J. Ross Wagner: Reading the Sealed Book
The fifth chapter offers a brief but fascinating summary of the results of the study and its implications for interpreting Isaiah 1. This section, and especially the discussion of the textual and literary acceptability of the translation (pp. 229-234), is an excellent example of what DTS can add to Biblical exegesis and hermeneutics.
This book is clearly aimed at those who already have good knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, with long quotes in either language often appearing in the main body of the text and in the copious footnotes without translation. Knowledge of German is also assumed, for much the same reasons. Yet, even without such knowledge, the book still provides a useful and deeply analysed account of the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 1, with hints of the possibilities offered by working with analytical methods such as DTS.
There are places, however, where translation and interpreting scholars would wish to see the author engage with more modern work in Translation Studies. His discussion of the translator’s attention to the sound of the target text (p. 215) and to its possible use in synagogue worship (pp. 234-235) would have benefitted greatly from the perspectives offered by Francine Kaufmann (2005) on the use of “metourguemanim” [interpreters] in bilingual Jewish worship from the time of Ezra. This may also provide a clue to the numerous small-scale differences the author found between the assumed source text and its translation since metourguemanim were instructed to work one verse at a time for the books of the law and up to three verses at a time for readings from the prophets (Kaufmann 2005, p.980). It is entirely possible that this practice lies behind some of the Septuagint, explaining why the translator seems able to reconfigure entire arguments in places (pp. 167-173) in some places. It also explains the recurring theme of the translator introducing alliteration and words with related consonant clusters into the text, as these would have added to the performance of the text in the synagogue (see Maxey & Wendland 2012 for discussions of similar effects in Biblical texts in modern and ancient languages).
In conclusion, Reading the Sealed Book is undeniably aimed at academics and especially those with prior knowledge of Biblical languages. It represents an important step in the necessary and ongoing work of bringing Translation Studies, Theology and Biblical Studies closer together. It is disappointing that this step could not cover more ground. In fact, it seems as if the author has taken on board the themes and terminology of DTS without consistently applying its method. Nevertheless, the book still offers an impressive depth of analysis, which are shown to the full in the author’s skill in explaining the results and significance of his work in the concluding chapter.
Reviewed by Jonathan Downie
Notes
[1] Any following references are to this book unless otherwise stated.
References
Kaufmann, F., 2005. Contribution à l’histoire de l’interprétation consécutive : le metourguemane dans les synagogues de l’Antiquité. Meta, 50(3), pp.972–986.
Maxey, J.A. & Wendland, E.R., 2012. Translating Scripture for Sound and Performance, Wipf & Stock Publishers.
Toury, G., 2012. Descriptive Translation Studies – and Beyond, John Benjamins Publishing.
Wagner, J.R., 2013. Reading the Sealed Book, Mohr Siebeck.
Publisher’s page: http://www.baylorpress.com/Book/390/Reading_the_Sealed_Book.html
Category: In Depth, Spring 2014
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