📜 Introduction to the Septuagint (LXX)

The Septuagint, abbreviated LXX, is the earliest known translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Koine Greek, the common language of the Eastern Mediterranean during the Hellenistic era. Far more than a linguistic milestone, the Septuagint serves as a theological and cultural bridge between Jewish tradition, Greco-Roman thought, and the emerging Christian faith.

🏛 Historical Background

  • Following the conquests of Alexander the Great (4th century BCE), Greek became the dominant language across the Near East.

  • Many Jews in the diaspora, especially in Alexandria, Egypt, no longer spoke Hebrew fluently. To preserve access to their sacred texts, Jewish scholars began translating the Torah into Greek around the 3rd century BCE.

  • Over time, the rest of the Hebrew Bible was translated, forming the full Septuagint.

🔢 Origin of the Name “LXX”

The term “Septuagint” derives from the Latin Versio Septuaginta Interpretum, meaning “Translation of the Seventy.” According to tradition, 72 Jewish elders (six from each tribe) translated the Torah independently and miraculously produced identical texts—a legend that underscores the perceived divine guidance behind the translation.

📚 Canon and Contents

The Septuagint includes books not found in the later Hebrew Masoretic Text, such as:

  • Wisdom of Solomon

  • Sirach

  • Baruch

  • 1–2 Maccabees

  • Additions to Daniel and Esther

These are often referred to as the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books, and remain canonical in Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions.

✝️ Influence on the New Testament and Early Church

  • New Testament authors, especially Paul, frequently quoted from the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew text.

  • Early Church Fathers such as Origen, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus relied heavily on the LXX for theological reflection.

  • The Septuagint shaped Christian theology, particularly in areas like messianic prophecy, where the Greek sometimes diverges from the Hebrew.

📖 Textual Diversity

Unlike the Masoretic Text, which was standardized centuries later, the Septuagint reflects multiple translation phases and regional variants. Scholars often refer to the earliest and most consistent portions as the Old Greek, distinguishing them from later revisions.

🕊 Legacy and Relevance

  • The Septuagint remains the official Old Testament of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

  • It offers invaluable insights into Second Temple Judaism, early Christian theology, and the development of biblical canon.

  • For modern readers, it provides a window into how ancient Jews interpreted their scriptures in a Hellenistic context.

📘 Attribution

This introduction was prepared for The Center for Messianic Learning by Maverick, your AI companion.
© 2025 Dr. Rickard L. Sawyer. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International.
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the Complete Jewish Bible, © 1998 by David H. Stern. Used by permission.