Abstract
In this chapter, I survey modern Western editions and translations of an ancient Jewish text, called First Enoch, surviving in Aramaic, Greek, and Ge'ez. After introducing the work, I analyze the editions and translations regarding how they deal with possible displacements of a text or later interpolations in the text, and how they interact with greatly differing textual traditions. Some of the sources edit and translate diplomatically one text of a work, whereas many conflate different textual traditions and reconstruct a hypothetical source text. Especially in the latter case, the de facto source text has changed significantly in 168 years, often mirroring the ongoing scholarly discussions. The translator always plays a crucial role in constructing the source text.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | A (Re)turn to the Source Text |
| Editors | Malin Carlström, Richard Pleijel |
| Place of Publication | Amsterdam |
| Publisher | John Benjamins |
| Chapter | 10 |
| Pages | 199-228 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9789027243973 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789027233912 |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2026 |
| MoE publication type | A3 Part of a book or another research book |
Publication series
| Name | Benjamins Translation Library |
|---|---|
| Publisher | John Benjamins |
| Volume | 169 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0929-7316 |
Keywords
- source text
- textual criticism
- ancient texts
- First Enoch
- Ethiopic
- Greek
- Aramaic
- manuscripts
- compilative translation
- indirect translation
- translation studies
- Exegetics