The canonicity of the book was questioned by some in ancient judaism and early christianity. The two targums of esther download ebook pdf, epub. The two targums of esther download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. The cal is a text base of the aramaic texts in all dialects from the earliest 9 th century bce through the th century ce, currently with a database of approximately 2. First, the targum rishon says that mordecai prayed for seven days. In addition, there is for the law the targum yerushalmi, another recension of which is called targum yonathan ben uzziel. The two targums just described represent the judaic aramaic. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. Some of the apocryphal additions to esther appear in a late targum to that book. Targums of ruth and chronicles volume 19 aramaic bible. The book of esther described part of the jewish diaspora that stayed behind in persia and did not return to jerusalem during the restoration. Targums hastings dictionary of the bible bible dictionary. This introductory article acquaints the reader with a fascinating, ancient translation of the scroll of esther, the socalled targum to esther. The book ends with mordecai as the kings chief minister.
Esther s uncle, mordecai, appears first as an adoptive father, whose solicitude for esther leads him to the kings gate, where he foils a plot to assassinate the king. Biblical literature biblical literature greek additions to esther. Ahasuerus, a name which is confirmed by other greek translations, the latin vulgate, the targums, and the syriac translation. The targums are important to biblical scholars for several reasons. Second translation, a collection of homilies in aramaic on the book of esther scroll of esther.
Robert appleton company, 1912 targum is the distinctive designation of the aramaic translations or paraphrases of the old testament. It includes the aramaic text, variant readings, lexical form tags to assist the reader in looking up words, and. This translation exists in several versions, and therefore it is better to use the plural and speak of the targums to. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. Click download or read online button to get the two targums of esther book now. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. The official targums of the law and the prophets approach more nearly the character of translations, though even in them verses are at times explained rather than translated.
What is called the magillat esther scroll of esther is part of the biblical group of books in the hagiographa known as the five megillot, designating esther, the scrolls of canticles, ruth, lamentations, and ecclesiastes. The source of this digital edition of the second targum to esther comes from the comprehensive aramaic lexicon project at hebrew union collegejewish institute of religion, cincinnati, usa. The targum was to be read after every verse of the parashiyyot of the pentateuch, and after every third verse of the lesson from the prophets. From palestine, the tradition of targum to ketuvim made its way to italy, and from there to medieval ashkenaz and sepharad. The value and significance of the targumstranslations of the hebrew bible into aramaic, the language of palestinian jews for centuries following the babylonian exilelie in their approach to translation.
However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The whole scroll is now in the shrine of the book museum in jerusalem. One approach to chronicles would suggest that it was not considered an altogether vital component in the canon. But many of the targums also have detailed summaries of the translation techniques used, the relationship of the targums to each other like the two esther targums or neofiti and onqelos on the pentateuch, the relation of the targums to other rabbinic writings, the halakha laws, midrash interpretation and haggadah legends, the. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. This translation exists in several versions, and therefore it is better to use the plural and speak of the targums to esther. To bring the canonical book uptodate in connection with contemporary anti. Targum sheni was written in byzantine palestine before the rise of islam and then used in islams textual construction of. This translation exists in several versions, and therefore it is better to use the plural and speak of. In the book of esther this information is casually presented as unimportant, but comes up later in the story. A late targum on chronicles has been found and published separately. The aramaic bible volume 18 the two targums of esther translated, with apparatus and notes by bernard grossfeld a michael glazierz book the liturgical press. The targum of chronicles is quite late, possibly medieval. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai.
After the return from exile aramaic gradually won the ascendancy as the colloquial language over the slowly decaying hebrew until, from probably the last century before the christian era, hebrew was hardly more than the language of the schools and of worship. Michael sokoloff, the targums to the book of esther, barilan university s parashat hashavua study center, parashat tezavehzakhor 5764 march 6, 2004 a b s. Apr 30, 20 but many of the targums also have detailed summaries of the translation techniques used, the relationship of the targums to each other like the two esther targums or neofiti and onqelos on the pentateuch, the relation of the targums to other rabbinic writings, the halakha laws, midrash interpretation and haggadah legends, the. It is so extensive that despite its name it can hardly be regarded as a translation. Biblical literature greek additions to esther britannica. Two targums of esther aramaic bible vol 18 grossfield, bernard on. Admit its historical character and all is easywe have an adequate cause assigned for the visible effects. The best known of these is the socalled targum of onkelos, which was one of the earliest targums to be written down. Song of songs, ruth, lamentations, ecclesiastes, esther.
