Targum Onkelos

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.

Targum Onkelos é o targum oriental (babilônico) oficial (tradução aramaica) da Torá. No entanto, suas origens iniciais podem ter sido ocidentais, em Israel. Alguns identificam esta tradução como obra de Áquila de Sinope em uma tradução aramaica (Zvi Hirsch Chajes), ou acreditam que o nome "Onkelos" originalmente se referia a Áquila, mas foi aplicado erroneamente ao aramaico em vez da tradução grega. O tradutor é único por evitar qualquer tipo de personificação. Samuel D. Luzzatto sugere que a tradução foi originalmente destinada às "pessoas simples". Essa visão foi fortemente refutada por Nathan Marcus Adler em sua introdução a Netinah La-Ger. Nos tempos talmúdicos, e até hoje nas comunidades judaicas iemenitas, Targum Onkelos foi recitado de cor como uma tradução versículo por versículo alternadamente com os versículos hebraicos da Torá na sinagoga. O Talmud afirma que "uma pessoa deve completar suas porções de escritura junto com a comunidade, lendo a escritura duas vezes e o targum uma vez (Shnayim mikra ve-echad targum)". Esta passagem é tomada por muitos para se referir a Targum Onkelos.

Targum Onkelos is the oldest complete Jewish Aramaic translation of the Pentateuch, and it has played a major role in Jewish exegesis throughout the centuries. Although the vocabulary of Onkelos has been included in the major rabbinic dictionaries, there has never been a volume devoted solely to the vocabulary of Onkelos. This glossary, based on the standard critical edition, includes all of the vocabulary of the targum, plus geographical names, with bibliographical references to cognates in other Aramaic dialects. It will be a major help both to students first encountering the language of the Targum, as well as to specialists seeking a thorough treatment of its lexical features.

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.

Onkelos On the Torah: Understanding the Bible Text is a unique and remarkable translation and English commentary of the Targum Onkelos, the first and only rabbinically authorized translation of the Torah.

Many scholars call the Persian Gulf conflict the first prime-time war. Certainly, the technologies, strategies, and skills of the military in managing the public agenda were equal to those of the television networks and major print organizations. The Media and the Persian Gulf War focuses on the processes and effects of the media, both leading up to and during the mother of all battles in 1990 and 1991. Broad in scope and varied in methodologies, the chapters span the media of television, radio, print, and film. Chapters discuss such specific topics as the relationship between the press and the censoring military, CNN's and C-SPAN's coverage, how talk radio and television covered the war, the media's depiction of women in the military, the Gulf War as a referent in advertising, and how popular culture legitimized the war. This work will be an important resource for scholars in political and mass communication, popular culture, and political science.