Theodotion

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Theodotion ( ancient Greek Θεοδοτίων , also called Theodotus ) was a Hellenistic-Jewish scholar of the 2nd century AD. He wrote a Greek translation of the Old Testament .

Life

According to Irenaeus of Lyon , who is quoted by Eusebius , Theodotion probably came from Ephesus in Asia Minor. He is said to have adopted the Jewish faith after having previously been a Gnostic . Early historians assigned his translation to the years 180-190.

Bible translation

The Theodotion version of the Greek translation of the Bible appears in the sixth column of Origen's Hexapla , a 3rd century version of the Old Testament that presents six Greek and Hebrew texts in parallel columns. Theodotion's version is less an independent translation than a revision of the Septuagint , the earliest Greek translation, some of which dates back to the 3rd century BC. However, Theodotion filled in the omissions in the Septuagint. Certain Hebrew words are not translated, but are transcribed into Greek letters , either to avoid conjectures or to give the translation an authentic coloring. The popularity of the translation of Theodotion in the early Church can be inferred from the fragments originating there, which fill the gaps in the Septuagint text of the book of Jeremiah , and from his version of Daniel , which replaced the Septuagint translation. This translation was quoted in the 2nd century in the Shepherd of Hermas and by the Christian apologist Justin . The exchange of the book of Daniel was so thorough that only two manuscripts (one from about the 3rd century and one from the 11th century) of the Greek Old Testament contain the Septuagint version.

Theodotion's version of the Book of Daniel could again be based on an older translation, as it differs significantly in some places from the Septuagint. This applies in particular to the intervening stories by Susanna and Bel and the dragon . A smaller but important translation variant can be found in Isa 7,14  EU , where in Theodotion νεᾶνις (young woman) takes place, as in the Septuagint, παρθένος (virgin) is translated.

The surviving manuscripts of the Theodotion text were first published in 1875.

literature

Web links

  • Theodotion. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 12, 2015 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Irenaeus of Lyons : Adversus haereses III, xxi. 1, 215
  2. ↑ Eusebius of Caesarea : Historia ecclesiae 8th book
  3. ↑ Theodotion. In: Jewish Encyclopedia. 1906, accessed June 12, 2015 .
personal data
SURNAME Theodotion
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Theodotus; Θεοδοτίων (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Hellenistic-Jewish Bible translator
DATE OF BIRTH 1st century or 2nd century
PLACE OF BIRTH Ephesus
DATE OF DEATH 2nd century or 3rd century