Inaugual lecture by Willem T H . Van Peursen
![Research paper thumbnail of [in Dutch] Grip op grillige gegevens. De exegeet als systematicus (Inaugural lecture, VU University Amsterdam, 2013).](https://a.academia-assets.com/images/blank-paper.jpg)
The Old Testament contains a colourful collection of diverse texts which portray different images... more The Old Testament contains a colourful collection of diverse texts which portray different images of God. On the one hand God is spoken about as the One who is and always will remain the same, on the other as One who may repent and reconsider His decisions. On the one hand it is said that God is not a man, while on the other hand many human qualities and emotions are attributed to Him. The use of the Bible as a systematic exposition of Christian doctrine is in danger of compromising its inherent versatility. Here the biblical scholar acts as a watchdog. As an advocate of the Bible text, he or she has the task of giving voice to the polyphony of the Bible as well as of giving the floor to uncomfortable or unexpected passages, and putting forward several translation options or alternative readings to be found in ancient manuscripts or translations.
The biblical scholar may not, however, allow him or herself to be limited to this role of denouncing forced systematization and a selective use of the Bible. His or her work also involves sorting, classifying and systematizing. Recognizing patterns and rules is a fundamental part of his or her work. Precisely in this area much has changed since the introduction of the computer into Old Testament scholarship. The first steps of applying computational linguistics, automatic text comparison and text clustering to the study of the Bible offer promising results. The exciting challenge that biblical scholarship faces is to explore further the potential of IT in the linguistic and literary analysis of the Bible.
OT and Biblical Hebrew: books by Willem T H . Van Peursen
Grammatica, twaalfde herziene editie, door J.P. Lettinga, Martin Baasten, W.Th. van Peursen; Leer... more Grammatica, twaalfde herziene editie, door J.P. Lettinga, Martin Baasten, W.Th. van Peursen; Leerboek door Martin Baasten en W.Th. van Peursen
Deze Grammatica biedt een overzicht van de beginselen van het Bijbels Hebreeuws. Het werk is in eerste instantie geschreven voor de beginnende student, maar is eveneens nuttig voor gevorderden. Het boek heeft ruime aandacht voor de historische ontwikkeling van het Bijbels Hebreeuws en bevat een uitvoerige behandeling van de syntaxis. De Grammatica is ook bedoeld als naslagwerk naast het bijbehorende Leerboek van het Bijbels Hebreeuws, waarin de stof in zorgvuldig opgebouwde lessen didactisch verantwoord wordt aangeboden.
Deze twaalfde editie is geheel herzien en in overeenstemming gebracht met recente inzichten in de hebraïstiek en de taalkunde; zij bevat een aanzienlijk aantal aanvullingen en verbeteringen ten opzichte van de elfde editie (2000).
OT and Biblical Hebrew: Edited volumes by Willem T H . Van Peursen
Series: Vetus Testamentum Supplements 138 (Leiden: Brill, 2010)
The present volume contains a collection of essays on the Book of Isaiah offered as a tribute to ... more The present volume contains a collection of essays on the Book of Isaiah offered as a tribute to Arie van der Kooij on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday, which coincides with his retirement as Professor of Old Testament at Leiden University. The twenty-four contributions, written by leading scholars in the field of Old Testament studies, focus on the Book of Isaiah within the context of Hebrew and ancient near-eastern writings, particularly those from the Neo-Assyrian period, as well as on the book's reception history , particularly in its Greek and Syriac translations. Together these studies offer a rich and original contribution to the study of the Book of Isaiah in its Hebrew, Aramaic, Assyrian, Greek, Syriac, and Dutch contexts.
The present volume contains a collection of essays on the Book of Isaiah offered as a tribute to ... more The present volume contains a collection of essays on the Book of Isaiah offered as a tribute to Arie van der Kooij on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday, which coincides with his retirement as Professor of Old Testament at Leiden University. The twenty-four contributions, written by leading scholars in the field of Old Testament studies, focus on the Book of Isaiah within the context of Hebrew and ancient near-eastern writings, particularly those from the Neo-Assyrian period, as well as on the book's reception history , particularly in its Greek and Syriac translations. Together these studies offer a rich and original contribution to the study of the Book of Isaiah in its Hebrew, Aramaic, Assyrian, Greek, Syriac, and Dutch contexts.
