There’s a version of the Old Testament that shaped the early church, guided the apostles, and provided the theological framework for understanding Jesus as Messiah.
It’s the version that Matthew quoted when he proclaimed the virgin birth. It’s the text Peter preached from on Pentecost. It’s the Scripture Paul cited when he debated in synagogues across the Roman world. It’s the Bible that every Greek-speaking Christian in the first three centuries knew by heart.
And chances are, you’ve never read it.
It’s called the Septuagint— the Greek translation of the Old Testament completed between 270 B.C. and 100 A.D. —and for nearly 1,800 years, most Christians didn’t realize they’d lost touch with it.
The Translation That Changed Everything
Here’s something that might surprise you: when the New Testament writers quote the Old Testament (which they do over 300 times), they’re almost always quoting the Septuagint, not the Hebrew text that your modern English Bible is based on.
That’s not a small detail. That’s foundational.
The apostles didn’t just prefer the Septuagint because it was convenient or because they spoke Greek. They quoted it because it was their Bible. It was the authoritative Scripture they believed God had preserved for proclaiming the Gospel to the nations.
When Matthew writes, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son” (Matthew 1:23), he’s not translating from Hebrew. He’s quoting the Septuagint’s Greek text of Isaiah 7:14, which uses parthenos (“virgin.”) The Hebrew text uses almah (”young woman.”)
Both readings are true. Both are inspired. But one makes the prophecy explicitly messianic in a way that transformed how the early church understood Jesus.
This isn’t about one translation being “better” than another. It’s about recognizing that God gave us His Word in multiple languages, through multiple traditions, and that comparing them doesn’t diminish Scripture, it enriches it.
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Reading Scripture the Way the Apostles Did
Imagine being able to read the Old Testament the way Peter did. The way Paul did. The way the early church fathers did.
Not through layers of translation (Hebrew to English), but through the actual Greek text they held in their hands and quoted in their sermons.
That’s what the Septuagint offers.
It’s not a replacement for your English Bible or even for the Hebrew Masoretic Text. It’s a window into the world of the New Testament. It’s a way of seeing how the earliest Christians understood the prophecies, the promises, and the patterns that pointed to Christ.
And here’s the remarkable thing: sometimes the Septuagint preserves readings that clarify what the apostles meant, resolve interpretive puzzles, and open up theological depths you’d never see in a standard English translation.
Let me show you what I mean.
When One Word Changes Everything
Take Psalm 40:6. It’s a passage the author of Hebrews quotes to explain the incarnation:
Hebrew (Masoretic Text):
“Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear.”
Greek (Septuagint):
“Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me.”
Yes, you read that right. One reads, an open ear and the other says, a body prepared. These aren’t even close!
But here’s where it gets beautiful: the author of Hebrews, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, quotes the Septuagint’s reading in Hebrews 10:5.
Why?
Because “a body you have prepared for me” is the perfect way to describe the incarnation. It’s the theological framework for understanding why Jesus had to become human, take on flesh, and offer His body as the once-for-all sacrifice.
The Hebrew text is true, God opened the Messiah’s ear to hear and obey. But the Greek text reveals the how: through the incarnation, through a body prepared specifically for the purpose of sacrifice.
Both readings are inspired. Both are true. But reading them together gives you the full picture.
This is what the Septuagint does. It doesn’t replace the Hebrew, it completes the story.
The Text That Shaped Christian Theology
For the first three centuries of the church, Christians almost exclusively used the Septuagint as their Old Testament.
The Church Fathers— Irenaeus, Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, John Chrysostom —preached from it, quoted it, defended the faith with it. When they talked about prophecies of Christ, they were reading the Septuagint.
It wasn’t until Jerome translated the Latin Vulgate in the 4th century that the Western church began shifting back to the Hebrew text. And it wasn’t until the Protestant Reformation— more than 1,500 years after Christ —that the Masoretic Text became the dominant source for Old Testament translation in the West.
I’m not saying the Masoretic Text is wrong. It’s a careful, reverent preservation of the Hebrew Scriptures. But it’s not the only text. And it’s not the text the apostles used.
If you want to understand why the early Christians read Isaiah, Psalms, and the Prophets the way they did— if you want to see what Peter saw when he stood up on Pentecost and declared, “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” —you need to read the Septuagint.
Why This Matters for Your Faith
You might be thinking, “Okay, this is interesting from a historical perspective, but does it really matter for my daily walk with God?”
Yes. Absolutely yes.
Here’s why:
1. The Septuagint helps you understand the New Testament better.
When Paul writes, when Peter preaches, when Jesus quotes Scripture, they’re almost always working from the Septuagint tradition. Understanding that text helps you understand their arguments, their theology, and their interpretation of messianic prophecy.
2. The Septuagint reveals layers of meaning you’d miss otherwise.
Sometimes a Greek word carries a theological nuance that the Hebrew word doesn’t explicitly state. Sometimes the Septuagint translators, working at least 150 years before Christ, chose words that would later become key terms in Christian theology; words like logos (Word), christos (Christ/Anointed One), and kurios (Lord).
3. The Septuagint connects you to the early church.
When you read the Septuagint, you’re reading the Bible that the martyrs read, that the desert fathers meditated on, that the councils used to define orthodox doctrine. You’re joining a 2,000-year conversation about what God’s Word means and how it points to Jesus.
