The LXX that Jerome and Augustine had access to at that time.
The Predestination of the Greek OT, the Greek NT, and the Greek Language for the revealing of the Holy Trinity.
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Johann
Well-known member
The Hexaplaric LXX-The Old Latin (Vetus Latina)-The LXX from Church Traditions?
Isaiah 7:14 – "Virgin" vs. "Young Woman"
LXX (Septuagint):
ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν…
("Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son...")
Hebrew (Masoretic Text):
הִנֵּה הָעַלְמָה הָרָה וְיֹלֶדֶת בֵּן...
("Behold, the young woman is pregnant and will bear a son...")
Jerome (Vulgate):
ecce virgo concipiet et pariet filium...
(Jerome retained "virgo" [virgin], but he was aware of the Hebrew ʿalmah meaning "young woman.")
Augustine:
Strongly defended the LXX’s παρθένος (virgin), arguing that it was the text used by the apostles and was divinely guided, even if it differed from the Hebrew.
2. Psalm 22:16 – "They Pierced My Hands and Feet"
LXX:
ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου
("They pierced my hands and my feet.")
Hebrew (Masoretic Text):
כָּאֲרִי יָדַי וְרַגְלָי
("Like a lion are my hands and my feet.")
Jerome (Vulgate):
foderunt manus meas et pedes meos ("They dug [pierced] my hands and my feet.")
(Jerome chose the LXX reading over the Hebrew because he recognized that the Hebrew text seemed corrupted here.)
Augustine:
Fully supported the LXX’s ὤρυξαν (pierced), seeing it as a messianic prophecy that aligns with the crucifixion of Christ.
3. Genesis 5:25-27 – Methuselah’s Age at the Flood
Do you have hard copies of this? Beginning to sound very confusing wouldn't you say @synergy?
But I have to admit, the Masoretic text should be discarded, right?
J.
Johann
Well-known member
Think you have won me over to your side-the LXX side.
Busy going through Ps. 22.
J.
I'm very happy to see how everyone sided with the Apostles in their usage of παρθένος. That begs the question, why didn't Jerome follow Augustine's advice to stick with the LXX?
Johann
Well-known member
Short version.
Jerome did not follow Augustine’s advice to use the Septuagint (LXX) as the basis for the Old Testament in his Latin Vulgate translation because of his strong commitment to the Hebrew text, which he believed to be more authoritative than the Greek translation. This decision was influenced by several key factors:
Textual Accuracy and Hebrew Primacy – Jerome, having learned Hebrew from Jewish scholars in Bethlehem, came to believe that the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) was the most authentic version of the Old Testament scriptures. He saw the LXX as a secondary translation that contained errors and expansions not found in the Hebrew text. In his Prologus Galeatus (Helmeted Preface), he explicitly argued that the Hebrew text should be the standard for Christian translations.
Divergences Between the LXX and Hebrew Text – Jerome was deeply concerned about the significant differences between the Hebrew scriptures and the LXX. He recognized that the LXX contained numerous interpolations and expansions that were absent from the Hebrew Bible. This led him to conclude that the LXX, while useful, was not as reliable as the Hebrew text.
J.
Since the Hebrew text was an open canon at that time, it made a big difference who exactly were the custodians of the Hebrew text that Jerome received. Did Jerome receive the Hebrew text from unbelieving Jews or from believing Christian Jews?
How do you think Jerome would respond to the fact that the Mosoretes ripped out whole books from the Hebrew canon, many of which Jerome himself translated into Latin?
