At 21:20 28/09/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Sorry. My comment was not aimed at the description of Aquila's
>translation, which seems right on target, but the description of Aquila's
>personal history (a gentile who comes over to Christianity but practices
>astrology and gets marginalized so he becomes a Jew out of spite, sort
>of). This sounds quite suspect, historically, as emanating from those who
>opposed the work associated with Aquila's name. Of course, it could be
>true -- but we don't have sources by which to evaluate it, and it fits the
>pattern of slanderous accusation. (Note how carefully Rahlfs treats
>Aquila's background.)
>
>A good point, which I entirely accept, as indeed I accept all your points.
If I might however insert a "Libellus pro insipiente": I entirely agree
that "Siracides" is a better name than "Ecclesiasticus"; however, the
non-specialists, for whom these notes are written, will all have
"Ecclesiasticus" in their Bibles (if they have it at all - if they have
Protestant Bibles it will of course be omitted, or relegated to the
"Apochrypha"). Most of my parishioners would not know the difference
between Ecclesiasticus [ = Siracides] and Ecclesiastes [ = Qoheleth], if
indeed they've ever heard of either. I dare say there are many on the list
who would have to admit the same. I'm trying to keep things simple.
Much of my last posting was no more than a paraphrase of the article on the
Septuagint in the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Thus, "The LXX
differs from the Hebrew Bible both in the order of the Biblical Books and in
the fact that it includes more Books. The threefold division into the
'Law', the 'Prophets', and the 'Writings' is abandoned, and several other
Books, which are not found in the Hebrew, are included . . ." (ODCC, s.v.
'Septuagint'). I agree on reflection that it is curious to talk about the
abandonment of an order which had not yet been established. And I should no
doubt have allowed for the possibility of Hebrew originals for some of the
Deuterocanonical Books, besides Siracides. I had forgotten that Jerome
claims to have seen a Hebrew Tobit.
Bill.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|