NML320H1

Targum - Aramaic Bible Translations

This course is an intensive study of various Aramaic Bible translations (Targumim) to the Pentateuch: Onkelos, Pseudo-Jonathan, Neophyti, Samaritan and Syriac (both transliterated into Hebrew letters), and Fragment Targumim. A comparative study of the Targumim will be made in reference to vocabulary, syntax, verb usage, and translation strategies. We will address their relationship to the Palestinian midrashim. Students will learn to use the online Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon and the relevant dictionaries and grammars. The texts studied will be from legal sections of the Pentateuch, generally from Deuteronomy on levirate marriage or war captives, Exodus on abortion and personal injury, as well as narrative sections from Genesis such as the Garden of Eden, the binding of Isaac, and the accounts of the Matriarchs.