Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Yet Another Proof for the Early Dating of Marqe

I know that many scholars are a lot more knowledgeable than I am. I don't have a problem with that. I am quite content being the 'thinking out of the box guy' because it is amazing how much escapes people's notice.

Take the example of Marqe's citation of the word rendered 'titah' in Exodus 15:1. MacDonald recognizes that it probably comes from the Greek tote. Yet somehow he doesn't bother to check that Exodus 15:1 LXX begins with the words tote (= 'then'). The Samaritikon (the Greek translation of the Pentateuch for Samaritans referenced by Origen) likely had the same reading.

Clearly then Marqe and his community were fluent in Greek which leaves one of two possibilities for their date and location.

Either (a) they lived in Palestine in the middle second century at the very latest or they were from Alexandria. At the very least it is one more layer to our understanding of who Marqe was.


Email stephan.h.huller@gmail.com with comments or questions.


 
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