This volume is published in honour of Professor Takamitsu Muraoka on the occasion of his retireme... more This volume is published in honour of Professor Takamitsu Muraoka on the occasion of his retirement from the Chair of Hebrew, Israelite Antiquities and Ugaritic at Leiden University, a date which coincides with the celebration of his sixty-fifth birthday. The laureate is well known for his expertise in the languages of the Bible and cognate studies and this volume includes contributions covering as far as possible the wide field of his interests. Some of his friends and colleagues from all parts of the world are presenting him with this valuable collection of forty-two articles. They include studies on the Greek of the Septuagint; Hebrew (Biblical and Qumran); Aramaic (Old, Offical and Qumran; Syriac and Neo-Aramaic); Canaanite (Amarna, Ugaritic and Phoenician-Punic); Medieval Jewish exegesis and Karaite studies. M.F.J. Baasten and W.Th. van Peursen, two former students of Muraoka at Leiden, have edited the volume.
OT and Biblical Hebrew: journal articles: by Willem T H . Van Peursen
This article investigates the various ways in which participants are introduced and referred to i... more This article investigates the various ways in which participants are introduced and referred to in Genesis 37. It investigates how a linguistic approach to participant reference can help addressing exegetical questions and how it interacts with other historical-critical as well as synchronic, literary approaches. Its starting point is the model for the description of participant reference developed by S E Runge and tests its applicability to the Genesis chapter under discussion. To account for the various usages attested in the Hebrew Bible, it is obligatory to distinguish between various types of encoding (including under- and overencoding) and diverse types of participants (including “central” and “main” participant).
OT and Biblical Hebrew: book chapters by Willem T H . Van Peursen
Vertalen is Verrassen. Nieuwe vensters op bijbelse teksten, 2022
‘Antiochus of antichrist? Vertaling en interpretatie van Daniël 10–12, in Cor Hoogerwerf, Mirjam ... more ‘Antiochus of antichrist? Vertaling en interpretatie van Daniël 10–12, in Cor Hoogerwerf, Mirjam van der Vorm-Croughs en Matthijs de Jong (red.), Vertalen is verrassen. Nieuwe vensters op bijbelse teksten (Haarlem: Ne-derlands-Vlaams Bijbelgenootschap, 2022), 321–332.
‘God in Joel’, in N. Riemersma et al. (eds.), Van God gesproken. Opstellen over bijbelse theologi... more ‘God in Joel’, in N. Riemersma et al. (eds.), Van God gesproken. Opstellen over bijbelse theologie aan-geboden aan Joep Dubbink (Amsterdamse Cahiers Supplement Series 19; Amsterdam: Societas Hebraica Amstelodamensis, 2013), 205–215.
Dutch Pentecostal Churches hold the Bible in high esteem. Its text is considered an authority for... more Dutch Pentecostal Churches hold the Bible in high esteem. Its text is considered an authority for its own days, as well as for contemporary times. Modern experiences, such as the multiple manifestations of the Spirit in the twentieth century, were therefore interpreted in the light of biblical prophecies. For instance, Joel’s prophecy concerning the descent of the Spirit on all flesh and God’s promises of early and latter rain were believed to be fulfilled in those modern events within the Pentecostal movement.
However, if the Hebrew text of Joel’s prophecies is investigated, the question rises if his utterances can be regarded as predictions concerning later times. The Hebrew gives the impression that Joel spoke about his own times. Moreover, the most quoted texts seems to be stated in past tense. Were the Dutch Pentecostals simply wrong in their appropriation of Joel’s utterances? If so, do his prophecies bear no authority in our times, because it is impossible to apply biblical texts in past tense to later times? This article hopes to throw light on this complex question concerning the Bible’s authority through the prophecies of Joel themselves: Joel’s hermeneutics of appropriation might function as an example for Bible readers in other times.
‘Delimitation Markers, Chapter Division, Syntax and Literary Structure: the Case of Genesis 37:1–... more ‘Delimitation Markers, Chapter Division, Syntax and Literary Structure: the Case of Genesis 37:1–2’, in M. Korpel and P. Sanders (eds.), Textual Boundaries in the Bible: Their Impact on Interpretation (Pericope 9; Leuven: Peeters, 2017), 3–18.
Peursen, W.Th. van en Baasten, M.F.J., ‘A Dutch Grammar of Biblical Hebrew’, in K. van Bekkum, G.... more Peursen, W.Th. van en Baasten, M.F.J., ‘A Dutch Grammar of Biblical Hebrew’, in K. van Bekkum, G. Kwakkel and W. Rose (eds.), Biblical Hebrew in Context: Essays in Semitics and Old Testament Texts in Honour of Professor Jan P. Lettinga (Oudtestamentische Studiën 74; Leiden: Brill, 2018), 39–53.
