The Septuagint, a collection of Greek-Jewish literature initially composed of faithful translations of the Hebrew Pentateuch and later expanded to include Greek translations of the entire biblical corpus, plus ‘apocrypha,' contains two books whose derivative character is explicitly acknowledged: LXX Esther (F:11) and Second Maccabees (2:19-32). In this thesis, I will be applying methodologies borrowed from Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS) to these texts with the assumption that they represent ‘pseudo-translations,' compositions which claim to be direct translations from a source text, but which incorporate original material under disguise. By describing the product, exploring the process, and situating the position of these texts within their target-culture, that of Greek-speaking Egyptian Jews, the models which influenced their composition and the success of their repertoire in shaping Hellenistic Jewish cultural experience and production can be assessed. I argue that LXX Esther and Second Maccabees demonstrate a historical understanding of violence and persecution where God's wrath against his people is turned to mercy by proper behaviour, devout prayer, and willingness to die on the part of exemplary Jewish heroes and heroines. This narrative structure, imposed upon existing treatments of the historical events in question by the adaptors of LXX Esther and Second Maccabees, influenced the understanding and recording of violent experiences by Jews in the Graeco-Roman period. / La Septante, un canon de la littérature greco-juive d'abord composé des traductions fidèles du Pentateuque hébreu, et plus tard élargi pour inclure la traduction grecque de l'ensemble du 'corpus' biblique, plus 'apocryphe,' contient deux livres dont le caractère notoire dérivé est explicit: LXX Esther ( F:11) et le deuxième livre des Machabées (2:19-32). Dans cette thèse, et pour ces textes, je me servirai de méthodologie empruntée des Études Descriptives de la Traduction (EDT) avec l'hypothèse que ces textes représentent des 'pseudo-traductions' (des compositions qui prétendent être des traductions directes à partir d'un 'texte source'), mais qui incorporent des documents originaux en vertu de 'déguisements.' En décrivant le produit, en explorant le processus, et en situant la position de ces textes au sein de leur culture-cible, c'est a dire celle des Juifs égyptiens qui parlent le Grecque, les modèles qui ont influencé leurs compositions et le succès de leurs répertoires dans l'élaboration de l'expérience et la production culturelle juive hellénistique peut être évaluée. Je soutiens que LXX Esther et le deuxième livre des Machabées demontrent une compréhension historique de la violence et de la persécution, où la colère de Dieu contre son peuple est transformé en miséricorde par un comportement approprié, la prière dévote, et la volonté de mourir a l'exemplarité des héros et héroïnes juifs. Cette structure narrative, imposée aux traitements existants des événements historiques en question par les adaptateurs de LXX Esther et le deuxième livre des Machabées, a influencé la compréhension et l'enregistrement des expériences de violences qu'ont subit les Juifs dans la période gréco-romaine.

