The Legend of the Septuagint

The Legend of the Septuagint

From Data Over Dogma by Daniel McClellan and Daniel Beecher

March 23, 2026 · 1h 2m · Episode 155

About this episode

This episode explores the origins and lore of the Septuagint, including a letter from Aristeas and the Covenant Code's handling of ownership disputes.

If you've listened to this show for any amount of time, you know what the Septuagint is (if you haven't, don't worry- it's just the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). But do you know where that name came from? Or the legend of its creation? This episode, we're diving deep into the lore of this very important document, and yes- there is LORE! The most important of which is a very long letter from a man calling himself Aristeas, which tells a fascinating (and spurious) tale of the Septuagint's origin. What do we know about this letter? And how much credence should we give it? Then, we're diving into that elaborate system of laws and rules known as the Covenant Code. Specifically, the part where we learn how the ancient Israelites were supposed to handle an ownership dispute. What does it mean when it says they were supposed to "come before God" to decide the case? How were they supposed to do that? How was it decided? What if it didn't work??? ---- For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at…

People in this episode

Hosts: Daniel McClellan, Daniel Beecher

Topics covered

  • Septuagint
  • Covenant Code
  • ancient laws
  • ownership dispute
  • historical documents

Keywords

  • Septuagint
  • Aristeas
  • Covenant Code
  • ownership dispute
  • ancient Israelites

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Septuagint

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