John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

I don't deny that a highly divergent sect would have used non-standard texts or translations. But isn't this a case of pointing out an exception that proves the rule?

My understanding is that one of the strongest schisms between the Sadducees and the Essenes was the former's rejection of many apocalyptic, intertestamental texts which the Essenes considered canonical. The church fathers Hippolytus (Refutation, 9.29) and Origen (Against Celsus, 1.49; Commentary on Matthew, 17.35) state that the Sadducees only believed in the Pentateuch, as does Josephus.

My understanding is that the Septuagint was only in regular “official” use within diaspora synagogues—obviously not in the temple, and not in mainstream Judaean synagogues either. I'm always open to being corrected though!

/r/Bible Thread Parent