Jeremiah 46-51, with special reference to the Septuagint, the Targum and Jewish mediaeval exegesis
Abstract
Chapters 46-51 of the book of Jeremiah contain a series of prophecies
against foreign nations, and these 'foreign nation oracles’ form
the focus of this thesis. The opening chapter contains a discussion
of several outstanding problems connected with these oracles, the
chief of these being the problem of authenticity. After examination
of the major arguments, the conclusion is reached that the contents
of chapters 46-51 are not to be attributed to Jeremiah, but to one
or more imitators who employed 'Jeremianic' language. Also discussed
are the problems of the differing position and order in which the
oracles occur in the Septuagint.
The major part of the thesis contains a study of the Septuagint
and Targum versions of chs. 46-51, and a consideration of the
mediaeval Jewish commentators Rashi, Kimchi and Abravanel. The
ancient versions are consulted not as aids to the recovery of a
better Hebrew text than the Massoretic text, but rather to gain an
insight into the techniques employed by the translators, and to pick out
and account for those elements of interpretation which each version
contains. The contribution of Rashi and Kimchi to the interpretation
of the Hebrew text is also considered, and a separate chapter is
devoted to the commentary of Isaac Abravanel. His interest in
eschatological speculation significantly affects his interpretation
of certain foreign nation oracles.
The thesis is primarily concerned with the variety of answers
to the problems of exegesis which are provided by the various
versions and commentators, and through such answers seeks to understand their presuppositions and interpretative approach.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
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