2 Par 34, 29-33: l’Alliance du roi Josias: nature et protagonistes. Une contribution à l’histoire du texte biblique (Texte massorétique, Septante et Vetus Latina)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to contribute to a better knowledge of the earliest history of the biblical text. The so-called “renewal of the Alliance by King Josias” is analysed in the Septuagint (LXX) (2 Par 34, 29-33) and compared first with the same narrative in the Massoretic text (MT) of the Second Book of Chronicles, then with its source in the Second Book of Kings (2 K 23, 1-3) both in the MT and in the LXX, considering also its Old Latin testimony (Vetus Latina). After having elucidated the possible textual corruptions, the narrative logic of each textual form is investigated in order to establish the probable relative chronology between the witnesses. This inquiry aims to examine and to test A. Schenker’s two hypothesis: 1) the Vorlage of LXX may be an older literary Hebrew form than MT, and 2) Vetus Latina may sometimes be the only witness of the Old Greek and attest to the earliest form of the biblical Hebrew text.