4. The Septuagint deepens your confidence in Scripture.
Critics love to point out differences between manuscripts as if they “prove” the Bible is unreliable. But when you study the Septuagint alongside the Masoretic Text, you see something beautiful: God preserved His Word through multiple faithful communities, in multiple languages, and the core message never changes. The differences aren’t errors, even when they appear contradictory. Rather, they are harmonies, like a choir singing the same truth from different vocal ranges.
The Journey I’m Inviting You Into
This Substack exists for one reason: to bring the Septuagint out of academic obscurity and into the hands of everyday Christians who want to read the Bible more deeply.
Every week, I’m going to take a passage of Scripture and we’re going to explore:
What the Hebrew (Masoretic Text) says
What the Greek (Septuagint) says
Where they differ and why it matters
What the New Testament writers saw in these texts
How the early church interpreted them
What it all means for us today
If you’ve found this meaningful, share it with a friend who needs to learn about the Septuagint and what it can add to our faith.
Here’s the thing:
I’m not a seminary professor. I’m not a credentialed Bible scholar. I’m not even a pastor. I’m just a believer who got obsessed with this question: Why did the apostles quote a Greek translation instead of the original Hebrew?
That question led me down a rabbit hole of textual criticism, ancient manuscripts, church history, and theology. And what I found changed the way I read Scripture.
I tried to ignore this calling. I told myself I wasn’t qualified. That I don’t know enough. That I haven’t been a believer for long enough. That I don’t have enough Scripture memorized. That I’m not a preacher or a scholar so what makes me think I can do something like this?
But the Lord wouldn’t let it go.
This wasn’t my idea at all. It was all Him from the very beginning. And I’ve come to believe that He wants more Christians to discover the richness of the Septuagint, not as a replacement for anything, but as a gift that deepens what we already have.
What You’ll Get Here
Subscribers receive weekly deep-dives into a passages of Scripture and larger theological topics, exploring the textual differences between the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint, with historical context, deep analysis, and practical application.
You’ll also receive a free, exclusive digital copy of my book, The Septuagint: An Introductory Analysis. It’s 88,000 words devoted to the history, cultural context, significance, and “how-to” of the LXX as well as a whole host of deep dives into textual variants between the versions. It is the perfect companion to this newsletter, and it’s yours to keep.
You’ll be joining a community of believers who are passionate about digging deeper into Scripture. Not to deconstruct it, but to encounter the Living Word more fully.
An Invitation
I don’t know what brought you here today.
Maybe you’re a pastor looking for fresh insights for your sermons. Maybe you’re a student of theology who’s never encountered the Septuagint in depth. Maybe you’re just a Christian who loves the Bible and wants to understand it better.
Whoever you are, I’m glad you’re here.
This is a journey of discovery. Every passage we explore together will show you something new about God’s Word. Something the apostles saw, something the early church treasured, something that’s been waiting for you to find it.
The Septuagint isn’t a relic of ancient history. It’s a living witness to the Gospel, a text that still speaks today, and a key that unlocks dimensions of Scripture you didn’t know were there.
So here’s my invitation:
Subscribe. Come with me on this journey. Read the Bible the way the apostles did.
Every week, you’ll get a new post exploring a passage of Scripture through the dual lens of the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint. You’ll learn Hebrew and Greek terms (don’t worry, I explain everything). You’ll discover textual variants that change how you read familiar verses. You’ll connect with the early church fathers and see how they understood prophecy, Christology, and the nature of Scripture itself.
And most importantly, you’ll grow in your love for God’s Word. Because that’s what this is really about. Not academic debates about which text is “better.” Not arguing over manuscript traditions. Not deconstructing your faith.
Building it.
The Septuagint doesn’t threaten your confidence in Scripture. It strengthens it. It shows you that God’s Word is so rich, so deep, so multifaceted that He gave it to us in multiple languages, through multiple communities, across multiple centuries. And every layer reveals more of His glory.
So come and explore it with me.
Let’s read Scripture the way Peter read it. The way Paul preached it. The way the early church lived it.
Let’s discover what the apostles saw when they looked at the Old Testament and said, “This is about Jesus.”
Let’s find the layers of meaning, the theological depths, the prophetic patterns that have been hiding in plain sight for 2,000 years.
Subscribe now and join the Hosts of the Lord who are passionate about digging deeper into God’s Word.
The scrolls are waiting.
My first post explores Isaiah 7:14— the virgin birth prophecy —and why the difference between “young woman” and “virgin” matters more than you think. Subscribe today to continue the journey.
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In my recent article, I included this 40 page highlighted CHART which may be of interest to you. It contains a large number of comparisons of passages; as and between: the Masoretic Bible (MT) c. AD 900 and the c. 267 BC Septuagint LXX.
A history of the very clear differences begins at page 41, which I'd read first for context and primary source citations and links.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:9803a409-f360-465d-9cee-d249bbd398ee
Great overview. On almah/parthenos — worth noting almah in Hebrew usage just means a young woman of marriageable age, with virginity implied by cultural context rather than stated outright, while parthenos narrows that to "virgin" explicitly. Neither word is a mistranslation; they're just doing different jobs, which is exactly your point about comparing traditions rather than picking a winner.