St. Jerome and the horns of Moses: Do not judge hastily
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33919/flcy.20-21.3.10Keywords:
translation, translation error, Jerome, Bible, Moses, Vulgate, anti-SemitismAbstract
This article addresses the issue of translation quality and translation errors. The aim of the study is to show that when translating certain types of text, one should be cautious about speaking of “elementary translation errors” because they may be interpretations or dogmatic requirements. Discussed is the widespread view that the horns of Moses in Exodus 34:29-30 and 34:35 in the Vulgate are the result of an “elementary” translation error by St. Jerome who “confused” the Hebrew words keren “horn” and its derivative karan “shining, emitting light.” The author supports the view that this is not a translation error, but a conscious translation decision by Jerome, who was aware of the two possible interpretations of the Hebrew text, but deliberately departed from the Hebrew tradition and the Septuagint translation, choosing the literal translation based on certain theological considerations and personal views.
References
Алмалех, М. (2010). Светлината в Стария завет. София: ИК „Кибеа.
Браун, Д. (2009). Изгубеният символ. Превод от английски Крум Бъчваров. София: ИК Бард.
Българска Библия [онлайн]. Достъпно от: https://www.wordproject.org/bibles/bg/02/34.htm#0 [Прегледан21 март 2022].
Бъртмън 2009: Bertman, S. (2009). The Anti-Semitic Origin of Michelangelo’s Horned Moses. Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies. Summer2009, 27(4), 95-106 [online]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1353/sho.0.0393 [Accessed 21 March 2022].
Во, И. (2011 [1961]). Безоговорочная капитуляция. Пер. с англ. Юлии Фокиной. Москва: АСТ.
Гжесик, Ю. (2005). Возвращение. История евреев в свете ветхо- и новозаветных пророчеств. Пер. с полск. Порошиной Н., Биганского Р. Москва: Теревинф.
Гилад 2018: Gilad, E. (2018). Why Even Some Jews Once Believed Moses Had Horns. Jewish World, Mar. 27, 2018 [online]. Available from: https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/why-even-some-jews-once-believed-moses-had-horns-1.5949749 [Accessed 21 March 2022].
Венути 1995: Venuti, L. (1995). The Translator‘sInvisibility: A History of Translation. London & NewYork: Routledge.
Зотов, С., Майзульс, М. & Харман, Д. (2019). Страдающее Средневековье. Парадоксы христианской иконографии. Москва: АСТ.
Ивритски речник: Hebrew Dictionary (LexiconConcordance) [online]. Available from: http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/7161.html [Accessed 21March 2022].
Иероним, блж. (1896). Три книги толкований на пророка Амоса. Творения. Часть 13. Киев.
Латинска Вулгата 2006–2012: The Latin Vulgate OldTestament Bible. (2006–2012). Exodus – Chapter 34 [online]. Available from: https://vulgate.org/ot/exodus_34.htm [Accessed 21 March 2022].
Лилиенфелд & al. 2010: Lilienfeld, S.O., Lynn, S. J.,Ruscio, J., & Beyerstein, B.L. (2010). 50 GreatMyths of Popular Psychology. Wiley-Blackwell.
Мецгер, Б. (2004). Ранние переводы Нового Завета. Их источники, передача, ограничения. Пер. сангл. С. Бабкиной. Москва: Библейско-богословский ин-т св. апостола Андрея.
Наймушин 2021: Naimushin, B. (2021). Hiroshima, Mokusatsu and Alleged Mistranslations. EnglishStudies at NBU, 7(1), 87-96. [online]. Available from:https://esnbu.org/data/files/2021/esnbu.21.1.6.pdf. https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.21.1.6 [Accessed 21March 2022].
Полизоти 2018: Polizzotti, M. (2018). Sympathy for the Traitor: A Translation Manifesto. MIT Press.
Руссий синодальный перевод. Православная редакция[онлайн]. Достъпно от: https://bibleonline.ru/bible/rst66/exo-34/ [Прегледан 22 март 2022].
Стейнбърг 2014: Steinberg, D. (2014). A Jew WithHorns. Temple Israel [online]. Available from: http://www.jewishduluth.org/rabbi/2014/2/18/a-jew-withhorns.html [Accessed 22 March 2022].
Уо 1979 [1961]: Waugh, E. (1979). Unconditional Surrender [“The End of the Battle”]. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
