Articles by John Screnock
Dead Sea Discoveries, 2020
Final PDF available at https://brill.com/view/journals/dsd/27/3/article-p392_5.xml
This essay pr... more Final PDF available at https://brill.com/view/journals/dsd/27/3/article-p392_5.xml
This essay presents the results of an extended study of verbal argument structure in the War Scroll (1QM). I first establish a method based in generative linguistic theory. I then illustrate this method with a discussion of the argument structure of Qal יצא in 1QM and other Dead Sea Scrolls. Following this case study, I present the data from 1QM on verb argument structure—specifically, instances where 1QM adds evidence that is not covered in previous studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 1QM presents few developments from earlier Hebrew; I argue that such continuity is significant. I conclude with reflections on the implications of argument structure in 1QM for the study of ancient Hebrew.
Dead Sea Scrolls: Revise and Repeat, 2020
The coupling of corresponding commands and executions is a well-attested literary trope in ancien... more The coupling of corresponding commands and executions is a well-attested literary trope in ancient Hebrew and cognate texts. When the Septuagint is considered in the context of Hebrew/Jewish scribalism in the Second Temple period, there are similar cases where command and execution are paired or a pairing is made more exact. Though it is often sidelined because it is a translation written in Greek, the Septuagint belongs in the context of Jewish scribalism, and translation into Greek is profitably considered to be one aspect of scribalism.
Hebrew Studies, 2020
Research on numerals in the field of linguistics offers insight that is directly applicable to nu... more Research on numerals in the field of linguistics offers insight that is directly applicable to numerals in Ancient Hebrew. As Cynthia Miller and others have argued, 1 linguistic analysis of Ancient Hebrew is possible and should be carried out, despite certain obstacles-for example, that there are no living speakers of Ancient Hebrew or that we have less data for Ancient Hebrew than for modern languages. The numerals of Ancient Hebrew provide a clear example of how linguistic analysis of a dead language can be fruitful.
Biblica, 2019
Esther shares a number of features with the Baal cycle, 1 Samuel 25, 2 Samuel 14, and 1 Kings 1-2... more Esther shares a number of features with the Baal cycle, 1 Samuel 25, 2 Samuel 14, and 1 Kings 1-2. The similarities between these texts are not necessarily the result of direct literary influence or intentional allusion. I argue that these similarities instead stem from a common Levantine literary tradition. All five texts make use of a literary element I term the female intermediary plot-type. Moreover, the Baal cycle, 1 Kings 1-2, and Esther also make use of a particular struggle for power plot-type.
For It Stands in Scripture: Essays in Honor of W. Edward Glenny, 2019
Journal of Biblical Literature, 2018
The syntax of complex adding numerals and its apparent development in Ancient Hebrew add several ... more The syntax of complex adding numerals and its apparent development in Ancient Hebrew add several new pieces to the puzzle of Hebrew diachrony, and consequently the dating of biblical texts. I describe undiscussed aspects of the structure of adding numerals and analyze the distribution of structural types according to diachrony. I also provide a diachronic analysis of the order of adding numerals that challenges the traditional position. The syntactical phenomena of adding numerals confirm the idea that the Hebrew found in the biblical texts changed over time. Although the diachronic progression of adding numeral syntax argues against a strict periodization of Hebrew into two stages, the evidence of adding numerals is compatible with the traditional model of Hebrew diachrony.
Textus, 2018
Emanuel Tov's published methodology for using the Old Greek in textual criticism of the Hebrew Bi... more Emanuel Tov's published methodology for using the Old Greek in textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible has been the gold standard for all such methods. I present a new approach by building on Tov's methodology. Although Tov accounts for the reality of Hebrew variants within the mind of the translator, he explores the idea only with regards to scribal errors, leaving most changes stemming from "contextual exegesis" to be categorized as inner-translational and inadmissible in the text critical endeavor. I argue for an extension of Tov's method by considering other ways in which a scribe working in Hebrew could have made the changes commonly attributed to the translator. In contrast to Tov's method, I suggest we center our use of the Old Greek in textual criticism around one main criterion: if Hebrew can be reconstructed on the basis of clear translation patterns, the evidence should be used in textual criticism.
Vetus Testamentum, 2018
This study considers the process of rewriting under a lens provided by the field of Translation S... more This study considers the process of rewriting under a lens provided by the field of Translation Studies. One subset of translation, called "intralingual translation," is translation within the same language. This concept provides a new paradigm in which to analyze "rewritten" texts, such as Chronicles and Jubilees. These texts contain changes that can be categorized within the paradigm of intralingual translation, showing that translation overlaps with rewriting and shedding significant light on rewriting.
