Table of Contents
1 Why this Book?
2 When the World Became Greek
3 Was There a Bible before the Bible?
4 The First Bible Translators
5 Gog and his Not-so-Merry Grasshoppers
6 Bird Droppings, Stoned Elephants, and Exploding Dragons
7 E Pluribus Unum
8 The Septuagint behind the New Testament
9 The Septuagint in the New Testament
10 The New Old Testament
11 God's Word for the Church
12 The Man of Steel and the Man who Worshipped the Sun
13 The Man with the Burning Hand vs. the Man with the Honeyed
Sword
14 A Postscript
Notes
Index
Timothy Michael Law is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Marginalia Review of Books.
"Law should be commended for complicating conservative and
fundamentalist theologies of scripture vis-à-vis his discussion of
the Septuagint ... Law has opened an important conversation about
the relevance of the Septuagint today (especially for American
Christianity) and wisely points to the past and the east for
interlocutors." -- James Covington, Journal of Religion
"Law has opened an important conversation about the relevance of
the Septuagint today (especially for American Christianity) and
wisely points to the past and the east for interlocutors."--James
Covington, Journal of Religion
"Law writes lucidly and compellingly, presenting evidence and
arguments that readers in communities of faith will find
intelligible and enlightening. His book is the rare gift of an
accessible update on scholarship's relevance for those seeking to
practice faith."--Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and
Theology
"Law has succeeded in a rare and difficult task: providing a clear
narrative retelling of the development of an ancient text. Of
course, like anyone else, he is an interpreter of history rather
than an objective observer, but Law presents a story where
scholarly backbone and narrative flesh cohere... Law convincingly
demonstrates the central role the Septuagint played in the New
Testament and the early church. The church's understanding of
Scripture is
undernourished when the Septuagint is ignored or relegated to
peripheral status." --David Gundersen, Boyce College Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary
"[A] fresh perspective...[Law] brilliantly turns accepted wisdom
about the nature of biblical text on its head...[He is] aware that
good history is a solvent for lazy and often harmful
promulgations...[He writes] with an implicit moral purpose."
--London Review of Books
"It is a gripping tale, beautifully told, and should be of profound
interest to any reader of the Jewish or Christian Bible Timothy
Michael Law has written the first introduction to the LXX that can
be read by people outside the guild. It is a remarkable book, full
of fascinating detail that I cannot evoke in a short review, a book
that tells a rich story that no reader of the Bible can afford to
ignore." --Los Angeles Review of Books
An ambitious, accessible, and intelligent survey of the context,
composition, and contributions of the Septuagint to Christian
Scripture and theology. This is a fine introduction to an
underappreciated subject...Recommended. --CHOICE
"A splendid work...I haven't found any book so interesting and
enjoyable in years." --Sir Fergus Millar, Camden Professor of
Ancient History (Emeritus), Oxford, and Fellow of the British
Academy
"When churchgoers and church watchers wonder about the origins of
Christian theology, questions about the Septuagint's importance for
the New Testament and patristic era do not dominate their concerns.
Law laments this lack of attention and enthusiastically explains
the Septuagint s history, its significance for early Christian
writers, and the reasons it all but disappeared from theological
discourse in the Christian West." --The Christian Century
"Strong and engaging... Law's argument for the Septuagint's return
as an authoritative text is persuasive and dissenters will be
hard-pressed to deny it a place" --Freedom in Orthodoxy
"An original thinker, Timothy Michael Law portrays the birth,
development, and theological impact of the Septuagint on
Christianity and western civilization, and analyzes in a
fascinating way the Septuagint as a creation in its own right and
not only as a translation. This innovative study, incorporating the
very latest research, is meant for the scholar and learned reader
alike." --Emanuel Tov, J.L. Magnes Professor of Bible, the Hebrew
University
"Law overturns the assumptions of most Christians about their
sacred scripture. He points out that the Greek text of the
Septuagint was the early Church's Bible, that it predates the
Hebrew Scripture now commonly accepted, and that it presents plural
traditions of ancient Hebrew biblical texts, many now lost to us.
Fundamentalists will find these unpalatable truths; others will
find that Law points to new delights in their reading of
scripture." --Diarmaid
N.J. MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church, Oxford
University
"Law provides a thorough, readable introduction to the Septuagint's
formation, distinctiveness, impact upon the New Testament writers,
and ongoing life in the Christian Church. Law boldly challenges us
to reckon with the theological implications of multiple 'Old
Testaments' informing early Judaism and Christianity and to
consider the Septuagint afresh as Christian Scripture. We cannot
afford to ignore the testimony this book offers." --David A.
deSilva,
Trustees' Distinguished Professor, Ashland Theological Seminary
"[Law writes] to acquaint interested non-specialists with the
importance of the Septuagint. They are wooed effectively with
warm-hearted argument.... [The] narrative argument brings the
biblical and patristic periods together in a way which may help
many who are learning the subject primarily from a biblical angle.
It shows once again, for those who may not realize it, how
fundamental the Septuagint has been for Christianity. The author's
lively apologetic and
polemic are not always the same as guidance for non-specialists,
but his particular target audience is a vital one for biblical and
ancient Jewish studies. May the book stir many who come to
these
fields." --Journal of Jewish Studies
"When God Spoke Greek succeeds in remaining accessible to the
educated reader whilst satisfying the scholarly expectations of the
professional biblical scholar. Law is to be commended on an
impressive achievement." --SOTS Book List 2014
"Reading Law's book is a bit like reading the biography of someone
you once knew, but not well. It is full of information you never
suspected was true... Law's vivid re-creation of the Greco-Roman
world into which the Septuagint was born and of the culture it
helped shape is more than readable. It is fascinating."
--Theological Studies
"...[A] good and lively read... intended to convey Law's sense of
the importance of the Septuagint, to enthuse and to inspire readers
to explore the subject further, and its accessibility and
entertaining style achieve this aim very well." --Journal of
Theological Studies
"...[O]ne of those rare volumes which successfully communicates a
fascinating general overview fully grounded in serious academic
research... Law's manifesto calls for the Academy to return to the
study of the Septuagint as the great document of the rise of
Christianity, and the Church to re-engage with the Septuagint as
part of its Biblical inheritance... NETS and Law would together be
a perfect introduction to the Bible which shaped Western culture
and the
Christian Church." --The Oxonian Review
"...I love this book. Laws' insights into the Septuagint and
differing translations, mistranslations, and thematical development
was engaging. He also makes strong points about the value of the
Septuagint for the Church today. It's hard to understand some of
the exegetical nuances in the New Testament without a knowledge of
the Septuagint. It was the Bible (a term Law might not use) of the
NT and early Church. Pastors and exegetes would do well in prizing
the
Septuagint and valuing its contribution to our theology." --Grace
For Sinners Blog
"Overall When God Spoke Greek is engaging and easy to read--yet
still stimulating. Law is a master of his material, and that his
knowledge and insight goes deeper even that what is conained on
these pages is evident." --Words on the Word Blog
"...Law has written a clear historical account of how the
Septuagint became the authoritative OT Scripture of the early
church." --Themelios
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