Would you please provide a concise definition of “targum.” I am planning to write a paraphrase with brief commentary on the Sermon on the Mount for Sunday’s sermon and make reference to the Targumim to introduce it.

I hope John will chime in with some additional context for how he thinks Targum would fit into his commentary. I often find that Christians are unintentionally appropriating rabbinic methods in an inappropriate manner. I am not suggesting that John is doing that! But I will never forget the preacher who asked me to explain midrash to her since she had recently been doing a lot of reading on the subject and wanted my opinion. When I asked why she said, “Because midrash allows you to make the text say whatever you want!” Not so much. At any rate, it occurs to me that I have not provided any such introduction here.¹

Alex Samely has a nice concise definition: “Targum is an Aramaic narrative paraphrase of the biblical text in exegetical dependence on its wording.”²

In slightly more accessible language, I would say it is a unique kind of translation that often incorporates interpretive material even while presenting a word-for-word representation of the original Hebrew base text.

For example, from Tg Ruth 1:4-5, the biblical text reads (NRSV)

3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years,

The Targum adds explanatory material while still representing equivalents for the Hebrew text, in its appropriate order. (The portions in italics are additions over the MT.) The translation is mine.

3 Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died and she was left a widow and her two sons orphans.
4 They transgressed the decree of the Memra of the Lord and they took for themselves foreign wives from the house of Moab. The name of one was Orpah and the name of the second was Ruth, the daughter of Eglon, the king of Moab. And they dwelt there for a time of about ten years.

I think you can see how the Targumist is answering the “questions” that he felt were presented by the text, or supplying information that was necessary to “flesh out” the narrative. Naomi’s status as a widow is made explicit as too her sons status as “orphans.” (Interesting, of course, since we would say that they were not if mum is still alive, but I will save that for my commentary.)

Sometimes the additions can be far more expansive and aggadic. In a small way we find that in this example with the identification of Ruth as “the daughter of Eglon, the King of Moab.” The first verse of TgRuth, however, contains a massive expansion discussion the various famines that Israel has faced throughout its Heilsgeschichte. You can read far more of that than you probably would like in my article on the “The Use of Eschatological Lists within the Targumim of the Megilloth.”

I hope that is helpful as a quick starter definition. Let me know if you would like any clarification or further examples.

BTW, if you know of anyone who works at The Daily Targum, Rutger’s student paper, who can get me one of their mugs, I would love it!

1. You can find my brief article on Targum in The Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of Scripture. Eds., Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Craig G. Bartholomew, Daniel J. Treier, and N. T. Wright, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic Press, 2005), “Targum,” pp. 780-81.
2. A. Samely, The Interpretation of Speech in the Pentateuchal Targums (TSAJ, 27; Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr, 1992), p. 180.

The biblical text (NRSV) is

16 But Ruth said,

“Do not press me to leave you

or to turn back from following you!

Where you go, I will go;

Where you lodge, I will lodge;

your people shall be my people,

and your God my God.

17 Where you die, I will die—

there will I be buried.

May the LORD do thus and so to me,

and more as well,

if even death parts me from you!”

The Targumist, as is so often the case, takes some liberties. (The italics indicate words added to the base MT.)

16 Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you, to go back from after you, for I desire to be a proselyte.”

Naomi said, “We are commanded to keep Sabbaths and holy days such that we may not walk more than two thousand cubits.”

Ruth said, “Wherever you go, I will go.”

Naomi said, “We are commanded not to lodge with Gentiles.”

Ruth said, “Where you lodge, I will lodge.”

Naomi said, “We are commanded to keep six hundred and thirteen commandments.”

Ruth said, “What your people keep I will keep as if they were my people from before this.

Naomi said, “We are commanded not to worship foreign gods.”

Ruth said, “Your god is my god.”

17 Naomi said, “We have four death penalties for the guilty: stoning with stones, burning with fire, execution by the sword and hanging on a tree.”

Ruth said, “How you die, I shall die.”

Naomi said, “We have a cemetery [three cubits].”

Ruth said, “And there I will be buried. And do not say any more. May the Lord do thus to me and more against me if even death shall separate me from you.”

