The Ages of the Soul: A Theology of Fulfilled Prophecy, Restoration, and Return to God
Modern Western Christianity rests on a framework that took shape centuries after Christ. It passed through Latin translation, the rulings of imperial councils, and a Hebrew text standardized after the apostolic era. I believe the earliest witnesses to Jesus' teaching give a larger and more accurate picture of our existence. These witnesses include the Greek Septuagint that Jesus and the apostles used and quoted, the Greek-speaking theologians of Alexandria, and the statements of Jesus himself. This article sets out that picture and the evidence behind it. 1. The Septuagint: The Bible of the Apostles The Septuagint (LXX) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, produced in the centuries before Christ. It was the Bible of the early church and of Jesus and the apostles. When New Testament writers quote the Old Testament, they most often follow the Septuagint's wording, which sometimes differs sharply from the later Masoretic Hebrew text that underlies most modern Bibles....