Ellen De Doncker

Chargée de recherches F.R.S.-FNRS (October 2025 - October 2028)

Supervisor: Professor Hans Ausloos

Τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια? Exploring Truth in Biblical Greek

In a world where disinformation threatens truth, this project examines the concept of ‘biblical truth’ as portrayed in 'biblical Greek', with a particular focus on the use and development of ἀλήθεια (‘truth’) and cognates from the Septuagint (LXX), through the Old Testament-Pseudepigraphs (OTP) and to the New Testament (NT). Three aims are pursued: (1) make an inventory of ‘truth terms’ in Hebrew and Greek within different biblical corpora; (2) conduct an exegetical analysis of key passages to understand the semantic, metaphorical and theological frameworks of these terms; and (3) trace the development of ἀλήθεια and its cognates in ‘biblical Greek’ in the broader context of Postclassical Greek (PCG). The proposed project combines insights from sociolinguistics, translation studies and biblical exegesis to investigate the different (theological) nuances of biblical Greek uses of ἀλήθεια. The study rejects the strict ‘Hebrew versus Greek’ dichotomy regarding 'biblical Greek' ἀλήθεια and instead highlights subtle semantic, metaphorical and theological shifts and frames these developments within broader tendencies in PCG. This includes examining differences with extrabiblical Greek sources, as well as the translation techniques of the LXX and their impact on the portrayal of truth, and further development throughout OTP and NT. By analysing the thematic clusters, metaphors and word pairs around ἀλήθεια, this project offers a nuanced understanding of how ‘truth’ was shaped in ‘biblical Greek’ and how these concepts evolved and were shaped in LXX, OTP and NT.

Aspirante F.R.S.-FNRS (October 2020 - April 2025)  

Doctoral research, supervisor: Professor Hans Ausloos  

Dissertation: “A Human God? A Comparative Analysis of Anthropomorphisms in the Hebrew and Greek Pentateuch”

This study focuses on anthropomorphisms (i.e., descriptions of God in human guise) in the Pentateuch and their translation in different textual traditions. It compares the Hebrew sources (Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Samaritan Pentateuch) with the Septuagint (LXX), the first Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The central question is whether the translators of the LXX deliberately toned down the anthropomorphisms, revealing an anti-anthropomorphic tendency, or whether the differences can be explained by translation choices or textual variants. The study is structured in several key phases. First, it defines anthropomorphism and draws up an inventory of anthropomorphic descriptions in the Pentateuch. Next, it analyzes how these anthropomorphisms are translated in the Hebrew and Greek texts. In the case of discrepancies, it seeks to determine whether these are the result of translation choices, ideological changes or whether the differences are due to a different text that was the basis of the LXX (Vorlage). As such, this analysis is part of a broader framework of textual criticism, as well as the study of translation techniques. This thesis examines whether differences in the representation of God in the LXX reflect deliberate theological developments, linguistic adaptations or other contextual factors. The comparative analysis reveals no systematic tendency to avoid anthropomorphisms in the LXX. Some expressions appear to be softened, but this mainly reflects the adoption of Greek idioms, rather than a rejection of humanlike imagery of God. Thus, this research nuances the idea that the LXX-Pentateuch represents a distinct theological tradition, different from the MT. While some choices reflect theological concerns, many differences are better explained by linguistic and cultural factors. God remains anthropomorphic in the Greek translation: far from erasing God's humanity, the LXX-Pentateuch offers a diversified image of God, where he appears above all as a guide and interlocutor; a humanlike God for the sake of humans.    

Renewed Philology - Yale University  

Affiliated Early Career Researcher for the Renewed Philology group at Yale.  Renewed Philology is an international working group of scholars in biblical studies whose work reflects critically on the intellectual frameworks brought to bear in philological practice. The work of this group is diverse in its interests, interdisciplinary in its readings of ancient texts and the recovery of ancient world-views, and meta-critical in its practices.  

Link: https://renewedphilology.yale.edu   

Historical Theological Lexicon of the Septuagint Working Group  

I am part of the working group for the HTLS - The Historical and Theological Lexicon of the Septuagint (HTLS, Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 4 vols., 2020-). This is a collective, interdisciplinary project, working towards a multi-volume dictionary on the most significant terms or vocabulary groups found in the Septuagint Bible.  Each term is analyzed within Classical and Hellenistic Greek, papyri and inscriptions, the Septuagint and its Hebrew equivalents, Jewish literature in Greek, the New Testament and early Christian literature, in order to investigate its meanings, usages, and possible semantic evolutions.  HTLS fills an important gap in philological, historical and biblical research.  The FSCIRE project, directed by Eberhard Bons and Daniela Scialabba and coordinated by Anna Mambelli, plans to release four volumes for Mohr Siebeck publishing house, Tübingen.    

“Modernity and Holocaust in Lithuania: Philosophical Analysis of Moral Dilemmas” (2021-2022)  

Project with University of Vilnius: Participation in research-project “Modernity and Holocaust in Lithuania: Philosophical Analysis of Moral Dilemmas”, led by Prof. Jolanta Saldukaityte    

Une deuxième peau à vif: vêtement, genre et violence dans la Bible hébraïque (2020-2022)  

Project with Université de Montréal: Participation in research-project on gendered violence through textile in the Hebrew Bible, led by Prof. Dr. Anne Létourneau