The Septuagint the ancient Greek translation of Jewish sacred writings is of great importance in the history of both Judaism and Christianity. The first translation of the books of the Hebrew Bible plus additions into the common language of the ancient Mediterranean world made the Jewish scriptures accessible to many outside Judaism. Notbronly did the Septuagint become Holy Writ to Greek speaking Jews but it was also the Bible of the early Christian communities the scripture they cited and the textual foundation of the early Christian movement. pTranslated from Hebrew and Aramaic originals in the two centuries before Jesus, the Septuagint provides important information about the history of the text of the Bible. For centuries, scholars have looked to the Septuagint for information about the nature of the text and of how passages and specific words were understood. pFor students of the Bible, the New Testament in particular, the study of the Septuagint's influence is a vital part of the