Informed by social theorist Pierre Bourdieu's work on fields of cultural production, the purpose of this thesis is to explore the competing ways in which scribal agents have attempted to shape and lay claim to the wedlock trope for the purpose of legitimating their theopolitical interests. The wedlock trope speaks to a very real and authoritative conception of order in the ancient world. Scribes considered this order self-evident and 'natural.' The wedlock trope participates in this underlying world-view of order. The doxa of natural order—always already self-evidently true—is a theoretical construct in the articulation of monolatry (Hos 1:2). Wedlock is only subsequently troped as history (Hos 2:5 and 16-17; Jer 2:2; Eze 16:1-8). Origins are contested sites. Indeed, the figuration of the historical marital / covenantal 'event' is precisely what is at stake in scribal struggles to impose the dominant definition of theological 'truth.' The wedlock trope is the ideal theological marketing strategy: it does not need to be explained, authorized, or legitimated. The stability of natural order itself is what underlies the scribal struggle to legitimate, appropriate, and / or transform competing histories. / Informé par les travaux du sociologue Pierre Bourdieu concernant les champs de production culturel; le but de cette thèse est d'explorer les voies concurentielles dans lesquelles les agents scribes ont tenté de modeler et de s'approprier le trope mariage dans le but de légitimer leurs intérêts théopolitiques. Le trope mariage s'adresse à une conception très réel et autoritaire d'ordre dans le monde ancien. Les scribes consideraient cet ordre manifeste et naturel. La doxa de l'ordre naturel, toujours déja a priori vraie, est une construction théorique dans l'articulation de la monolâtrie (Os 1:2). Le mariage est seulement par la suite troper comme histoire (Os 2:5 et 16-17; Jer 2:2; Eze 16:1-8). Les origines sont des sites contestés. En effet, l'événement historique mariage / alliance est précisément ce qui est en jeu dans les luttes scribes pour la légitimité dans le champ littéraire. Le trope mariage est idéal comme stratégie de marketing théologique: il n'a pas besoin d'être expliqué, autorisé, ou légitimé. La stabilité de l'ordre naturel même est ce qui sous-tend les tentatives concurentielles des scribes afin de légitimer, approprier, et / ou transformer les prises de positions vis à vis les origines.

This dissertation examines Jewish exegesis of the book of Job to two ends. First, it explores four topics previous generations of scholars left unstudied or incompletely examined. Second, it uses the results of these studies to describe the history of the Jewish tradition of Job exegesis from the period of the Talmud until the present. / Chapter 1 provides a review of the scholarly literature treating various aspects of Job exegesis from antiquity to the post-Holocaust period and highlights a number of issues in need of further study. / Chapter 2 argues that Wertheimer's reconstruction of Midrash Iyov, although unlikely an accurate presentation of a rabbinic original, preserves a number of authentic rabbinic sources. In contrast to the known tradition these preserve a laudatory view of Job that appears to have been suppressed. / Chapter 3 contextualizes the rabbinic exegesis of Job. Earlier scholars argued that the rabbinic interpretation of Job was shaped by anti-Christian and anti-Gentile attitudes, and that it responded to Christian exegesis. These studies were challenged because historical evidence for this Jewish-Christian discussion was lacking. In response to this challenge, this chapter provides additional evidence and argues that the discussion did take place. The two participants were the fourth century Babylonian Jewish sage Rava and his Christian contemporary Aphrahat. A comparison of their comments on Job establishes a relationship between the two and substantiates earlier scholarly claims. / Chapter 4 explores the relationship between the Zohar's exegesis of Job and that of Maimonides and Nahmanides. The research concludes that the Zohar's interpretation is a weaving of these two scholars' views and presents Job as one who suffered because he was ignorant of mystical secrets. / Chapter 5 examines the interpretation of Job in the post-Holocaust period. It argues that in contrast to the pre-Holocaust tradition, which blamed Job for what happened to him, post-Holocaust thinkers have not allowed the victim to be blamed. These thinkers have preferred to challenge God rather than Job. / Concerned with the second objective of the present study, chapter 6 provides an outline of the major trends in Jewish Job exegesis. In the Second Temple period Job was described as a pious figure to be emulated. The earliest rabbis maintained this view. By the late third or early fourth centuries, Christian valorization of Job led to Jewish negation of his importance. This led to the depiction of Job as a blasphemer deserving of divine punishment. The view of Job as a less than innocent victim was preserved but modified in various ways in the middle ages (by mystics, philosophers, and peshat exegetes), and was perpetuated through the mid-twentieth century. Only the Holocaust forced a reevaluation of this view. Job was able to have his righteousness restored in an age when interpreters understood, by virtue of their own experiences, that the innocent could truly suffer unjustly.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [86-91]).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1988. / Bibliography: leaves 150-155.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Grace Theological Seminary, 1992. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 246-259).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Regent College, 2007. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-122).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2008. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-88).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Regent College, 2007. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-122).

Thesis (M. Div.)--Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-115).