The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context
The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context
GORDON Alexander Sperber and the Study of the Targums 93 departure from Bonn in 1933. Moreover, the developments that were responsible for his leaving Germany also interfered with his arrangements for the publication of his editions there. 5 Because of the prospect of a long delay in publication Sperber published specimens of his work in article form in 1935 6 and again in 1945. 7 The first presents what is essentially ch. VA in volume IVB of The Bible in Aramaic ('The Hebrew Vorlage of the Targum: A. The Pentateuch'), while the second gives a text and apparatus for the Targum of 1 Sam. 17, with Ms Or. 2210 of the British Library serving as basic text. We know from Sperber's own comments that volumes I and II of The Bible in Aramaic may have been ready as early as 1931, 8 and it is likely that a draft of volume III was completed within a few years of that date. Diez Macho reports that all the originals of Sperber's editions were in existence in 1949 9 when Sperber paid a visit to Barcelona. While there Sperber generously made his work available to Diez Macho. So the preparation of Sperber's targumic material was completed at an early stage, and the years between completion and publication were taken up largely with historical Hebrew grammar and, perhaps, some of the laborious transcribing and retranscribing of Targum material mentioned in the foreword to volume IVB. None of the newer developments and none of the new gods of the targumic world found their way into volumes I-IVA nor, except in the merest concessionary way, into volume IVB. There is not so much as a mention, anywhere, of Codex Neofiti 1, notes Diez Macho its chief sponsor. 10 Of course, as Diez Macho informs us in volume 1 of the editio princeps, Sperber did not believe in Neofiti: 'This ms Neofiti 1 contains NO genuine 5. This phase of Sperber's life is mentioned briefly in his article, 'The Targum Onkelos in its Relation to the Masoretic Hebrew Text', PAAJR 6 (1934-35), pp. 310-11. 6. "The Targum Onkelos', pp. 309-51 (315-51). 7. 'Specimen of a Targum Edition', in S. Lieberman et al. (eds.), Louis Ginzberg Jubilee Volume (New York: American Academy for Jewish Research, 1945), pp. 293-303. He notes (p. 293 n. 1) that the prospects for the publication of his Targum editions were improving ('as soon as the world returns to normalcy again'). 8. "The Targum Onkelos', p. 311. 9. JSJ 6 (1975), p. 217. Diez Macho indicates that most of what he saw was in photocopy (sic). 10. 75/6(1975), p. 218.
94 The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context Targum at all, but it is a clumsy attempt to imitate the Targum-style and create a Targum-text.' * ! It may even be that Sperber regarded Neofiti 1 as 'a Christian composition', as was suggested to Diez Macho. 12 Thus Sperber anticipated the questions of Goshen-Gottstein about the status of Neofiti 1, even if Goshen-Gottstein's raising of the possibility of editorial 'trimming' in the sixteenth century fell far short of Sperber's outright rejection of this Targum. 13 II In volume IVB Sperber recounts how in 1923, while still an undergraduate, he 'just happened to be reading the book of Jeremiah' when he encountered a problem at 11.14 and then the apparent solution in the Targum of the verse. 'Surprisingly, this reading was not quoted in Kittel's Biblia Hebraica (in its edition of 1905 [sic], which in those days was The Biblia Hebraica) nor in any Biblical commentary' (pp. 15-16). Sperber wrote to Rudolf Kittel informing him of his 'discovery' and observing that there were many other such non- Masoretic readings reflected in the Targum text but not reported in Biblia Hebraica. 14 Equally, many of the supposed variants actually attributed to the targumic Vorlage were explicable in terms of the targumic translation method, and the greater part of the letter is taken up with this aspect of Biblia Hebraica. Sperber listed and briefly discussed fourteen citations of the Targum in the Biblia Hebraica edition of Jeremiah, twelve of which wrongly attributed non-Masoretic readings to the targumic Vorlage. He ended his letter by volunteering his assistance to Kittel in connection with the Targum material in the new (third) edition of Biblia Hebraica. The letter was not acknowledged at the time, but later, when Sperber was working on the revision of Biblia Hebraica as an assistant editor to Kittel, he found it in a 11. Neophyti 7,1: Genesis (Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 1968), p. 42.* Dfez Macho is quoting from a letter that Sperber wrote to him on 9th October, 1960. 12. Neophyti 1, V: Deuteronomio (Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 1978), p. 85.* 13. M.H. Goshen-Gottstein, "The "Third Targum" on Esther and Ms. Neofiti 1', Bib 56 (1975), pp. 301-29 (312-15). 14. The letter is reproduced in The Bible in Aramaic, IVB, between pp. 16 and 17.