‘Patterns and Pleasure: Participants in Psalm 16’, in Jaap Dekker and Geert Kwakkel (eds.), Readi... more ‘Patterns and Pleasure: Participants in Psalm 16’, in Jaap Dekker and Geert Kwakkel (eds.), Reading and Lis-tening. Meeting One God in Many Texts. Festschrift for Eric Peels on the Occasion of his 25th Jubilee as Profes-sor of Old Testament Studies (Amsterdamse Cahiers voor Exegese van de Bijbel en zijn Tradities, Supplement Series 16; Bergambacht: 2VM, 2018), pp. 179-187.
OT and Biblical Hebrew book reviews by Willem T H . Van Peursen
Journal for The Study of Judaism, 2010
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Inaugual lecture by Willem T H . Van Peursen
The biblical scholar may not, however, allow him or herself to be limited to this role of denouncing forced systematization and a selective use of the Bible. His or her work also involves sorting, classifying and systematizing. Recognizing patterns and rules is a fundamental part of his or her work. Precisely in this area much has changed since the introduction of the computer into Old Testament scholarship. The first steps of applying computational linguistics, automatic text comparison and text clustering to the study of the Bible offer promising results. The exciting challenge that biblical scholarship faces is to explore further the potential of IT in the linguistic and literary analysis of the Bible.
OT and Biblical Hebrew: books by Willem T H . Van Peursen
Deze Grammatica biedt een overzicht van de beginselen van het Bijbels Hebreeuws. Het werk is in eerste instantie geschreven voor de beginnende student, maar is eveneens nuttig voor gevorderden. Het boek heeft ruime aandacht voor de historische ontwikkeling van het Bijbels Hebreeuws en bevat een uitvoerige behandeling van de syntaxis. De Grammatica is ook bedoeld als naslagwerk naast het bijbehorende Leerboek van het Bijbels Hebreeuws, waarin de stof in zorgvuldig opgebouwde lessen didactisch verantwoord wordt aangeboden.
Deze twaalfde editie is geheel herzien en in overeenstemming gebracht met recente inzichten in de hebraïstiek en de taalkunde; zij bevat een aanzienlijk aantal aanvullingen en verbeteringen ten opzichte van de elfde editie (2000).
OT and Biblical Hebrew: Edited volumes by Willem T H . Van Peursen
OT and Biblical Hebrew: journal articles: by Willem T H . Van Peursen
OT and Biblical Hebrew: book chapters by Willem T H . Van Peursen
However, if the Hebrew text of Joel’s prophecies is investigated, the question rises if his utterances can be regarded as predictions concerning later times. The Hebrew gives the impression that Joel spoke about his own times. Moreover, the most quoted texts seems to be stated in past tense. Were the Dutch Pentecostals simply wrong in their appropriation of Joel’s utterances? If so, do his prophecies bear no authority in our times, because it is impossible to apply biblical texts in past tense to later times? This article hopes to throw light on this complex question concerning the Bible’s authority through the prophecies of Joel themselves: Joel’s hermeneutics of appropriation might function as an example for Bible readers in other times.
OT and Biblical Hebrew book reviews by Willem T H . Van Peursen
The biblical scholar may not, however, allow him or herself to be limited to this role of denouncing forced systematization and a selective use of the Bible. His or her work also involves sorting, classifying and systematizing. Recognizing patterns and rules is a fundamental part of his or her work. Precisely in this area much has changed since the introduction of the computer into Old Testament scholarship. The first steps of applying computational linguistics, automatic text comparison and text clustering to the study of the Bible offer promising results. The exciting challenge that biblical scholarship faces is to explore further the potential of IT in the linguistic and literary analysis of the Bible.
Deze Grammatica biedt een overzicht van de beginselen van het Bijbels Hebreeuws. Het werk is in eerste instantie geschreven voor de beginnende student, maar is eveneens nuttig voor gevorderden. Het boek heeft ruime aandacht voor de historische ontwikkeling van het Bijbels Hebreeuws en bevat een uitvoerige behandeling van de syntaxis. De Grammatica is ook bedoeld als naslagwerk naast het bijbehorende Leerboek van het Bijbels Hebreeuws, waarin de stof in zorgvuldig opgebouwde lessen didactisch verantwoord wordt aangeboden.
Deze twaalfde editie is geheel herzien en in overeenstemming gebracht met recente inzichten in de hebraïstiek en de taalkunde; zij bevat een aanzienlijk aantal aanvullingen en verbeteringen ten opzichte van de elfde editie (2000).
