Does the Septuagint have authority for the church today?
Numerous scholars have explored what the Septuagint is and its history and uses, but less scholarship has engaged with the ways it exercises authority within the Christian tradition. In the first multicontributor volume of its kind, biblical scholars Greg Lanier and Will Ross bring together experts from a variety of disciplines to explore the nature of the Septuagint's authority over the ages.
Discover fresh insights from experts across disciplines—including Old Testament, New Testament, patristics, systematic theology, historical theology, and more—into whether and how the Septuagint holds authority for today’s church. With clarity and depth, this helpful addition to Septuagint studies will expand the conversation of how Christians should understand the Septuagint both in the academy and in the church.
This book seeks:
- To explore the "authority" question from multiple perspectives.
- To examine how the early church, Reformers, and systematic (Protestant and Catholic) theologians view the Septuagint.
- To disentangle the NT's frequent use of the Septuagint from its perceived status as authoritative or "canonical".
Whether you're a scholar, theologian, pastor, or seminary student, The Authority of the Septuagint is an invitation to engage with the Septuagint, its history, and its significance for the church today.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. The Question of Old Testament Canon
3. The Question of the Old Testament Text
4. A New Testament Approach
5. A Patristic-Historical Approach
6. A Reformation-Historical Approach
Excursus "Kept Pure in All Ages"?
7. A Systematic-Theological Approach
Excursus The Septuagint and "Confessional Bibliology"
8. A Roman Catholic Approach
9. Synthesis: The Septuagint and Authority
Afterword
Bibliography
Contributors
General Index
Scripture Index
Ancient Texts Index
About the Author :
William A. Ross (PhD, University of Cambridge) is associate professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte). He specializes in the Septuagint and Hebrew Bible textual history, as well as lexicography and the history of biblical philology.
Gregory R. Lanier (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando). He also serves as the academic dean of RTS Global. He specializes in the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament, early Christology, textual criticism, and the Septuagint.
J. V. Fesko (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Harriet Barbour Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. He initially served as a church planter from 1998 until 2004 when the church particularized and called him as their pastor. He served as pastor of Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church from 2004 until 2009 when he was called to serve as Academic Dean and Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Westminster Seminary California until June of 2019. Dr. Fesko's research interests include the integration of biblical and systematic theology, soteriology, and early modern Reformed theology.
Daniel J. Treier (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is Blanchard Professor of Theology at Wheaton College. He is the coeditor of nine books and author of three, including Virtue and the Voice of God and Introducing TheologicalInterpretation of Scripture.
Review :
"Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross have gathered an impressive group of scholars to help them, in their words, push the ball further down the field than their previous volume, The Septuagint. Their primary question is 'What is the authority of the Septuagint?' They recruit Patristic, Reformation, and Old and New Testament scholars, systematic theologians, and even a Roman Catholic to offer a distinct perspective on this explicitly Protestant Reformer endeavor. The results are fascinating! Anyone who reads this book will gain confidence in the inspired word of God and, at the same time, better understand and appreciate the Septuagint within its proper boundaries. Enjoy the discussion."
Dave Briones, associate professor at Westminster Seminary California and author of Paul's Financial Policy
"Students and parishioners are increasingly becoming aware that some New Testament authors grounded their claims concerning Jesus and the Christian mission in an Old Testament that diverges from our own at some important junctures. This inevitablyleads to questions concerning both the authority of a Greek Bible alongside the Hebrew Scriptures and the legitimacy of these New Testament authors' interpretative claims. We now have an important collection of essays by theologians of the highest caliber to help us all wrestle with precisely these difficult issues. Highly recommended!"
David A. deSilva, trustees' distinguished professor of New Testament at Ashland Theological Seminary and author of Introducing the Apocrypha
"Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross arranged an excellent collection of essays on a fascinating topic. With the humility and nuance necessary for such a discussion, the volume gives us the opportunity to explore a question that ancient and modern believers have wrestled with—what authority might the Greek versions of the Hebrew Bible have in the life of the church?"
Andrew T. Abernethy, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and author of Savoring Scripture
"Modern scholarship has largely neglected a question that Christians have long wrestled with: What authority does the Greek Bible have for the church? Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross have put together an outstanding collection of essays thatthoughtfully addresses this important question. Written with scholarly depth and integrating a variety of disciplines, this fascinating book advances the conversation in meaningful ways and serves as an invaluable guide for Christians reflecting onthe significance of the Septuagint for the church today."
Benjamin J. Noonan, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Columbia International University
