Dec. 5] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY. [1893.
takingas basis A, and giving the various readingsin footnotes. I
haveintroducedthe better readingsinto the Testament, givingthe
originalcorrupted onesin the notes. Thetranslation followsthe
correctedtext.
In comparing this with the Greek version,we are struck by the
greatdisparitybetween the two. In the Hebrew version, whole
chaptersof the Greek are missing, whilstin the Greek, the whole of
the Hebrew is condensed into four and a half chapters, the contents
transposed and mangledalmost beyond recognition. TheGreek
counterpartof the Hebrew makesno sense and has no meaning at
all ; whilst the Hebrew is rounded off, and complete and perfectly
clear.
It is evident that the Greek translatorhas illtreated his original,
and has thus thoroughlychanged the tendency of the Testament.
One of the most curious mistakesof translation occursalso in this
Testament (ch. vi) : " And, behold, therecamea ship sailingby,
full of salted (things, fish ?) (yuec-ro? TafUx,ov)" The translator read
the Hebrew text badly : instead of TX7I2 N75 he read rnQN7D
or rPDO, and translated the word Ta'/,ix°»insteadof sailor.
It turns out afterwards that the ship was filled withall the goods
of the world. Another hand has added then in the Greek the
correcttranslation,"withoutsailorsand pilot."
No less curious and significant is another similarmistake,ch. ii :
" the calamus for health," naXa/tov wpoi v^clav. Sinker himself
cannotmakeout what calamusmeans. It is a bad translation of the
Hebrewn3j?,whichmeansthe windpipe. The translator mistookit
for i"I2p, reed. Hencethe "calamus."
The Testament is modelled afterthe two dreams of Joseph, with
characteristicmodifications. Insteadof giving Josephpreeminence,
he is portrayed hereas the chief causeof the ulterior schismand
ruin. The future of Israel is foretold by the prophetic dreamsof
Naphtali. The riding of Joseph on the bull is undoubtedly based
upon a legendary interpretation of Deuteronomy xxxiii, 1-7.
According to a later legend, Joshua rode upon a bull at the
conquestof Canaan.
The historicalallusionsare perfectly transparent. In Hebrew
literaturewe find also parallelsto the 70 angels presidingoverthe
fate of the 70 nations.
Very interesting are then the parallels to the last chapter
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