Why did Jerome Translate Tobit and Judith?

2015 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 356-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmon L. Gallagher

Jerome translated the Hebrew Bible into Latin over a decade and a half beginning in about 390c.e.With each translation he included a preface dedicating (in most cases) the translation to a friend or patron and defending his reliance on what he called thehebraica veritas (Hebrew truth)against his many detractors. This last feature of the prefaces proved necessary because by choosing the Hebrew text of the Old Testament as his base text, Jerome directly challenged the traditional position of the Septuagint within the church. The unpopularity of this move in some circles compelled Jerome repeatedly to justify his adherence to the Hebrew text. Similarly, in hisPreface to Samuel and Kings(the “Helmeted Preface” orPrologus galeatus) he famously advocated the Hebrew canon as the Christian Old Testament and relegated all other books to the apocrypha. As part of this latter category, Jerome named six books outside the Jewish canon that were finding acceptance as fully canonical in some quarters and would much later receive the label “deuterocanonical,” these books being Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, and 1 and 2 Maccabees. In multiple ways Jerome sought to restore the Christian Old Testament to what he considered the original Hebrew text and canon.

Author(s):  
Marthin Steven Lumingkewas ◽  
Firman Panjaitan

In the Old Testament Yahweh is frequently called El. The question is raised whether Yahweh was a form of the god El from the beginning or whether they were separate deities who only became equated later. They whom uphold theory Yahweh and El were conceived as separate deities holds that Yahweh was a southern storm god from Seir and so on, which was brought by the Israelites and conflated with the Jerusalem patriarchal deity.On the other side there are scholars who hold and conceived Yahweh and El as one single deity. These scholars defend this position most commonly on the grounds that no distinction between the two can be clearly found in the Hebrew Bible. The methodology used in this paper is literary – historical and social interpretations, with the main method being the "diachronic and dialectical theology of Hegel". The simple Hegelian method is: A (thesis) versus B (anti-thesis) equals C (synthesis). The author analyzes (thesis) by collecting instruments related to ancient Semitic religions; it includes data on El and Yahweh assembly obtained from Hebrew text sources and extra-biblical manuscripts which are then processed in depth. The antithesis is to analyze El's assembly development in Israel – especially in Psalm 82. While the synthesis appears in the nuances of the El’s assembly believe in ancient Israel. The focus of this paper's research is to prove 2 things: first, is Psalm 82: 1, is an Israeli Psalm that uses the patterns and forms of the Canaanite Psalms; especially regarding religious systems that use the terminology of the divine council. Second, to prove that El and Yahweh in the context of this Psalm are two different gods, of which this view contradicts several ANET experts such as Michael S, Heisser who sets El and Yahweh in this text as identical gods. The results of this study attempt to prove that Israel and the Canaan contextually share the same religious system, and are seen to be separated in the Deuteronomist era with their Yahwistic reforms.


Vox Patrum ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 393-404
Author(s):  
Janusz Królikowski

Origen is the exegete and Old Christian writer whose influence on the under­standing of the Bible has always been determinative. Undoubtedly, for ecclesiasti­cal reasons he deemed the Septuagint superior and regarded it as the Christian Old Testament. He thought highly of Hebrew text as well, which he often used for his research. An expression of this belief was among others the Hexapla worked out by Origen, which can be regarded as an exceptional manifestation of esteem towards the Old Testament and its Hebrew version. Origen’s attitude towards the Bible can be characterized by two approaches: on the one hand it is the ecclesiastical approach which gives the first place to the text commonly accepted in the Church namely the Septuagint, but on the other hand he is open to every other text Hebrew or Greek, trying to understand it and take it into account in his commentary.


2004 ◽  
pp. 86-95
Author(s):  
Yevgen A. Harkovschenko

The Sophia tradition was formed in European philosophical and religious creativity and was developed in the pre-Christian period by Plato. Then it was reflected in Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism, the writings of prominent theorists of Christianity - fathers and teachers of the church, mystics of the Middle Ages. This tradition was reflected in the temple architecture and iconography of the Orthodox East, and took a systematic form of the doctrine of sophiology in the "philosophy of unity." The doctrine of Sophia the Wisdom of God is set forth in the biblical book of the parables of the Solomons, as well as in the non-canonical books of the Old Testament - the Wisdom of Solomon and the Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach. In Ukraine, Sofia teaching has been known since medieval times and was a feature of Kyiv Christianity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-59
Author(s):  
Pieter J. Lalleman

