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WHY WAS THE HEBREW OT COPIED IN GREEK?     Few people could speak and even fewer could read in the original Hebrew language after Judah's Babylonian destruction and captivity (600 BC- 70 AD); Koine Greek and Aramaic became the most widely spoken languages among the Jewish communities in the world. The Greek Septuagint was authorized by the Greek Pharaoh (“power to the south”, Daniel 11) to satisfy a need in the Jewish community who were not literate in Hebrew any moreⁱ This Septuagint translation was done by Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt.

We are often amazed at how Masorete scribesⁱⁱ are so strictly devoted in copying their Hebrew text of the “Old Testament.” What we have not been told is that the source text they use at best is traced back only to post Jesus' resurrection and is not the original Hebrew text. In fact, the text used commonly among the world's synagogues during Jesus' ministry was a Greek translation of the original Hebrew.

The Muslims claim that the Bible has been corrupted and that the only pure sacred book is their “unique” Koran. In a certain way they may be right in saying that the Hebrew Old Testament has been corrupted. That is, they may be right if they mean the 3500 year old OT Hebrew writing has changed. The chief complete Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament that is currently in possession of the Masoretes is from only the Middle Ages and is therefore only a thousand years old. Their rabbis admit “improvements” are added, e.g., notations for vowel sounds, (said to be absent in the ancient Hebrew). Also there are certain passages “corrected” that critics say have to do particularly with the prophecies of the coming Christ, the Messiah.ⁱⁱⁱ

Muhammed of the Muslims lived about six centuries after Jesus at about the same time that the original Masorete rabbis assumed the responsibility for the preservation of their copying the Hebrew OT from copies existing in the unbelieving synagogues. The Masoretes rejected the earlier Jewish authorized Greek translation of the OT (LXX) perhaps since it was deemed responsible for the conversion of Jews to Christianity.

TESTIMONY OF JUSTIN MARTYR. In the century following close to the last apostle's death, hundreds of years before the time of the Masoretes, Justin Martyr investigated various Jewish synagogues. Martyr wrote that the Jewish synagogues who had rejected Christ had rejected the then commonly [universally] used Greek translation Septuagint *^iv and “were now tampering with the Hebrew Scriptures themselves.”

MARTYR: “But I am far from putting reliance in your teachers, who refuse to admit that the interpretation made by the seventy elders who were with Ptolemy [king] of the Egyptians is a correct one; and they attempt to frame another. And I wish you to observe, that they have altogether taken away many Scriptures from the translations effected by those seventy elders who were with Ptolemy, and by which this very man [Jesus] who was crucified is proved to have been set forth expressly as God, and man, and as being crucified, and as dying.” ^v Martyr's wrote approximately less than 50 years after the last apostle (John) died.^vi

WHO ARE THE MASORETES? When the devoted Masorete Jews came along, they apparently were resolved to preserve their view of the Hebrew Bible. They apparently inherited a Hebrew textual tradition from the unbelieving Jewish synagogues mentioned by Martyr above and which was corrupted with an anti-Christ bias.

This may have attributed to the Muhammed claims of overall corruption (?) of the Bible. At about Muhammed's time (625-681) (1) Pope Honorius was condemned by the sixth ecumenical council as teaching heretical doctrines of the New Testament.^vii (2)  In addition the collusion of Jerome's Vulgate with the Masoretes for the Roman Church's Latin translation had already happened and did not help any. As a consequence, Muhammed would prevail in his claim that the New Testament was not error free and persuade his followers.

EXAMPLES OF MASORETE CORRUPTIONS.

The New Testament quotes are from the King James Version (KJV, translated from the Greek).

Hebrews 10:4-10 from Psalm 40:6-8, “THE INCARNATION of the Messiah.”

KJV English: Hebrews 10:4-10. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Greek Septuagint's LXX (Brenton's): From Greek Psalm 40:6-8 “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not; but a body hast thou prepared me: whole-burnt-offering and sacrifice for sin thou didst not require. Then I said, Behold, I come: in the volume of the book it is written concerning me, I desired to do thy will, O my God, and thy law in the midst of mine heart.”

Complete Jewish Bible (Masorete's) Psalm 40:7. “You desired neither sacrifice nor meal offering; you dug ears for me”. ????

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Matthew 1:21-23 from Isaiah 7:14, “THE VIRGIN BIRTH”

Matthew 1:23, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Greek Septuagint's LXX (Brenton's) - Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel.”

Complete Jewish Bible Isaiah 7:14, “behold the young woman is with child, and she shall bear a son, and she shall call his name immanuel.”

Note: KJV did this correctly.

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Hebrews 1:6 from Deuteronomy 32:43 “DEITY OF CHRIST”

Hebrews 1:6, “And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.”

Greek Septuagint's LXX (Brenton's) Deuteronomy 32:43, “Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; ”

KJV's Deuteronomy 32:43 (from the Masorete), “Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people:* for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.”

*omits about the angels worshipping Jesus even in the KJV which in some cases is based on the Masorete's Hebrew. Angels can only worship deity.

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Luke 4:18 from Isaiah 61:1, “HEALING THE BLIND”

Luke 4:18 (from the NT Greek), Jesus said He fulfilled the OT prophecy to “proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.”

Greek Septuagint's LXX (Brenton's) Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind.”

KJV; The Hebrew Isaiah 61:1, “... to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” (Omits healing the blind).

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Matthew 12:21, Isaiah 42:4, GENTILES TRUSTING IN HIS NAME

Matthew 12:21 “And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.”

Greek Septuagint's LXX (Brenton's) Isaiah 42:4, “and in his name shall the Gentiles trust.”

KJV, Hebrew copy, Isaiah 42:4, “and the isles shall wait for his law.”

JEROME HAD THE SEPTUAGINT BUT FOR HIS LATIN VERSION CHOSE THE MASORETES FOR THEIR HEBREW COPY. The English translations of the OLD TESTAMENT were either translated from the Latin Vulgate (e.g., Jerome's translation that was based on the early Masorete Hebrew) or directly from the current Masorete Hebrew manuscript. However, it is illustrated how the Masorete Jewish scribes were able to edit Jesus out of many important passages, simply by rejecting one Hebrew text and selecting (or editing) another text from that the synagogues which were using them.

It would seem that the Septuagint (LXX) translation copy is not only far more ancient than the Masoretic Text but the Septuagint is far more accurate as well. It is a more faithful representation of the original Hebrew Scriptures.

Jesus and the apostles were frequently quoting either from the Septuagint or from the original Hebrew text which is not now available, and accorded it full authority as the inspired Word of God.

-- GAYLON WEST           edited by Janie Ward and Mary West