This dissertation investigates the translation technique of the Greek Ecclesiastes and proposes the place of the Translator in the history of the transmission of the Greek text. Chapter 1 defines a text of the Greek Ecclesiastes. Since a Göttingen critical edition of the Greek Ecclesiastes has not been completed yet, Rahlfs' text is adapted as the basis for the analysis. Chapter 2 compares and analyzes the Hebrew text of Ecclesiastes and its Greek translation on syntactical and lexical levels. The result of the study reveals that the Translator is not mechanical but is sensitive to context and to the demands of the target language although his translation is labeled as literal. Chapter 3 deals with the issue of the identity of the Translator. A comparison with the translation techniques of Aquila, Theodotion, Symmachus, and the Kaige tradition betrays that the Translator is none of these. His translation is influenced by them in part but also contains his own distinctive patterns. Finally, chapter 4 concludes that the Translator has most affinity to Theodotion and least affinity to Aquila. A distinctive Symmachian approach suggests the date of the translation as late as the second century.

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M.A. / The fact that God (Yahweh) is often depicted in the Old Testament as violent is a problem. Especially for us who come to the text as modern readers. Even though our society is full of violent acts, there is a general remorse towards violence. A small book like Nahum is filled with violence and introduces Yahweh at an early stage as a “vengeful God”. It then goes further and describes the fall of Nineveh and the Assyrians in a graphic manner. This vengeful and violent God was central to the problem of this dissertation. The problem was: How should the violence in the current form of Nahum be interpreted and how should it be understood in a modern context. This study will make use of dual methodology due to the fact that the text of Nahum was rooted in a concrete social and historical situation. Firstly the social and historical circumstances is studied and used to interpret the text. To understand the problem in a modern context the second part of the dual methodology will come into play. This will look at the ideology that is ingrained in the rhetoric of the text. The question will be asked whether Yahweh is as violent as He is described or whether His description in Nahum could be a construct of society and ideology. Proposals for new readings of Nahum and new metaphors and constructs for God is then suggested.

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This dissertation argues that a definable and distinct genre of death story does exist in the Old Testament and that form critical analyses of these stories can yield significant theological insights. Chapter 1 establishes the methodology and principles that govern the study. Chapter 2 presents an overview of death in the ancient Near East and Israel. The information in this chapter introduces the reader to the topic of death in the ancient world, and it provides a basis for comparison with the thanatology derived from the death stories. Chapter 3 surveys death accounts in the ancient Near East and in the Old Testament and classifies the various death accounts in the Hebrew Scriptures as notices, reports, or stories. In addition, this chapter justifies the classification of some accounts as stories instead of reports, and it establishes and describes the typical "death story." Chapter 4 engages in a form critical exegesis of the death stories in the Old Testament. Nine stories are analyzed. These include the death stories of Sarah (Gen 23:1-20), Abraham (Gen 24:1-25:11), Jacob (Gen 47:28-50:14), Joseph (Gen 50:22-26), Aaron (Num 20:22-29), Moses (Deut 31:1-34:12), Joshua (Josh 23:1-24:30), David (1 Kgs 1:1-2:12; 1 Chr 23:1-29:20), and Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:1-21). The method of analysis follows the generally accepted form critical process--which involves an investigation of the form/structure, genre, setting, and intention of the text. To this list of four, this study adds an introduction to the literary and historical context of the texts. Each story investigated includes a section detailing some initial theological conclusions. Chapter 5 serves as the conclusion of the dissertation. It determines the success of the study in achieving its stated aims. In addition, it summarizes and synthesizes the various theological and thanatological conclusions based on the form critical analyses of chapter 4. Finally, it offers some concluding thoughts on the significance of the study for biblical form critical exegesis. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

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M.A. / The book of Ecclesiastes forms part of the wisdom genre, of Hebrew literature. It is a notoriously difficult book to interpret. The author, Qoheleth, displays an ideology and theology which is at variance with the rest of the Old Testament, namely protest wisdom. Finding the part Qoheleth plays, within the scope of the wisdom tradition, has troubled interpreters for years. This study, brings Socio-Rhetorics to bear on this problem. Rhetorical theory is used to try and bring about an understanding of how Qoheleth fits into the wisdom tradition. This study tries to show that Qoheleth dialogues with that wisdom tradition in order to develop his own argument. In particular, it shows that he quotes the book of Proverbs. How, Qoheleth, quotes Proverbs, and what he does with those texts, is illustrated in selected textual studies from Ecclesiastes. It was found that Qoheleth sharply criticise especially the simplistic over-evaluation of wisdom within traditional thought.

This dissertation examines the legends of the Biblical book of Joshua in an attempt to identify the relics of reminiscence that reside within the document. The initial step in this process is presenting the neuropsychological perspective of myth making and the nature of confabulation in oral tradition. The natural segue is then made to the Deuteronomistic history of the text and the formation of the initial source legend. From this investigation the basic structure of the Primary Conquest Source Legend is exposed. The next step is a comparison of this Source Legend with the history of proto-Israel. This investigation provides a clear contextual epoch for the legend of conquest against Jericho and Ai. A related finding is the contextual epoch for the second source legend used to form the present text of Joshua. / Religious Studies & Arabic / D.Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)

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