The Septuagint: All the Details Behind the Historical Project
The elders worked quickly, and within about three months completed the translation. They tried very hard to be precise so that the text would be understandable in Greek, and aside from a few changes they had to make, they maintained accuracy.
- יהוסף יעבץ
- פורסם ט"ז כסלו התשפ"ה
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In the beginning of the third century BCE, Demetrius of Phalerum stood before Ptolemy Philadelphus, the King of Egypt, and said, "Your esteemed majesty, it has come to my attention that the Jewish people living in the land of Judea have many books on their unique laws, and these are important books worthy of study and to be included in your majesty's library. But the script used by the Jews is strange, and we must ask Jewish scholars who can write these books for us in Greek, so that we can learn from them."
Beside the king sat his close advisor, Aristeas, who had an affection for the Jews. He spoke and said, "Your majesty, I know the Jews well, and their Torah laws. They worship the one God and believe that all humans are His creations. Therefore, if we want them to translate their Torah for us and teach us, we must free all the Jewish slaves here in our land, dating back to the time of your father."
"How many Jewish slaves are in Egypt?" the king asked.
Andreas, his bodyguard, replied, "There are one hundred and ten thousand Jewish slaves in Egypt. Your father, Ptolemy I, took them as border guards, because he knew they are faithful to an oath and would never break it, just as they swore to Alexander the Great, and he trusted them implicitly. Therefore, your father left them as guards in the border fortresses."
"Well then," Ptolemy replied, "this is a small gift for such important books to be added to the library. Behold, I command to free all the Jewish slaves, and for each one, I will give their place of employment a hundred and twenty drachmas. And not just the slaves my father, the great king Ptolemy, brought, but every Jewish slave in Egypt shall be set free. All this will be done within three days, and whoever I hear has not carried out my command, all his assets will be confiscated to the royal treasury."
After the Jewish slaves were freed, Demetrius presented the king with a proposal regarding the Torah translation, stating that a search of the library found a translation of Jewish laws into Greek, but it was flawed and incomplete, clearly not done professionally. It was a shame that Greek poets did not know this Torah, and Greeks could not enjoy it so far. Therefore, he suggests the king write to the High Priest in Jerusalem, whose name is Elazar, to provide him with six elders from each of the twelve tribes of the Jews, so they can translate the Torah as accurately as possible.
The king immediately prepared a letter for Elazar the High Priest. He enclosed fifty kilograms of gold for making sacred vessels, many precious gems and pearls, and another hundred kilograms of silver for sacrifices. In the letter, he asked the High Priest to send seventy Jewish elders to translate the Torah. Josephus describes that the king also prepared a special table for the Temple and elaborated on its sophistication and splendor. It is unknown if the table was indeed used in the Temple.
Elazar the High Priest, who was the son of Simeon the Just, who met with Alexander the Great, replied to the king in a letter saying: "To King Ptolemy, greetings. Know that we will accept upon ourselves to do what will benefit you, even if it is against nature, for we must repay you for the many kindnesses you have done with the people of our land. Also, we immediately offered sacrifices for you, your sister, your children, and your friends, and the nation prayed that your heart's wishes be fulfilled and your kingdom endure in peace."
Aristeas returned to Egypt with the seventy elders, and the king arranged to receive them immediately. It was unusual, as usually, delegations waited a month or more for the king. The king was happy with all the gifts sent by the High Priest, but especially impressed by the Torah scroll. He had never seen such a grand book written on parchment in such a uniform and impressive manner. He asked the elders to read to him and translate orally from the book. The things he heard moved him greatly, and tears flowed from his eyes. He declared that on this day, when he first learned from the Torah of Israel, he would make it a holiday every year. He ordered the elders to be hosted royally, and appointed a special person to prepare kosher food according to Jewish laws for them. They were given a special place for immersion before their work, as well as for washing hands according to Jewish laws.
The elders worked quickly, and within about three months completed the translation. They tried very hard to be precise so that the text would be understandable in Greek, and aside from a few changes they had to make, they maintained accuracy. One change they made was in the section about unclean animals, where they avoided mentioning the name "hare" and instead wrote "long-legged," since the translation of "hare" into Greek is "lagos," and the king's name was "Ptolemy son of Lagos"... So that the king wouldn't think they were mocking him, they changed the word "hare" to another word. The translation they created is called the "Septuagint," and a version of it exists to this day.
The king was very pleased with the result. He reflected on the words of the Torah and found great interest in them, and the court philosopher, Mandemus was his name, was also very happy to learn and gain wisdom from the Torah of the Jews. One of the translators, a priest named Elisha, raised his hands in prayer for the success of the event, and the Greeks listened in amazement and said amen.