Targum Bible In English Pdf

01-05-2021 admin

A new translation complete with Onkelos, Neofiti, Pseudo-Jonathan, Jonathan, the targums of the Writings, Geniza and other Targum fragments. This product contains five (5) different text modules (and related Notes files): Targums English (TARG-E) Translation of Targum Onkelos and Jonathan by Dr. Eldon Clem Translation of Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai. While the text of Targum Onqelos is not identical to the Aramaic Peshitta Tanakh, it is worthy of examination of study because it can assist in giving a background to the original Hebrew text of the Torah (Aurayta). The following files are in PDF and in the English language. They are intended for personal weekly study of the Scriptures.

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The Aramaic Bible is coming to Logos. This is a series I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time, so the sales team asked me to answer some basic questions, like “What’s a Targum and why should I care?” and “What’s so special about this particular edition?”

What are the Targums?

The Targums are early translations of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic. They cover the entire Hebrew Bible except Ezra–Nehemiah (probably originally one book) and Daniel, portions of which are already in Aramaic; some of the books of the Bible have several different Targums. Some follow the Hebrew text very closely, while others contain significant additions and explanations. They’re useful for textual criticism or for resolving difficult passages in the Hebrew Bible (particularly those Targums that are older or stay closer to the source material), as well as for learning the diverse ways that the ancient Jews understood their Scriptures. Quite often, when I read someone commenting on places where a New Testament author “must” have been using the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures), looking at the Targums will demonstrate that the tradition being followed may have been alive and well in synagogues without the need to reference the Greek text at all. The Targums also demonstrate the diversity of ancient Judaism, sometimes disagreeing with each other, sometimes differing in interpretation from material found in the Mishnah or the Talmuds. Some of the Targums, particularly Onqelos on the Torah and Jonathan on the Prophets, are still used extensively in Orthodox Judaism today.

Why is this edition significant?

The Aramaic Bible is an impressive series that provides English translations of all the Targums, along with extensive introductions and notes. The scale of the project and the scope of the notes are such that you could call The Aramaic Bible a commentary set (in the same sense that the Anchor Yale Bible is a commentary set). The set has a number of cool features:

The translations use italics and other formatting conventions to make it very clear which portions of the Targums follow the Hebrew text closely and where there are differences.
The exception to this is Targum Canticles (Song of Songs), which is very different from the Hebrew text but clearly expands upon it. The Aramaic Bible includes not only a fresh translation of the Targum, but also a fresh, very literal translation of Song of Songs to help appreciate what exactly Targum Canticles is commenting on.
The critical apparatus is friendly and useful. All manuscript variations are rendered in English, but transliterations of the Aramaic are also given where needed—for example, to appreciate how subtle the differences between the Aramaic texts might be, even if the English versions read quite differently. The critical apparatus will also include explanatory notes to help the reader understand the significance of certain variants.
Customers familiar with the CAL Targums we offer in Aramaic will perhaps recall all the fragmentary Targums distributed with that set. While there are no whole volumes dedicated to the Palestinian Fragment Targums or the Cairo Genizah Targum Fragments, the readings from these scraps are covered well in the apparatus to Targum Neofiti, and there are charts that indicate which fragments contain what verses to make it easy to find information about the fragment Targums.
Note: a few volumes don’t have their own critical apparatus. Pseudo-Jonathan, for example, is drawn from one manuscript, and the English version was meant to be read side by side with Targum Neofiti and its extensive apparatus.
Every volume has fairly extensive notes. In general, the notes are more dense where the text differs the most from the Hebrew. The “Translation” section of the eight short chapters of Song of Songs runs 130 pages, for example, with most of each page given over to notes in rather small type. The notes help one understand the translation and interpretation methods being used and contain references to other ancient Jewish (and sometimes Christian) writings.
There are indexes in the back of each volume to all the Rabbinic literature (like the Mishnah and the Talmuds), Christian literature (including the New Testament and the Apostolic Fathers), other early Jewish writings (like Josephus and the Dead Sea Scrolls), and so on cited in the notes.
Each Targum comes with an introduction, many of which are very detailed. Every intro covers standard topics like date and provenance of composition, notes on the language and authorship, etc. But many of the Targums also have detailed summaries of the translation techniques used, the relationship of the Targums to each other (like the two Esther Targums or Neofiti and Onqelos on the Pentateuch), the relation of the Targums to other Rabbinic writings, the halakha (laws), midrash (interpretation) and haggadah (legends), the relationship of the Targums to the New Testament (in the Isaiah volume in particular), and the treatment of names of people and places in translation, as well as the treatment of the Name of God and so on.

