Techniques de traduction de la Septante des Nombres et du Deutéronome, à la lumière du contexte alexandrin
(2025)
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- Authors
- Supervisors
- Ausloos, Hans
- Abstract
- For several decades, several authors have claimed that the Greek Bible, including the Septuagint Pentateuch — the first translation of the Torah into Greek, notable for its scale and uniqueness in bringing together the Semitic and Greek worlds — was influenced by the Egyptian context in which it was translated, particularly Hellenistic Egypt. This thesis aimed to verify this assertion for the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy. The study mainly involved testing several lexical fields or types of words from scratch, with a particular focus on answering the following question: was the choice of the Greek equivalent of a Hebrew word influenced by the Egyptian context of the translation? Was the Greek equivalent a Semitism, a neologism constructed for the occasion, a common Greek word or a word with a specific use? Was it chosen for linguistic or theological reasons? To this end, several lexical fields were explored, including vocabulary relating to the manufacture and arrangement of the candelabra, cardinal points and direction indicators, names of seas, birds that are not to be eaten, food and toponymy. Specific words were considered, such as hapaxes, technical terms and neologisms, but not only these: a large number of common nouns and verbs were also studied. Specifically, the vocabulary used in these two books was compared with that found in Greek literature in general and with Egyptian papyri from the third and second centuries BC in particular. Frequency, meaning and spelling were considered, among other factors. Each word was considered in its context; statistical studies were avoided. As well as Hellenistic Egypt, classical Egypt (with its pyramids, pharaonic dynasties, religion and language) was also considered. Furthermore, the thesis distinguished between the work of the translators of Numbers and Deuteronomy, comparing them to the other books of the Pentateuch. The exploration of the vocabulary of the Septuagint Numbers and Deuteronomy has revealed many aspects of the translation process. In particular, none of the avenues explored has been able to demonstrate a clear trend other than great variability in translation techniques, rich vocabulary and skill in expressing subtle and complex nuances. Traces of Egyptian in the Greek of Numbers and Deuteronomy are extremely rare, with only a few scattered words and geographical aspects worthy of mention. Other expected influences are absent. Conversely, borrowings from Hebrew or Aramaic, which suggest an association with the Greek-speaking Jewish communities of Egypt, are more prevalent. Ultimately, the thesis's conclusions do not contradict the Letter of Aristeas's overall view of the Septuagint: a masterful work produced by the best specialists under the best conditions. However, the aim was not merely to produce a prestigious work, but to create a meticulously crafted text intended for long-term use.
- Affiliations
Citations
Naveau, S. (2025). Techniques de traduction de la Septante des Nombres et du Deutéronome, à la lumière du contexte alexandrin.