Biblical Hebrew Forum

[shella <shella AT cswnet.com>]

Dear Brothers and Sisters and friends, let me note that there seems to be some
questions around the Great Assembly and its Canonization of the original 
Hebrew Old
Testament Text.  There are related questions also about the Hebrew's first 
translation
of this Text into other languages in general and the Greek in particular.  
Therefore,
it may be best for me to slow down and deal wit these two points in greater 
details.
The majority of my quotations will come from The Jewish Encyclopedia, a multi 
volume
set original gathered under Isidore Singer's Managing editorship and 
published near
1905 by Funk and Wagnalls.  This entire set has been published later, 
sometime near
the 1960s I believe by KTAV publishing House, Inc.  This set and also Louis 
Israel
Newman's Jewish INfluence on Christian Reform Movements, published in New 
York by
Columbia University Press, 1925, are both standard Jewish works.  There are 
two
Christian works which I feel are worthy of being considered,  Thomas H. 
Horne's An
INtroduction of the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, in 
several
volumes, my edition is from the 1839 edition.  Baker Book House republished 
it in
1970.  Also the Jewish Encyclopedia quotes from Henry Barclay Swete's An 
Introduction
to The Old Testament in Greek, published near 1900s.  My copy is from the 
Hendrickson
edition of 1989.

Therefore, there are two Hebrew Jewish and two Christian testimonies as to 
these
matters which I shall use.

Let me ask this, would it be better for me to scan these articles from The 
Jewish
Encyclopedia and these other works?  It will take me more time, but I will be 
happy to
do this if many of you feel this will be better.  Please let me know.

First note this point:


> 1.  The ancient Hebrew Text finalized by the members of the Great Assembly
> under Ezra, did in fact become translated into the Greek text known as the
> LXX.  This translation began with the Pentateuch and later continued with
> the other different Hebrew books as they became validated by the Hebrews in
> and around Jerusalem and then sent to Alexandria.  The complete LXX does
> seem to have existed by about the year 135 B C.

The Ancient Hebrew Canon and its canonization by the members of the Great 
Assembly or
Synagogue may be a good starting place.  I assumed that those on the B-Hebrew 
list
fellowship were in agreement with me on this point. Please do forgive my 
assumption. I
will try to give more evidence on this point.  Let me know if you want me to 
scan in
from The Jewish Encyclopedia.  Debtor, Ron.
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