[B-Greek] Cairo Genizah and LXX
Mark Lightman
lightmanmark at yahoo.com
Tue Jan 18 14:36:47 EST 2011
<Others contained parts of a lost Greek translation made by a convert to
Judaism named Akylas in the 2nd century CE. Remarkably, the fragments date from
1,000 years after the original translation into Greek, showing use of the Greek
text was still alive in Greek-speaking synagogues in the Byzantine Empire and
elsewhere.>
Hi, Bryant and Albert,
Might not a copy of Aquila, even if produced by Jews in the 1200's, have been
written for academic or apologetic reasons, and not for liturgical use?
Mark L
Φωσφορος
FWSFOROS MARKOS
________________________________
From: Bryant J. Williams III <bjwvmw at com-pair.net>
To: B Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tue, January 18, 2011 11:17:49 AM
Subject: [B-Greek] Cairo Genizah and LXX
Dear List,
The following article was sent to the B-Hebrew list for informational purposes.
I, then, asked Ken Penner and Albert Pietersma to comment. My post to Ken was
non-deliverable, but Albert responded and suggested that this put to the B-Greek
list.
It appears that some issues regarding translation practice, transliteration of
names and places and text-critical issues needs to be addressed; although
limited to list guidelines. I do think that this shows that the Diaspora was
using the LXX for lot longer than we thought. I do not think that the LXX was
being used as much within the ancient lands of Israel/Judah; although, areas of
larger Gentile populations would, e.g. Galilee, may have used the LXX in their
Greek-speaking synagogues.
Any thoughts.
En Xristwi,
Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
Ancient Bible Fragments Reveal a Forgotten History
News from Cambridge University:
Ancient Bible fragments reveal a forgotten history
New research has uncovered a forgotten chapter in the history of the Bible,
offering a rare glimpse of Byzantine Jewish life and culture.
The study by Cambridge University researchers suggests that, contrary to
long-accepted views, Jews continued to use a Greek version of the Bible in
synagogues for centuries longer than previously thought. In some places, the
practice continued almost until living memory.
The key to the new discovery lay in manuscripts, some of them mere
fragments, discovered in an old synagogue in Egypt and brought to Cambridge at
the end of the 19th century. The so-called Cairo Genizah manuscripts have been
housed ever since in Cambridge University Library.
Now, a fully searchable online corpus (http://www.gbbj.org) has gathered
these manuscripts together, making the texts and analysis of them available to
other scholars for the first time.
"The translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek between the 3rd and 1st
centuries BCE is said to be one of the most lasting achievements of the Jewish
civilization - without it, Christianity might not have spread as quickly and as
successfully as it did," explained Nicholas de Lange, Professor of Hebrew and
Jewish Studies in the Faculties of Divinity and Asian and Middle Eastern
Studies, who led the three-year study to re-evaluate the story of the Greek
Bible fragments.
"It was thought that the Jews, for some reason, gave up using Greek
translations and chose to use the original Hebrew for public reading in
synagogue and for private study, until modern times when pressure to use the
vernacular led to its introduction in many synagogues."
Close study of the Cairo Genizah fragments by Professor de Lange led to the
discovery that some contained passages from the Bible in Greek written in Hebrew
letters. Others contained parts of a lost Greek translation made by a convert to
Judaism named Akylas in the 2nd century CE. Remarkably, the fragments date from
1,000 years after the original translation into Greek, showing use of the Greek
text was still alive in Greek-speaking synagogues in the Byzantine Empire and
elsewhere.
Read the whole story here. http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2010122002
Access the database "Greek Bible in Byzantine Judaism" here.
[The link for the database did not work].
See also this earlier report on the digitization of the Cairo Genizah fragments
by Christian Askeland, one of our men in Cambridge.
http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2010/04/digitization-of-cairo-genizah-fragments.html
Ancient Bible Fragments Reveal a Forgotten History
News from Cambridge University:
Ancient Bible fragments reveal a forgotten history
New research has uncovered a forgotten chapter in the history of the Bible,
offering a rare glimpse of Byzantine Jewish life and culture.
The study by Cambridge University researchers suggests that, contrary to
long-accepted views, Jews continued to use a Greek version of the Bible in
synagogues for centuries longer than previously thought. In some places, the
practice continued almost until living memory.
The key to the new discovery lay in manuscripts, some of them mere
fragments, discovered in an old synagogue in Egypt and brought to Cambridge at
the end of the 19th century. The so-called Cairo Genizah manuscripts have been
housed ever since in Cambridge University Library.
Now, a fully searchable online corpus (http://www.gbbj.org) has gathered
these manuscripts together, making the texts and analysis of them available to
other scholars for the first time.
"The translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek between the 3rd and 1st
centuries BCE is said to be one of the most lasting achievements of the Jewish
civilization - without it, Christianity might not have spread as quickly and as
successfully as it did," explained Nicholas de Lange, Professor of Hebrew and
Jewish Studies in the Faculties of Divinity and Asian and Middle Eastern
Studies, who led the three-year study to re-evaluate the story of the Greek
Bible fragments.
"It was thought that the Jews, for some reason, gave up using Greek
translations and chose to use the original Hebrew for public reading in
synagogue and for private study, until modern times when pressure to use the
vernacular led to its introduction in many synagogues."
Close study of the Cairo Genizah fragments by Professor de Lange led to the
discovery that some contained passages from the Bible in Greek written in Hebrew
letters. Others contained parts of a lost Greek translation made by a convert to
Judaism named Akylas in the 2nd century CE. Remarkably, the fragments date from
1,000 years after the original translation into Greek, showing use of the Greek
text was still alive in Greek-speaking synagogues in the Byzantine Empire and
elsewhere.
Read the whole story here. http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2010122002
Access the database "Greek Bible in Byzantine Judaism" here.
[The link for the database did not work].
See also this earlier report on the digitization of the Cairo Genizah fragments
by Christian Askeland, one of our men in Cambridge.
http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2010/04/digitization-of-cairo-genizah-fragments.html
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