When God Spoke Greek: The Septuagint and the Making of the Christian Bible

229 Pages·2016·5.61 MB·English

by  Law Timothy Michael.

When God Spoke Greek

WHEN GOD
SPOKE GREEK
The Septuagint and the Making of the
Christian Bible
I ־־ <(φ)> —
TIMOTHY MICHAEL LAW
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
OXFORD
UNIVBRSITY PRESS
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Library of Congress Cataloging־in־Publication Data
Law, T. M. (Timothy Michael), 1979-
When God spoke Greek : the Septuagint and the making of the Christian
Bible / Timothy Michael Law.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-978172-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) - ISBN 978-0-19-978171-3
(cloth : alk. paper)
1. Bible. O.T. Greek-Versions-Septuagint 2. Bible. N.T.-Critidsm,
interpretation, etc. 3. Bible. O.T. Greek-History. 4. Bible.
O.T.-Influence-Civilization, Western. I. Title.
BS744.L39 2013
221.4'8-dc23
2012045781
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on add-free paper
,
To Elizabeth Rose
whose life was just beginning
when I wrote the first word in this book

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
1. Why This Book? 1
2. When the World Became Greek 9
3. Was There a Bible before the Bible? 19
4. The First Bible Translators 33
5. Gog and His Not-So-Merry Grasshoppers 43
6. Bird Droppings, Stoned Elephants, and Exploding Dragons 58
7. E Pluribus Unum 75
8. The Septuagint behind the New Testament 85
9. The Septuagint in the New Testament 99
10. The New Old Testament 117
11. God’s Word for the Church 128
12. The Man of Steel and the Man Who Worshipped the Sun 140
13. The Man with the Burning Hand versus the Man with
the Honeyed Sword 151
14. A Postscript 167
Notes 173
Further Reading 201
Index 213

Acknowledgments
I am indebted to many colleagues and friends who encouraged me along
the way, and in particular to Alison Salvesen and her family. I wake up
each morning eager to work with my Marginalia family, the most creative
and exciting people with whom I've ever partnered. David Lincicum, Jacob
Wright, and Charles Halton are daily e-conversation partners. I am also
in debt to Joel Watts, who efficiently prepared the index; to Christopher
M. Hays for his advice on many points; and to Faimon Roberts and Kyle
McDaniel, who for some reason care about what I write. One more men-
tion should be made of my first friends in Germany, where I finished
this book, who are special to me because they enthusiastically cheered me
on to the finish line: Richard, Sana, Marrija, Svetlana, Kevin (ABBQB),
Estefania, Katarina, and Zyad. Finally, highest gratitude is reserved for my
wife and daughter. They were proud of this book from the first day, and it
is appropriately dedicated to my Elizabeth.
@TMichaelLaw
April 4, 2013
Göttingen