$30.00

“McGregor’s dissertation at the Queen’s University of Belfast (under D. F. Payne and G. J. Wenham) studies whether the LXX of Ezekiel came originally from a single translator or from several. After introducing the problem and surveying previous work, M. outlines his methodology, studies the variations in translation of the divine name, and then examines a wider set of phenomena to measure the homogeneity of the text. The careful methodology followed not only heightens one’s confidence in the results, but also serves as a model for other studies. M. recognizes that while variations in translation style may reflect different translators, they may arise instead from other factors. He identifies six: differences in the Vorlage; sensitivity to context; textual variation within the Greek tradition; distribution and frequency of a given item; the translator’s own vocabulary; and changes in a single translator’s style while working through a text. … The results of this study are important, not only for understanding the history of Ezekiel in Greek, but also as an example of careful, sober methodology in biblical linguistics. The attention given to identifying and compensating for influences that could masquerade as the effect being studied, and the balanced use of computers to ease the scholar’s task of data collection and display, while avoiding the seduction of groundless pseudostatistical analysis, are models for scientific study of ancient texts.”
— Leonard Greenspoon, Journal of Biblical Literature

“A substantial contribution to the study of the LXX of Ezekiel.”
— John A. Emerton, Vetus Testamentum