Targums and the Transmission of Scripture into Judaism and Christianity

Targums and the Transmission of Scripture into Judaism and Christianity......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 8
Preface......Page 10
Abbreviations......Page 14
Part I: Targumic Portrayals of Biblical Figures......Page 18
I. Shem, Melchizedek, and Concern with Christianity in the Pentateuchal Targumim......Page 20
1. Shem as Noah’s Eldest Son......Page 21
2. Noah’s Blessing of Shem and Japheth......Page 23
3. Melchizedek Identified with Shem......Page 25
Conclusions......Page 30
II. Abraham as Proselytizer at Beer-sheba in the Targums of the Pentateuch......Page 34
1. Hebrew and LXX of Gen. 21:33......Page 35
2. The Book of Jubilees......Page 37
3. Philo, Josephus and Pseudo-Philo......Page 40
4. The Aramaic Targums of Gen. 21:33......Page 43
Conclusion......Page 50
III. Balaam's Prophecies as Interpreted by Philo and the Aramaic Targums of the Pentateuch......Page 52
1. Balaam’s Oracles in Philo: General Remarks......Page 53
2. Philo’s Version of the Oracles and the Aramaic Targums......Page 57
3. Imperial Victory and the Triumphal Hymn......Page 60
4. The ‘man who shall come forth’ and his Antecedents......Page 65
5. Conclusion......Page 68
IV. The Figure of Adam in Pseudo-Philo's Biblical Antiquities......Page 70
1. LAB 13, 8–9......Page 72
2. LAB 26, 6......Page 79
3. LAB 32, 15......Page 83
4. LAB 37, 3......Page 86
Concluding Remarks......Page 87
V. The Sacrifice of Isaac and Jewish Polemic against Christianity......Page 89
VI. A Portrait of the Wicked Esau in the Targum of Codex Neofiti 1......Page 105
1. Events before and during the Birth of Esau......Page 107
2. Events during Esau’s Lifetime......Page 111
3. References to Esau after his Death......Page 118
4. Esau-Edom and Rome......Page 119
Conclusion......Page 120
Part II: Dating Targum Pseudo-Jonathan......Page 124
VII. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Anti-Islamic Polemic......Page 126
1. Ps-Jon of Genesis 21:9–21 and PRE 30......Page 128
2. Ishmael and Hagar as Idolaters......Page 131
3. The Geographical Location of the Ishmaelites......Page 133
4. Ishmael as a Brigand and the Sons of Keturah......Page 135
5. The Princes of Ishmael......Page 138
6. The Circumcision of Ishmael......Page 139
7. Conclusion......Page 141
VIII. The Date of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan: Some Comments......Page 143
Verse 1......Page 145
Verse 6......Page 149
Verse 9......Page 150
Verse 11......Page 151
Verse 12......Page 152
Verse 13......Page 153
Verse 15......Page 154
Verse 20......Page 156
Verse 25......Page 157
Verse 27......Page 158
Verse 28......Page 160
Verse 29......Page 161
Verse 33......Page 163
Verse 40......Page 164
Verse 41......Page 165
Verse 42......Page 166
Verse 45......Page 167
1. Relationship of Ps-Jon and PRE......Page 168
2. Early Material in Ps-Jon......Page 169
4. Popular Traditions and Misplaced Aggadot......Page 170
5. Splansky’s Conflates......Page 171
IX. Jacob's Second Visit to Bethel in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan......Page 172
Verse 2......Page 173
Verse 4......Page 174
Verse 5......Page 178
Verse 7......Page 179
Verse 9......Page 180
Verse 11......Page 182
Verse 14......Page 185
1. The Problem......Page 189
2. Some Very Unlikely Bedfellows......Page 190
3. Close Reading of the Texts, and its Results......Page 201
4. Some Cases of Mistaken Identities......Page 214
5. Well-Known Aggadah in PRE and Ps.-Jon.: Some Observations......Page 218
6. Concluding Remarks......Page 224
XI. Inconsistencies and Contradictions in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan: The Case of Eliezer and Nimrod......Page 227
1. The Story of Eliezer......Page 228
2. The Story of Nimrod......Page 240
(a) Abraham, the Idols, and the Furnace......Page 244
(d) Haran’s Death......Page 245
3. Conclusions......Page 249
XII. Red Heifer and Golden Calf: Dating Targum Pseudo-Jonathan......Page 251
XIII. The Priestly Blessing in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan......Page 276
1. A Translation of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Num. 6.24–26 with Comments......Page 279
2. The Blessing in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Other Rabbinic Sources......Page 283
3. The Blessing in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Jubilees and Texts from Qumran......Page 286
4. The Blessing in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Sirach 36.1–16......Page 291
5. Conclusions......Page 294
Part III: Saint Jerome and Jewish Tradition......Page 296
XIV. Jewish Traditions in Jerome's Commentary on Jeremiah and the Targum of Jeremiah......Page 298
1. Geographical Terms......Page 300
2. Two Theological Problems......Page 303
3. Explanations of Hebrew Words......Page 309
4. Exegesis of Particular Words and Phrases......Page 310
Conclusion......Page 315
XV. Saint Jerome and the Aramaic Targumim......Page 317
XVI. Some Observations on St. Jerome's Hebrew Questions on Genesis and the Rabbinic Tradition......Page 335
1. The Meaning of the Name Bale......Page 338
2. The Three Year Old Heifer and the Third Earthquake......Page 339
3. The Name Zoar-Segor......Page 340
1. The Identification of Melchizedek with Shem......Page 349
3. The First-Born and the Priesthood......Page 350
Concluding Remarks......Page 352
Part IV: Targum and Temple......Page 356
XVII. Sirach and Wisdom's Dwelling Place......Page 358
1. The Biblical Background to Wisdom’s Place of Dwelling......Page 360
2. Wisdom and the Ark of the Covenant......Page 363
3. The Alleged Defects of the Second Temple......Page 366
4. Sirach and Contemporary Jewish Geography......Page 368
5. Sirach, Some Hellenistic Jewish Writers, and Concluding Remarks......Page 373
XVIII. Food, the Animals, and Human Dignity. Jewish Perceptions in a Targumic Context......Page 378
XIX. Melchizedek as Priest of the Jerusalem Temple in Talmud, Midrash, and Targum......Page 394
1. Melchizedek in the Babylonian Talmud......Page 397
2. Melchizedek and the Midrashim......Page 404
3. Sidelights from the Aramaic Pentateuchal Targumim......Page 410
Conclusion......Page 414
Index of Modern Authors......Page 418
Index of Scriptural, Rabbinic, and Patristic References......Page 423