Seminar: Yaakov Deutsch

Converting the New Testament?: Hebrew Translations of the New Testament in the Early Modern Period

“Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect”. This quotation, taken from the writings of the second century church father Irenaeus, presents an idea that was quite widespread during the first centuries of Christianity. However, there is no proof to support the existence of an early Hebrew version of one of the Gospels, and the first translationsof an entire Gospel are from the twelfth century, whereas the entire text of the New Testament was translated into Hebrew only in the middle of the sixteenth century. At least four more complete translations of the New Testament were prepared over the course of the next one hundred years (roughly until 1670). In my talk, I will briefly discuss these translations and will focus on the first complete translation that was prepared by Erasmus Oswaldus Schreckenfuchs in 1563.

Yaacov Deutsch received his Ph.d from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (2005). He is the head of the History Department at David Yellin College and an adjunct lecturer at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. His research focuses on Christian-Jewish relations in the medieval and early modern period, and especially on Christian Hebraism. His book Judaism in Christian Eyes: Ethnographic Descriptions of Jews and Judaism in Early Modern Period was published in 2012 by Oxford University Press.

This seminar is for faculty and graduate students. No reservations required.

UNC Hyde Hall, incubator room [second floor].

Co-sponsored by the Center, TJSS and Duke Jewish Studies.