LXX/Septuagint

Seminar in Current Issues in LXX Research – Trinity Western University

In May I will be participating in a seminar entitled “Current Issues in Septuagint Studies,” held from the 27th to the 31st at Trinity Western University. The university is home to the John William Wevers Institute for Septuagint Studies (here), where several capable scholars are currently teaching and researching. They are currently “preparing volumes on the first four books of the Pentateuch for the Society of Biblical Literature Commentary on the Septuagint (SBLCS) series.” The course aims to introduce students to “the foundational principles and methodology of the SBLCS project, and to current, cutting-edge research in the discipline of Septuagint Studies” (citation here as of 4/3/13). Here is the syllabus preview, as well as a course poster.

It is my aim to use the course as an opportunity to explore research possibilities in LXX lexicography, especially in the vein of J.A.L. Lee’s somewhat outdated work in the Pentateuch. This area is of interest to me for doctoral work. I am look forward also to tailoring my work at TWU into a paper which will be presented this August 1st-3rd in Munich, Germany at the 2013 Congress of the IOSCS, held just before the IOSOT meeting.

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LXX-Nahum Translation Analysis Drafted and Research Presented

I have completed a draft of the translational analysis of LXX-Nahum 1:2-8 that I have referenced in earlier posts. The project was a fascinating study of the intersection of Hebrew poetry, linguistics, and translation theory, and has piqued my interest in possibly pursuing a similar and more exhaustive study of the book of Nahum, possibly as a thesis topic. I may post my work here at a later date.

In March, I presented a paper named “Chipping Away at the Broken Acrostic in Nahum 1:2-8: An Exercise in Septuagintal Textual Criticism” at a regional ETS conference. In it, I interact with one of the several places in which the so-called ‘acrostic’ in Nah. 1:2-8 is ‘broken,’ and therefore often emended by commentators. On the basis of my translational analysis, I maintain that the emendations generally made to the dalet line of the hymn are not defensible on the text-critical grounds of the LXX translation, a position that most who emend the text hold. The paper is available on  my academia.edu page (here).

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All papers and essays are posted for online reading purposes only, please. Any use otherwise is outside the intent and permission of the author.

Analysis of LXX-Nahum’s Translation of HB 1:2-8

As I mentioned in my last post, I am slowly working through the seven verses of the opening hymn of Nahum in both the Greek and Hebrew, taking a close look at the features of parallelism. The object of this endeavor is to approach the question of the translation method(s) employed in LXX-Nahum. Note the use of “approach” in the preceding; admittedly this project, although it will end up taking me quite some time, will only be a brief foray into an otherwise massive and complex issue. Making matters more intriguing than the “mere” question of translation method is the already-existing discussion, sometimes taking things Septuagintal into view, sometimes not, pertaining to whether the hymn is a(n) (broken) acrostic. Although thinking about text-critical features that might address the question of the acrostic would be possible – and fascinating – at the back end of this project (perhaps e.g., using a critically-reconstructed Vorlage of LXX-Nahum), I do not plan to “go there,” if for no other reason than time constraint. Mainly, I hope to contribute to and/or test current consensus regarding LXX translation method in Nahum, and the Twelve more broadly, even if such a contribution would be from only a narrow and somewhat contested excerpt of the book.

I thought it would be good to post one of my inductive verse analysis drafts – n.b. drafts – for those interested in seeing what I’m going about. Note the abbreviation key on the last page; also, without comment on my methodology it may not be clear what each step is getting at, but I post nonetheless. My goal is to “finish,” or at least get through a second revision and appraisal of the verses, by the end of this term. Again, my “finished” versions may look very different in the details from the example I posted here. Then, over the winter and spring terms, I’ll begin the deductive work of writing on translation, and see where I end up. Ideally, whatever comes out the other end will function as a half-decent writing sample. Admittedly, I am not bent on the specific mini-field of translation theory/method within the larger realm of LXX studies for my doctoral work. I am also increasingly interested in syntax and lexical studies, for example. At this point, I have simply been happy to work the ground of this particular project as a way of helping to grow interests that could lead to other topics within LXX studies. The goal of introducing and orienting myself to the field, however, will be met in any case.

Nahum 1.3 Analysis Draft

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All papers and essays are posted for online reading purposes only, please. Any use otherwise is outside the intent and permission of the author.