In short, the Aramaic Bible Series is so much more than just English translations of the Targums. The introductions, apparatuses, and notes help the reader understand the contribution of the Targums to biblical studies, theology, and the history of biblical interpretation. This series is a perfect example of how to present early Bible versions in a way that remains accessible to anyone interested in the topic, regardless of their level of training, while being detailed enough for the scholar.

All 22 volumes of the Aramaic Bible Series are available at a special Pre-Pub discount. Pre-order now!

11th century Hebrew Bible with targum, perhaps from Tunisia, found in Iraq: part of the Schøyen Collection.

The targumim (singular targum, Hebrew: תרגום) (interpretation, translation, version) were originally spoken translations of the Jewish scriptures (also called the Tanakh) that a meturgeman (professional interpreter) would give in the common language of the listeners when that was not Hebrew. This had become necessary near the end of the 1st century BCE, as the common language was Aramaic and Hebrew was used for little more than schooling and worship.^[1] The meturgeman frequently expanded his translation with paraphrases, explanations and examples so that it became a kind of sermon.

Writing down the targum was initially prohibited; nevertheless, some targumatic writings appeared as early as the middle of the first century CE.^[1] They were then not recognized as authoritative by the religious leaders.^[2] Some subsequent Jewish traditions (beginning with the Babylonian Jews) accepted the written targumim as authoritative translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Aramaic. Today, the common meaning of 'targum' is a written Aramaic translation of the Bible. Only Yemenite Jews continue to use the targumim liturgically.

As translations, the targumim largely reflect midrashic interpretation of the Tanakh from the time they were written and are notable for favoring allegorical readings over anthropomorphisms.^[3] (Maimonides, for one, notes this often in The Guide for the Perplexed.) That is true both for those targumim that are fairly literal as well as for those that contain many midrashic expansions. In 1541, Elia Levita wrote and published Sefer Meturgeman, explaining all the Aramaic words found in the Targum.^[4]^[5]

Targumim are used today as sources in text-critical editions of the Bible (BHS refers to them with the abbreviation 𝔗).

8External links

Etymology[edit]

The noun 'Targum' is derived from the early semiticquadriliteralroottrgm, and the Akkadian term targummanu refers to 'translator, interpreter'.^[6] It occurs in the Hebrew Bible in Ezra 4:7 '... and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue and interpreted (tirgam) in the Syrian tongue.' Besides denoting the translations of the Bible, the term Targum also denote the oral rendering of Bible lections in synagogue,^[6] while the translator of the Bible was simply called hammeturgem (he who translates). Other than the meaning 'translate' the verb Tirgem also means 'to explain'.^[6] The word Targum refers to 'translation' and argumentation or 'explanation'.^[6]

Two major targumim[edit]

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The two most important targumim for liturgical purposes are:^[7]

Targum Onkelos on the Torah (Written Law)
Targum Jonathan on the Nevi'im (Prophets)

These two targumim are mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud as targum dilan ('our Targum'), giving them official status. In the synagogues of talmudic times, Targum Onkelos was read alternately with the Torah, verse by verse, and Targum Jonathan was read alternately with the selection from Nevi'im (i.e., the Haftarah). This custom continues today in Yemenite Jewish synagogues. The Yemenite Jews are the only Jewish community to continue the use of Targum as liturgical text, as well as to preserve a living tradition of pronunciation for the Aramaic of the targumim (according to a Babylonian dialect).

Besides its public function in the synagogue, the Babylonian Talmud also mentions targum in the context of a personal study requirement: 'A person should always review his portions of scripture along with the community, reading the scripture twice and the targum once' (Berakhot 8a–b). This too refers to Targum Onkelos on the public Torah reading and to Targum Jonathan on the haftarot from Nevi'im.

Medieval biblical manuscripts of the Tiberian mesorah sometimes contain the Hebrew text interpolated, verse-by-verse, with the targumim. This scribal practice has its roots both in the public reading of the Targum and in the private study requirement.

The two 'official' targumim are considered eastern (Babylonian). Nevertheless, scholars believe they too originated in the Land of Israel because of a strong linguistic substratum of Western Aramaic. Though these targumim were later 'orientalised', the substratum belying their origins still remains.

