Jean-Dominique Barthélemy, formerly Old Testament professor and Vice Chancellor at the University of Freiburg, Switzerland, was a renowned scholar on the text of the OT. Until his death on February 10, 2002, he was a member of the United Bible Societies’ (UBS) translation committee of the Hebrew OT Text Project, which the UBS started in 1969. However, he is probably better known for his work entitled Les Devanciers d’Aquila (Leiden: Brill, 1963; English title The Predecessors of Aquila), in which he proposed that the Greek Minor Prophets scroll found at Naḥal Hever in 1952 was a recension of the Septuagint/Old Greek text that had been undertaken to bring it more in line with the Proto-Masoretic text. The present work is an English translation of the introductions that appeared in the first three volumes of Barthélemy’s French edition of Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament (Fribourg: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1982–1992).

The book begins with an excellent introduction to the work of the Hebrew OT Text Project by James A. Sanders that highlights its history and several crucial issues of OT textual criticism, such as what the aim of OT textual criticism is and when a text becomes canonical. Even if one disagrees with the conclusions of the committee, these are nonetheless the issues that confront every OT textual critic.

Chapter 1 provides an extended history of textual criticism from Ismael al-Ukbari (ca. AD 840) to J. D. Michaelis (1717–1791). It leaves out, however, some ancient text-critical efforts such as those from Qumran, scribal corrections of the temple scrolls that Emanuel Tov has noted (Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible [3rd ed.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012], 28), possible text-critical work on the Proto-Septuagint/Old Greek text, Origen’s Hexapla, and Jerome’s work on the Latin Vulgate. Nevertheless, Barthélemy’s history of textual criticism clearly portrays the considerable work undertaken by scholars who produce various translations and critical works. A large part of Barthélemy’s history focuses on Richard Simon (1638–1712), who fostered a more positive view of textual criticism after Bernard Spinoza’s work had cast aspersions on it. Simon brought a careful, reasoned approach to text-critical questions that addressed the same questions as his predecessors while at the same time attempting to honor Scripture as the word of God. Barthélemy correctly argues that Simon played a pivotal role in advancing the study of textual criticism within Christian circles, even if scholars typically do not agree with Simon’s findings.

The second chapter explains in detail the thirteen text-critical criteria used by the Hebrew OT Text Project committee, which are generally agreed upon by OT textual critics. Barthélemy labels as a fourteenth, unofficial criterion the committee’s stance on conjectural emendation. He explains that, because their task was primarily to deal with textual versus literary issues in the manuscripts, the committee rejected suggestions that were solely conjectural, thereby reinforcing their aim to achieve the oldest assessable reading of the text.

These two chapters, which constitute Part I of the book, provide an important resource in understanding the goals and methods of textual critics throughout history. Its helpful explanations about textual analysis and canonization make it an excellent resource for those studying OT textual criticism.

In Part II, Barthélemy explains first that, rather than starting totally anew, the committee decided to build upon the text-critical foundation already laid in five popular translations: the Revised Standard Version (RSV); La Bible de Jérusalem (BJ); the Revised Luther Bible (RL); the New English Bible (NEB); and La Traduction Œcuménique de la Bible (TOB). After briefly describing the histories of these five translations, Barthélemy provides the committee’s conclusions regarding each. By using popular Bible translations already in existence, the committee was able to determine the actual influence that textual criticism has had on the general public.

Their thorough evaluation of each of these five translations is recorded in the second half of Part Two. Barthélemy’s clear method of describing the stages of the committee’s work provides in essence a “how-to” manual. He lays out each step of the process, allowing his readers to appreciate the vast amount of time and effort involved in ensuring that the Bible we read today is the most accurate that can be achieved at present. In lieu of simply presenting the committee’s findings, he guides readers through the process itself so that they might be able to do their own research. Barthélemy then concludes his discussion by noting that, even though the research of the committee was the most extensive to date, there is still much more to be done. He encourages others to build upon their work.

Part III, the longest section of this book, discusses the ancient witnesses. Barthélemy has composed a vast and valuable description of the primary source materials for textual criticism. This thorough list of manuscripts provides key information about each, such as where and when the manuscript was discovered, where it may now be accessed, and what Scripture(s) it contains. This is likely the most thorough, annotated list collected up to the present time.

Emanuel Tov regards the introductions from the French version of this book as “almost a complete introduction” to OT textual criticism (“The Biblia Hebraica Quinta: An Important Step Forward,” JNSL 31 [2005], 3n10). This important work, finally available in English, should be included in the personal library of anyone aiming to pursue OT textual criticism.

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