The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

GROSSFELD Onqelos, Halakha and the Halakhic Midrashim 243
approach has already been expressed by A. York, 57 who argued that
'it is very difficult to prove direct borrowings, because there are so
many variables that one has to take into account, such as common
tradition, oral tradition, and similarities not due to borrowings'. This
certainly holds true for Onqelos and the Halakhic Midrashim.
However, Berliner adds, 58 that the most probable explanation would
be that both Targum and Midrash drew from a common tradition that
was oral and alive at that time.
5. Some Statistics
Out of a total of 153 cases where this Targum and the Halakhic
Midrashim parallel each other, agreement occurs 149 times as against
four instances where it differs from them. A further breakdown
shows 41 direct parallels in Onqelos in the Mek., of which 32 also
exist in the Mek. SbY., the Midrash of the School of R. Aqiba; 38
parallels with Sifra in addition to three cases where Onqelos deviates
from it; 16 instances of parallels in Sifre to Numbers, of which 11a
also exist in Sifre Zuta, with one case of Sifre and Onqelos going theirA
separate ways. Finally, there are an overwhelming amount of 54
direct parallels in the Sifre to Deuteronomy. The four cases of
Onqelos deviation are in Sifra (3) and Sifre—Numbers (1).
6. Conclusions
The overwhelming number of parallels between Targum Onqelos and
these Halakhic Midrashim, both in regard to Halakhic and Aggadic
interpretations definitely point in the direction of a common tradition
upon which both genres of scriptural interpretations rest. That
common tradition points to the School of R. Aqiba. In Onqelos, it manifests
itself very conspicuously in the fact that several of his interpretations
equal those of R. Aqiba—of a total of 153, no less than 19 are
expressly attributed to him—the remainder probably anonymously
so, in the Halakhic Midrashim, not to mention the many parallels to
R. Aqiba's sayings in both Talmudim and the early Aggadic
Onq. suggests that it is equally possible, if not more probable, that the Midrash drew
this material from the Targum as is the reverse.
57. Cf. 'The Dating of Targumic Literature', JSJ 5 (1974), p. 56.
58. Cf. Einleitung..., pp. 225-26.