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111 of 119 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"JAVAN IN THE HOUSE OF SHEM:" A MUST-HAVE FOR ALL CHRISTIANS, September 22, 2002
Javan was the forefather of the Greeks, just as Shem is the ancestor of the Semitic peoples, among these the Jews. This work, begun in 275 B.C. by a group of seventy rabbis, represents the union of two cultures that forever changed history. The Work of the Seventy, or THE SEPTUAGINT, is a watershed in Jewish history and critical in the formation of the Christian Church. The Septuagint allowed those with little or no knowledge of the Hebrew language or Judaic culture to read the prophecies and history that form the foundation of the Christian message, allowing its spread throughout the empire. In addition, much study has shown that the authors of the New Testament either allude to or quote directly from the Septuagint -a survey look at St. Paul's epistles will confirm this. Furthermore, Christian apologists since the Apostolic Fathers have used the Septuagint in defense of the Christian faith, such as Isaiah 7:14 on the Virgin Birth, where the Hebrew word "almah" -which means "maiden" or "virgin"- is translated into greek as "parthenon" which means "virgin" almost exclusively. (In fact, the Old Testament uses both "maiden" and "virgin" interchangeably, not always referring to a woman who has not had relations; this is a subject of continuing debate). As such, the Septuagint has played a critical part in the history and development of the Church and its theology (it is the Bible used by the Orthodox Church to this day). This edition of the Septuagint is among the best currently available, providing the Greek text alongside the 1851 English translation. This is NOT an interlinear; there is no English under the Greek sentences. The binding is beautiful and strong, capable of withstanding one's constant use (hopefully you'll use it avidly!). This LXX unfortunately sets the Apocrypha apart from the main body of the Scriptures, but this compromise is not a significant problem, as their inclusion allows for personal study among Christians throughout the theological and denominational spectrum. In regards to the debate over the so-called "exclusion" of the tetragrammaton, this is a blatant demonstration of sectarian propaganda: "KYRIOS" and THEOS were used by the translators of the Septuagint according to the Jewish tradition on the Nomen Sacrum of Yahweh, referred to this day by Jews as Adonai or Elohim- His name is too holy for common use: not in an effort to confound the Father with the Son, but to show proper respect to God. The only confounding is done by anti-Trinitarians, in their efforts to claim a conspiracy of sorts that elevated Christ to Deity. The presence or absence of the Divine Name does not affect the meaning of the texts in the Septuagint as much as sectarian intrigue does; such complaints therefore have no credibility. All in all, this is a highly recommended book, and a must-have for any Bible reference set. ENJOY!
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