In Search of the "Theology of the Septuagint": Methodological Aspects

Abstract

The article deals with the “theology of the Septuagint” as compared with other factors that caused the difference between the Hebrew and the Greek texts of the Old Testament. The author's position is that we should speak about theologically motivated exegesis only when other, simpler, explanations fail. Different factors that may have influenced the change of meaning between the Hebrew and the Greek Bible are classified into five groups: changes in the Hebrew text prior to the translation; changes in the Hebrew semantics/exegesis prior to the translation; changes of meaning in the process of translation; changes in the Greek text after the translation; changes in the Greek semantics/exegesis after the translation.