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Questions (not edit requests) > Commentaries on sacred texts

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message 1: by Guy (new)

Guy H | 5 comments Lots of different translations and editions of the bible include commentaries written by distinguished scholars. See for example, The Five Books of Moses or Isaiah: A New English Translation or The Pentateuch: Trumath Tzvi. For such books, is it appropriate to have commentator's name as the primary author even though the bulk of the work is an English translation of an "Anonynmous" author's Hebrew words? Or is it more appropriate to have the scholar as the primary author, as the three examples above currently exist?


message 2: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
I am not familiar with the first of those, but I am with the other two. As they are primarily translations of the respective texts, Anonymous should be the primary author, as it is under Goodreads policy for all editions and translations of such texts. I assume the same would be true for the other work you linked, as it also appears to be primarily a translation.

I am sure there are many similar works that need this corrected.


message 3: by Guy (new)

Guy H | 5 comments What I'm trying to ask is whether important commentators are authors of a work of biblical commentary that also contains a translation? Or is "Anonymous" the author? To take the example of The Pentateuch: Trumath Tzvi, Samson Raphael Hirsch is the author of the commentary, but "Anonymous" is the author of the bible. What should we do in this case?


message 4: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
I would certainly leave Samson Raphael Hirsch as one of the authors of the work, but put Anonymous as the first listed author for all editions.


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