A Quest For The Assumed Lxx Vorlage Of The Explicit Quotations In Hebrews

Die direkten Zitate im Hebräerbrief gehen vermutlich auf eine Vorlage aus der Septuaginta zurück, sind aber bislang kaum erforscht. Von einer traditionsgeschichtlichen und einer textkritischen Perspektive aus geht Gert J. Steyn dieser Sachlage auf den Grund. Er folgt damit der im Hebräerbrief angelegten Struktur, die zwei verschiedene Arten von Zitaten kennt, die paarweise aufgeführt werden: primär Liedtexte und Zitate aus der Torah, die sich mit Psalm- und Prophetenworten vermischen. Gert J. Steyn untersucht jedes Zitat auf dem Hintergrund der möglichen alternativen Vorlage(n). Im Verlauf der Studie wird deutlich, dass der Briefautor selbst eine ganze Reihe an Zitaten aus der frühen jüdischen und der frühen christlichen Tradition kombiniert hat.

"Gert Steyn has given us, not only a very useful tool for scholarly NT/LXX studies, buta map to follow in the process." -- Tom Galey, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Midwestern Journal of Theology (Fall 2012 Vol. 11 No. 2) The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date - despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews' own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the Testimony Book, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author's own creative hand.

This thesis aims at investigating the use of the Old Testament in the New, and in Hebrews specifically, focusing on two aspects which appear to have been somewhat neglected in previous scholarship, namely the text and context of specific quotations. The aspect of text takes the complicated textual history of the Old Testament into account, especially concentrating on the findings of recent Septuagint research and particularly the possibility that different Hebrew texts may underlie the Greek translation. The aspect of context draws on the assumption that Hebrews was composed in a Jewish context, where the Old Testament text had been interpreted for a long time. It is also presupposed that this exegesis was handed down along with the Hebrew Scriptures not only in the post Second Temple Jewish community, but also in the early Church. Hence primary sources, such as Talmud, Midrash and early Church Fathers, are consulted with the intention of better understanding the interpretation of the Old Testament quotations in Hebrews. To do this three Old Testament texts, which exist in distinctly different versions and have been quoted in Hebrews, have been examined, namely Gen. 47:31b (in Heb. 11:21), Ps. 40:7b (in Heb. 10:5), and Jer. 31:33 (in Heb. 8:10 and 10:16). The outcome of this study shows that several versions of Old Testament texts were interpreted at the time of the New Testament and that the peculiarities of the different versions had a decisive impact on the exegesis of the texts. Further, it shows that some versions of the texts were favoured in the Jewish context while others were preferred in the early Church. Hence different understandings of Old Testament passages in different contexts are sometimes not the result of different interpretations of the same texts, but of the exegesis of different versions of the same text.

Nick Brennan investigates the depiction of the Son's divine nature in the Epistle to the Hebrews; despite little attention being directly given to the Son's divinity in recent study of Hebrews, Brennan argues that not only is the Son depicted as divine in the Epistle, but that this depiction ranges outside the early chapters in which it is most often noted, and is theologically relevant to the pattern of the Author's argument. Beginning with a survey of the state of contemporary scholarship on the Son's divinity in Hebrews, and a discussion of the issues connected to predicating divinity of the Son in the Epistle, Brennan analyses the application of Old Testament texts to the Son which, in their original context, refer to God (1:6; 10–12), and demonstrates how the Pastor not only affirms the Son's divinity but also the significance of his exaltation as God. He then discusses how Heb 3:3, 4 witnesses to the divinity of the Son in Hebrews, explores debates on the relation of the Son's “indestructible life” (Heb 7:16) to his divinity, and demonstrates how two key concepts in Hebrews (covenant and sonship) reinforce the Son's divinity. Brennan thus concludes that the Epistle not only portrays the Son as God, but does so in a manner which is a pervasive aspect of its thought, and is theologically salient to many features of the Epistle's argument.

This collection contains essays prepared for the newly established Association for the Study of the Septuagint in South Africa. It includes contributions on the Old Greek text, the reception of the LXX and a number of related themes.

This volume represents the current state of Septuagint studies as reflected in papers presented at the triennial meeting of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS). It is rich with contributions from distinguished senior scholars as well as from promising younger scholars whose research testifies to the bright future and diversity of the field. The volume is remarkable in terms of the number, scholarly interests, and geographical distribution of its contributors; it is by far the largest congress volume to date. More than fifty papers represent viewpoints and scholarship from Belgium, Canada, Cameroon, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Korea, The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Themelios is an international, evangelical, peer-reviewed theological journal that expounds and defends the historic Christian faith. Themelios is published three times a year online at The Gospel Coalition (http://thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/) and in print by Wipf and Stock. Its primary audience is theological students and pastors, though scholars read it as well. Themelios began in 1975 and was operated by RTSF/UCCF in the UK, and it became a digital journal operated by The Gospel Coalition in 2008. The editorial team draws participants from across the globe as editors, essayists, and reviewers. General Editor: D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Managing Editor: Brian Tabb, Bethlehem College and Seminary Consulting Editor: Michael J. Ovey, Oak Hill Theological College Administrator: Andrew David Naselli, Bethlehem College and Seminary Book Review Editors: Jerry Hwang, Singapore Bible College; Alan Thompson, Sydney Missionary & Bible College; Nathan A. Finn, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Hans Madueme, Covenant College; Dane Ortlund, Crossway; Jason Sexton, Golden Gate Baptist Seminary Editorial Board: Gerald Bray, Beeson Divinity School Lee Gatiss, Wales Evangelical School of Theology Paul Helseth, University of Northwestern, St. Paul Paul House, Beeson Divinity School Ken Magnuson, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Jonathan Pennington, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary James Robson, Wycliffe Hall Mark D. Thompson, Moore Theological College Paul Williamson, Moore Theological College Stephen Witmer, Pepperell Christian Fellowship Robert Yarbrough, Covenant Seminary