Otto Thenius and Zacharias Frankel on the Text of the Books of Samuel

Abstract Thenius's commentary Die Bücher Samuels (1842) systematically emended the Masoretic Text on the basis of the Septuagint. It was considered groundbreaking, but its numerous text-critical proposals did not stand the test of time (as witness HOTTP). Frankel published a critical review of it (1844), which can be appreciated as an academic rebuttal. But looking at the background of his life and times, as illustrated from his other contemporary writings, it becomes clear that to Frankel an equally important goal was exemplifying how to defend the Jewish heritage and to stand up against assimilation in a hostile environment. In a similar fashion, Thenius's other writings shed light on his text-critical endeavors. His quest for the original text paralleled his quest for the “true Calvary” (1843). With his zeal to find the original words and the original places, sidestepping tradition, he struck a nerve in the Protestant mind. That is why the echo of his claims, rather than what he actually proposed, is still with us today.