What Is the Septuagint - CourtneyR.dev's 2nd Brain

What is the Septuagint? ![rw-book-cover](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WsHDdDwEAiw/maxresdefault.jpg) 🔗 **Source:** [What is the Septuagint?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsHDdDwEAiw) > [!note]+ Document Notes > --- > tags: #septuagint #biblical-studies #textual-criticism > author: Dan McLellan > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsHDdDwEAiw > date created: 2024-12-19 15:30 > --- > # 🏷️ Title: What is the Septuagint? > ## 🧰 Action Inbox > - [H1] Research Septuagint origins theories — Current Biblical Research paper #biblical-studies > - [H2] Compare Dead Sea Scrolls with Masoretic text — Jeremiah manuscript variants #textual-criticism > - [H3] Study early Christian use of Greek translations — 4th century CE transition #christianity > ## 🧭 Table of Contents > - [[#📝 Summary]] > - [[#📖 Main Content]] > - [[#🗒️ Notes]] > - [[#📚 References]] > - [[#🗣️ Paraphrase]] > - [[#📰 Newsletter]] > - [[#✅ Action Items]] > - [[#🧪 Hypotheses]] > - [[#📊 Methodology]] > - [[#❓ Questions]] > - [[#🔮 Future Research]] > - [[#💡 Implications]] > - [[#🧠 Learning Styles Assessment]] > - [[#📊 Accessibility Assessment]] > - [[#🌍 DEIB Assessment]] > - [[#✅ Logical Validity]] > - [[#🛡️ DARVO Analysis]] > - [[#🎯 Conclusion]] > ### 🔗 References > - [Letter of Aristeas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_Aristeas) > - [Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library](https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/) > ## 📝 Summary > - The Septuagint refers to ancient Greek translations of Hebrew Bible books, originating between 3rd-1st centuries BCE > - The legendary "Letter of Aristeas" claims 72 scholars translated the Torah in 72 days with identical results, but this is considered unhistorical > - Modern scholarship suggests the translations arose from Jewish diaspora communities in Alexandria needing Greek versions of Hebrew texts > - The Septuagint became the primary scriptures for early Christians and provides crucial textual criticism evidence > - Dead Sea Scrolls reveal multiple Hebrew manuscript traditions, some aligning with Septuagint variants rather than later Masoretic texts > ## 📖 Main Content > The Septuagint represents one of the most significant translation projects in ancient history, bridging Hebrew religious texts with Greek-speaking Jewish communities across the Hellenistic world. While traditional accounts describe a miraculous translation process supervised by Ptolemaic rulers, contemporary biblical scholarship reveals a more complex, community-driven origin spanning several centuries. > The translation's importance extends beyond its historical significance. For early Christian communities, the Septuagint served as their primary scriptural text, influencing New Testament authors and theological development. This Greek version often contained messianic interpretations that aligned with Christian beliefs, leading some early Christians to prefer it over Hebrew manuscripts. > Modern textual criticism has revealed that the Septuagint preserves valuable evidence of Hebrew manuscript traditions that differ from the later standardized Masoretic text. The discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls fragments has confirmed that multiple Hebrew text traditions circulated simultaneously, validating the Septuagint's textual witness for biblical scholarship. > ## 🗒️ Notes > #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=0) — [H1] Definition and etymology of Septuagint > - Key idea: Septuagint refers to ancient Greek translations of Hebrew Bible books > - Evidence: "The word comes from a word meaning 70, which has reference to a tradition that comes from a text called the letter of Aristeas" > #### ⏱️ [00:30](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=30) — [H2] Letter of Aristeas legendary account > - Key idea: Traditional origin story describes Ptolemy II commissioning Hebrew Bible translation > - Evidence: "Jerusalem sent six scholars from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, which means 72 scholars, down to Alexandria to translate the first five books of Moses" > #### ⏱️ [01:15](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=75) — [H3] Miraculous translation claim > - Key idea: Legend claims identical word-for-word translations emerged independently > - Evidence: "It took them exactly 72 days. Each of them did it on their own... they were word for word identical, which was taken as a sign that God had endorsed this Greek translation" > #### ⏱️ [01:45](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=105) — [H1] Modern scholarly rejection of legendary account > - Key idea: Contemporary scholars consider the Letter of Aristeas unhistorical > - Evidence: "There are very few scholars these