical music and he is as sharp as a tack. And, again, though the post is older, it is still very much worthy of inclusion in this End of the Year Carnival. And if you don’t like it, do a Carnival yourself! Otherwise the sage remark of Kierkegaard applies: ‘Critics are like eunuchs. They know what should be done, but they can’t manage to do it themselves’.
And if you missed this lecture, now’s your chance to watch it. It is a brilliant discussion of what archaeology has to tell us about the part women played in earliest Christianity:
June
Not to seem inappropriately boastful, but in June I passed along word of the final book Philip Davies published (in 2018) – for those who had not seen it yet (because apparently more people read stupid novels and sci fi garbage than substantive biblical studies books… Pillocks). Anywho, I pass along word of it once more, here at the end of the year, because it deserves a wide(r) readership. If you haven’t read it in 2022, read it in 2023.
And though it appeared first in June of 2021, this post on bullies in academia deserves another read. Especially by those who have to endure the attacks of the flying monkeys sent out by the behind-the-scenes manipulators whose lives are empty and minds are full of schemes and plans to undermine and undo anyone who dares disagree with them.
Somewhat along the same lines of academic bullying is the topic of anti-expertise. Both bullies and dilettantes have as their aim the overriding of expertise, for their own particular reasons. If you missed Nina Burleigh’s brilliant discussion concerning the forsaking of expertise, watch it now:
June is the 6th month. It’s a good time to look back just as January provides the same opportunity. The year is half done, and so is our End of the Year Extravaganza of Biblioblogging delightfulness.
July
Posted in July, the best of the lot for that searing month was this gem on ‘The Myth of the ‘Ignorant’ Fishermen’. It takes a look at the widely held belief that the disciples of Jesus were just backwater rednecks who probably didn’t know how to read, or think, and just were happy to ‘know Jesus’ so they didn’t need ‘to know no doctrine’ (just like certain Christians today who don’t need doctrine, they just need Jesus). If you missed it, now’s your chance.
And now for something completely different- for conference attendees who have a ‘question’ (that isn’t a question at all now is it, precious…)
The good Christian Brady tweeted that gem in July. Worth sharing for sure.
Linear A decipherment and a recent debate were the events provoking this post from August. Linear A huh. Fun. Where else will you find posts about long abandoned languages if not in the most beloved of all the biblioblog carnivals? Nowhere. You’re welcome.
Because it’s important to remember such things when you’re an academic:
Chris Rollston, again, wins the prize for best archaeological post by urging us to tap the breaks back in August about the much ballyhooed ‘Ishmael Papyrus’. Don’t recall the ‘big news’? Alas, that’s because so many claims turn out to be nonsense that it’s hard to keep them all straight. You don’t need to remember the fragment and the absurd claims made of it to enjoy Rollston’s ripping of it.
September was the 10th anniversary (I know, right?!?!?!?) of the publication in HTR of Karen King’s false claim that a new ‘Gospel of Jesus’ Wife’ was probative for biblical studies. Ariel Sabar showed, in his excellent book on the subject, that the artifact was a fraud and the entire process of its publication was riddled with wrongs. Here he provides a super thread on the twitter on the anniversary.
Do you like wet bread? Probably not. Anyway, you’ll like this post by Brent Niedergall about wet bread in Qoheleth. Wet bread… it’s gross isn’t it.
1 Samuel 28:14 describes the appearance of the ghost of Samuel, who, upon King Saul’s request, was raised by a medium. We identify four key elements of the ghost’s visage, all of which relate to the living Samuel or King Saul, or their relationship, and all critique King Saul and foreshadow the loss of the kingship and his demise.
We were all saddened to learn of the death of Gordon Fee in October. 😦 So did John Meier. 😦 😦 I had chatted with John about historical Jesus stuff at CBA many times. His ‘Marginal Jew’ will now, it seems, remain forever unfinished. 😦
It’s grippingly good. Those two offerings are the best of the month, and may even be the best of the year. But I’ll let you decide that for yourselves.
November
A super lecture was offered by A-J Levine on the interesting topic of Life After Death:
If you didn’t watch it in November, take a few minutes and watch it now.
Incredibly useful and exceedingly worthy of your good attention is the new site – Biblia Hebraica transcripta.
Sad news of the death of E.P. Sanders circulated among the guild. Google will pull up numerous obituaries. Also passing from this life in November was the amazing linguist and Hebrew Bible scholar Ernst Jenni. He was, and will forever remain, an extraordinarily important contributor to the field of biblical studies.