Reading the Bible in Ancient Traditions and Modern Editions: Studies in Memory of Peter W. Flint (eds. Daniel K. Falk et al.)., 2017
The proliferation of scholarship on "rewriting" in the last 20 years has left us with an impressi... more The proliferation of scholarship on "rewriting" in the last 20 years has left us with an impressive variety of approaches to the subject. The unfortunate result is that discussions surrounding the nature and definition of rewriting now appear to be at an impasse. In this brief study, I offer an exploration of how the concept of translation might help us clarify what we mean by rewriting. I consider translational aspects of rewriting in the Genesis Apocryphon (GenAp) and, from that basis, suggest that there are two distinct kinds of rewriting contained in GenAp.
Journal of Semitic Studies
The studies currently available on the syntax of cardinal numerals are either too narrow, too bri... more The studies currently available on the syntax of cardinal numerals are either too narrow, too brief, or significantly dated. In this study, I establish a new methodology for considering cardinal numerals and provide a preliminary description of numeral syntax based on evidence in Judges, Amos, Esther, and 1QM. I also explore the potential for identifying diachronic change in Ancient Hebrew on the basis of numeral syntax.
The War Scroll, Violence, War and Peace in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature: Essays in Honour of Martin G. Abegg on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday,, 2015
Dead Sea Discoveries
In studies of Qumran Hebrew, syntax has been somewhat neglected. e present study attempts to help... more In studies of Qumran Hebrew, syntax has been somewhat neglected. e present study attempts to help fill in our understanding of QH syntax, and word order specifically. e data of 1QM can best be explained using a Subject-Verb model. However, the model is not perfect. Consideration of the strange word order patterns of !"#!and !$%!leads to a revision of the SV model, which is better able to account for all the word order phenomena in 1QM. e basic word order of 1QM is best described as Subject-Verb, with inversion triggered by the fronting of a non-subject element or by the use of an intransitive main verb. A robust understanding of word order carries important ramifications for interpretation. In 1QM 1:1-3, for example, word order supports an identification of the sons of Levi, Judah, and Benjamin as "violators of the covenant."
Books by John Screnock
A Grammar of Ugaritic is an accessible yet academically rigorous textbook for first-year students... more A Grammar of Ugaritic is an accessible yet academically rigorous textbook for first-year students of Ugaritic. Eight digestible lessons include more than 150 exercises to strengthen readers' understanding through translation and composition of not only vocalized Ugaritic but also transcribed texts and cuneiform script-strategies that develop language skills and provide a sound basis for classroom teaching. Short stories interspersed among the lessons help students consolidate their knowledge and bolster recognition of forms. An introduction to the language and its historical context, glossaries, paradigms, and a bibliography and guide for further learning supplement the lessons. Students who work through the grammar in the classroom or individually will be rewarded with the ability to read real Ugaritic texts in cuneiform.
Dead Sea Scrolls, Revise and Repeat: New Methods and Perspectives, 2020
A reexamination of the people and movements associated with Qumran, their outlook on the world, a... more A reexamination of the people and movements associated with Qumran, their outlook on the world, and what bound them together Dead Sea Scrolls, Revise and Repeat examines the identity of the Qumran movement by reassessing former conclusions and bringing new methodologies to the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The collection as a whole addresses questions of identity as they relate to law, language, and literary formation; considerations of time and space; and demarcations of the body. The thirteen essays in this volume reassess the categorization of rule texts, the reuse of scripture, the significance of angelic fellowship, the varieties of calendrical use, and celibacy within the Qumran movement. Contributors consider identity in the Dead Sea Scrolls from new interdisciplinary perspectives, including spatial theory, legal theory, historical linguistics, ethnicity theory, cognitive literary theory, monster theory, and masculinity theory. Edited by C Palmer, A Krause, E Schuller, and J Screnock.
Projects and Conferences by John Screnock
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Articles by John Screnock
This essay presents the results of an extended study of verbal argument structure in the War Scroll (1QM). I first establish a method based in generative linguistic theory. I then illustrate this method with a discussion of the argument structure of Qal יצא in 1QM and other Dead Sea Scrolls. Following this case study, I present the data from 1QM on verb argument structure—specifically, instances where 1QM adds evidence that is not covered in previous studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 1QM presents few developments from earlier Hebrew; I argue that such continuity is significant. I conclude with reflections on the implications of argument structure in 1QM for the study of ancient Hebrew.
Books by John Screnock
Projects and Conferences by John Screnock