days who think that this letter is at all historical. It is widely understood as a legendary account" > #### ⏱️ [02:15](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=135) — [H2] Evidence against unified translation project > - Key idea: Torah books show different translation methodologies and goals > - Evidence: "They very clearly have very different translation methodologies from one book to another and seem to have been translated to serve slightly different rhetorical goals" > #### ⏱️ [02:45](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=165) — [H2] Current research on Septuagint origins > - Key idea: Scholars actively investigate translation motivations and contexts > - Evidence: "Just last year this paper was published in Currents in Biblical Research... called Septuagint Origins, the state of the question" > #### ⏱️ [03:15](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=195) — [H1] Probable community-driven origins > - Key idea: Translation likely originated from diaspora Jewish community needs > - Evidence: "Most likely it originated internally in the needs of Jewish communities living in Alexandria... didn't understand Hebrew well enough" > #### ⏱️ [03:45](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=225) — [H2] Expansion beyond Torah > - Key idea: Septuagint gradually expanded to include all Hebrew Bible books > - Evidence: "Between the 3rd century BCE and probably the 1st century BCE... the rest of the books of the Hebrew Bible were also translated into Greek" > #### ⏱️ [04:15](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=255) — [H1] Early Christian adoption > - Key idea: Septuagint became primary scriptures for earliest Christian communities > - Evidence: "The Septuagint was the Jewish scriptures of the earliest followers of Jesus, including the authors of the New Testament" > #### ⏱️ [04:45](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=285) — [H2] Fourth century transition to Hebrew priority > - Key idea: Late 4th century CE marked shift toward privileging Hebrew texts > - Evidence: "It was at the end of the 4th century CE that we have a concerted effort to shift priority to the ancient Hebrew versions" > #### ⏱️ [05:15](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=315) — [H3] Early Christian preference for Greek version > - Key idea: Some Christians believed Hebrew texts were corrupted compared to Septuagint > - Evidence: "There were a lot of early Christians who actually thought that the Jewish scribes had corrupted the Hebrew texts... they were much more messianic" > #### ⏱️ [05:45](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=345) — [H1] Textual criticism challenges with Septuagint > - Key idea: Septuagint divergences from Hebrew raise questions about source manuscripts versus interpretation > - Evidence: "We as scholars have to try to figure out is this because they had a divergent source text... or is it because they interpreted a manuscript differently" > #### ⏱️ [06:30](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=390) — [H1] Dead Sea Scrolls illuminate manuscript traditions > - Key idea: Qumran discoveries reveal multiple Hebrew text traditions circulating simultaneously > - Evidence: "There are a number of manuscripts that fit into a kind of proto-Masoretic tradition. There are other manuscripts that fit into a Septuagint tradition" > #### ⏱️ [07:15](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=435) — [H2] Jeremiah as case study example > - Key idea: Septuagint Jeremiah preserves earlier, shorter Hebrew text tradition > - Evidence: "The book of Jeremiah in the Septuagint is 16th shorter than it is in the Masoretic text... we found some fragments... that align with those passages as they exist in the Septuagint" > #### ⏱️ [08:00](https://youtu.be/WsHDdDwEAiw?t=480) — [H1] Septuagint's textual criticism value > - Key idea: Greek translation provides crucial evidence for understanding Hebrew manuscript history > - Evidence: "The Septuagint is phenomenally valuable to us even if it is complicated by the fact that we're dealing with a translation" > ## 📚 References > - [Lanier & Ross: The Septuagint: What It Is and Why It Matters](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1433533286) > - [Jobes & Silva: Invitation to the Septuagint](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801048435) > - [Oxford Handbook of the Septuagint](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199665834) > - [When God Spoke Greek by Timothy Michael Law](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199781710) > ## 🗣️ Paraphrase > - The Septuagint represents ancient Greek translations of Hebrew scriptures, created primarily to serve Greek-speaking Jewish diaspora communities rather than through royal commission as traditional legends claim > - Modern biblical scholarship