The Legend of the Septuagint: From Classical Antiquity to TodayThe Septuagint is the most influential of the Greek versions of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The exact circumstances of its creation are uncertain, but different versions of a legend about the miraculous nature of the translation have existed since antiquity. Beginning in the Letter of Aristeas, the legend describes how Ptolemy Philadelphus commissioned seventy-two Jewish scribes to translate the sacred Hebrew scriptures for his famous library in Alexandria. Subsequent variations on the story recount how the scribes, working independently, produced word-for-word, identical Greek versions. In the course of the following centuries, to our own time, the story has been adapted and changed by Jews, Christians, Muslims and pagans for many different reasons: to tell a story, to explain historical events and to lend authority to the Greek text for the institutions that used it. This book offers the first account of all of these versions over the last two millennia, providing a history of the uses and abuses of the legend in various cultures around the Mediterranean. |
Contents
Section 2 | |
Section 3 | |
Section 4 | 3 |
Section 5 | 132 |
Section 6 | 174 |
Section 7 | 192 |
Section 8 | 217 |
Section 9 | 14 |
Other editions - View all
The Legend of the Septuagint: From Classical Antiquity to Today Abraham Wasserstein,David J. Wasserstein No preview available - 2009 |
The Legend of the Septuagint: From Classical Antiquity to Today Abraham Wasserstein,David J. Wasserstein No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
Alexandria ancient appear Arabic Aristeas beginning Bible biblical called CB976/Wasserstein century changes Chapter Christian Church claim clear collection complete concerned contains context copies December 13 detail divine earlier early edition Egypt elders element example existence explanation expression fact find first Genesis give given Greek hand Hebrew High Holy identical important inspiration interest Israel Jerusalem Jewish Jews Josephus king known language later Latin learning least Legend Letter lived manuscript material matter meaning mentioned miracle Muslim offers original passage perhaps Philo present Priest prophets Ptolemy Rabbis reason reference Samaritans Scriptures seems seen sent separate Septuagint seventy seventy-two shows sources story suggests taken tells things told Torah tradition translation whole writing written wrote Yosippon