I have touched on this scene in TgRuth before and then as know I have promised more in the future. I actually presented a paper on this at SBL in 2008 and I am working it into an article. Suffice to say at the moment that in these two passages we find a summation of the rabbinic expectations of a proselyte.

• Naomi “rejects” Ruth three times.
• Naomi provides general instructions as to the law: keep the Sabbath and Holy Days, not to walk more than 2,000 cubits (on those days), 613 commandments, idolatry forbidden, four death penalties, and [two cemeteries]

This seems to be fairly straightforward. Ruth’s conversion, for such it is as far as the targum and other rabbinic commentaries are concerned, is the rubric that all converts are to follow. A similar reading of Ruth 1:16-17 as that found in the Targum is offered as Scriptural proof of the steps required of a Gentile’s conversion in b Yeb. 47b. Thus Ruth is the prototype of a proselyte. Furthermore, Ruth’s conversion overcomes the biblical injunctions against allowing intermarriage with the nations (since she is now a proselyte she may marry Boaz). What is of interest, and dealt with in my paper, is why there still remains then in the Targum (and other rabbinic texts) the tension about the validity of such a union. But that will have to wait for another time…

The Figure of Boaz in Targum Ruth

International Organization for Targumic Studies (IOTS) will have
its 6th congress. Person in Charge: Dr. Willem F. Smelik, President of IOTS. For more information of IOTS, see here.

Programme of IOTS

Wednesday 4 Aug, 9:00–10:30, Main Building Hall 10

Keynote Lecture: Steven Fraade, Targum and Multilingualism in Late Antique Judaism and Jewish Society

Wednesday 4 Aug, Session A (11:00–13:00)
Main Building Hall 10

Philology & Methodology
11:00 Shamma Friedman, The Dating of Targum Onqelos
11:30 Shai Heijmans, About the ‘Unreliability’ of the Vocalization of Western Targum-Manuscripts
12:00 Margaretha Folmer, Forms and Uses of the Demonstrative Pronouns in Targum Onqelos
12:30 James K. Aitken, Septuagint and Targum Studies: Historical and Methodological Relations

Wednesday 4 Aug, Session B (14:30–18:00)
Main Building Hall 10

Genre
14:30 Alex Samely, The Targums within a New Description of Jewish Text Structures in Antiquity
15:15 Robert Hayward, ‘Targum a Misnomer for Midrash’? A new typology of the Second Targum of Esther

Afternoon coffee break 16:00

16:30 Philip Alexander, ‘Translation and Midrash Completely Fused Together’? The Form of the Targums to Canticles, Lamentations and Eccleasiastes
17:15 Rocco Bernasconi, A Literary Analysis of the Genesis Apocryphon

Thursday 5 Aug, 9:00–10:30, Main Building Hall 10

Keynote Lecture: Avigdor Shinan and Yair Zakovitch, Avoiding Anonymity in the Bible and Beyond

Thursday 5 Aug, Session A (11:00–13:00),
Main Building Hall 10

Exegesis
11:00 Willem Smelik, Targum in Talmud
11:30 Beatrice Lawrence, Jethro and Jewish Identity in Targumic Interpretation
12:00 Chris Brady, The figure of Boaz in TgRuth
12:30 Craig Morrison, dyt[/dyt[and the World to Come in the Syriac New Testament and Targum Neophyti

Thursday 5 Aug, Session B (14:30–18:00),
Main Building Hall 10

Translation Strategies
14:30 Dmytro Tsolin, The Transformation of Poetical Lines of the Song at the Sea (Ex. 15:1–18, 21) in the Targum Onqelos
15:00 Bjørn Olav Kvam, Genesis 14 as Key-text for the Balaam Texts – A Case study of Text-immanent Exegesis in the Targumim
15:30 Gudrun Lier, Translation Techniques in Malachi according to Targum Jonathan

Afternoon coffee break 16:00

Identifying Targum
16:30 Paul Flesher, Identifying the Palestinian Targums: The Case of the Cairo Geniza Manuscripts
17:00 David Shepherd, Can Anything Targumic Come from Qumran? Revisiting Klaus Beyer’s ‘Targums’ of Tobit and Isaiah
17:30 Announcements: NTCS-website

