Copyright

Paul Rodrigue

Published On

2025-08-20

Page Range

pp. 107–154

Language

  • English

Print Length

48 pages

2. The Translation of the Joseph Story (Gen 37–50)

  • Paul Rodrigue (author)
Chapter of: Jerome’s Sources in His Translation of the Hebrew Bible(pp. 107–154)
In chapter 2, the author investigates a series of case studies adduced from the so-called Joseph story, i.e., chapters 37-50 of the Book of Genesis. The chapter focuses on seven verses: the first one is a case of hebraica veritas in which Jerome’s correction of a discrepancy in the LXX, though philologically based on the Hebrew text, is presented as theologically motivated by a passage in the New Testament. The second one, in which Jerome also followed the Hebrew text against the LXX—this time by adducing Jewish exegesis—displays a minor, but noticeable, departure from the Hebrew, one that is independent of the other versions. The following two cases show that the meaning of the Hebrew, when obscure, was derived from other sources. Finally, the last three examples represent sheer departures from the Hebrew text. Verses that have been addressed by Jerome in QHG provide us with more material to understand his course of action in the Vulgate: investigating the discrepancies between his QHG interpretations and his Vulgate renderings will bring to light cases of inconsistency in his employment of his sources. Therefore, the first four case studies of this chapter have been selected in relation to QHG. The last three examples examined in section 2.5 are not based on verses treated in QHG. Beyond the MT, the LXX, the VL and the recentiores, and alongside the Vulgate and the lemmas in QHG, rabbinic and targumic sources that are echoed by the traditions that Jerome quoted in QHG are adduced where necessary throughout the chapter.

Contributors

Paul Rodrigue

(author)

Born in 1996 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paul Rodrigue completed his Baccalauréat before pursuing a passion for ancient languages. His interest in Latin and Greek literature led him to undertake undergraduate studies at Trinity College Dublin, in Ireland, where he honed his skills in classical translation and deepened his engagement with the classical world. Paul went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Semitic Philology at the University of Cambridge. His Master’s dissertation focused on the translation of the Book of Proverbs in the Septuagint, reflecting his growing interest in the intersections of ancient languages and textual traditions. In his doctoral thesis, Paul investigated Jerome’s sources in his Latin translations of the Joseph story and the Book of Daniel and that of Esther. His research is motivated by a deeper scholarly quest to uncover the linguistic and cultural junctures between Latin, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew. Paul was awarded a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge in October 2024.