Studies in the Language of Targum Canticles, with Annotated Transcription of Geniza Fragments Paul Richard Moore UCL Degree: Ph.D. Page 1 of 185 I, Paul Richard Moore, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Signature: P. Moore Page 2 of 185 Abstract While the language of Targum Canticles—a species of Late Jewish Literary Aramaic—has attracted previous study, many of its peculiarities have been overlooked, or accorded but cursory treatment. The present work investigates a range of morphological, syntactic, and semantic anomalies that punctuate the text. These impinge on various domains, including predicate argument marking, verbal stems, the nominal dimensions of state and gender, and particle usage. Attending to these phenomena, with descriptive sensitivity and comparative perspective, yields insight into literary influences, the process of composition, and the conceptions of Aramaic—both grammatical and aesthetic—of the Jewish literati who adopted this dialectally eclectic idiom. This study also probes the still under-researched nexus between Late Jewish Literary Aramaic and the Aramaic of Zoharic literature. It concludes with an annotated transcription of the fragments of Targum Canticles from the Cairo Geniza: Cambridge, T-S B11.81, T-S NS 312—which are among the earliest, known, extant witnesses to the text—and Oxford Heb. f. 56 (whose colophon bears the date 1416 CE). The latter features a Judaeo-Arabic translation of the Targum—possibly the earliest known example—which is included in the transcription. The alignments of the readings of these fragments with other witnesses are highlighted, accompanied by ad hoc textual and exegetical commentary. Page 3 of 185 Impact statement This study furthers understanding of Jewish Aramaic literary creativity during the mediaeval period, modes of exegesis of the biblical Song of Songs, the evolution of eclectic literary idioms, and precursors of the Aramaic of Zoharic literature. Outside of the academy, it has relevance for Jewish and Christian faith communities, who through greater appreciation of the historic reception of biblical texts, will find stimulation for thought about possible approaches to the biblical texts in the modern world. Page 4 of 185 Table of contents Figures ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................... 9 Citations and translations ............................................................................................................. 14 Symbols ............................................................................................................................................. 14 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ 15 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 16 2 Dialect ........................................................................................................................................ 18 3 Text types and editions ......................................................................................................... 23 4 Date of composition ............................................................................................................... 28 Arabic influence ........................................................................................................ 29 Summary ............................................................................................................................. 37 Is the gemstone list adscititious? ............................................................................. 37 The gemstone list in the Yemenite witnesses ...................................................... 40 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 42 The Ishmaelites ......................................................................................................... 42 Olibanum? ................................................................................................................. 45 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 50 5 Nominal state ........................................................................................................................... 51 6 Verb stems ................................................................................................................................ 53 Morpho-phonological development ....................................................................... 53 Recalibration of semantic ranges ........................................................................... 54 Non-normative infinitives ........................................................................................ 56 56 ............................................................................................................................... סמלח ן 57 .................................................................................................................... טרמלח 57 ....................................................................................................................... עמלט י 58 ....................................................................................................................... פמלט י 59 ........................................................................................................................ נמל ג ד 59 ......................................................................................................................... רטמלפ 61 ...................................................................................................................... מלברק Summary .................................................................................................................... 61 7 Gender ....................................................................................................................................... 63 Feminine nouns with masculine agreement .......................................................... 63 66 ........................................................................................................ פנש :Androgyny Masculine nouns with feminine agreement ........................................................... 67 67 ......................................................................................... הבה י א ז מ נ א :Gender shift 69 ........................................................................................ עב י ד אנ הה י א :Gender shift 8 Semantic anomalies ............................................................................................................... 72 72 ...................................................................................................................... ילוליא 74 ................................................................................................................... אמ י ם Page 5 of 185 75 ............................................................................................................................. ןא 76 ............................................................................................................................ ופ ן in JLAtg. ................................................................................................................ 78 ופ ן in LJLA .................................................................................................................. 79 ופ ן Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 81 G 82 ........................................................................................................................ קקח √ Summary ................................................................................................................... 83 9 Argument marking ................................................................................................................. 84 Synthetic pronominal object constructions ........................................................... 84 Repurposing of MT argument markers .................................................................. 89 96 .................................................................................. ל and תי Alternation between 99 ......................................................................................... ןמ Arguments marked by 101 ........................................................................................... ב Arguments marked by 102 .................................................. יא איעב Mis-readings of TgShir 1.8—the volitive 104 .................................................. מל י ח י Mis-readings of TgShir 1.8—the infinitive Possible misreading of TgShir 1.10 .......................................................................... 107 to encode GOAL arguments of verbs of motion ......................................... 108 ב Use of D/G? ‘to bring near’ .............................................................................................