Freethought & Rationalism Archive

mountainman · 10-19-2010, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

Paul could be citing Genesis, in his own creative retelling.

The Greek LXX was certainly a great inspiration for all the Greek retelling of all of the authors of the Greek new testament wasn't it? Don't all the apostles demonstrate this same creative Greek retelling by citing the Greek LXX. I can't think of an exception at the moment.

buster · 10-19-2010, 09:23 PM

If one is writing in Greek, it is most natural to quote from Greek. Quotations were often from memory and loose - the culture allowed it, and the cumbersome nature of scrolls was a deterrent to using them for reference. The early Christian authors knew not their Hebrew very well, so it's fair enough they quote Greek from memory - and if the LXX is OK for some things, why not for all?

Later there's evidence the LXX was thought to be inspired. Philo and Augustine are two examples.

Philo's Life of Moses, Book 2.

Quote:

. . . considering among themselves how important the affair was, to translate laws which had been divinely given by direct inspiration, since they were not able either to take away anything, or to add anything, or to alter anything, but were bound to preserve the original form and character of the whole composition, they looked out for the most completely purified place of all the spots on the outside of the city . . . they, like men inspired, prophesied, not one saying one thing and another another, but every one of them employed the self-same nouns and verbs, as if some unseen prompter had suggested all their language to them.

Sounds like how the KJV was written.

Augustine's City of God, Book 15.

Quote:

. . . it is not unimportant to observe that no one has presumed to emend the Septuagint from the Hebrew text in the many places where they seem to disagree. For this difference has not been reckoned a falsification; . . . we must believe that the divine Spirit prompted them to give a varying version, not in their function of translators, but in the liberty of prophesying.

Note, however, that Augustine is wrong here - the Septuagint had been repeatedly corrected against the Hebrew since the 2nd century BC (why else would Philo be so touchy?). Also note that he thinks the apostles sanctioned the LXX by their use of it - an argument the apostles couldn't make.

I'd be curious to know how far back the belief in an inspired LXX goes.

judge · 10-19-2010, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

Paul could be citing Genesis, in his own creative retelling.

The Greek LXX was certainly a great inspiration for all the Greek retelling of all of the authors of the Greek new testament wasn't it? Don't all the apostles demonstrate this same creative Greek retelling by citing the Greek LXX. I can't think of an exception at the moment.

Sometimes the authors of the NT agree with the LXX. Sometimes they agree with the massoretic hebrew, sometimes they agree with aramaic targums, sometimes they agree with other jewish writings such as the zohar.

Mark is often said to be one NT book that agress withthe LXX, but one only has to look at the very first HB quote in Mark. It agrees with the massoretic hebrew text against the LXX.

Paul in Ephesians quotes a version of psalm 68 that agrees with an aramaic targum but disagrees with all other versions.

Here is an article that looks at just the gospels.

Which Old Testament text did Jesus prefer and quote from?

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