Japheth in the Tents of Shem

Japheth in the Tents of Shem Synopsis

This is the first book-length treatment of the reception and transmission of Greek Bible translations by Jews in the Middle Ages. It is the fruit of some 40 years' research by Nicholas de Lange, who has collected most of the evidence himself, mainly from previously unpublished manuscript sources, such as Cairo Genizah fragments. Byzantine Judaism was exceptional in possessing an unbroken tradition of Biblical translation in its own language that can be traced back to antiquity. This work sheds light not only on Byzantine Jewish life and thought, but also on such subjects as the spread of Rabbinic Judaism in Europe, the Karaite movement, the ancient Greek translations, particularly Akylas/Aquila, as well as the relationship between Jewish and Christian transmission of the Greek Bible. An appendix traces the use of such translations down to the 19th century.