THE SEPTUAGINT (GREEK TRANSLATION OF THE HEBREW SACRED WRITINGS)

‘Septuagint’ is from the Latin for ‘seventy’. It is not certain how it came to be attached to the Greek version of the Hebrew scriptures. In the Letter of Aristeas, which contains some historical among many legendary elements, the task of translation was entrusted to seventy-two, six from each tribe. If this was the original traditional number, it may have changed to seventy by association with the elders who accompanied Moses on Mount Sinai (Exod. 24:1, 9) and with the number of the sanhedrin (Sanh. 1:6). Luke 10:1, 17 with their variant readings illustrate the tradition of the delegates to the seventy other nations (Gentiles) wavering between seventy and seventy-two. The Letter of Aristeas is the main early document which asserts an origin for the LXX (to use its constant symbol), and the main points in its story may be summed up thus:

An official translation, of Alexandrian origin, was initiated by Jewish authority, and the Pentateuch (with which the Letter is concerned) was the first part of the Jewish scriptures to be translated. The event is associated with Ptolemy II Philadelphus (283-246 BC) and this is a fair indication of the date, even when the legendary character of the king's involvement is accepted. The translation was made, not for the edification of Gentiles, but for Jews to use in their synagogues in worship and instruction.