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The Original Language of Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum
Abstract
For all practical purposes, the lengthy and comprehensive essay of Leopold Cohn published in 1898 introduced Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum to modern scholars. To demonstrate that the existing Latin text was a translation from the Greek, Cohn listed individual words presumably transliterated from the Greek (metra, holocaustomata, epomis, cataracte, eremus, etc.), noted that many biblical names were written according to their Greek forms (Abel, Enoc, Noe, Jesus, etc.), and pointed out a few LXX readings implying, as he thought, the use of the Greek Bible. However, on the basis of other names, the frequent use of et to join sentences, as well as the occurrence of idioms as et factum est, responderunt dicentes, etc., Cohn concluded that the work must have been originally written in Hebrew. While these considerations may have some indicative force, they do not really prove the point at issue. It is imperative, therefore, that we uncover more decisive proofs for determining the languages in which LAB has been transmitted.
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In the citing paper
“Scholars who have extensively studied LAB unanimously agree that it was originally written in Hebrew (Jacobson, pp. 210, 215-224;Harrington 1970, pp. 508-514).”
From The case for the Septuagint’s chronology in Genesis 5 and 11 (2018) · cites this paper as Harrington 1970, pp. 508-514
In the citing paper
“But its original language was Hebrew (not Aramaic) and thence it was translated into Greek and thence into Latin.”
From Virgin mother or bastard child? (2003) · cites this paper as Harrington 1970:504
Citations
Cites
Still being checked.
Research works printed but not linked: 20
- Sartatti, 1965, Semantics of Mishnaic Hebrew and Interpretation of the Bible by the Tanna'im, Lešoněnu, 30, 35
- Blaise, 1954, Dictionnaire latin-français des auteurs chrétiens
- Strugnell, 1965, More Psalms of “David,”, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 27, 210
- 1969, Apocalypse syriaque de Baruch, I, Sources chrétiennes, 353
- Black, 1967, An Aramaic Approach to the Gospels and Acts
- Plater, 1926, A Grammar of the Vulgate, 41
- Rönsch, 1869, Itala und Vulgata, 471
- Delcor, 1966, Supplement au dictionnaire de la Bible, 1368
- Kisch, 1949, Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum, Publications in Mediaeval Studies
- Ginzberg, 1916, The Legends of the Jews, 103
- Reider, 1966, Vetus Testamentum, 12, 182
- Thackeray, 1909, A Grammar of the Old Testament in Greek according to the Septuagint, 103
- 10.2307/1450716 · DOI
- Cange, 1733, Glossarium ad scriptores mediae et infimae Latinitatis
- Blass, 1961, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 38
- Meershoek, 1966, Le latin biblique d'après saint Jérôme. Aspects linguistiques de la rencontre entre la Bible et le monde classique, Latinitas Christianorum primaeva
- Souter, 1949, A Glossary of Later Latin to 600 A.D.
- Mottlton, 1920, A Grammar of New Testament Greek, 411
- Beyer, 1962, Semitische Syntax im Neuen Testament. Studien zur Umwelt des NT
- James, 1917, The Biblical Antiquities of Philo, Translations of Early Documents, 248
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Virgin mother or bastard child?
Crossan, J. D. (2003) · HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies · doi:10.4102/hts.v59i3.668 · Cited by 9
The case for the Septuagint’s chronology in Genesis 5 and 11
Smith, H. (2018) · The Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism · doi:10.15385/jpicc.2018.8.1.14
“Scholars who have extensively studied LAB unanimously agree that it was originally written in Hebrew (Jacobson, pp. 210, 215–224; Harrington 1970, pp. 508– 514).”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Harrington, D. J.
- Affiliations
- Weston College (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Harrington, Daniel J.
- Venue
- Harvard Theological Review
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1970-10
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 503-514
- ISSN
- 0017-8160 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-4517
- OpenAlex
- W2132915585
- Cited by
- 21
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2020: 1 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Harvard Theological Review (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Classical Studies and Philology
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis
- Keywords
- Pseudo-Philo, Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum, original language, Hebrew language, Greeks, Latin translation, Septuagint, biblical names, idioms, textual transmission
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- CoChat. (2026). Citation check: The Original Language of Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1017/s0017816000032697
- The paper
- Harrington, D. J. (1970). The Original Language of Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum. Harvard Theological Review. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0017816000032697
