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Targum Canticles (Researcher: Philip Alexander):

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1.1 The text refers to itself as verbal entity (with implied or explicit boundaries).

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1.1 The text refers to itself as verbal entity (with implied or explicit boundaries).

1.1.1 The text refers to itself using a genre term, speech act term, verb or other term implying verbal constitution: TgCant 1:1 refers to its contents as "songs and praises" (shirin ve-tushbehan). The first term reflects the underlying biblical shir(im), the second is an explanatory addition.

1.1.4 The text introduces the governing voice, thereby indirectly marking its own boundedness: TgCant 1:1 defines itself as a song of Solomon. This seems to designate Solomon as in some sense responsible for the songs cited in the body of the text that follows, but he is not the sole speaker of these songs, some of which are in a female voice, others in a male voice: the female sometimes addresses the male as dodi, and the female as ra'yati, and Solomon himself is introduced in the third person (TgCant 1:17; 2:8; 3:7-9,11; 4:1) in some cases following the biblical text.

1.1.5 Important text witnesses attest to a heading which is not integrated with the body of the text or with any introductory frame, implying one or more of the kinds of information under 1.1.1–4: The text is found under the title "Targum Shir ha-Shirim" in the First Rabbinic Bible (Bomberg, Venice, 1517), and in a number of medieval mss (note especially BN Heb. 110, "I will begin Targum Shir ha-Shirim with the help of the Creator of things created and the Helper of the righteous and upright"), and it is referred to as "Targum Shir ha-Shirim" in works such as the Arukh of Nathan ben Yehiel and Elias Levita's Meturgeman.

1.2 The text presents its internal sequence of sentences (or larger parts) as mirroring the objective relationships of components in the projected world (an objective order), or projects its subject matter as self-limiting (5.3): TgCant reads BibCant as an allegorical account of the relationship between God and Israel from the Exodus from Egypt to the coming of the Messiah. The unidentified female voice in the Bible (sometimes addressed at ra'yati) is identified with the Congregation of Israel, the unidentified male voice (sometimes addressed as dodi) is, for the most part, identified with God. The pattern of estrangement and reconciliation between the two dramatis personae in the underlying biblical text is mapped onto the history of God's relationship with Israel as follows: 1:3-5:1, from the exile of Egypt to the time of King Solomon; 5:2-7:11, from the exile of Babylon to the Hasmoneans; 7:12-8:12, from the exile of Edom (Christendom) to the coming of the Messiah (see Alexander, Targum Canticles, pp. 13-18). See further under 4, 5.2–5 or 6.

1.6 The approximate word count or other indication of comparative size is: 5,600 words, based on the text Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon database counted as Word document.

1.7 The text’s Inventory profile should be seen in the light of the following further information on completeness, thematic progression, aesthetic effects, etc.: The beginning of TgCant is strongly marked not only by the opening framing statement, "Songs and praises which Solomon, the prophet, the King of Israel, recited in the holy spirit before the Sovereign of all the World, the Lord", but also by a version of the Midrash of the Ten Songs, which serves to set out the programme for the historical reading of Canticles which follows, though it spans history from the creation to the consummation, and not just from the Exodus from Egypt to the consummation, which is the time-frame of the main body of the text. In addition TgCant marks its opening with a benediction (1:2): "Solomon the prophet said: 'Blessed be the name of the Lord who gave us the Torah at the hands of Moses, the Great Scribe, [both the Torah] written on the two tablets of stone, and the Six Orders of the Mishnah and Talmud by oral tradition, and [who] spoke with us face to face as a man kisses his friend, out of the abundance of the love wherewith he loved us more than the seventy nations." The text also strongly marks its close by (1) a plea by Solomon to Israel "at the end of days" (8:13), and (2) a concluding prayer by the elders of the Assembly of Israel to God (8:14). All in all, then, TgCant presents itself as a coherently structured, strongly bounded text, more so than the Biblical Song of Songs. The boundedness of TgCant does not rely on the reader's knowledge of the limits of the biblical text.

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2.1 The information conveyed in the text defines the perspective of the governing voice in the following way:

2.1.1 The text does not thematize how the governing voice comes to know the text’s contents (or its right to command obedience from the addressee), but suggests that its knowledge (or authority) is unlimited: This is true at the level of the anonymous framing voice, but this voice claims that Solomon, to whom it attributed the bulk of the text, spoke through "prophecy" (e.g. TgCant 1:1-2).

2.1.1.1 In narrative, the governing voice’s perspective tacitly is that of someone “present” at all events equally, regardless of their time, place, or nature (e.g. thoughts or private utterances of characters): This certainly applies to the knowledge of Solomon's acts of speech. It may also apply to other events or speech events, namely at points in the text where the reporting has reverted to the anonymous voice after a direct speech by Solomon has tacitly come to an end. See 2.1.7.

2.1.7 The governing voice (whether first or third person) is anonymous, that is, is not presented as tied to a specific personal identity (or to personhood in general): The perspective of TgCant is problematic. In BibCant an anonymous voice introduces Solomon as the author of the songs that follow, even though this involves him occasionally referring to himself in the third person. In TgCant the Solomonic authorship of the songs is accepted but historical contexts are provided for the various songs, contexts which proceed broadly chronologically from the Exodus from Egypt to the days of the Messiah (see 1.2 above). Reading TgCant on its own, it is natural to assume that these framing narratives are said in the same voice as made the opening statement that identifies the author of the songs as Solomon. In other words the governing voice in TgCant provides a more extensive framework for the direct speech than is provided by the governing voice in BibCant, even though in both cases the songs themselves are regarded as authored by Solomon, though he is by no means the "I" of all the songs. The governing voice of TgCant enjoys an epistemic horizon beyond that displayed by the governing voice of BibCant, in the sense that he seems to know of persons, objects and events that lay beyond the time of Solomon or the putative framer of the biblical text (see 2.4 below). He thus presents himself as an extension of the persona of the original framer. He implies that Solomon could have been speaking of events beyond his time because he was a prophet: note the important references to "songs and praises which Solomon, the prophet ... recited in the holy spirit" at 1:1, and "Solomon the prophet said at the end of his prophecy" at 8:13, where Solomon appears to address the Assembly of Israel across time "at the end of days". Though the perspective of both BibCant and TgCant can be accommodated under 2.1.7, the persona projected in each case is not identical since the epistemic horizons are different. The persona of TgCant is an extension of the persona of BibCant, the persona of the Targumist himself interpreting Solomon's songs.

2.1.8 The governing voice speaks at no point in the first person (except for any 2.2.4.3) and all persons/objects are mentioned from a third-person perspective: In TgCant the governing (= framing) voice regularly quotes speech in the first person, but never itself speaks in the first person. Its function is to provide third-person framing narratives which identify who said the speech reported in BibCant and when. Even Solomon, to whom the framing voice attributes the bulk of the text (see 2.1.9 below), only refers to himself in the first person once (TgCant 3:7).

2.1.9 An anonymous voice repeatedly reports the direct speech of a character whose speeches account for the bulk of the text (but not continuously): The framing voice of TgCant constantly identifies Solomon as the speaker of the bulk of the text, including those sections of it which refer to him in the third person (e.g. TgCant 3:11; 4:1; 8:12): see 1:1,2,17; 2:8; 7:2; 8:5; 8:13. It is unclear whether it means to imply by this that the framing narratives for the reported speech should also be regarded as said by Solomon, or are said by the framing voice. This ambiguity, which has the effect of blending the voices of the framer and of Solomon, may be deliberate.

2.4 The governing voice defines a horizon of knowledge as shared with the projected addressee by taking for granted the following linguistic usages or references (in selection):

2.4.1 Persons or unique objects referred to by proper name or by technical expression. Two things are noteworthy about these names in TgCant: (1) The sheer number of them, which is especially striking because the vast majority are not found in BibCant. (2) Many of the names lie beyond the epistemic horizon of the biblical text. They certainly lie beyond the epistemic horizon of Solomon, in the sense that they denote entities that only came into existence after his time, though he could theoretically have known of them through prophetic revelation. And it is reasonable to assume that they also lie beyond the the time of the original collector/framer of Solomon's songs, though it is not clear when he was supposed to have lived. Certainly he makes no reference to any of them. Those items which can reasonably be deemed to lie beyond the epistemic horizon of Solomon/the governing voice of BibCant are marked with an * below. (For the implications of this see 2.1.7 above.)

2.4.1.1 for persons mentioned or presented in narrative usage; as characters; or topics, for example: Solomon (1:1; 2:8; 3:7,9,11, and frequently); the Children of Israel/Assembly of Israel/Congregation of Israel (1:1,5,6,14,15,16; 2:1,4,6,7,9,10,13,14, and frequently); Joshua the son of Nun (1:1; 2:16; 3:4,6); Barak and Deborah (1:1); Hannah (1:1); David, King of Israel (1:1,8; 4:5; 7:5); the King Messiah (1:8,17; 4:5; 7:4,14; 8:1,2,4); Pharaoh (1:9; 2:14); Abraham (1:9,13; 2:11,12,17; 3:6,8; 6:12; 7:6,9,10); Isaac (1:9,13; 2:17; 3:6; 7:6); Jacob (1:9; 2:15,17; 3:6; 4:1,2; 5:14; 6:6; 7:6); Aaron (2:5,12; 4:5; 7:3,4); the sons of Ephraim (2:7); the Philistines (2:7); the Egyptians (2:8,10); the Patriarchs (2:8); the Matriarchs (2:8); Amalek (2:15,16); the tribe of Dan (2:15); *Micah (2:15); the Levites (3:3); the seven nations (3:5); Miriam (4:5); *Nebuchadnezzar (5:2); the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (5:3); *Sennacherib (5:4); *the Medes (5:4); Jeroboam (5:4); *Pekah son of Ramaliah (5:4); the Chaldeans (5:7); *Zedekiah (5:7); *the people of Babylon (5:7); *the Sages (5:13); the twelve tribes of Israel (5:14, enumerated by name); *the Sanhedrin of His Sages (6:2); Cyrus (6:2,11); *Ezra (6:2; 7:3); *Nehemiah (6:2; 7:3); *Zerubbabel (6:2; 7:3); *the Sages of the Great Assembly (6:5); *the Hasmoneans (6:7,9); *Mattathias the High Priest (6:7,9); *the Greeks (6:8); *wicked Alexander (8:8; v.l. *Antiochus); Bezaleel (7:3); *seventy Sages (7:3); *the Men of the Great Assembly (7:3); *Jeshua (7:3); *Mordechai Bilshan (7:3,6); *Daniel (7:6,9,10); *Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah (7:9); Elijah and Elisha (7:10); *Ezekiel the son of Buzi (7:10); *the Sages of the generation (7:14); *the hosts of Gog and Magog (8:4,7,8); Jeroboam the son of Nebat (8:11,12); Ahijah (8:11,12); Rehoboam (8:12); *the members of the Sanhedrin (8:13); *the elders of the Assembly of Israel (8:14).