When most Jewish communities had ceased speaking Aramaic, in the 10th century CE, the public reading of Targum along with the Torah and Haftarah was abandoned in most communities, Yemen being a well-known exception.

The private study requirement to review the Targum was never entirely relaxed, even when Jewish communities had largely ceased speaking Aramaic, and the Targum never ceased to be a major source for Jewish exegesis. For instance, it serves as a major source in the Torah commentary of Shlomo Yitzhaki, 'Rashi', and has always been the standard fare for Ashkenazi (French, central European, and German) Jews onward.

For these reasons, Jewish editions of the Tanakh which include commentaries still almost always print the Targum alongside the text, in all Jewish communities. Nevertheless, later halakhic authorities argued that the requirement to privately review the targum might also be met by reading a translation in the current vernacular in place of the official Targum, or else by studying an important commentary containing midrashic interpretation (especially that of Rashi).

Targum Ketuvim[edit]

The Talmud explicitly states that no official targumim were composed besides these two on Torah and Nevi'im alone, and that there is no official targum to Ketuvim ('The Writings'). The Talmud (Megilah 3a) states The Targum of the Pentateuch was composed by Onkelos the proselyte from the mouths of R. Eleazar and R. Joshua. The Targum of the Prophets was composed by Jonathan ben Uzziel under the guidance of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi (Jonathan b. Uzziel was a disciple of Hillel, so he had traditions handed down from them-Maharsha), and the land of Israel [thereupon] quaked over an area of four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs, and a Bath Kol (heavenly voice) came forth and exclaimed, Who is this that has revealed My secrets to mankind? Jonathan b. Uzziel thereupon arose and said, It is I who have revealed Thy secrets to mankind. It is fully known to Thee that I have not done this for my own honour or for the honour of my father's house, but for Thy honour l have done it, that dissension may not increase in Israel. He further sought to reveal [by] a targum [the inner meaning] of the Hagiographa, but a Bath Kol went forth and said, Enough! What was the reason? Because the date of the Messiah is foretold in it'. [A possible reference to the end of the book of Daniel.] But did Onkelos the proselyte compose the targum to the Pentateuch? Has not R. Ika said, in the name of R. Hananel who had it from Rab: What is meant by the text, Neh. VIII,8 'And they read in the book, in the law of God, with an interpretation. and they gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading? And they read in the book, in the law of God: this indicates the [Hebrew] text; with an interpretation: this indicates the targum,...' (which shows that the targum dates back to the time of Ezra).

Nevertheless, most books of Ketuvim (with the exceptions of Daniel and Ezra-Nehemiah, which both contain Aramaic portions) have targumim, whose origin is mostly western (Land of Israel) rather than eastern (Babylonia). But for lack of a fixed place in the liturgy, they were poorly preserved and less well known. From Palestine, the tradition of targum to Ketuvim made its way to Italy, and from there to medieval Ashkenaz and Sepharad. The targumim of Psalms, Proverbs, and Job are generally treated as a unit, as are the targumim of the five scrolls (Esther has a longer 'Second Targum' as well.) The targum of Chronicles is quite late, possibly medieval, and is attributed to a Rabbi Joseph.

Other Targumim on the Torah[edit]

There are also a variety of western targumim on the Torah, each of which was traditionally called Targum Yerushalmi ('Jerusalem Targum'), and written in Western Aramaic. An important one of these was mistakenly labeled 'Targum Jonathan' in later printed versions (though all medieval authorities refer to it by its correct name). The error crept in because of an abbreviation: the printer interpreted the abbreviation T Y (ת'י) to stand for Targum Yonathan (תרגום יונתן) instead of the correct Targum Yerushalmi (תרגום ירושלמי). Scholars refer to this targum as Targum Pseudo-Jonathan. To attribute this targum to Jonathan ben Uzziel flatly contradicts the talmudic tradition (Megillah 3a), which quite clearly attributes the targum to Nevi'im alone to him, while stating that there is no official targum to Ketuvim. In the same printed versions, a similar fragment targum is correctly labeled as Targum Yerushalmi.

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The Western Targumim on the Torah, or Palestinian Targumim as they are also called, consist of three manuscript groups: Targum Neofiti I, Fragment Targums, and Cairo Geniza Fragment Targums.

