And is your translation correct? Assuming it's written in Greek, is the translation from Hebrew to Greek correct?
Honestly, after I've looked into this and thinking about it, this is one of the most nonsensical arguments I have ever come across. The Orthodox position is that one doesn't know if the translations are correct and yet they provide translations and sing Bible songs that are suppose to be correct. Hello??? Does anyone else see a problem with this logic???
You've complained that Ezekial is translated incorrectly. Well, provide the correct translation and we'll compare notes. It seems that it should be a simply matter if the Orthodox have the "Bible" and everyone else made it up.
Did you just wake up? Maybe you need a good cup of coffee, HD? Normally, you don't sound so out of touch.
The New Testament was written in Greek, Matthew being a sole exception as possibly existing in Hebrew but no one has a copy to compare. So, I would say that the NT is most definitely "correct" in that context.
The Old Testament is, of course the Septuagint, which was also the OT used in more than 90% of the cases as reference by the Apostle (Christ even quotes from it in the NT).
That alone should be a hint that it is "correct." But, I imagine that the 72 Jewish scholars who translated it from Hebrew 300 years before Christ was born vouched that it is "correct" (as least as far as their Hebrew copy is concerned).
So I would say that the Scripture used by the Orthodox Church is most definitely correct I can's say anything about the Bible put together by some renegade priest. He threw out the whole OT and replaced it with the Old Testament of rabbis who rejected Christ and anything Christian in Jamnia (100 AD); in fact they even commanded everyone to curse Jesus of Nazareth.
The Protestant community uses their book as scripture! Congratulations! Of course, that OT (the Masoretic Text) was then edited with vowels and vowels change words, not just the pronunciation. The oldest Masoretic Text was found in a Moscow synagogue in the 9th or 10th century after Christ.
Now, all Scripture has been edited, deleted, added to, copied, falsified, etc. Thus, the Bible used by the Orthodox Church dates back to the 5th century Alexandrian Codex. It is predated by the Codex Sinaitucs and Codex Vaticanus, both of which date to the 4th century AD. They differ from the Alexandrian in that the Alexandrian reads more "Christian" than the older versions.
These are the earliest complete bibles the world has. The Sinaiticus contains also the Epistle of +Barnabas. For some reason, this book has been left out of all subsequent copies to this day in all the Bibles I know. +Barnabas was, as you probably know, +Paul's close associate.
Earlier fragments exist for the NT and the OT, but there is no complete canon of either Testament known.
The Orthodox believe that despite human corruption, copying errors, translational errors, redactions, etc. the Scripture in its totality conveys God's truth as is immune to human imperfection. The truth is revealed despite and not because of what version of the Bible one reads, if one's intent is true.
That doesn't mean that we are at liberty to change, add or subtract intentionally the oldest copies we have, or that we can freely interpret the Scripture through the prism of modern trends, values and 'official truths,' but in context of the times, and mindset of the Apostolic times and realities of Israel.
This is where Church documents and opinions of the earliest Fathers come to rescue, because they are contemporary accounts of what transpired, and how it was perceived at that time and in such and such a place. If we perceive it differently because of our modern society and secular life style, we must go back to the Patristics to re-interpret it it context of their times, mindset and culture.
We call that the Holy Tradition. I really don't know what the problem with it seems to be with the Protestants who, frankly, interpret the Bible as they darn well please.
Thus 'brothers' are not the same as they are in the 21st century American society. And the devil is not the same in pre-Christian Judaism as it is in Christianity.
I did. I quoted Eze 28 from the Septuagint.
Seeing as how he's a major prophet it is a little disingenius to say there's no prophecy in his words, especially when the chapter ends with a prophecy about Sidon.
Note to AlamoGirl: Tyre also means "rock" and I noticed reading Hannah's song in the Hebrew that she also calls God "our"Rock". I'll check the other songs in the bible later today