Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek: A Commentary on the History and Contents of the Alexandrian Old Testament; its Literary Use and Influence on Scholars and Translators of the Bible

This Bible commentary concerns the Greek versions of the Old Testament, its literary and scholarly qualities, and use as a source for later, English translations of the Biblical text.

A study rich in profundity and the author's decisive scholarship, we find within this book a thorough, chapter-by-chapter comparison of the earliest versions of the Bible in Greek. The order and composition of the verses were arranged with the vocabulary differences placed into charts, that the reader may understand all with clarity.

Much of Swete's thesis is concerned with the differences between the Alexandrian Old Testament and the Septuagint (commonly referred to as the LXX) - the earliest known iteration of the Bible in Greek. These two versions of the Old Testament differ in certain ways, and it is these divergences which allow for Swete's most detailed commentary.

The latter portions of this work concern the subsequent use of the Hellenic Bible in later literature. Quotation was popular, with fragments appearing in various works of antiquity, in the New Testament, and in later, Medieval scholarship. Swete investigates with his usual consistency the various quotes and their context, demonstrating how the Greek Old Testament held great sway with Christians through the ages.

Henry Barclay Swete was a Bible scholar who authored multiple commentaries concerning scripture. Working in Cambridge University, he was influential among theologians and would also act as an editor for several published editions of essays.