septuagint - Jews for Judaism

Lancelot Brenton's English edition of the Septuagint: Introduction

The following essay is reproduced from Lancelot Brenton's English edition of the Septuagint, first published as The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament, according to the Vatican Text, Translated into English (London: Samuel Bagster, 1844). An Historical Account of the Septuagint Version by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton (1807-1862) The earliest version of the Old Testament Scriptures which is extant, or of which we possess any certain knowledge, is the translation executed at Alexandria

aristeas jewish law

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 15 min read

Chapter 36a - MY FLESH DWELLS IN SAFETY: A RESURRECTION FANTASY

Continued from Chapter 35 (Psalms 16:9-10) My flesh dwells in safety The Masoretic text of Psalms 16:9-10 reads: Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also dwells in safety. For You will not abandon my soul to the netherworld; neither will You allow Your faithful one to see the pit. However, while the Masoretic text renders the Hebrew word spelled shin-vav-hay as “pit” the Septuagint Greek renders it as “corruption,” “decay.” The difference is the result of choosing a

corruption david

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read

Chapter 37b - THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS AND PSALM 22

Continued from Chapter 37a “Like a lion” Although the psalm gives no indication that it is describing this mode of death, Psalm 22 has become, for Christianity, a major source for defining the agony of the crucifixion process.1 In particular, verse 17b [16b in some versions] as found in most Christian Bible translations, is most frequently cited as a prooftext. This despite the fact that there never is any direct citation of this verse in the New Testament. Christians render verse 17b as “th

christian bible new testament

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 5 min read

Chapter 40 - MIXED-UP DRINKS

Continued from Chapter 39 (Psalms 69:22) The Gospel authors often employed scriptural verses out of context in order to support their claim that Jesus is the central theme of the Bible. Sometimes there are subtle contradictions in their respective narrations that show the fictive origins of their assumptions. For example, Psalms 69:22 (verse 21 in some versions) states: “They put poison into my food; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Ignoring context and word meanings Matthew writ

gall gospel

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 2 min read

Chapter 18e - THE VIRGIN MISCONCEPTION MYTH

Continued from Chapter 18d ‘Almah The Christian understanding of the scriptural uses of ‘almah is usually governed by the attempt to prove that the word means virgin in Isaiah 7:14. Christians attempt to translate this verse in the Hebrew text to conform to the way Matthew used the Greek Isaiah 7:14 as a reference to a virgin conception. Of the relevant scriptural verses where ‘almah is used, Genesis 24:43, Exodus 2:8, Isaiah 7:14, Psalms 68:26, Proverbs 30:19, Song of Songs 1:3, 6:8, only th

almah na'arah

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 4 min read

Chapter 18h - THE VIRGIN MISCONCEPTION MYTH

Continued from Chapter 18g Why does the Septuagint use parthenos? The Hebrew phrase ha-‘almah harah ve-yoledet ben literally rendered is “the ‘almah pregnant and shall bear a son.” Wanting to indicate that the ‘almah, “young woman,” was still a betulah, “virgin,” at the time of the annunciation of the prophecy, the translator into Greek must have decided to render the term ‘almah as parthenos. The complete verse rendered from the Masoretic text reads: “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give y

almah parthenos

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 2 min read

Chapter 18i - THE VIRGIN MISCONCEPTION MYTH

Continued from Chapter 18h The untenable Christian claim The virgin conception story cannot gain any substantiation through reference to the Jewish Scriptures or by appealing to their Greek translation. Isaiah 7:14 appears to be Matthew’s biblical justification for claiming a virgin conception, but it was not the source of the belief (even the author of Luke presents the virgin conception without reference to this verse). The belief originated in the pagan notion that divine conception occur

almah isaiah 7:14

Zalman Kravitz

Jun 4, 2025 — 3 min read