The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

DlEZ MERINO Targum Manuscripts and Critical Editions 65
Babylonian tradition of Aramaic can be seen in the publication of
many fragmentary MSS in this tradition, either alone, 33 or with his
pupils. 34 In the introductions to these articles he gave an analysis of
the different aspects of the Babylonian Aramaic tradition; he studied
not only the Hebrew part, but also the Aramaic part of such MSS. As a
consequence, with a collection of these articles we can obtain a small
manual on the Aramaic Bible in the Babylonian tradition. His discovery
of MSS in this tradition is restricted to the Pentateuch and
Prophets; he did not find any MS with this tradition for the
Hagiographa.
2) I. Yeivin also studied the Babylonian tradition in his doctoral dissertation.
35 Although he quotes many Targum MSS, he only studies the
Babylonian tradition referring to Hebrew, not to Aramaic; therefore,
when noting characteristics, he analyses the Hebrew part, which in
many cases is different from the Aramaic part; in some cases the
quality of the Aramaic is better than the Hebrew. With these two
groups of studies, the Babylonian tradition has a well-founded basis
for its final achievement. 36
For the Pentateuch in the Babylonian and Yemenite tradition:
Targum Onqelos Gen 4.12-48.11: MS 152 (ENA 80), Yemenite,
thirteenth century, 131 fols., HT and Targum Onqelos. Ms. A. Diez
Macho, 'A Fundamental Manuscript for an Edition of the Babylonian
publicaciones', in Salvation en la Palabra: Targum—Derash—Berith. En memoria
del profesor Alejandro Diez Macho (ed. D. Munoz Leon; Madrid: Ediciones
Cristiandad, 1986), pp. 828-48.
33. Dfez Macho, Manuscritos hebreos y arameos, p. 47: 17 articles, and in the
same book pp. 223-89.
34. Dfez Macho, different articles in: EstBib 16 (1957), pp. 83-88; 16 (1957),
pp. 283-87; 17 (1958), pp. 229-36; 19 (1960), pp. 75-90; 19 (1960), pp. 245-47;
19 (1960), pp. 361-68.
35. I. Yeivin, The Hebrew Language Tradition as Reflected in the Babylonian
Vocalization (Jerusalem: The Academy of the Hebrew Language, 1985); idem,
Geniza Bible Fragments with Babylonian Massorah and Vocalization. Including
Additional Bible Fragments with Babylonian Massorah and Vocalization, together
with a Description of the Manuscripts and Indices: Pentateuch, Prophets,
Hagiographa, I-V (Jerusalem: Makor, 1973).
36. The MSS are described in A. Diez Macho, 'Descubrimiento de nuevos MSS
babi!6nicos', Sef. 14 (1954), pp. 216-28; idem, 'Nuevos MSS importantes biblicos
o liturgicos en hebreo o arameo', Sef. 16 (1956), pp. 2-22, idem, 'Importants
manuscrits hebreux et arameens aux Etats Unis', VTSup 4 (1957), pp. 27-46.