Understanding Translations from the Old and New Covenants

The Septuagint does not have enough facts to back up exactly how it was translated and where it was translated, or even why it was translated. Only speculations. There are letters and legends that try to fill in the gaps of what’s missing, but the one thing that cannot be ignored is the fact that it does exist. Sometimes that should be enough. 

When was the Septuagint translated?

I’ve seen it from 400-200 B.C., but most agree 250-100 B.C.

Who translated the Septuagint?

King Ptolemy II Philadelphus sent letters to Eleazar, the High Priest in Jerusalem, to summon 72 Jewish scholars to translate the Hebrew Torah, which is the first five books of the Old Covenant, into the Greek Pentateuch, which is the first five books of the Old Covenant.

Where did the Septuagint come from?

Copies of what are called the original Hebrew scrolls. Even the Old Covenant itself says original scrolls had words added to them by their original author. With that being a fact because it’s literally in scripture, we can safely assume not all the original Hebrew copies are 100% original. I would think it is a possibility that the older the copies are, the less they have been changed.  

What was the reason for the Septuagint translation?

One possible reason is that King Ptolemy II Philadelphus wanted a copy of all the world’s books in his library, so he needed a copy of the Israelite laws (Torah).

Another possible reason is that the main language at the time was Greek, not so much Hebrew, so a translation was made from the original Hebrew scripture into Greek scripture.

A third possible reason is that YAHWEH (GOD) put it in the King's heart to have a copy of all the books in the world so that the Greeks would have scripture also. It took a couple of hundred years for the Septuagint to be fully translated from just the Torah (first five books of the Old Covenant) to the Tanak (all of the Old Covenant) and then another 100 years to get it circulated enough so the Greeks would have a chance to get to know it before Yahoshua (Jesus) came. That’s important because the Greeks needed to know that the Messiah, Yahoshua (Jesus), would be standing there in flesh and blood just like the Old Covenant said. If you look in the New Covenant, you will see some of the Greeks trusting in the Messiah before some of His own students (disciples) did. How many more Greeks trusted, but the bible doesn’t mention it? YAHWEH (GOD) was preparing the Greeks to accept the Messiah as well.

A brief history of the Septuagint

Around 250 b.c. King Ptolemy II Philadelphus sent letters to Eleazar, the High Priest in Jerusalem, to summon 72 Jewish scholars to translate Genesis-Exodus-Leviticus-Numbers and Deuteronomy

(Torah) from the original Hebrew into the Greek language. It includes just the Old Covenant and some of the Apocrypha books. At first, only the Torah was translated (about 250 b.c.), but within about a hundred and fifty years after that, the rest of the Old Covenant was translated (about 250-100 b.c.). Up to today (2-1-2022), no evidence has been found to verify who or when or why the rest of the Septuagint was translated. It just simply existed. The oldest piece of the Septuagint is a fragment found that dates back to the 2nd century b.c.

The head of the religious Israelites (we don’t know exactly who all that included) did not like the Septuagint because Greeks at that time were a Gentile nation, not in Covenant with YAHWEH (GOD), making them an unclean nation, Israelites believing they should not have translated scripture because they are an unclean nation. If a Gentile wanted to be in a Covenant with YAHWEH (GOD), they were accepted as long as they followed the Covenant. Your normal, everyday Israelites at the time had been mixed in with Greek culture and were speaking Greek and Hebrew, so the Septuagint translation didn’t bother them, and that helped the Greeks to accept it, but the religious Israelite leaders still rejected it. The religious Israelite leaders had one main reason at this point as to why they didn’t like the Septuagint. It’s in Greek and not Hebrew, the official language of YAHWEH’s (God's) chosen people. Later on, after Yahoshua’s (Jesus) sacrifice to start the New Covenant, the religious Israelite leaders added another reason they did not like the Septuagint. That reason is that they did not believe and most of them today still don’t believe, Yahoshua (Jesus) is the Messiah, so they did not like the fact that Yahoshua (Jesus) was fulfilling so many prophecies about the Messiah. The second part of that reason is that so many people were going against the religious Israelite leaders by trusting in Yahoshua (Jesus) as the Messiah which made Christians a new enemy of the religious Israelite leaders. That led to others translating the Old Covenant to undermine the Septuagint.  The Septuagint was so well received as Divine Scripture from YAHWEH (GOD) that it outlasted the High Priest of Jerusalem and the Sanhedrin who were fighting against it. About a thousand years after the Septuagint was translated, scribes compiled “the Masoretic text”, which finally pushed out the Septuagint.

Bible versions that use the Septuagint

The Orthodox study bible is the only modern English bible translated from the Septuagint that I could find except for the ones that are academic in nature.

In conclusion:

The Septuagint is not a perfect translation.

The Masoretic text has a lot of questions that nobody has answers to. It is supposedly not a translation but a copy of the original Hebrew in which the Masoretes only added markings to help pronounce the Hebrew language in the correct way. The Masoretes do in fact admit that some of their copies of the original Hebrew were edited before they received them. That leads to the discussion of corruption in the original Hebrew scripture. You decide after researching it for yourself.

When was the Masoretic text translated?

From 500 a.d. to 1,100 a.d.  

Who translated the Masoretic text?

Nobody specifically started it, but the translation was done by Masoretic scribes and Torah scholars. 

Where did the Masoretic text come from?

