diff --git a/saxon/ExternalProject_saxon.mk b/saxon/ExternalProject_saxon.mk
index a5c983be0b8c..ad2f9cb60a60 100644
--- a/saxon/ExternalProject_saxon.mk
+++ b/saxon/ExternalProject_saxon.mk
@@ -28,9 +28,8 @@ $(call gb_ExternalProject_get_state_target,saxon,build) :
 		)\
 		$(if $(filter yes,$(JAVACISGCJ))\
 			,-Dbuild.compiler=gcj \
-			,-Dant.build.javac.source=$(JAVA_SOURCE_VER) \
-				-Dant.build.javac.target=$(JAVA_TARGET_VER) \
 		) \
+		-Dant.build.javac.target=$(JAVA_TARGET_VER) \
 		$(if $(debug),-Dbuild.debug="on") \
 		-Dsolarbindir=$(OUTDIR)/bin jar-bj && \
 	touch $@
diff --git a/saxon/build.xml b/saxon/build.xml
index c9026f7778ea..a6e77140e84d 100644
--- a/saxon/build.xml
+++ b/saxon/build.xml
@@ -139,10 +139,7 @@
     <property name="build.debuglevel" value="source,lines,vars"/>
     <property name="build.deprecation" value="true"/>
     <property name="build.optimize" value="true"/>
-    <property name="build.compiler.source" value="1.4"/>
-    <property name="build.compiler.target" value="1.4"/>
-    <property name="build.s9api.compiler.source" value="1.5"/>
-    <property name="build.s9api.compiler.target" value="1.5"/>
+    <property name="build.compiler.source" value="1.5"/>
     <property name="build.compress" value="false"/>
 
     <!-- following properties can be switched to determine whether to build from patch source
@@ -380,8 +377,7 @@ http\://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema: com.saxonica.jaxp.SchemaFactoryImpl
         <mkdir dir="${classes-j.dir}"/>
         <javac encoding="ISO-8859-1" debug="${build.debug}" debuglevel="${build.debuglevel}"
             deprecation="${build.deprecation}" destdir="${classes-j.dir}"
-            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-j.dir}" source="${build.compiler.source}"
-            target="${build.compiler.target}">
+            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-j.dir}" source="${build.compiler.source}">
 
             <include name="net/**"/>
             <exclude name="**/dom/**"/>
@@ -408,8 +404,7 @@ http\://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema: com.saxonica.jaxp.SchemaFactoryImpl
         <mkdir dir="${classes-j.dir}"/>
         <javac debug="${build.debug}"  debuglevel="${build.debuglevel}"
             deprecation="${build.deprecation}" destdir="${classes-j.dir}"
-            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-j.dir}" source="${build.compiler.source}"
-            target="${build.compiler.target}">
+            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-j.dir}" source="${build.compiler.source}">
 
             <include name="com/saxonica/**"/>
             <include name="net/sf/saxon/ant/**"/>
@@ -423,12 +418,9 @@ http\://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema: com.saxonica.jaxp.SchemaFactoryImpl
     <target name="compile-s9api" description="Compile s9api classes for Java."
                                  depends="compile-bj, compile-saj, copysource-development">
         <!-- Compiling the s9api package requires JDK 1.5 -->
-        <!-- The bj and saj source must be compiled first to ensure that it is done using 1.4, otherwise
-             it will be compiled in 1.5 mode because the classes are referenced from the s9api package -->
         <javac debug="${build.debug}" debuglevel="${build.debuglevel}"
             deprecation="${build.deprecation}" destdir="${classes-j.dir}"
-            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-j.dir}" source="${build.s9api.compiler.source}"
-            target="${build.s9api.compiler.target}">
+            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-j.dir}" source="${build.compiler.source}">
 
             <include name="**/s9api/**"/>
             <classpath>
@@ -441,8 +433,7 @@ http\://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema: com.saxonica.jaxp.SchemaFactoryImpl
         <mkdir dir="${classes-n.dir}"/>
         <javac debug="${build.debug}" debuglevel="${build.debuglevel}"
             deprecation="${build.deprecation}" destdir="${classes-n.dir}"
-            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-nj.dir}" source="${build.compiler.source}"
-            target="${build.compiler.target}">
+            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-nj.dir}" source="${build.compiler.source}">
 
             <include name="net/**"/>
             <exclude name="**/s9api/**"/>
@@ -456,8 +447,7 @@ http\://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema: com.saxonica.jaxp.SchemaFactoryImpl
         <mkdir dir="${classes-n.dir}"/>
         <javac debug="${build.debug}"  debuglevel="${build.debuglevel}"
             deprecation="${build.deprecation}" destdir="${classes-n.dir}"
-            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-nj.dir}" source="${build.compiler.source}"
-            target="${build.compiler.target}">
+            optimize="${build.optimize}" srcdir="${temp-src-nj.dir}" source="${build.compiler.source}">
 
             <include name="com/saxonica/**"/>
             <exclude name="com/saxonica/validate/JavaVerifier.java"/>
@@ -789,8 +779,7 @@ http\://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema: com.saxonica.jaxp.SchemaFactoryImpl
                         <javac debug="true" debuglevel="source, lines"
                               destdir="${product.dir}/resources/samples/java/classes"
             srcdir="${product.dir}/resources/samples/java"
-            source="${build.compiler.source}"
-            target="${build.compiler.target}">
+            source="${build.compiler.source}">
         <include name="*.java"/>
         <classpath>
             <path refid="classpath-samples"/>