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.

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 becomes 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.

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

Three new translations of the Septuagint into modern languages have recently become available.

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

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

The first two volumes of La Biblia griega — Septuaginta have been published by Ediciones Sígueme of Salamanca: I. Pentateuco (2008); and II. Libros Históricos (2011). Natalio Fernández-Marcos and María Victoria Spottorno Díaz-Caro direct this project.

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 $350 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 submissions is August 15, 2013.

Bradley John Marsh, Jr. won the 2011 John William Wevers Prize in Septuagint Studies. Jason Gile won the 2010 John William Wevers Prize in Septuagint Studies. No prize was awarded in 2012.

IOSCS Links

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 Göttingen Septuaginta-Unternehmen (site in English)
Internet Resources for the Study of Judaism and Christianity
Translation of the Sinaiticus Psalter (PDF, 708 kb) by Albert Pietersma
Official List of Rahlfs’ Sigla (Göttingen Septuaginta-Unternehmen)
PDFs of early volumes of Mitteilungen des Septuaginta-Unternehmens, including Rahlfs’ Verzeichnis der griechischen Handschriften des Alten Testaments (Göttingen Septuaginta-Unternehmen)

News and Announcements

International Congress of the IOSCS

The International Congress of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies will be held in Munich on 1-3 August 2013 (before the IOSOT conference). (See details.)

BIOSCS Online

The first 33 volumes of our Journal are now available online in PDF form.

TWU Septuagint Summer School 2013

The Graduate School of Theological Studies of Trinity Western University and the John William Wevers Institute for Septuagint Studies will offer a three-credit course, “Current Issues in Septuagint Studies,” May 27-31, 2013. Class sessions will be led by the Fellows of the Wevers Institute who are preparing volumes on the first four books of the Pentateuch for the Society of Biblical Literature Commentary on the Septuagint (SBLCS) series. Students will be introduced to the foundational principles and methodology of the SBLCS project, and to current, cutting-edge research in the discipline of Septuagint Studies. The deadline for application is May 20. For more information, please consult the flyer.

SBLCS Seminar in CSBS 2013

A seminar session of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies (CSBS) will be devoted to the Society of Biblical Literature Commentary on the Septuagint (SBLCS). Presenters at the SBLCS seminar will include (in addition to the Fellows of the Wevers Institute for Septuagint Studies of TWU) Albert Pietersma, Claude Cox, Jannes Smith, and Cameron Boyd-Taylor. The respondent to these papers will be Emanuel Tov. The seminar will take place June 2-4, 2013 at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. For more information about the CSBS Annual Meeting, see the announcements of the CSBS and the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Resources from the Göttingen Septuaginta-Unternehmen

The Göttingen Septuaginta-Unternehmen, home of the Göttingen editions of the Septuagint, has announced two initiatives of interest to those dealing with textual criticism of the Septuagint.

(1) One of the tasks of the Septuaginta-Unternehmen is to manage the Rahlfs-sigla that are used to refer to Septuagint manuscripts in our edition and in several other publications. Since new manuscript witnesses keep on being identified, the collection of Rahlfs-sigla constantly needs to be expanded. In December 2012, the institute posted a PDF file with the up-to-date list of Rahlfs-sigla on its website, freely available to the public domain.

(2) Several of the older volumes that have appeared in the series “Mitteilungen des Septuaginta-Unternehmens” are no longer available in print. To meet the wishes of the scholarly community to maintain access to these publications (among them, Rahlfs’ Verzeichnis), the Septuaginta-Unternehmen has published a free PDF scan of the first four volumes on its website.

These resources are available in the Septuaginta-Unternehmen's new website, which is available in both German and English.

International Septuaginta Summer School 2013

The 4th International Septuaginta Summer School will take place in Göttingen from August 12 to August 16, 2013. This year’s lecturer will be Prof. Benjamin G. Wright III (Lehigh University). Please encourage doctoral and other advanced students to apply. The deadline for application is March 15, 2013. For more information, please consult the full announcement (with flyers in German and English).

User Manuals for Göttingen Editions

Christian Schäfer, a research fellow of the Septuaginta-Unternehmen in Göttingen, has written two manuals to allow both beginners and specialists to use the Göttingen editions of the Septuagint in an improved way. Above all, they explain in detail the structure and language of the apparatus of the editio critica maior. The first volume deals with the editions by J.W. Wevers. It is also available as an e-book. The second volume deals with U. Quast's editions.

Call for Papers, IOSCS, November 2013

The International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS) is soliciting papers for its annual meeting in Baltimore, to be held in conjunction with the SBL. In addition to open sessions, where papers on any topic will be considered, IOSCS is also sponsoring a session to discuss a new monograph in our field: J. Ross Wagner, Reading the Sealed Book: Old Greek Isaiah and the Problem of Septuagint Hermeneutics. IOSCS is also co-sponsoring a session, Greek Biblical Traditions and the Partition of Ancient Judeo-Christian Culture, with EJCR and Greek Bible. Proposals should be presented through the SBL Annual Meetings website by March 1, 2013. Please direct any queries to Leonard Greenspoon at ljgrn@creighton.edu.

Grinfield Lecturership at Oxford

Oxford University seeks to appoint a lecturer in Septuagint for a two-year term beginning 1 October 2013. For further information, please see the full announcement.

Septuaginta Deutsch Commentary Published

The German Bible Society has published Septuaginta Deutsch’s commentary on the Septuagint:
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.