Septuagint and the Original Hebrew Manuscripts As Their Source
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Jewish Scriptures Old Testament (The Christian name for scriptures) Original Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) • Originally in Hebrew Language • Called Tanakh (Jewish Canon) (Read in Jewish Synagogues) • Hebrew Bible is a term for the Tanakh • Torah – First 5 books. Orthodox Jews give most respect to these 5 books than another parts of the Tanakh. • Tanakh was written in the second century BC. • Referred to as the Masoretic Text (MT) (is the early Hebrew text of the Old Testament) • Leningrad Codex (book-style format) is the oldest complete manuscript dated AD 1008-1009 • New Testament writers (disciples, etc.) used Hebrew Jewish Scriptures when quoting scripture. • The King James Version of the bible was written using the Masoretic Test dated AD 900 and two other text dated 1000AD. • Some modern Bible translations use both the Greek Septuagint and the original Hebrew manuscripts as their source. • Dead Sea Scrolls provided the complete book of Isaiah dated 100 BC which proved the reliability of the Old Testament. • The Latin version of the Jewish Scriptures is called Biblia Hebraica. • Read Tanakh on-line. These versions are not the original Masoretic Text (MT) http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/jpstoc.html http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/63255/jewish/The-Bible-with-Rashi.htm http://www.mechon-mamre.org/e/et/et0.htm http://www.breslov.com/bible/ Biblegateway.com now has Messianic Jewish Bible called Complete Jewish Bible on their bible drop down menu when selecting bible type to search. Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) translated into Greek • Called LXX or Septuagint. (Both names mean 70) • Translated around 300-200 BC. • Contains the 39 books. Old Testament – Septuagint - Tanahk • Scholars believe it to be an accurate translation of the original Hebrew Scriptures. • Originated in Alexandria Egypt. • Translated by 70-72 Jewish scholars. • Some modern Bible translations use both Septuagint and Hebrew manuscripts as their source. • Manuscripts of the Septuagint found with the Dead Sea Scrolls • Used by Hellenistic Jews. (Jews who combined Jewish religious tradition with elements of Greek culture.) • Many Christians spoke Greek therefore they used this version in the first few centuries after Jesus’ death. • New Testament writers used this version most often when quoting Old Testament scripture. • Greek Church fathers quoted from this version. • Starting approximately in the 2nd century AD, most Jews abandon use of the LXX. • Jews in 2nd century AD association it with a rival religion (Christianity) which rendered it suspect in the eyes of the newer generation of Jews and Jewish scholars. • Greek-speaking synagogues began using a Greek version of Jewish Scripture produced around AD 130 by Aquila of Sinope a Hellenist who had been a Christian then become a convert to Judaism. They claimed it to be a very literal and accurate translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. (Only small fragments remain of this version.) (ME: If Aquila rejected Christianity then his changes are suspect to me. LXX was by 70 Jewish scholars prior to Jesus and this is one man after Jesus death.) • Jews later also using Hebrew/Aramaic Targum manuscripts (in place of the Septuagint) compiled by the Masoretes; and authoritative Aramaic translations, such as those of Onkelos and Rabbi Yonathan ben Uziel.(450 AD) • Septuagint also contains apocryphal books (the set of Jewish writings written after Malachi and before Christ) they are: Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus), the Wisdom of Solomon, First and Second Maccabees, the two Books of Esdras, additions to the Book of Esther, additions to the Book of Daniel, and the Prayer of Manasseh. • Apocryphal books was never considered part of the canonical Jewish scripture, but were included for historical and religious purposes. • New Testament writers never quoted from these Apocryphal books. • Comparison of the Original Hebrew Scriptures (MT) and Septuagint • Slight variations are minor made up of grammatical errors, spelling differences, missing words. • Differences do not affect meaning of sentences and paragraphs. • Exception: Book of Jeremiah – passages are arranged differently but don’t effect Old Testament – Septuagint - Tanahk teaching or doctrine of the book. • This was proved with the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls which were dated to as early as 200 BC. Messianic Prophecy in Hebrew Scriptures and Septuagint Messianic prophecy is the collection of over 100 predictions (a conservative estimate) in the Old Testament about the future Messiah of the Jewish people. These predictions were written by multiple authors, in numerous books, over approximately 1,000 years. Messianic Prophecy is so dramatic today, because with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the reliability of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament (both of which have been proven to exist prior to the time Jesus walked on the earth) you can be assured that these prophecies were not “conspired” after-the-fact. Over 100 predictions