uses the Septuagint as crucial evidence for understanding how Hebrew biblical texts evolved, since it preserves readings from manuscripts that predate our oldest complete Hebrew copies by over a millennium > - Early Christianity adopted the Septuagint as its primary scriptural text, with New Testament authors quoting from Greek versions that sometimes differed significantly from later standardized Hebrew traditions > ## 📰 Newsletter > Biblical scholarship continues revealing fascinating insights about ancient text transmission. The Septuagint—Greek translations of Hebrew scriptures—serves as a remarkable window into how sacred texts evolved across cultures and centuries. > Recent research challenges traditional origin stories, suggesting these translations emerged organically from diaspora Jewish communities rather than through legendary royal commissions. The discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls fragments has validated the Septuagint's preservation of Hebrew text traditions that differ from later standardized versions. > For anyone interested in textual criticism or translation studies, the Septuagint demonstrates how communities adapt foundational texts while preserving essential meaning across linguistic and cultural boundaries. > **Key Learning**: Ancient translations can preserve earlier textual traditions than manuscripts in original languages, making them invaluable for historical reconstruction. > Resources: [Society of Biblical Literature](https://www.sbl-site.org/), [Oxford Handbooks Online](https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/), [Biblical Studies Online](https://biblicalstudiesonline.wordpress.com/) > ## ✅ Action Items > #### DevRel > - Education: Develop workshops on textual criticism methodologies for biblical studies students > - Developer experience: Create digital tools for comparing Septuagint and Masoretic text variants > - Community management: Facilitate discussions between biblical scholars and digital humanities developers > #### Community > - Contributors: Support digitization projects for ancient manuscript collections > - Sponsors: Fund open access publishing for biblical studies research > - Ecosystem: Coordinate between religious studies programs and digital archive initiatives > ## 🧪 Hypotheses > - Jewish diaspora communities in Alexandria developed Septuagint translations primarily for liturgical and educational needs rather than scholarly preservation > - Multiple Hebrew text traditions circulated simultaneously in the Second Temple period, explaining Septuagint variants that align with Dead Sea Scrolls findings > - Early Christian preference for Septuagint readings influenced theological development and messianic interpretation traditions > - Translation methodologies varied significantly among different Septuagint books, reflecting diverse translators, time periods, and community purposes > ### 📊 Methodology > - Comparative textual analysis between Septuagint, Masoretic text, and Dead Sea Scrolls fragments > - Historical investigation of Jewish diaspora communities in Hellenistic Alexandria > - Linguistic analysis of Greek translation techniques across different biblical books > ### ❓ Questions > - What specific community needs drove the translation of different biblical books into Greek across the 3rd-1st centuries BCE? > - How did early Christian theological development influence later manuscript transmission preferences? > - What can translation techniques reveal about the social and religious contexts of ancient Jewish diaspora communities? > ### 🔮 Future Research > - Digital humanities projects mapping textual variants across manuscript traditions > - Archaeological investigation of Hellenistic Jewish communities and their literary practices > - Interdisciplinary collaboration between biblical scholars and translation studies researchers > ### 💡 Implications > - Practice: Modern biblical interpretation must account for multiple ancient text traditions rather than assuming single authoritative versions > - Education: Biblical studies curricula should integrate textual criticism with ancient Near Eastern history and Hellenistic Judaism > - Funding: Digital preservation and analysis of ancient manuscripts requires sustained institutional support and international coordination > ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment > Reading level estimate: 12th Grade (Flesch-Kincaid) > #### 👀 Visual learners > - Present: Clear verbal explanations and historical timeline references > - Improve: Manuscript comparison charts, geographic maps of translation centers, family tree diagrams of text traditions > #### 🔊 Aural learners > - Present: Video lecture format with clear verbal explanations > - Improve: Audio summary highlighting key chronological developments > #### 🗣️ Verbal learners > - Present: Technical terminology with contextual definitions, historical analogies > - Improve: Glossary of textual criticism terms, comparative examples > #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners > - Present: References to scholarly publications for hands-on research > - Improve: Interactive manuscript comparison exercises, translation practice activities > #### 🧠 Logical learners > - Present: Chronological timeline, cause-and-effect relationships in text transmission > - Improve: Decision trees for textual criticism, systematic comparison tables > #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners > - Present: References to scholarly community and ongoing research discussions > - Improve: Discussion prompts for study groups, collaborative research questions > #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners > - Present: Reading list for independent study, reflection on historical implications > - Improve: Self-directed research questions, personal study guides > #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners > - Present: Historical context and cultural ecosystem connections > - Improve: Environmental factors affecting manuscript preservation, cultural adaptation analogies > ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment > #### Screen reader semantics > - Present: Clear verbal presentation structure > - Improve: Chapter/section headings, descriptive text for any visual elements referenced > #### Keyboard navigation > - Present: Standard video player controls > - Improve: Timestamped navigation, chapter markers > #### Contrast and readability > - Present: Clear audio without background interference > - Improve: High-contrast captions, adjustable text size options > #### Media and captions > - Present: Audio content available > - Improve: Professional captions, downloadable transcript, visual descriptions > #### Standards reference > - Video accessibility should meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards for media content > ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment > #### Cultural breadth > - Present: Discussion of ancient multicultural contexts (Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian) > - Improve: Contemporary global perspectives on biblical scholarship, non-Western translation traditions > #### Inclusive language > - Present: Academic terminology with explanations > - Improve: Plain-language summaries, cultural sensitivity in religious discussions > #### Neurodiversity support > - Present: Structured chronological presentation > - Improve: Clear section breaks, visual organization aids > #### Representation > - Present: Focus on ancient scholarly traditions > - Improve: Acknowledgment of diverse contemporary biblical scholarship voices > #### Psychological safety > - Present: Academic, respectful treatment of religious materials > - Improve: Content notes about religious sensitivity, inclusive framing of different faith perspectives > ### ✅ Logical Validity > #### Strong reasoning > - Deductive strength: Strong logical progression from manuscript evidence to conclusions about text traditions > - Inductive strength: Good use of Dead Sea Scrolls evidence to support broader theories about manuscript diversity > - Causal reasoning: Clear connections between diaspora community needs and translation motivations > - Analogical strength: Effective comparison between legendary accounts and historical evidence > #### Fallacies > - Appeal to > --- > ## Full Transcript > [00:00] What is the Septuagent? Hey everybody, [00:03] I'm Dan Mlelen. I'm a scholar of the [00:04] Bible and religion. And if you've heard [00:06] that word before and you haven't [00:07] understood precisely what it means, it's [00:10] a reference to ancient Greek [00:12] translations of the books of the Hebrew [00:14] Bible. Now, the word comes from a word [00:17] meaning 70, which has reference to a [00:20] tradition that comes from a text called [00:21] the letter of Aristas. And according to [00:24] this tradition, there was a solucid [00:26] ruler in Egypt in Alexandria named Tommy [00:29] II Philadelphia. And he wanted to [00:32] collect for the library in Alexandria [00:34] all the texts of all the different [00:36] societies of the world. And somebody [00:39] said, "Hey, we're going to need the [00:40] Jewish law as well, the first five books [00:42] of Moses, the Pentatuk." So they [00:45] requested somebody from Jerusalem come [00:47] and translate the text. And Jerusalem [00:50] sent six scholars from each of the 12 [00:52] tribes of Israel, which means 72 [00:55] scholars, down to Alexandria [00:58] to translate the first five books of [01:00] Moses, the Penetuk or the Torah into [01:02] ancient Greek. And it took them exactly [01:04] 72 days. Each of them did it on their [01:06] own. And when they came