The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

THE MICHAEL GLAZIER-LITURGICAL PRESS ARAMAIC BIBLE
PROJECT: SOME REFLECTIONS
Martin McNamara, M.S.C.
In an earlier essay entitled 'On Englishing the Targums', 1 in a volume
in memory of Professor Alejandro Diez Macho, I wrote briefly on
English translations of the Targums that had been published prior to
1978. English translations of individual Targums had been made,
especially of the Megilloth: of the Targum of Canticles in 1751, 2
1816 3 and 1908; 4 of Targum Qohelet in 1861; 5 Targum Sheni of
Esther in 1888; 6 of the Targums of Ruth and Jonah in 1886; 7 of the
Targum of Lamentations in 1893; 8 of Targum Ruth in 1928. 9 In 1973
Professor Bernard Grossfeld brought together the previously published
editions of these Targums. 10 A translation of the Targum of
1. Published in Salvation en la Palabra. Targum-Derash-Berith. En memoria del
profesor Alejandro Diez Macho (ed. D. Munoz Le6n; Madrid: Ediciones Cristiandad,
1986), pp. 447-61.
2. J. Gill, as part of his work Exposition of the Book of Solomon's Song
(London, 2nd edn, 1751).
3. By C.D. Ginsburg in his Commentary on the Song (London, 1861), with a
translation of ch. 1 of the Targum.
4. By H. Gollancz, as part of his work Translations from Hebrew and Aramaic
(London, 1908), pp. 15-90.
5. By C.D. Ginsburg, as part of his commentary on the biblical book Coheleth
(London, 1861).
6. A translation by A. Bernstein of Cassels German translation of Targum
Sheni; in An Explanatory Commentary on Esther (Edinburgh, 1888), pp. 263-344.
7. O.T. Crane, The Targums on the Books of Ruth and Jonah. Literally
translated from the Chaldee (New York, 1886).
8. By A.W. Greenup (trans.), The Targum of the Book of Lamentations
(Sheffield, 1893).
9. By A. Saarisalo, in Studio. Orientalia (Helsinki, 1928), II, pp. 88-104.
10. B. Grossfeld, The Targums of the Five Megilloth (New York: Hermon,
1973), with the translations noted above of Targum Ruth by A. Saarisalo, of