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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
New JPS Translation of Prophets' Gains Literary Significance
An historic event is now
being recorded in Jewish
literary history. The ap-
pearance of "The Prophets,"
the revised translation of
the second important sec-
tion of Holy Scriptures,
known as the Nevi'im, is
one of the very great occa-
sions of Jewish spiritual ac-
complishment, generated
by American Jewry.
- The first portion of the re-
vised translation of the Bi-
ble, "The Torah," was com-
pleted and published in
1963. It was the first such
task since Jewish Publica-
tion Society scholars pro-
duced the first Bible trans-
lation in revised form in
w417.
The current task of revis-
ing the 1917 translation
into the present volume
designated as "The
Prophets" was achieved by a
committee of the leading
Jewish world scholars. They
are: H. Louis Ginsberg,
Sabato Morais Professor of
Biblical History at the
Jewish Theological Semi-
, nary (editor-in-chief);
Harry Orlinsky, professor of
Bible at Hebrew Union
*College-Jewish Institute of
-r Religion (fellow editor);
Max Arzt, until his death in
1975 vice chancellor at the
Jewish Theological Semi-
nary (associate editor);
Bernard J. Bamberger,
rabbi emeritus of Cong.
Shaaray Tefilin New York
(associate editor); Harry
Freedman, presently a
rabbi in Melbourne, Aust-
ralia, (associate editor); and
Solomon Grayzel, editor
emeritus of the Jewish Pub-
lication Society (secretary).
It is from Nevi'im
that the Haftorot, the
concluding portions of
Torah Scriptural
readings in the Sabbaths
and festivals are culled. It
is the Haftara that is the
basis for a Bar Mitzva
service and now also
used for Bnot Mitzva.
The new translation
takes into account the fact
that languages in constant
use, like English, undergo
change; thus each genera-
tion requires its own trans -
lation in its own language.
Further, the researches of
modern biblical specialists
have yielded insights that
bring out new facets in the
meaning of the text. Fi-
nally, a more precise under-
standing of the biblical
milieu is possible today
thanks to recent archeologi-
cal findings, including the
Dead Sea Scrolls.
While adhering faithfully
to the text, the translators
of "the Prophets" have pro-
vided notes that suggest
alternate readings, a brief
running commentary to
otherwise opaque passages,
and often a frank confession
that the meaning of the text
eludes a modern schol-
arship. Intended for use in
the synagogue, as well as in
the home and classroom, the
new translation was com-
missioned by the Jewish
Publication Society to ac-
commodate present-day
needs.
In an advance state-
ment hailing the publica-
tion of the work, Gerson
D. Cohen, chancellor of
The Jewish Theological
Seminary of America,
notes: "The publication
of "The Prophets' is . . . an
event of major signifi-
cance in_ the history of
translations of Scripture
generally, in the history
of translations of Scrip-
ture into English in par-
THE PROPHETS — NEVI'IM
JOSHUA
JUDGES
I SAMUEL
H SAMUEL
I KINGS
II KINGS
ISAIAH
JEREMIAH
EZEKIEL
THE TWELVE
V V1 T1 HOSE
t'ZI ) JOEL
V1733I
11"133.7
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1))7J
mni
pip3n
AMOS
OBADIAH
JONAH
MICAH
NAHUM
HABAKKUK
1.1 ) 30.5 ZEPHANIAH
HAGGAI
1-P1 r ZECHARIAH
7J
7
MALACHI
meaning and majesty, for
our generation.
In all their efforts the
translators of The Torah
and now "The Prophets"
The translators' corn- have been guided by the
mendable results, first seen same -considerations that
in The Torah, are evident prompted their predeces-
again in "The Prophets." sors, the translators of the
Their effort — in Prof. Co- earlier (1917) JPS transla-
hen's words, "an achieve- tion of the Scriptures, whose
ment for which American • version for many years re-
Jewry must be grateful and mained the standrad Bible
in which it can take great for the English-speaking
pride" — serves to transmit world: "To combine the
the eternal message of the spirit of the Jewish tradi-.
Hebrew Bible, in all its tion with the results of bi-
ticular, and most of all in
the spiritual history of
the American Jewish
community."
blical scholarship, ancient, womb, I selected you;
medieval and modern . . . to Before you were born, I con-
give the Jewish world a secrated you;
translation of Scriptures I appointed you a prophet
done by men imbued with concerning the nations.
the Jewish consciousness."
8 .1 replied:
The Prophets are listed Ah, Lord God!
in the contents, as indicated I don't know how to speak,
in the accompanying tradi- For I am still a boy.
'And the Lord said to me:
tional enumeration.
The contrasting of the Do not say,"I dm still a boy,"
current translation with But go wherever I send you
the earlier one are of spe- And speak whatever I com-
cial interest in marking mand you.
the acceptance of and
8 Have no fear of them,
acclaim for the 1978 edi- For I am with you to deliver
tion as compared with you declares the Lord.
the one of 1917.