together and [01:08] compared their translations, they [01:10] discovered they were word for word [01:12] identical, which was taken as a sign [01:15] that God had endorsed and approved this [01:18] Greek translation of the Jewish law. [01:21] Now, there are very few scholars these [01:23] days who think that this letter is at [01:26] all historical. It is widely understood [01:28] as a legendary account of the origins of [01:30] the Septuagent. And in addition to the [01:32] fact that the narrative talks about the [01:36] king and the librarian and the situation [01:39] in Jerusalem in ways that don't really [01:42] line up with what we understand the [01:43] circumstances to be in 3rd century BCE [01:47] Alexandria and Jerusalem. [01:49] We have done a lot of research into the [01:52] translation of the first five books of [01:54] Moses and they very clearly were not [01:57] executed under the curation of a single [02:00] source or authority. They very clearly [02:03] have very different translation [02:05] methodologies from one book to another [02:07] and seem to have been translated to [02:10] serve slightly different rhetorical [02:12] goals. So one of the things that a lot [02:14] of Septuagent scholars these days are [02:16] looking at is why precisely the [02:18] Septuagent was translated. For instance, [02:21] just last year this paper was published [02:23] in Currents in Biblical Research, which [02:26] is a wonderful journal that looks at the [02:28] state of the field related to a bunch of [02:30] different research questions, but it's [02:31] called Septuagent Origins, the state of [02:33] the question, and just surveys the [02:36] different theories that are out there [02:37] regarding why the Septuagent was [02:40] translated. And I think most scholars [02:41] these days would say while we probably [02:44] can't nail down the precise motivations [02:47] that contributed to the project of the [02:50] translation of the books of Moses and [02:51] the rest of the books of the Hebrew [02:53] Bible into Greek. Most likely it [02:56] originated internally in the needs of [02:59] Jewish communities living in Alexandria. [03:02] So they probably wanted access to the [03:05] Jewish law, the books of the Hebrew [03:07] Bible, but didn't understand Hebrew well [03:09] enough and so had things translated into [03:11] Greek. But there are other theories that [03:13] are out there as well. Now I mentioned [03:16] that Septuagent means 70 has reference [03:19] to this story, which means that [03:20] originally Septuagent only referred to [03:22] the ancient Greek translations of the [03:24] first five books of Moses. But between [03:27] the 3rd century B.CE and probably the [03:29] 1st century B.C.E. if not a tiny bit [03:32] later. The rest of the books of the [03:34] Hebrew Bible were also translated into [03:37] Greek and those translations became [03:40] quite authoritative within Greco Roman [03:42] period Judaism. So the Greekeaking [03:44] Judaism of ancient Egypt and other parts [03:47] of a henistic Grecoman world and these [03:51] translations were also very important to [03:54] Christianity. In fact, the Septuagent [03:56] was the Jewish scriptures of the [03:58] earliest followers of Jesus, including [04:00] the authors of the New Testament. And [04:03] this would remain the situation all the [04:05] way down into the 4th century CE. It was [04:08] at the end of the 4th century CE that we [04:11] have a concerted effort to shift [04:13] priority to the ancient Hebrew versions [04:17] of the texts of the Hebrew Bible. And so [04:19] there were a lot of early Christians who [04:20] actually thought that the Jewish scribes [04:24] had corrupted the Hebrew texts and that [04:27] the ancient Greek translations were more [04:29] faithful to the original because they [04:32] were much more messianic and they could [04:34] find Jesus much more easily in the texts [04:37] of the Septuagent. Now this brings us to [04:40] the relationship of the Septuagent to [04:42] the Hebrew Bible. The authoritative [04:45] manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible for [04:47] scholars today are the Maseretic texts [04:50] and the representative one is the [04:52] Lenengrad CEX which dates to about 1,000 [04:55] CE. This is the oldest complete copy of [04:59] the entire Hebrew Bible. The Septuagent [05:01] was translated over a thousand years [05:04] earlier than that. So it is based on [05:06] much earlier manuscripts but it is a [05:09] translation. So there are many ways that [05:12] the Septuagent diverges from the Hebrew [05:14] and we as scholars have to try to figure [05:16] out is this because they had a divergent [05:20] source text? Did their Hebrew [05:22] manuscripts read something differently [05:24] or is it because they interpreted a [05:27] manuscript that