The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context
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The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

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WlLCOX The Aramaic Background of the New Testament 369 contained forms, seem a thing of the past. In recent times J.A.L. Lee 11 and G.R. Horsley 12 have argued against such hypotheses, but one would have thought that that battle was over, for the present at least. What would make rather more sense is the use of 'in'-terms and expressions which are not as such foreign to the basic language, but echo some of the special concerns of various groups. The more direct influence of Aramaic and Hebrew words, phrases and idioms is likely to be rather more sporadic, somewhat as we find with bilingual people, who speak both languages well and quite idiomatically most of the time, but in moments of forgetfulness or emotion, occasionally make slips of vocabulary, syntax and idiom. An interesting example of this situation is found in Acts 1.15, 2.44, 46(D), 47, especially 44 and 47. Here we have in the Greek text a use of the phrase ETC! TO OCUTO, which in the LXX usually represents represents the Hebrew irr, mrr, 'together'. Now while in Acts 1.15, this meaning may just fit, it will not do in Acts 2.44-47. In 1953, the present writer, while working on the original text of a PhD thesis, came upon the term in Hebrew in 1QS to denote 'the fellowship', 'community'. 13 Further, the very combinations TtpoaTiOevcu erci TO OTUTO and elvai ETC! TO cano, meaning respectively, 'to join the fellowship' and 'to belong to the fellowship' appear in Acts 1.15 and 2.47 respectively. 14 In Acts 2.47 this is a clear solution for a long-known crux where the text-critical data show attempts by early scribes to make sense of readings otherwise quite opaque. This does not, of course, mean that Acts at these points is in any way dependent upon 1QS or, indeed, on any other text from Qumran, but merely that we have recovered a new meaning for an otherwise long-known Hebrew word (and phrase), and also for two related idioms. Was the immediate instance of this use Hebrew or Aramaic? To this we can only say that the evidence which we actually have is from Hebrew, not Aramaic, but then, until the discovery of 11. A Lexical Study of the Septuagint Version of the Pentateuch (SBLSGS 14; Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1983). 12. 'The Fiction of "Jewish Greek"', in New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity 5 (1989), pp. 5-40. 13. The Semitisms of Acts i.-xv: a Critical and Linguistic Study' (Edinburgh, 1955), pp. 128-38, subsequently published as The Semitisms of Acts (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1965), pp. 93-100. 14.

370 The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context 1QS we did not have any evidence at all for it. We do not know whether the idiom is also available in Aramaic or not. Now, in the same general context in Acts we may note that the uses of rcpocncapTEpeTv in Acts, and especially in Acts 2.42, 46, are greatly illuminated by that in three Greek synagogue inscriptions from Bithynia, which relate to manumissions. 15 The slave is duly freed, and is under no other obligation than 'to adhere to the proseuche'', that is, 'to belong to the synagogue'. Does the word 7ipocei>xcxi

370 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Aramaic</strong> <strong>Bible</strong>: <strong>Targums</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>their</strong> <strong>Historical</strong> <strong>Context</strong><br />

1QS we did not have any evidence at all for it. We do not know<br />

whether the idiom is also available <strong>in</strong> <strong>Aramaic</strong> or not. Now, <strong>in</strong> the same<br />

general context <strong>in</strong> Acts we may note that the uses of rcpocncapTEpeTv <strong>in</strong><br />

Acts, and especially <strong>in</strong> Acts 2.42, 46, are greatly illum<strong>in</strong>ated by that <strong>in</strong><br />

three Greek synagogue <strong>in</strong>scriptions from Bithynia, which relate to<br />

manumissions. 15 <strong>The</strong> slave is duly freed, and is under no other<br />

obligation than 'to adhere to the proseuche'', that is, 'to belong to the<br />

synagogue'. Does the word 7ipocei>xcxi

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