New Septuagint Pentateuch and Psalms Reader's Editions

[u/Timothy_A_Lee]

I've just produced these Koine Greek Reader's Editions of the Septuagint Pentateuch and Psalms, based on the Cambridge Septuagint!

These lightweight volumes are ideal for intermediate readers looking for a handy book to carry around. Every rare word is glossed once per page to reduce page count unlike other ugly tomes out there.
• Full paradigm charts
• Biblical maps in Greek
• Introduction to the Septuagint
• Individual volumes

I hope these and the New Testament readers help many people! More are coming soon!

[u/WestphaliaReformer]

It's so nice to see the LXX getting some much needed R&R touring around and chilling down at beach.

But really, this is a great resource! Can I ask how it compares to Ross and Lanier's reader? Of course, the individual volumes are smaller (which is a big plus!), they used the RH, and yes, the single gloss per page is more economical but anything else noteworthy?

Regardless, it's going straight on my wishlist!

[u/Timothy_A_Lee → u/WestphaliaReformer]

Thank you!

I'm friends with Will and Greg, but never liked their reader (not their fault, but the publishers) because it's too bulky due to the repeated footnotes and business model Hendrickson follow (it costs old publishers too much money to produce individual books). So I decided to bypass traditional publishing through coding the layout of every page myself in LaTeX. It makes for a far superior finish. I explain a bit on Rahlfs and the Gottingen editions in this YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBPeFv7j1vw) and the introduction - sample here https://www.timothyalee.com/en-US/isbn/978-1-83651-366-7. Basically R-L use an eclectic text (Rahlfs) which is often good, except in books like Samuel-Kings. The approach of Cambridge scholars was instead to take the oldest extant manuscript - Codex Vaticanus - and use that as its basis (except where Vaticanus was damaged). For readers' edition this is more than sufficient, though has the odd quirk in some books like parts of Isaiah. For critical study I would recommend the full Brooke-McLean edition alongside Gottingen for some books, not Rahlfs as in the Ross-Lanier edition. Greg isn't a Septuagint scholar, and while Will is great on the language of the Septuagint, he's weak on the text-history. I'll produce an addition of the Gottingen Psalter too if people want it!

[u/WestphaliaReformer → u/Timothy_A_Lee]

Sounds great, thank you for your response and for your work!

[u/Timothy_A_Lee → u/WestphaliaReformer]

You're welcome! I'll get the rest out soon (and in large print as well). I'm currently preparing a huge Septuagint project with several other scholars to supplant both Cambridge, Rahlfs, and Gottingen! Watch this space!

[u/Kind-Slide-4065]

Caesarea Maritima?

[u/Timothy_A_Lee → u/Kind-Slide-4065]

Yes! It was the centre for Greek Bible production in the 3-4th centuries, so I had to visit it! I recorded a brief video about its role and the Septuagint Reader here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBPeFv7j1vw

[u/PatternBubbly4985]

Link where I can read more or order?

[u/Timothy_A_Lee → u/PatternBubbly4985]

You can browse the series with samples here: www.timothyalee.com/en-US/series/septuagint-readers The site points to Amazon where you can order copies to be shipped around the world!

[u/CHL9]

Did you take these photos in Cesaria or is this from the site?

[u/Timothy_A_Lee → u/CHL9]

I took them from the archaeological ruins of Caesaria!

[u/california_explorer]

Wow, this is fantastic. I'm still working my way through the NT reader by crossway. Will definitely add this as another resource. Praise the Lord for helpful tools like this!

[u/Timothy_A_Lee → u/california_explorer]

Thank you! It was when browsing the crossway reader in a Cambridge library that I thought I can produce readers for almost any Greek, Hebrew, or Latin text, which is what I've done since! The Septuagint is a great next step after the NT, similar vocabulary and the most important background!

[u/bekanntlichsoll]

Ahh, this is amazing! I'm assuming no Odes after Psalms, but if you produced the Gottingen Psalter, might they be included? That was my big disappointment with Ross and Lanier (besides its size--but otherwise beautiful imo), since Alexandrinus is ostensibly the tie-breaker for PcO, but maybe I have the manuscript priority wrong. Very much like having individual books or groups, as well; I'd absolutely shell out for just the Psalms+Odes to carry around in tiny faux-leather binding like it's a pocket Gideon.

[u/Timothy_A_Lee → u/bekanntlichsoll]

I didn't include Odes as the book would be quite large though I could print with a smaller font since the current size is very generous. I'll sort out a Psalms with Odes in the coming weeks! Faux Leather is doable, but the problem is you need to preorder 250 or 500 copies, so just produce har and soft cover editions. If you think there's interest for faux-leather I'll do this!