matches what we have [05:29] slightly differently. So there have been [05:32] a lot of debates regarding faithfulness [05:34] and translator exugesus and the theology [05:37] of the translators of the Septuagent [05:40] that have tried to account for what the [05:42] state of the Hebrew Bible manuscripts [05:45] was at the time of the translation of [05:47] the Septuagent. And the Dead Sea Scrolls [05:49] have provided an awful lot of help [05:50] because when we compare the manuscripts [05:52] of the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Maseretic [05:55] text and to the Septuagent, what we see [05:57] is that there are a number of [05:58] manuscripts that fit into a kind of [06:01] protomaseretic [06:02] tradition. There are other manuscripts [06:05] that fit into a Septuagent tradition. [06:08] And then there are others that don't [06:10] really fit into either of those [06:12] traditions. And so what this may [06:14] indicate is that these texts were [06:16] circulating in a variety of different [06:19] versions and some of them differed [06:21] significantly from others. So for [06:23] instance, the book of Jeremiah in the [06:25] Septuagent is 16th shorter than it is in [06:30] the Maseretic text. And we found some [06:33] fragments of manuscripts of Jeremiah [06:35] among the Dead Sea Scrolls written in [06:36] Hebrew that align with those passages as [06:41] they exist in the Septuagent where there [06:43] are passages that are omitted and the [06:45] passages that are there are in a [06:46] slightly different order. And so this is [06:50] taken by many scholars to be evidence [06:52] that the maseretic version of the book [06:54] of Jeremiah is a later secondary [06:56] expanded version of the book of Jeremiah [06:59] and the Septuagent preserves an earlier [07:01] shorter slightly different version of [07:04] the book of Jeremiah. And there are a [07:06] variety of different texts where this is [07:08] the case and then there are other texts [07:10] where the Septuagent very closely [07:12] matches what we have preserved in the [07:14] Maseretic text. So this is an ongoing [07:16] text critical research question and [07:19] project but it shows us that the [07:21] Septuagent is of significant textritical [07:24] value when it comes to trying to [07:25] understand the state of these texts and [07:28] manuscripts in different periods of [07:30] time. The Septuagent is phenomenally [07:32] valuable to us even if it is complicated [07:35] by the fact that we're dealing with a [07:37] translation and we don't necessarily [07:40] know precisely what the source text in [07:43] the Hebrew was. Now, if you would like [07:44] some publications to read on the [07:46] Septuagent to get to understand it [07:48] better, probably the most accessible [07:50] text is going to be Laneir and Ross' The [07:53] Septuagent, what it is and why it [07:56] matters. This is going to be the easiest [07:58] to read for the lay person. We also have [08:00] Job's and Silva's book, Invitation to [08:02] the Septuagent. The second edition was [08:04] published in 2015. This is also a very [08:07] good discussion. And then Jennifer Dyn's [08:09] the Septuagent. I believe this is from [08:12] almost 20 years ago if not a little [08:14] more. This is also a very good [08:15] discussion. And then on the more [08:17] technical side of things, Natalio [08:19] Fernandez Marcos's The Septuagent in [08:21] Context, introduction to the Greek [08:23] version of the Bible is going to be more [08:24] academic. And then there are a couple of [08:26] anthologies. The TNT Clark Companion to [08:28] the Septuagent, edited by James Akin, is [08:31] very good. The Oxford Handbook of the [08:33] Septuagent is going to be even better in [08:36] my opinion. It's edited by Allison [08:38] Salvon and Timothy Michael Law. Both of [08:40] whom, by the way, were supervisors of my [08:43] Oxford Masters thesis, which was on [08:45] textual criticism of the Septuagent. And [08:47] then a couple of additional books that I [08:49] think are very important. When God spoke [08:51] Greek, the Septuagent and the making of [08:53] the Christian Bible by Timothy Michael [08:56] Law is a wonderful discussion of how the [08:58] early Christians relied on the [09:00] Septuagent in understanding the Jewish [09:03] scriptures in articulating the text of [09:05] the New Testament. That's a wonderful [09:07] discussion. And then Tessa Rjack, [09:08] another phenomenal human being and [09:10] phenomenal scholar, wrote Translation [09:13] and Survival, the Greek Bible of the [09:14] ancient Jewish diaspora. if you want to [09:16] understand a really good theory of why [09:20] the Septuagent is the way it is and what [09:22] it was doing for Jews in the ancient [09:24] diaspora. So, there is an awful lot more [09:27] to say about the