The Authority of the Septuagint: Biblical, Historical, and Theological Approaches

by William Alexander Ross (Editor), Gregory Ryan Lanier (editor), Karen H. Jobes (afterword)

Does the Septuagint have authority for the church today?

Numerous scholars have explored what the Septuagint is and its history and uses, but less scholarship has engaged with the ways it exercises authority within the Christian tradition. In the first multicontributor volume of its kind, biblical scholars Greg Lanier and Will Ross bring together experts from a variety of disciplines to explore the nature of the Septuagint's authority over the ages.

Discover fresh insights from experts across disciplines—including Old Testament, New Testament, patristics, systematic theology, historical theology, and more—into whether and how the Septuagint holds authority for today’s church. With clarity and depth, this helpful addition to Septuagint studies will expand the conversation of how Christians should understand the Septuagint both in the academy and in the church.

This book

To explore the "authority" question from multiple perspectives.To examine how the early church, Reformers, and systematic (Protestant and Catholic) theologians view the Septuagint.To disentangle the NT's frequent use of the Septuagint from its perceived status as authoritative or "canonical".Whether you're a scholar, theologian, pastor, or seminary student, The Authority of the Septuagint is an invitation to engage with the Septuagint, its history, and its significance for the church today.

296 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2025

Reviews

[JonM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book filled with highly illuminating essays. In fact, every essay is great, easy to follow, and more helpful than the majority of books on the subject.

Although the majority of scholarship is Protestant, the final chapters are topped off with essays by one Roman Catholic scholar, one Eastern Orthodox scholar, and one renowned (and retired) LXX scholar.

I really wanted to give this book five stars. If there was an option for 4.5 stars, I'd elevate it to that. However, not one scholar touched upon the well known evidence showing that the Massoretes altered many portions of their texts after 70CE. (This is particularly evident in the Masorah Parvah of Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel.) The closest reference I noticed was to the MT mss containing kethiv-qere, but that was just pointing out the general relevance of Hebrew variants contrary to outdated KJV-only and confessionally Reformed polemics.) It seemed to me that post-70CE Massoretes editing their manuscript tradition (especially areas related to early christology and eschatology) was not on their radar at all, or a matter too controversial to bring into the light at all. For this reason, I'm only giving it 4 stars.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interest in the Septuagint, that collection of Greek versions of Old Testament and apocryphal texts, has expanded over the last half-century. The focus initially was on text-critical issues for the purpose of translation. But as more and more scholars have committed themselves to the study of this body of literature, so has the interest grown in areas beyond that of the Greek text in relation to the Hebrew. This book, as the title indicates, deals with the question of the authority of the Septuagint. Does it have authority in the church? If so, what kind of authority does it have? If not, why not? There will be more to come on this area of theological discussion, but this is a useful introduction to the issues. Recommended for the biblical scholar and pastor who are interested in the area. Most lay people would probably find it over their heads.

[Cbarrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of essays (favorites being the patristic and reformation historic approaches), and it is always good to see the contribution of Mark Ward. Lanier and Ross are doing excellent work in drawing attention to the Septuagint and considering the subject from biblical, historical, and theological perspectives in one volume is a gift. All chapters are informative and thought-provoking.

[Jason D Gudim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent volume, and tremendously helpful for me as a teacher of hermeneutics. Not every chapter was directly applicable to my situation, but that doesn't diminish its value as a resource. I'm incredibly grateful for the work that was put into it, and it will be a volume I return to frequently as I teach on this topic.

[Timothy Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful insights on a thorny question of the LXX's authority.