Copies of what is called the original Hebrew scrolls. Even the Old Covenant says original scrolls had words added to them by their original author. With that being a fact because it’s literally in scripture, we can safely assume that not all the Hebrew copies are 100% original. To prove this point the Masoretes admit some of their copies were indeed changed, but how many nobody knows. I also think it is a possibility that as each century (100 years) went by, more and more copies were changed. As an example, look at how many different manuscripts are in the Masoretic text.  

What was the reason for the Masoretic text translation?

One reason could be that the Israelites couldn’t remember how to pronounce or speak the older Hebrew so the Masoretes decided to add markings to tell them how to pronounce it.  

Another possible reason is that the Israelite nation wanted to disprove the Septuagint with their own version of the Old Covenant. 

Another possible reason is that the Israelites wanted a Hebrew Old Covenant, not a Greek Old Covenant. 

A brief history of the Masoretic text

The Masoretes had a copy of but not the original, Hebrew scriptures. From those copies, they added markings to help pronounce an almost lost and forgotten Hebrew language. If they did not translate or edit those copies themselves, then those copies were edited before they reached the Masoretes. Some people say it took 600 years to complete the job; others just give a date of when it was written or finished. Nobody knows who started the process, just that it was finished. Nobody knows how many or who exactly worked on it, other than it was the Masoretes. Maybe the Masoretes wanted a Hebrew Old Covenant and not a Greek Old Covenant for the Israelite people. If that’s what they wanted, they succeeded because the Masoretic text pushed out the Septuagint. Maybe they wanted to disprove the Septuagint with their version of the Old Covenant. Only you can decide that.

From there, other translations and copies were made into other languages and that produced more translations and copies because every time it was translated into another language, a new religious idea or theology came about and a newer translation or copy had to be made. This progression helped form the foundation of all the world’s different religions and Bibles. Every religion and bible starts with the Old Covenant. 

Bible versions that use the Masoretic text

All modern English Bibles are translated from the Masoretic text, except for some verses here and there that come from the Septuagint.(KJ and NKJ are the only Bibles that don't use the Masoretic)

In conclusion:

The Masoretic Text is not a perfect translation.

The Septuagint and Masoretic text disagree with each other in a lot of places.

In order to understand which one is the translation for you, look up and study these differences.

Lean on the Divine Nature of YAHWEH (GOD) for the truth and HE will reveal it to you!

The Antioch text consists of 5200 Greek New Covenant manuscripts, fragments, etc, that traces its origins back to Antioch, Syria. Antioch was one of the two most famous Christian places to study scripture. It copied and circulated the Antioch text line, which was a movement where they discussed theological and intellectual interpretations, while pushing the literal and historical side of the bible as well. 

When was the Antioch text written?

Around 300 A.D. 

Who translated the Antioch text?

 There is no proof to say who did what on the first copies, but you can look up those who worked on it later in history.   

Where did the Antioch text come from?

Antioch, Syria

What was the reason for the Antioch translation?

The Antioch text was originally translated to read more smoothly, giving it longer verses and more stories, and to harmonize parallel scriptures in the bible that are not in older manuscripts. As time went on it took different turns for different reasons. With at least 13 different translation branches,

To say specifically why it was translated, you need to know which translation you are asking about. 

A brief history of the Antioch text

The Antioch text started from the original copies of the New Covenant, but was added to and studied from a theological, intellectual, literal, and historical point of view. Then they were translated into different languages, into different Bibles. There are at least 13 different groups of translations from the original copies. The reason there are a lot of manuscripts is that they were copied thousands of times. There is a lot of interesting history to look into with the Antioch text.

Bible versions that use the Antioch text

King James and New King James are the only Bibles translated from the Antioch text.

In conclusion:

The Antioch text is not a perfect translation. There is so much history here, it would do you good to look into all of it. I know I will. Just from my research, I found something REALLY INTERESTING that I've been wondering about for 25 years.

The Alexandrian text consists of 45 Greek New Covenant manuscripts, fragments, etc, that traces its origins back to Alexandria, Egypt. It was not associated with, or a product of, the school of Alexandria, because it was there before the school started. Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the two famous Christian places to study scripture. They interpreted the bible with allegorical methods and mixed there christian faith with Greek philosophy.

When was the Alexandrian text written?

Alexandria, Egypt, 100 - 200 a.d. 

Who translated the Alexandrian text?

The Alexandria text started out as a copy of the original Greek New Covenant, staying as close to the originals as possible for a translation. There is no proof to say who did what on the first copies, but you can look up those who worked on it later in history.   

Where did the Alexandrian text come from

Alexandria, Egypt

What was the reason for the Alexandrian text translation?

To have it in other languages.

A brief history of The Alexandrian Text

The Alexandrian text started from the original copies of the New Covenant and was studied from an allegorical and natural (spiritual) point of view. Then they were translated into different languages, into different Bibles. There are at least 13 different groups of translations from the original copies. One of the reasons there is not that many manuscripts is because Alexandria was conquered by Muslims who destroyed them. The Alexandrian text has an interesting history to look into.

Bible versions that use the Alexandrian text

All modern English Bibles use the Alexandrian text, except the King James and New King James.

In conclusion:

The Alexanderian text is as close to a perfect translation as I can find. I have not studied it thoroughly (and I will), but its beginnings are the best of any translation of anything I have ever seen. 

The Antioch and Alexandrian text mainly disagree with the longer or shorter readings of scripture, added stories, and how the texts are studied. In order to understand which one is the translation for you, look up and study these differences. Lean on the Divine Nature of YAHWEH (GOD) for the truth, and HE will reveal it to you!!!