Thursday 5 Aug, 18:00, Main Building Hall 10

IOTS Business Meeting

Friday 6 Aug, 9:00–10:30, Main Building Hall 13

Keynote Lecture: Dineke Houtman, The Use of Paratextual Elements in Targum Research

Friday 6 Aug, Session A (11:00–13:00), Main Building Hall 13

Manuscripts, Reception and Edition
11:00 Luis Díez Merino, A New Complete Aramaic Bible
11:30 Eveline van Staalduine-Sulman, ‘Christian’ Targums in a Targum edition?
12:00 Hector Patmore, The Italian Textual Tradition of Targum Jonathan
12:30 Hans Van Nes, “Rome” in Targum Jonathan and its European Reception

Session Id TBD Aramaic Studies 11/21/2010 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Room: Room TBD – Hotel TBDChristian Brady, Pennsylvania State University, Presiding Peter Y. Lee, Reformed Theological Seminary; Catholic University A Poetic Analysis of Qumran Text 4Q246 (30 min) David L. Everson, Xavier University Pseudo-Jonathan’s Nun Problem (30 min) Aaron Koller, Yeshiva University The distribution and function of the direct object marker (iy)yat in Middle Aramaic (30 min) Bezalel Porten, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Databasing the Idumean Ostraca (30 min) Ed Cook, Catholic University of America, The Sin and Salvation, Aramaic Style: Reflections on the Aramaic Vocabulary of Sin in the Light of Gary Anderson’s “Sin: a History” (30 min)

Session Id TBD E-Publish or Perish? 11/21/2010 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM Room: Room TBD – Hotel TBDTheme: Sponsored by SBL Publications Enthusiasm for electronic scholarship, like the technology that enables it, seems destined to grow exponentially into the foreseeable future. To help scholars and students navigate this dense and ever-shifting landscape, SBL Publications is sponsoring a special session on the challenges and opportunities presented by e-publishing. In this overview, panelists with hands-on electronic publishing experience discuss some of the open-access forms that e-publishing may take, including monograph series, online journals, blogs, and online resources, then answer questions from the audience. Possible future sessions may explore other issues related to e-scholarship, such as tenure/promotion review, rights and copyright, open access, and using e-scholarship in the classroom. Charles Jones, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, Presiding Charles Jones, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, Introduction (10 min) Christian Brady, Pennsylvania State University, Panelist (15 min) Ehud Ben Zvi, University of Alberta, Panelist (15 min) Caroline Vander Stichele, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Panelist (15 min) Ian Scott, Tyndale University College and Seminary (Ontario), Panelist (15 min) Charles Jones, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, Respondent (20 min) Discussion (30 min)

Session Id TBD Blogger and Online Publication 11/22/2010 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM Room: Room TBD – Hotel TBDTheme: The Past, Present, and Future of Blogging and Online Publication James Davila, University of St. Andrews-Scotland What Just Happened:  The rise of “biblioblogging” in the first decade of the twenty-first century (25 min) Christian Brady, Pennsylvania State University University Park Online Biblical Studies: Past, Present, Promise, and Peril (25 min) Michael Barber, John Paul the Great Catholic University Weblogs and the Academy: The Benefits and Challenges of Biblioblogging (25 min) James McGrath, Butler University The Blogging Revolution: New Technologies and their Impact on How we do Scholarship (25 min) Robert R. Cargill, University of California, Los Angeles Instruction, Research, and the Future of Online Educational Technologies (25 min)

• “E-PUBLISH OR PERISH?” is the session title.
• BLURB: “Enthusiasm for electronic scholarship, like the technology that enables it, seems destined to grow exponentially into the foreseeable future. To help scholars and students navigate this dense and ever-shifting landscape, SBL Publications is sponsoring a special session on the challenges and opportunities presented by e-publishing. In this overview, panelists with hands-on electronic publishing experience discuss some of the open-access forms that e-publishing may take, including monograph series, online journals, blogs, and online resources, then answer questions from the audience. Possible future sessions may explore other issues related to e-scholarship, such as tenure/promotion review, rights and copyright, open access, and using e-scholarship in the classroom.”
• FOCUS: We are interested in focusing on production rather than on consumption of electronic publishing. We also are interested in open access issues and resources rather than subscription or paid formats.
• ELECTRONIC SCHOLARSHIP: We discussed “electronic scholarship” as an umbrella over “electronic publishing.”

