Response 10: Should the Septuagint Never Override the Hebrew Text?

Outreach Judaism's Argument

Outreach Judaism's Septuagint argument is that Christian reliance on the Septuagint is problematic. The original Septuagint properly refers to the Greek Torah, later Greek biblical books are complex, and the extant Septuagint tradition was preserved mainly by Christians. Therefore, Greek readings should not override the Hebrew text.

Christian Response

Christians should agree that the Hebrew text is primary for interpreting the Hebrew Bible. A Christian argument that depends on ignoring Hebrew is weak. The Septuagint should not be used as a magic trump card against the Masoretic Text.

At the same time, the Septuagint is historically important. It shows how many Greek-speaking Jews before and around the time of Jesus read and rendered Israel's Scriptures. The New Testament writers often quote Greek forms because they wrote in Greek and addressed Greek-speaking audiences. That does not mean they despised Hebrew. It means they inhabited the multilingual Jewish world of the Second Temple period.

Preservation by Christians Does Not Equal Invention by Christians

It is true that Christians preserved many Septuagint manuscripts. That does not mean Christians invented all readings that differ from the Masoretic Text. The textual history of the Hebrew Bible and ancient versions is complex. The Dead Sea Scrolls show that multiple textual forms existed in the Second Temple period. Some Hebrew manuscripts from Qumran align more closely with readings reflected in the Septuagint than with the later Masoretic tradition.

Therefore, the issue cannot be reduced to "Hebrew equals Jewish, Greek equals Christian." Greek-speaking Jews existed. Jewish translators produced Greek Scriptures. Christian use of the Septuagint came after Jewish translation activity.

Isaiah 7:14

Christians should not say the Greek parthenos settles the Hebrew meaning of almah. It does not. But it is relevant that a pre-Christian Greek translation rendered the word with parthenos, which often means virgin though it can also mean maiden. This supports the claim that Matthew's reading was not created from nothing by later Christians.

The stronger Christian argument remains canonical and christological: Matthew sees the birth of Jesus as the fullest embodiment of Immanuel, "God with us." The Septuagint supports plausibility; it does not prove the entire doctrine alone.

Bottom Line

The Septuagint should not be treated as superior to Hebrew in a simplistic way. But neither should it be dismissed as merely Christian corruption. It is a crucial witness to ancient Jewish Scripture in Greek and to the textual world of the New Testament.

References

• Outreach Judaism, Septuagint and virgin birth: https://outreachjudaism.org/septuagint-virgin-birth/
• NETS, New English Translation of the Septuagint project: https://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/
• Sefaria, Isaiah 7:14: https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.7.14?lang=bi
• Bible Gateway, Matthew 1:22-23: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+1%3A22-23&version=NRSVUE
• Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library: https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/