IOSCS

The International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS) is a nonprofit, learned society formed to promote international research in and study of the Septuagint and related texts. By the term Septuagint is meant the ancient translations of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, including both the translation of the Pentateuch and that of the other books of the “Alexandrian Canon.” By the term cognate studies is meant the study of the ancient translations made from the Septuagint (“daughter versions”) and the so-called apocryphal and pseudepigraphical literature circulating around the turn of the era.

Membership

Individuals and institutions with an interest in the Septuagint and related materials are welcome as members in the IOSCS. For more information about membership, please follow this link.

IOSCS Links

Journal

The IOSCS publishes an annual journal. Through issue 43, this publication was known as the Bulletin of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (BIOSCS). With issue 44 (2011), the name became Journal of Septuagint and Cognate Studies (JSCS).

Articles submitted to the journal are double-blind peer-reviewed by multiple scholars. To safeguard the integrity of the peer-review process, the names of reviewers are not published or made known. The current Editor is Siegfried Kreuzer, Protestant University Wuppertal/Bethel, Wuppertal, Germany.

All current members and subscribers receive the Journal. Follow this link to become a subscriber or to renew your subscription.

The first 43 volumes of our Journal are available online in PDF form.

Septuagint and Cognate Studies (SCS) Monograph Series

Under the auspices of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), the IOSCS publishes a monograph series, refereed by its Editor (a member of the Executive Committee) in consultation with other scholars at the Editor's invitation. The current editor is Wolfgang Kraus, and the editorial board is composed of Karen Jobes, Rob Hiebert, Siegfried Kreuzer, Philippe Le Moigne, and Arie van der Kooij.

Critical Editions of Septuagint or Old Greek Texts

In response to questions about the best available critical editions of the Septuagint or Old Greek for use in scholarly discussion and development, including electronically based research, the Executive Committee of the IOSCS offers recommendations.

Septuagint Translations Available

New translations of the Septuagint into modern languages have become available in recent years.

Translation into English

A New English Translation of the Septuagint (edited by Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright) is available from Oxford University Press.

Translation into German

Septuaginta Deutsch: Das griechische Alte Testament in deutscher Übersetzung (edited by Wolfgang Kraus and Martin Karrer) is available from the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.

Translation into Spanish

The four volumes of La Biblia griega — Septuaginta have been published by Ediciones Sígueme of Salamanca:
  I. Pentateuco (2008);
  II. Libros históricos (2011);
  III. Libros poéticos y sapienciales (2013);
  IV. Libros proféticos (2015).
Natalio Fernández Marcos and María Victoria Spottorno direct this project.

Translation into French

The nineteen volumes of La Bible d’Alexandrie (edited by Marguerite Harl, Gilles Dorival, Olivier Munnich and Cécile Dogniez) have been published by Les Editions du Cerf, Paris.

The Septuagint in Romanian

A critical edition of the first Romanian translation of the Septuagint, by Nicolae Spătarul Milescu (1636-1708), has been published: The Old Testament — The Septuagint: Nicolae the Spathar Milescu’s Version (Ms. 45 from the Library of Cluj Branch of Romanian Academy), edited by Eugen Munteanu (coordinator), Ana-Maria Gînsac, Ana-Maria Minuţ, Lucia-Gabriela Munteanu, Mădălina Ungureanu (The University „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Printing Press, Iaşi, 2016).

The Septuagint in Italian

The fourth and final volume of La Bibbia dei Settanta, edited by Paolo Sacchi, Luca Mazzinghi, and Paolo Lucca was published in 2019 by Editrice Morcelliana (Brescia).

Projects of the IOSCS

The following projects are conducted under the auspices of the IOSCS.

The John William Wevers Prize in Septuagint Studies

The International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS) offers an annual prize of $500 to be awarded to an outstanding paper in the field of Septuagint studies. The prize has been named in memory of John William Wevers to honor his many contributions to the field of Septuagint studies. More information is available. The deadline for this year's submissions is September 1.

Useful Resources on the Internet

New English Translation of the Septuagint: Electronic Edition
The John William Wevers Institute for Septuagint Studies (Trinity Western University)
Parallel Aligned Hebrew and Greek Jewish Scriptures (CATSS)
Morphologically Analyzed Septuagint (CATSS)
Old Greek Variants Files (CATSS)
Information About Brenton's Translation of the Septuagint
The Septuagint Online: Academic Resources for the Study of the Septuagint and Old Greek Versions (Joel Kalvesmaki)
The Hexapla Institute
The Centre for Septuagint Studies and Textual Criticism, Leuven
The Göttinger Septuaginta (site in English)
Göttingen's online Manuscript Catalog, including official list of Rahlfs' sigla
Internet Resources for the Study of Judaism and Christianity
Translation of the Sinaiticus Psalter (PDF, 708 kb) by Albert Pietersma
LXX Resources (William A. Ross, Septuaginta &C.)

We're Moving!

This website is in the process of moving to its new home.
http://ioscs.org/
located at
https://septuaginta.uni-goettingen.de/ioscs/

News and Announcements

Visit Us on Facebook

IOSCS has a Facebook Group Page. Visit for periodic announcements and posts of interest.