However, if the Hebrew text of Joel’s prophecies is investigated, the question rises if his utterances can be regarded as predictions concerning later times. The Hebrew gives the impression that Joel spoke about his own times. Moreover, the most quoted texts seems to be stated in past tense. Were the Dutch Pentecostals simply wrong in their appropriation of Joel’s utterances? If so, do his prophecies bear no authority in our times, because it is impossible to apply biblical texts in past tense to later times? This article hopes to throw light on this complex question concerning the Bible’s authority through the prophecies of Joel themselves: Joel’s hermeneutics of appropriation might function as an example for Bible readers in other times.
The present volume tries to overcome the misunderstanding between the various disciplines and to establish how a fruitful interaction of information technology, linguistics and textual criticism, can contribute to the analysis of ancient texts. It addresses questions concerning the confrontation between synchronic and diachronic approaches, the role of linguistic analysis in the interpretation of texts, and the interaction of linguistic theory and the analysis of linguistic data.
The first section of this volume contains the papers presented at the CALAP seminar 2003. In the second section different aspects of the interdisciplinary analysis are applied to a selected passage from the Peshitta of Kings
Scholarly Edition’ DiXiT Convention, The Hague, September 14-18,
2015.
The database facilitates the application of computational linguistics and digital humanities to the Hebrew Bible and supports biblical exegesis, Bible translation as well as the study of the Bible as a language corpus. In recent years the ETCBC database has been transformed to an open tool, which can be consulted online and which can be downloaded as a package for anyone who wants to use it for more advanced computational analysis of the Hebrew Bible.
A research project on syntactic variation in the Hebrew Bible demonstrated the interaction of presumed data of origin (early versus late texts), genre (e.g. prose or poetry), text type (e.g. narrative and direct speech) and syntactic environment (e.g. main versus subordinate clauses). Regarding the realization of the copula “to be”, for example, it can be observed that the narrative text type and the direct speech sections differ considerably in the alleged early texts of the Bible and that the direct speech in the early corpus shows similarities with the Late Biblical Hebrew corpus.
Regarding the complexity of tree structures, it can be observed that changes in the average size of tree structures take place in main clauses, and only later, or not at all, in subordinate clauses. This agrees with a well-known principle in linguistics, the so-called Penthouse Principle, that accounts for the distinction between “innovative” main clauses and “conservative” subordinate clauses.
Such distribution patterns, which can only discovered with a computational full corpus analysis, are helpful to get a better understanding of diachronic language development of Classical Hebrew in the intersection of oral and written text transmission.
We provide a brief introduction to the history, methodology, and tools of the Eep Talstra Centre for Bible and Computer (ETCBC). The ETCBC maintains a searchable database of morphology, syntax, and text-level features for the Hebrew Bible, Hebrew inscriptions, Dead Sea Scrolls, the Peshitta, and one of the Targumim. The ETCBC follows a form-to-function approach, in which surface-level features are registered first and functional labels second. Linguists and exegetes can use the database’s freely accessible query tools for pattern searches and analysis of the text’s structure in order to address their research questions.
These questions are addressed from a broad historical perspective. It is argued, among other things, that our conceptualization of text is still strongly rooted in ‘the Order of the Book’ in spite of rapid changes that are taking place. Even if we do eventually arrive at the Digital Order, we still have a long way to go. We are only on the threshold.
The question of whether the Bible is losing its covers can be countered with the observation that it did not have covers when it originated. It acquired them only later on, after the invention of the codex (when the production of complete bibles became technically possible) and the printing press (when it became more usual to produce complete bibles). Even after the invention of the printing press it took quite a while before the covers were “discovered” and made effective in reflections about the Bible and in reading practices.
scholarship? What rules and guidelines are appropriate for the
digital interpretation of text? What ‘virtual’ values do we turn to as the
object of digital humanities scholarship? What is the role of viewpoint,
language, tradition and creativity in quantitative text comparison?
What connections exist between textual scholarship, interpretation, and
e-infrastructures for research?
In the second half of the twentieth century the attention for syntactic constructions increased, but often they were only discussed as support for theories about verse structure. We also see attempts to describe the verbal system in the Psalms and other poetic texts as a system that has little in common with the system in prose. These attempts continued the tendency to ascribe to poetry its own linguistic profile and character, and somehow followed the guidelines set out by Lowth.
The use of the computer as an analytical tool provides new opportunities to look for patterns in the psalms: in clause types, verb forms, participant shifts, and others. This requires a reformulation of the exegetical procedures and of the division of tasks between the linguist and the literary scholar. What is linguistic system and what is literary design? How far can one get in looking for patterns? Does the search for patterns do justice to the typical characters of poetic language?
In this chapter it is argued that, without denying the importance of literary analysis and the interaction between poetic and syntactic patterns, more “system” and “patterns” can be discovered in biblical poetry than often expected.
The presentation draws upon examples from the research of the Eep Talsta Centre for Bible and Computer (ETCBC) and the SHEBANQ project on verb forms in the Psalms (Kalkman), Participant shifts in the Psalms (Erwich), in Jeremiah (Glanz) and in Jesaja 40–55 (Oosting), text hierarchical structures in Psalms (Talstra) and Lamentations (Bosman) and others.
The present edition, published by the Peshitta Institute in Leiden on behalf of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, is the first scholarly one of this text. It presents the evidence of all known ancient manuscripts and gives full introductions to the individual books. This volume contains Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1–2 Maccabees.
Part 1: Lexicography and Morphology. Dirk Bakker argues for providing full information as to the identity of a lexeme; Percy van Keulen discusses derivation and inflection with regard to feminine nominal endings; Wido van Peursen deals with verbs beginning with ša; and Constantijn Sikkel argues for the inclusion of enclitics.
Part 2: Lexicography and Syntax: Part of Speech Attribution. Terry Falla and Dean Forbes address grammatical classification in Syriac and Hebrew respectively.
Part 3: Words, Texts, and Contexts. Janet Dyk examines translation choices made in Peshitta Kings; James Aitken looks at socio-historical background in Greek lexicographical work; and Reinier de Blois presents new tools and methodologies for the development of an electronic Hebrew lexicon.
Part 4: Interdisciplinary Perspectives: Hebrew and Greek Lexicography. Regine Hunziker-Rodewald> details the Gesenius–BDB family of lexica and the KAHAL–HALAT project; Jo-Ann Hackett> and John Huehnergard report on revising and updating BDB; John Kaltner examines the Koehler–Baumgartner family; James Aitken examines the lexica of Zorell and Alonso Schoekel; and finally Reinier de Blois evaluates Louw and Nida’s approach to semantic domains from a cognitive linguistic perspective.
This article discusses the Enochic/Essene hypothesis, which Gabriele Boccaccini advances in his monograph Beyond the Essene Hypothesis. In Boccaccini’s model the Essenism of the ancient sources is to be equated with what modern scholars have identified, on the basis of extant documents, as Enochic Judaism, while the Qumran community is a radical, dissident, and marginal offshoot of this Essenism/Enochic Judaism. The present article compares this hypothesis with the traditional Essene hypothesis and with the Groningen hypothesis, with which it shares the view that the Qumran community is an offshoot of (rather than identical with) the Essene movement. It further investigates the implications of Boccaccini’s thesis for our understanding of Judaism in the Hellenistic and Roman period.
the so-called magical texts from the Cairo Genizah ( Cambridge fragments T.-S. K 1.144, T.-S. K 21.95 and T.-S. K 21.95P).
If you are fascinated by the complex and delicate process of translating the Bible, the minor Bible Translation in the Digital Age is an enriching academic and personal experience for you! This minor introduces you to the digital tools that make it possible to access and understand many contexts relevant to translating the Bible, while at the same time critically reflecting on the inherent limitations and biases of those tools that are now used by almost all Bible translators and biblical scholars all over the world. The minor program is completely online and at the same time aimed at interaction both between students and between students and professors. The minor is open for students of VU university as well as other universities in the Netherlands or abroad, for exchange student. For postgraduate students and contract students there are arrangements that do not involve enrollment with tuition fees but payment in terms of the number of ECTS credits of the minor program. VU.NL/BIBLE-TRANSLATION
For more information on this minor see https://minor.vu.nl/en/programmes-a-z/bible-translation-digital-age/index.aspx
The course consists of the following modules and is concluded by a final paper:
1. Introduction to Digital Humanities
2. Corpora and Translation Studies
3. Computer-aided Bible Translation
4. Tools for Linguistic Analysis — SHEBANQ
5. Machine Translation and the Bible
6. Seminars (which serve as an “virtual excursion”)
7. Final paper
delicate process of translating the Bible,
the minor Bible Translation in the Digital
Age is an enriching academic and personal
experience for you as this minor introduces
you to the digital tools that make it possible
to access and understand many contexts
relevant to translating the Bible, while at
the same time critically reflecting on the
inherent limitations and biases of those
tools that are now used by almost all Bible
translators and biblical scholars all over
the world.