DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49369#0198
3. The Lamentation of Seila.
The theory advanced above as to the origin and character
of the Vision of Kenaz applies to both of the other fragments,—
this and the following one. It will not, therefore, be necessary to
do more than attempt in these introductory remarks to throw
light on the difficult points in the Lamentation of Seila, or to ask
others to perform that service for ns.
In the first place, I do not find elsewhere any occurrence of
the name Seila for Jephthah’s daughter1, or of Stelae for the
mountain to which she resorted. In the next place, I would note
that the process of retranslation into Greek helps to clear up some
difficulties in this case also; thus, lines 7—10 become simpler in
the Greek, if we render them as follows ; ϊνα ο πατήρ μή βίάσηται,
τήν θυγατέρα ήν ωμοσεν θύσαί, ϊνα ο ήγεμων άκούσρ τής μονογε-
νούς αυτού τής έπηγγελμένης εί,ς ολοκαύτωμα; again ‘utor’ with
the genitive in 1. 12 may well be a Graecism, and ‘froniuit’ is
probably an assimilation to an original ηύφρανεν. Further, in
1. 22 ‘ conuirgines ’ corresponds closely to συνεται,ρίδες, which is
the word used in the LXX. of Judg. xi. 37. The words ‘ ecce
quomodo accusor ’ in 1. 5, are still obscure to me; very likely they
are a rendering of ιδού πως διαβεβλημαι,.
Perhaps I may be forgiven for introducing here an odd parallel
from comparatively modern literature. Giacomo Carissimi, in his
little oratorio lephte, written about 1650, has introduced a lament
of Jephthah’s daughter, which I transcribe here for purposes of
comparison, as it happens to be in Latin. No doubt parallels are
to be discovered by dozens in the literature of the last three
centuries. Carissimi’s lamentation runs as follows :
Abiit ergo in montes filia lephte et plorabat cum sodalibus
uirginitatem suam, dicens: Plorate colles, delete montes, et in
afflictione cordis mei ululate. Ecce moriar uirgo et non potero
1 Handel’s librettist called lier Iphis, with an obvious reference to Iphigenia. In
one of the CMomasticn (Lagarde p. 185) we have the entry Σείλα ελττίϊ,
The theory advanced above as to the origin and character
of the Vision of Kenaz applies to both of the other fragments,—
this and the following one. It will not, therefore, be necessary to
do more than attempt in these introductory remarks to throw
light on the difficult points in the Lamentation of Seila, or to ask
others to perform that service for ns.
In the first place, I do not find elsewhere any occurrence of
the name Seila for Jephthah’s daughter1, or of Stelae for the
mountain to which she resorted. In the next place, I would note
that the process of retranslation into Greek helps to clear up some
difficulties in this case also; thus, lines 7—10 become simpler in
the Greek, if we render them as follows ; ϊνα ο πατήρ μή βίάσηται,
τήν θυγατέρα ήν ωμοσεν θύσαί, ϊνα ο ήγεμων άκούσρ τής μονογε-
νούς αυτού τής έπηγγελμένης εί,ς ολοκαύτωμα; again ‘utor’ with
the genitive in 1. 12 may well be a Graecism, and ‘froniuit’ is
probably an assimilation to an original ηύφρανεν. Further, in
1. 22 ‘ conuirgines ’ corresponds closely to συνεται,ρίδες, which is
the word used in the LXX. of Judg. xi. 37. The words ‘ ecce
quomodo accusor ’ in 1. 5, are still obscure to me; very likely they
are a rendering of ιδού πως διαβεβλημαι,.
Perhaps I may be forgiven for introducing here an odd parallel
from comparatively modern literature. Giacomo Carissimi, in his
little oratorio lephte, written about 1650, has introduced a lament
of Jephthah’s daughter, which I transcribe here for purposes of
comparison, as it happens to be in Latin. No doubt parallels are
to be discovered by dozens in the literature of the last three
centuries. Carissimi’s lamentation runs as follows :
Abiit ergo in montes filia lephte et plorabat cum sodalibus
uirginitatem suam, dicens: Plorate colles, delete montes, et in
afflictione cordis mei ululate. Ecce moriar uirgo et non potero
1 Handel’s librettist called lier Iphis, with an obvious reference to Iphigenia. In
one of the CMomasticn (Lagarde p. 185) we have the entry Σείλα ελττίϊ,