This article offers an inaugural analysis of the Septuagint manuscript Rahlfs 516 (Codex Athous L... more This article offers an inaugural analysis of the Septuagint manuscript Rahlfs 516 (Codex Athous Lavra 149), a codex of the libri sapientiales from the second half of the tenth century, previously misdated and overlooked in Septuagint editions. The manuscript contains five Wisdom books of the Septuagint: Job, Sirach, a prologue to the book of Proverbs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Canticum. This manuscript, distinguished for its Hexaplaric readings in Job and its extensive parallels with Ra 248 and Ra 161, presents attributions to the Jewish revisers Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion. The analysis of this manuscript reveals interesting variants and a novel Symmachus reading in Job 1:6c, as well as a Symmachus attestation in Job 1:16b and a new Hexaplaric reading for Job 15:21b. This study accentuates the imperative of integrating Ra 516 into scholarly discourse and shows its significance for future research.
John D. Meade (ed.): The Forerunners and Heirs of Origen’s Hexapla (De Septuaginta Investigationes 19), 2024
This article examines the Psalter Catenae's biblical text, focusing on the Catena Palestinensis, ... more This article examines the Psalter Catenae's biblical text, focusing on the Catena Palestinensis, guided by two key inquiries: the categorisation of textual witnesses within the Catena manuscripts and the specific textual nature of the Catena Palestinensis. Through careful analysis, the study highlights that two manuscripts, Ra 1121 and 1209, of the Catena Palestinensis' tripartite edition preserve a biblical text with substantial text-critical value. These insights illuminate the presence of an O-group in the tradition–witnesses to the Fifth Column of the Hexapla–, whose main congeners are the Mercati Psalter (Ra 1098), the Psalterium Gallicanum, the Vulgate, and traditions already mentioned by Alfred Rahlfs (Ra 2005, Jerome). The discovery of Ra 1121 and 1209 as new witnesses to the Origenic Psalter text underscores their critical role in editing the Greek Psalter. The article emphasises that these two Catena manuscripts are fundamental to reconstructing the Old Greek Psalter text, and their text-critical significance is profound.
The secondary literature frequently references purported Jewish Greek Psalter adaptations from th... more The secondary literature frequently references purported Jewish Greek Psalter adaptations from the early modern period, often citing Codex Vaticanus gr. 343 (dated to 1450) as the earliest example and a printed edition from 1643 as another. However, the latter is commonly misdated to 1543. Both examples, along with others that could be included in a broader list of early modern Psalter versions, are, in fact, Christian revisions of the Greek text and cannot be considered Jewish translations or adaptations. This study examines these texts in detail, beginning with the Vatican Vernacular Psalter, Codex Vaticanus gr. 343 (§ 1). It then explores a seventeenth-century version partly attributed to Maximos Peloponnesios and Athanasios Patellaros (§ 2), and finally, discusses various seventeenth to eighteenth-century versions, including the supposed Jewish print from 1643, which is actually a version by Agapios Landos of Crete, as well as the versions by Georgios Palamedes and Ioannes Litinos (§ 3). Contrary to the assertions of Fernández Marcos and other scholars, none of these Psalter translations originated from Jewish sources; they are all Christian adaptations from the early modern period. From a linguistic perspective, the Vatican Vernacular Psalter and the versions attributed to Maximos Peloponnesios and Athanasios Patellaros provide captivating examples of early modern Greek vernacular, while from a poetic point of view, the version by Georgios Palamedes is particularly interesting.
The gem motif of the Revelation of John. Considerations on Apocalype of John 21:19-20 against the... more The gem motif of the Revelation of John. Considerations on Apocalype of John 21:19-20 against the background of Ezekiel 28:13 (and Exodus 28:17-20)
This study examines the Greek palimpsest Codex Taurinensis C.V. 25 (Rahlfs Ms. 3010), located in ... more This study examines the Greek palimpsest Codex Taurinensis C.V. 25 (Rahlfs Ms. 3010), located in the Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria. This fascinating document, but difficult to decipher due to damage from chemicals, fire and water, has been partially restored using multispectral photography. The primary script is a Biblical Majuscule dating from the seventh century at the latest, while the secondary script from 1428 is attributed to Georgios Baiophoros. In the 15th century, the codex was reused for a Byzantine grammar. It is assumed that the original biblical codex contained mainly wisdom books. The deciphered fragments include passages from Proverbs, Kohelet, Job, Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon. Until now, the Turin Palimpsest has been largely overlooked by Septuagint scholarship, with the exception of Peter Gentry's 2019 edition of Ecclesiastes. This article presents selected significant variant readings.
