Monday, December 1, 2008

Latin for my study of the New Testament

My interest in Latin came way too late. I'm presently working on a second undergrad degree. I got a minor in Greek with my first degree but for some reason avoided taking Latin. But taking Latin has improved my undertanding of Greek grammar immensely, so I wish I'd taken it sooner.

I got interested in Latin whenever I really began to analyze the textual apparatuses of the New Testament. There is one manuscript in particular that intrigues me: Codex Bezae (= D). This is a diglot codex with Greek on one page and Latin on the other. For centuries scholars have wondered just how authoritative this MS ought to be for the establishing of various New Testament texts. Personally, I don't put much stock in the MS. I find it to have been seriously worked over by some editor or editors. I could explain what exactly I mean by this if anyone's interested, but I suspect that nobody reading this blog is.

One long-term goal that I have is to write a commentary on Codex Bezae, showing its inferiority to other textual traditions. Another is to translate and interact with numerous classical texts related to the New Testament (for example, I'm presently translating a text from Pliny the Elder on the Essenes). I may also try publishing a study guide for students of Hebrew, Greek and Latin. This would be a three column chart, showing all the words that occur at least 10 times in the Old Testament with their equivalent translations into Greek and Latin as defined by the Septuagint and Vulgate.

Michael Flowers

2 comments:

E Pluribus Unum said...

That parenthesis (= D) is the sigla for Codex Bezae, not a smily face sign.

I just thought that might need to be clarified. ;-)

E Pluribus Unum said...

Ha! I did take it to be a smiley sign, but I was missing the eyes...thanks for that medieval input Michael, I do hope you liked those illuminated mss.


:=D

EM