ABL 302: Old Testament Textual Criticism & Masoretic Apparatus

Evaluating Ancient Hebrew Manuscripts, Dead Sea Scrolls, and the BHS/BHQ Critical Apparatus

Course Description

Welcome to ABL 302: Old Testament Textual Criticism & Masoretic Apparatus! Students gain advanced competency in evaluating textual witnesses to the Hebrew Bible (Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Targums, Peshitta, Vulgate), deciphering the Latin abbreviations and symbols of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) and Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ), and integrating BDA’s Manuscript Variant Analysis Platform into Old Testament exegesis.

Interactive Companion Language Apps

• Hebrew Alphabet & Vowels Trainer — Interactive consonant, niqqud, and syllable practice
• Greek Alphabet & Grammar Trainer — Interactive alphabet, diphthong, and pronunciation practice
• Hebrew Vocabulary Flash Cards — High-frequency Old Testament Hebrew lexical drills
• Greek Vocabulary Flash Cards — High-frequency New Testament Greek lexical drills
• Manuscript Variant Analysis Platform — Compare MT, LXX, DSS, and Greek NT witnesses

Course Structure

This course is composed of an Interactive Syllabus and five comprehensive chapters. Each chapter includes a detailed Chapter Summary, five in-depth lessons with Lesson Check-in Quizzes, and a 10-question Chapter Test. The course culminates in a 30-question Final Course Exam (62 total learning steps).

Course Outline

Chapter 1: Primary Witnesses to the Text of the Hebrew Bible

• Lesson 1: The Masoretic Tradition: Ben Asher Family, the Aleppo Codex, and Codex Leningradensis (B19A)
• Lesson 2: The Dead Sea Scrolls (Qumran): Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) and Biblical Manuscripts
• Lesson 3: The Samaritan Pentateuch and Pre-Masoretic/Proto-Masoretic Textual Streams
• Lesson 4: Ancient Versional Witnesses: The Septuagint (LXX), Aramaic Targums, Syriac Peshitta, and Jerome’s Latin Vulgate
• Lesson 5: What the Manuscript Evidence Proves About the Remarkable Preservation of the Old Testament

Chapter 2: Deciphering the BHS and BHQ Critical Apparatus

• Lesson 1: Page Layout of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS): Text, Masora Parva (Mp), Masora Magna (Mm), and Apparatus
• Lesson 2: Mastering the Latin Abbreviations and Sigla of the BHS Apparatus (l, c, pr, add, om, tr, frt, prp, pc, mlt)
• Lesson 3: Manuscript Sigla in BHS/BHQ: Q (Qumran), G (LXX), S (Peshitta), V (Vulgate), T (Targum), Sam (Samaritan)
• Lesson 4: Advances in Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ) and the Hebrew University Bible Project (HUBP)
• Lesson 5: Hands-On Lab: Using BDA’s Manuscript Variant Analysis Platform Alongside BHS

Chapter 3: Scribal Practices and Taxonomy of Textual Variants

• Lesson 1: Ancient Scroll Production, Torah Copying Rules, and Masoretic Word/Letter Counting
• Lesson 2: Unintentional Visual Errors: Confusion of Similar Letters (Dalet/Resh, Waw/Yod, Bet/Kaf, He/Het)
• Lesson 3: Haplography, Dittography, Homoioteleuton, Homoioarkton, Metathesis, and Wrong Word Division
• Lesson 4: Errors of Hearing (Dictation) and Memory Assimilation
• Lesson 5: Intentional Scribal Changes:Tiqqune Sopherim, Theological Euphemisms, and Grammatical Harmonization

Chapter 4: Praxis and Methodology of Old Testament Textual Criticism

• Lesson 1: External Evidence: Evaluating the Age, Geographical Spread, and Character of Witnesses
• Lesson 2: Internal Evidence (Transcriptional Probability): Lectio Difficilior Praeferenda (‘The More Difficult Reading’)
• Lesson 3: Intrinsic Probability: Authorial Style, Context, Poetic Parallelism, and Structure
• Lesson 4: Retroversion from the Septuagint: Discerning a Different Hebrew Vorlage vs. Translator Exegesis
• Lesson 5: Why Speculative Conjectural Emendation Must Be Avoided in Faithful Exegesis

Chapter 5: Major Old Testament Text-Critical Case Studies

• Lesson 1: Case Study I: Deuteronomy 32:8 (‘Sons of God’ in 4QDeutj & LXX vs. ‘Sons of Israel’ in MT)
• Lesson 2: Case Study II: Psalm 22:16 (MT 22:17: ‘They Pierced My Hands and Feet’ in 5/6HevPs & LXX vs. ‘Like a Lion’ in MT)
• Lesson 3: Case Study III: 1 Samuel 13:1 (Saul’s Age and Length of Reign) and Jeremiah’s Shorter/Longer Editions
• Lesson 4: Case Study IV: Isaiah 53:11 (‘Out of the Anguish of His Soul He Shall See Light’ in 1QIsaa, 1QIsab, 4QIsad & LXX)
• Lesson 5: Synthesizing Textual Criticism into Exegetical Commentaries and Preaching

Assessments & Grading

• Lesson Check-in Quizzes: 25 short check-in quizzes following each core lesson to reinforce retention.
• Chapter Tests: Five 10-question Chapter Tests reviewing each chapter’s linguistic and exegetical concepts (80% passing score).
• Final Course Exam: A 30-question comprehensive Final Exam covering all five chapters (80% passing score).