Hebrews and the resiliant LXX (F.Till)
Matthew Bell mbkbell@aapi.co.uk
Mon, 27 Apr 1998 12:55:04 +0100 (00893696104, 19980427115714031.AAA1045@mbell.aapi.co.uk)
> TILL
> For Matt's benefit, let's look at the Masoretic reading of Genesis 5:24:
> "And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him."
>
> However, the Hebrew writer said, "By faith Enoch was translated that he
> should not see death, and he was not found, because God translated him,
for
> he had had witness borne to him that he had been well-pleasing to God."
>
> This is how the Septuagint version of Genesis 5:24 reads, "And Enoch was
> well-pleasing to God, and was not found, because God translated him."
>
> The Masoretic text says nothing about Enoch's having been "well-pleasing
to
> God" or having been "translated"; it merely says that Enoch "walked with
> God" and "was not, for God took him."
>
> Which version then is more likely the one that the writer of Hebrews was
> referring to?
>
> Furthermore, Philo referred to Enoch's translation too. On page 413 of
my
> edition (cited in an earlier posting), he said that of Enoch the
following
> statement is made, "that Enoch pleased God, and was not found, because
God
> transported him." Since I don't have a Greek version of the works of
Philo,
> I can't say if the word that he used for "transported" is the same that
the
> Septuagint used for "translated." The Hebrew writer, however, used the
> Greek word "metatithemi," which Strong (#3345) defines as "transfer"
> "transport," "change," "remove," or "translate." It seems likely then
that
> Philo used this same word, which would indicate that his quotation, which
is
> parallel in all other respects, is from the Septuagint. Regardless, the
> Septuagint does use the word that the Hebrew writer used in reference to
> Enoch's "translation." Is this just an odd coincidence, or is it an
> indication that the Hebrew writer relied on the Septuagint (which didn't
> exist yet, of course).
MATT BELL
Well, as I have already stated and accepted a BC Pentateuch (Genesis to
Dueteronomy) did exist. Can you post some extra-Pentatuechal references
from Philo?
Thanks
Matt Bell