The main research focus of this study was to determine more clearly to what extent Atticism influenced textual variants that are considered to belong to the Alexandrian text type. Since the time of Westcott and Hort, the Alexandrian text type has been regarded as a manuscript tradition which is representative of relatively high stylistic Greek. This assumption seems likely, especially given the fact that Alexandria and the areas which gave rise to the manuscripts comprising the Alexandrian text type were cultural centres of learning as well as of a newlyfound Hellenistic awareness within the Roman Empire. One of the movements stemming from this newfound awareness was Atticism, which was, amongst other things, an artificial literary movement which strove towards emulating the classical Attic literary dialect. However, in the last few decades the question of the alleged presence of Atticist influence in the manuscripts of the Greek New Testament has received its share of conflicting scholarly treatment among textual critics, especially since the 1963 publication of G.D. Kilpatrick s influential article, Atticism and the text of the Greek New Testament . On the one hand, there is common assent that Atticism exerted a profound influence on all Greek prose of the first century. On the other hand, some difference of opinion exists as to whether Atticism actually influenced the composition of the New Testament text in any significant way. The influence on the transmission of the New Testament texts is another question that still needs a fuller treatment in order to proceed from mere scholarly opinion to a more established empirical degree of certainty. The current study is an investigation into the nature of Atticism and its relationship with the classical Attic dialect. The results of this investigation were then used as basis for an evaluation of the alleged Atticisms in the Alexandrian witnesses, taking the witnesses to the text of I John as sample. In the process, thoroughgoing eclecticism as text-critical method is evaluated, and an adapted reasoned eclectic method proposed with which to conduct the investigation of the variants in I John. The results have shown that in the textual tradition of I John, inconsistencies of correction and scribal usage occur frequently within the Alexandrian text type and that the correction was predominantly not towards Attic, but rather displayed a tendency towards Hellenistic-Koine usage. In summary, the investigation demonstrates that the uniformity of the Alexandrian text type as a whole, if not completely suspect, should at least be judged very critically when it comes to matters of characteristic features which have for decades been accepted as true, such as the Alexandrian text type s reputation as one displaying stylistically polished Greek. The investigation of I John has shed valuable light on the methodological presupposition that categories of text types are fixed above all doubt, and that they display general typical characteristics. This presupposition has been exposed as false and indicates that one follows it at one s methodological peril. / MA (Greek), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The main research focus of this study was to determine more clearly to what extent Atticism influenced textual variants that are considered to belong to the Alexandrian text type. Since the time of Westcott and Hort, the Alexandrian text type has been regarded as a manuscript tradition which is representative of relatively high stylistic Greek. This assumption seems likely, especially given the fact that Alexandria and the areas which gave rise to the manuscripts comprising the Alexandrian text type were cultural centres of learning as well as of a newlyfound Hellenistic awareness within the Roman Empire. One of the movements stemming from this newfound awareness was Atticism, which was, amongst other things, an artificial literary movement which strove towards emulating the classical Attic literary dialect. However, in the last few decades the question of the alleged presence of Atticist influence in the manuscripts of the Greek New Testament has received its share of conflicting scholarly treatment among textual critics, especially since the 1963 publication of G.D. Kilpatrick s influential article, Atticism and the text of the Greek New Testament . On the one hand, there is common assent that Atticism exerted a profound influence on all Greek prose of the first century. On the other hand, some difference of opinion exists as to whether Atticism actually influenced the composition of the New Testament text in any significant way. The influence on the transmission of the New Testament texts is another question that still needs a fuller treatment in order to proceed from mere scholarly opinion to a more established empirical degree of certainty. The current study is an investigation into the nature of Atticism and its relationship with the classical Attic dialect. The results of this investigation were then used as basis for an evaluation of the alleged Atticisms in the Alexandrian witnesses, taking the witnesses to the text of I John as sample. In the process, thoroughgoing eclecticism as text-critical method is evaluated, and an adapted reasoned eclectic method proposed with which to conduct the investigation of the variants in I John. The results have shown that in the textual tradition of I John, inconsistencies of correction and scribal usage occur frequently within the Alexandrian text type and that the correction was predominantly not towards Attic, but rather displayed a tendency towards Hellenistic-Koine usage. In summary, the investigation demonstrates that the uniformity of the Alexandrian text type as a whole, if not completely suspect, should at least be judged very critically when it comes to matters of characteristic features which have for decades been accepted as true, such as the Alexandrian text type s reputation as one displaying stylistically polished Greek. The investigation of I John has shed valuable light on the methodological presupposition that categories of text types are fixed above all doubt, and that they display general typical characteristics. This presupposition has been exposed as false and indicates that one follows it at one s methodological peril. / MA (Greek), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The aim of this study is to develop a more effective translation technique analysis of the Peshitta to Ezekiel text that would contribute to the textual studies of Ezekiel. In order to help provide such an effective analysis on translation technique, the methodology employed is the comparative analysis of texts, which incorporates the theory from Cognitive Semantics called Frame Semantics. This theory views units of meaning in text or speech contexts at the level of semantic frames and is therefore most ideal in view of the idiomatic nature of the Peshitta translation. By applying this theory, the frames in the Hebrew source text of the translator were compared to those in the translator’s target Syriac text, to see whether there were correspondences between the two frames. In chapter 3, the GIVING frames evoked by נתן (nātan) were studied and it was found that most of the frames in the Hebrew text corresponded well with those in the Syriac target text. The exception is mainly those frames in which there might have been textual difficulties in the source text. Similar observations were made in chapter 4 for the ARRIVING frames evoked by the Hebrew verb בוא (bō). However, nouns associated with the frame MISDEEDS presented some problems, mainly as to their use in the Hebrew source text. The use of these nouns could have affected the translator’s understanding of such categories, leading to their inconsistent representation in the target text. Nevertheless, it can be indicated that the translator demonstrated a relatively good understanding of the use of the nouns in the Hebrew text. Overall, the translation of the Peshitta to Ezekiel was made at the approximate level of semantic frames, displaying a translation technique that should be very useful for the textual studies of the Book of Ezekiel. / PhD (Semitic Languages), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The aim of this study is to develop a more effective translation technique analysis of the Peshitta to Ezekiel text that would contribute to the textual studies of Ezekiel. In order to help provide such an effective analysis on translation technique, the methodology employed is the comparative analysis of texts, which incorporates the theory from Cognitive Semantics called Frame Semantics. This theory views units of meaning in text or speech contexts at the level of semantic frames and is therefore most ideal in view of the idiomatic nature of the Peshitta translation. By applying this theory, the frames in the Hebrew source text of the translator were compared to those in the translator’s target Syriac text, to see whether there were correspondences between the two frames. In chapter 3, the GIVING frames evoked by נתן (nātan) were studied and it was found that most of the frames in the Hebrew text corresponded well with those in the Syriac target text. The exception is mainly those frames in which there might have been textual difficulties in the source text. Similar observations were made in chapter 4 for the ARRIVING frames evoked by the Hebrew verb בוא (bō). However, nouns associated with the frame MISDEEDS presented some problems, mainly as to their use in the Hebrew source text. The use of these nouns could have affected the translator’s understanding of such categories, leading to their inconsistent representation in the target text. Nevertheless, it can be indicated that the translator demonstrated a relatively good understanding of the use of the nouns in the Hebrew text. Overall, the translation of the Peshitta to Ezekiel was made at the approximate level of semantic frames, displaying a translation technique that should be very useful for the textual studies of the Book of Ezekiel. / PhD (Semitic Languages), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013