Aramaic Studies

A Poetic Analysis of Qumran Text 4Q246
Peter Lee

4Q246 is a text that has stirred a great amount of interest, specifically due to its extraordinary pre-Christian reference to a “son of God, “son of the Most High,” epithets also found in the Gospel of Luke 1:32-35 in reference to Jesus of Nazareth. The bulk of the scholarly work on this text has been spent on identifying this significant figure. The literary background of this text has also been a point of debate. Due to both the scholarly fascination with the identity of this “son of God” figure and the discussion of the literary vorlage, the poetic character of the text has been largely overshadowed and ignored. The reference to the “son of God” figure is indeed worthy of attention, but the lack of consideration of the poetic nature of the text is still surprising since the work of Puech in the editio princeps in the DJD volume clearly outlines it as poetry. This presentation will examine this well known Qumran text and analyze the poetic features within it, specifically its articulation into pausally defined units, or cola, that show constraints on the number of clauses, phrasal constituents, and words. This type of analysis will demonstrate that column 2 of 4Q246 is in fact an example of Aramaic poetry.

Pseudo-Jonathan’s Nun Problem
David Everson

One dialectical peculiarity of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan is the gemination of nun. This may be seen in such nouns as ’yntt’ and in such pronouns as ’nt. Additionally, imperfect verbs may also succumb to gemination in PsJ (e.g. ’ynd‘, thn‘yl). The specific inquiry of this paper concerns the non-assimilation of PSJ’s pe-nun verbs. Though one does find a number of non-assimilating form ins other Aramaic dialects (e.g. biblical Aramaic or the Bavli), the number of exclusively non-assimilating pe-nun forms is far greater. Within PsJ, most pe-nun verbs assimilate (some invariably), a few assimilate inconsistently, and others never assimilate. Is there a rhyme and reason to such variation? This paper seeks to present an analysis of the relevant pe-nun forms and attempt to explain this dialectal peculiarity.

The distribution and function of the direct object marker (iy)yat in Middle Aramaic
Aaron Koller

The direct object marker yat/iyyat appears in Aramaic texts from Old Aramaic and on, but it has long been observed that it does not occur in all texts or all dialects. In this paper the distribution will be re-examined, taking into account the recent arguments of M. L. Folmer on this issue, as well. It will be argued that geographic and dialectal differences explain some of the data, but not all of it, and that a model other than a Stammbaum is needed to account for the Middle Aramaic data in particular. Epigraphic Judean Aramaic uses yat often, as does neighboring Nabatean; it is attested sporadically in Qumran Aramaic but never in the Genesis Apocryphon. Rather than positing a geographical explanation for this distribution, it will be suggested that documentary texts (such as the material from Nahal Hever, Wadi Murabba‘at, and the Bar Koseba letters) were written in a different dialect than literary – and possibly biblicizing – texts such as the Genesis Apocryphon.

Fourth Century BCE Idumean Ostraca
Bezalel Porten

The fourth century BCE Idumean ostraca constitute the largest amount of epigraphic material in the Land of Israel prior to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Of a total of some 2000 ostraca, ca. 1200 are commodity chits, of which over 700 are dated. Spanning a period of 60 years, the chits have a common format of date, payer, payee, commodity and measure, with sometime reference to agents, storehouse, signatory, and sealing sign. They record conveyance of grains, whole and processed; bundles and bales of chaff; a variety of wooden objects; wine and oil. Feeding this material into a database yields a wealth of correlations. The all-subsuming question is “What commodities are conveyed when, by whom and to whom, in what measure, and with what oversight?” Thus, these broken pieces of pottery yield information on the economic and social life of the small territory south of Judea not available to us in any other source.

Sin and Salvation, Aramaic Style: Reflections on the Aramaic Vocabulary of Sin in the Light of Gary Anderson’s “Sin: a History”
Ed Cook

Gary Anderson has recently proposed that the Judaism’s adoption of Aramaic after the Exile as a vernacular was a key moment in the history of Israel’s thought about sin. Sin passed from being regarded as a weight (in Hebrew) to a debt (in Aramaic). This thesis is examined in the light of the development of Aramaic vocabulary for sin and salvation up to the Second Temple period and beyond.

