Textual Criticism (RelSt [ClasSt, JewSt] 735, Fall 2008, Robert Kraft)

Tuesdays, 6-9 pm, Cohen (Logan) 204

Quick Links:

Jay Treat's Pages from the Web on Text, Manuscripts, Paleography

Wieland Willker's Bible-Links Page

Schedule:

09se -- Orientation

16se -- "3 Corinthians"

23se -- Polycarp-Barnabas

30se -- Barnabas papyrus ; Psalm 151

07oc -- Barthelemy's contributions to LXX/OG research

[14oc -- "fall break"]

21oc -- V.K.Inman, " The Dating of Early Qur'an Manuscripts"; possibly also special exhibits (see below) on Homer, Adonias/Ornia in Samuel-Kings, and Kittim in Daniel .

28oc -- (1) Read Nagy's piece on Homeric textual criticism;

(2) for special exhibit exposure, skim through my notes on Enoch in the Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs;

(3) report by Bill Malone on 1 Cor 15.54-55 quotation(s).

04no (election day) --review Kraft,  "Christian Transmission of Greek Jewish Scriptures: a Methodological Probe" (special attention to Justin's claims; see also section 5.3 in my Pseudepigrapha study);
report by Sigrid Peterson on Syriac "Book of Women" -- Sigrid also suggests that if class members have a copy of NETS (New English Translation of the Septuagint) to bring it -- and to check out the variant versions for Esther 2 (take a look at Susanna also)

11no -- Virginia Wayland report, Jehosaphat's reign (1/3 Kgs 16.28, 22.41ff);

Followup on texts of Esther and Susanna -- for details about the Syriac evidence, Sigrid Peterson refers us to Wido van Peursen's Introduction to the Peshitta and to her notes on Sebastian Brock's discussion of the Syrohexapla. On the dating and background of the Esther "additions," see Josephus Ant 11.216ff (the decree of Artaxerxes; Esther add B [13.1ff], 229ff (prayers of Mordecai and Esther; Esther add C [14.1ff]), 234ff (Esther approaches the King; Esther add D [15.4]), 273ff (the King's edict; Esther add E [16.1ff]). Note that the earliest Greek fragment of Esther, from ca 100 CE on a roll, contains parts of add E followed by Esther 8.13ff.

18no -- Tammie Wanta report on textual issues in Genesis 1.1-3; [see also the supplementary materials below];

Jonathan Henry on the Enoch quotation in Jude and associated issues.

25no (informal reports on SBL Boston) -- open discussion

02de -- reports from John Planer on Qohelet 3.16-18 [and Unetaneh tokef];

Matt Novenson on NT papyri marginalia -- for background, see Sir Frederic Kenyon, Handbook on the Textual Criticism of the New Testament (1912), ch. 1, especially pp. 7-13 on types of errors in MSS http://books.google.com/books?id=jCtVAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=kenyon+handbook&ei=L-oySd3ACJT4NfqE2N0N#PPA1,M1
William O. Walker, Interpolations in the Pauline Letters (2001), ch. 1, especially pp. 21-24 on glosses and interpolations http://books.google.com/books?id=_f7xSvf10LIC&pg=PP1&dq=william+o+walker+interpolations+in+the+pauline+letters&ei=eegyScf0MaPKzASB1cH4DQ#PPA26,M1

General Description:

This is an introduction to the textual criticism of ancient texts – covering theory as well as specific applications, such as how to read and interpret text critical apparatuses and their evidence.  Primary attention will be given to texts preserved in Greek and Latin, including translations from Hebrew to Greek (especially Jewish scriptures in Greek) and between Greek and Latin.  Jewish and Christian texts, scriptural and others, will be examined as well as various classical writings.  Working knowledge of Greek is necessary; some Latin and/or Hebrew would be helpful but not crucial.

Initial Reading Suggestions:

Projects:

Selected Readings and Exhibits Relating to Special Situations:

Sample Images of Possible Interest:

Textual Editions --

• Page from Codex Marchalianus (Q)
• Tischendorf's 8th edition of the Greek NT (Matt 1.18-21)
• Samples of various Greek NT editions (also here)
• Logos Bible Software sample
• Conjectural reconstruction of Origen's Hexapla material
• Sample of Hamlet variants

Textual Modeling --

• Some examples from SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics)

//updated 06no2008//

Justin Martyr on textual variation: Dialogue with Trypho 71-74a

Textual situation for the book of Esther

Two recensions of Greek Esther exist, the longer usually called "B" (for its presence in Vaticanus and the majority of Greek MSS including Alexandrinus and Sinaiticus and pChBeatty 967; also called "LXX" and/or "OG") and a shorter version called variously ("A[lpha]," "Luc[ianic]," "Ant[iochene]"). Both recensions include the material not found in MT (thus considered "additions"), interspersed with the materials paralleled in MT. There are also versions in Sahidic, Ethiopic, and Old Latin [i.e. non Vulgate], at least. Josephus also seems to know (most of) the "additions" (Antiq 11.6).

In his Latin Vulgate edition, Jerome separated out the "additions" and placed them at the end of the text that parallels the MT. It is not clear to me how Origen's Hexapla treated these passages. Presumably the Syrohexapla would be helpful for that question, if it included Esther (the Syrohexapla has not been preserved in its entirety).

