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As a result of Origen's labours, increased interest in the Septuagint version produced
three more important editions, those of Eusebius, Lucian and Hesychius. These editors
were practically contemporary (about A.D.300), but each version was circulated in a
different region.
No further revision of the Septuagint is known to us, but we have still to consider how
it has reached us in this present century, for there is not one original of any of the
versions or editions now in existence. The oldest copy of the Hebrew MSS known to us
does not go back earlier than to the eighth or ninth century. The oldest copies of the
Greek Bible are of far greater age, and take rank with the most venerable of textual
authorities.
A further account of these Manuscripts we hope to give when dealing with the N.T.
We give the names of some of them below:--
CODEX SINAITICUS (4th Century).--This manuscript is indicated by the Hebrew
letter Aleph. The remarkable story of its discovery we reserve for some future
article.
CODEX ALEXANDRINUS (5th Century).--This is preserved in the British Museum.
It is indicated by the letter A.
CODEX VATICANUS (4th Century).--Indicated by the letter B.
CODEX EPHRAEMI (5th Century).--Indicated by the letter 100:
THE COTTON GENESIS (5th Century).--Indicated by the letter D.
THE BODLEIAN GENESIS (8th Century).--Indicated by the letter E.
The list might be continued, but we do not propose to go into detail here. We pass on
now to one or two other important versions.
The Samaritan recension and the Septuagint version were made before Christ; all
other remaining versions of the O.T. were produced under the influence of Christianity.
The first of these to call for notice is the Syriac version. The nearest country to Palestine
is Syria, and as the gospel spread from Jerusalem as centre, the demand for the Scriptures
spread also, so that very early in the history of the church came the Syriac version. The
translation of the O.T. is known as the Peshitto, or "simple" version, and was made about
the second or third century after Christ. The British Museum contains a copy of this,
which has the distinction of being the oldest copy of the Bible of which the exact date is
known. It was written in A.D.464.
The Coptic Versions were produced for use in Egypt. They are more important as
evidences for the N.T. than for the Old, as the O.T. portion was translated from the
Septuagint and not from the Hebrew. They are, however, of considerable help to the
student of the 70: The two most important Coptic versions are the Memphitic, used in
Northern Egypt, and the Thebaic, used in Southern Egypt. Both of these versions appear
to have been made in the third century.
Ethiopic, Armenian, Arabic, Georgian, and Slavonic versions are of interest, but not of
any great value as all appear to have been translated from the 70: