Eberhard Bons

Jan Joosten

Regine Hunziker-Rodewald

Lexicography, together with grammatical studies and textual criticism, forms the basis of biblical exegesis. Recent decades have seen much progress in this field, yet increasing specialization also tends to have the paradoxical effect of turning exegesis into an independent discipline, while leaving lexicography to the experts. The present volume seeks to renew and intensify the exchange between the study of words and the study of texts. This is done in reference to both the Hebrew source text and the earliest Greek translation, the Septuagint. Questions addressed in the contributions to this volume are how linguistic meaning is effected, how it relates to words, and how words may be translated into another language, in Antiquity and today. Etymology, semantic fields, syntagmatic relations, word history, neologisms and other subthemes are discussed. The main current and prospective projects of biblical lexicology or lexicography are presented, thus giving an idea of the state of the art. Some of the papers also open up wider perspectives of interpretation.

Semantics – Exegesis – Translation

Biblical Lexicology: Hebrew and Greek

Jean-Sébastien Rey

This volume contains 15 contributions presented at a symposium on the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls & Ben Sira, held in Strasbourg on May 29 and 30, 2006. The papers address linguistic and philological issues. Among the authors are some of the most eminent Hebraists of our period.

Proceedings of a Fourth International Symposium on the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls & Ben Sira

Conservatism and Innovation in the Hebrew Language of the Hellenistic Period

Syntactic Structure, Inner-Syriac Developments and Translation Technique

The Syriac Language of the Peshitta and Old Syriac Versions of Matthew

On the occasion of the twenty-first conference of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, Brill and the editorial board of Vetus Testamentum present this publication of ten articles published in the journal between 1950 and today.

A quarterly published by the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament. IOSOT 2013

Vetus Testamentum

Ronald Hendel

From two expert scholars comes a comprehensive study of the dating of the Hebrew Bible The age of the Hebrew Bible is a topic that has sparked controversy and debate in recent years. The scarcity of clear evidence allows for the possibility of many views, though these are often clouded by theological and political biases. This impressive, broad‑ranging book synthesizes recent linguistic, textual, and historical research to clarify the history of biblical literature, from its oldest texts and literary layers to its youngest. In clear, concise language, the authors provide a comprehensive overview that cuts across scholarly specialties to create a new standard for the historical study of the Bible. This much‑needed work paves the path forward to dating the Hebrew Bible and understanding crucial aspects of its historical and contemporary significance.

A Linguistic, Textual, and Historical Study

How Old Is the Hebrew Bible?

The present volume brings together studies by some of the best specialists on the texts and versions of the Book of Ben Sira. Each textual form is placed in its own historical context and analysed in regard to what explains the typical changes it contains.

Transmission and Interpretation

The Texts and Versions of the Book of Ben Sira

Thierry Legrand

This book reassesses the links between the Targumic literature and the writings of the Second Temple period. Ten specialists approach the question from different angles: relationship between ancient versions and Targums, biblical and comparative approaches, thematic issues.

The Targums in the Light of Traditions of the Second Temple Period

During the Renaissance period, when the Greek texts of the Bible became accessible again to Western scholars, a large number of words were identified that seemed to be attested only in the Septuagint and New Testament: the famous voces biblicae, "biblical words". They were held by some to reflect a special kind of Jewish Greek, or perhaps even a peculiar Greek idiom created by the Holy Spirit in order to express the unspeakable mysteries of God's grace. Today, scholars usually prefer more down-to-earth explanations. Moreover, the list of voces biblicae has been much shortened because many words that were initially found only in the Bible later turned up in the papyri. Nevertheless, the "biblical words" continue to fascinate. The present volume contains seven essays illuminating different aspects of the vocabulary of the Greek Bible.

Jan Joosten

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