Description: The legendary Onkelos translated the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic similar to that spoken by the population of Israel around 2000 years ago. Onkelos On the Torah: Understanding the Bible Text is a unique and remarkable translation and English commentary of the Targum Onkelos, the first and only rabbinically authorized translation of the Torah. The books of Genesis and Exodus, the are the first two of this five - volume set to be published. This deluxe edition, which contains the Hebrew Massoretic text, a vocalized text of Onkelos and Rashi, Haphtarot in Hebrew with an English translation from the Aramaic Targumim, a scholarly appendix, and a “Beyond the Text” exploration of biblical themes. The remaining volumes are to be published in yearly intervals.
Israel Drazin is the author of seven books, five of which are on Targum Onkelos. He was the first scholar to recognize that the Targum took hundreds of items from the Tannaitic Midrashim- those that were edited around 400 C.E.- and even incorporated many words found in these Midrashim in his translation. He was able, therefore, to date the Targum Onkelos around 400 C.E., a period much later than is widely accepted, because of the Targum’s reliance upon these Midrashim. Stanley M. Wagner is Rabbi Emeritus of The Beth HaMedrosh HaGadol-Beth Joseph Congregation in Denver, Colorado; Professor Emeritus at the University of Denver and Founding Director and Director Emeritus of its Center for Judaic Studies; and Founding Director and Director Emeritus of the Mizel Museum in Denver. He wrote, edited, or co-edited four volumes, A Piece of My Mind, Traditions of the American Jew, Great Confrontations in Jewish History and Great Schisms in Jewish History and was General Editor of a six volume series entitled Christian and Jewish Traditions in the 20th Century.
