In the Second Century AD, there were three men who created new translations of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek: Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus.

This urge to create new translations was spurred on by a few factors.

First of all, copies of the Greek Septuagint, which the Jews had been using for hundreds of years, had developed several scribal errors. So, by the Second Century, it was in need of a revision where it could be compared to the original Hebrew to make sure that it was still a faithful translation. In fact, of these three scholars, Theodotion’s translation was little more than a revision of the Septuagint.

But, there was a second, more pressing concern.

Christianity.

All three of these scholars (except maybe Symmachus) were Jews. So, they wanted to try and discredit the many prophecies mentioned in the Christian New Testament. To do this, they made their own translations to show how the Septuagint’s translation of the Hebrew prophecies in the Old Testament was not always the same word-for-word.

For example, the Gospel according to Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14, saying that:

…The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son…

And that is what the Septuagint says. However, the original Hebrew likely said:

…The young woman will conceive and give birth to a son…

So, Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus seemingly wanted to try and discredit the prophecies mentioned in the New Testament by showing that, in the original Hebrew, the prophecies didn’t necessarily say the exact same thing word-for-word.

Theodotion

We don’t know much about Theodotion. But, it seems that he was a convert to Judaism who lived in the city of Ephesus (the same city where Paul stayed for a couple years).

Theodotion’s Translation

His translation was a sort of middle ground between Aquila’s strict word-for-word translation and Symmachus’ looser meaning-for-meaning translation.

Theodotion kept to a translation very similar to the Septuagint while updating certain parts to make the translation either sound better, or to better reflect the original Hebrew.

The Timing Issue

Now, when studying Theodotion, there is one big issue that scholars love to rack their brains over.

When did Theodotion live?

Ancient writers typically say that he lived in the late Second Century AD. Specifically, one says that he made his translation around the 180s AD.

However, there are many modern scholars who disagree with this, and for good reason.

You see, when the New Testament authors quote from the Old Testament, they would use whatever translation best drives their point home. So, for example, in 1 Corinthians 15:54, when Paul is quoting from Isaiah 25:8, we read this:

⁵⁴ …Death has been swallowed up in victory.

But, if you look for Isaiah 25:8 in your Old Testament, you’ll find something like this:

⁸ He will swallow up death for all time…

Now, that’s obviously different. But, it’s even more different than it looks at first. In our modern English Old Testaments, we usually use the Hebrew Text of the Middle Ages. If we were to look at what the Greek Septuagint (the version of the Old Testament that most Jews in Paul’s day would have been using) says in Isaiah 25:8, we would read:

⁸ Death, having prevailed, swallowed them [nations] up…

So, why does Paul say that he’s quoting Isaiah 25:8 when his quote is different from what Isaiah 25:8 actually says?

Well, because Isaiah 25:8 does say exactly what Paul quotes… in Theodotion’s translation.

So, that answers the question, right? In 1 Corinthians 15:54, Paul is just quoting from Theodotion’s translation, right?

Well, that sounds good until we remember that Paul was writing in the 50s AD. If Theodotion didn’t make his translation until the 180s AD, how did Paul quote from it?

That’s where the modern theory comes in. Some scholars suggest that Theodotion was actually born around the same time as Jesus (plus or minus a decade or two). According to this theory, he made his translation in the early First Century AD, with plenty of time for Paul to get a copy to quote from.

There is also another theory though. Some think that Theodotion did make his translation in the 180s AD, but that someone else had made another, similar translation back in the First Century BC.

The Book of Daniel

And, while much of Theodotion’s translation is lost, we actually still use a large portion of it to this very day: the book of Daniel.

Apparently, as Jerome, the Fourth Century translator of the Vulgate, tells us, the Septuagint translation of Daniel wasn’t a very good translation. So, the Church ended up adopting Theodotion’s translation of it instead.

Summary

In the end, we can’t be too sure about anything concerning Theodotion’s life or translation. But, it seems that he was a convert to Judaism who lived in Ephesus sometime during either the 1st or 2nd centuries AD. The apostle Paul used his translation, or an earlier translation made by someone else, in a few areas, including 1 Corinthians 15:54. And, Theodotion’s version of Daniel was such an improvement over the Septuagint that it became the main version used even to this day.