In The Septuagint, Gregory Lanier and William Ross provide an introduction to the Greek Old Testament and its relevance to believers today. Besides being commonly regarded as the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible that Jesus and the New Testament authors used, the Septuagint is largely unfamiliar to laypeople in general. Lanier and Ross begin the first chapter by outlining what is being referred to when the term “Septuagint” is used. The authors point out that the Septuagint is nothing close to what we would consider as a single official Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. This is due to the fact that the Hebrew text was copied over and over again by a variety of individuals with different levels of skills, styles, and backgrounds. Moreover, there is no single collection of Greek texts that can claim superiority as there were multiple versions of Greek translations and at times, even the number of biblical books contained was different. In chapter two, Lanier and Ross delve into the history of how the Septuagint came to be and who the translators were. Due to the rising prominence of Greek as the de facto official language of the ancient world, the need to translate the Jewish scriptures became necessary for political, cultural, and religious reasons. The next chapter focuses on the mechanics of translation by considering first the choices that translators face such as which words to use and the order of the wording. In general, the Greek translators attempt to replicate the Hebrew text word-for-word while also conveying the meaning of the text with varying types of linguistic style and grammatical choice. Furthermore, while the first Greek texts were still being perfected, later revisions to both the Greek and Hebrew text continued to propagate over time. These revisions often either added or deleted passages in some books of the Bible or made changes in wording to closer align with earlier copies of the Hebrew text. The fifth chapter discusses why studying the Septuagint is important to believers today. Firstly, Lanier and Ross highlight how some Greek Old Testament versions contained Apocryphal books which became the basis of the early church’s struggle in deciding how the Apocrypha fits in the canon. Another consideration is that the shape or text of the Greek translation is influenced by the use of Hebrew manuscripts dated much earlier than the Masoretic Text. The implication is that some biblical passages had longer or shorter text while sections of verses were rearranged in a different order. Lastly, the Septuagint offers a glimpse of early Jewish interpretation of the OT as the ancient translators made conscious choices as to how to present the text to their immediate audience. For example, some Greek texts contain updated terms to make the passage more relevant and understandable to readers unfamiliar with Hebrew culture. In chapter six, the authors explain how the Septuagint also impacts the New Testament as the Greek texts were used extensively by the NT authors. In some instances, NT authors will utilize a Greek translation when quoting instead of directly using the Hebrew text. On the other hand, NT authors will often retain the Greek text’s use of Hebrew style or vocabulary when dictating the NT text so as to remain faithful to the original Hebrew. As such, when New Testament authors quote OT texts, a conscious choice is made between using the original Hebrew or the Greek translation depending on how the quote applies in the context of the message. Thus, those who study the NT will benefit greatly by being conversant with the Greek OT when trying to discern the authorial intent of the NT text being studied. The next chapter examines what authority the Septuagint ought to have in the church today. Lanier and Ross argue that the Greek OT possesses derivative authority akin to other modern language translations of the Bible in conveying the meaning of the original Hebrew text. This implies then that the Apocrypha, being an addition to some Greek OT translations, should not be viewed as part of the canon just like maps or study notes in our contemporary Bibles. However, these Jewish texts could provide greater insights on the early church which may help in our study of NT Scripture. The Septuagint as a whole is also useful as an early church commentary since the Greek translators wrestle with the Hebrew text themselves during the translation process. Lanier and Ross also analyze how to handle OT quotations as found in NT passages that draw from the Hebrew text, Greek text, or neither. The authors point out that the instances where the Hebrew and Greek do not match are fairly low and have no impact on doctrinal issues. Most certainly, it is the meaning of the text itself that takes precedence for the biblical author rather than the exact wording.
I gladly recommend this book as an invaluable resource to laypeople looking for an accessible introduction to the Septuagint. For many believers, the Septuagint is merely a footnote that one notices now and then when reading the Bible. Even for mature Christians, the tendency would be to search for a commentary rather than the Greek Old Testament when preparing for a Bible study. Although this book only provides the most basic arguments and observations on the topic, readers will appreciate the numerous examples employed in the material along with the extensive bibliography for further study. Lanier and Ross illustrate how the Septuagint, much like the original Hebrew text, is providentially preserved by God thereby allowing the Greek translation to gain prominence in the early church. Moreover, the Greek Old Testament provides contemporary Christians with a deeper understanding of the text as the Greek translators carefully discerned which words, vocabulary, and style to use. Lastly, the Septuagint provides us with an intriguing Jewish perspective that we may not find in modern translations or commentaries. As such, Christians today ought to utilize the Septuagint to broaden their study of God’s truth that is found in His Word.
In compliance with Federal Trade Commission regulations, I was provided a review copy of this book from Crossway.
contemplative reflections 