[B-Greek] Why does the Greek New Testament sometimes quote fromtheLXX and not from the proto-MT whe
Arie Dirkzwager
dirkzwager at pandora.be
Thu Mar 11 17:24:26 EST 2004
A very interesting book is E. Tov, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible,
Minneapolis-Assen 2001. Tov is well acquainted with the OT texts of the Dead
Sea Scrolls. He shows that there were many variant texts of the OT
during Antiquity. There were e.g. texts more or less resembling the MT,
there were texts more or less like the Samaritan Pentateuch etc. And there
were mixed texts of various ingredients. There did not exist one single
Hebrew text of the OT.
Then we have the LXX, but also other Greek translations like Aquila and
Theodotion. Behind each of them stands a Hebrew text which they had
translated word to word or freely.
Besides: the writers of the NT could quote in a free manner. Greeks, Romans
and Jews could quote literally or according to the sense or even give a
summary.
And then: the writers of the NT could have translated the OT quotations
themselves.
In my opinion the text of quotations in the NT has the approval of the Holy
Spirit. The next step would be to try to find what the Hebrew text was
behind it (thinking of the possibility that the quotation could be accurate
or freely). Then you can, if possible, restore the text of the OT and debate
about the value of the LXX or other texts against the MT.
I made this message hoping that I did not write outside the limits of
B-Greek.
Arie
Dr. A. Dirkzwager
Hoeselt, Belgium
e-mail dirkzwager at pandora.be
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