Do you trust a Jew to preserve the Word of God?

[DOXA]

The LXX was written or rather translated in the 3rd Century BC and has undergone no change whatsoever, whereas the MT differs greatly from Hebrew texts uncovered in recent finds. The Qumran caves in fact correxpond more closely to the Greek used in the LXX.

This fact makes me think, just how much should we trust the Jewish versions of the Bible. I know that the NRSV is based on the MT more than the LXX. Other Bible versions also do this. Only the KJV (not NKJV) try to fiollow the LXX more.

Why are more people more likely to be in possession of a MT translation of the Bible these days? Why has the LXX remained unchanged whereas the Hebrew versions of the Bible differ so much? In that case, can the MT still realy be called the Word of God?

 

[Verbum]

Hi Doxa,

All manuscripts are used to establish a critical text, including translations. When faced with several Hebrew versions, there are cases where the LXX, as witness to an older Hebrew text, can be useful. Each reading has to be judged on its own merits.

It seems that when the LXX was done, the Hebrew text had not yet been standardized, but as God’s word, it was substantially equivalent to what we have today.

Verbum

 

[DOXA]

…as God’s word, it was substantially equivalent to what we have today.

We have? The orthodox Church is, as far as I know the only Church that still uses the LXX. How can you say that we have the same Bible? 90% of what Jesus qotes from the bible, including the famous quote from Isaiah is directly from the LXX, (and I mean the Greek LXX).

the Hebrew text had not yet been standardized,

Why would the Word of God need to be standardised? that makes no sense. Jesus was very conscious of Jews corrupting the Word of God, so how do we justify calling something we believe is corrupted “the Word of God”?

Only the LXX has survived unchanged, so why were the jews so un-trustworthy with this task of preserving the original Word? I guess there is no answer to this that we can find today. But it is both intersesting and frightening that the West so esily chose to accept to use the corrupted Hebrew texts to make their own Bible.

 

[Trelow]

Wasn’t Jesus a Jew?

I’d say he did a pretty good job preserving the Word by establishing the Chair of Peter.

 

[Verbum]

Hi Doxa,

90% of what Jesus qotes from the bible, including the famous quote from Isaiah is directly from the LXX, (and I mean the Greek LXX).

The Gospels were not written by Jesus. The Evangelists used the most current Greek text available to them,not because it was better but because they were writing in Greek not Hebrew.

Verbum