Summary This article introduces the Septuagint as a complex Bible version which deserves more attention from evangelical biblical scholars. The author asks if differences between the Septuagint and the Hebrew text of the canonical books can occasionally be considered as the result of inspiration, and if so, whether the wording of the Septuagint should in certain specific places form the basis for modern translations of the Old Testament. The article pays particular attention to some scholars who have pleaded for the place of the Septuagint in the Church, such as Edward Grinfield, Georg Bertram, Mogens Müller and Benjamin Giffone, as well as to the handling of the Septuagint by the authors of the New Testament and by the Early Church. With Ross Wagner, the article concludes that some elements of the Septuagint represent God’s continuing revelation to his Church.ZusammenfassungDieser Artikel stellt die Septuaginta als eine vielschichtige Bibelausgabe vor, die mehr Aufmerksamkeit seitens evangelikaler Theologen verdient. Der Autor stellt die Frage, ob Unterschiede zwischen der Septuaginta und dem hebräischen Text der kanonischen Bücher zuweilen als das Ergebnis von Inspiration angesehen werden können. Und wenn ja, ob der Wortlaut der Septuaginta an gewissen Stellen die Grundlage für moderne Übersetzungen des Alten Testaments darstellen sollte. Der Artikel legt besonderes Augenmerk auf Theologen wie Edward Grinfield, Georg Bertram, Mogens Müller und Benjamin Giffone, die für die Bedeutung der Septuaginta für die Kirche plädiert haben, sowie auch auf die Verwendung der Septuaginta durch die Autoren des Neuen Testaments und die alte Kirche. Zusammen mit Ross Wagner zieht der Artikel die Schlussfolgerung, dass einige Elemente der Septuaginta Gottes fortwährende Offenbarung an seine Gemeinde darstellen.RésuméCet article présente la Septante comme une version complexe de la Bible qui mériterait plus d’attention de la part d’exégètes évangéliques. L’auteur demande si les différences entre la Septante et le texte hébreu des livres canoniques peuvent parfois être considérées comme le fruit de l’inspiration divine; et dans l’affirmative, si la formulation de la Septante ne devrait pas, en certains endroits, servir de base pour les traductions modernes de l’Ancien Testament. L’article porte une attention particulière à certains exégètes qui ont plaidé pour que la Septante ait sa place dans l’Église, comme Edward Grinfield, Georg Bertram, Mogens Müller et Benjamin Giffone, ainsi qu’à la manière dont les auteurs du Nouveau Testament et l’Église primitive traitèrent cette traduction. Avec Ross Wagner, l’article conclut que certains éléments de la Septante illustrent la manière dont Dieu s’est progressivement révélé à son Église.


2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-231
Author(s):  
Mogens Müller

The understanding of the role of the old Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, has undergone great changes in the last decennia. From looking upon the Hebrew text as the original and the Greek text as only a translation, it has now been common to view the Greek version as a chapter in a reception history of biblical traditions. By being used by New Testament authors and in the Early Church the Septuagint gained canonical status – alongside the Hebrew Bible. Thus the Old Testament of the Church in reality consists of both versions. The article argues for this also pointing to some of the theological consequences of viewing the connection between the two parts of the Christian Bible from the perspective of reception history.


2021 ◽  
pp. 25-41
Author(s):  
John Riches

‘The making of the Bible’ discusses the process whereby different books came to be included in the various Bibles (a term first used by the Churches) which are now accepted as authoritative (canonical) by various religious communities, Jewish and Christian. This process is often referred to as the canonization of scripture. It is important to look first at the formation of the Hebrew Bible and its Greek version, the Septuagint. While the Septuagint started life as a translation for Jews living in the Diaspora, it was subsequently taken up by the Christian community as the medium through which the Old Testament was known in the Church. The language of the Septuagint also influenced many of the writers of the Christian New Testament. The authoritative writings of the Christian Church were in the first instance largely identical with the Jewish scriptures. It is valuable to consider the process whereby Christian writings, principally letters and gospels, were collected and recognized as authoritative alongside other Jewish writings.


Exchange ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezra Chitando ◽  
Masiiwa Gunda

AbstractAs the HIV and AIDS pandemic continues to affect most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the church has attempted to mitigate its effects. Unfortunately, stigma has emerged as a major challenge. The church has been implicated in stigmatizing people living with HIV and AIDS. Some Christians have used the Bible to justify the exclusion of people living with HIV and AIDS. This article examines HIV and AIDS stigma. It highlights the various forms of stigma, alongside exploring the occurrence of stigma in the Hebrew Bible. The study calls for a re-reading of the Hebrew Bible in the context of HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination. It argues that the theme of liberation that underpins the Hebrew Bible implies that stigma has no place in human relations. The paper draws attention to the need to bring liberation to the heart of mission in the light of HIV and AIDS in Africa.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aloo O. Mojola

The Old Testament or Hebrew Bible is much loved in Africa. It is however encountered almost exclusively in translation, either through translation into local indigenous languages or translation into foreign, non-local languages. The source language Hebrew text is inaccessible to the vast majority of readers, including Christian pastors or theological students who would naturally be expected to have access by virtue of their profession. Knowledge of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible is thus mediated through existing translations and interpretations, and through the popular or scholarly writings of Old Testament or Hebrew Bible experts. In many parts of Africa the latter are in very short supply. This article is an attempt to engage and critically reflect further on some of the issues arising out of this situation with specific reference to the work of Knut Holter, as well as others. This situation and the challenges posed for a full and unencumbered encounter with the Hebrew scriptures and prospects for the future is explored.Intradisciplinary and/or�interdisciplinary�implications: It is expected that the translation of the Hebrew scriptures involves interaction with local cultures and belief systems opening space for new interpretations from the perspectives of local world views and practices. The challenges for local Christian theologies and Christian doctrine in general arising from this are unavoidable.


2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alphonso Groenewald

The one who is to come: �Messianic texts� in the Old Testament and other Jewish writingsAccording to the New-Testament authors, the life of Jesus, as Christ, should be seen in light of the Old-Testament texts. It seems that all the messianic texts in the Old Testament had been fulfilled in Jesus. The Messiah, who had been expected for a long time, was born in Bethlehem. This interpretation by the New-Testament authors has caused the church and Christians throughout the centuries to read the Old Testament as a prophecy, which is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This interpretation has caused impatience with Jews, who did not accept Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. This article addresses the question: How did ancient Israel understand the concept �messiah�? It seems that the term is much more complex than a single meaning would allow the reader to believe. This article thus focuses on the theological functioning of the term within the Hebrew Bible as well as in other Jewish writings.


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