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  • From: "Rolf Furuli" <furuli AT online.no>
  • To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Septuagint vs Hebrew, effect on Christianity
  • Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 06:36:38 +0100

Dear Bryant,

When my students read the Masoretic text aloud, I teach them to read YHWH as )DNY and )LHYM, depending on the Masoretic vowels. In translations of the text I tell them to choose the form they like. The question is how old this custom of substituting YHWH with other words is. My point was that the traditional viewpoints that this happened long before the C.E. have several weaknesses. Some groups ceased to use the name and others continued to use it.

When you refer to the translation KURIOS in the LXX, please remember that this is based on LXX manuscripts from the second century C.E. and later. The fact is that all the oldest fragments of the LXX (or LXX-like texts) that we have do not use KURIOS. Therefore, the evidence suggests that the original LXX did not substitute YHWH with KURIOS.


Best regards,

Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo


----- Original Message ----- From: "Bryant J. Williams III" <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net>
To: "Rolf Furuli" <furuli AT online.no>; <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 11:12 PM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Septuagint vs Hebrew, effect on Christianity


Dear Rolf,

When taking beginning Hebrew classes in seminary, we were told that when one
came across YHWH in the reading of the text one was to "say" "adonai." This
was done because the Jews, in not pronouncing the name, just substituted
"orally" with adonai. Thus, the substitution of adonai for YHWH was supposed
to be from early on according to the Masoretic pointing.

Second, comparing the text of Exodus 3:15 has the LXX, translating QEOS for
ELOHIM and KURIOS for YHWH. In fact the text says, "KURIOS hO QEOS" for
"YHWH Elohey."See NIV Triglot Old Testament, Introduction by John R.
Kohlenberger III, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981.

Where Kurios for YHWH is found I would also take a look at Exodus 4:4, 6,
10, 11 (KURIE for ADONAI also). There are other examples, but I think that
the texts speak clearly that KURIOS translated both ADONAI and YHWH; QEOS
translated EL, ELOHEY, ELOHIM, etc. It is also interesting to see Ezekiel
use ADONAI YHWH being translated by KURIOS. It is not possible to say
whether KURIOS is translating ADONAI or YHWH or both. In 4:14, the vocative
is used KURIE QEE for ADONAI YHWH.

There is much that we do not know about the transmission of the LXX text
other than it is extremely mixed. We do know that the Law of Moses was
translated by the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus and was well done, but it
became progressively mixed or worse when the rest of the Tanakh was
translated (though it does seem to have been finished by the middle of the
2nd century BCE). I would be very hesitant to postulate anything about how
provenance of the text before or early into the Christian era. In fact, for
its 22 pages of text, Kohlenberger's Introduction of the NIV Triglot Old
Testament is very good. Beyond that we do not have enough information.

En Xristwi,

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III








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