[Sigrid Peterson adds the following notes]
Peshitta Esther (P Esther) is not found in all Peshitta pandects where it might be expected. Where found, it is often in the second part of the Book(s) of Illustrious women. The Syriac text has been collated and published in a diplomatic edition based on the Ambrosian manuscript B.21 inf (7a1). As published, none of the additions to Esther found in the Greek are present in the Peshitta version.

The Syrohexaplaric version of Esther can be found by reading the photolithographic edition of Ceriani, of the other great Syriac manuscript in Milan's Ambrosian Library, designated C.313 inf.

Summary: for the most part, including the additions to Esther, the Hebrew and Peshitta Syriac agree, against the Greek, as my handout shows, in brief comparison of P Esther, Hebrew Esther, and Gk Esther.  Therefore, many of my remarks consist of comparisons to the Hebrew. Additions to Esther exist only in the Greek, but exist in both the Old Greek and the Alpha Text [although there are also variations between those texts of the "additions" -- RAK]. The Peshitta otherwise follows the Old Greek contents, rather than the more lengthy (and later) Alpha Text.

The SyroHexaplar of Esther, because of its lateness, seems somewhat irrelevant. It is supposed (by two accounts in the literature) to be a faithful copy of Origen's "LXX/OG" column.

The names in P Esther agree with Hebrew names, rather than Greek names.

But what does Greek Esther or SyroHexaplar Esther have to do with P Esther in the Book(s) of Women?
<end sp stuff>

Textual situation for Susanna

[Sigrid Peterson adds]
Susanna is included in a large number of Syriac mss. These inclusions include:   the individual book, in a miscellany; Susanna together with Ruth in the first of two Books of (Illustrious or Notable) Women; Susanna together with Daniel; and possibly other configurations. In the base Peshitta ms of 7a1, Susanna follows Ruth, probably in a "Book of Women."

The contents of P Susanna is similar to the Theodotion version of the Greek. There is one notable name difference:  Chelkis in the Greek is Hilkiah in Syriac. Both P Susanna and Th Susanna seem to follow a [lost] Hebrew exemplar closely. P Susanna does appear to have an expansion of the text compared to Th Susanna, on first look, before I was distracted with questions about Greek Esther.

There is a SyroHexaplar version of Susanna:  all of the SyrH texts go back to an eighth century translation made by Paul of Tella, who fled the Persians and took refuge at the monastery of the Syrians, in the Egyptian desert between Alexandria and Cairo.  Given the interchange between Julius Africanus and Origen concerning the Hebrew origin of Susanna, the SyrH is worth examining.

The textual issues are much more complex for Susanna, in part because she is so short! Desiderata include

a. comparison of ms versions of Susanna in Syriac -- Peshitta, SyroHexapla, and others, that might include direct translations from the OG
b. clear consideration of the correspondence between Africanus and Origen
c. considering whether Chelkis is independent of Hilkiah, or a simple transformation of the Hebrew name, such that Chelkios ==>Chelkis, and Ch is a standard transliteration of Hebrew Heh or Chet.
[end of Sigrid comments]

Creation "in the son"

“In the Son God created heaven and earth”

In principio fecit Deus coelum et terram

In filio fecit …

[see P. Nautin, In Principio: Interpre/tations des premiers versets de la Gene\se (Etudes Augustiniennes; Paris 1973) 61-94]

Dial of Jason and Papiscus [Ariston] (Jerome QuHebGen 3 [ed Vall. p 305]

(Justin Dial 61-62?)

Irenaeus Dem 43

Tertullian, AdvPrax 5.1: Aiunt quidam et Gwenesin in Hebraico ita incipere: in principio Deus fecit filium.

Hilary apud Jerome

Dial of Athanasius and Zacchaeus? In principio = in filio (Christ as arxh)

Dial of Simon and Theophilus

Augustine, De Genesi ad litteram 3 (PL 34.222) – see John 8.25

Jerome (PL 23.985-987): Plerique existimat, sicut in altercatione quoque Jasonis et Papisci scriptum est, et Tertullianus in libro contra Praxeam disputat necnon Hilarius in expositione cuiusdam Psalmi affirmat, in Hebraeo haberi: In filio fecit Deus coelum et terram. Quod falsum esse, ipssius rei veritas comprobat.

[Resnick (1992)] Comments on Jerome's interp of Ps 39/40.8 as the beginning (principium) of OT (logos; in hoc libri capite nuntiatus est) -- Breviarum in Psalmos 39.8 (PL 26.1002A). Jerome also accuses Hilary of Poitiers of misunderstanding Gen 1.1 with rendering 'in filio fecit Deus coelum et terram' Liber Hebraicum quaestionum in Genesim 1.1 (PL 23.937). Some other interpreters take the ref to be to Ps 1.1 (Arnobius Junior, Commentarii in Psalmos 39.8 (PL 53.381B), Ps-Rufinus, In Psalmos 75 Commentarius 39.8 (PL 21.295A)). Jerome thus connects this all with John 1.1. "While the phrase in capite libri would not necessarily suggest to us the prologue to John, the Syriac text of Psalm 40.8, when rendered in Latin, reads: Ecce venio: quia in principio librorum scriptum est de me. (n.63) Elsewhere Jerome reminds us that he sought the sense of the Syriac when translating biblical books. (n.64) Jerome's translation, then reflects a resonance between Genesis 1, Psalm 39.8 (Vulgate) and the prologue of John."

Bede, In lib. Genesis 1 (ed. Giles, 7.3)