The T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research ed. by William A. Ross and W. Edward Glenny

Abstract

Reviewed by: The T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research ed. by William A. Ross and W. Edward Glenny Bradley C. Gregory william a. ross and w. edward glenny (eds.), The T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research (London: T&T Clark, 2021). Pp. xxvi + 486. $175. As scholarship on the Septuagint has continued to flourish in recent decades, there has been a need for an up-to-date work that not only introduces the Septuagint itself but introduces the field of Septuagint scholarship. This excellent volume, edited by William A. Ross and W. Edward Glenny, provides just such a status quaestionis and thus serves as the complement to the book-by-book introduction, The T&T Clark Companion to the Septuagint, edited by James A. Aitken (London: T&T Clark, 2015). In the "Introduction," R. orients the reader to the field by giving a brief overview of the history of Septuagint scholarship, noting landmark works, and then discusses the aims of this handbook. Each chapter follows a similar format and is "intended to introduce the reader to key research topics, familiarize the major views and debates, and equip readers to undertake research in that area of Septuagint scholarship themselves" (p. 4). Chapters also discuss important tools and current research questions in the field and conclude with a short, annotated bibliography that serves as an ideal starting point for further reading. Part 1 ("Origins") features two contributions: James K. Aitken, "The Origins and Social Context of the Septuagint"; and Marieke Dhont, "Septuagint Translation Technique and Jewish Hellenistic Exegesis." Part 2 ("Language") contains five essays: Pete Myers, "Septuagint Transcriptions and Phonology"; Patrick Pouchelle, "Septuagint Lexicography"; Christopher J. Fresch, "The Septuagint and Discourse Grammar"; Eberhard Bons, "The Septuagint and Greek Style"; and Myrto Theocharous, "The Septuagint and Biblical Intertextuality." Part 3 ("Text") includes seven essays: José Manuel Cañas Reíllo, "The Septuagint and Textual Criticism of the Greek Versions"; John Screnock, "The Septuagint and Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible"; Gideon R. Kotzé, "The Septuagint and Qumran"; Ville [End Page 527] Mäkipelto, "The Septuagint and the Major Recensions"; Claude Cox, "The Septuagint and the Secondary Versions"; Peter J. Gentry, "The Septuagint and Origen's Hexapla"; and John Meade, "The Septuagint and the Biblical Canon." Part 4 ("Reception") contains six essays: Benjamin G. Wright III, "The Septuagint and Second Temple Judaism"; Steve Moyise, "The Septuagint in the New Testament"; Edmon L. Gallagher, "The Septuagint in Patristic Sources"; Cameron Boyd-Taylor, "The Septuagint in Byzantine Judaism"; Mikhail G. Seleznev, "The Septuagint in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition"; and Scott Mandelbrote, "The Septuagint in Early Modern Europe." Part 5 ("Theology, Translation, and Commentary") includes four essays: Glenny, "The Septuagint and Theology"; Ross, "The Septuagint and Modern Language Translations"; Robert J. V. Hiebert, "The Septuagint: The Text as Produced"; and Stanley E. Porter, "The Septuagint: A Greek-Text Oriented Approach." Part 6 ("Survey of Literature") contains just one essay: Jennifer Brown Jones, "The Septuagint and Contemporary Study." This essay is a nice jumping off point for readers since it presents in an organized way how to find everything from text editions, to tools, to more extensive bibliographies and literature surveys, to electronic databases, and even to professional societies. The editors have also included an extensive glossary of terms found frequently in Septuagint research but which may be unfamiliar to some readers. By keeping the chapters relatively short (ca. 15 pages each), an impressive range of topics is able to be covered, especially for a one-volume work. Moreover, the authors of the essays, all highly regarded in the field, have also done an excellent job of distilling the most important issues and scholarship for the reader. The discussions are therefore crisp and concise without sacrificing depth or nuance. The allotment of a quarter of the volume to issues of reception, along with Meade's chapter on the issue of the biblical canon, is most welcome and will enable scholars in adjacent fields to enter into interdisciplinary dialogue with Septuagint studies. This volume will be particularly useful for graduate students preparing to enter the field as well as scholars who need to get up to speed on a particular area of scholarly discussion. But for anyone...