ERNST WÜRTHWEIN The Text of THE OLD TESTAMENT TRANSLATED BY ERROLL F. RHODES THE TEXT of the OLD TESTAMENT THE TEXT of the OLD TESTAMENT An Introduction to the Biblia Hebraica SECOND EDITION Ernst Würthwein Translated by Erroll F. Rhodes WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN First published as Der Text des Alten Testaments, fifth edition, © 1988 Württembergische Bibelanstalt Stuttgart English translation © 1995 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 All rights reserved 0099 765432 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Würthwein, Ernst, 1909- [Text des Alten Testaments. English] The text of the Old Testament: an introduction to the Biblia Hebraica / Ernst Würthwein; translated by Erroll F. Rhodes. — Rev. ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8028-0788-7 1. Bible. O.T — Criticism, Textual. 2. Bible. O.T. — Manuscripts. 3. Bible. O.T. — Versions. I. Title. BS1136.W813 1994 221.4'4 — dc20 94-23307 CIP Contents List of Plates ix Preface to the Fifth German Edition xi Translator's Note xii Introduction xiii I. Script and Writing Materials 1 1. Script 1 2. Writing Materials 4 3. Scroll and Codex 7 4. Writing Implements and Ink 9 II.. The Masoretic Text 10 1. General Considerations 10 2. The Consonantal Text 13 3. Pointing 21 4. The Masora 28 5. Manuscripts 30 6. Printed Editions 39 III. The Samaritan Pentateuch ( ) 45 IV. Preliminary Considerations on the Versions 48 V vi THE TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT V. The Septuagint ( ) 50 1. Introduction 50 2. The Letter of Aristeas 51 3. The Origin and History of the Septuagint to the Second Century A.D. 52 4. Revisions and Later Greek Versions 54 5. Origen's Hexapla 57 6. Other Recensions of the Septuagint 60 7. Lagarde's Program 61 8. Kahle's Thesis 63 9. The Septuagint and the Hebrew Text 66 10. Manuscripts 71 11. Editions 75 12. The Samariticon 78 VI. The Aramaic Targums ( ) 79 1. Origin and Character 79 2. The Various Targums 80 3. The Samaritan Targum (cited in BH as T) 84 VII. The Syriac Version (Peshitta, [ ]) 85 1. Name and Literary Problem 85 2. Manuscripts and Editions 88 VIII. The Old Latin (t) 91 1. Origin and Problems 91 2. Editions and Manuscripts 92 IX. The Vulgate ( ) 95 1. Jerome's Version 95 2. The History of the Vulgate 97 CONTENTS vii X. The Coptic Versions ( ) 100 XL The Ethiopic Version I ) 102 XII. The Armenian Version (Arm) 103 XIII. The Arabic Versions ( ) 104 XIV. The Aims of Textual Criticism 105 XV. Causes of Textual Corruption 107 1. General Remarks 107 2. Errors of Reading and Writing 108 3. Deliberate Alterations 111 XVI. The Methods of Textual Criticism 113 1. General Remarks 113 2. Establishing the Traditional Text 114 3. Examination of the Traditional Text 115 4. The Decision 118 5. Psychological Considerations 119 XVII. The Theological Significance of Textual Criticism and the History of the Text 121 Appendix: Resources for Textual Research 123 1. Text 123 2. Concordances 124 3. Dictionaries 127 4. Grammars 129 5. Synopses 130 viii THE TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 6. Inscriptions 130 7. Special Literature 130 8. International Organizations 131 Plates 133 List of Sigla 232 Abbreviations 238 Bibliography 242 Index of Authors 277 Index of Subjects 283 Index of Scripture References 290 List of Plates 1. An Inscribed Bowl from Lachish 135 2. The Stele of Mesha, King of Moab 137 3. The Siloam Inscription from Jerusalem 139 4. Lachish Letter No. 4 141 5. The Elephantine Papyrus 143 6. The Nash Papyrus 145 7. The Entrance to Qumran Cave 1 147 8. Two Jars from Cave 1 149 9a. A Samuel Fragment from Cave 4 151 9b. A Fragment of the Song of Moses 151 10. The First Isaiah Scroll 153 11. The First Isaiah Scroll 155 12. The Second Isaiah Scroll 157 13. The Habakkuk Commentary 159 14. Fragments of Leviticus in Old Hebrew Script 161 15a. A Fragment with Parts of Deut. 29:14-18 and 32:20-31:5 163 15b. Part of an Unopened Scroll 163 16. The Minor Prophets Scroll, Murabba'at 88 165 17. A Page with Babylonian Pointing 167 18. A Haphtarah Fragment with Babylonian Pointing 168-69 19. A Fragment with Palestinian Pointing 171 ix X THE TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 20. Codex Cairensis 173 21. The Aleppo Codex 175 22. British Library Codex Or. 4445 177 23. A Torah Manuscript from the Year A.D. 930 179 24. Codex Leningradensis 181 25. A Manuscript with Distinctive Pointing 183 26. The Second Rabbinic Bible of Jacob ben Chayyim 185 27. The Samaritan Triglot 187 28. The Rylands Greek Papyrus 458 189 29. Papyrus Fouad 266 191 30. A Greek Scroll of the Minor Prophets 193 31. Chester Beatty Papyrus 967 195 32. The Berlin Genesis 197 33. Codex Sinaiticus 199 34. The Hexapla Fragments of Milan 201 35. Codex Colberto-Sarravianus 203 36. Codex Marchalianus 205 37. A Syro-Hexaplar Manuscript of A.D. 697 207 38. A Catena Manuscript (Ninth Century A.D.) 209 39. A Peshitta Manuscript of the Year A.D. 464 211 40. The Constance Fragments of the Old Latin Prophets 213 41. Codex Lugdunensis 215 42. A Vulgate Palimpsest from the Fifth Century A.D. 217 43. Codex Amiatinus 219 44. A Coptic Papyrus Codex 221 45. An Ethiopic Manuscript 223 46. An Arabic Manuscript 225 47. The Complutensian Polyglot 227 48. A Chart of the Old Hebrew Alphabet 229 49. The Izbet Sartah Abecedary 231 Preface to the Fifth German Edition This fifth edition, like earlier editions, has been thoroughly revised in the light of new critical editions of texts, as well as recent contributions and findings in the various areas of the history of the text (especially of the Masoretic text, the Septuagint, and the Peshitta) and of textual criticism. The "List of Sigla," which shows in parallel columns the sigla used in Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, edited in 1967-1977 by K. Elliger and W. Rudolph (BHS), and also those used in its predecessor Biblia Hebraica, edited by R. Kittel-P. Kahle in 1929-1937 (BHK), assures the usefulness of this book as an introduction to both editions. Gratitude is due Erroll F. Rhodes, the translator of the American edition (Grand Rapids, 1979,21985), for contributing many bibliographical references; to Mr. M. Hoffner, Th.M., for valuable clerical assistance, espe- cially in preparing the bibliography; to the Rev. R. Bickert for his gracious help and for reviewing corrections; to the staff of the German Bible Society, and to Dr. J. Lange in particular, for careful editorial assistance. My wife was a constant source of encouragement and inspiration to me in the preparation of the present revision. It is a matter of deep sorrow that she did not live to see its publication. It is dedicated to her in continuing gratitude. Marburg, June 1988 ERNST WÜRTHWEIN xi Translator's Note A debt of gratitude must be expressed to Prof. Ernst Würthwein for kindly reviewing the present revision, and granting permission to include a sup- plementary survey of the resources for textual research; to Harold P. Scan- lin, United Bible Societies Translations Advisor, for preparing the sup- plementary survey, as well as for assisting with counsel on many details; and to Allen C. Myers of William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company for careful editorial oversight. Without their generous cooperation and con- tributions the present volume would not have been possible. Greenwich, Connecticut, June 1994 ERROLL F. RHODES xii Introduction When we read a modern book, printed from a manuscript which has been prepared by the author himself and produced under his own supervision, we can study it with confidence that its text represents the author's intention in its wording and even in the details of its punctuation. We can be sure of the text we read. With works produced hundreds or even thousands of years before the invention of printing the situation is quite different. Almost without exception the original documents have been lost. The texts are available only in copies separated from their autographs by several centu- ries and an unknown number of intermediary copies. We know how easily errors can occur in copying a text. By accident a word may be missed or repeated, groups of words may be inadvertently transposed or replaced by similar or synonymous words, and if the handwriting is difficult to read, an element of guesswork may enter. Many errors may be due to carelessness, especially if the copyist is a professional scribe who works rapidly and becomes casual, and who further may not be familiar with the subject of the text being copied. But even the scribe who approaches a text with interest and devotion may introduce corruptions. There may be an expression in the exemplar which is felt to reflect an earlier scribe's misunderstanding of the author, and with a concern for the meaning of the text the scribe naturally corrects it, just as we would correct a typographical error in a printed book. But the scribe's correction itself could very well reflect a misunderstanding! It is not only the casual or absentminded scribe who introduces errors, but the conscien- tious scribe as well. The next stage in the process is obvious. A scribe copying a faulty manuscript — and no manuscript is without errors — will deal with a predecessor's errors either by guesswork or with ingenuity, resulting in a series of intended improvements leading away from the original text. xiii xiv THE TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT All the writings which come to us from antiquity, including the writings of the Old and New Testaments, have suffered from just such (mis)adventures.1 The interpreter of these materials cannot proceed from assumptions which would be accepted without question in the study of a modern book.