The Precursors of Aquila

Jean-Dominique Barthélemy was a Dominican priest and biblical scholar. He was Professor of Old Testament at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, 1957–1991. He published a selection of Dead Sea Scrolls and worked on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project. Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Ron Bell is a PhD candidate at McMaster Divinity College. He holds BA and MA degrees from Providence College and Theological Seminary. He studied at the University of Manitoba, Toronto School of Theology, Queen’s University, and Dalhousie University.

Foreword to the English Edition



Introduction

 1 Manner of Citation



Part 1: Characteristics of the καίγε Group

1 Akiva’s Hermeneutic and Its Influence on Aquila

 1 Comparison of Akiva’s Hermeneutic with That of Ishmael ben Elisha

 2 Exegesis of the Particles of Inclusion

 3 Translation of אֵת by Aquila

 4 The “Septuagint” of Ecclesiastes



2 Specific Translations of גַּם in the Greek Bible

 1 Aquila and the “Septuagint” of Ecclesiastes

 2 Lamentations, Song of Songs, Ruth

 3 Judges, Kingdoms

 4 Chronicles, Ezekiel, Psalms

 5 Nehemiah, Daniel, Job, Jeremiah

 6 Symmachus, Theodotion, Quinta

 7 The Extension of the καίγε Group



3 Other Characteristics of the καίγε Group

 1 Elimination of “Each” (אִישׁ)

 2 “From Above” (מֵעַל)

 3 Etymological Translation of נצב־יצב

 4 Distinction between Horn and Trumpet

 5 Elimination of the Historic Present

 6 The Timelessness of the Negation of Existence

 7 “Me” or “It is Me” (אָנֹכִי)?

 8 “Towards” (לִקְרַאת)



4 Aquila Perfects the Work of the καίγε Group

 1 Translation of גְּדוּד

 2 Translation of יהוה צְבָאוֹת

 3 Translation of אֵל

 4 Translation of נֶגֶד

 5 Translation of עַל־כֵּן and עַל־זֹאת

 6 Translation of לְעֹלָם

 7 Translation of הוׄי

 8 Translation of אָסַף

 9 Translation of כֹּמֶר

 10 Translation of אֲפֵלָה

 11 Translation of חוּץ

 12 Translation of הָדָר and הֲדָרָה



Part 2: Studies on Some Already-known Members of the καίγε Group

1 Relationship between the Septuagint and the καίγε Recension for the βγ Section of Kingdoms

 1 Basic Identity between the Antiochian and the Palestinian Form of the Greek Text

 2 The Palestinian Form Essentially Differs by a Concern for Greater Fidelity to the Hebrew Text

 3 The Antiochene Form Cannot be Derived from the Palestinian Form through a Process of Degeneration

 4 Reciprocal Contamination of the Old Septuagint and the Palestinian Recension

 5 The So-called “Lucianic Recension”

 6 The So-called “Theodotion” of the βγ Section of Kingdoms

 7 Origen Substitutes the Palestinian Recension for the Old Greek

 8 Corollaries



2 Who is Theodotion?

 1 Criticism of Epiphanius’s Testimony

 2 Indications of the Date of Theodotion

 3 Theodotion = Jonathan ben Uzziel

 4 The Scope of Theodotion’s Work



3 The Translations of Ruth, Song of Songs, and Lamentations



Part 3: A New Member of the καίγε Group: Greek Fragments of the Minor Prophets

1 External Data

 1 Current State of the Fragments

 2 Original Condition of the Scroll

 3 Divisions in the Text

 4 The Two Handwritings



2 Transcription of the Text of the Fragments



3 Identification of the Text of the Fragments

 1 Comparison of R with the Septuagint

 2 Characteristics of the Work of R

 3 R belongs to the καίγε Group



4 Relationship to the Text Cited by Justin

 1 Justin, the Jews, and the Septuagint

 2 Justin Cited R

 3 Other Citations from the Minor Prophets in Justin’s Dialogue



5 Relationship to the Quinta

 1 Witnesses to the Text of Jerome’s Commentary

 2 R and Specific Citations from the Quinta by Jerome

 3 R and Non-Specific Citations from the Quinta by Jerome

 4 Citation from the Quinta by Origen and the Text of Justin

 5 Other Citations from the Quinta by Jerome



6 Relationship to the Old Coptic Versions

 1 R Explains the Hebraisms of these Versions

 2 Relationship of Coptic Hebraisms to the Quinta

 3 Relationship of Coptic Hebraisms to the Biblical Text of Justin



7 Relationship to the Washington Manuscript V

 1 Hebraisms of the First and Second Hands

 2 The Source of the Original Hebraisms of W

 3 The Hebraisms of the Third Hand



8 Relationship to Aquila

 1 Aquila Is Closer to R than to “Theodotion”

 2 Aquila Ignores the Unrecensed Septuagint

 3 The Strong Dependence That Links Aquila to R



9 The “Theodotion” Recension of the Twelve Prophets

 1 Witnesses of “Theodotion” for the Twelve Prophets

 2 The Transcription of the Divine Names

 3 “Theodotion” Depends on the Other Hexaplaric Versions

 4 The Disdain of “Theodotion” for Literalism

 5 “Theodotion” Knows the Unrecensed Septuagint and the Hebrew

 6 Literalism from Borrowing

 7 The Pseudepigraphy of “Theodotion”



10 Relationship to Symmachus

 1 Symmachus Knew R and the Hebrew

 2 Symmachus Seems to Ignore the Unrecensed Septuagint

 3 Symmachus Seems to Ignore Aquila



11 The Place of R in the Greek Textual Tradition of the Twelve Prophets



12 Conclusion

 Final Note

Bibliography

Index of Modern Authors