The video recordings of presentations from the Perceptions of Writing in Papyri conference are now available online. This is a great overview of current work on how digital tools have impacted the study of ancient manuscripts.
This blog is intended to be an outlet for research and questions on the textual criticism of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and related issues.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Monday, February 5, 2024
Kantor on the Pronunciation of the Name Jesus
Ben Kantor has a useful article/video on the pronunciation of the name Jesus/Yeshua in Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic sources in the time of Jesus. This is a helpful resource for those confused by the pseudo-scientific discussions of Jesus's name that are abundant on the internet.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Isaiah 9:6 and the Antiquity of the Masoretic Tradition
Today I was reading Isaiah 9:6 (Eng. v. 7) with some colleagues and came across a textual variant I had never noticed before.
and there shall be endless peace (NRSV)
Detail of Leningrad Codex. Photographer: Bruce E. Zuckerman.
My first instinct was to explain this away as a scribal error in the Aleppo codex I was reading from. This kind of confusion is common in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I noted that it most commonly occurs on the archaic ־מו prefix (meaning "them") rather than in the middle of a word. A little more digging showed that the Leningrad codex has the same exact peculiarity, so this is certainly no accidental innovation in these manuscripts.
In 1QIsa-a, the scribe does not use a distinct form of final mem, but does leave a space between למ and רבה. It is worth noting that the scribe does not always write a distinct final form, as is evident in the second detail below from just a few lines above our verse. Thus, it appears that our scribe here likely read למ רבה as two words rather than one.
καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος·
ἐγὼ γὰρ ἄξω εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας,
εἰρήνην καὶ ὑγίειαν αὐτῷ (some mss αυτων).
(6) 7 μεγάλη ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ,
καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅριον
and he is named Messenger of Great Counsel,
for I will bring peace upon the rulers,
peace and health to him (some mss them).
7(6) His sovereignty is great,
and his peace has no boundary (NETS)