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Product Description

This new critical edition of the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament corrects over a thousand minor errors, but leaves Rahlf’s edition intact.

The text is based on Codices Vaticanus, Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus, with variants noted in the critical apparatus.

This edition includes English, German, Latin and Modern Greek introductions, History of the Septuagint Text and Explanation of Symbols.

Significance of the Septuagint (LXX):
• The Septuagint is the most ancient translation of the Old Testament and consequently is invaluable to critics for understanding and correcting the Masoretic Text.
• The Septuagint was indispensable to the Early Church, serving as its “Bible.” New Testament authors and Church Fathers would quote from the Septuagint when quoting the Old Testament. In this way, the Septuagint was instrumental in spreading the Messianic view of Jesus and propagating the Gospel. Knowledge of the Septuagint lends to a better understanding of the Old and New Testaments.
• The Septuagint served as the basis for the ancient Latin translations, that is, the Old Latin Vulgate.
• The Septuagint was important to Jews before the time of Christ—it helped Diaspora Jews who did not speak Hebrew still remain faithful to their religion, as well as allowing Gentiles to study Judaism.
• The Septuagint was important to early Christians—it helped inform their Messianic view of Christ and shaped the theology of the early Church.
• The Septuagint was important to the Catholic Church as it was the basis for the Old Latin Vulgate editions.

Reviews

“The current edition is not a rewrite of Rahlfs’ text, but new textual discoveries have come to light and there have been significant changes in the science of textual criticism since Rahlfs first compiled his edition. . . . The revision of Hanhart . . . includes (1) removing errors and misprints; (2) making several cosmetic changes to the text concerning accentuation, a correction to a perfect participle in Isa 5.17, and a conjectural emmandation in Isa 53.2; and (3) concerning the critical apparatus Hanhart eliminates several mistakes arising from comparison with the Göttingen edition, corrections to misleading simplifications of the textual transmission, and the inclusion of the uncials Q, C, and V and the recensions O and L with variants where Rahlfs only mentioned B, S, or A.

"This revised ‘pocket-edition’ (I use that term very loosely given its size and weight) remains true to Rahlfs’ purpose: ‘The aim of this work is to provide ministers and students with a reliable edition of the Septuagint at a moderate price, and thus to supply an important companion and aid to the study not only of the Old Testament, but also of the New Testament’. While Rahlfs’ text is available in electronic form. . . there is still no substitute for having a good and updated critical apparatus as well. Those serious about biblical study or are interested in how the NT interprets the OT, should consider getting one.”
— euangelizomai.blogspot.com/2007/05/review-of-new-edition-of-rahfls

“Rahlfs (1865-1935) published in 1935 the two-volume critical standard edition of the Septuagint. The present edition represents a revision, though a minimalist one. largely restricted to correcting and improving the readability of the critical apparatus. The revisions have been made by Robert Hanhart, a noted expert on the Septuagint; see R. Hanhart in VT 55, 2005, 450–460. This most welcome edition is designed to place the Greek text of the OT into the hands of all those who wish to work critically with the now proliferating vernacular translations of the Septuagint in English, French, and German.
• Highly recommended as a basic tool for biblical research.”
—International Review of Biblical Studies