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Aquila, which were acknowledged by Timothy as unintentional (24.9; 54.15,16,25); and 4. The attempts
by Timothy and Aquila to demonstrate their knowledge of Hebrew (3.13; 8.6,7; 20.14; 22.8; 23.4,5; and
32.1,2).
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Conclusion
What concluding observations can be drawn from a reading of these dialogues? The following
are more the personal reactions that I have experienced in reading these works, although some of them
have been shared by other writers.
The first aspect of the dialogues that strikes me is the absolute importance of the Biblical witness
for both the participants in this debate. These discussions were not to be decided by who could
demonstrate the most effective proofs and rational arguments. They were not "won" by the most
effective way of humiliating one's opponent or compelling them into submission by forcing them to make
contradictory statements. We can certainly detect at times rhetorical devices that were also used in the
wider ancient world, but rhetorical effectiveness was not the main issue here. The main question was
whether or not the Christian or the Jewish position on Jesus as Israel's promised Messiah was in
accordance with the ancient Scriptures revered by both Jews and Christians.
In that regard, it is striking to take careful notice of the sheer mass of OT scriptures that are cited
to serve as "proofs" and "evidences" of one's position. There are well over three hundred references to
OT passages in TA alone. There are nearly eighty OT references in the shorter AZ and over one hundred
OT references in the shortest dialogue, ST. It is fully acknowledged that these passages are often cited in
a manner that is illustrative of the modern charge of "proof-texting." Also, the interpretation of these texts
is sometimes characterized by allegorizing and occasional disregard of the original context. While
moderns may justifiably make such accusations, they also need to recognize that these texts are not odd in
this regard, but share such a methodology with a wider context of both Christian and Jewish readings of
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See Lahey's helpful discussion of these passages in his chapter "Hebrew and Aramaic in the Dialogue of Timothy
and Aquila" in Hebrew Study from Ezra to Ben Yehuda, ed. by William Horbury (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1999),
106-21.