2.4.1.3 for Gods/mythical figures/supernatural beings, etc., for example: Lord of the World/Sovereign of the World/Master of the World (1:1,6), and other names of God are very frequent: striking because the name of God is not mentioned in BibCant; Shekhinah (1:4,13,16; 2:12; 4:6, and frequently); bat qol (4:1); Michael, Prince of Israel (8:9).

2.4.1.4 for locations, for example: Red Sea (1:1; 2:13); Gibeon (1:1); Egypt (1:4,9; 2:9, and frequently); Cush (1:5); Qedar (1:5); the Temple (1:2; 2:4; 3:11, and frequently); the Wilderness (1:10,14; 2:6; 3:6); Mount Moriah (1:13; 2:17; 4:6); En Gedi (1:14); the Garden of Eden (1:17; 2:1; 4:13; 7:3,9); Mount Sinai (2:3,4); the land of Canaan (2:7); Gath (2:7); Mount Horeb (2:8); the Mountain of Frankincense (3:6); Lebanon (3:9; 4:14); Jerusalem (3:10, and frequently); Zion (3:11); Mount Gilead (4;1; 6:5); the brook Jabbok (4:2; 6:6); the Mountain of Snow (4:8); Hermon (4:8); the River Amana (4:8); Shiloah (4:14); Babylon (5:2,7; 6:2; 7:6); the Jordan (5:4); Lahlah (5:4); Habor (5:4); the River of Gozan (5:4); Leshem of Dan, which is called *Pamias (5:4); Riblah (5:7); Mount Carmel (7:6); Shushan (7:6); the Plain of Dura (7:10); the Land of Seir (7:12); the Mount of Anointing (8:5); Shiloh (8:11,12).

2.4.1.5 for times or calendar dates (specific to a language or culture), for example: Passover (1:1; 2:9); the Festival of Tabernacles (3:11); the Day of Atonement (4:3); allusion to the three Pilgrim Festivals (7:2).

2.4.1.6 for documents, texts, books, etc. (identified through being referred to or quoted), for example: Torah (1:2; 2:5; 7:13, and frequently); *the Six Orders of the Mishnah (1:2; 5:10); *the Talmud (1:2); the Two Tablets of Stone (3:10; 5:13); *the Twenty-Four Books [comprising] the Torah, the words of the Prophets, and the Writings (5:10).

2.4.2 circumlocutions, names or descriptions employed as “code” names: At 1:7 *Esau seems to be code-name for Christianity, whereas at 6:8, because of the chronology, it seems to be a code-name for the pre-Christian Roman Empire. At 17 *Ishmael seems to be a code-name for the Muslim Arabs, whereas at 6:8, because of the chronology, it seems to be a code-word for the pre-Islamic Arabs. *Edom = Christendom occurs at 7:12.

2.4.3 The text as a whole routinely employs the following language(s), knowledge of which is taken for granted: Aramaic, specifically the Late Literary Jewish dialect.

2.4.4 Special linguistic usages occur pervasively or prominently:

2.4.4.3 Technical expressions for the meta-linguistic presentation of another text (see 6.9.4): The series of biblical quotations in the version of the Midrash of the Ten Songs which TgCant inserts at 1:1 are regularly introduced by the citation formula de-hakhi ketiv, but the verses are translated into Aramaic!

2.4.4.5 Other special linguistic usages: The Aramaic of TgCant contains loanwords from Greek, the most striking being numphe = Heb. kallah, "bride" (4:8,9,10,11,12; 5:1), when the more obvious Aramaic kalleta' was available. There are also several Latin loanwords, possibly mediated through Greek (e.g., dux [6:8] and familia [1:15]). Persian loanwords: e.g., pitgam (2:5; 5:2), already in the Imperial Aramaic lexicon; za'afaran (5:14), possibly mediated through Arabic. Arabic loanwords: attested in the Western recension of the list of precious stones on the High Priest's breastplate in 5:14. Hebrew loanwords: for ritual objects or technical terms (e.g., mezuzah [8:3]; milah [3:8]; aron [1:14; 3:4,10]; nevu'ah [1:1; 5:10; 7:1,2]; Mishnah [1:2; 5:10]. In general the vocabulary of TgCant is immensely rich and projects a very knowledgeable audience.

2.4.5 The meaning of some linguistic usage or reference is addressed explicitly, marking it as not being part of the shared horizon of knowledge: One possible case of this in TgCant is the identification of Leshem of Dan as Pamias at 5:4. But this does not distance the audience from the governing voice, since the reference to Pamias is highly learned, and could itself have done with glossing (see Alexander, Targum Canticles, p. 150, note 20).

2.6 The text presents itself as speaking to certain persons, groups or entities, explicitly projecting a certain image of its addressee.

2.6.1 The governing voice uses apostrophe, second-person grammatical forms or first-person exclusive or inclusive “we”: One clear case of this is at 1:2 where, by the use of the first person plural, Solomon implicitly includes himself in the House of Israel, and identifies it as his audience.

2.7 The epistemic stance, knowledge horizon, moral stance and identity of the governing voice, and of the projected addressee, do not become thematic in the text.

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4.2 The event sequence is projected as related to the sequence of text parts as follows:

4.2.1 The report sequence mirrors the projected chronological sequence of events mostly or wholly, not precluding 4.2.2–5.

4.2.2 There is use of prolepsis or analepsis. See 4.5.

4.5 The narrative progression is schematic and not mediated through the interlinking of specific events, while the events are not described in detail.

4.5.1 The schematic telling of events is presented as conforming to an explicit overarching schema of chronology/periodization: TgCant presents itself as a series of episodes in the ongoing relationship between its two main characters, God and the people of Israel. Each episode is a mini-narrative which may involve dramatic interaction and dialogue between the main characters and other secondary dramatis personae (e.g., the nations of the world), but the links between the episodes are only minimally managed, if at all (note, e.g., "after all these things" at 5:2). What structures the overall narrative is (a) the episodes are arranged according to a chronological sequence which stretches from the exile in Egypt to the coming of the Messiah, divided into three main periods, not explicitly marked, but perceived in retrospect by the attentive reader: (i) from the exile in Egypt to the time of Solomon; (ii) from the Babylonian exile to the Hasmoneans; (iii) from the exile under Rome/Christianity to the time of the Messiah (see 1.2 above). (b) Each period and the episodes within it manifest a recurrent pattern of communion, estrangement, reconciliation and re-establishment of communion, which mirrors the basic dramatic pattern of the underlying biblical text. The narrative is unusual in that it spans a huge range of time, and for this reason leaves little or no room for characterisation and emplotment (contrast 4.1). It is highly schematized, a summary statement of the Heilsgeschicte (see 7.1.2.1 and 11.2.1 below). From within the specific periods there are "flashes forward" (prolepsis) and "flashes back" (analepsis), which serve to link the various periods together. For example, at 4:5, within the first period, there is a "flash-forward" to the days of the Messiah in the last period, and at 8:11-12, there is a "flash-back" to the division of the kingdom after the death of Solomon, in the second period.

4.11 Supernatural characters appear in the narrative, whether introduced casually, or accounted for elaborately. See 2.4.1.3.

4.13 The narrative pace is slowed down or changed by frequent or prominent quotation of speech, thought or text.

4.13.2 Quoted speech/thought provides a comment on the events (4.13.1 does not apply): Much of the biblical contents of Canticles, Targumically transformed, becomes an evaluation or interpretation of events not so much told as summarized in the speech reports supplied by the Targum's governing voice. See 2.1.7.

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5.5 The text’s sequence of sub-topics (discursive or narrative) mirrors a temporal or spatial order, but without narrative emplotment between the sub-topics. Or it mirrors the sequence of units of meaning in another text (from single words to whole books), while not reproducing the relationships between those parts, not using quotations from it as lemmatic progression (i.e., no 6.1), and not creating narrative emplotment.

5.5.1 This order includes all parts of the text (excepting frames), as follows:

5.5.1.4 An order of units of meaning in another text (from words to whole books) provides the sequence for the text’s themes (including any normative themes): The sequence of verses in biblical Canticles is tacitly used as a unifying thematic-narrative agenda, which the Targumic text acknowledges partly by not providing any other comprehensive principle of unity, while not reproducing the thematic interrelationships which characterizes the biblical sentences. This is in addition to the hermeneutic and translational dependency described in 6.13. See also under 4.5.

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6.10 Comment statements reveal hermeneutic attitudes towards the base text as follows:

6.10.4 The text implies or explicates a hermeneutic stance concerning the accuracy of the base text:

6.10.4.2 The base text wording is tacitly or explicitly treated under the assumption that it cannot be inaccurate/insincere/invalid.

6.13 The text constitutes a complete and sequential representation, in another language and in object-oriented perspective, of the perceived meaning of all or almost all verbal matter of a complete set of base text segments. See also 6.12.

6.13.1 The statements of the text are displayed in manuscripts as alternating in mere juxtaposition with segments of verbal matter from the base text (without linking quotation formulae): The majority of the mss of TgCant present the text verse-by-verse first in Hebrew and then in the Targum, either quoting the Hebrew in full, or identifying it by a lemma. The Masoretic verse-divisions of the Hebrew map exactly on to the Aramaic, which, despite its narrative, paraphrastic character, does not attempt to create any enjambement or syntactic run-on between verses, and the Targum can, therefore, be read verse-by-verse against the Hebrew.

6.13.2 The text’s governing voice is almost always identical with, or a consistent extension of, the persona projected by the governing voice of the base text: The governing voice of TgCant identifies the speakers of the unrubricated speeches of BibCant, and the settings or occasions on which the speeches were made. In this activity it should be seen as an extension of the govening voice of BibCant, which, by attributing at the beginning of the biblical book authorship of what follows to Solomon provides an historical setting for Canticles as a whole. However, though technically these opening words are in the governing voice, that voice projects almost nothing by way of persona: it simply tells us that everything else in Canticles was authored by Solomon, though he is by no means the speaker of every speech. The governing voice of TgCant is more an extension of the persona biblical Solomon in that the settings and speakers identified by the governing voice of the Targum are often apparently deduced from textual clues within the speeches which Solomon composed: TgCant creates co-text by deduction from the speeches themselves, and it regards that co-text as implicit or latent within Solomon's text. Though the governing voice of TgCant can be seen as a legitimate extension of the governing voices (the framer + Solomon) of BibCant, it is not identical with them, as one might expect in a simple translation, and this point is reinforced by the fact that TgCant projects an epistemic horizon way beyond, both in space and time, that projected by BibCant. See 2.4.1 above.

6.13.3 The text tends to use the sentence structure of the base text to accommodate any additional or modified object information: This phenomenon, so common in Onqelos, is present only for short sections of TgCant, in which the biblical text is translated one-to-one (e.g. 4:7: "All of you is beautiful, Assembly of Israel, and there is no defect in you", where the translation is literal, save for the replacement of the Hebrew, "my love" (ra'yati) with its identification "Assembly of Israel").

