A Critical Edition and Philological Analysis of the Second Chapter of Deutero-Isaiah (Isa 41) on the Basis of the Coptic Manuscript sa 52 (M 568) in Light of Other Coptic Manuscripts Written in the Sahidic Dialect and the Greek Text of the Septuagint

Abstract

The paper contains a critical edition and philological analysis of the second chapter of Deutero-Isaiah worked out on the basis of the Coptic manuscript sa 52.2 and other available manuscripts written in the Sahidic dialect. Firstly, it presents general information on the fragment of codex sa 52 containing the text of Isa 41. It is followed by a list of brief characteristics of the remaining witnesses that include at least some verses of the second chapter of Deutero-Isaiah. The most important part is a presentation of the Sahidic text of Isa 41, its translation into English and tables of linguistic differences between the text of the LXX and its Coptic rendering. The last part explains difficult philological questions observed in the Coptic text. The focus will be on Isa 41:11-27 since they appear only in manuscript 52.2 and have not been published so far.