Literature and Theology Advance Access originally published online on December 26, 2007
Literature and Theology 2008 22(2):135-150; doi:10.1093/litthe/frm055
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Towards A Judaic Milton: Translating Samson Agonistes Into Hebrew
Department of English, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb IL 60115, USA
einboden{at}niu.edu
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Joseph Massel's 1890 translation of Samson Agonistes into biblical Hebrew represents a problematic amalgam of Christian poetics and Judaic scripture. Published as a means of promoting Hebrew language renewal, Massel's rendition succeeds in transforming not only the linguistic constitution of the Miltonic drama, but also its religious and cultural meaning. The following essay examines the implications of translating Samson Agonistes into the language of the Tanakh, proposing that this Hebrew rendition functions to amend the historical, theological and political significance of its English source.