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94 <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 />
Targum at all, but it is a clumsy attempt to imitate the Targum-style<br />
and create a Targum-text.' * ! It may even be that Sperber regarded<br />
Neofiti 1 as 'a Christian composition', as was suggested to Diez<br />
Macho. 12 Thus Sperber anticipated the questions of Goshen-Gottste<strong>in</strong><br />
about the status of Neofiti 1, even if Goshen-Gottste<strong>in</strong>'s rais<strong>in</strong>g of the<br />
possibility of editorial 'trimm<strong>in</strong>g' <strong>in</strong> the sixteenth century fell far<br />
short of Sperber's outright rejection of this Targum. 13<br />
II<br />
In volume IVB Sperber recounts how <strong>in</strong> 1923, while still an undergraduate,<br />
he 'just happened to be read<strong>in</strong>g the book of Jeremiah' when<br />
he encountered a problem at 11.14 and then the apparent solution <strong>in</strong><br />
the Targum of the verse. 'Surpris<strong>in</strong>gly, this read<strong>in</strong>g was not quoted <strong>in</strong><br />
Kittel's Biblia Hebraica (<strong>in</strong> its edition of 1905 [sic], which <strong>in</strong> those<br />
days was <strong>The</strong> Biblia Hebraica) nor <strong>in</strong> any Biblical commentary' (pp.<br />
15-16). Sperber wrote to Rudolf Kittel <strong>in</strong>form<strong>in</strong>g him of his<br />
'discovery' and observ<strong>in</strong>g that there were many other such non-<br />
Masoretic read<strong>in</strong>gs reflected <strong>in</strong> the Targum text but not reported <strong>in</strong><br />
Biblia Hebraica. 14 Equally, many of the supposed variants actually<br />
attributed to the targumic Vorlage were explicable <strong>in</strong> terms of the<br />
targumic translation method, and the greater part of the letter is taken<br />
up with this aspect of Biblia Hebraica. Sperber listed and briefly discussed<br />
fourteen citations of the Targum <strong>in</strong> the Biblia Hebraica edition<br />
of Jeremiah, twelve of which wrongly attributed non-Masoretic<br />
read<strong>in</strong>gs to the targumic Vorlage. He ended his letter by volunteer<strong>in</strong>g<br />
his assistance to Kittel <strong>in</strong> connection with the Targum material <strong>in</strong> the<br />
new (third) edition of Biblia Hebraica. <strong>The</strong> letter was not acknowledged<br />
at the time, but later, when Sperber was work<strong>in</strong>g on the revision<br />
of Biblia Hebraica as an assistant editor to Kittel, he found it <strong>in</strong> a<br />
11. Neophyti 7,1: Genesis (Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones<br />
Cientificas, 1968), p. 42.* Dfez Macho is quot<strong>in</strong>g from a letter that Sperber wrote to<br />
him on 9th October, 1960.<br />
12. Neophyti 1, V: Deuteronomio (Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones<br />
Cientificas, 1978), p. 85.*<br />
13. M.H. Goshen-Gottste<strong>in</strong>, "<strong>The</strong> "Third Targum" on Esther and Ms. Neofiti 1',<br />
Bib 56 (1975), pp. 301-29 (312-15).<br />
14. <strong>The</strong> letter is reproduced <strong>in</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Bible</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Aramaic</strong>, IVB, between pp. 16 and<br />
17.
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