The Septuagint + ESV Bible Study
We study Scripture the way the Apostles did — from the Greek Old Testament (LXX) and the English Standard Version, side by side.
Why the Septuagint?
When Paul, Peter, and the other New Testament writers quote the Old Testament, they almost always quote the Septuagint (LXX) — the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures completed roughly 250 years before Christ. This was the Bible of the early Church, the Bible Jesus' disciples carried into the synagogues, and the Bible from which the Gospel was first preached to the Gentile world.
Most modern English Bibles translate the Old Testament from a much later Hebrew text (the Masoretic Text, finalized around 1000 AD). At Pleasant Springs Church, we study both — comparing the LXX the Apostles knew with the ESV English text most Christians read today. The result is a richer, deeper, more historically grounded understanding of what the Bible actually says.
An Example: Isaiah 7:14
The Septuagint uses the unambiguous Greek word parthenos — "virgin." This is the reading Matthew quotes in Matthew 1:23 to identify Jesus as the promised Messiah. Studying both texts together reveals exactly why the early Church understood this prophecy as it did.
How the Study Works
Sunday Discipleship School
Weekly in-person teaching led by PS-Church. Open to members and visitors of all study levels — no Greek required.
Free Online Lessons
Every lesson is published to our PDF lesson archive and free online Bible courses.
The AHAVAH App
Memorize Scripture in both LXX Greek and ESV English with our free AHAVAH mobile app.
What You'll Learn
- How the New Testament writers actually used the Old Testament
- Why certain prophecies "fit" Christ in ways the Hebrew alone doesn't show
- The historical world of Second Temple Judaism that Jesus was born into
- How to read Scripture with the Apostolic Fathers and the early Church
Visit a Study
Pleasant Springs Church meets in Pinson, Tennessee, serving the surrounding Pinson, Jackson, and Madison/Chester County communities. Visitors are always welcome — bring any Bible translation you own; we'll provide the Greek.