The translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek was the first major translation in Western culture. Its significance was far-reaching. Without a Greek Bible, European history would have been entirely different - no Western Jewish diaspora and no Christianity. Translation and Survival is a literary and social study of the ancient creators and receivers of the translations, and about their impact. The Greek Bible served Jews who spoke Greek, and made the survival of the first Jewish diaspora possible; indeed, the translators invented the term 'diaspora'. It was a tool for the preservation of group identity and for the expression of resistance. It invented a new kind of language and many new terms. The Greek Bible translations ended up as the Christian Septuagint, taken over along with the entire heritage of Hellenistic Judaism, during the process of the Church's long-drawn-out parting from the Synagogue. Here, a brilliant creation is restored to its original context and to its first owners.
Tessa Rajak is Professor Emeritus of Ancient History, University of Reading, and Member of the Jewish Studies Unit, Oxford University.
Introduction ; 1. The Letter of Aristeas between History and Myth ; 2. Going Greek: Culture and Power in Ptolemaic Alexandria ; 3. The Jewish Diaspora in Graeco-Roman Antiquity ; 4. Staying Jewish: Language and Identity in the Greek Bible ; 5. Themes of Power and Subversion in the Greek Bible ; 6. The Uses of Scripture in Hellenistic Judaism ; 7. Scripture in Action: Parallels and Myths ; 8. The Bible among Greeks and Romans ; 9. The Septuagint between Jews and Christians ; Introduction ; 1. The Letter of Aristeas between History and Myth ; 2. Going Greek: Culture and Power in Ptolemaic Alexandria ; 3. The Jewish Diaspora in Graeco-Roman Antiquity ; 4. Staying Jewish: Language and Identity in the Greek Bible ; 5. Themes of Power and Subversion in the Greek Bible ; 6. The Uses of Scripture in Hellenistic Judaism ; 7. Scripture in Action: Parallels and Myths ; 8. The Bible among Greeks and Romans ; 9. The Septuagint between Jews and Christians
It is to be hoped that Rajak's judicious work will encourage further research; for, as she has shown, the importance of the Septuagint can hardly be exaggerated. For too long it has been largely lost to both Jewish and Christian communities. Rajak dispays a remarkable talent to present a highly complex and broad topic very clearly