This updated and revised collection of Emanuel Tov's work on the textual criticism of the Hebrew and Greek Bible provides a good introduction to modern trends of thinking on the biblical Dead Sea Scrolls and their importance for the textual and literary analysis of the Bible.
Subdivided into three segments (Hebrew Bible, Greek Bible, Qumran), this updated and revised collection of essays represents the work of Emanuel Tov in the past seventeen years. He focuses on various aspects of the textual analysis of the Hebrew and Greek Bible, as well as the Qumran biblical manuscripts in Hebrew and Greek. Further he takes a special interest in the orthography of biblical manuscripts, the nature of the early Masoretic Text, the nature of the Qumran biblical texts and their importance for our understanding of the history of the biblical text, the editions of the Hebrew Bible, and the use of computers in biblical studies. The author also focuses on the interaction between textual and literary criticism and the question of the original text or texts of the Hebrew Bible. His special interests in the Qumran scrolls include the nature of the Qumran corpus, their scribal background, the contents of the various caves, and the number of the compositions and copies found at Qumran. His interest in the Septuagint translation evolves around its text-critical value, the Greek texts from the Judean Desert, and translation technique.
Table of contents:
A.Hebrew Bible1. Review of J. Barr,
The Variable Spellings of the Hebrew Bible2. Deuteronomy 12 and 11QTemple LII-LIII: A Contrastive Analysis
3. 4QReworked Pentateuch: A Synopsis of Its Contents
4. Excerpted and Abbreviated Biblical Texts from Qumran
5. The Text of Isaiah at Qumran
6. Rewritten Bible Compositions and Biblical Manuscripts, with Special Attention Paid to the Samaritan Pentateuch
7. The Rewritten Book of Joshua as Found at Qumran and Masada
8. The Textual Basis of Modern Translations of the Hebrew Bible
9. The Copying of a Biblical Scroll
10. The Biblical Texts from the Judean Desert - An Overview and Analysis
11. The Nature of the Large-Scale Differences between the LXX and MT S T V, Compared with Similar Evidence in Other Sources
12. The Text of the Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek Bible Used in the Ancient Synagogues
13. The Biblia Hebraica Quinta - An Important Step Forward
14. The
Ketiv/Qere Variations in Light of the Manuscripts from the Judean Desert
15. The Writing of Early Scrolls: Implications for the Literary Analysis of Hebrew Scripture
16. Recording the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Text Editions of Hebrews Scripture
17. The Use of Computers in Biblical Research
18. Hebrew Scripture Editions: Philosophy and Praxis
19. Textual Harmonizations in the Ancient Texts of Deuteronomy
20. Three Strange Books of the LXX: 1 Kings, Esther, and Daniel Compared with Similar Rewritten Compositions from Qumran and Elsewhere
B. Greek Bible21. Introductory Essay to the Second Edition of the Hatch-Redpath
Concordance to the SeptuagintIn conjunction with R.A. Kraft22. Approaches towards Scripture Embraced by the Ancient Greek Translators
23. The Greek Biblical Texts from the Judean Desert
24. The Evaluation of the Greek Scripture Translations in Rabbinic Sources
25. Biliteral Exegesis of Hebrew Roots in the Septuagint?
26. The Septuagint and the Deuteronomists
27. The Special Character of the Texts Found in Qumran Cave 11
28. The Number of Manuscripts and Compositions Found at Qumran