[B-Greek] Psalm 39:7 LXX
Albert Pietersma
albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
Sat Dec 20 20:59:52 EST 2003
That Kirkpatrick and Westcott in 1903 would cite "the Septuagint" as
reading SWMA in Ps 39:7 is precisely what one would expect since their
exemplar of the "the Septuagint" clearly read SWMA. Since Rahlfs'
critical edition of 1931 it has been clear, however, that SWMA belongs
to the RECEPTION HISTORY of the Old Greek text, but NOT to its
CONSTITUTIVE CHARACTER.
Are you suggesting, Ben, that we return to "the Septuagint" of 1903
and thus collapse reception history and constitutive character?
My apologies if I misread you.
Al
On Dec 20, 2003, at 6:52 PM, Ben and Jo Crick wrote:
> On Fri 19 Dec 2003 (16:55:25), markeddy at adams.net wrote:
>> The printed edition of Rahlfs' LXX has a footnote at Ps 39:7 which
>> says
>> that the three major LXX uncial manuscripts (B, S [=aleph in the N-A
>> Greek
>> NT], and A) all have the word SWMA, as in Hebr. 10:5. As support for
>> the
>> reading WTIA, the footnote simply has "Ga". The "Explanation of
>> Symbols"
>> section doesn't list "Ga" so I don't know what it means. Does
>> somebody tell
>> me what "Ga" stands for.
>
> The "Ga" is the Gallican Psalter, which differs from the Vulgate
> /corpus autem
> aptasti mihi/ in Hebrews 10:5, but has /aures autem perfecisti/ at
> Psalm
> 39[40]:7[6].
>
> AF Kirkpatrick, /Psalms/, Cambridge, 1903, has a footnote on page 212:
> "1 The reading of the LXX is SWMA DE KATHRTISW MOI, /a body didst
> thou prepare
> for me/. This reading is attested by the Vulgate. /Aures/ in the
> Gallican
> Psalter is a correction. KATARTIZESQAI occurs in the LXX as the
> rendering of
> several Hebrew words, and might easily have been chosen to represent
> the
> obscure /thou hast dug/. 'Body' for 'ears' may then have been a free
> paraphrase. But the reading may have originated in an ancient
> corruption of
> the Greek text. Through a repetition of the final -S of the preceding
> word,
> and the change of WTIA into WMA, HQELHQAS WTIA might easily have
> become
> HQELHSAS SWMA."
>
> BF Westcott, one half of the famous "Westcott & Hort" duo, comments:
> "The LXX, as is well known, differs from the Hebrew in one remarkable
> clause : for 'oZ:NaYiM KaRiYTa LiY /ears hast thou opened (dug) for
> me/,
> it gives SWMA DE KATHRTISW MOI. There can be no question that this is
> the true
> reading of the Greek. The ceonjecture that SWMA is an early blunder
> for WTIA
> (the reading of the other Greek versions) cannot be maintained in the
> face of
> the evidence. The rendering must therefore be considered to be a free
> interpretation of the original text. In this respect is extends and
> emphasises
> the fundamental idea. The 'body' is the instrument for fulfilling the
> divine
> command, just as the 'ear' is the instrument for receiving it. God
> originally
> fashioned for man in his frame the organ for hearing His voice, and
> by this
> he ppainly shewed that he was made to obey it."
> [BF Westcott, /The Epistle to the Hebrews/, London, 3rd Ed 1903, p
> 310]
>
> A case of Synechdoche or /pars pro toto/, the part for the whole?
>
> ERRWSQE
>
> Ben
> --
> Revd Ben Crick BA CF, and Mrs Joanna (Goodwin) Crick ZFC Yb
> <ben.crick at NOSPAM.argonet.co.uk>
> Acorn RPC700 RO4.03+Kinetic Card, 126MB, 4.3GB HD, CDROM
> 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
>
>
>
>
> ---
> B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek
> B-Greek mailing list
> B-Greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-greek
>
>
—
Albert Pietersma
Professor of Septuagint and Hellenistic Greek
Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations
University of Toronto
Home: 21 Cross Street,
Weston ON Canada M9N 2B8
Email: albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
Homepage: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~pietersm
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list