Reconstruction of the oldest text form (Old Greek) and its linguistic and theological characteristics with special consideration of text historical and methodological aspects

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Siegfried Kreuzer
• Subject Area: Protestant Theology
• Term: from 2013 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 230456756

Even the newer critical editions in Septuagint research continue the tradition of giving Codex Vaticanus a dominating roll in their reconstructions of the text and thus also in the interpretations of the features and contents of the Septuagint. This is mainly based on the fact that this codex remains the oldest, (almost) complete Septuagint codex known, even though there are now several older although less complete manuscripts. On the other hand, the Lucianic or Antiochene text hich was known from early Christian authors in the 1860ies was identified in newly accessible manuscripts. The Antiochene text represents one of the foundational textual forms of the Septuagint. Jerome related this text with the authority of Lucian of Antioch, which is why it has usually been referred to as the Lucianic text. As this text often varies from the text of Codex Vaticanus, scholars have generally followed A. Rahlfs (1907 and 1911) in ascribing the differences between these texts to a redaction undertaken by Lucian around 300 CE and thus disregarded their importance for the reconstruction of the origi-nal Septuagint (the Old Greek). The late dating and devaluation of the Lucianic text stand in direct contrast to its agreements with Josephus (1st century CE), with Septuagintal quotes in the New Testament, and - not least of all - with the Vetus Latina (2nd century CE). Rahlfs explained such accordance as later cross-influence between the manuscripts and thus pushed them aside.This explanation and evaluation cannot be possible following the discoveries of the biblical texts from Qumran (and its environs). The accordance of the Antiochene text with biblical texts from Qumran (most clearly in 4QSam-a) cannot be pushed aside as a later cross-influence. Beyond this - based on the finds from Nahal Hever - D. Barthélemy demonstrated (1963) not only the existence of an early isomorphic, hebraizing revision of the text of the Septuagint (the kaige-recension), but also noted that the Antiochene text was the base text of this recension and that it thus must be regarded as generally representing the text of the original Septuagint (even though with some corruptions over the course of its transmission). Whereas the identification of the kaige-recension has been widely accepted, his closely related re-evaluation of the Antiochene text has been more or less ignored. This led Qumran scholars like F.M. Cross, E. Tov, and E. Ulrich to develop compromising models of text history in order to harmonize the traditional acceptance of a Lucianic revision with their insights from the Qumran biblical texts.In light of these circumstances, the project will re-evaluate the texts currently available and - while accepting Barthélemy and advancing earlier research undertaken by the applicant and his colleagues - methodologically apply those insights to the reconstruction of the text history of the Old Testament, and most especially the Septuagint.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants