Proto-Theodotion Redivivus: New Insights into the Textual History of the Septuagint Daniel

This study revisits the longstanding and often contested hypothesis of a Proto-Theodotion (Proto-Th) textual layer within the transmission history of the Septuagint version of Daniel. Drawing on detailed textual analysis, with particular focus on the long quotation of Daniel 7:9–28 preserved in Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho, the paper argues that Proto-Th constitutes a genuine, intermediary recensional layer between the Old Greek (OG) and the Theodotionic version (Th-Dan). By applying a rigorous comparative methodology, the study demonstrates that this intermediary text displays both dependence on OG and characteristics of revision, while simultaneously serving as the textual basis for Th-Dan. The findings challenge the prevailing trend of dismissing Proto-Th in light of Barthélemy’s Kaige theory and propose a nuanced reconstruction in which Th-Dan emerges as a revision of Proto-Th, not directly of OG. Further implications are discussed concerning the dating of the various stages (OG, Proto-Th, Th-Dan), the potential relationship with the Kaige tradition, and the editorial role of the historical Theodotion. This research contributes to a more complex and layered model of the Greek textual tradition of Daniel and underscores the value of revisiting pre-Christian patristic citations in reconstructing lost textual witnesses.