In the Book of Hebrews chapter 10 verse 5 the author (most probably Apostle Paul) quotes from the Septuagint. The author is arguing that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, prophesied in the Old Testament. The passage in Hebrews quotes from the Psalm 40:6 of the Septuagint. It reads, "Wherefore when he comes into the world, he says, Sacrifice and offering thou would not, but a body has thou prepared me." In the King James Version, which was translated from the later Hebrew Bible, we read Psalm 40:6 as saying, "Sacrifice and offering thou did not desire; mine ear has thou opened:" They are two totally different translations.
The original written Hebrew did not have vowels included. By changing the vowels, the later Jewish translators at the time of the birth of Christianity, could very easily have changed the text. Why would they do that? They wanted to hide the specific references to Jesus in the Old Testament used by the early Christians as proofs that Jesus fulfilled those prophecies. The early Church Fathers in their writings accuse the Jews of doing just that, of doctoring the Scriptures to hide the Christ spoken of by the prophets.
Matthew, Luke, and Paul quote from the Septuagint translation. The Septuagint had been accepted as an accurate translation around 280 BC. It was translated by some 70 Jewish scholars, around 2 from each tribe who went and lived in Alexandria where the great library of ancient books existed. That library was later destroyed by the Moslem invaders in the 600s AD.
Who were some of the early Church Fathers that claimed that the Jews had doctored the Scriptures? Justin Martyr, who was martyred 165 A.D., was one. Irenaeus, also, in the second century, a disciple of Polycarp who had been a disciple of Apostle John, wrote, "If they (the Jews) had known the Christians would have risen and brought such testimonies from the Scriptures against them, they would have made no scruple to have burnt their own Scriptures." Tertullian who lived from 155 A.D. to 220 A.D. stated the same.
Origen who wrote in the third century (200+ A.D.) continued with the same accusation. Origin spent some 28 years comparing the various versions of Holy Scripture. Eusebius, who compiled his Ecclesiastical History in the fourth century, also repeats the accusation of Justin Martyr and said, Justin "records certain prophetic declarations, in his discussions with Tryphon, showing that the Jews had expunged them from the Scriptures." Josephus also quoted from the Septuagint. Jerome, who was favorable to the Jews and wrote around 400 A.D., prefered the Greek text, though he was responsible for translating the Hebrew into Latin.
The age of the earth is also different in the Septuagint from that of the Hebrew text. From the time of Adam to the Flood in the Hebrew Bible there are 1,656 years; while in the Septuagint there are 2,262 years. Josephus records 2,256 years. From the time of Shem to the time of Abraham in the Hebrew Bible are only 292 years, while the Septuagint states 1072, and Josephus 993 years.
Why do we find such a difference since the Septuagint was a translation of the Hebrew Bible from around 280 B.C.? 19th century Historian George Smith writing in 1854 believed that the Septuagint was an accurate translation of the original Hebrew Bible at the time of its translation. Philo-Judaeus a famous Jewish scholar around the time of the apostles himself claimed that the Septuagint was an accurate and inspired translation which had entered into the very sentiments of Moses. If we believe the early Church Fathers, then after the birth of Christianity and the fall of Jerusalem, the unbelieving Jews thought it was necessary to change the Scriptures to save their belief system. They therefore corrupted the Scriptures in an attempt to stop the flood of Jews departing to Christianity.
Why is our Kings James Version translated from the Hebrew Scripture over the Greek? We must remember that the Reformers in the 1500s ended up rejecting much of what the Catholic Church espoused. Doctrine had to be reevaluated. I thought the Latin Bible used by the Church had been translated from the Septuagint, but it was Jerome that translated the Hebrew Bible into Latin. The Reformers, in the 1500s also chose the abridged Hebrew Bible to use as their original document, or used Jerome's Latin Hebrew translation. As a result most modern Evangelicals will stay with the Hebrew as their core authority, rather than the Greek Septuagint which we in fact have older extant copies of.
Some scholars agree that the 780 years difference from the time of Shem to the time of Abraham would give more time for the development of the various empires believed to be co-existent at the time of Abraham. In secular history the civilizations would include both China and Indus River Valley. We see, therefore, that arguments from history can support a longer time period than what we find in the present Hebrew text.
From the time of Shem to the time of Peleg, when the earth was divided, we find 131 years in the Hebrew text, while we find 661 years in the Septuagint. 530 years longer would give ample time for the various kinds of animals that came off the Ark to reproduce and repopulate the earth. After the division of the earth into continents at the time of Peleg the animals could speciate and adapt to their new climatic situation.
Some creation scientists like the longer dates in the Septuagint because it gives more time for the production of the many mammoths found frozen in the Russian tundra. The mammoths suddenly freezing in the tundra is believed by the creation scientists to have taken place at the time of the division of the continents.
The longer dates give the ancient civilizations more time to develop. The longer dates also give more time for the reproduction of kinds of animals which came off the Ark, some of which have been found frozen to death in the northern hemisphere. Therefore the geological and archaeological evidence seem to support the longer dates.
(Source material: George Smith's The Patriarchal Age: or, The History and Religion of Mankind From the Creation to the Death of Isaac, 1854) https://archive.org/details/patriarchalageo00smitgoog
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