LXX: The Startling Claims of the Church Fathers!

What if I told you some early Christians believed the Jews had tampered with their own Bible—and that the Greek copies the church used were more accurate than the Hebrew scrolls in the synagogue? In this video we walk through how the early church viewed the Scriptures—especially the Greek Old Testament we call the Septuagint (LXX). We’ll look at how these views shaped real doctrinal debates, including Christological arguments that helped set the stage for Nicaea. In this study we’ll trace: Justin Martyr accusing Jewish teachers of removing Christ-centered passages Irenaeus, Clement, and others treating the LXX as a providential, even miraculous, translation Origen wrestling with places where the LXX and Hebrew don’t match—and refusing to “remove the ancient landmarks” Eusebius and others who suspected deliberate changes in the Hebrew genealogies Athanasius using the wording of the Greek Genesis and Proverbs in key Trinitarian arguments The Jerome vs. Augustine clash over whether to trust the Hebrew text or the Septuagint—complete with a near-riot in North Africa over one word in Jonah (“gourd” vs. “ivy”) By the end, you’ll see why the first big Bible controversy in the church wasn’t about which books belong in the Bible, but which textual tradition could be trusted—and how the Septuagint quietly shaped the trajectory of Christian theology. If it serves you, a like, comment, or share really does help more people find it. And thank you to channel members and supporters (including Steel Toad) who make long-form, source-heavy content like this possible. For those who dig deep: https://mailchi.mp/2f66eae28692/church-fathers Affiliate link: My favorite book on the Septuagint: https://amzn.to/482j1tF Some B-roll footage and images in this video were generated using Grok Imagine (xAI).” Let’s keep in touch on X: https://x.com/stephen_hackett?s=21 00:00 Introduction: Early Christian Views on the Septuagint 00:44 Six Critical Points on the Septuagint 01:15 Allegations of Textual Alterations by Jews 03:46 Miraculous Production of the Septuagint 06:24 The Septuagint as the Providential Bible of the Church 08:24 Awareness of Textual Differences 10:13 Doctrinal Debates and the Septuagint 12:14 Jerome vs. Augustine: The Translation Debate 14:29 Conclusion and Free Gift