Hebrew Scripture in Patristic Biblical Theory

The status of the Christian Old Testament as originally Hebrew scripture had certain theoretical implications for many early Christians. While they based their exegesis on Greek translations and considered the LXX inspired in its own right, the Fathers did acknowledge the Hebrew origins of their Old Testament and in some ways defined their Bible accordingly. Hebrew scripture exerted its influence on patristic biblical theory especially in regard to issues of the canon, language, and text of the Bible. For many Fathers, only documents thought to be originally composed in Hebrew could be considered canonical, the Hebrew language was considered the primordial language subsequently confined to Israel, and the LXX, as the most faithful translation, corresponded precisely to the Hebrew text.

Edmon L. Gallagher, Ph.D. (2010) in the History of Biblical Interpretation, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Cincinnati), is Assistant Professor of Biblical Literature at Heritage Christian University in Florence, Alabama.

this is an original and critical study of a complex and important subject, and one which deserves to be taken seriously. '

Nicholas de Lange, Cambridge, Journal of Ecclesiastical History volume 65 No. 2 (2014)

'This book successfully draws attention to an under-studied area of patristic reception of the Hebrew scriptures and make a good case for the importance of the original Hebrew of the 'Old Testament' for considerations of canon, language and text. [...] stimulating and well-researched book [...] at whose richness and interest this review can only hint.'

James Carleton Paget, Theologische Literaturzeitung 137 (2012) 12