The LXX and Historical Greek Phonology: Orthography, Phonology, and Transcriptions

Full title
The LXX and Historical Greek Phonology: Orthography, Phonology, and Transcriptions
Updated By
Research notes

RAC/not checked/12/18/2023

Reference type
Author(s)
Kantor, Benjamin
Year
2023
Journal / Book Title || Series Title
Journal for the Study of Judaism
Volume
54
Issue / Series Volume
4-5
Abbreviated Series Name
JSJ
Pages
494-526
Work type
Alternative title
Special Issue: <em>The Septuagint within the History of Greek</em>, edited by James K. Aitken† and Marieke Dhont
Label
18/12/2023
Abstract

The growing trend to see the language of the LXX as an authentic example of post-Classical Greek may be extended to phonology and orthography. We can situate the phonology of the LXX within its historical Greek phonological context by implementing a restrictive methodology that focuses on transcribed names, the clusters of certain spelling conventions in relation to “early” and “late” books in the LXX, and manuscript-specific phenomena. We find that its language exhibits the same sort of phonological and orthographic features attested in contemporary documentary and epigraphic material. Codex Vaticanus provides the earliest explicit evidence for one of the notable phonological developments in the history of Greek, the fricativization of χ. It is demonstrated that the phonology of the LXX is right at home in its contemporary historical Greek phonological setting, and that it has unique contributions to make to the wider field of historical Greek phonology at large.

Notes

Special Issue: <em>The Septuagint within the History of Greek</em>, edited by James K. Aitken† and Marieke Dhont