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The Septuagint in Context: Introduction to the Greek Version of the Bible
This text deals with the origins of the Septuagint, the first translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek. It discusses its linguistic and cultural frame and its relation to the hebrew text and to the Qumran documents. It includes the early revisions and the Christian recensions as well as other issues such as the relation of the Septuagint to Hellenism, to the New Testament and to early Christian literature.
- GenresBiblical StudiesHistory
412 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 16, 2011
In this Introduction, Fernandez Marcos mainly provides a historigraphical and bibliographical overview, surveying the field of Septuagint (LXX) studies and where it stood at the time of this book's publication. In this, the introduction does provide a wide array of scholarly approaches and attitudes, and stands as a handy reference for those interested in the textual history, transmissions, and editorial problems surrounding the LXX.
Notably, this book was originally in Spanish in 1979 (Madrid), as Introducción a las Versiones Griegas de la Biblia, and was revised as a second edition in 1998. The difference in the titles is unfortunate, however, as the original Spanish title at least presents the Greek versions as a plurality rather than a single text. Yet, in the English title and throughout the book, the sense of singularity and plurality in text is a confused one. It is often not clear whether Fernandez Marcos intends to make a specific claim for the LXX as a whole or only the initial Pentateuch translation. Indeed, a lack of clarity pervades this study, as words like "version" and "text" (singular) are used throughout, at the same time that the author tries to stress the multiplicity of texts and variants within the Greek versions. Furthermore, Fernandez Marcos continually moves between the terms LXX (Septuagint) and Greek translations without distinguishing; this, to me, is an error of simplification, considering the fact that there were Greek translations before the revisions and codifications into a single text as it became accepted in Christianity. All of these issues--mainly centered around the constant need to remember the plurality and complexity of the myriad texts of Greek translations of the Bible--could be clearer for the reader.
The "Context" of the title also gives pause for the reader. What one might expect is the goal of setting the Greek translations into the socio-historical milieu within which they emerged, but this is not the case. Instead, the "context" here seems to be the traditions of scholarship that have grown up around studying the Greek translations. In this, the book is a compendium of bibliographic information, and provides helpful reviews of the various theories that have been proposed. Unfortunately, all of this discussion focuses on textual approaches, rather than any surrounding issues (e.g. Second Temple Judaism, the Greco-Roman world, history, politics, religions, etc.).
Setting aside these criticisms, it must be admitted that what Fernandez Marcos presents is a solid work of scholarship that should be valued for what it is: a useful introduction to the various scholarly attitudes to the Greek translations of the Bible. In this, the book deserves its place as a reference tool for all scholars interested in this field.
Notably, this book was originally in Spanish in 1979 (Madrid), as Introducción a las Versiones Griegas de la Biblia, and was revised as a second edition in 1998. The difference in the titles is unfortunate, however, as the original Spanish title at least presents the Greek versions as a plurality rather than a single text. Yet, in the English title and throughout the book, the sense of singularity and plurality in text is a confused one. It is often not clear whether Fernandez Marcos intends to make a specific claim for the LXX as a whole or only the initial Pentateuch translation. Indeed, a lack of clarity pervades this study, as words like "version" and "text" (singular) are used throughout, at the same time that the author tries to stress the multiplicity of texts and variants within the Greek versions. Furthermore, Fernandez Marcos continually moves between the terms LXX (Septuagint) and Greek translations without distinguishing; this, to me, is an error of simplification, considering the fact that there were Greek translations before the revisions and codifications into a single text as it became accepted in Christianity. All of these issues--mainly centered around the constant need to remember the plurality and complexity of the myriad texts of Greek translations of the Bible--could be clearer for the reader.
The "Context" of the title also gives pause for the reader. What one might expect is the goal of setting the Greek translations into the socio-historical milieu within which they emerged, but this is not the case. Instead, the "context" here seems to be the traditions of scholarship that have grown up around studying the Greek translations. In this, the book is a compendium of bibliographic information, and provides helpful reviews of the various theories that have been proposed. Unfortunately, all of this discussion focuses on textual approaches, rather than any surrounding issues (e.g. Second Temple Judaism, the Greco-Roman world, history, politics, religions, etc.).
Setting aside these criticisms, it must be admitted that what Fernandez Marcos presents is a solid work of scholarship that should be valued for what it is: a useful introduction to the various scholarly attitudes to the Greek translations of the Bible. In this, the book deserves its place as a reference tool for all scholars interested in this field.
October 26, 2019
Rather than being an introduction, this resource on the LXX assumes a lot of prior knowledge. If you’re interested in Septuagintal studies, this serves as a good resource after you’ve read an actual introduction (of which my favorite is Invitation to the Septuagint by Jones and Silva).
March 10, 2022
Helpful, but probably better used as a reference book (like an encyclopedia-lite) than as an introductory read-through. This kind of book is hard to write but I sense that we get less a picture of the LXX itself here than an account of what people have said about it. The translation in the 2000 edition could use a decent amount of revising.
August 20, 2024
Great introduction to the Septuagint within its various contexts and areas of LXX research. With that, some chapters were more and some chapters were less interesting. But great overall, Marcos is brilliant.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews