Talk:Septuagint

Composition/Canonical Differences

Although the given source https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13432-septuagint#anchor3 says that that LLX “shows at times a peculiar ignorance of Hebrew usage” this source gives no example. The example used in the article עַלְמָה‎ <-> παρθένος appears to me inept, by which I mean wrong (See e.g. https://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/lsj/#eid=82029&context=lsj on semantic range of παρθένος). The source cited for the example (Sweeney 1996) is discussing NT understanding, not the fitness of the Septuagint translation, in the passage cited.

Best fix I can offer is just to remove the example?

mixed up accounts

"The full title ... derives from the story recorded in the Letter of Aristeas that the Hebrew Torah was translated into Greek at the request of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–247 BCE) by 70 Jewish scholars or, according to later tradition, 72: six scholars from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, who independently produced identical translations. The miraculous character of the Aristeas legend might indicate the esteem and disdain in which the translation was held at the time"

– I believe that two different accounts are here mixed up. It is the Letter of Aristeas, not the "later tradition", that told of six scholars from each of the 12 tribes. Conversely, it is the Talmud (Megillah 9a), not Aristeas, that told the miraculous story of each scholar identically producing the same translation. Aristeas says the opposite: "So they set to work comparing their several results and making them agree, and whatever they agreed upon was suitably copied out under the direction of Demetrius." So this part of the article needs to be revised with one or more good sources. Zero^talk 09:56, 25 February 2022 (UTC)

Groups of books given in "Textual history"

Are the groups of books given in Septuagint § Textual history actually derived from manuscripts of the Septuagint, or are they an editorial addition by Wikipedia editors?

Many other language articles, including the Greek, don't include them, although the English and Russian articles do. However, the Russian and English lists aren't identical and the headings differ. The English list seems to be missing the Book of Odes, for some reason only listing the Prayer of Manasseh, and uses the heading "Wisdom" where the Russian uses "Didactic" (учительные) and "Poetic" (поэтические).

If these headings are in the manuscripts, do the referenced citations support this? If so, this should be made clearer. It would also help to provide the Greek being translated here. If they are not in the manuscripts, then I think they're misleading since they lead the reader to project an anachronistic interpretation onto the list. – Scyrme (talk) 21:18, 6 May 2022 (UTC)

Hebrew Forgery

It appears that the "historical account" is false, that the text was translated from Hebrew into Greek. Especially, given that the Greek translation is highly specific to the culture of third century Greece; which can be cross referenced with a lexicon. 72 Jewish scribes might be hard pressed to even find a 12-letter word for anything, let alone for an "archi-techton," a director of works in Athens, or a Dionysian commissioner of works, author, contrivor, master-builder or chief-artificer. Indeed, the best Hebrew scribes could offer in this regard was a person's name "Charashim", as vague as Mr. Carmichael. 199.204.39.41 (talk) 10:06, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

That may "appear" to you, but to no-one else. Johnbod (talk) 12:39, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

The Dead Sea Scrolls have confirmed that many of the books included in the Septuagint were originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic, aligning with the traditional Jewish texts. -- 72.177.105.139 (talk) 72.177.105.139 (talk) 19:27, 22 July 2024 (UTC)

Since the dead sea scrolls is the younger text there is no confirmation at all.

This article needs to clarify that the oldest written text is in Greek.

Further on there may need to be a clarification that Hebrew was a super dead language (as in no Hebrew texts discovered prior to the Greek) and a very primitive one at that, with a very limited simpleton vocabulary. 95.194.195.104 (talk) 17:00, 27 August 2024 (UTC)

Clarification is necessary

This article needs to clarify that: 1) this is the oldest known scripture of the Old Testament 2) there is no hebrew old testament scientifically known prior to this text.

in other words anyone reading this article needs to be informed that the oldest religious scripture is greek. No text superceedes that. 95.194.195.104 (talk) 16:52, 27 August 2024 (UTC)

The Septuagint is a translation into Greek of writings in Hebrew, therefore, the writings in Hebrew were created before the writings translated into Greek.--Rafaelosornio (talk) 18:00, 27 August 2024 (UTC)