6.13.4 The text creates new syntactic structures within which the words of the base text can be recognized: This is the normal mode of representing the base-text in TgCant (e.g. 4:3: "The LIPS of the High Priest were making intercession in prayer before the Lord on the Day of Atonement, and his WORDS were turning back the SINS OF ISRAEL, which are like a THREAD OF SCARLET, and making them white as CLEAN wool. And the King, who was their HEAD, was full of PRECEPTS as a POMEGRANATE, NOT TO MENTION the COUNCILLORS AND MAGISTRATES who were close to the King, who were righteous, and in whom is no iniquity"). The words in capitals here can be related directly to the underlying Hebrew, and, for the most part, occur in the same order as the base-text. However, it is impossible to reconstitute the syntax of the base-text from the Targum. Some of the equivalents in the Targum are more or less literal translations. Others offer equivalents which "cash in" the perceived metaphorical or symbolic value of the original word. So "Counsellors and Magistrates" identifies the perceived symbolic meaning of "veil" in the original. In one case here, and frequently else where in TgCant, the link between the symbol and its literal referent is explicitly made: "the sins of Israel, which are like a thread of scarlet". Here "thread of scarlet" is the original biblical wording, and "sins of Israel" what the Targumist thinks it refers to symbolically. TgCant is careful to carry over from the biblical text a sufficient number of literal translations to allow the reader to correlate the Targum with the base-text in detail, and if there is any danger that this will become a problem, it resorts to the "X which is like Y" construction.

6.13.5 The text places sentences which have no corresponding wording in the base text at all alongside sentences which do: This is frequent in TgCant. These additional sentences occur at the beginnings of speeches and identify their speakers and the occasions on which they were said (e.g. 4:1: "ON THE DAY THAT KING SOLOMON OFFERED UP A THOUSAND BURNT OFFERINGS ON THE ALTAR, AND HIS OFFERING WAS ACCEPTED WITH FAVOUR BEFORE THE LORD, A BAT QOL WENT FORTH FROM THE HEAVENS AND SAID: 'How beautiful are you, Assembly of Israel, etc.'" Capitals here = additional co-text).

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7.1 Narrative or thematic correspondences, or overlap of specific wording, occur between a non-biblical text and one or more biblical texts in a manner that is prominent or pervasive.

7.1.2 Chronology, physical setting or emplotment correspond between the non-biblical narrative and the narrative of a biblical text or texts:

7.1.2.1 The narrative’s chronological and spatial framework, as well as certain events, are co-extensive with that of a biblical partner text, or with some extended part of it: This applies to the Targum's use of the overall narrative arc of the Hebrew Bible, not to its use of the text of BibCant, its base-text. The chronological progression created in TgCant reflects the overall scheme of the Heilsgeschichte which can be deduced, for the most part, from the Hebrew Bible. See 4.5 and 11.2.1.

7.1.3 There is prominent use of explicit quotations of biblical wording, whether in non-narrative or in narrative (but not in biblical commentary, for which see section 6): In the Midrash of the Ten Songs (TgCant 1:1) nine biblical verses are quoted (Ps 92:1; Exod 15:1; Num 21:1; Deut 32:1; Josh 10:12; Judg 5:1; 1 Sam 2:1; 2 Sam 22:1; Isa 30:29), introduced by explicit citation formulae. This phenomenon is found nowhere else in TgCant, but is noteworthy because it seems to violate the translational character of Targum. The violation is somewhat mitigated by the fact that it occurs in frame-position, before the biblical text really begins, and is, in effect, an implicit exegesis of the phrase "song of songs", taken as an allusion to a plurality of songs of which Canticles is one. The Midrash of the Ten Songs identifies those songs and the place of Solomon's song within them. The violation is also mitigated by the fact that the biblical verses are quoted in Aramaic, not Hebrew, thus maintaining the linguistic integrity of the Targum. These Aramaic versions do not always correspond to those of the known Targumim of the verses quoted. This lack of correspondence is found also elsewhere in TgCant where there are short, unacknowledged verbal overlaps with other parts of the Bible, notably the account of the Exodus. But in fact, strictly speaking, whether or not the governing voice steps out of character by quoting explicitly verses of Scripture at TgCant 1:1 depends on whether or not he lived in the time of Isaiah or later, since the latest quotation he cites is from the Book of Isaiah.

7.2 Narrative or thematic correspondences, or overlap of specific wording, occur between the non-biblical text under discussion and other non-biblical texts in a manner that is prominent or pervasive.

7.2.4 The wording or specific theme of self-contained thematic units is occasionally identical to those of another non-biblical text (or part-text), without being marked as quotations from that other text (does not apply if 7.2.6, 7.2.8 or 7.2.9 applies; not applied to Mishnah/Tosefta Tractates): There are substantial parallels to works of rabbinic Midrash and other rabbinic texts, for which see Alexander, Targum Canticles, notes, passim.

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8.1 Standard forms or contents formulated in set phrases, set sentence formats, or clauses in a standard syntactic connection.

8.1.4 Unit of a biblical quotation together with a hermeneutically dependent formulation; midrashic unit: only in TgCant 1:1: see 7.1.3.

8.1.5 [Simile used in hermeneutic function: Common in TgCant, e.g. 2:11: "For the time of servitude, which is likened to winter, has ended ... and the tyranny of the Egyptians, which is compared to the [period of] incessant rain has passed and gone". See 6.13.4 above. However, since the biblical wording is not quoted but integrated, this hermeneutic use of the simile is implicit.]

8.1.6 Speech report: The bulk of BibCant consists of unrubricated speech. TgCant turnes this into reported speech by providing framing narratives which identify who uttered the speech and when. The speeches themselves, as in the biblical text, include: 8.1.13, Declamatory sentence, confession, proclamation, or affirmation (e.g. 1:10, 1:15); 8.1.14, Prayer, doxology, valediction or blessing (e.g. 1:2); and 8.1.15, Wish sentence (e.g. 4:16, 8:1, 8:14).

8.1.11 List enumerating items by whole sentences/interpretation units: There are two of these in TgCant, the list of Songs in the Midrash of the Ten Songs at 1:1, and the list of stones on the High Priest's breastplate at 5:14. The former is certainly in the governing voice of TgCant. In the case of the latter the situation is not clear. The list occurs as part of a long speech put, implicitly by Solomon, in the mouth of Israel. The voice could, therefore, be Solomon's, but the list is introduced very abruptly, and it could be read as an interruption by the governing (= framing) voice. At this point, however, it matters little to the reader whether or not it is the governing, framing voice, or the voice of Solomon.

8.1.13 Declamatory sentence, confession, proclamation or affirmation: see 8.1.6 above.

8.1.14 Prayer, doxology, valediction or blessing: see 8.1.6 above.

8.1.15 Wish sentence: see 8.1.6 above.

8.1.18 Sentence making a prediction of a future event: occasional (see especially TgCant 8).

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11.2 The text is dominated by the reporting of emplotted events, whether or not in an overarching narrative format (as profiled in section 4).

11.2.1 The reported events are those of a biblical past, or of a biblically foretold future: TgCant reports a series of episodes in chronological order belonging to the grand narrative of the Heilsgeschicte, from the Exodus from Egypt to the coming of the Messiah. The Targumist would regard that narrative as being implicit in Tanakh, either in the form of narratives relating to the past, or predictions regarding the future. See 4.5 above.

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12.1 Sampling of genre labels applied to the text in secondary literature: Targum; Targum and Midrash completely fused together; paraphrase.

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Bibliography:

Editions:

R.H. Melamed, The Targum to Canticles according to six Yemen MSS, compared with the "Textus Receptus" (Ed. de Lagarde) (Philadelphia: Dropsie College, 1922; reprinted from JQR n.s. 10 [1919-1920], pp. 377-410; 11 [1920-1921], pp. 1-20; 12 [1921-1922], pp. 57-117). This uses the Yemenite ms BL Or 1302 as the base text, and variants from five other Yemenite mss are cited in the apparatus. Divergences from P. de Lagarde, Hagiographa Chaldaice (Leipzig: Teubner, 1873), which reproduces the text of the first Rabbinic Bible of Felix Pratensis, published by Daniel Bomberg (Venice, 1517), a standard Western text of TgCant, are also noted. Carlos Alonso Fontela, El Targum al Cantar de los Cantares (Edicion Critica) (Coleccion Tesis Doctorales, No. 92/87; Madrid: Editorial de la Universidad Complutense de Madrird, 1987). The Western ms BN Heb. 110 is used as the base text, with variants from 8 other Western mss and 2 Yemenite mss (both used also by Melamed) in the apparatus. Isaac Jerusalmi, The Song of Songs in the Targumic Tradition: Vocalized Text with Facing English Translation and Ladino Versions (Cincinnati: Ladino Books, 1993): an eclectic text based on both Western and Yemenite mss. The edition of A. Sperber, the Bible in Aramaic, Vol. 4A: The Hagiographa (Leiden: Brill, 1968), pp. 127-41, basically a transcription of the Yemenite ms BL Or 2375, is problematic. Though, as in the case of the other Targums of the Hagiographa, both Western and Yemenite texts are extant, the differences between the two recensions in TgCant are minimal, and basically confined to the identification of the stones on the High Priest's breastplate.

Translations:

English: P.S. Alexander, The Targum of Canticles: Translated with a Critical Introduction, Apparatus, and Notes (The Aramaic Bible, 17A; Collegeville, MN: LIturgical Press, 2003); Jerusalmi, The Song of Songs in the Targumic Tradition. Spanish: Alonso Fontela, Edicion Critica.

Selected Studies:

Alexander, Targum Canticles; Esther Menn, "Targum Song of Songs and the Dynamics of Historical Allegory", in: Craig A. Evans (ed.), The Interpretation of Scripture in Early Judaism and Christianity: Studies in Language and Tradition (Sheffield Academic Press: Sheffield, 2000), pp. 423-445; Menn, "Thwarted Metaphors: Complicating the Language of Desire in the Targum of the Song of Songs," Journal for the Study of Judaism 34 (2003), pp. 237-273; Penelope R. Junkermann, The Relationship between Targum Song of Song and Midrash Rabbah Song of Songs (PhD, University of Manchester, 2010).