The 1917 version:
Especially noteworthy is
'And the word of the Lord
a passage that had been a came unto me, saying:
cause for controversy in
5 Before I formed thee in
Christian ranks. Christ- the belly I knew thee,
°logical assumptions are re- And before thou tamest
jected in the new transla- forth out of the womb I
tion of Isaiah 7:14 which sanctified thee;
I have appointed thee a pro-
reads:
"Assuredly, my Lord will phet unto the nations.
give you a sign of His own
6 Then said I: 'Ah, Lord
accord! Look, the young God! behold, I cannot speak;
woman is with child and for I am a child.' But the
about to give birth to a son. Lord said unto me:
Let her name him Im- Say not: I am a child;
For to whomsoever I shall
manuel."
An annotation explains send thee thou shalt go,
the meaning of Immanuel, And whatsoever I shall
"with us is God."
command thee thou shalt
This translation, like speak.
8 Be not afraid of them;
the one injhe 1917 text of
the JPS Holy Scriptures, For I am with thee to deliver
rejects the Christological thee.
A great service has been
King James version
rendered by the JPS in pro-
which reads:
"Therefore the Lord Him- viding the modernized
self shall give you a sign; translation which is certain
Behold, a virgin shall con- to inspire this generation
ceive, and bear a son, and which, like the past, makes
shall call his name Im- the Bible the best seller.
Publication of the Torah
Manuel."
The simplicity of the new and "Prophets" creates an
translation is evident impatience awaiting com-
throughout the text. Exam- pleting the task of revised
translation of Holy Scrip-
ple: Jeremiah 1:4-8:
tures with the forthcoming
New translation:
final work of the transla-
4 The word of the Lord
tors of "Writings"
came to me:
'Before I created you in the (Ketubim).
.
History Revisited by A _ ncient Sect
Samaritans Hear Ancestors' Voices With • Hebrew University Aid
JERUSALEM — The He-
brew University of
Jerusalem opened soLie of
'its treasures to members of
the ancient Samaritan
community to give them a
chance to listen to voices of
their forefathers, recorded
in the beginning of this cen-
tury.
The Samaritans, whose
number once dwindled to an
all-time low of 130, today
have - increased to nearly
500 persons, about half of
whom live in Nablus and
half in Holon. Knowing that
their forefathers' songs
were kept in the National
Sound Archives of the
Jewish National and Uni-
versity Library, they turned
-4,\
• to Avigdor Herzog, director
the archives, and asked
to to arrange for them to
" .,r the recordings.
Meeting at the archives
on the Hebrew University's
Givat Ram campus were 14
Samaritans from Nablus,
most of them in their tradi-
tional priestly red head-
dress, and 10 from Holon.
Oldest member of the Nab-
lus group was Pinhas
Ben-Matsliah, 82, whose
brother, Asher Ben-_
Matsliah, is the acting High
Priest and spiritual leader
of that community during
the sickness of High Priest
Amram Ben-Itzhak.
The group from Holon
included three women. In
the audience was He-
brew University linguist,
Prof. Zeev Ben-Hayyim,
one of the foremost ex-
perts on Samaritan lan-
guage and literature.
While Israeli television
filmed the event, the
Samaritans were treated to
the sound of ancient chants,
some played on museum-
piece style phonogrpahs
from the turn of the century,
some on modern tapes. With
beaming faces, the Samari-
tans listened to the voices of
the past, nodding in recog-
nition every now and then.
Several of them recorded
the songs on elaborate
tape recorders.
Herzog explained that the
originals of several of the
recordings were kept in
archives in Vienna, Berlin
and New York, where copies
were made for the Hebrew
University a few years ago.
The National Sound Arc-
hives in Jerusalem now has
scores of such recordings.
Among the Jewish resear-
chers who recorded the
Samaritan folklore at the
time were Abraham Zwi
Idelson, Robert Lachman
and Chlomo Rosovsky.
The Samaritans, who
consider themselves as be-
longing to the People of Is-
rael, are again a viable
community after having
been on the verge of extinc-
tion.
When the Jews went
into exile, the Samaritans
remained in the Holy
Land. According to a
Samaritan scholar, Be-
nyamim Tsedaka, editor
of the fortnightly paper
"AB _— The Samaritan
News," who has made a
study of the history of the
Samaritans, their popu-
lation of some 800,000 liv-
ing here during the
fourth Century CE was
decimated.
In the sixth Century,
Tsedaka said, hundreds of
thousands of Samaritans
were killed when they pro-
tested against the Byzan-
tine seizure and conversion
of holy places. After the
Arab conquest in the
Seventh Century, the
number of Samaritans
dropped to betwen 100,000
and 200,000, and by the public to assist the Samari-
19th Century their number tans.
Since they resumed their
was the lowest ever — 130
ties with the Jews, follow-
persons.
The small Samaritan ing the beginning of re-
community, living in isola- newed Jewish settlement,
tion in Nablus, was vulner- their number increased to
able to disease, and during 212 in 1933 and 300 in 1948.
World War I, 20 persons Following the Six-Day War,
died of cholera. An Italian when a frontier no longer
anthropologist, Prof. A. separated families in the
Gini, who visited the com- different branches of the
munity in 1933, ascertained community, relatives were
their difficult conditions reunited and the commu-
and appealed to the world nity began thriving anew.
Samaritans from Nablus and Holon listen to their
– ' •
forefathers' voices at the National Sot,... Ty.
the Jewish National and Universit.,1.1