Responding to Dei

She wrote to me on Slate Star Codex (aka ACX) and there wasn't sufficient space to write her back in situ

Following the example of our teacher Moshe Ben Maimon, I penned an introductory article unambiguously describing the requisite frame of mind for lurking or participating here with any hope of profit.

If you haven't already read it, please read it before reading forwards. You’ll be happy you did. https://ydydy.substack.com/p/my-jewish-jesus-potentially-the-most

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QUOTE: "I read somewhere that one reason for the Masoretic translation of the Torah was to tighten up what books were considered 'official' because the Christians were quoting the Septuagint texts in support of their Messiah."

I REALLY like how you phrased the above. Because even though I'm not 100% sure that I understand you (as I'll explain a little later), I still know that you got the lion's share of the right answer.

"I read somewhere", qualifies your source confidence at the start, but even better "that one reason", suggests an intuitive familiarity with the likelihood that this bit of gossip (to the extent that it's true) likely would not be *the only* discernable proximate cause.

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AS TO the matter at hand, I'm not sure that I'm understanding your reference to The Masoretic Translation.

If you listen closely to my Hebrew reading of the text you'll hear THE VERY WORD *MUSAR*.

Which of course is the original Hebrew word from which the transliterated foreign word enters Greek through the word "Masoritic".

As the Bible put it: "Kishmo kein hu", As his Name, So is He".

The Medieval Authors developed the expression, "Shmo me'id alav", his very name is a witness to his character.

And the hivemind of Reddit developed, "usename checks out".

For there is nothing new under the sun.

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The very word "Masoretic" therefore testifies to the Greek being the translation. Although of course not as much as its own name for itself, "Septuagint" testifies against it.

In the context of the video I struggled for the perfect definition of the word MASORA but thanks to your pointing my attention here it hit me that the precise definition is: "Legacy".

Literally: "That which was and will be passed onwards".

Anyone who thinks Hebrew isn't beautiful and brilliant is mad. It's what languages looked like back when the world's etymologists were all unemployed.

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Thanks to your pointing me to this I now understand that verse perfectly.

While of course confirmation bias exists and one can always read what they want to into any verse, I don't think there is a single reader of the Bible throughout history who didn't appreciate the wonderous DEPTHS inherent The Book authored by a people whose verbal and written language hadn't mutated to the point where an economy of words was no longer possible.

You will often find a wealth of depth in the very words of Tanach if you can think and feel near enough to how the original authors and readers would have.

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Looking back at the verse with the word MUSAR:

Referring to all of the Popular and Official "wisdom faiths" of all the world, JEREMIAH SAYS (presaging Maimonides' vivid description of this very matter in his once-censored penultimate chapter of his 1000 chapter, Mishne Torah):

Don't be seduced by the faith and symbols of any People or Empire no matter how powerful they might appear today.

"For in a single moment they can be totally consumed and recognized as ridiculous. Their legacy is the ether of burned wood.”

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