Megillat Eicha, Alsace c. 18th century (image: Learn.jtsa.edu)

John has an intriguing post regarding Lam. 3:51: Lamentations 3:51: A New Proposal This is a notoriously problematic passage and John has an interesting proposal for a textual reconstruction. Of greater interest to me is his broader conclusions that I am not sure that I can agree with.

On this reading, in 3:1, at the onset of a larger whole, a female lamenter explicitly casts herself as a male persona, an “everyman” (Hillers’ characterization (1992:122) developed by Dobbs-Allsopp [2002:105-109]) who gives voice to a collective experience, only to allude to her particular identity in 3:51. In the poem’s conclusion, 3:52-66, the singular “I” continues to be used, but, as Dobbs-Allsopp notes (107), “it has become more inclusive.” As she did throughout Lam 3, the lamenter concludes by voicing the grief and hopes of an entire community.

The public articulation of grief by women is extremely well-attested cross-culturally. The details have become the subject of intense study by anthropologists. Those familiar with this research will formulate, almost as a matter of course, a working hypothesis: Lam 1 is a dialogue in which (a) a chorus of lamenting women provide a context for the voice of (b) a single lamenting woman speaking in the voice of Zion: (a): Lam 1:1-11 except for 1:9c and 1:11c; (b): Lam 1:9c.11c.12-22. Lam 2 is easily understood as a dialogue between two lamenting women, (a) a lamenter who speaks of and to Zion, and (b) a lamenter once again speaking in the voice of Zion: (a) 2:1-19; (b) 2:20-22. On this understanding, it is one of “the maidens of Jerusalem” spoken of as a lamenter in Lam 2:10 whose words we hear in 2:11-12 with its focus on children and mothers. Lam 3, with 3:51 construed as suggested above, is a monologue of a lamenting woman, a female citizen of her city, who gives voice to the grief and hopes of an entire community.

It seems to me that John makes a tremendous leap from his textual analysis to proposing a female author (even one that poses as a male persona). John is of course correct that women are often those most visible and vocal in the grieving process in many cultures and indeed it has been the subject of a great amount of study lately. At the risk of being labelled a misogynist, I would suggest caution when moving from that research to the reconstructions offered by John. I am sure that those familiar with such research would offer such a hypothesis but it seems overly cumbersome.

The most obvious hurdle is that the text itself takes the voice of a man. Would we not have to then argue that the original female author (which seems to be John’s argument) felt the need to present her laments as a male composition because, presumably, the culture would not accept a composition written by a woman. Yet if the culture is so affirming of women as lead lamenters then why would they not also accept such a composition? Certainly the identification of  Zion as woman and Daughter Zion introduce the feminine perspective (and see Dobbs-Allsopp and Linafelt for more on these themes), but does that necessitate a female author?

Finally, does the gender of the speaker or author matter? That is to say, do we read the text differently if we have a man or a woman in our consciousness as the author? It might provide us with slightly different nuances to our readings, but what do we gain exegetically? And that holds true even if arguing for a male author.

I can genuinely say that I do not feel a vested interest in whether it was a man or a woman (or, more likely, men or women) who wrote these laments. I just question whether or not such a thing is knowable and how it would change our readings. Then I wonder, should it? When we read an anonymous work we tend to take the words at their “face value” (a dubious concept, but you know what I mean), but once we know the author there can be a tendency to read that work through the filter of what we believe we know about the author and what we think their agenda might be.

Is it possible not to offer a gender neutral rendering of the text, but rather a gender neutral reading? Should that be our goal?

I also thought I would share with you all the targumist’s rendering and reading of the passage (Lam. 3:49-51). (You can find my translation of TgLam, my doctoral thesis, and other articles on this blog as well. See the tab above or go here.)

עיני זלגת דמעין ולא תשתיק מלמבכי מדלית פאיג עקתי וממלל תנחומין לי

עד כדו דסיתכי ויחזו עולבני יי מן שמיא

בכותא דעייני אסתקפת למרע נפשי על חורבן פילכי עמי וניוול בנתא דירושלם קרתי

49 My eye weeps tears and does not cease from crying. There is no respite from my anguish or anyone to comfort me;

50 Until the Lord looks out and sees my humiliation from heaven.

51 The weeping of my eyes is the cause of the affliction of my soul over the destruction of the districts of my people and the humiliation of the daughters of Jerusalem, my city.

