Bible: Septuagint/Vulgate

[RJbibliophil]

I have been reading Judges and 1st Samuel, and I have seen the terms Septuagint and Vulgate in the footnotes several times. Can anyone tell me what they mean? :p

[Mililalil XXIV]

I have been reading Judges and 1st Samuel, and I have seen the terms Septuagint and Vulgate in the footnotes several times. Can anyone tell me what they mean? :p
Those are two early Bible translations. The Septuagint is the earliest known Greek translation of the Hebrew and Aramaic Scriptures. It existed in the third century B.C., making it a valuable witness to the Texts it represented, for comparsion with the known copies of the original Hebrew and Aramaic Texts. I will say much more on the Septugint a little later. (LXX is often written to represent the Septuagint.)

The Vulgate is the earliest Latin translation to have been used all the way up to the present since it was first made by St. Jerome. It proceded earlier Latin translations, called the Old Latin, and made fresh use of the original Texts of the Bible, whether they be Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. The Latin Vulgate used very good readings where variant readings had occurred in some manuscripts. Even in cases in which the better reading outright deflated some of Jerome's Scriptural basis or confirmation of personal biases, he more often than not chose what much scholarship has demonstrated to be the true reading. He had rare Hebrew manuscripts, and his translation gives evidence - through translation back into Hebrew at times - of what readings he had for translating from.

[RJbibliophil]

Thank you very much Mil. :D

I gathered that they were some sort of texts, but didn't know the details. I am interested to know more. Are there other such old texts that are often referred to?

[mono]

I did a bit of research, and, though Mililalil gave a very good explanation, you can find more information regarding Septuagint if you click here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint), as the site provided can likely explain the concept better than I. Additionally, you can find more information of Vulgate by clicking here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulgate).
Interesting, as I never knew much of either Septuagint or Vulgate. Thanks for bringing such to our attention. ;)

[RJbibliophil]

And thank you to Mono as well.

[RJbibliophil]

There's something about Syriac texts as well

[mono]

There's something about Syriac texts as well
You have stumped me again, but I did some research. This link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatessaron) provides some information about diatessaron, the Gospel text of the Syrian church, which should help you in your search. From this site (http://www.bl.uk/collections/syriac.html), I found the following passage that may also help:

The manuscript collection is one of the largest and most diverse in the world. The nucleus of the Syriac manuscript collection was the 66 volumes purchased at Mosul by Claudius Rich and acquired by the Library in 1825. During the next 40 years, nearly 600 more volumes were acquired, mostly from monasteries of the Wadi Natrun. 50 from Urmia and 100 from Mosul had ben added by the end of the 19th century. A further 150 or so manuscripts have been added since. Manuscripts are now only very rarely acquired. The manuscript collection covers biblical manuscripts, all categories of service-books, commentaries, Patristic literature, lives of the Saints, theology, history, philology, medicine, and some scientific literature.

The numerous manuscripts of the Old Testament held have enabled the Pe****ta text of the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries to be restored. The collection also includes specimens of translations used by the Malkite Syrian Church in Palestine in its peculiar dialect and written character. Another significant feature of the collection is the variety of illumination of the manuscripts.

The printed book collection is also quite comprehensive, comprising both antiquarian items from the 16th century onwards down to modern critical editions of Syriac texts critical studies and the relevant Western journals. In addition to classical Syriac, books in modern Syriac and Syro-Palestinian are also included. Works published by the St. Thomas Christians in Indianda are also held. New printed book acquisitions comprise mostly modern critical editions of Syriac texts and the standard Western journals relating to Syriac studies. The Syriac printed book collection is rich in early items, from the 1555 New Testament onwards.

Total size of collection: 1075 manuscripts, 12,000 printed books. Content dates range from 450 to 2000 AD