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DID JESUS AND THE APOSTLES RELY ON THE CORRUPT
SEPTUAGINT?
Prabhudas Koshy
The Septuagint (aka LXX) or
Greek translation of the OT is an unreliable version both yesterday and
today. We cannot be certain of the authenticity of its readings. Its
textual purity was questioned by Thackeray who said, “We are much more
certain of the ipsissima verba of the NT writers than of the
original Alexandrian version of the OT” (ISBE, s.v. “Septuagint”).
It has been claimed that Jesus
and the Apostles quoted the Greek translation of the Old Testament, namely
the Septuagint, even though they knew that it was corrupt. Why this claim?
This claim is made to support the use of corrupted modern English versions
of the Bible. It is argued that since Jesus and the Apostles used a corrupt
Greek translation of the Old Testament, we today can also use corrupt
modern versions of the Bible. Some even allege that those who say that it
is wrong to use a corrupt version of the Bible are in danger of accusing
our Lord and His Apostles of sin. This allegation is inaccurate on two
counts: (1) the assumption that Jesus and the Apostles quoted from the
Septuagint is false, and (2) the promotion or support of the use of corrupt
versions certainly dishonours Christ.
The claim that Jesus and the
New Testament writers always used the Septuagint to quote from the Old
Testament is without biblical evidence. It has been said that in the New
Testament there are about 263 direct quotations from the Old. However, many
of these Old Testament quotations in the New are significantly different
from the Septuagint. If Jesus and the Apostles relied on the Septuagint for
all their Old Testament quotations, such a difference would not have
resulted.
There was no need for Jesus
and the New Testament writers to rely on the Septuagint to quote the Old
Testament. Jesus Himself was the Author of the Holy Scriptures. He could
quote Hebrew Scriptures and translate them infallibly into Greek. As far as
the Apostles were concerned, the Holy Spirit was their Chief Aide who
supervised their writing of the Scriptures. There is nothing against them
citing the Old Testament and translating the words into Greek themselves.
Let us be mindful that both Testaments were inspired of the Holy Spirit;
and that the Spirit was their infallible Author.
The New Testament’s
translations and interpretations of the Old Testament are not taken from
any corrupt human work. Whatever the New Testament says about the Old
Testament, whether it is a translation into Greek or an interpretation, it
must be viewed as the infallible and inerrant work of the Holy Spirit.
Every word of the New Testament, including quotations, interpretations and
applications of the Old Testament, is not from any corrupt human
translation but from the Holy Spirit Himself. As such it is highly unlikely
that Jesus and the New Testament writers quoted from the corrupt Septuagint
as some allege.
Moreover, Jesus made no
mention of the Greek Septuagint. Neither did He assert that His quotations
were taken from the Septuagint, nor mention the Septuagint. However, He did
speak about the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. In Matthew 5:18, He
referred to the Hebrew text of the Old Testament when He said, “For verily
I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in
no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” The jot (or
yodh) is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet; and the tittle
is a portion of a letter that distinguishes two similarly written letters.
Here Jesus spoke authoritatively about the accuracy of the Hebrew text of
the Old Testament. Jesus also declared His commitment to every letter of
the Hebrew text of the Old Testament (Matt 5:17-18). It is impossible to
think that Jesus who affirmed His absolute commitment to every letter of
the Hebrew Text of the Old Testament would quote or endorse its corrupt
translation. If Jesus used the Greek Septuagint, His scriptures would not
have contained the jots and the tittles. He obviously used the Hebrew
Scriptures and not its corrupt Greek version!
In addition, the descriptive
designation of the Old Testament used by Jesus in the New Testament reveals
that He used the Hebrew Scriptures instead of the Greek Septuagint. He
often referred to the Old Testament as (1) “The Law and the Prophets” and
(2) “The Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” In Luke 24:44 we read,
“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I
was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in
the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”
The reason for such a reference to the Old Testament was because the Hebrew
Bible was then divided into three parts: the Law, the Prophets and the
Writings. The Septuagint contained no such division. Not only that,
the Septuagint contained the spurious Apocryphal books that have been mixed
together with the canonical Old Testament. How could Jesus have possibly
referred to the corrupt Septuagint if the order of the biblical books had
already been hopelessly mixed up with the non-inspired Apocryphal books?
If Jesus had spoken only of
His commitment to the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, how can one claim
that Jesus relied on the corrupt Greek translation of the Old Testament
Scriptures? Certainly such a statement is a misrepresentation of Christ.
Certainly the conduct of our
Lord and the Apostles was very different from some of the modern day
ministers who accept versions produced by men who deny the inspiration,
infallibility and inerrancy of the Scriptures. Does it not dishonour Christ
to allege that He and His Apostles quoted a version that was calculated to
diminish the clarity and glory of true doctrines? It is startling that some
would dare to attribute such a heinous act to Him and His Apostles! It is
impossible to think that Christ who is holy, just and truthful would
endorse a translation that disregards the truth and the glory of the
Almighty. The very nature of God would tell us that Christ would never have
sanctioned the use of a corrupt Greek version of His Word. It is those who
want to use inferior or corrupt modern versions, who say that Christ
endorsed the corrupt Septuagint. Certainly we want to have no part in such
an erroneous view of Christ.
In the pattern of Christ and
His Apostles, we accept no inferior or corrupt translation, but the Hebrew
and Greek Scriptures behind the KJV. As far as English translations go, the
KJV is the best—the most faithful and most reliable.
Rev Prabhudas Koshy is the pastor of Gethsemane
Bible-Presbyterian Church, and lecturer in Hebrew at the Far Eastern Bible
College.
- Published in
The Burning Bush, Volume 10 Number 2 (July 2004)
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