Abstract
This collection consists of fifteen papers, two of which are accompanied by an appendix relating to the subject of the respective chapter. The volume is divided into two sections. The first contains four chapters containing textual insights pertaining to the Psalms. The second section presents eleven chapters treating various aspects of gospel textual research.
In the opening chapter Gilles Dorival analyses differences and similarities between Hebrew and Greek titles of the Psalms. His major focus is upon examples where there are substantive differences in the titles between the two languages. As is fitting for a colloquium held in Tiblisi, in the next chapter Shanidze looks at Psalm titles in the Georgian textual tradition (pp. 19-41). The third chapter by Florence Bouet investigates two textual variants – in LXX Ps 118.105 and LXX Ps 129.5. In chapter four the focus is upon the use of Psalms in ancient Georgian and Armenian liturgical traditions. The second part is wide-ranging. The opening paper seeks to give a better understanding of the terminology pertaining to a Caesarean text type. Give the whole discussion surrounding the concept of text types, the discussion provided by Amphoux is particularly valuable (pp. 73-87). In the next chapter, Lafleur who is an expert on Family 13, discusses the relation with Codex Koridethi, and offers a new collation of readings contained in that manuscript (pp. 89-112). Elliott offers a classic study on ‘The Endings of Mark’s Gospel and the Presentation of Variants in the Marc Multilingue Edition’ (pp. 113-124). Many of the remaining chapters are specifically attuned to discussing textual problems that surface in the Georgian versions of the gospels. These chapters are particularly beneficial for scholars work on tracing the transmission and variation in Georgian gospel manuscripts.
There is much of value in this volume. Some of the papers are highly specialized, whereas others will be more accessible to those interested in wider questions surrounding the texts of the Psalms or the gospels. Overall this is a very useful volume, with a particular focus on Georgian versions of the Psalms or the gospels.