CEDAR FALLS - Hundreds of years ago, Jewish scribes wrote out their holy scriptures by hand.

Tediously. Cautiously. Lovingly.

Today, the translation and transcription of religious texts remains a time-consuming yet fulfilling process for many modern scholars with a biblical studies bent, as Kenneth Atkinson can attest.

Atkinson, an associate professor of religion and philosophy at the University of Northern Iowa, recently assisted with a unique and awesome project. Part of an international team of some two-dozen scholars, Atkinson helped complete an English translation of the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the ancient Jewish scriptures from around 250 B.C.

Essentially, the Septuagint is a translation of the Old Testament, along with books later removed from the official canon of scripture. Oxford University Press released "A New English Translation of the Septuagint" in November 2007.

The work is considered the first modern and complete English edition of its kind, said Atkinson.

The translation invitation came not long after Atkinson arrived at UNI in 1999. The biblical studies and archeology buff responded with enthusiasm, but he also described a weighty task.

"There's no book (where there's) more pressure to translate than the Bible," he said.

The original Septuagint appears to have been born out of necessity.

By around 250 B.C., Greek-speaking Jews in Egypt needed a way to read and understand their holy scriptures, said Rabbi Stanley Rosenbaum of Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Waterloo.

"(Translation) was considered not only permissible, it was important for continuity," Rabbi Rosenbaum said.

The story goes that, at the request of Egyptian King Ptolemy II, about 70 Jewish sages convened at the port city of Alexandria

Some versions of the story include an element of the miraculous. Each of the 70 scholars were supposedly given their own room, Rabbi Rosenbaum said.

" … The legend has it when they were all done they compared it and they were all the same," he said.

Modern translation

Atkinson was responsible for translating one of 41 books in the Septuagint. A book of poetic writings, "Psalms of Solomon" fits between the Old and New Testament. The collection of Psalms, once used in worship, tells the story of a people awaiting a warrior Messiah.

"For Christians, this is a very important book," Atkinson said. "It helps us understand the world that Judaism, Jesus and Christendom emerged from."

So while many people of faith say they are unfamiliar with the Septuagint, actually anyone who picks up a Bible stands to encounter it, Atkinson said.

Early Christians held the Septuagint in high regard and New Testament authors referenced it, Atkinson said. Saint Augustine declared both Hebrew and Greek translations of the ancient scriptures divinely inspired, Atkinson added.

He also said that the Septuagint created a Greek theological vocabulary to convey the meaning of the Semitic languages of Hebrew and Aramaic.

The Greek Orthodox Church, actually, still uses the translation. Septuagint comes from the Greek word for 70.

To translate the ancient Greek, Atkinson requested print and digital copies of the original "Psalms of Solomon" from various museums. The project required took years of research, reviews by committee and revisions. Atkinson consulted commentaries and fellow translators. He referenced Jewish, Christian and pagan texts to determine the best plausible meaning for a word.

Sometimes, the choice seemed obvious. He found other words quite challenging.

" … Translation is an art," Atkinson said. "It's not perfect. There's always room for disagreement, especially in poetic texts."

In an effort to uphold the integrity of the original documents, Atkinson had to prepare to defend his choices. Editors also worked to achieve consistency and continuity across all books of the Septuagint.

While any translation effort can reopen disputes about authenticity, accuracy and word choice, some area pastors say they are impressed by the continual preservation of scriptures.

Pastor Dave Doely of Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran Church finds the Septuagint fascinating, historically, as many early fathers of the church relied on it for commentaries. He also said he is impressed by what he sees as cohesiveness among the documents.

"I think God's hand was involved in that translation," Doely said. "If nothing else, it helps contemporary believers understand that the word of God is really a living word and while it comes to us in the form of Hebrew, English and Greek texts, it's more than any of those can say."

"A New English Translation of the Septuagint" is available for purchase. The text is also accessible on line at cat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/.

Contact Karen Heinselman at (319) 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.