… das ist das ganze Alte Testament transkribiert, mit Satzeinteilungen versehen, morphologisch, morphosyntaktisch und syntaktisch analysiert, sodann mit Funktionen für Dokumentation, Kommentierung, Suche, Analyse und Visualisierung bereichert.
December
Eric Meyers published his long awaited autobiography this month. Eric is a fascinating person and an excellent scholar/ archaeologist. In fact, I think I can say this without fear of contradiction, he is the greatest American archaeologist of all time (so far) and teamed up with his wife Carol they are the greatest American archaeologists ever! I’m sure his memoir will be incredibly interesting.
Also archaeologically themed, this incredibly important public statement by many of the leading archaeologists in Israel regarding the constant flow of un-examined, non-peer reviewed ‘discovery’ announcements was posted by Aren Maeir (with a follow up here). It is ESSENTIAL reading and may well be the most important (long term) blogpost of the year. It is time for archaeological discoveries to be subjected to peer review before being published. There’s just too much garbage out there claiming to be ‘earth shattering’ that turns out to be pure trash (see the ‘Tomb of Jesus’ Midwife‘ rubbish from December for a relevant example).
One of the most, if not the most, interesting biblical studies related posts of the month was the zoom lecture on Money in Judea: From the Bronze Age to Bar Kochba. You’ll be able to view it on the facebook page linked here. If you missed it, that is.
The best mention of a new book was made by Nijay Gupta whose fantastic book will come out in early 2023. Seriously friends. Seriously. His book is fantastic. If you don’t read any other book in 2023, read his. (And when ours on Martin Bucer comes out read it too). Ok, read two books in 2023. (I’m pretty sure you’ll need to read more than that, but you have to start somewhere).
James Spinti doesn’t burden readers with long posts as though he were writing a book and each chapter is its own post. Thankfully (since long posts are annoying and silly). Instead he gives short but very thoughtful snippets of insight. And he did so again in December. Enjoy.
Mike Aubrey has a bibliography of conditionals in Greek. You can check it out, conditionally. The condition being your willingness to do it. If you’re a Greek language nerd, you’ll want to. If you’re still eating playdough and / or glue, though, you probably won’t care to.
December was the month during which the sad news that David Clines died arrived in our inboxes. He was fondly remembered by many and a Symposium honoring his life and work has been scheduled for April. He will be missed.
And the best series of the year was posted by Michael Kok titled Mark Was not a Pauline Gospel. It’s tremendous. Take a little time and give it a read through.
Finis
Thanks for stopping by. And consider putting together a Carnival yourself. As Phil Long notes
Contact me via email, plong42@gmail.com or DM on twitter (plong42) to discuss hosting a Biblical Studies carnival. If you are a new BiblioBlogger, this is a good way to get your blog some recognition. And, to quote Jim West, ”if you do one, it makes it unlikely that I will!”
The Greek Old Testament, commonly known as Septuagint, has its origins in Ptolemaic Egypt. Egypt developed into a strongly bilingual country, and in the fourth century CE, when Christianity was on firmer ground in Egypt, the Septuagint was translated into Coptic. The intertwined and prolific relation between the Greek and the Coptic Old Testament is now aptly reflected also in the joint ventures of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Since the 19th century, Göttingen was and is the global center of Septuagint research. In 2015, a new Academy project started, which deals with the translation of the Septuagint into Coptic-Sahidic: “Digitale Gesamtedition und Übersetzung des koptisch-sahidischen Alten Testaments”. Finally, in 2020, the new long-term project “Die Editio critica maior des griechischen Psalters” started at the Göttingen Academy. Both projects work closely together, and the present volume is one of the results of this fruitful collaboration.
William Ross has an interview. And Tavis has a post about the Vatican and its celebration of the LXX. Look for more posts about the LXX throughout the day. And get your Septuagint out and give it a read.
In 1946, Gillis Gerleman proposed a single translator for LXX Proverbs and LXX Job. After he launched this hypothesis, scholars have either confirmed or debunked this hypothesis. Although attempts have been made to come up with an adequate answer to the question of a single translator for both Proverbs and Job, scholars have, thus far, not reached consensus. Moreover, the attempts that have been made are not at all elaborate. Thus, the question remains unsolved.
Zwinglius Redivivus 
You must be logged in to post a comment.