The Origins of International Septuagint Day
On February 8 in the year A.D. 553, Emperor Justinian published his Novella 146 in which he gave the Jews of the Roman Empire permission to read the Jewish Scriptures in their synagogues in Greek, Latin, or “any other tongue which in any district allows the hearers better to understand the text.” Interestingly, only with respect to Greek did Emperor Justinian specify the translation to be used: “We make this proviso that those who use Greek shall use the text of the seventy interpreters.” This reference to the “seventy interpreters” alludes to the legendary tale of the first translation of the Torah into another language, in this case Greek, related in the Letter of (Pseudo) Aristeas.
As the story goes, Ptolemy II Philadelphus desired to have every known legal code and great literary work of antiquity in Greek translation in his famed library in Alexandria, Egypt, including the Torah of Moses. As a result, 72 translators were sent from Palestine, six from each of the original 12 tribes of Israel, to collaborate on the translation of the Pentateuch into Greek. The result of their work came to be known as “The Septuaginta” or “The Seventy” – an abbreviation of “seventy-two.” The number of translators is significant and symbolic, alluding to the 72 elders of Israel who were endowed with the Holy Spirit for the purposes of helping Moses teach and enforce the Torah (Numbers 11:16-17, 26-29). The implication of this allusion is that the translation of the Torah of Moses into Greek was inspired since, supposedly, these seventy-two, like their predecessors in the days of Moses, were endowed with the Holy Spirit.
The translation of the Pentateuch was completed during Ptolemy II Philadelphus’ reign some time in the 2nd century BC. Thus began the process of rendering the rest of the Jewish Scriptures into Greek at various places and at various times finally reaching completion well before the end of the first century A.D. The completion of this process made available to both Greek speaking Jews and Gentile Christians the entire collection of sacred texts entrusted to Israel and made possible the Gentile mission of Jesus’ disciples.
The Significance of the Septuagint Translation
Beginning in 2006, the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies formally observed February 8 as International Septuagint Day as a means of raising awareness of the Septuagint’s significance to our understanding of both the Old Testament and New Testament and of promoting its study. The Septuagint represents the earliest commentary on the Old Testament. Its importance for the textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible can hardly be overstated, and since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, its significance has only increased.
The Septuagint’s impact on the New Testament is similarly considerable, having significantly influenced its vocabulary and syntax. Furthermore, the majority of Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are taken from the Septuagint demonstrating that it was without doubt the Bible of the first-century church. In fact, the very name “New Testament” is based on the Septuagint’s rendering of Jeremiah 31:31. So, Happy International Septuagint Day everyone! Few things will deepen your knowledge of Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament, as much as careful attention to the Septuagint. It richly repays those who study it.
Dr. Kevin Youngblood is a professor of Bible and Ministry at Harding University. Dr. Youngblood specializes in Hebrew and Greek Linguistics, Old Testament Theology, Septuagint Studies.
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