This article provides a brief history of the Göttingen Septuagint Editions up to 2019, and focuse... more This article provides a brief history of the Göttingen Septuagint Editions up to 2019, and focuses on the new Psalter Project "Editio critica maior des griechischen Psalters" (Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen), which started at the beginning of 2020. The article illustrates some of the challenges of the planned editorial work, and uses Psalm 1 as a test case. First, an overview is provided of the editorial history, from the earliest printed versions that reveal a major influence of the Lucianic recension, to the Sixtine edition that marks a turning point, followed by all other modern editions (e.g. by Paul Anton de Lagarde and Alfred Rahlfs). Second, attention is drawn to one of the most urgent research tasks, namely the reconstruction of the fragmentary hexaplaric tradition, giving examples of the hexaplaric fragments of Psalm 1 transmitted in ms. Rahlfs 113 (Cod. Ambros. B 106 sup.) and Rahlfs 271 (Cod. Vat. gr. 1747).
This article examines how the concept of humbleness is understood in the Septuagint text of Prove... more This article examines how the concept of humbleness is understood in the Septuagint text of Proverbs and how this understanding was subsequently received. lt shows that the Greek Proverbs tend to use this concept in a theological sense rather than an ethical one, which its Hebrew Vorlage does: the translator appears to link humbleness with divinity. Building on this insight, the article elucidates the Early Christian reception of the motive of humbleness; Proverbs 3:34 is chosen as a case study. lt shows that in Early Christianity, a paraenetic tradition can be found, which combines the concept of Satan's envy with Prov 3:34 and contrasts divine humbleness with satanic haughtiness. This tradition is not only found in 1Peter 5 and James 4, but also in Ps.-Ignatius' Letter to the deacon Heron of Antioch.
This article offers an inaugural analysis of the Septuagint manuscript Rahlfs 516 (Codex Athous L... more This article offers an inaugural analysis of the Septuagint manuscript Rahlfs 516 (Codex Athous Lavra 149), a codex of the libri sapientiales from the second half of the tenth century, previously misdated and overlooked in Septuagint editions. The manuscript contains five Wisdom books of the Septuagint: Job, Sirach, a prologue to the book of Proverbs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Canticum. This manuscript, distinguished for its Hexaplaric readings in Job and its extensive parallels with Ra 248 and Ra 161, presents attributions to the Jewish revisers Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion. The analysis of this manuscript reveals interesting variants and a novel Symmachus reading in Job 1:6c, as well as a Symmachus attestation in Job 1:16b and a new Hexaplaric reading for Job 15:21b. This study accentuates the imperative of integrating Ra 516 into scholarly discourse and shows its significance for future research.
John D. Meade (ed.): The Forerunners and Heirs of Origen’s Hexapla (De Septuaginta Investigationes 19), 2024
This article examines the Psalter Catenae's biblical text, focusing on the Catena Palestinensis, ... more This article examines the Psalter Catenae's biblical text, focusing on the Catena Palestinensis, guided by two key inquiries: the categorisation of textual witnesses within the Catena manuscripts and the specific textual nature of the Catena Palestinensis. Through careful analysis, the study highlights that two manuscripts, Ra 1121 and 1209, of the Catena Palestinensis' tripartite edition preserve a biblical text with substantial text-critical value. These insights illuminate the presence of an O-group in the tradition–witnesses to the Fifth Column of the Hexapla–, whose main congeners are the Mercati Psalter (Ra 1098), the Psalterium Gallicanum, the Vulgate, and traditions already mentioned by Alfred Rahlfs (Ra 2005, Jerome). The discovery of Ra 1121 and 1209 as new witnesses to the Origenic Psalter text underscores their critical role in editing the Greek Psalter. The article emphasises that these two Catena manuscripts are fundamental to reconstructing the Old Greek Psalter text, and their text-critical significance is profound.
