Studies in the Peshitta of Kings: The Transmission and Revision of the Text, Relations with other Texts, and Translation Features 9781463215798

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Studies in the Peshitta of Kings



Texts and Studies: Third Series 7   General Editors David Parker and David Taylor

Studies in the Peshitta of Kings The Transmission and Revision of the Text, Relations with other Texts, and Translation Features

Donald M. Walter

Gorgias Press 2008

First Gorgias Press Edition, 2008 Copyright © 2008 by Gorgias Press LLC All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. Published in the United States of America by Gorgias Press LLC, New Jersey ISBN 978-1-59333-853-4 ISSN 1935-6927

Gorgias Press

180 Centennial Ave., Suite 3, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA www.gorgiaspress.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Walter, Donald M. Studies in the Peshitta of Kings : the transmission and revision of the text, relations with other texts, and translation features / Donald M. Walter. p. cm. Includes index. 1. Bible. O.T. Kings. Syriac--Versions--Peshitta. 2. Bible. O.T. Kings--Criticism, textual. 3. Bible. O.T. Kings--Criticism, interpretation, etc. 4. Bible. O.T. Kings-Comparative studies. I. Title. BS1334.S94P4778 2008 222’.50436--dc22

2008036603

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standards. Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to Charles T. Fritsch and Konrad D. Jenner

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PREFACE LIST OF TEXTS (HEBREW SYRIAC GREEK ARAMAIC) USED LIST OF WORKS CITED ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS ADDENDA AND CORRIGENDA TO THE EDITION

1 1 3 4 7 9

PART I THE MANUSCRIPTS

13

CHAPTER ONE THE PROBLEM OF THE MANUSCRIPTS 1. The Treatment of 9a1 in Peshitta Research 2. Models of development 3. Hypotheses

13 13 17 18

CHAPTER TWO MS 9a1 1. Ms 9a1 agrees with the Hebrew against the rest of the tradition 2. 9a1 versus Hebrew ED 3. The Hebrew does not favor 9a1 or ED Chapter Conclusion

23 23 41 48 56

CHAPTER THREE SHARED VARIANTS Shared Variants among the Ancient Mss 1. The Lemma or Variant agrees with the Hebrew 3. Shared Variants where the Hebrew does not favor the lemma or variant QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS A Statistical Comparison of the individual mss with the Hebrew The Ancient Mss compared by pairs The Pool Test Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) Unique Pairs The Nestorian mss: 9c1, 10c1.2.4 11c1 8a1c 9a1 and Mss versus Hebrew and Mss QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

57 57 57 69 74 74 75 77 79 89 90 91 93

CHAPTER FOUR INDIVIDUAL MSS

97

CHAPTER FIVE THE RELATIONSHIP OF KINGS WITH ISAIAH, JEREMIAH, CHRONICLES 1. The Peshitta of Kings and Isaiah A. All Peshitta mss of Kings agree with Isaiah against Kings MT B. ED conforms to Isaiah C. The Influence of the Peshitta of Isaiah only on some mss of Kings

109 109 109 114 118

vi

STUDIES IN THE PESHITTA OF KINGS D. The influence of the Peshitta of Isaiah on single mss 2. The Peshitta of Kings and Jeremiah A. The Peshitta of Kings and of Jeremiah B. Some Kings mss agree with Jeremiah 3. The Peshitta of Kings and Chronicles A. ED and the Peshitta of Chronicles B. 9a1 and the Peshitta of Chronicles C. Some Kings mss agree with II Chronicles P

118 119 119 119 122 122 123 123

SYNTHESIS 1. The Confirmation of the P-hypothesis 2. ED’s text of Kings constitutes a Revision 3. Reconstruction

124 124 125 126

PART II THE TRANSLATION CHARACTER OF II KINGS

129

CHAPTER SIX THE TEXT OF THE PESHITTA OF 2 KINGS AND THE HEBREW 1. Inner-Syriac Corruptions (ISCs) 2. Kethib and Qere 3. The Question of the Hebrew Text 4. The Peshitta’s Treatment of the Hebrew Text

129 129 130 131 132

CHAPTER SEVEN TRANSLATION FEATURES OF 2 KINGS 1. Omissions in the Peshitta 2. Additions in the Peshitta 3. Substitutions in P. 4. Word Order 5. Leveling (Harmonization, Assimilation) 6. Leveling and Dissimilation of Vocabulary 7. Exegetical and Theological Changes Conclusions

135 135 136 140 141 142 143 145 145

CHAPTER EIGHT 2 KINGS P AND THE VERSIONS 1. The Relationship of P to the Septuagint and its Recensions 2. The Relationship of P to the Targum.

147 147 148

CHAPTER NINE NAMES IN 2 KINGS

151

CONCLUSION

157

INDICES Index 1. Topical Index Index 2. Index of Works Cited. Index 3. Select Biblical Index to Part I of the Monograph Index 4. Select Biblical Index to Part II of the Monograph

161 166 167 175

INTRODUCTION PREFACE

In 1989 Piet Dirksen asked Donald Walter to prepare a monograph of 2 Kings for the Peshitta Monograph series using his 1964 doctoral dissertation as its basis. Charles T. Fritsch, James Barr, and Philip C. Hammond had been the members of his doctoral committee, and the specific topic ‘The Peshitta of II Kings’ had been proposed by P.A.H. de Boer. The Peshitta Institute had supplied microfilms (particularly of mss 7h10, 8a1, and 9c1) so that he could go beyond the already printed collations. At that time the importance of ms 9a1 was not generally recognized. W.E. Barnes had not collated the ms for Kings, nor did it occur to anyone at Leiden to provide a microfilm. After having defended his dissertation, Walter became involved in the Peshitta Institute’s edition of Psalms. Soon after the death of A. Vogel, Walter became the principal editor of that book. He subsequently prepared the edition of Jeremiah. In working on both these editions he became aware of the distinctive character and importance of ms 9a1, and of course the Institute’s edition of Kings also became available. At the recommendation of Konrad Jenner, Walter decided to cover both I and II Kings. Part I of this monograph is mainly devoted to an examination of the variants among the mss, and completely replaces the treatment of the mss in Walter’s dissertation. Part II of the monograph reorganizes the material of the original dissertation. At that time it was intended that other sections, to be prepared by Jenner, would give attention to codicological, liturgical and palaeographical characteristics of the mss, including the Syriac masora, and mss 19