The Relationship between the Septuagint and the Peshitta of Isaiah

Brill - Vetus testamentum: Volume 69, Issue 1

Abstract It is well known that the Old Testament Peshitta (P) shows several agreements with the Septuagint (LXX) against the Masoretic Text (MT). However, the relationship between these two ancient Bible translations has not yet been sufficiently clarified. There is a need to evaluate these LXX = P ≠ MT variants according to clear criteria, pointing out the nature of the LXX influence on the Syriac translators. The present study aims to contribute to meeting this need. The investigation focuses on the LXX and P parallels of the P version of Isaiah and seeks to set forth some criteria in order to assess them. It will be argued that the LXX variants in the P text of Isaiah may have emerged in three different ways: by means of the reception of the LXX text (literary dependency), the LXX interpretation, and the LXX theology.