Biblia Hebraica Quinta and the Making of Critical Editions of the Hebrew Bible

Abstract

"The field of textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible finds itself in a remarkable situation in that three scholarly editions of the text of the Hebrew Bible, each with its distinct character, are now under way at the same time. Moreover, a fourth has just been republished with an English translation of its front matter and comments (Dotan 2000). This is a rare and important opportunity for reflection on the making of text editions. Consequently, I aim to reflect on some issues concerning text editions of the Hebrew Bible through a comparative presentation of some of the essential decisions and principles that shape one of these text editions, Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ).2 The comparison will consider BHQ in relation to earlier editions in the Biblia Hebraica series published by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft and its predecessors (specifically, the third edition of the Biblia Hebraica edited by Rudolph Kittel and Paul Kahle [BH3], and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia [BHS]), as well as the other two editions currently in progress, the Hebrew University Bible (HUB), and the recently announced Oxford Hebrew Bible (OHB).3 To the extent possible the comparison will be illustrated with reference to Jeremiah 23:1-9, for which a sample page and accompanying commentary according to the principles of BHQ are offered in the appendix."(pg 1)