Comments on: Hebrew Witnesses to the Text of the Old Testament (TCHB 3)

By: Blue Cord » The Text of the Old Testament

Blue Cord » The Text of the Old Testament — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 15:53:15 +0000

[...] to the third entry, which discusses the actual manuscripts of the Old Testament that we have. Permalink [...]

By: andy

andy — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 21:35:01 +0000

The HUBP has also published Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

By: Tyler F. Williams

Tyler F. Williams — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 20:49:49 +0000

Thanks for the link, Talmida. I was debating about putting some internet links, etc., but decided against it.

In regards to the implications of the DSS evidence, Slaveofone, while I haven’t done my own correlation, I think that many of the non-aligned texts are those with what Tov calls the “Qumran practice” characteristics (plene orthography, kind of sloppy copying, etc.), which says perhaps more about their scribal practices than anything else.

As I will argue in my post on the goal of textual criticism, I still hold to an essential Lagardian view that posits an original text that was modified over time in various places. Thus, some of the differences between the LXX and MT are the results of historical changes. E.g., the short version of Jeremiah was translated into Greek, thus preserving that version of the book, but then the Hebrew version continued to develop into the version we find in the MT today. In regards to your options, they are all probably true in some cases, though I would emphasize 3 and then 2 and 1.

All in all it is an interesting puzzel!

By: Talmida

Talmida — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 18:52:59 +0000

I know you're not dealing with internet sources, here, but the Aleppo Codex is being published as digital photographs online. The website is still under construction, but you can check out the pages they've already uploaded. With the magnification tools, it's probably a clearer look at the Codex than a hard copy would be. Deuteronomy chapter 28 begins what is left of the Torah, and most of the Prophets (I couldn't find Jonah or Haggai) are online. Of the writings, Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ruth, 1&2 Chronicles and part of the Song of Solomon are available.

By: slaveofone

slaveofone — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 17:43:18 +0000

I’m wondering what the combined evidence of the several “standardized” text-types and the non-aligned DSS texts tell us? Why would there be so many different types? Why would there be any in the first place? And why would there be so many texts that don’t fit into the “standardized” types at all? The only thing I can figure is some combination of the following 1. that the autographs were themselves either grossly ambigious or errant, 2. oral tradition conflicted or ammended the autographs, 3. alterations and re-writing occured due to changing times, changing communities, new sects, changing oral tradition, and changing world-views.