Transformations In The Septuagint

This study inaugurates interaction between Septuagint research and Translation Studies. From the field of Translation Studies the author has singled out approaches suited to LXX-research. The historical survey of views of translation in Antiquity reveals that among Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Jews similar disputes about language and translatability existed. Three Septuagint-chapters, Genesis 2, Isaiah 1 and Proverbs 6, are analysed in-depth, whereby the transformations ('shifts') are categorised with help of linguistic Translation Studies. Before ascribing 'deviations' either to the translator's ideology or to a variant in the Hebrew parent text, we must ascertain that the 'deviation' does not have a purely translational origin. Every transformation has a reason, and by categorizing the reasons behind all transformations one can trace the translational hierarchy that (un)consciously guided the translator. The rationale behind a transformation can be detected by analysing the literal alternative which the translator rejected. The conclusions of this study are of importance for Translation Studies, Classical Studies and Theology.

This volume examines numerous Hebrew wordplays not identified and discussed in previous research, and the technique of the Septuagint translators, by offering another criterion of evaluation – essentially, their concern about the style of translating Hebrew into Greek. Elizabeth Backfish's study analyzes seventy-four wordplays employed by the Hebrew poets of Psalms 90-106, and how the Septuagint renders Hebrew wordplay in Greek. Backfish estimates that the Septuagint translators were able to render 31% of the Hebrew semantic and phonetic wordplays (twenty-four total), most of which required some sort of transformation, or change, to the text in order to function in Greek. After providing a thorough summary of research methods on wordplay, definitions and research methodology, Backfish summarizes all examples of wordplay within the Fourth Psalter, and concludes with examples of the wordplay's replication, similar rendition or textual variation in the Septuagint. Emphasising the creativity and ingenuity of the Septuagint translators' work in passages that commentators often too quickly identify as the results of scribal error or a variant Vorlage from the Masoretic text, Backfish shows how the aptitude and flexibility displayed in the translation technique also contributes to conversations in modern translation studies.

This volume presents original research on the historical context, narrative and wisdom books, anthropology, theology, language, and reception of the Septuagint, as well as comparisons of the Greek translations with other ancient versions and texts.

Consists of the full text of the English translation of the Greek Jewish Scriptures, produced by the project being carried out by the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS).

Much can be learned about a translation’s linguistic and cultural context by studying it as a text, a literary artifact of the culture that produced it. However, its nature as a translation warrants a careful approach, one that pays attention to the process by which its various features came about. In Characterizing Old Greek Deuteronomy as an Ancient Translation, Jean Maurais develops a framework derived from Descriptive Translation Studies to bring both these aspects in conversation. He then outlines how the Deuteronomy translator went about his task and provides a characterization of the work as a literary product.

The Sahidic version of 1 Samuel is an ancient daughter version of the Septuagint. Because the Sahidic translation was made before most of the Greek manuscripts we know were copied, it potentially contains ancient readings no longer preserved or only faintly attested in the Greek tradition. This study considers the Sahidic version of 1 Samuel as a translation and how it may best be used in Greek textual criticism. The aim of this study is twofold. First, to examine the translation technique of the Sahidic translator. Second, to analyze the affiliations between the Sahidic manuscripts as well as the affiliations between the Sahidic version and Greek traditions. In the translation-technical section, clause connections and translator s additions feature prominently. In the chapter concerning the affiliations of the Sahidic text, detailed textual analyses prevail. These analyses describe the textual character of each Sahidic manuscript, and search for the existence of secondary readings and/or corruptions. This study supports the creation of a new critical edition of the Septuagint of 1 Samuel for the Göttingen series. With respect to this edition, the primary goal is to identify the affiliations of the Sahidic version. This translation-technical study, however, will additionally allow for a more careful and accurate citation of the Sahidic version within the critical apparatus of the Greek text.

"This book represents the current state of Septuagint studies as reflected in papers presented at the triennial meeting of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS). In method, content, and approach, the proceedings published in this volume demonstrate the vitality of interest in Septuagint studies and the dedication of the authors - established scholars and promising younger voices - to their diverse subjects. This edition of the proceedings continues an established tradition of publishing volumes of essays from the international conferences of the IOSCS" --

This book explores various aspects of intertextuality in the LXX Twelve Prophets, with a special emphasis on Hosea, Amos and Micah. The first chapter introduces the topic of intertextuality, discusses issues relating to the Twelve Prophets and their translator and concludes with various methodological considerations. Chapter two deals with the lexical sourcing of the prophets in their Hellenistic milieu and tests proposed theories of influence from the Pentateuch.The third chapter deals with standard expressions used by the translator, even in places where the Hebrew does not correspond. The fourth chapter investigates the use of catchwords that the Greek translator identified in his Hebrew Vorlage and that function for him as links between two or more texts. Finally, the fifth chapter examines cases where the translator understands the text to be alluding to specific biblical stories and events.

How did the translator of the Septuagint (Old Greek) book of Habakkuk interpret his Hebrew base text? James A. E. Mulroney analyzes the Greek style of the book and offers an extended analysis of present methodological issues in the field of Septuagint studies. - back of the book

A thorough analysis of metaphor translation techniques used in Isaiah In this study Benjamin M. Austin analyzes all the plant metaphors in Isaiah and classifies them according to the metaphor translation techniques used by the Septuagint translator. Austin illustrates how the translator took the context of each metaphor into account and demonstrates how the natural features of the plants under discussion at times influenced their translation. He argues that the translator tried to render metaphors vividly and with clarity, sometimes adjusting them to match the experience of his audience living in Egypt. Austin also examines metaphors in terms of their vehicles (the objects of comparison), so that the translation of similar metaphors can be compared. Features A comparison of the Masoretic Text to the Septuagint and Targum A classification of metaphor translation strategies An introduction to the Hellenistic and the Jewish conception of metaphors