LXX Eccl 5:7-8

James D. Ernest (ernest@mv.mv.com)
Fri, 31 May 1996 14:39:57 -0400 (EDT)

This may be too involved to interest anyone, but I've been playing
around with it this afternoon and wouldn't mind having another
opinion:

Rahlfs's LXX gives Eccl 5:7-8 as follows: *EA\N SUKOFANTI/AN PE/NHTOS
KAI\ A(RPAGH\N KRI/MATOS KAI\ DIKAIOSU/NHS I)/DH|S E)N XW/RA|, MH\
QAUMA/SH|S E)PI\ TW=| PRA/GMATI: O(/TI U(YHLO\S E)PA/NW U(YHLOU=
FULA/CAI KAI\ U(YHLOI\ E)P' AU)TOU/S. 8 KAI\ PERISSEI/A GH=S E)N
PANTI/ E)STI, BASILEU\S TOU= A)GROU= EI)RGASME/NOU.

The apparatus appears to indicate, however, that in Vaticanus,
Sinaiticus, and Alexandrinus, the phrase KAI\ PERISSEI/A GH=S goes
with verse 7 (my first question: how would this be apparent from the
mss.?), presumably leaving verse 8 to read E)N PANTI/ E)STI BASILEU\S
TOU= A)GROU= EI)RGASME/NOU, except that the original hand of
Sinaiticus omits TOU=.

Athanasius, De Fuga 21, seems to have made the verse division after
KAI\ PERISSEI/A GH=S. He quotes verse 7 as follows: E)A\N
SUKOFANTI/AN PE/NHTOS KAI\ A(RPAGH\N KRI/MATOS KAI\ DIKAIOSU/NHS
I)/DH|S E)N TH=| XW/RA|, MH\ QAUMA/SH|S E)N TW=| PRA/GMATI, O(/TI
U(YHLO\S E)PA/NW U(YHLOU= FULA/CAI, KAI\ U(YHLOI\ E)P' AU)TH=S KAI\
PERISSEI/A GH=S". ^^

Note that in Athanasius AU)TOU/S has become AU)TH=S.

2d question: What does the LXX mean as Rahlfs prints it (verses 7
and 8, beginning with O(/TI U(YHLO\S)?

3d question: What does the LXX mean if the verse division comes after
KAI\ PERISSEI/A GH=S?

4th question: What does the text mean in the form that Athanasius
gives (again beginning with O(/TI U(YHLO\S; but he doesn't quote 8)?

5th question: Why don't you all take up a collection and buy me the
German editio major of the LXX so I can REALLY get befuddled?

James

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James D. Ernest Joint Doctoral Program
Manchester, New Hampshire, USA Andover-Newton/Boston College
Internet: ernest@mv.mv.com Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts