Septuagint's Solomon and the Testament of Solomon

Septuagint's Solomon and the Testament of Solomon

Author: Scriptural Research Institute

Publisher: Scriptural Research Institute

Published: 2020-07-07

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 1989852408

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King Solomon is arguably the most famous of all ancient Israelite kings, with several books in the Septuagint dedicated to him, or about him, or even by him, yet, to date, no archeological evidence for his life has been found. Additionally, the Testament of Solomon has survived from the Second Temple era which displays another side of King Solomon. The lifetime of King Solomon falls during the Third Intermediate Period (dark age) in Egyptian history, and therefore are no records of Solomon within the very limited Egyptian records from the time. Egyptologists believe the Kingdom of Egypt collapsed at the beginning of the time period, and by the time that Solomon would have lived, in the early-9th century BC, the king of Egypt only controlled the northern region, while the rest of Egypt was under the rule of the High Priest of Amen (Amun). The various books associated with Solomon that made it into the Septuagint, include 3rd Kingdoms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom of Solomon, and Psalms of Solomon, als of which have been retranslated into modern English. The first book in this collection is 3rd Kingdoms, which tells the life of Solomon, likely from Ezra the Scribe's perspective, 500 years later. The book likely dates to before the reign of King Josiah, circa 700 BC, but is believed to have been redacted by Ezra the Scribe, or someone else in his era. The second book, Proverbs, also called Proverbs of Solomon, is generally attributed to King Solomon, who is explicitly referred to as the author of some of the proverbs. A number proverbs are known to have been copied from older collections of proverbs, most notably the Wisdom of Amenemope, which was apparently written by Amenemope son of Kanakht sometime before Pharaoh Akhenaten, circa 1350 BC. The third book, Ecclesiastes is generally also attributed to King Solomon, however, he is not mentioned anywhere by name. The idea that King Solomon was the author, is found in the introduction to the text. At some point before the Greek translation was made, someone added an introduction and conclusion to the text, in which the author is described as being the 'son of David,' and a 'King in Jerusalem.' The fourth book, Song of Songs, also called the Song of Solomon, is a song about King Solomon theoretically written in his time, circa 950 BC. The book does not list its author, but it was clearly written by a woman in love with Solomon. She is believed to have been referring to herself as a Shulamite in chapter 7, which suggests she was Abishag the Shulamite, King David's youngest concubine. The fifth book, Wisdom of Solomon was added to the Septuagint sometime between 250 and 132 BC, and while it was traditionally attributed to King Solomon, today scholars generally believed to have been composed in Greek, shortly before it was added to the Septuagint. The Wisdom of Solomon itself appears to have been redacted before the Greek translation, as the first half is about the spirit of wisdom, Sophia in Greek, who is credited with actually doing most of what the Lord (Iaw/Yahweh) was credited with doing in the Septuagint and Masoretic Texts, however, this changes abruptly to crediting the Lord in chapter 11, and Sophia disappeared entirely from the rest of the book. The sixth book, Psalms of Solomon, is also called Psalms of Salomon in many of the surviving manuscripts, although it is not clear why. At this time, it is universally agreed that the Psalms of Solomon is a pre-Christian work, as early Christian writers referred to it even though it is clearly not about the life of Jesus as described in the gospels. The seventh book, Testament of Solomon, was widely used by Christian and Gnostic astrologers in the first few centuries of the Christian era.


The Testament of Solomon

The Testament of Solomon

Author: King Solomon

Publisher:

Published: 2017-03-15

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 9781946774040

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This edition of the Testament of Solomon is a complete and accurate reprint of the original translation of ancient manuscripts by F.C. Conybeare first printed in 1898. It contains all Conybeare's original notes and commentary, including the Greek characters he footnoted for the reader's consideration. Beware of other editions of this work that do not contain all the original text. The Testament of Solomon is a pseudepigraphical work attributed to King Solomon the Wise of the Old Testament. Written in the first-person narrative, the book tells the story of the creation of the magical ring of King Solomon and how Solomon's ring was used to bind and control demons, including Beelzebub. In this book of King Solomon, the discourses between the King and the various spirits are told, and the story shows how Solomon uses his wisdom to withstand the demons' tricks and guile and enlist their aid in the building of his temple. The spells and seals of Solomon used by the King to bind the spirits are detailed, which makes this work a book of Solomon's magic, similar in nature to the Lesser Key of Solomon the King and the Greater Key of Solomon the King, which both are King Solomon books of magic and contain various talismans of Solomon, including the secret seal of Solomon. The manuscripts from which this work was discovered date from the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. All were written in Greek. This dating makes most experts believe that the work is medieval. But some scholars, including D.C. Duling, argue that it is likely that the work comes from the 5th or 6th centuries. The various manuscripts used to source the work all date to medieval times, but the text itself, as well as references to other works, indicate the Testament is much older. For example, in the Dialogue of Timothy and Aquila, there is a direct reference to the Testament of Solomon. The Dialogue purports to have been written during the Archbishopric of Cyril in 444 C.E., and therefore, its reference would date the Testament before that time. Similarly, in the early 4th century Gnostic text On the Origin of the World, references to the book of Solomon and his 49 demons are made. No matter the date, the text provides an immensely interesting description of how King Solomon tamed various demons to build his temple. The text includes predictions of the coming of Christ, as one demon explains to Solomon that while he may be bound, the only thing that can truly take his power away is the man born from a virgin who will be crucified by the Jews.


Oxford Bibliographies

Oxford Bibliographies

Author: Ilan Stavans

Publisher:

Published:

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780199913701

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"An emerging field of study that explores the Hispanic minority in the United States, Latino Studies is enriched by an interdisciplinary perspective. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, demographers, linguists, as well as religion, ethnicity, and culture scholars, among others, bring a varied, multifaceted approach to the understanding of a people whose roots are all over the Americas and whose permanent home is north of the Rio Grande. Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies offers an authoritative, trustworthy, and up-to-date intellectual map to this ever-changing discipline."--Editorial page.


A New English Translation of the Septuagint

A New English Translation of the Septuagint

Author: Albert Pietersma

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2007-11-02

Total Pages: 1050

ISBN-13: 019972394X

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The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of Jewish sacred writings) is of great importance in the history of both Judaism and Christianity. The first translation of the books of the Hebrew Bible (plus additions) into the common language of the ancient Mediterranean world made the Jewish scriptures accessible to many outside Judaism. Not only did the Septuagint become Holy Writ to Greek speaking Jews but it was also the Bible of the early Christian communities: the scripture they cited and the textual foundation of the early Christian movement. Translated from Hebrew (and Aramaic) originals in the two centuries before Jesus, the Septuagint provides important information about the history of the text of the Bible. For centuries, scholars have looked to the Septuagint for information about the nature of the text and of how passages and specific words were understood. For students of the Bible, the New Testament in particular, the study of the Septuagint's influence is a vital part of the history of interpretation. But until now, the Septuagint has not been available to English readers in a modern and accurate translation. The New English Translation of the Septuagint fills this gap.


Life of Adam and Eve

Life of Adam and Eve

Author: Scriptural Research Institute

Publisher: Scriptural Research Institute

Published: 2019-10-15

Total Pages: 73

ISBN-13: 198960420X

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The Life of Adam and Eve is the Latin version of a work believed to have been written in a Semitic language, as there are terms transliterated into the Greek, Latin, and Armenian versions from a Semitic language, however, it is not known positively which language as the original text is lost, and so far, no fragments have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls that firmly be linked to it. The closest text discovered to date among the Dead Sea Scrolls would be the Genesis Apocryphon scroll, written in Aramaic and generally dated to between 37 BC to 50 AD. A number of references circumstantially date the source-text used for the Greek version, known as the Apocalypse of Moses, to the era when the Greeks ruled Judea, between 330 and 140 BC, however, the source-text for the Latin translation appears to have been older. One of the indicators that the Latin Life of Adam and Eve is older than the Apocalypse of Moses, is the dependency between the 72 'strokes' and 70 'wounds' that God sent to punish Adam. In the Apocalypse of Moses, there are 72, while in the Life of Adam and Eve, there are 70, and these numbers are significant. The number 70 was very significant in the Canaanite and later Israelite (early-Samaritan) religions, however, it was changed to 72 in the Jewish religion for numerological reasons during the late-Persian and early-Greek eras. The number 70 does appear to have continued to be important among the Samaritans until the Hasmoneans virtually wiped them out in 113 BC, after which only the number 72 was used by Jews and Samaritans. This provisionally dates the text to the Persian era, between 525 and 330 BC, however, it could also be a Samaritan text dating to as late as 113 BC. Both the Latin Life of Adam and Eve, and the Armenian Penitence of Adam, also include the curious reference to 'powers' (virtutes / զաւրութիւնք) being present with the angels. This is generally accepted as proof that either the Latin or Armenian translation was influenced by the other, however, the other option is that something that both the Latin and Armenian translators chose to translate as 'powers' was already in the Semitic source-texts they were using. The obvious Hebrew term for them to have been translating was Elohim, which Jews have traditionally translated the term as 'powers' as it is a plural form, and Jews only worship one God. The Greek scholars that translated the Septuagint at the Library of Alexandria translated the word Elohim as either God or gods, depending on the context, however, there is no reason for the Latin or Armenian scholars to have been dependent on Greek translation norms when translating directly from Hebrew or Aramaic into Latin or Armenian. If the powers in the Latin and Armenian translations were the Elohim in the Semitic source-texts, then this would place the origin of the text to the Persian era at the latest, and almost certainly to the early-Persian era (525 to 330 BC), before Ezra the Scribe reformed Judaism, as there were two Elohim present, and therefore, these Elohim would have to date to the Samaritan priesthood from before the time of Ezra.


Septuagint: Solomon

Septuagint: Solomon

Author: Scriptural Research Institute

Publisher: Scriptural Research Institute

Published: 2020-07-03

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 1989852378

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King Solomon is arguably the most famous of all ancient Israelite kings, with several books in the Septuagint dedicated to him, or about him, or even by him, yet, to date, no archeological evidence for his life has been found. This is not entirely unexpected as the time-period of his live falls during the Third Intermediate Period (dark age) in Egyptian history, and there are no records of Solomon within the very limited Egyptian records from the time either. There are in fact few records of anything in any detail from the time-period in Egypt or Canaan. Egyptologists believe the Kingdom of Egypt collapsed at the beginning of the time period, and by the time that Solomon would have lived, in the 9th century BC, the king of Egypt only controlled the northern region, while the rest of Egypt was under the rule of the High Priest of Amen (Amun). The various books associated with Solomon that made it into the Septuagint, include Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom of Solomon, and Psalms of Solomon, all of which have been retranslated into modern English. Proverbs, also called Proverbs of Solomon, is generally attributed to King Solomon, who is explicitly referred to as the author of some of the proverbs. A number proverbs are known to have been copied from older collections of proverbs, most notably the Wisdom of Amenemope, which was apparently written by Amenemope son of Kanakht sometime before Pharaoh Akhenaten, circa 1350 BC. The third book, Ecclesiastes is generally also attributed to King Solomon, however, he is not mentioned anywhere by name. The idea that King Solomon was the author, is found in the introduction to the text. At some point before the Greek translation was made, someone added an introduction and conclusion to the text, in which the author is described as being the 'son of David,' and a 'King in Jerusalem.' Song of Songs, also called the Song of Solomon, is a song about King Solomon theoretically written in his time, circa 950 BC. The book does not list its author, but it was clearly written by a woman in love with Solomon. She is believed to have been referring to herself as a Shulamite in chapter 7, which suggests she was Abishag the Shulamite, King David's youngest concubine. Wisdom of Solomon was added to the Septuagint sometime between 250 and 132 BC, and while it was traditionally attributed to King Solomon, today scholars generally believed to have been composed in Greek, shortly before it was added to the Septuagint. The Wisdom of Solomon itself appears to have been redacted before the Greek translation, as the first half is about the spirit of wisdom, Sophia in Greek, who is credited with actually doing most of what the Lord (Iaw/Yahweh) was credited with doing in the Septuagint and Masoretic Texts, however, this changes abruptly to crediting the Lord in chapter 11, and Sophia disappeared entirely from the rest of the book. Psalms of Solomon, is also called Psalms of Salomon in many of the surviving manuscripts, although it is not clear why. At this time, it is universally agreed that the Psalms of Solomon is a pre-Christian work, as early Christian writers referred to it even though it is clearly not about the life of Jesus as described in the gospels.


When God Spoke Greek

When God Spoke Greek

Author: Timothy Michael Law

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2013-08-15

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 0199781729

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Most readers do not know about the Bible used almost universally by early Christians, or about how that Bible was birthed, how it grew to prominence, and how it differs from the one used as the basis for most modern translations. Although it was one of the most important events in the history of our civilization, the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek in the third century BCE is an event almost unknown outside of academia. Timothy Michael Law offers the first book to make this topic accessible to a wider audience. Retrospectively, we can hardly imagine the history of Christian thought, and the history of Christianity itself, without the Old Testament. When the Emperor Constantine adopted the Christian faith, his fusion of the Church and the State ensured that the Christian worldview (which by this time had absorbed Jewish ideals that had come to them through the Greek translation) would leave an imprint on subsequent history. This book narrates in a fresh and exciting way the story of the Septuagint, the Greek Scriptures of the ancient Jewish Diaspora that became the first Christian Old Testament.


Rebuilding the Foundations

Rebuilding the Foundations

Author: Paul Pavao

Publisher:

Published: 2023-10

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781734106015

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Most evangelical Christians believe that the smallest sin will cause eternal condemnation. This horrific falsehood and others underlie a Christian belief system that is imposed on the Bible rather than received from it. Paul Pavao uses the plain statements of Scripture to uproot the old foundations, lay out and establish the foundations clearly described in the Bible, and rebuild the basics of the faith. Verse after verse, called difficult by traditional teachers, click neatly into place when put into the Christian system taught by the apostles and once believed by all churches. J.T. Tancock, Welsh apologist, author, and Bible college teacher calls Rebuilding the Foundations "explosive." He writes, "It upsets apple carts, slays sacred cows, and demands that we 'go back to the Bible'. For all of those reasons all of us must read it."God shaped Paul's life, personality, circumstances, and spiritual upbringing to prepare him to write this book. "I wrote Decoding Nicea to prove I could deal honestly with the facts and make solid historical sources available to the average Christian. That book was written as much to prove that I am qualified to write this book as for any other reason."Thousands of churches have hundreds of different theological systems. Converts to all branches of modern Christianity fall away in droves, most not even attending a church years down the road. Pastors know the majority of their congregants have little or no zeal for the things of Christ. A foundation of errors can only produce more errors, both theologically and practically. Building on what the apostle Paul called "God's firm foundation" can deliver us from those errors.


Septuagint: Wisdom of Solomon

Septuagint: Wisdom of Solomon

Author: Scriptural Research Institute

Publisher: Scriptural Research Institute

Published: 2020-06-14

Total Pages: 113

ISBN-13: 1989852300

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The final version of the Septuagint was published in 132 BC, which included the Wisdom of Solomon, a book of wisdom credited to King Solomon, circa 950 BC. This book was never copied by the Masoretes, and no fragments of it have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, indicating it was not used much in Judea, if at all. A Syriac version of it is included in the Peshitta, the Syrian Orthodox Bible, which the Syrian Orthodox Church has always claimed was transcribed from the Aramaic text that the Jews translated into Hebrew, however, most modern scholars believe the Peshitta was a Syriac translation of the Septuagint. As a result, Wisdom of Solomon is a text that cannot be proven to have existed earlier than 132 BC, when it appeared in the Septuagint, and some scholars have concluded it was written in Greek at the Library of Alexandria. Wherever it was written, it is a very un-Jewish Israelite text, which contradicts, and occasionally even attacks the Torah. These contradictions are often interpreted as indicators that the writer was not particularly knowledgeable regarding the Torah, suggesting a Hellenized Jew, and therefore, it is generally assumed the book was written shortly before its inclusion in the Septuagint. All of these assumptions are, of course, based on the underlying assumption that Judaism was already standardized before the Greek Era. The books of Maccabees tell a very story. Given the complex religious history of the Second Temple Era, and the fact that none of the Israelites in Elephantine appear to have even heard of Moses in the 5th-century BC, the Wisdom of Solomon does not seem out of place or anachronistic at all, and dismissing it based on contradictions with the Torah seems completely invalid. The Wisdom of Solomon itself appears to have been redacted before the Greek translation, as the first half is about the spirit of wisdom, Sophia in Greek, who is credited with actually doing most of what God (or Yahweh in the Masoretic Text) was credited with doing in the Torah, however, this changes abruptly to crediting the Lord in chapter 11, and Sophia disappears entirely from the rest of the book. Chapter 11 was also the beginning of what scholars call the ‘history’ section of the book, which generally retold the history found in the Torah up until the exodus from Egypt, however, with some differences. One significant difference was the identification of the Lord as the Sun in chapter 16.


Septuagint's Job and the Testament of Job

Septuagint's Job and the Testament of Job

Author: Scriptural Research Institute

Publisher: Scriptural Research Institute

Published: 2020-02-22

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 1989852025

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The Septuagint was the original Old Testament used by Christians in the first few centuries but was later replaced in western Bibles by the Masoretic Texts. As a result, most early Christian writings are confusing, especially when discussing the chronology of the world. Septuagint: Job is a 21st-century English translation that is easy to understand, using common English versions of Hebrew names instead of transliterated Greek names that are generally found in translations of the Septuagint. When ancient place names are known, such as Uruk, the modern term is used instead of the Greek (Orech) or Hebrew (Erech) translations. Unlike the later Masoretic Texts, the Septuagint was not a monotheistic work, but rather a Hedonistic text, which recognized the existence of many gods, but was dedicated to the worship of one above the others: Iaw, later transliterated as Jehovah or Yahweh. The book of Job is likely the most complex book to translate in the Septuagint, other than the book of Genesis, as it contains many unique concepts and many references to the ancient Canaanite religion. It has significantly influenced the Messianic Jewish sects of the Second Temple era and the subsequent formation of Christianity and Islam. At some point before the Book of Job was standardized, probably during the Persian era, parts were either lost or intentionally redacted, including the end of the devil's story-line, the Leviathan's story, and the Behemoth's story, as well as the answer to the question: why does suffering exist? The question is raised but never answered. It was probably answered in the ending or the devil's storyline, and possibly tied into the stories of the Leviathan and Behemoth, who Iaw was preparing to destroy before Job suddenly 'won the lottery' and the story ended. The statements that the devil had originally risen about Job turned out to be correct, as he did not continue to worship Iaw but complained bitterly about everything he'd lost. The closest he came to worshiping Iaw, was when he referred to himself as dirt before the swirling storm-god floating in front of him, although that appears to be more an act of fear than worship. Much must have been removed from the story for some reason, as in addition to Iaw losing his bet and thinking he won, the Leviathan's story was never ended, and the Behemoth was introduced but the story was not told. Additionally, Iaw never answered Job's questions, which should have followed the strange description of the steam-powered bronze-covered Leviathan, which itself seems more like a description of a submarine from a Jules Verne novel than a living being. In the early Christian era, many Testaments of the Patriarchs circulated in Jewish and Christian communities, In the early Christian era, many Testaments of the Patriarchs circulated in Jewish and Christian communities, the Testament of Job was used by the Christian Montanist sect. The Testament of Job appears to have never been accepted by orthodox Christians, however, a synopsis of a book like the Testament of Job was included in orthodox translations of the Septuagint's Book of Job since the BC era, where it was described as being in the 'Syriac book' of Job. Several references within the testaments point to an origin in the Seleucid Empire, including mentions of Greek gods, and Zoroastrian terminology. The testament also includes Satan as an individual instead of a descriptive term, which is not consistent with the Book of Job, where the Hebrew version maintains the term satan in its original context as 'contender' or 'accuser.' The fact that the Testament also uses the name Satan, as opposed to the term devil which the Septuagint uses, also points to a Semitic source, as the Greeks at the time would not have commonly encountered the Hebrew and Aramaic term.