The Septuagint (often symbolised by LXX, the Roman numerals for seventy) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures written by Jewish scribes in Alexandria, Egypt, c.250-130BC. The necessity for a Greek version of the bible was a consequence of the fact that over several centuries Jewish settlers in Egypt had lost touch with the Hebrew language. The Septuagint became extremely influential, gradually spreading to other countries where Jews spoke Greek. It was used by the Jewish philosopher Philo and the Jewish priest and historian Josephus in their respective "retellings" of the Old Testament. Although the Jewish community in Palestine eventually rejected the Septuagint in favour of the Hebrew text, the authors of the New Testament and later church fathers leaned heavily on it because it provided the means by which the gentile Greek speaking world could be evangelised, and also because in debates with Jews the Septuagint provided variant textual readings which made it easier to prove that Jesus fufilled Old Testament prophecy.
In this course students will be introduced to the history, text and criticism of the Septaugint, and shown its paramount importance for New Testament apologetics and hermeneutics - in particular early Jewish Christian and patristic concepts of the nature, person, and work of Christ. The course will involve, among other things, a critical analysis of some of the three hundred or so citations from the Septuagint contained in the New Testament, as well as the study of set texts in the Greek version of Genesis, Exodus, and the Book of Isaiah.
This programme will take place on a weekly basis or over four weekends during the course of a year.
For further details about times and cost see the FAQ section.
The Septuagint (often symbolised by LXX, the Roman numerals for seventy) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures written by Jewish scribes in Alexandria, Egypt, c.250-130BC. The necessity for a Greek version of the bible was a consequence of the fact that over several centuries Jewish settlers in Egypt had lost touch with the Hebrew language. The Septuagint became extremely influential, gradually spreading to other countries where Jews spoke Greek. It was used by the Jewish philosopher Philo and the Jewish priest and historian Josephus in their respective "retellings" of the Old Testament. Although the Jewish community in Palestine eventually rejected the Septuagint in favour of the Hebrew text, the authors of the New Testament and later church fathers leaned heavily on it because it provided the means by which the gentile Greek speaking world could be evangelised, and also because in debates with Jews the Septuagint provided variant textual readings which made it easier to prove that Jesus fufilled Old Testament prophecy.
In this course students will be introduced to the history, text and criticism of the Septaugint, and shown its paramount importance for New Testament apologetics and hermeneutics - in particular early Jewish Christian and patristic concepts of the nature, person, and work of Christ. The course will involve, among other things, a critical analysis of some of the three hundred or so citations from the Septuagint contained in the New Testament, as well as the study of set texts in the Greek version of Genesis, Exodus, and the Book of Isaiah.