The secondary literature frequently references purported Jewish Greek Psalter adaptations from th... more The secondary literature frequently references purported Jewish Greek Psalter adaptations from the early modern period, often citing Codex Vaticanus gr. 343 (dated to 1450) as the earliest example and a printed edition from 1643 as another. However, the latter is commonly misdated to 1543. Both examples, along with others that could be included in a broader list of early modern Psalter versions, are, in fact, Christian revisions of the Greek text and cannot be considered Jewish translations or adaptations. This study examines these texts in detail, beginning with the Vatican Vernacular Psalter, Codex Vaticanus gr. 343 (§ 1). It then explores a seventeenth-century version partly attributed to Maximos Peloponnesios and Athanasios Patellaros (§ 2), and finally, discusses various seventeenth to eighteenth-century versions, including the supposed Jewish print from 1643, which is actually a version by Agapios Landos of Crete, as well as the versions by Georgios Palamedes and Ioannes Litinos (§ 3). Contrary to the assertions of Fernández Marcos and other scholars, none of these Psalter translations originated from Jewish sources; they are all Christian adaptations from the early modern period. From a linguistic perspective, the Vatican Vernacular Psalter and the versions attributed to Maximos Peloponnesios and Athanasios Patellaros provide captivating examples of early modern Greek vernacular, while from a poetic point of view, the version by Georgios Palamedes is particularly interesting.
The gem motif of the Revelation of John. Considerations on Apocalype of John 21:19-20 against the... more The gem motif of the Revelation of John. Considerations on Apocalype of John 21:19-20 against the background of Ezekiel 28:13 (and Exodus 28:17-20)
This study examines the Greek palimpsest Codex Taurinensis C.V. 25 (Rahlfs Ms. 3010), located in ... more This study examines the Greek palimpsest Codex Taurinensis C.V. 25 (Rahlfs Ms. 3010), located in the Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria. This fascinating document, but difficult to decipher due to damage from chemicals, fire and water, has been partially restored using multispectral photography. The primary script is a Biblical Majuscule dating from the seventh century at the latest, while the secondary script from 1428 is attributed to Georgios Baiophoros. In the 15th century, the codex was reused for a Byzantine grammar. It is assumed that the original biblical codex contained mainly wisdom books. The deciphered fragments include passages from Proverbs, Kohelet, Job, Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon. Until now, the Turin Palimpsest has been largely overlooked by Septuagint scholarship, with the exception of Peter Gentry's 2019 edition of Ecclesiastes. This article presents selected significant variant readings.
This article provides a brief history of the Göttingen Septuagint Editions up to 2019, and focuse... more This article provides a brief history of the Göttingen Septuagint Editions up to 2019, and focuses on the new Psalter Project "Editio critica maior des griechischen Psalters" (Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen), which started at the beginning of 2020. The article illustrates some of the challenges of the planned editorial work, and uses Psalm 1 as a test case. First, an overview is provided of the editorial history, from the earliest printed versions that reveal a major influence of the Lucianic recension, to the Sixtine edition that marks a turning point, followed by all other modern editions (e.g. by Paul Anton de Lagarde and Alfred Rahlfs). Second, attention is drawn to one of the most urgent research tasks, namely the reconstruction of the fragmentary hexaplaric tradition, giving examples of the hexaplaric fragments of Psalm 1 transmitted in ms. Rahlfs 113 (Cod. Ambros. B 106 sup.) and Rahlfs 271 (Cod. Vat. gr. 1747).
This article examines how the concept of humbleness is understood in the Septuagint text of Prove... more This article examines how the concept of humbleness is understood in the Septuagint text of Proverbs and how this understanding was subsequently received. lt shows that the Greek Proverbs tend to use this concept in a theological sense rather than an ethical one, which its Hebrew Vorlage does: the translator appears to link humbleness with divinity. Building on this insight, the article elucidates the Early Christian reception of the motive of humbleness; Proverbs 3:34 is chosen as a case study. lt shows that in Early Christianity, a paraenetic tradition can be found, which combines the concept of Satan's envy with Prov 3:34 and contrasts divine humbleness with satanic haughtiness. This tradition is not only found in 1Peter 5 and James 4, but also in Ps.-Ignatius' Letter to the deacon Heron of Antioch.