Of these Targum Neofiti I is by far the largest. It consist of 450 folios covering all books of the Pentateuch, with only a few damaged verses. The history of the manuscript begins 1587 when the censor Andrea de Monte (d. 1587) bequeathed it to Ugo Boncompagni—which presents an oddity, since Boncompagni, better known as Pope Gregory XIII, died in 1585. The route of transmission may instead be by a certain 'Giovan Paolo Eustachio romano neophito.'^[8] Before this de Monte had censored it by deleting most references to idolatry. In 1602 Boncompagni's estate gave it to the Collegium Ecclesiasticum Adolescentium Neophytorum (or Pia Domus Neophytorum, a college for converts from Judaism and Islam) until 1886, when the Vatican bought it along with other manuscripts when the Collegium closed (which is the reason for the manuscripts name and its designation). Unfortunately, it was then mistitled as a manuscript of Targum Onkelos until 1949, when Alejandro Díez Macho noticed that it differed significantly from Targum Onkelos. It was translated and published during 1968–79, and has since been considered the most important of the Palestinian Targumim, as it is by far the most complete and, apparently, the earliest as well.^[9]^[10]

The Fragment Targums (formerly known as Targum Yerushalmi II) consist of many fragments that have been divided into ten manuscripts. Of these P, V and L were first published in 1899 by M Ginsburger, A, B, C, D, F and G in 1930 by P Kahle and E in 1955 by A Díez Macho. Unfortunately, these manuscripts are all too fragmented to confirm what their purpose were, but they seem to be either the remains of a single complete targum or short variant readings of another targum. As a group, they often share theological views and with Targum Neofiti, which has led to the belief that they could be variant readings of that targum.^[9]^[10]

The Cairo Genizah Fragment Targums originate from the Ben-Ezra Synagogues genizah in Cairo. They share similarities with The Fragment Targums in that they consist of many fragmented manuscripts that have been collected in one targum-group. The manuscripts A and E are the oldest among the Palestinian Targum and have been dated to around the seventh century. Manuscripts C, E, H and Z contain only passages from Genesis, A from Exodus while MS B contain verses from both as well as from Deuteronomium.^[9]^[10]

The Samaritan community has their own Targum to their text of the Torah. Other Targumim were also discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls.^[11]

Peshitta[edit]

The Peshitta is the traditional Bible of Syriac-speaking Christians (who speak several different dialects of Aramaic). The translation of the Peshitta is usually thought to be between 1 and 300 CE.^[12]

References[edit]

^ ^a^bSchühlein, Franz (1912). Targum. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^Schühlein, Franz (1912). Targum. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^Oesterley, WOE; Box, GH (1920). A Short Survey of the Literature of Rabbinical and Mediæval Judaism. New York: Burt Franklin.
^Jewish 'Levita, Elijah', in the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia.
^Levita, Elijah (17 March 2018). 'Sefer meturgeman'. Retrieved 17 March 2018 – via Google Books.
^ ^a^b^c^dPhilip S. Alexander, (1992) 'Targum, Targumim,' in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday), 6:320–31
^Ellis R. Brotzman; Eric J. Tully (19 July 2016). Old Testament Textual Criticism: A Practical Introduction. Baker Publishing Group. p. 77. ISBN978-1-4934-0475-9.
^Studi di biblioteconomia e storia del libro in onore di Francesco Barberi, ed. Giorgio De Gregori, Maria Valenti – 1976 '(42) Trascrivo una supplica dell'Eustachio al Sirleto : « Giovan Paolo Eustachio romano neophito devotissimo servidor di... (44) « Die 22 mensis augusti 1602. Inventarium factum in domo illustrissimi domini Ugonis Boncompagni posita'.
^ ^a^b^cMcNamara, M. (1972) Targum and Testament. Shannon, Irish University Press.
^ ^a^b^cSysling, H. (1996) Tehiyyat Ha-Metim. Tübingen, JCB Mohr.
^'The Dead Sea Scrolls - Browse Manuscripts'. www.deadseascrolls.org.il. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
^For the date of translation, see Peter J. Williams (2001). Studies in the Syntax of the Peshitta of 1 Kings. BRILL. p. 2. ISBN90-04-11978-7.

Tadmor, H., 1991. 'On the role of Aramaic in the Assyrian empire', in M. Mori, H. Ogawa and M. Yoshikawa (eds.), Near Eastern Studies Dedicated to H.I.H. Prince Takahito Mikasa on the Occasion of his Seventy-Fifth Birthday, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, pp. 419–426

External links[edit]

English translations of Targum[edit]