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Faith Deposited — textual evidence · part 1 of 2
The New Testament and the Septuagint
How the NT authors’ quotation habits reveal which Old Testament they were using
The pattern
NT authors quote the LXX — not the Hebrew
Of the roughly 300 Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, the majority align with the Septuagint (LXX) rather than the Masoretic Text (MT) — the Hebrew text finalized by Jewish scribes centuries after Christ.
Proportions vary by counting method; the LXX majority is consistent across studies. Sources: Swete, Brenton, and subsequent LXX scholarship.
Key passages
Where the wording matters
Cases where the LXX and MT differ meaningfully — and the NT author follows the LXX. The choice of text is often theologically load-bearing.
Isaiah 7:14 → Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive…”
Greek: parthenos (virgin)
“Behold, the young woman shall conceive…”
Hebrew: almah (young woman)
Matthew quotes parthenos — the LXX word — to ground the virginal conception. The choice of text is theologically essential; the MT reading cannot carry the same weight.
Psalm 22:16 (21:17 LXX) → Passion accounts
“…they have pierced my hands and feet.”
Greek: ōryxan (they pierced)
“…like a lion [at] my hands and feet.”
Hebrew kā’ărî — grammatically disputed
The LXX’s “pierced” reading is what the Fathers and NT writers apply to the crucifixion. The MT is ambiguous at best; the LXX is unambiguous.
Amos 9:11–12 → Acts 15:16–17 (Council of Jerusalem)
“…so that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord…”
Greek: kataloipon tōn anthrōpōn
“…so that they may possess the remnant of Edom…”
Hebrew: edom vs. adam — one consonant differs
James cites Amos to justify Gentile inclusion at the Jerusalem Council. His argument only works with the LXX’s “remnant of mankind” — the MT’s “Edom” reading would undercut the point entirely.
Faith Deposited — textual evidence · part 2 of 2
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the early Church
Manuscript evidence and historical reception confirm the LXX as the scripture of the apostolic age
The Dead Sea Scrolls
When were they written, and what do they contain?
Roughly 900 manuscripts discovered 1947–1956 in eleven caves near Khirbet Qumran — the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence, predating the earliest complete Masoretic Text by nearly a thousand years.
Approximate dates — in context
The eleven caves
Cave 1 yielded the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) — the oldest complete book of the Bible, c. 125 BC. Cave 4 was the most prolific, containing fragments from nearly every OT book, including 4QJer and 4QDeut, which align with the LXX against the MT.
Additional biblical fragments, sectarian texts, and the Copper Scroll (Cave 3).
The longest DSS (8.15m). Also a Psalms scroll with additional compositions.
Likely the Essenes. Hidden when Rome advanced in 68 AD, before the fall of Jerusalem.
Books found
Every book of the Hebrew Bible is represented except Esther. Green indicates significant LXX alignment against the MT.
Esther — not found at Qumran
Historical reception
The Church Fathers on the LXX
The LXX was the Old Testament of the early Church — treated not merely as useful, but as authoritative and providentially given.
Argues in the Dialogue with Trypho that Jews had removed Christ-predicting texts from their scriptures — but these remained in the LXX. For Justin, the LXX is the authentic prophetic witness.
In Against Heresies, defends the LXX’s parthenos (“virgin”) at Isaiah 7:14 against those who substitute neanis (“young woman”). Treats the LXX translation as providentially accurate.
Compiles the Hexapla — six parallel columns including the LXX and Hebrew — to account for divergences. Despite his critical apparatus, uses the LXX as the Church’s text and defends its inspiration.
Jerome translates the Vulgate from the Hebrew; Augustine objects, arguing the LXX’s authority is confirmed by apostolic use. The Western Church continues using LXX-derived texts in the Psalms and other books for centuries.
Sources: Emanuel Tov, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible (3rd ed.); Frank Moore Cross, The Ancient Library of Qumran; Karen Jobes & Moisés Silva, Invitation to the Septuagint (2nd ed.); Eugene Ulrich, The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of the Bible; Henry Barclay Swete, An Introduction to the OT in Greek.
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