SavedByGrace
Well-Known Member
The Inspiration of the Holy Bible is found in the term used by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16, where he writes, “πασα γραφη θεοπνευστος”, “the whole of Scripture is God-breathed”, or “every single Sctipture is God-breathed”. Where “θεοπνευστος” is the passive verbal, showing the Author of The Scriptures as God the Holy Spirit. This refers to the 66 Books of the Original Canon of the Holy Bible, 39 Books in the Old Testament, and 27 Books in the New Testament. The Writers of these Books alone were so Inspired by the Holy Spirit, that the Words that they wrote, are the Words that God intends for us to have. This Inspiration is for the Original Autographs, which was given to these Writers at the time of their writing, and is Unique.
Does this same “Inspiration” that the Writers of the Original Autographs, extend to the many Bible “Translations” that we have, like the LXX, Greek Old Testament, which is assumed by some, to have been used by the Lord Jesus, and the Writers on the New Testament? In the first place, the Original Writings of the Books of the Holy Bible are Unique, as they ARE the Writings of God the Holy Spirit, which He dictated (as the passive in 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21, “as they were moved”) to them, and are therefore THE Word of God. Secondly, for those who have studied the Greek text of the NT, by comparing it with the LXX, when it quotes from the OT, it will be seen, that there are some instances where the OT quotes seem to have come from the LXX, as they are verbatim. However, there are other such quotes from the OT, where they are clearly not from the LXX, but from another Greek Version that we do not possess. In Mark’s Gospel there are at least 40 words in the Greek, from OT quotes, which are not from the LXX, nor any Greek Version that we have. There are also numerious OT quotes in the NT, that are not from the Hebrew, or the LXX, or any other Greek Version, but appear to be from the Jewish Aramaic Targums. It seems very clear, that the Lord and the Writers of the NT Books, used the Old Testament that was in the Original Hebrew, and not any translation, which can never be “Inspired” by the Holy Spirit.
“Finally we may mention again the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament and in various early writers which appear to be derived from a version or versions different from the Septuagint, as well as the old version which it is assumed was revised by Lucian” (F Kenyon, Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts, p.111)
“According to Paul Kahle, the non-LXX elements in NT quotations of the OT reflect written Greek targums widely used before the church adopted the LXX as its standard version of the OT (The Cairo Geniza, 2nd ed. [1959], 209 – 64). The mass of variant readings in MSS of the LXX —variants that Kahle uses along with the aberrant text of OT quotations in the NT to prove the existence of Greek targums—present a discernible pattern of development from an archetype, not a hodgepodge of unrelated variants from independent Greek targums. Furthermore, the DSS have shown that many of the variants in the Septuagintal MSS were the result of progressive assimilation to the Hebrew text of the OT, not the result of amalgamation of differing Greek targums utilized by NT writers.” (Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol.V)
If, as it is argued by some, that the OT used by the Lord and the Writers of the NT, is the LXX, then we must also claim the Inspiration of this Version of the OT, on par with the Original Autographs. Otherwise, we have the Lord and the Writers of the NT, making use of an OT Version that is not “Inspired” by the Holy Spirit, but a mere “translation”, and what we have in the Holy Bible, is a mixture of The Word of God, and the words of humans, who in their personal judgement, decided on what words they should use, when translating the Hebrew OT into Greek.
Does this same “Inspiration” that the Writers of the Original Autographs, extend to the many Bible “Translations” that we have, like the LXX, Greek Old Testament, which is assumed by some, to have been used by the Lord Jesus, and the Writers on the New Testament? In the first place, the Original Writings of the Books of the Holy Bible are Unique, as they ARE the Writings of God the Holy Spirit, which He dictated (as the passive in 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21, “as they were moved”) to them, and are therefore THE Word of God. Secondly, for those who have studied the Greek text of the NT, by comparing it with the LXX, when it quotes from the OT, it will be seen, that there are some instances where the OT quotes seem to have come from the LXX, as they are verbatim. However, there are other such quotes from the OT, where they are clearly not from the LXX, but from another Greek Version that we do not possess. In Mark’s Gospel there are at least 40 words in the Greek, from OT quotes, which are not from the LXX, nor any Greek Version that we have. There are also numerious OT quotes in the NT, that are not from the Hebrew, or the LXX, or any other Greek Version, but appear to be from the Jewish Aramaic Targums. It seems very clear, that the Lord and the Writers of the NT Books, used the Old Testament that was in the Original Hebrew, and not any translation, which can never be “Inspired” by the Holy Spirit.
“Finally we may mention again the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament and in various early writers which appear to be derived from a version or versions different from the Septuagint, as well as the old version which it is assumed was revised by Lucian” (F Kenyon, Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts, p.111)
“According to Paul Kahle, the non-LXX elements in NT quotations of the OT reflect written Greek targums widely used before the church adopted the LXX as its standard version of the OT (The Cairo Geniza, 2nd ed. [1959], 209 – 64). The mass of variant readings in MSS of the LXX —variants that Kahle uses along with the aberrant text of OT quotations in the NT to prove the existence of Greek targums—present a discernible pattern of development from an archetype, not a hodgepodge of unrelated variants from independent Greek targums. Furthermore, the DSS have shown that many of the variants in the Septuagintal MSS were the result of progressive assimilation to the Hebrew text of the OT, not the result of amalgamation of differing Greek targums utilized by NT writers.” (Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol.V)
If, as it is argued by some, that the OT used by the Lord and the Writers of the NT, is the LXX, then we must also claim the Inspiration of this Version of the OT, on par with the Original Autographs. Otherwise, we have the Lord and the Writers of the NT, making use of an OT Version that is not “Inspired” by the Holy Spirit, but a mere “translation”, and what we have in the Holy Bible, is a mixture of The Word of God, and the words of humans, who in their personal judgement, decided on what words they should use, when translating the Hebrew OT into Greek.