Expert: Messianic Rabbi Yochanan Levine - 4/21/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I have several linking questions but first of all, I want to ask, "Did Jesus ever make any reference or quote the Septuagint?"

Tetiaroa

ANSWER: Hi Tetiaroa,

Jesus never mentioned the Septuagint by name (as far as we know) but he did live in a heavily Helenized (Greek dominated) culture and so it is likely that he studied it even though his daily language was probably Aramaic.

A related question (and possibly what causes you to ask this) is why certain of the quotes attributed to him in the New Testament differ from those found in the Hebrew Scriptures. These probably have more to do with subsequent translations and editing of the New Testament than they do with his possible citing of Septuagint translations.

As with many things, this is debatable.

Hope this helps,
~ John of AllFaith

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Tobit 7:17 "Lord of Heaven" as title of God does not appear explicitly in Hebrew text but common in Septuagint. Does this mean that Jesus never cited the Septuagint in Luke 10:21 and Matthew 11:25?



ANSWER: Hi again,

First, the book of Tobit is considered apocryphal (supplemental) rather than canonical (officially sanctioned).

Second, God is specifically and directly referenced throughout the Hebrew text. The Divine Name YHVH is THE most common name in the Bible. The Jews believed the Name was so holy that when they came upon it instead of pronouncing it aloud they read "HaShem" or "the Name" or "Adonay" or the LORD. Most English Bibles replace the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) with "LORD" etc. to preserve this tradition.

The Name is found in a few verses in English translations:
Exodus 6  
1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shall you see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
2 And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH [a transliteration of Yod He Vav He or YHVH) was I not known to them.

Third, the exact phrase may not be but the description certainly is. Y'shua is cited in Koine Greek as saying "Kurios" or "Supreme Lord" of "Ouran" or the heavens. This is a very Hebrew idea aside from its possible Pagan connotations:

Genesis 24  
1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray you, your hand under my thigh:
3 And I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:


Ezra 1  
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

etc.

Just to be clear, I'm not one of those who believes the New Testament we have today is a perfect rendering of the words they quote. The New Testament cannon was not composed in its final form until 300 years after Y'shua's death and the versions of the copies of these varies somewhat. Whatever the source materials of the Gospels and other NT books, their present forms have clearly been altered in many places and reflect the views, beliefs and agendas of the Vatican that canonized them.

May I ask, what is the reason for your interest in Y'shua's possible use of the Septuagint?

It was done between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE in Alexandria and was, by his time, widely used.

~ John of AllFaith

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The Golden Rule and Silver Rule only found in Tobit 4:15 "Do to no one what you yourself dislike…" and Sirach 31:15 "Recognize that your neighbor feels as you do, and keep in mind your own dislikes..."
Does this mean that Jesus never cited them in Luke 6:31 and Matthew "...Do to others as you would have them do to you..."?

You asked my reason for my interest in Y'shua's possible use of the Septuagint. As I mentioned, I have several linking questions and my reason will be understood after my questions have been answered. You haven’t really answered my question yet.


Answer
Hi,

The so-called Golden Rule is found in practically all religions, including Judaism (Y'shua's religion) in many different forms:

For instance,
Leviticus 19:18: You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD.

And again,
Talmud, Shabbat 31a: "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary."

I have nothing against the Book Tobit, but this isn't evidence of that as the source for Y'shua's teachings.

You: You haven’t really answered my question yet.

JoA: I believe I have answered your question. To my knowledge Y'shua never directly quoted the Septuagint version of the Tanakh. Tobit has never been included within the Tanakh as canonical by ancient Judaism and to my knowledge Y'shua never referenced it directly or indirectly.

The reason for my question about your intentions was to know how to be more helpful to your research.

The New Testament as I said is partly the product of the Vatican and its teachings. There were several books accepted by the Vatican that were neither used nor accepted by the Jews including the Jew we call Jesus.

The Septuagint is an important supplement to the Masoretic Text but the latter always takes precedence when a precedence must be made.