Theodotion

THEODOTION. He was, according to some,¹ of Synope in Pontus, and according to others,² of Ephesus. Those that would reconcile those two Opinions tell us, that he was born in the first, and dwelt in the second of those Cities. He lived under Commodus, about the Year of Christ 175. He first made profession of Christianity, and was a Disciple of Tatian; then he fell into the Heresy of Marcion; and afterwards, being at variance with the Marcionites, he became a Jew. Having learned the Hebrew Tongue, he undertook to translate the Old Testament into Greek, and his Translation is the third from that of the Septuagint; that of Aquila is the second, and that of Symmachus the fourth. St. Irenæus quotes Aquila and Theodotion, but says nothing of Symmachus, which gives reason to conclude, that his Version was not extent at that time.

Theodotion undertook his Translation in opposition to the Marcionites, whom he had lately quitted. His Method observes a middle way between those of the Septuagint and Aquila³ He doth not keep servilely to the Words, as Aquila had done, nor take the Latitude of Symmachus, who rather made a Paraphrase than a Translation. He adheres chiefly to the Seventy, says St. Jerome,⁴ whose simple manner of Translation he imitated. He

Vol. III. studied to express the Sense of the Text in Greek Words answering to those of the Hebrew, as far as the Genius of the two Languages would allow. His Version is preferred by Christians before those of Symmachus and Aquila; but the Jews prefer that of Aquila, so far as they make use of a Greek Version: They preferred it to that of the Septuagint, because it was more literal, and closer to the Words. Hence it is that in the Talmud there is frequent mention of the Version of Aquila, and none at all of that of the Septuagint.

This Esteem which the Hellenistical Jews shewed for this Greek Translation, excited the Jealousy of the Hebraizing Jews, who could not observe without Concern that they departed so much from the ancient Usage of the Synagogues, by reading these Translations into foreign Languages. They pretended that nothing ought to be read there but in the Hebrew Text, and the ancient Chaldee Paraphrases; and that all the Greek Versions ought to be entirely excluded. But as it was not practicable to bring back the Hellenizing Jews to Languages they did not understand, this Affair produced great Divisions among the Jews, so that the Emperors were obliged to take cognizance of them. Justinian⁵ published an Ordinance, to be seen yet among his Constitutions, giving Permission to the Jews to read the Scripture in their Synagogues in the Greek Version of the Septuagint, in that of Aquila, or in what other Language they should think fit, according to the several Countries they should dwell in. But the Jewish Doctors having determined the Matter otherwise, this Constitution of the Emperor produced but very little Effect: The Greek Versions were entirely excluded, and from that time the Reading of the Holy Scripture has been performed in Hebrew and Chaldee; for even to this Day the use of the Chaldee is still retained in some of their Synagogues, as at Franckfort in Germany.

To return to Theodotion; the ancient Christians had so great a Value for his Translation, that, perceiving the Translation of Daniel by the Septuagint to be very defective, they quite omitted it, and substituted that of Theodotion⁶ instead of it, which has continued ever since. For the same Reason, when Origen,⁷ in his Hexapla, was obliged to supply something that was wanting in the Septuagint, he took it from Theodotion, marking it with Asterisks. Theodotion made two Translations, or rather had revised his former; but they are both lost; none of it remains entire but the Book of Daniel; and the Fragments of the rest have been lately collected in the Hexapla of Origen, published by F. Montfaucon.

From Theodotion it is that the Church has received the History of Susanna, which Hieron. præfat. in Dan.is rejected by the Jews; but is read in all the Books of the Christian Churches, not only among the Greeks and Latins, but also the Syrians and Egyptians. St. Idem in Isaiah iii.Jerome even informs us, that the History of Susanna was placed before the Prophecies of Daniel in the Vulgar Editions; Theodotion having put it in this Place, as belonging to it on account of the Time in which it happened.

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