Targum And Translation

Targum Onkelos is the most literal of the Targumim, yet it contains thousands of deviations from the Masoretic text, both blatant and subtle. Dr. Drazin examines these deviations, comparing each with the renderings of the other extant Targums: Pseudo-Jonathan, Neofiti, and the Fragmenten-Targums. Where appropriate, the author takes note of the legal issues involved, and compares the Targumic rendering with rabbinic Halakhah. In this fifth volume of Ktav's annotated translations of Targum Onkelos on the Pentateuch, Dr. Drazin makes available a wealth of modern and ancient commentaries on Onkelos, including hitherto untranslated works such as Ohev Ger, Netinah la-Ger, and Be'urei Onkelos.

For nearly half a century, the Aramaic version of Job found amongst the scrolls at Qumran has been celebrated as the earliest example of that unique genre of Jewish bible translation known to the Rabbis as targum. In this groundbreaking study, the author challenges this assumption by re-evaluating this significant Qumran text in light of other ancient Aramaic versions of Job, including the Peshitta and Targum. After a fresh review of five decades of research on the Qumran text, the author draws on recent work in the study of the ancient Aramaic versions to chart a new course in its exploration. While both similarities and differences of approach among the respective Aramaic translators are illuminated by a series of examples drawn directly from the texts, the rigorous scrutiny of each version's re-presentation of its source text provides a firm basis for a reassessment of the relationship between the Qumran Aramaic version of Job and its Syriac and Targumic counterparts. By situating the Qumran version within the broader context of other ancient Aramaic versions, the author makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Aramaic idiom and style in the time of the Second Temple. More importantly, however, he offers a radical revision of the Aramaic version of Job's classification and a new and innovative perspective on its place in the panoply of ancient bible versions originating in this crucial period.

In Targum Chronicles and Its Place Among the Late Targums Leeor Gottlieb makes a convincing and detailed argument for understanding Targum Chronicles and other targumic works as the products of a time and place different than was heretofore commonly accepted and expected.

Targum Onkelos is the most literal of the Targumim, yet it contains thousands of deviations from the Masoretic text, both blatant and subtle. Dr. Drazin examines these deviations, comparing each with the renderings of the other extant Targums: Pseudo-Jonathan, Neofiti, and the "Fragmenten-Targums." Where appropriate, the author takes note of the legal issues involved, and compares the Targumic rendering with rabbinic Halakhah. In this fifth volume of Ktav's annotated translations of Targum Onkelos on the Pentateuch, Dr. Drazin makes available a wealth of modern and ancient commentaries on Onkelos, including hitherto untranslated works such as Ohev Ger, Netinah la-Ger, and Be'urei Onkelos.

This remarkable survey introduces critical knowledge and insights that have emerged over the past forty years, including targum manuscripts discovered this century and targums known in Aramaic but only recently translated into English. Prolific scholars Flesher and Chilton guide readers in understanding the development of the targums; their relationship to the Hebrew Bible; their dates, language, and place in the history of Christianity and Judaism; and their theologies and methods of interpretation.

Divergences from the biblical text have been systematically compared with translations in the other ancient versions

Targum Onkelos (or Unkelus) is the official eastern (Babylonian) targum (Aramaic translation) to the Torah. However, its early origins may have been western, in Israel. Its authorship is attributed to Onkelos, a famous convert to Judaism in Tannaic times (c. 35-120 CE). According to Jewish tradition, the content of Targum Onkelos was originally conveyed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai. However, it was later forgotten by the masses, and rerecorded by Onkelos. Some identify this translation as the work of Aquila of Sinope in an Aramaic translation (Zvi Hirsch Chajes), or believe that the name "Onkelos" originally referred to Aquila but was applied in error to the Aramaic instead of the Greek translation. The translator is unique in that he avoids any type of personification. Samuel D. Luzzatto suggests that the translation was originally meant for the "simple people." This view was strongly rebutted by Nathan Marcus Adler in his introduction to Netinah La-Ger. In Talmudic times, and to this day in Yemenite Jewish communities, Targum Onkelos was recited by heart as a verse-by-verse translation alternately with the Hebrew verses of the Torah in the synagogue. The Talmud states that "a person should complete his portions of scripture along with the community, reading the scripture twice and the targum once (Shnayim mikra ve-echad targum)." This passage is taken by many to refer to Targum Onkelos.