Dirk Büchner D. Litt.

Professor of Biblical Studies

Department: School of Graduate Studies; Religious Studies; Biblical Studies; MA Biblical Studies

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Area of Expertise: Hebrew Bible / Old Testament; Hebrew, Aramaic and Syriac (grammar and syntax); Hellenistic Greek (grammar and lexicography); The Septuagint. Of more popular interest: The Bible and Social Justice; Creationism, Scientism and the Bible: why there should be no conflict between mainstream science and Christian faith.

Research: Septuagint Leviticus (incorporating Greek lexicography, Ptolemaic Alexandria, Hellenistic culture; the reception of the LXX in the New Testament and early Christianity.) Religion and Society in Iron age Palestine. Pre-Exilic Hebrew Prophets.

Education: B.A. (Hons.) (Johannesburg); B.Theol., M.A. (Stellenbosch); Lic.Theol. (BTCSA); D.Litt. (Stellenbosch)

Recent Publications

"Exilasasthai: Appeasing God in the Septuagint Pentateuch," Journal of Biblical Literature 129, no. 2 (2010): 237-260.

Leviticus. A New English Tranlsation of the Septuagint (NETS). New York, Oxford University Press, 2007, 82-106.

BOSHET in Jer 3.24: Disenfranchisement and the role of the goddess in 7th Century Judah. Journal of Theological Studies 59 (2008): 478-499.

http://jts.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/fln062?ijkey=v8bzMcCgAZWnQ4R&keytype=ref.

A Cultic Term (hamartia) in the Septuagint: Its Meaning and Use from the 3rd Century BCE until the New Testament. Bulletin of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies 41 (2009).

 "You shall not give of your seed to serve an Archon". Leviticus 18:21 in the Septuagint, in H. Ausloos, J. Cook, F. García Martínez, B. Lemmelijn, M. Vervenne (eds.), Translating a Translation. The Septuagint and its Modern Translations in the Context of Early Judaism (Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium, 213), Leuven: Peeters, 2008, 183-196.

The Thysia Soteriou of the Septuagint and the Greek Cult: Representation and Accommodation, in H. Ausloos B. Lemmelijn and M. Vervenne, (eds.) "Florilegium Lovaniense. Studies in Septuagint and Textual Criticism in Honour of Florentino Garcia Martinez" (Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 224), Leuven: Peeters, 2008, 85-100.

Current Projects

Commentary on LXX Leviticus (SBL Commentary on the Septuagint Series)

Lexicographical studies of Hellenistic Greek sacral terminology.

Other Publications

2002-3

Leviticus. The New English Tranlsation of the Septuagint. OUP??

2001

Interim Report: Nets Leviticus. Taylor, B (ed) LXX: X Congress of the International Organisation for Septuagint and Cognate Studies, Cambridge, 1995. SCS Series 45. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 403-420.

2000

Translation Technique in Septuagint Leviticus. Porter, S.E. (ed) Diglossia and Other Topics in New Testament Linguistics. Sheffield, Sheffield Academic Press, Pp 89-98.

1997

  1. jsp: Pass Over or Protect? Biblische Notizen 86, 14-17.
  2. On the Relationship between the Mekilta deRabbi Ishmael and Septuagint Exodus 12-23. Taylor, B (ed) LXX: IX Congress of the International Organisation for Septuagint and Cognate Studies, Cambridge, 1995. SCS Series 45. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 403-420.
  3. Jewish Commentaries and the Septuagint. Journal of Jewish Studies XLVIII/2, 250-261.
  4. Inspiration and Texts of the Bible. Hervormde Teologiese Studies 53/1-2, 393-406.
  5. Ruth, Tamar, Patriarchy and Justice for African Women. Scriptura, 62, 363-371.
  6. Midrash: A Bibliographical Essay. Journal for Semitics 8/1 49-78.
  7. Inside and Outside the Camp: The Halakhic Background to Changes in the Septuagint Leviticus, with reference to Two Qumran Manuscripts. Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages XXIII/2, 151-162.

1996

Exegetical Variants in the LXX of Exodus: an Evaluation. Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages XX/2 35-58.

The Use of the Old Testament in the Book of Hebrews. South African Baptist Journal of Theology 1996: 48-61.

1993

Micah 7:6 in the Ancient Old Testament Versions. Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages XIX, 159-168.

1992

Mishnah in the Netherlands: Something Old and Something New. Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages XVIII, 145-150.

 

1989

Rabbinic Literature and Literary Analysis: Developing an Exegetical Methodology. Proceedings South African Association for Jewish Studies Conference 1988. Multicopy, Durban.

1988

Messianism in the Mishnah? in Musiker, R and Sherman, J (eds.) Waters out of the Well. University of the Witwatersrand Library, Johannesburg.

Professional Memberships

Society of Biblical Literature
International Organisation for Septuagint and Cognate Studies
South African Society for Semitics
Old Testament Society of Southern Africa