Theodotion, Aquila and Symmachus

After the Septuagint, various other Greek translations of the books of the Old Testament followed. These new translations tried to bring the Greek text closer to the Hebrew text.

There was Theodotion’s translation, for instance, which is nowadays believed to date from around the start of our common era. It is an adaptation of the Septuagint that aims to bring the Greek text closer to the Hebrew.

Two other Greek translations are thought to date from the second century AD. These are the translations by Aquila and Symmachus. Aquila’s translation is very literal; the translation by Symmachus is a little freer and the Greek is therefore slightly better.