The Septuagint Psalms in Their Pagan Context

• Applicant: Dr. Philipp Brandenburg
• Subject Area: Protestant Theology ; Individual Linguistics, Historical Linguistics ; Greek and Latin Philology
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 398764912

This project seeks to provide a complete linguistic commentary on all 151 Septuagint psalms by analyzing their language in the context of pagan Greek literature. Thus the focus is on analyzing the semantic potential of the Greek translation rather than on comparing it with its Hebrew original since the latter can only be inferred hypothetically. The Greek of the translation itself has no specific milieu wherein it was spoken but was instead created exclusively for the purpose of translation by speakers belonging to a specific milieu. The project therefore avoids the inability to differentiate between interlingual interference and intralingual language change by looking for the Psalter’s semantic potential within the Greek literature of the Hellenistic-Roman period. Only then can the semantic potential of the Greek translation be compared with that of the Hebrew original. As a translation of prayers, the Septuagint psalms transcend the boundaries of semiotics, and communication, rhetorical or translation theories. In fine, the Greek translation itself becomes an important test case showing both the limits of these theories and its potential for overcoming them.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Markus Witte