Textus

The twenty-third volume of Textus as well as the forthcoming twenty-fourth are dedicated to the memory of Prof. Isac Leo Seeligmann on the centennial of his birth and the twenty-fifth anniversary of his passing away. In his research and teaching Seeligmann emphasized the relationship between the establishment of the text (constitutio textus) and the exegetical endeavor; in addition, he highlighted the connection between the transmission of the writings and the beliefs of the scribes that copied them. An illustration of this method, an extreme one perhaps, is offered here in his article on Psalm 47 which concludes the major, non-Hebrew, part of this volume; the article was first published in Hebrew in Tarbiz 50 (1980/1) 25–36. We have tried in any case, to carry on Seeligmann's projects and work by dedicating the present two volumes to the subject "Text-Criticism and Beyond". Thus we intend to emphasize that textual criticism should not become an isolated discipline, but rather should remain an integral part of the philological historical study of the Bible.

The editorial board of Textus has been expanded in this circumstance in order to comprise representatives of four generations of text-critics formed in Jerusalem. A fifth generation is already at the gate, represented by the editorial secretary, Mr. Guy Darshan, M.A., who undertook the heavy burden of preparing the manuscripts for press. Ms. Naama Baumgarten-Sharon assisted conscientiously throughout this project. I hereby thank the colleagues who participated in this enterprise and the authors that committed their writings to this periodical. Let their work be blessed!