Abstract
Jewish communities in Europe often lived in Christian surroundings. They studied and transmitted the text of their Targums (= Aramaic Bible translations) in this environment. There are indications that some of the textual and codicological variants that can be found in Western Targum manuscripts and editions relate to the history of the various Jewish communities within Europe and especially to the influence ? either positive or negative ? of the Christian environment. Therefore, this project aims to answer the following question: How do the diverse appearances of the authoritative Aramaic Bible translation, especially that of the Books of Samuel, relate to the internal development of the Jewish communities and to the external influences of the Christian surroundings?