Comments for LXX Studies

Comment on Life Update by worshippingmind

worshippingmind — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:28:08 +0000

Hi John,

I’m working on a paper dealing with the ancient understanding of the 110th Psalm (109LXX), particularly the first verse. Where can I get information on the Hexaplaric readings of this psalm?

Thanks,

Comment on The Ancient Versions on Isaiah 7.14 by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 12:44:21 +0000

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Comment on The Ancient Versions on Isaiah 7.14 by J. K. Gayle

J. K. Gayle — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:27:27 +0000

Thank you for your reply! And I should have said first that this is a great post. A related question: Would Aquila and Theodotion have paid attention to the fact that the phrase νεᾶνις is not even once used by the writers of the NT? (In the LXX, of course, both terms discussed are used rather frequently sometimes in redundant ways as in the Septuagint’s Deuteronomy 22, where παρθένια τῇ νεάνιδι is part of verse 20). Clearly their change of the LXX to ἡ νεᾶνις ἐν γαστρὶ is rather marked. But it is not at all a New Testament usage.

Comment on The Ancient Versions on Isaiah 7.14 by John Meade

John Meade — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 20:39:19 +0000

Thanks for these references. I have rethought my view of this verse in recent months. I am perfectly fine with what you have written in this comment. That fact is that παρθενος simply means young woman in this verse and in other places in the LXX and wider Greek literature (cf. Dina in Gen 34:3). The word generally means young woman and ideally a virgin, but the latter sense is not required in every context. I understand the revisers’ use of νεανις to make sense only in a context where παρθενος has been hijacked or used to mean “chaste woman” only (which by the time of Justin Martyr, it clearly had been, since Trypho never disputes this point but only relies on his different version which had νεανις). The Jewish revisers of the 1-2 centuries chose a word which could still mean chaste, as you point out, but it is a word that would be used to imply childbirth in the normal way. Thanks for your comment.

Comment on The Ancient Versions on Isaiah 7.14 by J. K. Gayle

J. K. Gayle — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 20:09:53 +0000

PS – Abram K-J has a fb group reading LXX Isaiah in a year together. This week, he’s got everybody looking at chapter 7, including the verse you blog on here.

http://abramkj.wordpress.com/2013/01/06/greek-isaiah-in-a-year-week-6isaiah-71-25/

Comment on The Ancient Versions on Isaiah 7.14 by J. K. Gayle

J. K. Gayle — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 20:03:28 +0000

Justin debated the readings of Aquila and Theodotion, two of the Three Jewish revisers of the LXX in the first and second centuries. These two translated the text as follows: ἰδοὺ ἡ νεᾶνις ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν. They clearly remove the idea of chaste woman from the text. Of course a young woman might incidentally be a virgin, but ἡ νεᾶνις renders the Hebrew העלמה and implies that the conception and the birth of the son will happen in the natural way.

What would you say about the LXX translation of 1 Kings (aka ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩΝ Γ) chapter 1 verse 4?

καὶ ἡ νεᾶνις καλὴ ἕως σφόδρα·
καὶ ἦν θάλπουσα τὸν βασιλέα
καὶ ἐλειτούργει αὐτῷ,
καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτήν.

Doesn’t the king not “knowing” her imply that this נערה (na`ara[h]) is chaste?

And how about what Euripides does in his play “Helen” (around line 167)? He has Helen calling out to these:

πτεροφόροι νεάνιδες,
παρθένοι Χθονὸς κόραι
Σειρῆνες,

Richmond Lattimore translates this phrase as follows:

… winged women in form
young and maiden, daughters of earth,
O Sirens …

What’s more, Lattimore translates Matthew’s

ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ

Behold the maiden shall conceive in her womb …

Doesn’t this suggest that both ἡ νεᾶνις ἐν γαστρὶ and ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ are ambiguous in similar ways? Is it possible that either phrase does “clearly remove the idea of chaste woman” or that either clearly adds this idea?

Comment on About by abramkj

abramkj — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:22:55 +0000

Great! Thank you.

Also, we’ve got more than 150 people (!) reading together through Greek Isaiah, via Facebook. (details at bit.ly/QK92P7) The reading plan is ever-so-slightly adjusted from yours, but I remain grateful for the inspiration to do it!

Comment on About by John Meade

John Meade — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:04:55 +0000

Thanks for your comment. I am glad you are able to use it! I will be teaching a course on the LXX this summer at Phoenix Seminary and I will be linking back to your explanation of the Goettingen editions. At first glance I thought it was well done.

Comment on About by abramkj

abramkj — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 04:47:37 +0000

Not sure how to contact you, John, but I’ve just linked back to your reading plan for LXX Isaiah, and have made this vocab list ( http://wp.me/p2muvc-RP) so as to read through it with others this coming year. Thanks for the inspiration, and weekday breakout of readings!

Comment on LXX Reading Plans by Reading through the Greek of Isaiah in a year | Words on the Word

Reading through the Greek of Isaiah in a year | Words on the Word — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 03:12:18 +0000

[...] Here is a well put together reading plan for going through the Greek (“Septuagint”) of Isaiah in a year. I like that, as blog author John Meade writes, “The key is working a little each day for many days.” [...]