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 Classroom Forum
Introduction
 Deciphering
Close Reading
Asking Questions
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Deciphering
We have seen that modern editions of the Bible are end products
of a long and complex textual history. Textual corruptions are
readily apparent (repetitions of letters and words, missing letters,
etc.). The work of reconstructing the most authoritative text
possible, based on ancient languages, manuscripts and early translations
is known as 'lower criticism.' I guess the Masoretes in their
own way were trying to do the same thing. We will not be engaged in this.
Ideally, lower criticism lays the groundwork for the second stage
of Biblical study known as higher criticism (or historical or
literary criticism). This discipline seeks to understand what
the biblical author intended, and the historical forces that influenced
the production of their work. This generally is not our approach
either.
Fragment of cuneiform writing of Enuma Elish (When On High)
This Babylonian epic parallels the Biblical creation story.
Generally, when we read the text (especially in translation) we
are accepting the translator's understanding. We are allowing
the editor to bridge the gap between the ancient document to us,
the modern reader. We do not have the scholarly backgrounds to
properly confront these problems. A biblical scholar needs to
know several ancient languages (Sumerian, Akkadian, Ugaritic),
and history, as well as study archaeology, ancient Near Eastern
documents, Greek and Latin, compare ancient manuscripts, Rabbinic
interpretations, etc.
Why is the Bible difficult to understand? As we have already discussed,
every message needs to be interpreted by the receiver. But, the
Biblical text is further complicated by the fact that it is an
ancient, written document. This means that we don't always know
how the biblical author intended us to read the text. Here are
some examples:
- Ancient language
Archaelogists have not yet ;-} discovered a Bible-English dictionary.
When the Torah uses words that appear only once that we cannot
determine from context, how are we to understand it. A few examples:
the list of birds in Lev. 11 (the JPS footnote reads: a number
of these cannot be identified with certainty. Plaut explains (Lev.
11:5) shafan as daman, a member of the hyrax. He notes: earlier
translations 'cony' and 'rock badger' are misleading... (We will
discuss translation in the next module).
- Ancient Way of Life
The Torah refers to a life that archaeologists are attempting
to reconstruct. But evidence is often fragmentary. What were the
birthstools that the Israelites used? What about books that are
referred to in Torah that are lost to us? Isn't this written in
the Book of Yashar (Josh. 10:13)
- Vowels/Punctuation
The Masoretes, we learned, added the symbols we now use as vowels
and singing notes (that provide punctuation).
Punctuate this sentence: He said I am going.
Which was meant?
He said, "I am going." means he is going.
He said I am going. means I am going.
Hebrew is a language written without vowels, much to the frustration
of beginning Hebrew students. Clearly, depending on what you think
the vowels are can affect the meaning.
- Transmission Errors
We have already seen that sometimes the text is not clear- perhaps
because it was garbled through its centuries of transmission.
Ancient translations sometimes give us a clue to variant possibly
correct readings.
We assume the [English, (usually)] text before us is the best
possible rendering, before we begin OUR task, of interpreting
it. And our first step in that task is to learn how to read it.
But let us always remember, that we are ASSUMING that the text
says what we have before us. We will see one way of not taking
the [English translation] text for granted in the next module.
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