Nov.6] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCH.EOLOGY. [fi9U
THE UNKNOWN ARAMAIC ORIGINAL OF THEODO-
TION'S ADDITIONSTOTHE BOOK OFDANIEL.By Dr. Gaster.I. Introduction.It is an universally admitted fact,whichno one acquainted with
the Greek translations of the Bible will venture to contradict, that
the real work of Theodotion consisted in correcting and altering
the old Greek translationknown as the LXX, in accordance with
the Hebrew text. Notmuchhas been preservedof that improved
edition of the LXX madeby Theodotion, but the fragments alone
wouldsuffice to show his absolute dependenceupon the Hebrew
original.
Much more clearly is this fact evidenced by the whole
book of Daniel, which has come down to us entirely in
Theodotion's version. The translation of the LXX must have
deviatedverymuchfromthe original, so much so as to induce the
Church from very ancienttimesto eliminate it from the official
service,andto substitute for it that othertranslationof Theodotion.
(TheLXX text has,as is well known,cometo light in the last
century, and has been often reprinted.) The differencesextend
alsoto the apocryphal additions,whichare missing in our canon,
at any rate in the Hebrew canon of the Scriptures. These
differencesdo not appear to be very great, but it is questionable
whether Theodotion's text hasnot beenaltered afterthatof the
LXX. Even in this formthere are,however, marked differences
whichcannotbe explained, unlesswe admit thatTheodotionhad a
certainoriginal beforehis eyes, exactlyas was the case withthe rest
of the book. He corrected and amended the old translation, being
guidedby the language of that original. It would appear,otherwise,
at least singularthathe should haveattempteda similar processof
correction,if there was not such an original text to guide him. The
presumption,<i priori, is, therefore, thatalsofor those portionswhich
are now counted amongthe Apocrypha an original in a Semitic
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