The task of locating the social context of the Septuagint translators is like capturing the elusive giant squid from the depths of the ocean, it’s hard to know where to look when you only have a handful of sightings. The most popular account (the letter of Aristeas) might point us in the proper direction (Egypt) but we must be wary of its more elaborate details because most experts consider it to be more of a legend than a factual report. Continue reading Administrators? Scribes? Soldiers? … Who would make a Bible translation in Ptolemaic Egypt?→
After King Saul has lost in a war with the Philistines, David becomes the king of the tribe of Judah and later of the entire Israel. He makes Jerusalem the capital of the kingdom. Through the words of Prophet Nathan he receives Yahweh’s promise of an eternal kingdom. He wins several wars and expands his kingdom to comprise much of the Southern Levant. Continue reading Editing the Septuagint of 2 Samuel→
Several members of the CSTT had the opportunity to attend the international symposium “From Scribal Error to Rewriting: How (Sacred) Texts May and May Not Be Changed” in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 30 April to 3 May 2015. The symposium was dedicated to the memory of Septuagint scholar Udo Quast and was a fitting memorial for his important work. We were generously hosted by Anna Kharanauli and many colleagues and students from the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Continue reading Reflections on “From Scribal Error to Rewriting: How (Sacred) Texts May and May Not Be Changed” (Tbilisi, 2015)→
The Hebrew Bible is a collection of layered works. Its books in their various forms have been creatively edited and interwoven by ancient redactor-scribes in various historical situations using multiple sources from different time periods. In order to understand these editorial processes and use the texts in reconstructing history, scholars use the method of redaction criticism. Building on the observations of literary criticism (that is ”source criticism”), redaction criticism asks, for example: what is the ideology/theology behind the editing? What has been included or left out in the work and why? What is the community behind the editor(s)? How can the different textual layers be dated? Continue reading Why the Septuagint Can No Longer Be Ignored in Redaction Criticism→
Decision-making in textual studies is largely based on intuition. The scholar is expected to know the sources and the approach very well and it is assumed that when all the relevant information concerning a given problem is poured into the scholar’s head, eventually the right solution will come out. The truth of the solution is then tested first by the scholar’s personal conviction and subsequently by the scholarly community: the more of your colleagues you manage to convince, the better your solution. Continue reading Diagnostics and Textual Studies→
I am spending the most part of the academic year 2014–15 in Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. Madrid is a major European capital and, for a Finn, a very large city: the surroundings of every Metro station is like a middle-sized Finnish town – only much livelier! There is a large old city centre, including the magnificent Palacio Real. For centuries, Madrid has been the city of the Spanish Kings, now of His Majesty Felipe VI. Continue reading Madrid, the City of Kings→
Friday, May 2, was a day of celebration. Over 30 people were gathered in the Faculty Room as Anneli Aejmelaeus’s Festschrift was handed to her by Kristin De Troyer, Michael Law, Marketta Liljeström and the jubilant group of friends and colleagues. Continue reading In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes→
The Old Testament was written in Hebrew (and partly Aramaic), the New Testament in Greek. That is what we learn in school and read in every introduction to the Bible. However, in recent decades the ancient Bible versions in other languages have gained attention as well, especially in studies concerning the Old Testament, a.k.a. the Hebrew Bible. One cannot totally comprehend the Hebrew Bible without using its oldest translation, the Greek Septuagint. That is because the text of the Hebrew Bible as known to us today from the Hebrew manuscripts contains multiple corruptions. Continue reading Latin as a Biblical Language→
The Academy of Finland's Centre of Excellence, Faculty of Theology, University of Helsinki
