There has been a proliferation of primary research on the Septuagint of late. This state of affairs can be attributed to a number of factors, such as novel research projects, the publication of texts, and the development of appropriate methodological insights. It is fortunate that studies on the Septuagint continued unabated in the face of the enormous challenges posed by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many conferences moved online in 2020 to allow colleagues, who could not meet in person, to share their research and network; the annual LXXSA conference was no exception. With the expert help of Dr. Peter Nagel and Prof. Chris de Wet, the virtual conference was held on 5–6 September 2020 and 19 papers were presented. This volume contains most of the papers that were presented during the virtual conference, together with several invited contributions.
Siegfried Kreuzer was invited because of his expertise in the study of the history of the Septuagint. Russell Gmirkin has a provocative approach to the historical context of the Septuagint and its Hebrew source text. For his chapter in this volume, he provides a helpful outline of his views, which he has presented in more detail in a series of books and articles. In another invited chapter, Gert Prinsloo examines Hab 2:1–4 and argues that an explanation of the perceived variants in this problematic passage requires a contextual reading of each individual textual witness and a careful comparison of these witnesses. Martin Rösel and Wolfgang Kraus have done ground-breaking research, inter alia, in connection with Septuaginta Deutsch. Their chapters on anthropology in the Greek Psalter and atonement and forgiveness in the book of Sirach are revised versions of papers they presented at annual meetings of the SBL. Larry Perkins of Trinity Western University is another renowned Septuagint scholar who accepted the invitation to make a contribution to this volume. He is preparing a commentary on LXX Exodus for the SBLCS series and, in his chapter, tackles the topic of divine distinctiveness in the Greek translation of Exodus. Herrie van Rooy looks at the complex issue of the translation of poetry and discusses how the translator of LXX Ezekiel rendered poetical features in the Hebrew text of Chapter 19. LXXSA follows the example of the IOSCS and focuses on the study of the Septuagint, as well as topics in related areas of research (cognate studies). Therefore, Gudrun Lier’s chapter on masks in the Hebrew Bible, Targum, and Talmud and Nicholas Allen’s contribution on the theology of the Sadducees are also included in the volume.
The title of the volume points to the African, and more specifically, Southern African context in which much of the research for the chapters in the volume have been conducted. Indeed, most of the contributions are by South African scholars. At the same time, the volume is international in its scope and we are thrilled that long-time and new friends of LXXSA have agreed to submit chapters.
The contributions to this volume present the results of original research in the Septuagint and related fields of study. They cover a variety of topics that belong to six broad areas of research: the historical context of the Septuagint, narrative and wisdom writings included in Septuagint corpora, anthropology and theology, the Septuagint and other ancient translations, as well as the language of the Septuagint. The volume’s wide range of subjects means that the chapters will appeal to scholars and specialists in different fields of expertise who are interested in the Septuagint.
All the contributions have been subjected to more than one round of peer review and we take this opportunity to thank all the reviewers for their critical comments, constructive criticisms, and helpful suggestions.
We are especially grateful to Prof. Dr. Christl Maier and the editorial board of Supplements to Vetus Testamentum for accepting the volume as part of the series.
Finally, we wish to thank Dirk Bakker and the production team at Brill for all their help and assistance during the publication process.