[Download] "Vetus Latina: Esther" by Scriptural Research Institute " eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Vetus Latina: Esther
- Author : Scriptural Research Institute
- Release Date : January 23, 2021
- Genre: Bible Studies,Books,Religion & Spirituality,Judaism,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 255 KB
Description
The Vetus Latina is a collection of Latin language translations of the ancient Israelite texts, mainly based on the Greek language Septuagint translation. Not all of the Vetus Latina books were translated from the Septuagint though, as some were translated from versions of the ancient texts that do not otherwise survive to the present. The Vetus Latina's version of Esther is one of the books not translated from either the Septuagint or proto-Masoretic versions of Esther, and therefore, is the fourth primary source for the Book of Esther. The Vetus Latina, which translates as 'Old Latin,' were the texts in use in the Latin-speaking regions of the Roman Empire, prior to the Orthodox Church ordering an official translation into Latin, which was created by Jerome, between 382 and 405 AD. Jerome's translation was initially made from the Septuagint, however, in 390 AD he switched to using Hebrew versions of the books that were in use among Rabbinical Jews at the time, resulting in a proto-Masoretic-based hybrid translation.
Dating the Vetus Latina is more difficult than the Septuagint, as it was the work of many individual translators over several centuries. The bulk of the work is believed to have been done between 330 BC and 50 AD by Judeans living within the expanding Roman Empire, however, around 50 AD the Latin-speaking Christians began using the texts as well. After Jerome translated the Vulgate bible, published in 405 AD, the Vetus Latina continued in use alongside the Vulgate in the Catholic countries until the 1300s. While the Vetus Latina is by nature a Latin translation of the ancient Israelite scriptures, the translations were generally made from existing Greek translations, and in the case of the Book of Esther, not from either the Vaticanus or Alpha versions.
The Vetus Latina version of Esther contains specific references that prove it was originally a Greek translation, including the scribal note that clarifies that the month of Nisan in the text was the month of Andicus, which was the Latin translation of Xanthicos (Ξανθικός) on the Macedonian calendar. The Macedonian calendar was the official calendar of Alexander's Empire and was continued in the Seleucid Empire after he died. In Egypt, the Ptolemys adopted the Egyptian Civil Calendar, and renamed the Egyptian months the names of months found in the Athenian calendar. This, therefore, proves that the original Greek source text for the Vetus Latina, was translated in either Alexander's Empire, or the subsequent Seleucid Empire. As the Vetus Latina is missing references to the month of Adar-Nisan, it is likely it was translated into Greek sometime after 247 AD.
The Vetus Latina version of Esther includes several structural and theological differences from the other three copies of Esther. The biggest theological difference is that more of the actions in the book are attributed to Mordecai, instead of other people in the king's court, and Mordecai being a prophet. The Rabbinical tradition had never recognized Mordecai as a prophet, although Esther is considered a prophet. The Vetus Latina also includes a reference to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which was likely added when the book was translated into Greek. This reference to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was far more common among the Israelite priesthoods that Ezra had ejected from the Second Temple in 351 BC. Many of these other Israelites lived in the region around Damascus, and had since the time of David.