about coming Messiah of the Jewish people. Predictions written prior to Jesus’ birth. The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls establish evidence for Christianity – that the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah unquestionably predated the time that Jesus Christ walked the earth. Prophetic scripture like Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 were fixed in written form at least 100 years before Christ, and probably many more. ▪ Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21-23) ▪ A descendant of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18; Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16) ▪ Of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Luke 3:23, 33; Hebrews 7:14) ▪ Of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Matthew 1:1) ▪ Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7) ▪ Taken to Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14-15) ▪ Herod´s killing of the infants (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16-18) ▪ Anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Matthew 3:16-17) ▪ Heralded by the messenger of the Lord (John the Baptist) (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-3) ▪ Would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35) ▪ Would preach good news (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:14-21) ▪ Would minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12-16) ▪ Would cleanse the Temple (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 21:12-13) ▪ Would first present Himself as King 173,880 days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25; Matthew 21:4-11) ▪ Would enter Jerusalem as a king on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:4-9) Old Testament – Septuagint - Tanahk ▪ Would be rejected by Jews (Psalm 118:22; 1 Peter 2:7) ▪ Die a humiliating death (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53) involving: ▪ rejection (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:10-11; 7:5,48) ▪ betrayal by a friend (Psalm 41:9; Luke 22:3-4; John 13:18) ▪ sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14-15) ▪ silence before His accusers (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12-14) ▪ being mocked (Psalm 22: 7-8; Matthew 27:31) ▪ beaten (Isaiah 52:14; Matthew 27:26) ▪ spit upon (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 27:30) ▪ piercing His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; Matthew 27:31) ▪ being crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38) ▪ praying for His persecutors (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34) ▪ piercing His side (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34) ▪ given gall and vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21, Matthew 27:34, Luke 23:36) ▪ no broken bones (Psalm 34:20; John 19:32-36) ▪ buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60) ▪ casting lots for His garments (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24) ▪ Would rise from the dead!! (Psalm 16:10; Mark 16:6; Acts 2:31) ▪ Ascend into Heaven (Psalm 68:18; Acts 1:9) ▪ Would sit down at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:3) Info gathered from different web sites. What is the Septuagint? Septuagint (sometimes abbreviated LXX) is the name given to the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures. The Septuagint has its origin in Alexandria, Egypt and was translated between 300-200 BC. Widely used among Hellenistic Jews, this Greek translation was produced because many Jews spread throughout the empire were beginning to lose their Hebrew language. The process of translating the Hebrew to Greek also gave many non-Jews a glimpse into Judaism. According to an ancient document called the Letter of Aristeas, it is believed that 70 to 72 Jewish scholars were commissioned during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus to carry out the task of translation. The term “Septuagint” means seventy in Latin, and the text is so named to the credit of these 70 scholars. Septuagint - Influence on Christianity The Septuagint was also a source of the Old Testament for early Christians during the first few centuries AD. Many early Christians spoke and read Greek, thus they relied on the Septuagint Old Testament – Septuagint - Tanahk translation for most of their understanding of the Old Testament. The New Testament writers also relied heavily on the Septuagint, as a majority of Old Testament quotes cited in the New Testament are quoted directly from the Septuagint (others are quoted from the Hebrew texts). Greek church fathers are also known to have quoted from the Septuagint. Even today, the Eastern Orthodox Church relies on the Septuagint for its Old Testament teachings. Some modern Bible translations also use the Septuagint alongside Hebrew manuscripts as their source text. Septuagint - What It Contains The Septuagint contains the standard 39 books of the Old Testament canon, as well as certain apocryphal books. The term "Apocrypha" was coined by the fifth-century biblical scholar, Jerome, and generally refers to the set of ancient Jewish writings written during the period between the last book in the Jewish scriptures, Malachi, and the arrival of Jesus Christ.