Overview
The translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek was the first major translation in Western culture. Its significance was far-reaching. Without a Greek Bible, European history would have been entirely different - no Western Jewish diaspora and no Christianity. Translation and Survival is a literary and social study of the ancient creators and receivers of the translations, and about their impact. The Greek Bible served Jews who spoke Greek, and made the survival of the first Jewish diaspora possible; indeed, the translators invented the term 'diaspora'. It was a tool for the preservation of group identity and for the expression of resistance. It invented a new kind of language and many new terms. The Greek Bible translations ended up as the Christian Septuagint, taken over along with the entire heritage of Hellenistic Judaism, during the process of the Church's long-drawn-out parting from the Synagogue. Here, a brilliant creation is restored to its original context and to its first owners.
Full Product Details
Author: Tessa Rajak (Professor Emertius of Ancient History, University of Reading, and Member of the Jewish Studies Unit, Oxford University)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 13.70cm
, Height: 2.40cm
, Length: 21.60cm
Weight: 0.492kg
ISBN: 9780199695003
ISBN 10: 0199695008
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 21 July 2011
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
It is to be hoped that Rajak's judicious work will encourage further research; for, as she has shown, the importance of the Septuagint can hardly be exaggerated. For too long it has been largely lost to both Jewish and Christian communities. Rajak dispays a remarkable talent to present a highly complex and broad topic very clearly Canon Anthony Phillips, Church Times A book review cannot possibly do justice to the numerous insights of this detailed and richly argued work Matthew Kraus, H-Judaic Rajak succeeds in bringing together the strands of evidence for a vibrant and even influential Greek Jewish diaspora A.G. Salvesen. Oriental Institute, Oxford an eminently readable, elegantly written, well-researched and fascinating book on the first Jewish Greek Bible translation as a cultural artefact and icon Piet van der Horst, Studia Philonica Annual
It is to be hoped that Rajak's judicious work will encourage further research; for, as she has shown, the importance of the Septuagint can hardly be exaggerated. For too long it has been largely lost to both Jewish and Christian communities. Rajak dispays a remarkable talent to present a highly complex and broad topic very clearly Canon Anthony Phillips, Church Times A book review cannot possibly do justice to the numerous insights of this detailed and richly argued work Matthew Kraus, H-Judaic Rajak succeeds in bringing together the strands of evidence for a vibrant and even influential Greek Jewish diaspora A.G. Salvesen. Oriental Institute, Oxford an eminently readable, elegantly written, well-researched and fascinating book on the first Jewish Greek Bible translation as a cultural artefact and icon Piet van der Horst, Studia Philonica Annual
Author Information
Tessa Rajak is Professor Emeritus of Ancient History, University of Reading, and Member of the Jewish Studies Unit, Oxford University.
