Translations of the New Testament into Hebrew

Eran Shuali defended his PhD dissertation in religious studies on December 12, 2015 in Strasbourg, France. The title of his dissertation was “Translating the New Testament into Hebrew: a mirror of Jewish-Christian relations” and the directors of the study were Jan Joosten and Christophe Rico.

In 2016, Shuali published a brief summary of his thesis, published under the title of “Why Was the New Testament Translated into Hebrew? An Introduction to the History of Hebrew Translations of the New Testament “. After offering a short overview of the history of Hebrew translations of the New Testament from the Middle Ages to our time, this article focuses on the purposes of the different translations as reflected in what has been written and said about them by the translators themselves and by other people involved in their dissemination. Five such purposes are identified: 1. Jewish polemics against Christianity in the Middle Ages. 2. Christian study of the Hebrew language. 3. The quest for the Hebrew “original” of the New Testament. 4. The mission to the Jews. 5. The needs of the Christian communities in the State of Israel. Concluding remarks are then made regarding the way in which Hebrew translations of the New Testament were perceived throughout the ages and regarding the role they played.

The article in English can be read here