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_1.1. The text refers to itself as verbal entity (with implied or explicit boundaries).
__1.1.1. The text refers to itself using a genre term, speech act term, verb or other term implying verbal constitution:
__1.1.2. The text speaks of itself as dealing with an overall theme (subject matter) or purpose, or as consisting of coordinated parts making a whole
__1.1.3. The text uses expressions for characterizing itself as a bounded entity. (PROMPT: "all", "beginning", "some" referring to subject-matter in
__1.1.4. The text introduces the governing voice, thereby indirectly marking its own boundedness.
___1.1.4.1. The text has a superscription concerning “to whom” it is addressed or for whose use it is.
__1.1.5. Important text witnesses attest to a heading which is not integrated with the body of the text or with any introductory frame, implying one
_1.2. The text presents its internal sequence of sentences (or larger parts) as mirroring the objective relationships of components in the project
_1.3. The text overall is shaped by a poetic or rhetorical-communicative pattern that is self-bounding (see further section 3).
_1.4. The text signals its parts or boundaries only by implicit contrast or by some other implicit signal (1.1./2 do not apply):
__1.4.1. A contrasting theme appears at the beginning or at what turns out to be a boundary/end point in the text.
__1.4.2. A sentence/small unit with a contrasting form from those used in the co-text appears at the beginning or at what turns out to be a boundary/
__1.4.3. A lemmatic commentary which otherwise exhibits gaps in its coverage of the base text begins and ends by treating the first and last segment
_1.5. The text presents a certain homogeneousness of form and/or contents, without claiming or projecting boundedness, and without being unified b
__1.5.1. There is a limited inventory of small forms which recur in a linear juxtaposition of units (e.g. 5.8).
__1.5.2. The ways in which smaller units hang together or follow on from each other (section 9) are repeated again and again.
__1.5.3. The themes which are verbalized together within the text are projected as interrelated objectively, albeit not in their textual sequence.
_1.6. The approximate word count or other indication of comparative size is:
_1.7. The text’s Inventory profile should be seen in the light of the following further information on completeness, thematic progression, aesthet
_2.1. The information conveyed in the text defines the perspective of the governing voice in the following way:
__2.1.1. The text does not thematize how the governing voice comes to know the text’s contents (or its right to command obedience from the addressee)
___2.1.1.1. In narrative, the governing voice’s perspective tacitly is that of someone “present” at all events equally, regardless of their time, place,
___2.1.1.2. The text is not narrative but the governing voice refers to utterances on the basis of unexplained knowledge of speech events of diverse per
___2.1.1.3. The text’s governing voice speaks from the perspective of unmediated access to all levels and parts of some projected reality.
___2.1.1.4. The text’s governing voice speaks from the perspective of unlimited authority in commanding the addressee’s obedience.
__2.1.2. The governing voice thematizes how it comes to know the text’s contents or its right to command obedience from the text’s addressee. Its per
___2.1.2.1. The governing voice presents or discusses norms whose commanding force is unlimited, but speaks from a perspective clearly distinguished fro
___2.1.2.2. The governing voice appeals to the projected addressee for a particular action, projecting limited knowledge or authority.
___2.1.2.3. The governing voice suggests its information or advice is based on his or her own experiences, or on other knowledge filtered by reflections
__2.1.3. Knowledge or authority of the text is presented as exceeding what the persona projected by the governing voice would ordinarily be able to a
__2.1.4. The governing voice explicitly acknowledges that something mentioned in the text cannot be adequately expressed or conveyed.
__2.1.5. The information in the text is characterized as secret or as (made) known exclusively to the persona projected by the governing voice.
__2.1.6. The governing voice explicitly claims unlimited knowledge or authority.
__2.1.7. The governing voice (whether first or third person) is anonymous, that is, is not presented as tied to a specific personal identity (or to p
__2.1.8. The governing voice speaks at no point in the first person (except for any 2.2.4.3) and all persons/objects are mentioned from a third-perso
__2.1.9. An anonymous voice repeatedly reports the direct speech of a character whose speeches account for the bulk of the text (but not continuously
_2.2. A first-person voice imposes its perspective on all (or almost all) knowledge or norms conveyed in the text.
__2.2.1. The first-person governing voice is identified by an anonymous voice through a proper name or unique description. Points 2.2.1.1–3 are devot
___2.2.1.1. The anonymous voice presents the first-person utterance as a situation-unspecific “text”, not as uttered in a unique situation of the past.
___2.2.1.2. The text is introduced as the first-person voice’s extended direct speech, having taken place on a unique narrative occasion.
___2.2.1.3. The introduction of the first-person governing voice of the text has the following characteristics (also applies to self-identification 2.2.
____2.2.1.3.1. It contextualizes the person, or the person together with a unique occasion of speaking.
____2.2.1.3.2. It consists of minimal or merely formal information (e.g. name and genre/generic contents).
____2.2.1.3.3. It is found at the beginning of the text only.
____2.2.1.3.4. It is found at the end of the text only.
____2.2.1.3.5. It is found both at the beginning and at the end of the text.
__2.2.2. The first person voice identifies itself by name or uniquely identifying expression (once or repeatedly).
___2.2.2.1. The voice identifies itself by way of a “signature”, as at the beginning or end of a text projecting itself as letter, or other text with a
__2.2.3. The first-person governing voice is not identified by name or unique identifier, but speaks of himself/herself in the first person at least
__2.2.4. The number and gender of the first-person governing voice are as follows:
___2.2.4.1. The first person singular is used.
___2.2.4.2. The first person plural is used.
___2.2.4.3. The first person is used but represents a generic “I” (“we”) of discourse and discussion, not the projection of a specific persona.
___2.2.4.4. The first person forms are marked for gender. [SPECIFY WHICH GENDER]
__2.2.5. The first-person governing voice refers to herself/himself also in third person grammatical constructions.
_2.3. There is an unexplained switch of the grammatical person of the governing voice within the main body of the text, [from third to first perso
_2.4. The governing voice defines a horizon of knowledge as shared with the projected addressee by taking for granted the following linguistic usa
__2.4.1. Persons or unique objects referred to by proper name or by technical expression:
___2.4.1.1. for persons mentioned or presented in narrative usage; as characters; or topics, for example:
___2.4.1.2. for persons quoted with direct speech in a non-narrative co-text, for example:
___2.4.1.3. for Gods/mythical figures/supernatural beings, etc., for example:
___2.4.1.4. for locations, for example:
___2.4.1.5. for times or calendar dates (specific to a language or culture), for example:
___2.4.1.6. for documents, texts, books, etc. (identified through being referred to or quoted), for example:
__2.4.2. circumlocutions, names or descriptions employed as “code” names.
__2.4.3. The text as a whole routinely employs the following language(s), knowledge of which is taken for granted:
___2.4.3.1. Additional language(s) taken for granted in quoted speech or certain parts of the text are:
__2.4.4. Special linguistic usages occur pervasively or prominently:
___2.4.4.1. Technical expressions for a particular subject matter.
___2.4.4.2. Technical expressions for presenting disputes/dialectic exchanges.
___2.4.4.3. Technical expressions for the meta-linguistic presentation of another text (see 6.9.4).
___2.4.4.4. Biblicizing language, such that the text may be assumed to project itself as having a link to texts today known as biblical (see 7.1.4.1).
___2.4.4.5. Other special linguistic usages: [FOR ORIENTATION: normative force through use of the indicative in the Mishnah; repeated or prominent use o
__2.4.5. The meaning of some linguistic usage or reference is addressed explicitly, marking it as not being part of the shared horizon of knowledge:
_2.5. The text contains deictic or other expressions referring to the governing voice’s time or place, or placing it after/before some key event:
__2.5.1. as part of the words of the governing voice.
__2.5.2. as part of the words of a quoted character, but with probable implications also for the governing voice.
_2.6. The text presents itself as speaking to certain persons, groups or entities, explicitly projecting a certain image of its addressee.
__2.6.1. The governing voice uses apostrophe, second-person grammatical forms or first-person exclusive or inclusive “we”.
___2.6.1.1. An audience is identified as the intended receiver of a text projecting itself as a letter.
__2.6.2. The projected addressee is characterized as having a certain moral or epistemic stance, or as standing in contrast to another group’s moral
__2.6.3. The governing voice uses verbs of epistemic or moral exhortation or employs focus markers.
__2.6.4. The governing voice directs questions at the projected addressee which are marked as rhetorical or as suggesting the audience assume a parti
__2.6.5. The governing voice employs exclamatory or declamatory modes of speech (cf. 8.1.13).
_2.7. The epistemic stance, knowledge horizon, moral stance and identity of the governing voice, and of the projected addressee, do not become the
_3.1. The text’s functional parts are sequenced as communicative stages for engaging the projected addressee's attention or goodwill.
__3.1.1. The text as a whole is a prayer of petition with the communicative sequence: praise of God/confession of sins/appeal for forgiveness[+/- ant
__3.1.2. The text as a whole treats a biblical passage and/or theme by (1) an approach to that passage/theme from an unrelated verse (Petichah) – (2)
__3.1.3. The text as a whole treats a biblical passage/theme by sequencing units of Bible interpretation in such a way as to create (and resolve or l
__3.1.4. Some functional parts occur more than once with different contents, and are merely juxtaposed to each other. See also 9.8.
_3.2. The text is bounded by a formal, communicative or poetic (poetic-thematic) formation, constituting a single piece.
_3.3. The text bears resemblance in length and theme to a biblical prayer, song, lament or psalm, and is thereby recognizable as constituting a si
_3.4. The text constitutes one piece in a sequence of pieces that only show themselves as separate from each other by their contrast in adjacency
_3.5. The language of a text whose boundaries are determined by poetic formation or by contrast in adjacency (3.3–4 applies) exhibits poetic forma
__3.5.1. There is pervasive use of rhyme and/or metre.
__3.5.2. There is pervasive use of parallelism.
__3.5.3. There is pervasive use of other features that can be interpreted as defining poetic formation, such as heightened or figurative language, re
_3.6. The language of a text whose boundaries are not determined by poetic formation or by contrast in adjacency (3.2–4 does not apply) exhibits p
__3.6.1. There is pervasive use of rhyme and/or metre.
__3.6.2. There is pervasive use of parallelism.
__3.6.3. There is pervasive use of other features that can be interpreted as defining poetic formation, such as heightened or figurative language, re
_4.1. The text narrates events which are strongly emplotted, making reference to interlocking happenings, characters, motivations, causes, times o
__4.1.1. The text narrates a complex series of events not presented as leading towards only one crisis and solution, nor as contributing to only one
__4.1.2. All subordinate events are presented as preparing one crisis and its solution, or as addressing one unified timespan/location, or as telling
___4.1.2.1. The narrative builds up one central narrative tension as having special intrinsic interest, or unites in some other way a number of narrativ
___4.1.2.2. The action pivots around one character or a small set of inter-connected characters.
___4.1.2.3. The narrative emphasizes personal, private or domestic aspects of lives.
__4.1.3. The narrative provides a clear closure, or dwells on the closure.
__4.1.4. The narrative foregrounds apparently exact information on the absolute and relative timing of events.
__4.1.5. The narrative foregrounds quantifiable non-temporal information.
_4.2. The event sequence is projected as related to the sequence of text parts as follows:
__4.2.1. The report sequence mirrors the projected chronological sequence of events mostly or wholly, not precluding 4.2.2–5.
__4.2.2. There is use of prolepsis or analepsis.
__4.2.3. There are chronological gaps which are explicitly managed or signposted.
__4.2.4. There are chronological gaps which are merely implied, or indicated but left vague.
__4.2.5. There are descriptions of repeated or habitual actions which have no unique point in the chronology.
_4.3. The text presents several sets of internally complex episodes with no explicit or manifest causal or motivational nexus between them. Where
__4.3.1. The episodes have a common main character, or several characters of approximately equal narrative prominence, who is the subject of the acti
__4.3.2. The episodes are linked by a common witness character who is peripheral to some or much of the action told, but through whose perceptions al
_4.4. The narrative tells the story of the creation or reception of a separate text which is presented verbatim within the narrative framework, or
_4.5. The narrative progression is schematic and not mediated through the interlinking of specific events, while the events are not described in d
__4.5.1. The schematic telling of events is presented as conforming to an explicit overarching schema of chronology/periodization.
_4.6. There are meta-narrative explanations occurring in the narrative (editorial comments by narrator).
_4.7. Within a thematic (non-narrative) framework the text contains extensive telling of continuous and detailed events.
__4.7.1. This narrative material is explicitly subservient to and integrated into a thematic discourse or thematic description (see under 5).
__4.7.2. This narrative material is explicitly subservient to and integrated into the lemmatic treatment of another text (see under 6).
_4.8. The text provides scene-setting information, other than the introduction of an I-narration.
__4.8.1. There is an explicit introduction of the chronological and/or spatial setting of the action.
__4.8.2. There is an explicit introduction of the main character(s).
_4.9. There is prominent or sustained characterization of key figures in the narrative.
__4.9.1. There is editorial comment on the qualities of a character from a third-person narrator.
___4.9.1.1. There is self-characterization of a first-person governing voice, or first-person characterization of other characters.
__4.9.2. All characterization is achieved only through reporting the actions, speech or thoughts of the characters ("dramatic").
__4.9.3. A figure is characterized by her or his moral or religious traits.
___4.9.3.1. Moral/religious traits are manifestly linked to the ethnicity and/or gender of the figure.
___4.9.3.2. Moral/religious traits are not manifestly linked to the ethnicity and/or gender of the figure.
__4.9.4. A figure is characterized by her or his intellectual gifts or understanding.
__4.9.5. A figure is characterized by physical prowess or beauty, or their opposites.
_4.10. A character’s relations to her/his community are foregrounded, including any two-fold social environment (e.g. a diaspora setting).
__4.10.1. A main character is portrayed as being integrated in one societal environment but as in conflict with a second environment.
__4.10.2. A main character is portrayed as being integrated in two different societal environments.
__4.10.3. A main character is portrayed as being integrated in her/his single societal environment.
__4.10.4. A main character is portrayed as in conflict with his/her environment (or as being an “Other”), whether the environment is single or doubled
_4.11. Supernatural characters appear in the narrative, whether introduced casually, or accounted for elaborately.
_4.12. The narrative pace is slowed down or changed by the occasional or regular occurrence of extended descriptions.
__4.12.1. There is extended description of one or more static objects.
___4.12.1.1. There is extended description is of a heavenly object, e.g. God’s throne, chariot, etc.
__4.12.2. There is extended description of the outward appearance of persons or other animated beings.
__4.12.3. There is extended description of the physical or architectural setting/landscape.
_4.13. The narrative pace is slowed down or changed by frequent or prominent quotation of speech, thought or text.
__4.13.1. The quotation constitutes a plot-driving event in its own right.
___4.13.1.1. The quotation divulges earlier events which the governing voice had left out of its own account of the earlier period.
___4.13.1.2. The narrative action largely or partly consists of a report on (long) speeches exchanged between characters.
__4.13.2. Quoted speech/thought provides a comment on the events (4.13.1 does not apply).
__4.13.3. Quoted wording is presented as a message (written or oral) sent from one character to another.
__4.13.4. The quotation differs from the surrounding text in its form (e.g. poetry), style or language.
_4.14. The identity or perspective of the governing voice changes between adjacent parts of what is manifestly the same narrative.
__4.14.1. A first-person narrator is followed by a third-person narrator.
__4.14.2. A third-person narrator is followed by a first-person narrator.
__4.14.3. The change coincides with other features which could be seen as motivating (or diachronically accounting for) it.
___4.14.3.1. A shift in the setting of the action which modifies the epistemic perspective but does not disrupt the effective narrative continuity (nor n
___4.14.3.2. a prominent change of (literary) form, style or language.
___4.14.3.3. a narrative and/or formal discontinuity which is disruptive of text unity.
_4.15. There are imbalances in the level of detail provided between adjacent parts of a continuous narrative, in the absence of narrative developme
__4.15.1. This coincides with the occurrence of unique literary forms, more detail for narrative contents absent from a biblical partner text (see 7.1
_5.1. The bulk of the text is constituted by thematic discourse/description, albeit presented as speech/wording quoted from a narrative setting:
__5.1.1. The discursive or descriptive treatment of themes is presented as one character’s continuous speech or wording in a unique narrative situati
___5.1.1.1. The quotation forms a substantial continuous part of the overall text, but not its bulk, as there is also extended narration concerning its
__5.1.2. The discursive or descriptive treatment of themes is presented as constituted by speeches uttered on separate but mutually emplotted occasio
___5.1.2.1. The separate speeches in sequence constitute a juxtaposition of themes/propositions (see further 5.7).
___5.1.2.2. The separate speeches in sequence constitute the overall treatment of one theme by a constant principle of differentiation (see further 5.2-
_5.2. The sequence of themes in the discursive or descriptive text suggests an objective order constituted by dividing a larger topic by a constan
__5.2.1. This suggestion includes all substantive parts of the text (other than any frames), or deviations are made explicit.
___5.2.1.1. Later passages refer to preceding themes in order to add detail.
__5.2.2. This suggestion includes only a continuous substantial part of the text, not the whole.
_5.3. The text’s discursive/descriptive treatment of its subject matter can be understood as assembling precisely those sub-topics of an overall t
__5.3.1. The sub-topics, if seen in this manner, represent a unifying theme for the whole text.
__5.3.2. The sub-topics, if seen in this manner, only account for a continuous substantial part of the text.
_5.4. The text’s sequence of sub-topics suggests a progression from the more general to the more specific, or vice versa if accompanied by explana
__5.4.1. The progression embraces all substantive parts of the text; or, any extra themes are explained.
__5.4.2. The progression occurs only in a continuous substantial part of the text.
_5.5. The text’s sequence of sub-topics (discursive or narrative) mirrors a temporal or spatial order, but without narrative emplotment between th
__5.5.1. This order includes all parts of the text (excepting any frames), as follows:
___5.5.1.1. A temporal order provides the sequence for norms or normative information.
____5.5.1.1.1. Additionally, the temporal order corresponds to a sequence of actions which is in itself, as a sequence, normative.
___5.5.1.2. A temporal order provides the sequence for non-normative (and non-narrative) information.
___5.5.1.3. A spatial or geographical order provides the sequence for the text’s themes (including any normative themes).
____5.5.1.3.1. Additionally, the themes so ordered are distinguished from one another by spatial or geographic expressions.
___5.5.1.4. An order of units of meaning in another text (from words to whole books) provides the sequence for the text’s themes (including any normativ
__5.5.2. This order defines only a continuous substantial part of the text, as follows:
___5.5.2.1. A temporal order provides the sequence for a continuous text part thematizing norms or normative information.
____5.5.2.1.1. Additionally, the temporal order corresponds to a sequence of actions which is in itself, as a sequence, normative.
___5.5.2.2. A temporal order provides the sequence for continuous non-normative (and non-narrative) information in part of the text.
___5.5.2.3. A spatial or geographical order provides the sequence for the text’s themes (including any normative themes) in a continuous part of the tex
____5.5.2.3.1. Additionally, the themes so ordered are distinguished from one another by spatial or geographic expressions.
___5.5.2.4. An order of units of meaning in another text (from words to whole books) provides the sequence for a continuous substantial part of the text
_5.6. The text pervasively provides explicit links between successive sub-topics, without at the same time mirroring an objective order as in 5.2–
__5.6.1. The text constitutes a conceptual inquiry into the accuracy or validity of universal claims regarding facts or norms.
___5.6.1.1. The inquiry pervasively or prominently proceeds by juxtaposing and discussing mutually exclusive claims, or alternative (or hypothetical) wo
____5.6.1.1.1. Some or most of the units so opposed to each other are ascribed (whether verbatim or not) to real, imaginary or hypostasized speakers.
_5.7. Adjacent text parts constituting themes are merely juxtaposed or weakly conjoined, while there is no indication of an overall objective rela
__5.7.1. Some measure of objective interrelatedness of all/almost all themes in the text is capable of expression by way of a summarizing term or phr
__5.7.2. Some measure of objective interrelatedness of all/almost all themes in the text is capable of expression, but only through use of a summariz
__5.7.3. The text’s thematic profile emerges from juxtaposed larger blocks of text which are all (or almost all) defined by an internal structuring s
__5.7.4. There is an enumeration of topics at the beginning of the text which relates to the thematic units constituting the bulk of the text as foll
___5.7.4.1. One of the enumerated topics corresponds to a possible summary theme of the bulk of the text (cp. 5.7.1/2), so that there is a single step “
___5.7.4.2. The enumerated topics distinguish themes that could work as sub-divisions of the contents of the bulk of the text (cp. 5.7/2), but no struct
__5.7.5. There is no objective interrelatedness of all/almost all themes in the text capable of expression in such a way that the summarizing term or
__5.7.6. The juxtaposed thematic units are concerned with universal claims to accuracy/validity and thereby tacitly project an objective interrelated
_5.8. The bulk of the text consists of small forms and patterns drawn from a limited set of formats for thematic articulation or for discussion (f
_5.9. The text’s governing voice projects the accuracy or validity of its statements as:
__5.9.1. Being taken for granted or being self-evident.
__5.9.2. Admitting discussion or disagreement, or the need for argument and evidence in principle.
__5.9.3. Pervasively in need of support by arguments, or open to discussion.
__5.9.4. The following argument types occur:
___5.9.4.1. Conceptual arguments as well as arguments from the quoted wording of another text (not necessarily in equal measure).
___5.9.4.2. Predominantly or exclusively conceptual arguments (e.g. inferences, analogies, or references to evidence).
___5.9.4.3. Predominantly or exclusively arguments from the quoted wording of another text (e.g. paraphrases, interpretation units, proof-texts).
_5.10. The governing voice ascribes statements about the text’s thematic substance pervasively or prominently to speaker characters as utterances.
__5.10.1. Isolated utterances (or dialogues) are presented without a unifying emplotment, but tacitly presuppose a unified grid of story/history.
___5.10.1.1. The persons, groups or generic figures indicated as speakers tend to be only minimally identified or contextualized.
__5.10.2. The text’s governing voice presents the speech of characters mostly in the exclusive function of disagreeing/agreeing with, or providing the
__5.10.3. The governing voice quotes a character with a direct speech of such length that it constitutes a significant proportion of the text overall.
__5.10.4. Hypothetical speech is routinely or prominently put into the mouth of hypostasized or generic characters.
__5.10.5. The reported wording is projected as a text, with the quoted character identified as its “author”.
_5.11. The text mentions no unique individuals as characters, or mentions them only in frame positions.
_5.12. The text thematizes the meaning of historical or narrative events and summarizes, alludes to or refers to events as evidence, but does not c
_6.1. The text’s most basic thematic progression consists of alternations of (a) quotations from a base text in their original sequence, and (b) s
__6.1.1. Most or many statements are dependent reformulations (paraphrases) of the quotations, or meta-linguistic observations on them.
__6.1.2. Some or many statements are presented in such a manner that it is ambiguous whether they reformulate the perceived meaning of the quotation
__6.1.3. Quotation-comment units pervasively or prominently contain meta-linguistic expressions.
__6.1.4. Quotation-comment units tend to be merely juxtaposed, while the units have internal cohesion and formal independence from each other.
__6.1.5. Only base text segments in their lemmatic sequence are quoted and receive a statement.
__6.1.6. The text also contains quotation-comment units which relate: (i) to texts other than the base text, and/or (ii) to the base text but not in
___6.1.6.1. Such units play a prominent part or make up the majority of quotation-statement units in the text.
__6.1.7. The text offers only one statement per quoted base text segment (comment or non-comment), or explains instances of more than one statement.
_6.2. Found alongside comment statements (6.1.1), a considerable proportion of quotation-attached statements are presented as hermeneutically inde
__6.2.1. Non-comment statements regularly or prominently attract their own hermeneutically dependent comment statements or dedicated discussion.
___6.2.1.1. Such discussions of non-comment statements can effectively take the place of, or indirectly constitute, any otherwise lacking direct discuss
__6.2.2. Non-comment statements can occur as multiples, and constitute extended stretches of text with their own order, homogeneousness or thematic c
__6.2.3. Non-comment statements occur prominently towards the end of the text or towards the end of a lemmatic division of the text.
__6.2.4. Most or all non-comment statements are presented as speech by named characters and groups, or from anonymous sources.
__6.2.5. Most or all non-comment statements are presented as quotations from other texts.
_6.3. Comment statements are frequently or prominently supported by another base text-like quotation.
__6.3.1. Such supporting text quotations regularly or prominently attract their own comment statements in turn.
_6.4. The lemmatic progression is constituted simultaneously as a thematic integration or is fused with some other principle of order.
__6.4.1. There is a manifestly unifying thematic focus to the commentary as a whole, or thematic diversity is addressed.
__6.4.2. The text pervasively provides explicit links between successive quotation-comment units, does not formally separate the units from each othe
__6.4.3. The segment size varies so as to mirror the size of literary Gestalts in the base text.
__6.4.4. The commentary text has a division into parts which accentuates a division of the base text into larger parts than the segments receiving le
__6.4.5. The lemmatic progression is fused with a secondary order principle, creating also the integrity of (a) a narrative, (b) a thematic discourse
__6.4.6. A “negative” thematic focus is created by consistent avoidance of a theme suggested (to the modern scholar) by the base text.
_6.5. There is a manifest constancy of the hermeneutic approach, or an explicit account of hermeneutic approaches.
_6.6. The extent of the base text segment is evident as follows:
__6.6.1. There is a regular distance in the base text from the beginning of one quotation to the beginning of the next quotation:
___6.6.1.1. With all base text verbal matter quoted from one to the other.
____6.6.1.1.1. With initial wording given only, while comment statements may target also the unquoted verbal matter in between quotation beginnings.
__6.6.2. There is no regular distance in the base text from the beginning of one quotation to the beginning of the next quotation.
___6.6.2.1. With the extent of the quoted verbal matter coinciding with the limits of the verbal matter targeted by comment statements.
__6.6.3. The size of segments (as under 6.6.1/2) tends to be, or to include:
___6.6.3.1. A sentence.
___6.6.3.2. Less than a sentence.
___6.6.3.3. More than a sentence.
___6.6.3.4. Two different sizes for adjacent interpretations of the same piece of base text.
___6.6.3.5. The size of some unit other than the sentence (Masoretic verse, proverb).
__6.6.4. The segments (as under 6.6.1/2) provide coverage of the base text as follows:
___6.6.4.1. There is no complete coverage of the base text.
____6.6.4.1.1. Base text not covered is contiguous.
____6.6.4.1.2. Base text not covered may have appeared less important or less problematical.
_____6.6.4.1.2.1. The text does not project complete lemmatic coverage as its overarching theme (6.2 or 6.6.2 apply, or there are many smaller “gaps” in the c
____6.6.4.1.3. No manifest pattern accounts for the base text not covered.
____6.6.4.1.4. Incomplete lemmatic coverage is explicitly addressed.
___6.6.4.2. There is complete coverage of the base text.
__6.6.5. There is explanation of the nature and length of base text segments or quotations.
__6.6.6. The quoted base text segment may already have appeared earlier in the text, as part of a copy of a larger section (or the whole) of the base
_6.7. There occur multiple comment statements for the same quoted base text segment:
__6.7.1. Interpreting the same expression within the same base text segment.
__6.7.2. Interpreting different expressions within the same base text segment.
__6.7.3. The multiple comment statements are set off from each other by being:
___6.7.3.1. Separated by a repeated quotation of the base text segment or parts of it.
___6.7.3.2. Introduced by terms of transition.
___6.7.3.3. Assigned to different speaking voices, including the governing voice.
___6.7.3.4. Marked explicitly as constituting disagreement.
___6.7.3.5. Set off only by being linguistically or logically discontinuous with the interpretation immediately preceding.
_6.8. Comment or non-comment statements are prominently or frequently presented as quotations of speech acts by individuals, groups or by anonymou
__6.8.1. Quoted comment or non-comment statements regularly or prominently are themselves treated to explanations or supplementations.
__6.8.2. Comment or non-comment statements are frequently or prominently presented as speech acts outside any connecting narrative framework, but in
___6.8.2.1. This grid tacitly or explicitly links quoted characters to each other as commentators on the base text.
___6.8.2.2. This grid tacitly or explicitly links quoted characters to the origins of the base text.
___6.8.2.3. The presupposed narrative/historical links between speakers, or between speakers and base text, are used to clarify the meaning of their quo
_6.9. The text distinguishes the level of the base text quotations from the level of the statements, whether comments or non-comments, as follows:
__6.9.1. The nature of the statements or of the lemmatic order is verbalized.
__6.9.2. Base text quotations have no quotation formula, but tend to be found at the beginning of a new textual unit, marked by the appearance of an
__6.9.3. The sequence of components within interpretation units is: 1. quotation from base text – 2. comment statement – 3. supporting base-text like
___6.9.3.1. This sequence is changed, or the base text quotation doubled, for any Petichah-like units.
__6.9.4. The text employs terms/formulae, signals of transition, hermeneutic techniques, or separation markers, including the following:
___6.9.4.1. Specialized terminology separating quotation from comment.
___6.9.4.2. Speech reports introducing the statement, used as separator.
___6.9.4.3. Other signals of the transition between quotation and comment: [].
___6.9.4.4. Tacit juxtapositions of components, which cannot be read as being continuous on the same level with each other.
___6.9.4.5. Expressions of a hermeneutic operation.
___6.9.4.6. Intermediary rephrasings of the lemma leading to the comment statement (see also 6.10.3).
___6.9.4.7. Verbal links or overlapping wording between adjacent quotation-comment units, using contiguous base text segments.
_6.10. Comment statements reveal hermeneutic attitudes towards the base text as follows:
__6.10.1. Comment statements tend to speak directly, in object-language, about the base text’s themes.
___6.10.1.1. The perspective of any first-person speaker character of the base text segment may be reproduced in the comment statement.
__6.10.2. Comment statements tend to speak about the quotation only as a verbal entity, i.e. be exclusively meta-linguistic.
__6.10.3. Exclusively meta-linguistic comment statements are found alongside more frequent object language comments, or are used as intermediary rephr
__6.10.4. The text implies or explicates a hermeneutic stance concerning the accuracy of the base text:
___6.10.4.1. The base text wording is tacitly or explicitly treated under the assumption that it may be inaccurate/insincere/invalid.
___6.10.4.2. The base text wording is tacitly or explicitly treated under the assumption that it cannot be inaccurate/insincere/invalid.
_6.11. Within the lemmatic arrangement, extended sections of text have their own principle of progression which suspends the lemmatic progression:
__6.11.1. The base text quotation becomes the starting point of a set of local thematic shifts involving further quotations plus explanation/supplemen
__6.11.2. There is limited but sustained thematic, narrative or lemmatic continuity (with or without further quotations), as follows:
___6.11.2.1. Another text, or a different part of the base text, is treated thematically or lemmatically as relevant to the base text quotation.
___6.11.2.2. A different base text is treated lemmatically and as independent of the base text quotation.
___6.11.2.3. A thematic order, thematic inquiry or reflection is sustained (e.g. of the type 5.6.1).
___6.11.2.4. A narrative order is sustained.
___6.11.2.5. Some extra-thematic principle of order is sustained (see 9.11).
__6.11.3. Non-comment statements (6.2) can occur in the following positions:
___6.11.3.1. After one or more initial quotation-comment unit with manifest or explicit hermeneutic dependency (6.1.1/3).
___6.11.3.2. Immediately succeeding the base text quotation (with later units exhibiting hermeneutic dependency on the quotation).
____6.11.3.2.1. There are cases where a non-comment statement constitutes the only treatment of the base text quotation.
_6.12. There are marked imbalances in the distribution or positioning of base text quotation-statement units at certain strategic points in a 6.1 t
__6.12.1. Higher density is found at the beginning of the base text, or the beginning of the commentary/rendering text.
__6.12.2. Higher density is found at the end of the base text, or the end of the commentary/rendering text.
__6.12.3. Higher density is found at some other defined or strategic text position of the base text, the commentary or the rendering text.
__6.12.4. The imbalance coincides with other changes:
___6.12.4.1. The occurrence of literary forms which are rare or unique for the text.
___6.12.4.2. The recurrence of units from elsewhere in the text.
___6.12.4.3. The absence of the comment component from quotations of other texts (not the base text).
___6.12.4.4. A change in the pattern of coverage of the base text by quoted segments.
_6.13. The text constitutes a complete and sequential representation, in another language and in object-oriented perspective, of the perceived mean
