Thu Dec 28 14:59:42 1995

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Date: Thu, 28 Dec 1995 14:00:22 +0400
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From: winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net (Carlton Winbery)
Subject: Re: parthenos in Isa 7:14
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Jimmy Adair wrote;
>Those of you on the Ioudaios list have already seen some discussion on
>this subject, but I think more could be said from a text-critical
>perspective.  Does the fact that the LXX was transmitted exclusively by
>Christians (after a certain point) imply that parthenos was substituted
>in all available LXX mss in Isa 7:14 on the basis of Mt 1:23, replacing
>the earlier neanis?  I doubt it myself.  If not, then can we say with
>certainty that parthenos means "virgin" in Isa 7:14 rather than "young
>woman"?  Again, I have my doubts.

I do not have a critical text of the LXX at home, but I am unaware of any
mss of the LXX that read NEANIS instead of PARQENOS.  That does not
absolutely rule out the possibility but makes it unlikely.  I would say
that the Hebrew ALMAH means young woman and the Greek word PARQENOS
normally means virgin.  The evidence that ALMAH does not refer to a virgin
in Is. 7 is the context in which that birth (or the child that was born)
was a "sign" to Ahaz.  It is possible that the translator of the LXX did
not know the appropriate word for young woman in Greek.  Later Greek
translators avoid the word PARQENOS at this point.

I posted this to the b-greek list by mistake.
Sorry,

Carlton L. Winbery
Prof. Religion
LA College, Pineville, La
winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net

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