Septuagent, but that is [09:29] a quick and dirty introduction to what [09:31] the Septuagent is, where it seems to [09:33] have come from, and what scholarship you [09:35] can check out if you would like to learn [09:36] more. And the fit for this video is [09:38] Superman. What is the Septuagent? Hey everybody, I'm Dan Mlelen. I'm a scholar of the Bible and religion. And if you've heard that word before and you haven't understood precisely what it means, it's a reference to ancient Greek translations of the books of the Hebrew Bible. Now, the word comes from a word meaning 70, which has reference to a tradition that comes from a text called the letter of Aristas. And according to this tradition, there was a solucid ruler in Egypt in Alexandria named Tommy II Philadelphia. And he wanted to collect for the library in Alexandria all the texts of all the different societies of the world. And somebody said, "Hey, we're going to need the Jewish law as well, the first five books of Moses, the Pentatuk." So they requested somebody from Jerusalem come and translate the text. And Jerusalem sent six scholars from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, which means 72 scholars, down to Alexandria to translate the first five books of Moses, the Penetuk or the Torah into ancient Greek. And it took them exactly 72 days. Each of them did it on their own. And when they came together and compared their translations, they discovered they were word for word identical, which was taken as a sign that God had endorsed and approved this Greek translation of the Jewish law. Now, there are very few scholars these days who think that this letter is at all historical. It is widely understood as a legendary account of the origins of the Septuagent. And in addition to the fact that the narrative talks about the king and the librarian and the situation in Jerusalem in ways that don't really line up with what we understand the circumstances to be in 3rd century BCE Alexandria and Jerusalem. We have done a lot of research into the translation of the first five books of Moses and they very clearly were not executed under the curation of a single source or authority. They very clearly have very different translation methodologies from one book to another and seem to have been translated to serve slightly different rhetorical goals. So one of the things that a lot of Septuagent scholars these days are looking at is why precisely the Septuagent was translated. For instance, just last year this paper was published in Currents in Biblical Research, which is a wonderful journal that looks at the state of the field related to a bunch of different research questions, but it's called Septuagent Origins, the state of the question, and just surveys the different theories that are out there regarding why the Septuagent was translated. And I think most scholars these days would say while we probably can't nail down the precise motivations that contributed to the project of the translation of the books of Moses and the rest of the books of the Hebrew Bible into Greek. Most likely it originated internally in the needs of Jewish communities living in Alexandria. So they probably wanted access to the Jewish law, the books of the Hebrew Bible, but didn't understand Hebrew well enough and so had things translated into Greek. But there are other theories that are out there as well. Now I mentioned that Septuagent means 70 has reference to this story, which means that originally Septuagent only referred to the ancient Greek translations of the first five books of Moses. But between the 3rd century B.CE and probably the 1st century B.C.E. if not a tiny bit later. The rest of the books of the Hebrew Bible were also translated into Greek and those translations became quite authoritative within Greco Roman period Judaism. So the Greekeaking Judaism of ancient Egypt and other parts of a henistic Grecoman world and these translations were also very important to Christianity. In fact, the Septuagent was the Jewish scriptures of the earliest followers of Jesus, including the authors of the New Testament. And this would remain the situation all the way down into the 4th century CE. It was at the end of the 4th century CE that we have a concerted effort to shift priority to the ancient Hebrew versions of the texts of the Hebrew Bible. And so there were a lot of early Christians who actually thought that the Jewish scribes had corrupted the Hebrew texts and that the ancient Greek translations were more faithful to the original because they were much more messianic and they could find Jesus much more easily in the texts of the Septuagent. Now this brings us to the relationship of the Septuagent to the Hebrew Bible. The authoritative manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible for scholars today are the Maseretic