Dear Christian,

I am writing to introduce you to some of Gorgias Press’s academic publishing programs. At the last SBL meeting, we released ca. 65 new titles, some of which are listed below under my signature. During the past nine months, we refined our acquisitions and production processes in order to meet scholarly needs, and release books very efficiently within months.

During this holiday season, we are running a 40% sale on all books. This is the perfect time to get any Gorgias book at a discount. If you would like to learn about new releases, I encourage you to sign up here. You can opt out any time.

You can download our most recent PDF catalog where you can see a list of special sale items at up to 60% discount.

Please find below some of the titles we released for SBL, as well as information on how to submit your work for publication. If you have a publication project, please write to us at submissions@gorgiaspress.com.

Yours,

George A. Kiraz, President

Gorgias Press
180 Centennial Ave., Suite #3
Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
Tel. +1 732-885-8900
Fax. +1 732-885-8908
E-mail: helpdesk@gorgiaspress.com
www.gorgiaspress.com

---

Some of the Titles Released for SBL

	A Syriac Lexicon by By Michael Sokoloff ISBN 978-1-60724-620-6, $149.50
The second edition of Carl Brockelmann’s Lexicon Syriacum, published in 1928, is the best dictionary of Syriac ever written. However, its Latin language and the ordering of words according to triliteral Semitic roots make its use difficult for most students and scholars. This revised edition by Sokoloff renders meanings in English, arranges words alphabetically, and includes many useful tools on a CD.
	Qumran through (Real) Time by By Robert Cargill ISBN 978-1-60724-058-7, $82 (Your price $49.20)
This book proposes a new occupation model for the remains of Khirbet Qumran, the site associated with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Using the latest in virtual reality technology, the author reconstructs the site of Qumran and demonstrates that the site was initially built as a Hasmonean fortress, and was later expanded into a residence for a self-sufficient community responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls.
	A Palimpsest: Rhetoric, Ideology, Stylistics, and Language Relating to Persian Israel, Edited by Ehud Ben Zvi, Diana Edelman, and Frank Polak > ISBN 978-1-60724-584-1, $121.16 (Your price $72.70)
A collected-essays volume that explores what we can learn by looking into the matters of language, rhetoric, style, and ideology about the producers and readers of biblical books. Contributors include P. Guillaume, J-D Macchi, R. Rezetko, D. Rom-Shiloni, F. Stavrakopoulou, I. Young and the three editors.
	Dischronology and Dialogic in the Bible’s Primary Narrative by David Bergen ISBN 978-1-60724-105-8, $105 (Your price $63.00)
How ought the Bible to be read? A dialogical struggle between Moses and God results in the publication of a lawbook within the storyworld. Observing how characters read this lawbook, the reader uncovers a surprising answer to this hermeneutical question.
	The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Sanandaj by Geoffrey Khan ISBN 978-1-60724-134-8, $158.12 (Your price $94.87)
This volume presents a description of the Neo-Aramaic dialect that was spoken by the Jews of Sanandaj in western Iran, but which is now virtually extinct. The material for the volume was gathered firsthand in fieldwork conducted with the last remaining speakers in Israel. The volume consists of a detailed grammatical description, a corpus of transcribed texts, including folktales, historical accounts and portrayals of customs, and an extensive glossary.
	In the Wake of Tikva Frymer-Kensky Edited by Steven Holloway, JoAnn Scurlock, and Richard Beal ISBN 978-1-59333-977-7, $111.32 (Your price $66.79)
This volume consists of 14 papers delivered by Assyriologists and biblical specialists at the 2007 Society of Biblical Literature congress in sessions devoted to the scholarly legacy of the late Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago.
	Two Sides of a Coin: Juxtaposing Views on Interpreting the Book of the Twelve / the Twelve Prophetic Books by Ehud Ben Zvi and James D. Nogalski; Introduction by Thomas Römer ISBN 978-1-60724-303-8, $29 (Your price $17.40)
A conversation between James D. Nogalski and Ehud Ben Zvi on the question of The Twelve and its implications for the historically oriented study of the prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible and for the reconstruction of the intellectual history of ancient Israel.