__6.13.1. The statements of the text are displayed in manuscripts as alternating in mere juxtaposition with segments of verbal matter from the base te
__6.13.2. The text’s governing voice is almost always identical with, or a consistent extension of, the persona projected by the governing voice of th
__6.13.3. The text tends to use the sentence structure of the base text to accommodate any additional or modified object information.
__6.13.4. The text creates new syntactic structures within which the words of the base text can be recognized.
__6.13.5. The text places sentences which have no corresponding wording in the base text at all alongside sentences which do.
__6.13.6. The text also thematizes its base text or some part of it as a verbal entity, e.g. by quoting its wording.
___6.13.6.1. Such meta-linguistic components are verbally integrated into the text’s narrative or thematic continuity, so that no lemmatic structuring of
___6.13.6.2. The positioning of any base text quotations does not disrupt or undermine the text’s narrative or thematic progression.
_7.1. Narrative or thematic correspondences, or overlap of specific wording, occur between a non-biblical text and one or more biblical texts in a
__7.1.1. Characters correspond between the non-biblical narrative and the narrative of a biblical text or texts.
___7.1.1.1. Some or all main characters of the text correspond to main characters in a biblical partner text.
____7.1.1.1.1. A main character shared with a biblical partner text is also the first-person narrator of the text.
___7.1.1.2. The text’s main character is a minor character in Scripture.
____7.1.1.2.1. That character is also the first-person narrator of the text.
___7.1.1.3. Only minor character(s) of the text correspond to character(s) in a biblical text(s), whether minor or major.
___7.1.1.4. The first-person narrator of the text is a non-biblical character.
__7.1.2. Chronology, physical setting or emplotment correspond between the non-biblical narrative and the narrative of a biblical text or texts:
___7.1.2.1. The narrative’s chronological and spatial framework, as well as certain events, are co-extensive with that of a biblical partner text, or wi
____7.1.2.1.1. The text tends to narrate the story through events described in approximately the same amount of detail as a biblical partner text.
____7.1.2.1.2. The narrative is told in more detail than that of a biblical partner text, or contains more components that slow down the narrative pace (4.
____7.1.2.1.3. The text tends to narrate the story through events described in less detail or through fewer events than a biblical partner text.
____7.1.2.1.4. Some of the narrative’s sub-plots or episodes, mostly corresponding to those of a biblical text, differ from each other in the amount of det
_____7.1.2.1.4.1. Among the sub-plots or episodes with more detail are some or all of the ones that have no biblical counterpart.
___7.1.2.2. While the narrative covers the same chronological-spatial ground or plot as a biblical text, it lacks extended speeches found in that biblic
___7.1.2.3. The narrative is located at a particular point (“niche”) in a chronological-spatial framework also known from a biblical text, but there is
__7.1.3. There is prominent use of explicit quotations of biblical wording, whether in non-narrative or in narrative (but not in biblical commentary,
__7.1.4. The text shares features of language with the Hebrew Bible, or exhibits tacit overlap with specific biblical wording, whether narrative or n
___7.1.4.1. There are pervasive biblical linguistic features (vocabulary, morphology or syntax) or a pervasive use of unspecific biblical language, such
___7.1.4.2. The text contains prominently, but not necessarily frequently, the wording of specific biblical passages such as whole sentences or unique b
____7.1.4.2.1. The tacit overlap of specific wording extends regularly to whole sentences or to extensive sentence groupings, found alongside sentences or
___7.1.4.3. The tacit overlap of wording takes place across language boundaries, with respect to the current language of the text (this point does not a
__7.1.5. The projected persona of the governing voice of the text, whether a narrative or not, is also known from a biblical text, or the governing v
___7.1.5.1. The projected first-person persona of the governing voice is also a character in a biblical text.
____7.1.5.1.1. The persona appears to be linked to a character as it specifically appears in the biblical text, not merely as it might be known from diffus
___7.1.5.2. The projected first-person persona of the governing voice is presented as identical with, or as an extension of, the persona of the governin
___7.1.5.3. The epistemic stance of the governing voice (narrative or not, first person or not) can be interpreted as falling into the same generic cate
____7.1.5.3.1. The conveyance of personally received verbal or visual revelation: prophecy model.
____7.1.5.3.2. The omniscient narration, as in Genesis-Joshua; or unrestricted knowledge of a described reality, similar to Genesis 1.
____7.1.5.3.3. The plea to God of human prayer or supplication, as in Psalms.
____7.1.5.3.4. The conveyance of wisdom on the basis of personal experience or learning, as in Proverbs, Qohelet.
__7.1.6. The range of themes in the non-narrative text is wholly or nearly contained within the specific range of themes found also in a biblical tex
__7.1.7. The sequence of themes in (at least) substantial parts of the non-narrative text is tacitly isomorphic with the sequence of themes in a bibl
__7.1.8. The non-narrative text pervasively or prominently presupposes the narrative fabric of biblical events/reported speech, beyond the contents o
___7.1.8.1. The text presupposing biblical narrative fabric has a thematic structure of discourse or description.
___7.1.8.2. The text presupposing biblical narrative fabric is a lemmatic sequential commentary on some part of the Hebrew Bible.
__7.1.9. While sharing the basic narrative-chronological framework of biblical texts, the narrative also mentions characters or events which presuppo
_7.2. Narrative or thematic correspondences, or overlap of specific wording, occur between the non-biblical text under discussion and other non-bi
__7.2.1. There is a correspondence of characters (which may include the persona projected as the governing voice of the current text).
___7.2.1.1. This also constitutes a correspondence with a biblical text (7.1.1).
__7.2.2. The overall chronological and spatial framework of the narrative, as well as certain events, are substantially or prominently co-extensive w
___7.2.2.1. The narrative is located at a particular point (“niche”) in a chronological-spatial framework also known from another non-biblical text, but
___7.2.2.2. This co-extension also constitutes a co-extension with a biblical text; or, this “niche” relationship also constitutes a “niche” relationshi
__7.2.3. There are explicit quotations or instances of explicitly marked expressive use of wording from a non-biblical partner text.
__7.2.4. The wording or specific theme of self-contained thematic units is occasionally identical to those of another non-biblical text (or part-text
___7.2.4.1. Such overlapping units are found in text types which differ from each other in their thematic arrangement.
___7.2.4.2. It is common for such overlapping units to be marked as the speech of a character or as anonymous quoted speech in one or both of the non-bi
___7.2.4.3. Such self-contained overlapping units occur within what is, by other structural signals, manifestly the same text.
__7.2.5. There are prominent single allusions to specific wording found in a non-biblical partner text.
__7.2.6. There is extensive tacit overlap with the wording of a non-biblical partner text, whether in narrative or in non-narrative texts.
___7.2.6.1. The text presents statements as anonymous which are also anonymous in a partner text.
___7.2.6.2. The text assigns to a character statements which are anonymous in a partner text.
____7.2.6.2.1. The character thus quoted is also the person traditionally identified as the redactor or tradent of the anonymous parts of a partner text.
___7.2.6.3. The text presents statements as anonymous which are assigned to a character in a partner text.
___7.2.6.4. The extensive wording overlap takes place across language boundaries.
___7.2.6.5. The extensive wording overlap takes place in a thematic environment or in a cotext different from that of the wording in the partner text.
___7.2.6.6. The 7.2.6. wording overlaps also constitute wording overlaps with a biblical text.
__7.2.7. The projected first-person persona of the governing voice of the text, whether narrative or not, is also known from another non-biblical tex
___7.2.7.1. The projected first-person persona is identical with a character in another non-biblical text.
____7.2.7.1.1. The persona appears to be linked to that character as it specifically appears in the other text, not merely as it might be known from diffus
___7.2.7.2. The projected first-person persona is presented as identical with or as an extension of the persona of the governing voice of another non-bi
___7.2.7.3. The 7.2.7. overlap also constitutes an overlap with a biblical text.
__7.2.8. The range of themes in the non-narrative text is wholly or nearly contained within the specific range of themes found also in another non-bi
__7.2.9. The sequence of themes in (at least) substantial parts of the non-narrative text is tacitly isomorphic with the sequence of themes in anothe
___7.2.9.1. Shared themes occur largely or entirely in the same sequence, albeit separated by other themes. [DELETE OR KEEP: These themes may be support
___7.2.9.2. Characteristic thematic or formal groupings of sentences (e.g. 9.3, 9.4, 9.4.4/5) occur approximately at the “same” point (as defined, for e
_8.1. Standard forms or contents formulated in set phrases, set sentence formats, or clauses in a standard syntactic connection.
__8.1.1. Conditional norm or hypothetical legal case:
__8.1.2. Unconditional norm:
__8.1.3. Sentence with theme anticipated to the beginning and repeated in a pronoun or by ellipsis:
__8.1.4. Unit of a biblical quotation together with a hermeneutically dependent formulation; midrashic unit:
___8.1.4.1. The expressive use of unmarked biblical wording whose function in the text’s discourse is enhanced or achieved by it being recognised as com
__8.1.5. Simile used in hermeneutic function:
__8.1.6. Speech report:
___8.1.6.1. The reported speech is elliptic and depends on surrounding text not marked as reported speech.
__8.1.7. Sentence referring to a behaviour or norm as customary, using the term minhag, its verbal root or a clearly similar term:
__8.1.8. Reason clause:
__8.1.9. The a fortiori argument:
__8.1.10. List sentence enumerating items by words or phrases:
__8.1.11. List enumerating items by whole sentences/interpretation units:
__8.1.12. Explicit claim that in a particular formulation other information in the immediate co-text is being summarized or generalized:
__8.1.13. Declamatory sentence, confession, proclamation or affirmation:
__8.1.14. Prayer, doxology, valediction or blessing:
__8.1.15. Wish sentence:
__8.1.16. Descriptive sentence of a static (ocular) structure or "scientific" descriptive sentence:
__8.1.17. Report sentence of a singular event in the past which is not part of a narrative unit, nor of a mashal:
__8.1.18. Sentence making a prediction of a future event:
__8.1.19. Prediction of reward or punishment of behaviour in a “wisdom” or similar formulation:
__8.1.20. Recommendation of a particular behaviour or statement of an ideal type of person in a “wisdom” or similar formulation:
__8.1.21. Statement describing a reality (nature, creation, human nature) in a “wisdom” or similar formulation:
__8.1.22. Statement praising Torah in a “wisdom” or similar formulation:
_8.2. Non-narrative small literary forms that impose on their components a standard functional relationship to each other, while grammar and synta
__8.2.1. Dispute unit:
__8.2.2. Self-contained question-answer unit in anonymous discourse:
__8.2.3. Self-contained question-answer unit in discourse concerning the meaning of an earlier word/words in the same text.
___8.2.3.1. Self-contained question-answer unit which, since there is tacit overlap with a partner text (7.2), may relate to the meaning of a statement
__8.2.4. A clause or phrase which links two statements/themes explicitly as being similar:
__8.2.5. The summary exposition, in a number of sentences, of theological ideas.
__8.2.6. A Petichah or Petichah-like unit, which uses the wording of a general biblical verse to introduce by way of a hermeneutic link the main them
__8.2.7. A Semikhah or Semikhah-like unit, addressing how the co-text preceding a given biblical verse relates to that verse.
__8.2.8. An “Inyan” part in a rabbinic homily, understood as a limited lemmatic sequence of midrashic units on one or more verses introduced by a pre
__8.2.9. A Chatimah or Chatimah-like unit, which leads from a biblical verse earlier treated as part of the “Inyan” of a rabbinic homily, to another
__8.2.10. A Yelammedenu unit, an initially halakhic question-answer unit usually expanded by further discussion which opens a rabbinic homily or a lit
_8.3. Forms with internal emplotment relationships, or character-centred small literary forms or motifs:
__8.3.1. A ma'aseh or pared-down narrative of a unique event with normative-probative function:
__8.3.2. A mashal or other minimal (two-stage) narrative employed to model the emplotment of a biblical or other event:
__8.3.3. A narrative unit which is not integrated into a larger chronological framework constituted by the co-text:
__8.3.4. A narrative unit which is schematic or presents unspecific characters (other than 8.3.2):
__8.3.5. A narrative unit incorporating direct speech/dialogue devoted to an explicit hermeneutic engagement with quotations from the base text or so
__8.3.6. The narrative motif of humanized animals or animals as agents:
__8.3.7. The narrative motif of the fantastic, grotesque, or gross:
__8.3.8. A narrative motif that can be interpreted as humorous or ironic:
__8.3.9. Use of a gap of knowledge between what a character knows and what the governing voice has already told, including one character telling a li
__8.3.10. Narrative use of humour by way of a character’s speech:
_8.4. Small poetic form:
__8.4.1. Occurrence of a song, poetic piece, rhythmic unit:
_9.1. An extended portion or substantial proportion of the thematic text (or thematic part of a non-thematic text) projects its selection and sequ
__9.1.1. By dividing a larger topic by a constant principle (or set of principles) of subordination/coordination.
__9.1.2. By assembling precisely those sub-topics of an overall theme that would result if that overall theme were to be exhaustively defined or divi
__9.1.3. By progressing from the more general to the more specific, or vice versa if accompanied by explanation.
__9.1.4. By mirroring a temporal or spatial order, or the order of units of meaning in a pre-existing text.
_9.2. In one or more extended passages, making up a substantial portion of the text, a series of situations is created from one hypothetical legal
__9.2.1. Two distinct parameters of the situation are paired with their opposites or negations, to produce a series of four situations.
_9.3. An extended passage consists in the elaboration one by one of the items of an initial list, making each list item the topic of one or more s
_9.4. For an extended passage there is a juxtaposition of thematic units (sentences or groups of sentences) capable of being interpreted in the fo
__9.4.1. As thematic cluster: the sentence themes of an extended passage have a stronger homogeneity/family resemblance with each other than with the
__9.4.2. As contrastive thematic block: the text juxtaposes two extended thematic blocks tacitly projecting a contrast and/or analogy between them.
__9.4.3. Repetitions as markers of architecture: there is a repetition of words marking out as coordinated passages that deal with contrastive sub-to
__9.4.4. In an extended passage, thematic homogeneousness is created by recurrence of the same reason clause appended to norms which are adjacent or
__9.4.5. In an extended passage, thematic homogeneousness is created by recurrence of the same normative predicate or apodosis in hypothetical legal
_9.5. In a number of extended dialectical passages, the governing voice differentiates between the topics/propositions of two or more initial them
__9.5.1. The governing voice performs this differentiation largely by quoting further voices, or by speaking on behalf of the initially quoted voices
__9.5.2. The governing voice of a lemmatic commentary determines the precise themes of quotations from the base text, by progressively adducing furth
__9.5.3. Within a sustained dialectical discourse on the meaning of a quoted segment, the grammatically or thematically complete quotation is only re
_9.6. An extended portion or substantial proportion of the text continuously explicates local thematic transitions, by means of:
__9.6.1. Use of conjunctions.
__9.6.2. Use of announcement of themes for text parts, full-sentence headings or summaries.
__9.6.3. Use of explicit reference to the textual position or sequence of information, articulating the passage as having coordinated parts.
__9.6.4. Use of discourse deixis (e.g., “below”, “following”) which indicate parts, or of cross-references.
__9.6.5. Use of ordinal or cardinal numbers to designate themes in text sequence (e.g., “first generation”).
__9.6.6. Use of questions to articulate parts within a passage or functioning as headings.
_9.7. The text as a whole continuously explicates local thematic transitions, while at the same time also projecting an objective or communicative
_9.8. The text has a tendency to juxtapose immediately thematic units which fulfill the same literary, evidential, hermeneutic or narrative functi
__9.8.1. There is more than one quotation-comment unit or midrashic unit for the same lemma.
__9.8.2. There is more than one biblical quotation supporting the same statement within a single midrashic unit.
__9.8.3. There is more than one Petichah or Petichah-like unit for the same rabbinic homily (3.1. applies).
__9.8.4. There is more than one Petichah or Petichah-like unit in continuous text but outside a rabbinic homily structure (3.1. does not apply).
__9.8.5. There is more than one mashal (parable) for the same thematic or hermeneutic point.
__9.8.6. There is more than one reason clause supporting a statement.
__9.8.7. There is more than one version of a reported dispute.
__9.8.8. There is more than one version of the same ma’aseh (narrative precedent report).
__9.8.9. There is more than one version of events within the same narrative account.
__9.8.10. There is more than one narrative or report presenting (near-) identical events but different characters.
__9.8.11. There is more than one version of a named rabbi’s utterance.
__9.8.12. There is an alternative name attached to a statement quoted as a character's speech.
__9.8.13. There is some acknowledgement of the equivalence/alternative status of adjacent thematic units under 9.8.1-12.
_9.9. There are passages of three or more successive thematic units whose relationship is defined as follows: There is a clear thematic continuity
__9.9.1. The second unit has a formal pattern which may then continue for one or more new, subsequent themes.
__9.9.2. The second unit has a quoted character named also as the speaker for one or more new, subsequent themes.
__9.9.3. The second unit mentions a type of object which is then treated with respect to a new thematic framework (or frameworks) in subsequent sente
__9.9.4. The second unit has a reason clause which is then used for one or more further thematic units(s) concerning a different halakhic topic/diffe
_9.10. The text’s narrative account is occasionally circular in that it leads from an action to its motivation/purpose, then back to reporting the
_9.11. An extended part of the thematic text (or a part-text in the sense of section 10) is structured by an extra-thematic principle of order, as
__9.11.1. The implied chronology of speaker characters.
__9.11.2. An alphabetical or alphanumerical sequence (not if a 3.2 text).
__9.11.3. The sequence of text sections of Scripture.
__9.11.4. The sequence of days of a calendar/festival calendar.
__9.11.5. The implied chronology of the composition of text parts of a text, as seen by the voice governing the whole text.
__9.11.6. The increasing or decreasing size of part-texts.
__9.11.7. A fixed performative sequence of speech acts.
__9.11.8. The ascending or descending quantitative value of numbers provides the sequence for themes in part of the text, with or without any explicit
_9.12. Important manuscripts divide the text explicitly into parts by the use of single words or incomplete sentences which constitute sub-headings
__9.12.1. This division involves the use of meta-textual terms.
__9.12.2. This terminology is supplemented by the use of sequential numbering, or there is numbering of text sections which are not named at all.
_9.13. Physical evidence from antiquity potentially shows non-verbal signals indicating (an interpretation of) the text’s thematic division.
_9.14. There is sporadic use of mnemonic indications of text contents and sequence at the beginning or end of passages, consisting of sequences of
_10.1. The work consists of the juxtaposition of large constituent part-texts, each of which has its own thematic, lemmatic or narrative structure
__10.1.1. The part-texts are of the same kind, i.e., all narrative, all thematic or all lemmatic.
___10.1.1.1. The part-texts juxtaposed are all thematic-discursive or thematic-descriptive, dealing with substantially the same kind of subject matter.
___10.1.1.2. The part-texts juxtaposed are all thematic-discursive or thematic-descriptive, dealing with substantially diverse kinds of subject matter.
____10.1.1.2.1. Their sequential relationship suggests that they complement each other, at least weakly.
___10.1.1.3. The part-texts juxtaposed are all lemmatic.
___10.1.1.4. The part-texts juxtaposed are all narrative.
___10.1.1.5. There are significant ambiguities as to where one part-text ends and the next begins (in their textual sequence).
___10.1.1.6. Any manifest differentiation of adjacent part-texts is partly due to their mirroring of divisions within a base text or a partner text.
__10.1.2. The work juxtaposes one narrative and one thematic part-text. [SPECIFY IF MORE THAN ONE, AND SPECIFY SEQUENCE]
___10.1.2.1. Their sequential relationship suggests that they complement each other, at least weakly (e.g., as “biography –utterances”).
__10.1.3. The work juxtaposes one narrative and one lemmatic part-text. [SPECIFY IF MORE THAN ONE, AND SPECIFY SEQUENCE]
___10.1.3.1. Their sequential relationship suggests that they complement each other, at least weakly.
__10.1.4. The work juxtaposes one lemmatic and one thematic part-text. [SPECIFY IF MORE THAN ONE, AND SPECIFY SEQUENCE]
___10.1.4.1. Their sequential relationship suggests that they complement each other, at least weakly.
__10.1.5. There is important transmission evidence indicating that the sequencing or division of part-texts within the overall aggregate varied.
_10.2. The work consists of the juxtaposition of part-texts which are constituted by poetic or communicative-rhetorical formation, so that one of t
__10.2.1. The work juxtaposes poems, psalms, songs, etc. as part-texts (3.2, 3.3 or 3.4 applies to each part-text).
___10.2.1.1. The boundaries of some or all of the individual pieces are defined by their inherent formal characteristics, i.e., by point 3.2.
___10.2.1.2. Some or all part-texts only show themselves as separate from each other by their contrast in adjacency, i.e. by point 3.4.
___10.2.1.3. There are cases of ambiguity concerning where one part-text ends and the next begins, if read in their textual sequence; but regardless of w
___10.2.1.4. The themes of individual part-texts are predominantly homogeneous across the whole aggregate work.
___10.2.1.5. The themes of individual part-texts are significantly disparate across the whole aggregate work.
___10.2.1.6. A manifest theme or message emerges from the togetherness and/or the sequential order of the part-texts.
___10.2.1.7. The formal characteristics of individual pieces are predominantly homogeneous across the whole aggregate text.
___10.2.1.8. The formal characteristics of individual pieces are significantly diverse across the whole aggregate work.
__10.2.2. The work juxtaposes rabbinic homilies as part-texts, according to an extra-thematic principle of order (see also 9.11). Point 3.1.2 or 3.1.3
__10.2.3. There is important transmission evidence indicating that the sequencing or division of part-texts within the overall aggregate varied.
_11.1. The non-narrative text projects its thematic concern as being mainly one or more of the following:
__11.1.1. Description of a reality, including a physical reality.
__11.1.2. Moral values or value judgments, including practical instructions on proper behaviour or self-preservation.
__11.1.3. Law, commandments or norms of behaviour.
__11.1.4. A discourse on or inquiry into a field of knowledge, with self-referential treatment of the limits, sources or nature of knowledge.
__11.1.5. The meaning of another text.
__11.1.6. Reports of the speech of named characters.
__11.1.7. Future events or future reward and punishment.
_11.2. The text is dominated by the reporting of emplotted events, whether or not in an overarching narrative format (4).
__11.2.1. The reported events are those of a biblical past, or of a biblically foretold future.
__11.2.2. The reported events are not biblical, but are related to a biblical past/future.
__11.2.3. The reported events have no strong links to biblical events.
_11.3. The text is directly or indirectly addressed to God. Its specific contents are self-reflective regarding the governing voice, thematic in a
_12.1. Sampling of genre labels applied to the text in secondary literature: