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Biblical texts in ancient times. It should also not be forgotten that many interpretations in these dialogues
are consistent with the NT use of the same texts. It is the sheer volume of citations in these dialogues that
should strike the reader, and should give pause as to why such is the case.
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The favorite OT books of the dialogues, measured by the total number of citations from them, are
clearly Isaiah and the Psalms. For example, well over half of TA's three hundred citations of the OT are
from these two books. A similar ratio prevails in AZ and ST. One should not be surprised at this since
Psalms and Isaiah are quoted, cited, or alluded to in the New Testament more than any other OT books, a
treatment reflected also in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
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A related issue to this significant use of the OT in the dialogues is the form of the OT text which
they utilize. While there may be a few exceptions (probably due to later editors), the overwhelming use
of the LXX by the writers is obvious to all. Timothy's high regard for the LXX as expressed in the
following passage was undoubtedly shared by "Athanasius" and "Theophilus" as well (in its Latin
translation, of course):
The Jew said: Therefore, are you saying that one should receive the "Seventy Two" translators as
speaking from the Holy Spirit?
The Christian said: I do receive them that way with all my heart
(TA 40.23, 24).
In modern times, most Catholic and Protestant Biblical scholars have accepted Jerome's position
on the Hebraica veritas and base their translations on the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible.
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Due
notice is usually taken of a LXX alternative reading, but it is clear that Hebraica veritas is the basis for
deciding the text of the OT, with the MT as best representing that text. No one argues that the original
manuscripts of the OT were in Greek rather than Hebrew. It appears to this writer, however, that most
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For excellent treatments of
ancient and modern interpretation of OT texts, see Greg Beale, ed., The Right
Doctrine from the Wrong Texts? Essays on the Use of the Old Testament in the New (Grand Rapids: Baker Books,
1994); Craig Evans, ed., From Prophecy to Testament: The Function of the Old Testament in the New (Peabody,
MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004); William Yarchin, History of Biblical Interpretation: A Reader (Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 2004), 31-92.
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Deuteronomy is a close third in the number of its citations. Bruce Metzger, ed. The Greek New Testament Fourth
Revised Edition (Stuttgart: United Bible Societies, 1994) "Index of Quotations" 887-901.
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The Eastern Orthodox churches continue to utilize the LXX as their primary OT text.