Citations of Genesis 2.24. For a final case, Matthew 19:1-12 and Mark 10:1-12 apparently retell
the same historical events in meaningfully different ways. Most importantly, in
Matthew 19 Jesus ascribes Genesis 2:24 to God’s direct speech (“he who created
them”), while Mark 10 reports Jesus’ words differently. The bulk of Matthew
19:5 and Mark 10:7-8a is the same. But Mark includes a pronoun (τον πατερα αυτου) that Matthew lacks; Mark uses the verb προσκολληθησεται (“to cling”), followed by προς την γυναικα αυτου, all of which resembles the LXX. Matthew employs
a different (though closely related) verb, κολληθησεται (“to join to”), followed by a dative
construction (τη
γυναικι αυτου) lacking the preposition found in Mark
and the LXX. Another New Testament citation of Genesis 2:24 occurs in Ephesians
5:31, resembling Mark with respect to the verb and the prepositional phrase,
but like Matthew lacking the pronoun αυτου. Ephesians diverges from all other versions when it begins the citation
with αντι whereas the others uses
ενεκεν.
None of these variations (αντι in place of ενεκεν;
κολληθησεται versus προσκολληθησεται; etc.) diminish the family resemblance between
all these readings. Both the resemblance and the variations are in keeping with
the biblical manuscripts early in the first Christian century along with
ancient citation techniques. Therefore, the shared ascription of authority to these
citations, despite textual variations, supports our claim that the magisterial
authority of God’s Word can be effectively minister via pluriform text-traditions
without strict repetition. In this case, Matthew 19:5 (by invoking divine
direct discourse) represents the greatest potential for imbuing the LXX with
magisterial authority. Consequently, Matthew’s divergence from the LXX
indicates its lack of wholesale magisterial authority, notwithstanding its
definite importance within the effective ministry of Scripture’s authority. (Daniel
J. Treier and Joshua McQuaid, “A Systematic-Theological Approach,” in The
Authority of the Septuagint: Biblical, Historical, and Theological Approaches,
ed. Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross [Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic,
2025], 167-68)
