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What is all the Bible about?

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  • When I think about Paul he also tells us to trust only God!
  • I could say the same like in the case of Job, Samuel and daniel!
  • But he also encourages us to serve God and do our best to help others to get to know the Bible and God's message!
  • It is the best way to prepare for the future and for God's kingdom!
  • It won't be a part-time job but a full -time job!
  • And there won't be any other option!
 
  • When I think about prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah I see men who told men of their time that God was going to destroy them!
  • Destroy their way of life!
  • They would lose everything they had!
  • They were not afraid!
  • But those men didn't care!
  • And they lost everything!
  • They just had to listen and make big changes in their lives!
  • They had lost everything they were told!
  • They thought it would never occur!
  • And time passed!
  • And the destruction happened!
  • And everything that was told happened!
  • And Now?
  • Who listens to God's message?
 
  • Isaiah = DESTRUCTION!
  • Jeremiah = DESTRUCTION!
  • Daniel = RECONSTRUCTION AND DESTRUCTION!
  • Samuel = human kings replace God as king of Israel more problems for Israel!
  • Next step = God's kingdom = DESTRUCTION AND RECONSTRUCTION!
  • Anything else to add?
 
  • Will you get your pass for the promised land?
  • The Hebews failed except two men: Joshua and Caleb!
  • Think about that!
  • They never understood anything!
  • They didn't get ready!
  • They were stubborn!
  • So is mankind!
  • Will you get ready?
  • Or do you think you can get your pass for nothing?
 
  • I see normal men who became men of action because they serve God faithfully!
  • And their examples encourage us to action!
  • I can think of Samuel!
  • He became a servant of God right at the beginning because of his mother!
  • And he became jealous for God because the Israelites rejectede God as their king!
  • Instead they wanted a human king!
  • And he stayed faithful as a high priest and as a judge before Israel!
  • And he would do it all his life!
 
  • I can think of Daniel!
  • We are only told that he went to Babylon whe he was a young man!
  • But he kept faithful and he didn't let himself be influenced by Babylonian traditions!
  • On the contrary, he kept strictly what he was taught!
  • And he did everything to not only maintain his relationship to God but to improve it!
  • In fact, he tells us that it is not possible to maintain a good relationship to God if we don't improve it!
  • That's why it is necessary to study daily the Bible and speak about what we learn to others!
  • And in fact, there was no one like him in Babylon!
  • He had more knowledge and wisdom than anyone in babylon!
  • And God was with him in everything he did!
 
  • I can think of Job!
  • He was always proud of his relationship to God!
  • He was always proud of doing his best to do what was right!
  • And he tells us to feel the same!
  • He knew something was wrong!
  • And he didn't know why!
  • But his relationship to God was his compass!
  • And nobody could break it!
  • Not even the devil!
 
  • When I think of Moses I have incredible images in mind!
  • He was educated as a prince of Egypt!
  • But he received a good education from his mother as a child!
  • He chose his own people not the Egyptians!
  • And he had to flee and abandon everything behind him!
  • And he became a shepherd!
  • And God trained him when he was a shepherd living a simple life!
  • And he chose him to free his people from Egypt!
  • But he didn't think he was able to do it!
  • And he was not good at speaking in front of others!
  • So God told Aaron to go with him!
  • And he became the leader of the Israelites!
  • And he had to bear their rebellious nature!
  • And they rebelled all the time!
  • And he saved them twice from extermin ation!
  • And he rescued them many times!
  • But they died in the desert!
  • And he couldn't get into the promised land!
  • Because of one mistake!
  • But a big one!
  • And it was because of the Israelites!
  • Thus we have a lot to learn about him!
  • We must never think that our relationship to God is good enough!
  • Not at all!
  • We must keep strengthening it!
 
  • Cold or hot angers?
  • When Adam and Eve opposed God they lost many things and die!
  • It wasn't any anger from God!
  • It was only the price to pay for disobedience!
  • A way to maintain the balance!
 
  • Cold or hot angers?
  • Cain became jealous of his brother Abel because God looked with favor on Abel but not on him!
  • And Cain grew hot with anger!
  • And God told him if he changed his attitude God could restored him his favor!
  • But instead of listening to God he killed his brother!
  • So God cursed him and he was banished
  • And God prevented Cain from being killed!
  • Once again no anger at all against Cain from God!
  • Just God's justice or a just balance!
  • Nothing more!
 
