The Septuagint as a holy text – the first ‘bible’ of the early church
Date
2020
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Abstract
This article acknowledges the fact that historically there are two phases in the emergence of the
Septuagint – a Jewish phase and a Christian one. The article deals first with methodological
issues. It then offers a historical orientation. In the past some scholars have failed to distinguish
between key historical phases: the pre-exilic/exilic (Israelite – 10 tribes), the exilic (the
Babylonian exile ‒ 2 tribes) and the post-exilic (Judaean/Jewish). Many scholars are unaware
of the full significance of the Hellenistic era, including the Seleucid and Ptolemaic eras and
their impact on ‘biblical’ textual material. Others again overestimate the significance of this
era; the Greek scholar Evangelia Dafni is an example. Many are uninformed about the Persian
era, which includes the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanian eras, each one of which had an
impact on Judaism. An example is the impact of Persian dualism. Another problem is the
application of the concept of ‘the Bible’. The notion of ‘Bible’ applies only after the 16th century
Common Era, specifically after the advent of the printing press. Earlier, depending on the
context, we had clay tablets (Mesopotamia), vella (Levant-Judah) and papyri (Egypt) to write
on. This is followed by a discussion of the Masoretic Text and the LXX, including the reasons
for the rejection of the LXX by the Jews. This is significant because the LXX was originally a
Jewish document. Attempts to re-evaluate the concept of the Bible are discussed. The
Septuagint subsequently followed, which leads to the conclusion that the LXX became the first
Bible of the Christian church.
Contribution: This article fits into the focus of HTS because it argues that the Septuagint is the
first Bible of the early church. It also underscores the scope of this Theological periodical, for
the Greek Bible is part of its subject matter that is researched.
Description
CITATION: Cook, J. 2020. The Septuagint as a holy text – the first ‘bible’ of the early church. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 76(4):a6132, doi:10.4102/hts.v76i4.6132.
The original publication is available at https://hts.org.za
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund
The original publication is available at https://hts.org.za
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund
Keywords
Bible. Old Testament. Greek. Septuagint.1931, Bible. Old Testament. Greek -- Versions -- Septuagint, Bible. Old Testament -- Manuscripts, Greek, Bible. Old Testament -- History
Citation
Cook, J. 2020. The Septuagint as a holy text – the first ‘bible’ of the early church. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 76(4):a6132, doi:10.4102/hts.v76i4.6132