Reading the Sealed Book: Old Greek Isaiah and the Problem of Septuagin

Interest in the Septuagint has never been greater, with major translation and commentary projects completed or well underway in German, French, English, and Spanish. Dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, these translations open a window onto early Jewish interpretation of the Bible. Yet crucial problems of "Septuagint hermeneutics," particularly the question of how to identify interpretive elements in a translated text, remain unresolved. Drawing on important work both in translation studies and in literary theory, J. Ross Wagner develops an interpretive approach that combines patient investigation of the process of translation with careful attention to the rhetorical shape of the translated text. The author demonstrates the fruitfulness of this method through a close reading of Isaiah s opening vision (Isa 1:1-31) as both translation and text.Published in North America by Baylor University Press, Waco.