Targum is the distinctive designation of the aramaic translations or paraphrases of the old testament. Targums of ruth and chronicles volume 19 aramaic bible mcivor, j. According to the talmud, it was a redaction by the great assembly of an original text by mordecai. The targums are the aramaic translationsor rather paraphrasesof the books of the old testament, and, in their earliest form, date from the time when aramaic superseded hebrew as the spoken language of the jews. The ancient jewish rabbis offer several speculations as to why in the aramaic targums ancient versionparaphrase of the hebrew scriptures. This is not merely because the book, in comparison to the frequented oases of inspired scripture, is an uninviting wilderness. The book of esther describes the jewish heroine esther, who saved the jewish people in persia from annihilation during the reign of king xerxes i ahasuerus of persia, who ruled from 486 to 465 bc. The hebrew book of esther had a religious and social value to the jews during the time of greek and roman antisemitism, though the hebrew short story did not directly mention gods intervention in historyand even god himself is not named. Excepting the scroll of esther, which might be read by two persons in turn, only one person might read the targum, as the pentateuch or prophetic section also was read by a single person. They are a witness to the hebrew bible text as it existed in the first few centuries ce, and references to them are frequent in the apparatus of the biblia hebraica. Kaufman, cal targum texts, text base and variants, the comprehensive aramaic lexicon, hebrew union. The textual lineaments of three medieval identities.
Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. For example, commentator mervin breneman writes, vashti was ordered so because of three prior events not mentioned in the book of esther. Pdf the targums to esther, in european judaism, 47. The second targum to esther is an ancient aramaic translation of the hebrew book of esther. Email citation this is the only booklength introduction to the targums and their study that takes into account the new targum texts and the implications of their analysis to date. On the other hand, the name xerxes is actually the appropriate greek derivation of the kings persian name, khsyay. These five scrolls play an integral part in jewish liturgy next to the pentateuch. The fact that none of the events that happened in the movie happened in the book really saddens me. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press.
The targum sheni second targum is an aramaic translation and elaboration of the book of esther, that embellishes the biblical account with considerable new apocryphal material, not on the face of it directly related to the esther story. Subsequent to esther, ezra leads a second return to the land of israel about 20 to 30 years later in 458 bc under artaxerxes ezra 7. But when the dead sea scrolls were finally translated, we saw every book of the old testamentexcept one, estherhad some fragment in it or whatever. If this is what the movie is called, let it be true to its story. Including some of them with the whole scroll, like isaiah, the entire book, all sixty. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and made it known to esther who passed the news to the king. While any translation of the scriptures may in hebrew be called a targum, the word is used especially for a translation of a book of the hebrew bible into. The first targum to esther by bernard grossfeld, august 1983, sepher hermon pr edition, paperback in english. Mar 01, 2014 the targums to esther the targums to esther damsma, alinda 20140301 00. Esther this is a hebrew name from the term myrtle bdb 2, from the targums, cf. Cmrs roundtable the second targum of the book of esther, a translation of esther from hebrew into aramaic, contains material about solomon and sheba not found in the hebrew esther, but found in the koran. The megillat esther book of esther became the last of the 24 books of the tanakh to be canonized by the sages of the great assembly.
Kaufman, cal targum texts, text base and variants, the comprehensive aramaic lexicon, hebrew union college jewish institute of religion. May 04, 2016 cmrs roundtable the second targum of the book of esther, a translation of esther from hebrew into aramaic, contains material about solomon and sheba not found in the hebrew esther, but found in the koran. Since the pentateuch in its entirety was read consecutively in the successive weekly synagogue services, the targums of the pentateuch were particularly important. The place of the book of esther in the christian bible.
For printed editions of these, reference may be made to the bibliographies given in schurer, hjp note. The targumim of psalms, proverbs, and job are generally treated as a unit, as are the targumim of the five scrolls esther has a longer second targum as well. The targums that require most to be considered are the official targums, those that are given in the rabbinic bibles in columns parallel with the columns of hebrew. The first targum to esther august 1983 edition open library. The book of esther chapter 1 the kings banquets and queen. When he learns of the edict against the jews, he encourages esther to confront the king.
The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. It is possible that esther was hadassahs throne name, but this is unsubstantiated. This is the only book length introduction to the targums and their study that takes into account the new targum texts and the implications of their analysis to date.
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