Author Archives: Tyler F. Williams

Some Septuagint Updates

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I have made some updates to my Resources Relating to the LXX pages on my main website. The updates included mentioning two new resources, both of which I previously announced some time ago.

First, there is the new revised version of Rahlfs’s “pocket” edition of the LXX:

rahlfs-hanhart.jpgSeptuaginta (Alfred Rahlfs, ed.; Editio altera/Revised and corrected edition by Robert Hanhart; German Bible Society, 2006). Buy from Amazon.ca | Buy from Amazon.com

This is the popular edition of the Septuagint — and the only affordable version with the complete Greek text. Note that this is not a critical text (e.g., there is only a brief critical apparatus). Rahlfs based his text primarily on codex Vaticanus (B), but when necessary (and in his own opinion based on established text-critical principles) he adopts readings found in codex Alexandrinus (A) and codex Sinaiticus (S) so as to represent as closely as possible the “Old Greek” version of the text (i.e., the “original” text). This new “Rahlfs-Hanhartâ€? edition is a minor, yet significant, revision of Rahlfs’ LXX by Robert Hanhart. This revision is a stop gap measure, since a new critical edition of the LXX Psalms is many years off and there were many small errors in the original edition that needed to be corrected. In addition to correcting small errors, Hanhart also made some modifications to the critical apparatus, including redescribing the way appeals to textual traditions were quantified as well as the inclusion of a number of other uncials and recensions where the first edition only mentioned B, S, or A.

Note that Michael Bird has also recently briefly noted this new edition.

Second, Oxford University Press has just published a useful resource for those interested in the Hebrew and Greek traditions of the book of Psalms:

comparative_psalter.jpgA Comparative Psalter: Hebrew (Masoretic Text) – Revised Standard Version Bible – The New English Translation of the Septuagint – Greek (Septuagint) (John Kohlenberger, ed.; Oxford University Press, 2007). Buy from Amazon.ca | Buy from Amazon.com

This useful volume brings together the Masoretic Text (BHS without apparatus) and RSV of the book of Psalms in parallel columns on one page, with the New English Translation of the Septuagint (by Al Pietersma) and Greek Septuagint (the first edition of Rahlfs’s Septuaginta) on the facing page. This resource makes it very easy to see how the LXX translator rendered his text, though the differences between the English translations may suggest differences where none exist since Pietersma made his English translation with an eye on the NRSV and not the RSV. One of primary benefits of this volume is that it is far less expensive than Pietersma’s out-of-print stand alone translation of the LXX Psalms (A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms [Albert Pietersma, translator; Oxford University Press, 2000; Buy from Amazon.ca | Buy from Amazon.com]).

John Hobbins has an excellent review of this resource on his Ancient Hebrew Poetry blog.

For more resources related to the Septuagint, see my Annotated Guide to the LXX.


Rowan Atkinson Sunday Gospel Lesson

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Just in case you missed church this morning, here is a gospel lesson by Rowan Atkinson, a.k.a. Mr. Bean (If you offend easily, probably shouldn’t watch the video).

All complaints may be registered at The Withering Fig or NT Gateway — no surprise it originated with fellow Canadian and U of T grad and friend Zeba Crook.



Thinking Blogger Award

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thinkingblogger.jpgI would like to thank my Mom and Dad, my wife and kids, my pet bunnies…

The always thinking Chris Heard over at Higgaion has awarded me a “Thinking Blogger Award” — even despite the fact that I occasionally resort to posting some “Best of Codex” articles from my archives during my busy seasons (he thinks that practice is, ahem, cheesy; I think it is rather clever!).

This “award” is actually more of a meme and once awarded you are supposed to nominate five others. Here are five quite different blogs that I think deserve the honour (in no particular order):

  • Phil Harland, Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean. While Phil’s blog has had its fits and spurts (whose hasn’t?), I have always appreciated his posts on assorted thing relating to “social and religious life among Greeks, Romans, Jews, Christians and others in the Roman empire.”
  • Tim Bulkeley, Sansblogue. This New Zealander’s often contrarian posts about biblical studies and open scholarship, pedagogy and podcasts, among other things, are always worth reading. I only wish he would post more on the All Blacks!
  • John F. Hobbins, Ancient Hebrew Poetry. Hebrew Bible enthusiasts will always find some hardcore biblical studies happening John’s site, whether it is stichometric analyses of biblical psalms, Hebrew grammar and lexicography, or questions of canon.
  • Mark Goodacre, NT Gateway Weblog. Despite the fact Mark deals mainly with that other testament, he still has many thoughtful things to say! He posts widely on NT, biblical studies, film, and everything Q. 🙂
  • Loron Rossen III, The Busybody. Loren is always busy sharing his eclectic tastes in biblical studies, film, literature (especially Tolkien), and sundry items from popular culture. Always thoughtful and sometimes controversial.

Improving Your Academic Writing

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Angela Roskop Erisman of Imaginary Grace blogspot (a fairly new one which I was not aware of, but now have added it to my blogroll) has a great post on “Writing in Biblical Studies.” Here is her lead-in to an annotated bibliography:

… ultimately, writing is about communicating ideas we think are important to other people so they might change the way they think or how they live their lives. In other words, writing matters. That is, assuming we want our work to make an impact on people. Good grammar is important. So is clarity. But so are things like grace, elegance, beauty, wit, humor, suspense. Yes, even in academic writing. These elements, which we may associate more with fictional genres, are what engage our readers’ interest and make our ideas pack a lasting punch. Here I review a few works on writing that I find immensely helpful and that have changed the way I think about the task. They’ve helped me get better at making reading and learning an easier, more enjoyable experience. But, more importantly, they have and continue to help me learn to communicate ideas more effectively both to those within and outside of the discipline of biblical studies.

The post as a whole is well worth a careful read. Of the books she notes, I have read a few, though some of them have piqued my interest.  Any reader of this blog knows I can improve my writing style!

(HT Hypotyposeis)