There have been some scholars of late asserting as some sort of "indisputable fact" that Older Testament Scriptures, including the Torah [The Five Books of Moses], Prophets and Writings) such as the LXX (The Greek "Septuagint" also found at Qumran among the Dead Sea Scrolls) for example, were only for 'converts', and that the Jewish people NEVER allowed the Older Testament (officially) to be written, read, spoken or studied in the Greek language, AT ALL, as that would be "Hellenizing". Some have even intimated that such a thing might even have been considered a sin, or such Jews perhaps "traitors". (!?)
Here is the p'sak (Religious Ruling) straight from the Talmud concerning whether or not Greek was considered by the Jewish authorities in the Ancient World as worthy of ALL Acceptance. This would be the reason that Philo, for example, wrote his works in Koine Greek, and the reason was -not- because he was an "Hellenized Alexandrian". What follows below completely refutes ANY such assertion, and those that teach that the Greek language was unlawful are just plain wrong.
This would also include "certain ones" that now actually teach that Yeshuas' Name in Koine Greek "Iesous" is actually "Yay-Zeus" or somesuch ridiculous statement and that our Anglicized transliteration to "Jesus" is "Gee-Zeus"? This is nothing more than making a MOCKERY of The Name by which we Are Saved (Be It In whatsoever language It Is Given), and has no place in serious scholarship whatsoever. Were the Jewish-Christians in the mid-2nd Century using "Yay-Zeus" as they Prayed their JEWISH-CHRISTIAN SYNAGOGUE PRAYERS in Koine Greek? Individuals who believe any such reasonings are soon led astray as we shall see.
Note the Ruling below.
RULING FROM THE TALMUD
"TALMUD MAS MEGILLAH 2A
"R. SIMEON B. GAMALIEL SAYS THAT BOOKS [OF THE SCRIPTURE] ALSO ARE PERMITTED TO BE WRITTEN ONLY IN GREEK. R. Abbahu said in the name of R. Johanan: The halachah follows R. Simeon b. Gamaliel. R. Johanan further said: What is the reason of R. Simeon b. Gamaliel? Scripture says, God enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; [this means] that the words of Japheth shall be in the tents of Shem. But why not say [the words of] Gomer and Magog? � R. Hiyya b. Abba replied: The real reason is because it is written, Let God enlarge [yaft] Japheth: implying, let the chief beauty [yafyuth] of Japheth be in the tents of Shem."
Greek was the "Language of Empire" and had been the Universal Language of the Ancient World a long time before Yeshua (Jesus), and was commonly spoken and understood in Israel by the Jewish people in general. The Jewish people that read, read the LXX (Septuagint), and the Jewish writers of that time and before, wrote, and freely quoted passages from the LXX in Greek. These Jews were not "Hellenized", they were Lawful according to the Oral Law: the Talmud itself! Under this Ruling, the Koine Greek language did find a distinct place within the Culture and Customs of the Jewish people in the ancient world, both in Israel and the Galut. The word "Afikomen", for example, used in todays' Pesach (Passover) Seder, for the hidden Matzoh that completes the Seder, is a Greek word that means "dessert"!
The New Testament was correctly Written in Greek therefore, because the Greek language had been previously Approved by the Jewish authorities! Greek was, and is a Lawful language in which to communicate the Word of G-d to the Assemblies, and the Greek Manuscripts that have been found are a Testimony to Lawfulness. Quotes from the Greek Septuagint are found within the New Testament itself. As said previously, there were copies of the Greek Septuagint also found at Qumran among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
There have also been other Greek MSS discovered in Syria of Synagogue Prayers from the mid-2nd Century as the earliest date, and speak of Yeshua. See Charlesworth, "Pseudepigrapha", Vol. II. Also, anyone who was anyone in the ancient world during this time spoke and wrote in Greek. That included Philo. Unless certain ones want to "outlaw" the Talmud as "Hellenized" (?), there is NO BASIS whatsoever to claim that the Greek lamguage is treif for Jews.
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