This collected volume is an indispensable part of any theological and philological library. It pr... more This collected volume is an indispensable part of any theological and philological library. It provides a detailed and up-to-date overview of the Greek Psalter, which plays a central role in the study of the Septuagint. Featuring contributions from leading experts in a variety of disciplines, this work covers all relevant aspects of the Greek Psalter. From text-critical analyses to linguistic and historical considerations, this volume offers profound insights, making it an essential resource for researchers and academics in Biblical Studies and related disciplines. With contributions by Anneli Aejmelaeus, Felix Albrecht, Luciano Bossina, Ralph Brucker, Roberto Carrera, Claude Cox, Stephen Delamarter, Lina Elhage-Mensching, Frank Feder, Stig Frøyshov, Anna Kharanauli, Reinhard G. Kratz, Siegfried Kreuzer, John Lee, Margherita Matera, Martin Meiser, Ugo Mondini, Reinhard Müller, Curt Niccum, Dimitrios Papanikolaou, Georgi Parpulov, Willem Th. van Peursen, Alison Salvesen, Eva Schulz-Flügel, Michael Segal, Stefano Serventi, Maria Tomadaki, Emanuel Tov, Ronny Vollandt and Martin Wallraff.
This volume deals with the Psalms of Solomon, a collection of 18 psalms from the Second Temple pe... more This volume deals with the Psalms of Solomon, a collection of 18 psalms from the Second Temple period. Eleven articles in English and French provide new insights into the context, style, and reception history of these psalms, making this book an indispensable resource for anyone interested in Jewish and early christian literature.
Der vorliegende Band behandelt in zehn Einzelbeiträgen zum Testament Salomos die griechische, ara... more Der vorliegende Band behandelt in zehn Einzelbeiträgen zum Testament Salomos die griechische, arabische, koptische und georgische Salomotradition um den Exorzistenkönig und Tempelbauer. Neue Textzeugen und Texttraditionen wie die arabische Überlieferung der Urteile Salomos (mit englischer Erstübersetzung) oder die neugriechische Version werden hier erstmals leicht zugänglich gemacht.
The Greek Old Testament, commonly known as Septuagint, has its origins in Ptolemaic Egypt. Egypt ... more The Greek Old Testament, commonly known as Septuagint, has its origins in Ptolemaic Egypt. Egypt developed into a strongly bilingual country, and in the fourth century CE, when Christianity was on firmer ground in Egypt, the Septuagint was translated into Coptic. The intertwined and prolific relation between the Greek and the Coptic Old Testament is now aptly reflected also in the joint ventures of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Since the 19th century, Göttingen was and is the global center of Septuagint research. In 2015, a new Academy project started, which deals with the translation of the Septuagint into Coptic-Sahidic: “Digitale Gesamtedition und Übersetzung des koptisch-sahidischen Alten Testaments”. Finally, in 2020, the new long-term project “Die Editio critica maior des griechischen Psalters” started at the Göttingen Academy. Both projects work closely together, and the present volume is one of the results of this fruitful collaboration.
Die „Psalmen Salomos“ (lateinisch „Psalmi Salomonis“) sind ein sowohl theologisch als auch theolo... more Die „Psalmen Salomos“ (lateinisch „Psalmi Salomonis“) sind ein sowohl theologisch als auch theologiegeschichtlich wichtiges Dokument des palästinischen Judentums der Zeitenwende. Sie zeugen von einem davidischen Messianismus, der im Hinblick auf die Entwicklung der im Neuen Testament entfalteten und mit Jesus verknüpften davidischen Messiasvorstellung von weitreichender Bedeutung ist.
Die vorliegende Edition der „Psalmen Salomos“ schafft eine solide Textgrundlage unter Berücksichtigung aller relevanten Textzeugen. Sie beruht auf einer grundlegenden Untersuchung der griechischen und syrischen Überlieferung. Eine ausführliche Einleitung erschließt die überlieferungsbedingten sowie sprachlichen Eigenarten des Textes (§ A) und kulminiert in einer Darstellung der Textgeschichte (§ B).
Alexandria war die bedeutendste geistige Metropole der hellenistisch-römischen Welt und zugleic... more Alexandria war die bedeutendste geistige Metropole der hellenistisch-römischen Welt und zugleich ein Schmelztiegel der Kulturen und Religionen. Von Alexander dem Großen als hellenistische Stadt gegründet und gleichwohl auch durch die ägyptische Kultur geprägt, war sie Heimstätte namhafter Kulte, besonders des Isis- und des Serapiskultes. Aufgrund der starken jüdischen Präsenz spielte die Stadt auch für die Geschichte des Judentums und seine Hellenisierung von der Übersetzung des Alten Testaments ins Griechische bis hin zu dem Religionsphilosophen Philo eine herausragende Rolle, und wurde wohl gerade auch deshalb für die frühen Christen und ihre Theologie mit Denkern wie Klemens und Origenes zum ersten Zentrum von exegetischer und systematischer Wissenschaft. Zugleich war Alexandria seit der frühen Ptolemäerzeit die bedeutendste Stätte antiker Wissenschaft und Bildung, wobei gleichermaßen Naturwissenschaften und Technik wie die Philologie in Blüte standen. Im Zusammenhang mit letzterer wurde die Stadt in der römischen Kaiserzeit dann auch zum neuen Zentrum der platonischen Philosophie.
"Die Frage des Bischofs Diodor von Tyrus nach den Edelsteinen im Brustschild des jüdischen Hohepr... more "Die Frage des Bischofs Diodor von Tyrus nach den Edelsteinen im Brustschild des jüdischen Hohepriesters beantwortet sein Amtskollege Epiphanius von Salamis mit einer umfangreichen Schrift. Sie ist das älteste christliche Buch zur Edelsteinkunde. In ihr behandelt der Autor die Eigenschaften der Steine nach Aussehen und Heilwirkung sowie ihre Zuordnung zu den zwölf Stämmen Israels in christlicher Auslegung. Griechisch ist die Schrift nur in Auszügen erhalten. Der vorliegende Band bietet den Text des wesentlichen – gleichwohl bislang unberücksichtigten – armenischen Textzeugen, versehen mit einer deutschen Übersetzung und kommentierenden Anmerkungen. Er mag als Vorarbeit für die weitere, sowohl editorische als auch inhaltliche, Erschließung jener spannenden Schrift verstanden werden. At the request of Diodorus, bishop of Tyre, Epiphanius of Salamis produced a comprehensive treatise on the stones in the High Priest's breastplate, which is the oldest Christian book on gemstones. The author deals with the stones according to their appearance and their healing powers, as well as their attribution to the twelve tribes from a Christian point of view. Only extracts of this work are preserved in Greek. This volume provides the most important – but hitherto neglected – Armenian witness with an annotated German translation, as well as an English introduction. R e v i e w s »Felix Albrecht und Arthur Manukyan legen eine hervorragende Edition eines weitgehend unbekannten und vernachlässigten Textes vor, die die große Gelehrsamkeit und den Fleiß des Epiphanius belegt. Damit ist ein zentraler Beitrag zum besseren Verständnis dieses spätantiken Autors und seines Um- feldes vorgelegt worden.« Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Christoph Markschies (Humboldt-Universität, Berlin) »Epiphanius of Cyprus’ De duodecimo gemmis is entirely lost in the Greek original. An Armenian translation has been known for nearly a century, but has remained unpublished until now. We do possess Latin, Georgian, Coptic and Syriac translations, but all of them are incomplete. In this volume, F. Albrecht and A. Manukyan present us with an edition of this very important Armenian translation, which seems to have been made from the Greek original text, probably in the VIIth century. We are also provided with a useful introduction, and, of course, a full German translation, with a rich annotation, which takes into account the history of the text of the Bible. An absolutely necessary piece of work. One wonders why this text has remained unpublished for so long, but we now have a fine edition of it.« Prof. Dr. Bernard Outtier (CNRS, Paris)"
This survey deals with the textual history of all the Greek deuterocanonical texts covered in vol... more This survey deals with the textual history of all the Greek deuterocanonical texts covered in volume two of the Textual History of the Bible (THB) series.
This volume is devoted to the Psalms of Solomon, a collection of 18 psalms from the Second Temple... more This volume is devoted to the Psalms of Solomon, a collection of 18 psalms from the Second Temple period. Eleven articles in English and French offer new insights into the context, style, and reception history of those psalms, making this book an essential resource for anyone interested in Jewish and early Christian literature.
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Die vorliegende Edition der „Psalmen Salomos“ schafft eine solide Textgrundlage unter Berücksichtigung aller relevanten Textzeugen. Sie beruht auf einer grundlegenden Untersuchung der griechischen und syrischen Überlieferung. Eine ausführliche Einleitung erschließt die überlieferungsbedingten sowie sprachlichen Eigenarten des Textes (§ A) und kulminiert in einer Darstellung der Textgeschichte (§ B).
https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/buch/essays-on-the-psalms-of-solomon-9783161624483?no_cache=1