2022 Septuagint International Congress in Stellenbosch

The second Septuagint international congress will take place from the 30^th of September through to the 2^nd of October 2022 at the Department of Ancient Studies, University of Stellenbosch. It is organised by Johann Cook, Martin Roesel and Wolfgang Kraus, who have invited over 20 speakers to address aspects of a theology of the Septuagint. It will be presented in a hybrid format so that more people can attend and participate. If you have any questions, email Johann Cook. For more information, see the program (PDF).

Summer Course at Trinity Western University

The Associated Canadian Theological Schools of Trinity Western University and the John William Wevers Institute for Septuagint Studies are pleased to co-sponsor a three-credit course entitled “Exploring the Septuagint Pentateuch.” Class sessions will be live-streamed via Zoom by Fellows of the Wevers Institute during the week of May 16-20, 2022. The course can be audited or taken for credit. See the flyer (PDF) and syllabus (PDF). Feel free to spread the word far and wide.

Grinfield Lectures on the Septuagint 2021–22

The second series of the Grinfield Lectures have begun (February 2022). James K. Aitken, Professor of Hebrew and Early Jewish Studies at the University of Cambridge, is giving three lectures on the theme, "The Septuagint and the History of the Book". See current details and the event flyer.

IOSCS Congress in Zurich

The next IOSCS congress will take place on Aug. 5-7, 2022 in Zurich, right before the IOSOT Congress (8-12). The call for papers is now out and can be accessed here: https://www.iosot2022.uzh.ch/en/ioscs2022.html

The main theme will be 'The Septuagint and Literary Culture,' encompassing questions of history, textual and literary development, cultural context, and (history of) interpretation.

Questions concerning the IOSCS congress can be sent to Alison Salvesen (alison.salvesen@orinst.ox.ac.uk) or Marieke Dhont (md790@cam.ac.uk).

2022 SBL International Meeting in Salzburg

The 2022 SBL International Meeting will be held in beautiful Salzburg, Austria on July 17-21). Several IOSCS members are involved including Kristin De Troyer, who is organizing the meeting, and Tuukka Kauhanen, chair of the Septuagint Studies program unit.

This year, there will be two thematic joint sessions:

The first held in conjunction with the "Qumran and Dead Sea Scrolls" unit will revisit the contributions of the Qumran biblical scrolls to the understanding of the Septuagint both as a textual witness to the Hebrew Bible and a historical document in its own right.
"Textual criticism: revisions and recensions" will focus on the well-known recensions of the Septuagint (Kaige, Hexaplaric, Lucianic/Antiochian) or other revisional activity concerning the Greek Bible.

Details concerning the call for papers can be found here. The deadline for submissions was February 1, 2022.

2021 John W. Wevers Annual Prize in Septuagint Studies

The IOSCS is pleased to announce that the 2021 John W. Wevers prize for an outstanding paper in LXX studies goes to Maximilian Häberlein for his paper “‘Superfluous Lines?’ Minuses of OG Job in the Context of Alexandrian Scholarship.” Maximilian is a PhD student at the University of Würzburg working under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Barbara Schmitz. We congratulate Maximilian for this achievement.

Wevers Institute YouTube Channel

The John William Wevers Institute for Septuagint Studies now has a YouTube channel. People can subscribe to it and be automatically notified when new content is made available.

Septuaginta: A Reader’s Edition Published

A new reader’s edition of the Septuagint became available in November 2019. Edited by William Ross and Gregory Lanier, it includes the entire Septuagint (the text is that of Rahlfs-Hanhart). To facilitate reading, each page is annotated with lexical information. More information is available from Christian Books.

La Biblia griega, Spanish Translation

Ediciones Sígueme of Salamanca has published the final volume of their Spanish translation of the Septuagint: La Biblia griega. Septuaginta. IV. Libros proféticos (Salamanca: Sígueme 2015).

Latest Göttingen Editions

The Göttingen edition of the Psalms of Solomon, edited by F. Albrecht, was published in 2018, and the Göttingen edition of Ecclesiastes, edited by P. Gentry, in 2019. An additional volume on the Psalms of Solomon (Greek text, German translation and commentary) was published in 2020, and the Textual History of Ecclesiastes will be published in 2022. Several other volumes are in preparation (see the Report on the Göttingen Septuagint).

Resources from Göttingen

In 2020, a new long-term Academy project was established: “Die Editio critica maior des griechischen Psalters” (Academy of Sciences and Humanities Göttingen). This project, which is dedicated to the edition of the Greek Psalter (Psalms and Odes), has launched a new platform for the “Göttinger Septuaginta“, on which all resources of the former Göttinger Septuaginta-Unternehmen (1908—2015), including the Rahlfs catalogue of LXX manuscripts, will be made available within the upcoming years.

Septuaginta Deutsch Commentary Published

The German Bible Society has published Septuaginta Deutsch’s commentary on the Septuagint. See 2011 press release. The Commentary is currently available only as a digital download (PDF).

Septuaginta Deutsch. Erläuterungen und Kommentare zum griechischen Alten Testament, vol. I and vol. II, ed. by Martin Karrer and Wolfgang Kraus (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2011).

More News and Announcements

For previous news and announcements, please consult our news archive.