From Pre-Masoretic Idiolect to Pre-LXX Attestations

Abstract

Through a literary-historical analysis of a specific excerpt (Jer 25:15–29) from the book of Jeremiah, this article argues that the elements present in the Masoretic Text but absent in the Septuagint are likely part of a more original version of the text. This conclusion challenges Stipp’s pre-Masoretic Idiolect theory, which posits that these elements always indicate the general priority of the Septuagint. Instead, this article suggests that Stipp’s theory oversimplifies the nuances of each occurrence, and that each textual unit should be analyzed independently. The origins of Stipp’s pre-Masoretic idiolect might emerge from the cases in which MT’s priority is to be preferred.