texts and the representative one is the Lenengrad CEX which dates to about 1,000 CE. This is the oldest complete copy of the entire Hebrew Bible. The Septuagent was translated over a thousand years earlier than that. So it is based on much earlier manuscripts but it is a translation. So there are many ways that the Septuagent diverges from the Hebrew and we as scholars have to try to figure out is this because they had a divergent source text? Did their Hebrew manuscripts read something differently or is it because they interpreted a manuscript that matches what we have slightly differently. So there have been a lot of debates regarding faithfulness and translator exugesus and the theology of the translators of the Septuagent that have tried to account for what the state of the Hebrew Bible manuscripts was at the time of the translation of the Septuagent. And the Dead Sea Scrolls have provided an awful lot of help because when we compare the manuscripts of the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Maseretic text and to the Septuagent, what we see is that there are a number of manuscripts that fit into a kind of protomaseretic tradition. There are other manuscripts that fit into a Septuagent tradition. And then there are others that don't really fit into either of those traditions. And so what this may indicate is that these texts were circulating in a variety of different versions and some of them differed significantly from others. So for instance, the book of Jeremiah in the Septuagent is 16th shorter than it is in the Maseretic text. And we found some fragments of manuscripts of Jeremiah among the Dead Sea Scrolls written in Hebrew that align with those passages as they exist in the Septuagent where there are passages that are omitted and the passages that are there are in a slightly different order. And so this is taken by many scholars to be evidence that the maseretic version of the book of Jeremiah is a later secondary expanded version of the book of Jeremiah and the Septuagent preserves an earlier shorter slightly different version of the book of Jeremiah. And there are a variety of different texts where this is the case and then there are other texts where the Septuagent very closely matches what we have preserved in the Maseretic text. So this is an ongoing text critical research question and project but it shows us that the Septuagent is of significant textritical value when it comes to trying to understand the state of these texts and manuscripts in different periods of time. The Septuagent is phenomenally valuable to us even if it is complicated by the fact that we're dealing with a translation and we don't necessarily know precisely what the source text in the Hebrew was. Now, if you would like some publications to read on the Septuagent to get to understand it better, probably the most accessible text is going to be Laneir and Ross' The Septuagent, what it is and why it matters. This is going to be the easiest to read for the lay person. We also have Job's and Silva's book, Invitation to the Septuagent. The second edition was published in 2015. This is also a very good discussion. And then Jennifer Dyn's the Septuagent. I believe this is from almost 20 years ago if not a little more. This is also a very good discussion. And then on the more technical side of things, Natalio Fernandez Marcos's The Septuagent in Context, introduction to the Greek version of the Bible is going to be more academic. And then there are a couple of anthologies. The TNT Clark Companion to the Septuagent, edited by James Akin, is very good. The Oxford Handbook of the Septuagent is going to be even better in my opinion. It's edited by Allison Salvon and Timothy Michael Law. Both of whom, by the way, were supervisors of my Oxford Masters thesis, which was on textual criticism of the Septuagent. And then a couple of additional books that I think are very important. When God spoke Greek, the Septuagent and the making of the Christian Bible by Timothy Michael Law is a wonderful discussion of how the early Christians relied on the Septuagent in understanding the Jewish scriptures in articulating the text of the New Testament. That's a wonderful discussion. And then Tessa Rjack, another phenomenal human being and phenomenal scholar, wrote Translation and Survival, the Greek Bible of the ancient Jewish diaspora. if you want to understand a really good theory of why the Septuagent is the way it is and what it was doing for Jews in the ancient diaspora. So, there is an awful lot more to say about the Septuagent, but that is a quick and dirty introduction to what the Septuagent is, where it seems to have come from, and what scholarship you can check out if you would like to learn more. And the fit for this video is Superman., What is the Septuagint?, YouTube, 01kqmt1n8nn7eymzhkc8y5ffcx.