Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Hedrick Gary <GaryH AT cjfm.org>]

Well, Philip, you and Pere are persistent, I'll give you that much.

If we stray too much here, however, the moderators are going to tell us to 
take it to one of the TC groups.

Here's an excerpt on the TC of the OT Hebrew text from the Dictionary for the 
Theological Interpretation of the Bible (Craig G. Bartholomew, Daniel J. 
Treier, and N. T. Wright Associate Editors). Maybe something either here or 
in the bibliography that follows it will provide a spark that will help you 
in some way:

The OT textual critic will be careful to assess a variety of aspects of the 
NT quotation (form, introduction, selection, application, history, and 
function) in the context of the range of developing interpretations in 
intertestamental Judaism. The NT textual critic should be careful to look 
beyond the confines of Christian manuscripts and developments in the early 
church. One needs to assess the form and function of the text in the MT, LXX 
and versions, Qumran, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Hellenistic Judaism in 
Alexandria and elsewhere, and to view the NT’s use of OT texts as a part of 
this larger stream of developing interpretations. What is shared with that 
stream and what is uniquely Christian will come clearly into focus. The 
textual critic, then, as full partner in the interpretative task, offers some 
of the earliest and best data for the theological interpretation of Scripture.

Bibliography
Aland, K., and B. Aland. The Text of the New Testament, trans. E. F. Rhodes. 
Eerdmans, 1987; Bauer, W. Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity, 
trans. G. Strecker. Fortress, 1971; Black, D. A., ed. Rethinking New 
Testament Textual Criticism. Baker, 2002; Ehrman, B. The Orthodox Corruption 
of Scripture. Oxford University Press, 1993; Ehrman, B., and M. Holmes. The 
Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research. Eerdmans, 1995; Epp, E. 
J. “The Multivalence of the Term ‘Original Text’ in New Testament Textual 
Criticism.” HTR 92 (1999): 245–81; Hort, F. J. A., and B. F. Westcott. The 
New Testament in the Original Greek. Cambridge University Press, 1882; 
Housman, A. “The Application of Thought to Textual Criticism.” In Selected 
Prose, ed. J. Carter. Cambridge University Press, 1961; Jobes, K., and M. 
Silva. Invitation to the Septuagint. Baker, 2000; Kilpatrick, G. The 
Principles and Practice of New Testament Textual Criticism, ed. J. Elliott. 
BETL 96. Louvain University Press/Peeters, 1990; Metzger, B. The Text of the 
New Testament. 3d ed. Oxford University Press, 1992; Parker, D. The Living 
Text of the Gospels. Cambridge University Press, 1997; Roberts, C. 
Manuscript, Society and Belief in Early Christian Egypt. Oxford University 
Press, 1979; Tov, E. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. 2d rev. ed. 
Fortress/Royal Van Gorcum, 2001; Vanhoozer, K. Is There a Meaning in This 
Text? Zondervan, 1998.

Gary Hedrick
San Antonio, Texas USA

> From: Philip <philipengmann AT yahoo.com>
> To: Biblical Hebrew list <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Fri, July 1, 2011 1:06:36 AM
> Subject: Range of OT TC Methodologies?
> 
> Dear Listees,
> 
> I am trying to do a PhD Thesis in OT (Old Testament) TC (Textual
> Criticism),
> specifically on the differences between selected texts of the LXX & MT.
> 
> Ideally, I would like to have a range of methodologies, select one, and
> then
> justify the selection of the methodology I have chosen.
> 
> Unfortunately, it appears to me that there are not many types of OT TC,
> since
> the basic concept is to collate the LXX/MT differences and then to evaluate
> them
> using the 'canons' of OT TC as a guideline and the theory of Paul de
> Lagarde as
> a part of the theoretical framework.
> 
> I really would value your thoughts on the matter please.
> 
> Many thanks,
> 
> Philip Engmann,
> PhD cand.