Quick Book Review: Translation of the Seventy by Edmon L. Gallagher

My last book review of  The Septuagint: What It Is and Why It Matters really whet my appetite for more history on the Septuagint. I dug deeper and found Edmon L. Gallagher's, Translation of the Seventy. It was a true delight to read, or maybe devour is a better way of putting it. 

Though still an introduction to the Septuagint (LXX), this work delves deeper into the many issues that surround the LXX. 

The book is written in three sections:

I. Starting points - The reader is introduced to the LXX, its origins and why its important.

II. Canon and Text in Early Judaism and Earliest Christianity - In this section Gallagher begins to go deep. Most interesting here is how the biblical canon affected the growth of the LXX. 

III. The Text of the Septuagint among the Fathers - What is most intriguing in this section is the roles that Jerome and Augustine played in the history of the LXX.

I've only highlighted some aspects of the work, there is far more the reader will find of interest within its pages.  If church history, text criticism, early Judaism, early Christianity, are your interests or field of study this book is for you.

This work extremely insightful and helpful in gaining a greater understanding of the Septuagint.

There are paid links in this post.

Book Review: The Septuagint: What It Is and Why It Matters by Gregory Lanier and William A. Ross

If your latest field of study, like mine, is New Testament textual criticism you'll likely come across references to the The Septuagint. Like many Christians I had this rather amorphous idea of what it is. It finally came to the point that I had to investigate what it is and where it came from and why it is important. This is where The Septuagint: What It Is and Why It Matters by Lanier and Ross comes in.

The authors do a fine job of revealing what it is, where it came from and why it mattered in history and still does today. Written in clear language for the layman it proved to be a concise introduction to The Septuagint. 

Broken down into to two parts, the work explains the history and development of The Septuagint and in part two, why it still matters today. There are many misconceptions about it and that are laid out clearly by the authors. Definitions are frequent allowing the reader to better understand the text. I would even suggest heading directly to the appendix that answers many key questions and will allow the reader a head start comprehending the subject matter.

A quick look at the table of contents is revealing

Part 1 What Is the Septuagint? 

1 What (If Anything) Is the So-Called Septuagint? 

2 Who and Where Did the Greek Old Testament Come From? 

3 How Was the Greek Old Testament Translated? 

4 How Did the Greek Old Testament Develop? 

Part 2 Why Does It Matter?

(William A. Ross; Greg Lanier. The Septuagint (Kindle Locations 108-115). Crossway. )

Would I recommend this book? Most assuredly! It is instructive and an eye opener. The reader will be pleased with this excellent starting point in this field.

Click below to learn more about the authors. 

William A. Ross  and Greg Lanier

Crossway has graciously provided a copy of this book. Thoughts and opinions are my own. There are paid links on this page.

 

Want to go further? Check out Edmon Gallagher's book, Translation of the Seventy: History, Reception, and Contemporary Uses of the Septuagint.