Reading the Sealed Book: Old Greek Isaiah and the Problem of Septuagint Hermeneutics

by J. Ross Wagner

Overview

A translated text is laced with interpretive assumptions. By focusing on the Septuagint, J. Ross Wagner highlights the creative theology hidden in translation. His model couples patient investigation of the act of translation with careful attention to the translated texts' rhetorical features. Wagner focuses upon Isaiah's opening vision, clarifying its language, elucidating its character, and contextualizing its message. Reading the Sealed Book demonstrates how such translations serve as distinctive contributions to theology and reveal the contours of Jewish identity in the Hellenistic diaspora.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781602589810
Publisher:	Baylor University Press
Publication date:	05/31/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	308
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

J. Ross Wagner is Associate Professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School.

Table of Contents

FORWARD

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

A BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS: THE PROBLEM OF SEPTUAGINT HERMENEUTICS

OPENING THE SEALED BOOK: INTERPRETING A TRANSLATED TEXT

"GIVE HEED TO GOD'S LAW": TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION IN OG ISAIAH 1:1-20

THE PURIFICATION OF ZION: TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION IN OG ISAIAH 1:21-31

CHARACTERIZING OLD GREEK ISAIAH 1

EPILOGUE: OPEN BOOK, OVERFLOWING FOUNTAIN

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX OF ANCIENT SOURCES

INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

What People are Saying About This

Believe it or not, the study of the Greek translation of Isaiah is currently in turmoil! This affects our understanding of Isaiah, of the world in which the translation was undertaken, and of its importance as a central part of Scripture for the later emergence of the Christian religion. Wagner's is a work of careful and yet lucid scholarship that clarifies in a balanced manner the methods and the goals of this translator. It should be widely adopted.

H. G. M. Williamson

Believe it or not, the study of the Greek translation of Isaiah is currently in turmoil! This affects our understanding of Isaiah, of the world in which the translation was undertaken, and of its importance as a central part of Scripture for the later emergence of the Christian religion. Wagner's is a work of careful and yet lucid scholarship that clarifies in a balanced manner the methods and the goals of this translator. It should be widely adopted.

Ronald L. Troxel

Wagner nimbly joins Umberto Eco's encyclopedia model of language with Descriptive Translation Studies in his analysis of particular passages. Whether one agrees with all the notes selected for this score, his study of Old Greek Isaiah reads like a symphony.

Editorial Reviews

This is a model piece of work that will have to be referred to regularly by any one working in Septuagint studies, and indeed, in Isaiah studies.

Themelios - John Oswalt

One thing is sure: this book will force Septuagint scholars to rethink their methodological positions...the author has successfully opened one of the seals of Isaiah chapter 1!

Review of Biblical Literature - Johann Cook

Wagner has produced an excellent volume that will greatly benefit Septuagint (LXX) studies.

The Bulletin for Biblical Research - William A. Ross

"Wagner nimbly joins Umberto Eco's encyclopedia model of language with Descriptive Translation Studies in his analysis of particular passages. Whether one agrees with all the notes selected for this score, his study of Old Greek Isaiah reads like a symphony."
--Ronald L. Troxel, Associate Professor, Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of LXX-Isaiah as Translation and Interpretation

"Believe it or not, the study of the Greek translation of Isaiah is currently in turmoil! This affects our understanding of Isaiah, of the world in which the translation was undertaken, and of its importance as a central part of Scripture for the later emergence of the Christian religion. Wagner's is a work of careful and yet lucid scholarship that clarifies in a balanced manner the methods and the goals of this translator. It should be widely adopted."
--H. G. M. Williamson, Regius Professor of Hebrew, University of Oxford

From the Publisher