Transformations in Translation: Comparing Qumran Aramaic Job and Old Greek Job

I just saw a new book out by SBL Press that looks like a fascinating contribution:

Transformations in Translation: Comparing Qumran Aramaic Job and Old Greek Job

by Alun Morton Thomas

Blurb from the SBL website:

Using insights gleaned from translation studies, Alun Morton Thomas compares the earliest known Aramaic and Greek translations of the book of Job to explore how translators dealt with idiomatic and linguistic difficulties in translating the Hebrew text. Thomas demonstrates that many of the scribal techniques used in both the Qumran and Old Greek versions of Job resemble practices attested in other Second Temple Jewish texts. The scribal choices Thomas reveals provide insights into early interpretations of the book of Job which stem from the Second Temple period. The volume also delves into how earlier Aramaic and Greek translations relate to later translation attempts in these two languages. Transformations in Translation is a critical resource for scholars and students interested in some of the most difficult passages to translate from Hebrew.

Alun Morton Thomas completed his doctoral studies at Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded a DAAD fellowship to conduct part of the research for this project at the University of Göttingen. He is currently a pastor in North Wales.

Cook, The Targum of Psalms

Edward Cook has revised his 2001 translation of the Psalms Targum.

New Biblia Arabica Project

The Biblia Arabica group report that they have received funding for a large, 21-year project cataloguing, transcribing, studying, and editing the manuscripts and translations of the Bible into Arabic. They want to make around 8,200 manuscripts readily available to users, which will be a great resource for this oft-neglected corpus. Ronny Volandt and Nathan Gibson are to be heartily congratulated on procuring such substantial funding for a critical humanities project.

Christian Palestinian Aramaic Fragment of Joshua

In this Fragment of the Month, Christa Müller-Kessler discusses a Christian Palestinian Aramaic fragment of the book of Joshua on a palimpsest from the Cairo Genizah. The Christian Palestinian Aramaic is a very interesting version, but not well attested or widely known, so any fragment that has survived is important.

The Bible in Arabic

Juan Pedro Monferrer-Sala gives a nice illustrated survey of early Arabic Bible translations on the ASOR blog. While pre-Islamic Arabic translations probably existed, the manuscripts that have survived come from the Islamic period and reflect different dialects and base texts, depending on where they were translated.

Matthew Kraus Review of Biblia Sacra vulgata: Lateinisch-deutsch

 Matthew Kraus has a substantial review of the recent German translation of Jerome's Vulgate here.

Postdocs in Helsinki

Tuukka Kauhanen is calling for applications for postdocs to work on the ancient translations of the LXX of 2 Samuel here.

Vollandt on Christian Arabic Translations in the Cairo Genizah

Ronny Vollandt has a helpful survey of the Christian Arabic Bible translations from the Cairo Genizah.

HT Agade

Mugler's Review of Griffith's "The Bible in Arabic"

AJR has published Josh Mugler's review of Sidney Griffith's The Bible in Arabic: The Scriptures of the 'People of the Book' in the Language of Islam. It sounds like a very interesting overview of important issues that would be well worth further consideration.

HT Agade