Septuagint

[Hans_A]

I am conversing with “Bible Believing Christians” on another forum. We are speaking about the LXX. Here is what one of them wrote.

The Hebrews/Jew would never read from a dogs language (he’s speaking about Greek) in their synagogues! NO WAY! Please read what the Jews thought of greeks in the scriptures…

Acts 21:27-40
27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place:** and further brought Greeks also into the temple**, and hath polluted this holy place.
29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.
31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
32 Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.
33 Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.
34 And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.
35 And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.
36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.
37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?
38 Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?
39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence,** he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue**, saying,

They were going to kill Paul… why?

Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks,
Hans

 

[Maccabees]

They might not have read the Greek in the synagogue but since most lay Jews did not speak or read Hebrew they used the Septugient as their personal scripture. The apostles used these as their Bible for the early church 70 percent of the OT quotes are taken from the Septugient.

The NT refers to sories that are in the dueteros exclusively.Remember the apostles were thrown out the synagogue early on so they didn’t care what was going on in the synagogue heck it was destroyed in 70 AD. The early church was not influenced by the Pharisees they had their own commision to spread the gospel to all people the Septugient was the best way to do that since Greek was the common tonuge of many in the Roman Empire.
IF the Septugeint was good enough for the apostles its good enough for me. And exactly why is this important don’t these morons know the apostles wrote the scriptures in Greek.

 

[Axion]

The passage is talking about ethnic “Greeks” - that, is gentiles, non-jews, wo were forbidden entry to the temple. remember also that the word “Greek” was used in the New Testament as a term for any non-jew. Witness the famous statement “in Christ there is no jew or Greek, male or female.”

The people who used the Septuagint were not “Greeks” in that sense. They were Greek speaking Jews of the diaspora. In the 1st century world the Greek language had the status English does in many countries today. It was the language of business, government, and education. Jews lived throughout the meditteranean in great numbers from 200 BC onward. They spoke Greek and demanded scriptures in Greek. The septuagint was translated for use in their synagogues. It was also quoted by the writers of the New Testament. (The OT quotes come from the septuagint text).

The Septuagint text is now the oldest complete text of the Old Testament. The Hebrew text we have now, is a medieval copy - known as the masoretic text. It has to be corrected from the Septuagint for modern bible translations.

 

[MarkAnthonyCozy]

I know what you mean. I met one of my Baptist friends to study scripture and he quickly covered a book but I had already read the title, The Mythological Septuagint.

When our two-year long conversation gets to that point I will ask him about it. I may be here asking for information when that time comes. I have already learned much here.

I read somewhere that the Masoretic wasn’t fully assembled until after Jerusalem was destroyed.(90AD) Is this true?

I had always assumed that the OT and then the NT were translated into Greek as part of God’s plan to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The Christians replaced the non-believing Hebrews as the keepers and protectors of the Holy Scriptures.

 

[Verbum]

Hi MarkA,

I had always assumed that the OT and then the NT were translated into Greek as part of God’s plan to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth

Could be. What is more obvious is that the Roman Empire, in wihich Greek was widely spoken, certainly favored the spreading of the Gospel.

The Old Testament was translated into Greek about 200 hundred hears before Christ. Some of the Septuagint was actually written in Greek.

The New Testament was written entirely in Greek, although some scholars hold to an original Aramaic Matthew, which might have been the source for the three synoptics.

Verbum

 

[Flounder]

Easy, Maccabees,

Remember, Hans is having a discussion with some folks about God and Scripture…as Catholics and members of His Church we should make our points with max chairity. They may be wrong but they’re not morons.

 

[Kotton]

Hans A.:

I am conversing with “Bible Believing Christians” on another forum. We are speaking about the LXX. Here is what one of them wrote.

Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks,
Hans

Well, Hans, there have been some very good, well educated, and capable Catholics giving answers to that ‘board’ over the years. They reject all things Catholic, because most are ex-Catholics and have a very negative attitude. Since you see them useing ‘anti-Catholic’ sites to back their beliefs, nothing you present will have any effect.

It is good to see you stating the Catholic doctrine for any lurkers, (weak in understanding of Catholicism, or other seachers). That is the only value of posting there.

Kotton

 

[Hans_A]

I want to thank everyone for their posts. If you have more to add, please do not stop.

Kotton, thank you. I know it is like beating my head against a wall, talking to them; however, they are the lost sheep and our mission is to bring everyone into the fold.

Everynight, I pray to have the strength to speak to them with charity, no matter what vile things they say about Our Holy Father, Our Holy Mother, The Church or me.

Maranatha,
Hans