Somebody says:


A lot of people ask, which Bible is the best? Many of them expect to hear KJV or ISV, but the truth is, for a person who comes up and asks this question, any version they're interested to read is the best one, don't be stuck in analysis paralysis. However, there's a simple yet objective way to tell which translation is better: Go to Deut. 32:43 and see if it says “let all the angels of God worship him.” This is a critical line quoted in Heb.1:6, and it only exists in translations based on septuagint or Dead sea scrolls. So if it's there, then at least this translation is more accurate and authentic; if not, well, then something important is missing, and unfortunately neither KJV nor ISV has this line. And this is one small example. Therefore, although all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for reproof, doction, correction and instruction in righteousness, the same can't be guaranteed for all translations.
 
My answer:


studylight.org/lexicon/eng/greek/4352.htm


Bible Lexicons


Strong's #4352 - προσκυνέω


from (G4314) and a probable derivative of (G2965) (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand)


Thayer's


  2. to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence
  3. among the Orientals, esp. the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence
  4. in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication
    2. used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank

      1. 1.to the Jewish high priests

        2.to God

        3.to Christ

        4.to heavenly beings

        5.to demons
Hebrew Equivalent Words:


Strong #: 2111 זוּעַ (zoo' ah); 3766 כָּרַע (kaw rah'); 5401 נָשַׁק (naw shak'); 5456 סָגַד (saw gad'); 5647 עָבַד (aw bad'); 7812 שָׁחָה (shaw khaw');

  • First of all, for the moment I just want to analyze the translation you cite that is

“let all the angels of God worship Him.”


  • Now if you look at Thayer's definition or explanation there is a small problem!
  • Worship is not correct because it says the Greek word is used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank (to the Jewish high priests, to God, to Christ, to heavenly beings and to demons)!
  • When I say it's not correct I could say inappropriate or wrong!
  • And I'm not mentioning the other three explanations!
  • Now when you say don't be stuck in analysis paralysis, this is a good example of the necessity of analyzing translations!
  • That's why I use Biblehub!
  • Because it is not only an interlinear translation!
  • For each Hebrew or Greek word you get different translations!
  • You don't need to know ancient Hebrew or Greek!
  • I am a linguist and I have been studying languages all my life!
  • Thus I will never agree with you!
  • It's impossible!
  • There is too much to learn from analyzing translations!
  • There are too many mistakes and omissions!
 

Does Hebrews 1:6 quote Deuteronomy 32:43? ​



When trying to show that the KJV is not an accurate translation, it will often be asserted that the KJV is in error in Deuteronomy 32:43




The KJV reads:




Deuteronomy 32:43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

However, some modern versions read very differently in this verse.

The ESV for example reads:



Deuteronomy 32:43 “Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land.”



Brentons Greek Septuagint reads differently again:



Deueteronomy 32:43 Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.



So which is the correct reading, is it as found in the KJV, Brentons Septuagint or that of the ESV?



As usual when it comes to textual variants this is NOT just a KJV issue.



The NIV, NASb, CSB, ASV The Aramaic Bible in plain English and the ISV to name a few, all read as (or similar) to the KJV




As do all the prior English Bibles to the KJV

1394 Wycliffe Bible

Folkis, preise ye the puplis of hym, for he schal venie the blood of hise seruauntis, and he schal yelde veniaunce in to the enemyes of hem; and he schal be merciful to the lond of his puple.

1531 Tyndale Bible

Reioyse hethen wyth hys people, for he wyll auenge the bloude off his servauntes, and wyll auenge hym off hys aduersaryes, and wilbe mercyfull vnto the londe off hys people.

1535 Coverdale Bible

Reioyse ye Heythen with his people: for he wil auenge the bloude of his seruauntes, and wyl auenge him on his enemies, & wil be mercifull vnto the londe of his people.

1537 Matthew Bible

Prayse ye heathen hys people, for he wil auenge the bloude of hys seruauntes, & wyl auenge hym of his aduersaries, and wyll be merciful vnto the land of hys people.

1539 Great Bible

Prayse ye hethen his people, for he will auenge the bloude of hys seruauntes, & wyll auenge hym of his aduersaries, and wylbe mercyfull vnto his lande, and to hys people.

1560 Geneva Bible

Ye nations, praise his people: for he will auenge the blood of his seruants, and will execute vengeance vpon his aduersaries, and will bee mercifull vnto his lande, and to his people.

1568 Bishops’ Bible

Prayse ye heathen his people, for he wyll auenge the blood of his seruautes, and will auenge him of his aduersaries, and wyll be mercifull vnto his lande, and to his people.



So this is not a KJV only argument.



What I do find interesting, for numerous reasons, is that the NET Bible, also reads as the KJV

Deuteronomy 32:43 Cry out, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge his servants’ blood; he will take vengeance against his enemies, and make atonement for his land and people.



There are not even any notes regarding the alternative reading at this point.

It is claimed that the writer of Hebrews quotes this verse in Hebrews 1:6



Hebrews 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. KJV



Notice here that in the KJV it states “let all the angels of God worship him”.

However, these words are not found in Deuteronomy 32:43 in the KJV



But they are found in Brentons Septuagint. While the words are found in Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, the two foremost manuscripts that the Septuagint is based on, not all Septuagint manuscripts contain the words.



The dead sea scrolls neither read as the Masoretic text, nor do they support the reading of the Septuagint.



Out of all of the copies of Deuteronomy found amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls only one contains this part of chapter 32 and actually reads “and bow down to him, all gods”.



Manuscript 4Q44 Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 32: 43 Rejoice, heavens, with his people,

and bow down to him, all gods,

for he will avenge the blood of his sons.

He will take vengeance on his adversaries,

And avenge those who hate him,

and will make atonement for his land and for his people.



This is the reading that the ESV has adopted.



It should be noted that similar words “worship him, all ye Gods can be found in Psalm 97:7

Psalm 97:7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. KJV

Psalm 97:7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! ESV



It is argued by some that the reference to “all gods” is, in fact, a reference to the angels and so the Dead sea scroll does support the Septuagint reading.

I would suggest reading my writing where I argue the sons of God are not angels but humans (link Below)

https://www.followintruth.com/sons-of-god-are-not-angels-they-are-humans





There are, in fact, not many versions that do read as the Septuagint in Deuteronomy 32:43 and have “let all the angels of God worship him.”



Those that do include the NLT



Deuteronomy 32:43 “Rejoice with him, you heavens, and let all of God’s angels worship him. Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles, and let all the angels be strengthened in him. For he will avenge the blood of his children; he will take revenge against his enemies. He will repay those who hate him and cleanse his people’s land.”



The BSB also reads similar



Deuteronomy 32:43 Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries and repay those who hate Him; He will cleanse His land and His people.



It is then, asserted that these words are not found anywhere else in scripture and so the writer of Hebrews must have quoted the LXX in Hebrews 1:6, this showing that the reading of the LXX is correct and that the reading of the Hebrew Masoretic text, from which the KJV(and the many others) reading is derived.



However, I would argue that the writer of Hebrews is not quoting Deuteronomy 32:43 at all and in fact a later scribe producing the Greek reading of the LXX, AFTER the book of Hebrews had already been written, has retrospectively inserted the words back into the Greek based on a misunderstanding of Hebrews 1:6.



If we look at Hebrews 1:6 again we will see the words “and again”.



Hebrews 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.



It is these words that has caused the confusion, and the “need” to add the words “And let all the angels of God worship him” to the Old Testament.



The words “and again” are being connected to “he saith”. Another way to put it would be, “he says again” then the words that he says again, namely “And let all the angels of God worship him”. therefore , this would indicate that these words have been said before and that the writer of Hebrews is saying they will be said again. BUT, and this is the problem that faced the Greek scribe, these words are NOT in the Old Testament (excluding Deuteronomy 32:43) and thus the NEED for these words to be in the Old testament arose.



When correctly understood, the words “and again” should not be connected with “he saith”. They should, in fact, be connected with “when He brings the Firstborn into the world”. This verse is actually about the second coming and what WILL be said when Jesus returns, when again, God, brings his firstborn into the world. He will say “And let all the angels of God worship him.” These words have NOT yet been said. They WILL be said when the firstborn is again brought into the world.



Hebrews 1 is all about the supremacy of the son.



In his commentary on Hebrews, John Owen specifically argues that the words have been added to the Septuagint reading after the book of Hebrews had already been written.



“1. Our first inquiry must be whence this testimony is taken. Many of the ancients, as Epiphanius, Theodoret, Euthymius, Procopius, and Anselm, conceived the words to be cited from Deuteronomy 32:43, where they expressly occur in the translation of the LXX., Εὐφράςθητς οὐρανοὶ ἄμα αὐτοῦ καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι Θεοῖ ; “Rejoice ye heavens with him, and let all the angels of God worship him.” But there are two considerations that put it beyond all pretensions that the words are not taken from this place of the LXX.:
 
(1.) Because indeed there are no such words in the original text, nor any thing spoken that might give occasion to the sense expressed in them; but the whole verse is inserted in the Greek version quite beside the scope of the place. Now, though it may perhaps be safely granted that the apostles, in citing the Scripture of the Old Testament, did sometimes use the words of the Greek translation then in use, yea, though not exact according to the original, whilst the sense and meaning of the Holy Ghost was retained in them; yet to cite that from the Scripture as the word and testimony of God which indeed is not therein, nor was ever spoken by God, but by human failure and corruption crept into the Greek version, is not to be imputed unto them. And indeed I no way question but that this addition unto the Greek text in that place was made after the apostle had used this testimony. For it is not unlikely but that some considering of it, and not considering from whence it was taken, because the words occur not absolutely and exactly in the Greek anywhere, inserted it into that place of Moses, amidst other words of an alike sound, and somewhat an alike importance, such as immediately precede and follow the clause inserted. “


John Owen Exposition of Hebrews


Supporting the non-authority of the words are the Targums, Syriac Peshitta and the Latin Vulgate. None of which include the words in Deuteronomy 32:43.



I would recommend looking at my other writings where I demonstrate that words have been blatantly added to the Septuagint, in order to better make it fit “quotations” of the New Testament writers.
 
Someone says:


Why should I when you make such a simple matter so complicated with such a wall text? All OT quotes in the NT were based on Septuagint, it's the most authentic and accurate version of the OT Scripture. The Mosaretic Scripture, on the other hand, was compiled centuries later after Jesus. This line, “let all angels of God worship Him”, is not found in KJV and most other translations because it was omitted in the Mosaretic.


In this case, words were not added to the Septuagint, words were removed from the Septuagint, and there's serious implication: if it's supposed to be a quote from Deut. 32:43 in Hebrew 1:6, but it's not in the OT, then the author of Hebrew must've made it up, and the whole book would be discredited; but this line did exist in the original Hebrew text, it was adulterated in the Mosaretic version.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_Scrolls






Dead Sea Scrolls​


The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE,[1] the Dead Sea Scrolls are considered to be a keystone in the history of archaeology with great historical, religious, and linguistic significance because they include the oldest surviving manuscripts of entire books later included in the biblical canons, along with deuterocanonical and extra-biblical manuscripts which preserve evidence of the diversity of religious thought in late Second Temple Judaism. At the same time they cast new light on the emergence of Christianity and of Rabbinic Judaism.[2] Most of the scrolls are held by Israel in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, but their ownership is disputed by Jordan due to the Qumran Caves' history: following the End of the British Mandate for Palestine in 1947, Jordan occupied the area in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and Israel captured both the area and several Scrolls from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War.[3] However, some of the scrolls are still in Jordan and are now displayed at The Jordan Museum in Amman. Ownership of the scrolls is also contested by the State of Palestine.[4]


Many thousands of written fragments have been discovered in the Dead Sea area. They represent the remnants of larger manuscripts damaged by natural causes or through human interference, with the vast majority holding only small scraps of text. However, a small number of well-preserved, almost intact manuscripts have survived – fewer than a dozen among those from the Qumran Caves.[1] Researchers have assembled a collection of 981 different manuscripts – discovered in 1946/47 and in 1956 – from 11 caves.[5] The 11 Qumran Caves lie in the immediate vicinity of the Hellenistic-period Jewish settlement at Khirbet Qumran in the eastern Judaean Desert, in the West Bank.[6] The caves are located about 1.5 km (1 mi) west of the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, whence they derive their name. Archaeologists have long associated the scrolls with the ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes, although some recent interpretations have challenged this connection and argue that priests in Jerusalem, or Zadokites, or other unknown Jewish groups wrote the scrolls.[7][8]


Most of the texts are Hebrew, with some written in Aramaic (for example the Son of God Text; in different regional dialects, including Nabataean), and a few in Greek.[9] Discoveries from the Judaean Desert add Latin (from Masada) and Arabic (from Khirbet al-Mird) texts.[10] Most of the texts are written on parchment, some on papyrus, and one on copper.[11] Scholarly consensus dates the scrolls from the last three centuries BCE and the first century CE,[1][12] though manuscripts from associated Judaean Desert sites are dated as early as the 8th century BCE and as late as the 11th century CE.[13] Bronze coins found at the same sites form a series beginning with John Hyrcanus (in office 135–104 BCE) and continuing until the period of the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE), supporting the radiocarbon and paleographic dating of the scrolls.[14]


Owing to the poor condition of some of the scrolls, scholars have not identified all of their texts. The identified texts fall into three general groups:


  2. About 40% are copies of texts from the Hebrew Scriptures.
  3. Approximately another 30% are texts from the Second Temple period which ultimately were not canonized in the Hebrew Bible, like the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, the Book of Tobit, the Wisdom of Sirach, Psalms 152–155, etc.
  4. The remainder (roughly 30%) are sectarian manuscripts of previously unknown documents that shed light on the rules and beliefs of a particular group (sect) or groups within greater Judaism, like the Community Rule, the War Scroll, the Pesher on Habakkuk, and The Rule of the Blessing.[15][need quotation to verify]
 
http://dssenglishbible.com/scroll4Q39.htm

  • There are 32 scrolls containing the book of Deuteronomy!​
  • And among these 32 scrolls, there is only one who is about 32:43!​
  • That is the following one!​
4Q44 Deuteronomyq

Language: Hebrew

Date: 50-1 B.C.

Location: Qumran Cave 4

Contents: Deuteronomy 32:9-10, 37-43

Comments: This scroll appears to be a Vorlage – the Hebrew source of the LXX, since the differences from the traditional text agree with the LXX.

43 Rejoice, you nations heavens, with his people,

and bow down to him, all gods,

for he will avenge the blood of his servants sons.

He will take vengeance on his adversaries,

And avenge those who hate him,

and will make atonement for his land and for his people.

  • It is not possible to make a conclusion about one piece of scroll!​
  • It is a pure nonsense!​
 
Someone says:

This is just a red herring. As I said before, “let all angels of Godworship Him,” along with ALL other OT quotes in the NT, were plucked directly from the Septuagint, which was completed during the “intertestimonial” period, also known as the “second emple period”. Dead Sea scrolls are good corroborrating evidence for the authenticity of the Septuagint, but that doesn't mean any NT authors had ever read those and wrote the NT based on those.
 
https://stpaulcenter.com/old-testament-manuscripts/


In this follow up to the last post, we discuss important manuscripts (hand-written copies) of the Old Testament.

***

The Oldest Manuscripts of the Old Testament

The original manuscripts (the autographs) written by the sacred authors themselves are no longer extant for any book of the Bible. The oldest partial copies of the text of any biblical book are to be found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (treated in next post). However, the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew of the protocanonical books of the Old Testament is a codex (a book formed by leaves of paper stitched on one side; i.e. the form of book most familiar to us) called Leningradensis, held in the Imperial Russian Library in St. Petersburgh (formerly Leningrad). Leningradensis is a complete copy of the Masoretic Text written in Galilee around AD 1000.

The Masoretic Text

The Masoretic Text is the standard Hebrew form of the books of the Jewish Bible, the form used for chant and proclamation in traditional Jewish synagogues to this day. It takes its name from the Masoretes, a school of Jewish scribes who flourished between AD 700 to AD 1000. The Masoretes raised the reproduction of the Hebrew Scriptures to a high art. Among other innovations, they devised a system of markings (called “points”) placed above and below the Hebrew consonants to indicate the vowel to be pronounced after the consonant. In this way, they were able for the first time to record in writing the Jewish oral tradition of the pronunciation of Scripture. The Masoretes also introduced various quality control measures for the reproduction of manuscripts: they tabulated the number of words and letters in each biblical book. Subsequently, every newly-written copy was carefully counted to verify its accuracy.

Leningradensis is almost universally regarded as the oldest and best copy of the Masoretic Text, the name given to the precise form the Hebrew developed by the Masoretes as their standard. When translating or studying the Old Testament today, scholars typically begin from the Hebrew of the Masoretic text, usually a printed (or increasingly, an electronic) edition of Leningradensis.

The Septuagint

When translating the Old Testament, scholars also consult the readings of the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament books.

According to a semi-legendary account in a document known as the Letter of Aristeas, the Septuagint translation was begun when the Hellenistic king of Alexandria in Egypt, Ptolemy II, brought Jewish scribes from Jerusalem to Alexandria in order to translate the sacred books of the Jews into Greek for the Library of Alexandria in the third century BC. According to the legend, seventy scholars were commissioned for this project: thus the name Septuagint, meaning “seventy,” and the commonly used abbreviation “LXX,” the Roman numeral for seventy.

Although the accounts of the translation of the Septuagint in the Letter of Aristeas, Philo, Josephus, and other ancient authors sound embellished, the historical kernel of the story seems plausible and fits known data: Ptolemy II commissioned a Greek translation of the Pentateuch for his library. The translation of the Pentateuch was the first and perhaps best, and dates to c. 250 BC. The remaining Old Testament books were translated progressively over the next two centuries. The Septuagint translation began to circulate in a collection that was broader than the Hebrew canon mentioned by Josephus [discussed many posts ago], and did not have a clear limit—in other words, the Septuagint had an open canon, including deuterocanonical works and some apocrypha.

The quality and style of translation exhibited in the LXX can vary quite widely from book to book. The rendering of Daniel in the LXX, for example, was so loose that the Church replaced it with a better translation executed by Theodotion, a Hellenistic Jew of the second century AD. Other books, such as Genesis, were much more literal in translation.

The LXX translation carried enormous prestige in the ancient world. Jewish scholars like the philosopher Philo and the historian Josephus regarded it as virtually inspired, a view shared by some Church Fathers. For the millions of Greek-speaking Jews living in the Roman Empire outside of Palestine, it was the only form of the Scriptures they used. The majority of the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are taken from the LXX, since the Apostles and other New Testament authors typically wrote for a broad audience, rather than just the Jews of Palestine.

In the fourth century A.D., the Church, with the newly-acquired support of the Roman government, had the resources to produce codices (bound books, not scrolls) of the entire bible for use in major churches (e.g. Cathedrals). Our oldest more-or-less complete manuscripts of the entire Bible, consisting of the Septuagint plus the New Testament in Greek, come from this century. The three most important are named for the places they were found or now reside: Vaticanus, the best manuscript of the complete Greek Bible, Old and New Testaments, stored in the Vatican Libraries at least since the middle ages; Alexandrinus, an excellently-preserved Greek Bible from Alexandria, now stored in the British Library; and Sinaiticus, another Septuagint + Greek New Testament discovered in the nineteenth century in St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, and now also residing in the British Library.

The Septuagint remains the official version of the Old Testament in use by the Greek Orthodox Church.

Revisions of the Septuagint

Before the rise of Christianity, Jewish authors like Philo and Josephus had high praise and reverence for the Septuagint translation. As Christianity grew and became the leading religion of the Roman Empire, however, a reaction set in, especially among Jews in Palestine. Increasingly, Jews rejected the Septuagint, calling it inaccurate and misleading. At least three Greek-speaking Jewish scholars published recensions (revised versions) of the Septuagint which were closer to the Hebrew in use in Palestine: Aquila (c. AD 130), Theodotion (c. AD 150?), and Symmachus (c. AD 170).

The Latin Vulgate

Also of some value to Bible scholars and translators is the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Catholic Bible executed (largely) by St. Jerome in the late fourth and early fifth centuries. St. Jerome translated most of the biblical books of the Old Testament directly from the best Hebrew copies he was able to procure. However, the Hebrew available to St. Jerome tended, by and large, closely to resemble the Masoretic Text we now have. For that reason, when the Masoretic Text is itself unclear or appears disturbed, St. Jerome’s Vulgate is usually not helpful in resolving the issues.

Other Ancient Versions and the Cairo Geniza

Scholars also consult other ancient versions (that is, translations) of the Old Testament, such as the Syriac translation (known as the Peshitta), the Coptic (Egyptian), and Ethiopic versions. Fragments of biblical books dating to the medieval period were also found in the genizah (a store room for worn biblical scrolls) of the oldest synagogue in Cairo in the nineteenth century. Many of these “Cario genizah” texts have been published and are of some interest to biblical scholars.



Important Ancient Texts of the Old Testament​

Name​
Language​
Date Translated​
Date of oldest surviving complete copies​

Masoretic Text (MT)​
Hebrew​
Not a translation; standardized AD 700-1000​
11th cent. AD (c. 1000)​

Septuagint (LXX)​
Greek​
250–100 BC​
4th cent. AD (late 300s)​

Vulgate​
Latin​
AD 382–405​
8th cent. AD (mid-700s)​

Peshitta​
Syriac​
AD 100’s​
6th-7th cent. AD (500s–600s)​

Old Testament Manuscrip​

 
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