On the Latin Transcription of Hebrew and Aramaic Proper Names in the Latin Talmud (Tractate Sanhedrin). Phonetic Features of the Translation

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this paper is to provide a linguistic and onomastic description of the proper names and other Hebrew biblical realia transcribed and translated into Latin in the Talmudic tractate of Sanhedrin (thirteenth century). The Latin translation of Sanhedrin is a part of the Talmudic corpus known as Extractiones de Talmud; it is the largest Latin translation of the Talmud and was produced in Paris by Christian theologians in the 1240s. While the Extractiones are a quite exhaustive translation of the Talmud, they are not complete, but offer a selection of different Talmudic tractates that were of theological interest in order to strengthen the Christian faith in a context of anti-Jewish polemic. An onomastic approach to the Latin Sanhedrin will allow us to describe philologically the Hebrew words underlying the Latin transcription. It will also give us information about the criteria of transcription followed by the Latin translators of the Talmud.