	Enlivening the Past by J. Jayakiran Sebastian ISBN 978-1-60724-103-4, $102.92 (Your price $61.75)
This collection of essays offers an innovative exploration by an Asian theologian of various issues and themes that engaged the early teachers of faith, with a special focus on their ongoing relevance to Christian theological discourse and praxis today.
	Psychology of Prophecy in Early Christianity by Alan Humm ISBN 978-1-60724-618-3, $114.68 (Your price $68.81)
Dr. Humm tries to identify the psychological states associated with early Christian prophecy in the context of the Greco-Roman world. Reviewing (generally) Christian reports, he tries to classify them following a set of generally observable practices and claimed mental states.
	Jacob of Sarug’s Homily on the Veil on Moses’ Face, Translation and Introduction by Sebastian Brock ISBN 978-1-59333-644-8, $50 (Your price $30.00)
This volume gives a bilingual Syriac-English edition of Saint Jacob of Sarug’s homily, The Veil on Moses’ Face. The Syriac text is fully vocalized, and the translation is annotated with a commentary and biblical references. The volume constitutes a fascicle of Gorgias’s Complete Homilies of Saint Jacob of Sarug.
	Jacob of Sarug’s Homilies on Elijah, Translation and Introduction by Stephen Kaufman ISBN 978-1-59333-942-5, $88 (Your price $52.80)
This volume gives a bilingual Syriac-English edition of Saint Jacob of Sarug’s homilies on Elijah. The Syriac text is fully vocalized, and the translation is annotated with a commentary and biblical references. The volume constitutes a fascicle of Gorgias’s Complete Homilies of Saint Jacob of Sarug.
	Fatima, Daughter of Muhammad by Christopher Clohessy ISBN 978-1-59333-979-1, $113.24 (Your price $67.94)
This work, based almost entirely on the primary Arabic texts of Sunnî and Shîca Islam, offers a fresh examination of the life of Fatima, Muhammad’s only surviving child, and reveals for the first time her distinctive and fascinating personality.
	Speaking on the Brink of Sheol by Bryan Cribb, Foreword by Daniel Block ISBN 978-1-60724-671-8, $123.44 (Your price $74.06)
A groundbreaking form critical study of a previously unidentified Old Testament genre, the death story. By modifying traditional methodology, the work forges new paths in form criticism, while also providing exegetical insights into these important biblical accounts.
	Bardaisan of Edessa: A Reassessment of the Evidence and a New Interpretation by Ilaria Ramelli ISBN 978-1-60724-074-7, $128.24 (Your price $76.94)
This comprehensive study offers a critical, comparative analysis of the sources available on Bardaisan and a reinterpretation of his thought. In this connection, special attention is paid to many parallels with Origen, to the possible relationship between Origen, Bardaisan, and their schools, and to the implications of the valuable fragments preserved by Porphyry.
	Further Biblical Hebrew by Fiona Blumfield ISBN 978-1-59333-948-7, $123.56 (Your price $74.14)
This is a coursebook for intermediate – advanced students of Biblical Hebrew. Constant reference is made to modern reference grammars and to the grammatical comments of medieval Jewish exegetes. All exercises are based on actual Biblical verses, with translations and explanations throughout.

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Abstract:

Several of the Targumim of the Megilloth contain lists (songs, famines, kings, etc.) that culminate in the future Messianic age. For example, Tg. Songopens with the list of Ten Songs and Tg. Ruth opens with the list of Ten Famines. Such lists are well known from other midrashic texts and this article will consider how and why these lists are used in the Targumim of the Megilloth and will propose that these additions are not merely the result of an opportunity presented by the Hebrew text but are being used specifically to further the overarching exegetical agenda of the Targum in question.

(This is the article resulting from the paper I presented at the last IOTS.)

Solger MS of TgLam 1:9b-1:16a

This is mostly a post to test the integration of my blog with twitter, but a separate post doesn’t hurt to emphasize that, at long last, I have updated/corrected my translation of TgLam. This translation is based upon Codex Vaticanus Urbinas Hebr. 1 (the images from the older but incomplete Solger MS can be found here as well). So you can find my updated translation on this site and on the NTCS site.