Josephus Recounts the History of the Septuagint

11–20, 24

When Alexander had reigned twelve years, and after him Ptolemy Soter had reigned forty years, Philadelphus took the kingdom of Egypt and held it for forty-one years. He had the law translated and set free those who had come from Jerusalem into Egypt and were enslaved there, a total of a hundred and twenty thousand people. It so happened that Demetrius Phalerius, who was the king’s librarian, was endeavoring to collect together all the books in the inhabited world. [ . . . ] He said he had been informed that there were many books of laws among the Jews worthy of study and worthy of the king’s library, but, because they were written in the script and language of this people, it would be no small thing to have them translated into Greek: the script in which they are written seems to be similar to the peculiar Syrian [Aramaic] writing. [ . . . ] So the king saw that Demetrius was very eager to collect an abundance of books for him and suggested what was appropriate for him to do; and therefore he wrote to the Jewish high priest that this might be done.

Now a certain Aristeas who was among the king’s closest friends [ . . . ] embraced the same opinion as those who have already been mentioned and went to the king and gave the following speech to him: “It is not fit for us, O king, to overlook things hastily or to deceive ourselves but to lay the truth open: for since we have determined not only to transcribe but also to interpret the laws of the Jews, for your satisfaction, by what means can we do this, while so many of the Jews are now slaves in your kingdom?” [ . . . ]

When Aristeas was saying this, the king regarded him with a cheerful and joyful expression and said, “How many tens of thousands of them do you suppose want to be made free?” To which Andreas [a captain of the king’s guards] replied and said, “A few more than ten times ten thousand.” The king answered, “It is indeed but a small gift that you are asking for, Aristeas.” [ . . . ]

34, 39–40, 51

Now when [the Jews had been liberated] on such a lavish scale, according to the king’s desires, he ordered Demetrius to give him in writing his sentiments concerning the transcribing of the Jewish books. [ . . . ] [Demetrius wrote,] “If then it please you, O king, write to the high priest of the Jews to send six elders from every tribe who are most skillful in their laws, so that we may learn the clear and consistent meaning of these books from them and may obtain an accurate translation of their contents, and thus we may obtain a collection of these to suit your desire.”

When this request was sent to the king, he commanded that a letter be written to Eleazar, the Jewish high priest, concerning all these matters. [ . . . ] When it had been delivered to Eleazar, he wrote an answer to it with all respect possible [and accepted the king’s offerings]. [ . . . ]

86, 104–109

And when [Eleazar’s gifts of mutual honor] [ . . . ] came to Alexandria, and Ptolemy heard that they had arrived and that the seventy elders were also there, he sent for Andreas and Aristeas, his ambassadors, who came to him and delivered the letter that they had brought him from the high priest. [ . . . ]

When [Demetrius] had brought them near, he entreated [the elders], now that they had all the things about them that they needed for the interpretation of their law, to allow nothing to interrupt them in their work. Accordingly, they made an accurate interpretation, with great zeal and great effort; and they continued to work until the ninth hour of the day, after which time they relaxed and took care of their bodies, while plentiful food was provided for them. [ . . . ] Now when the law was transcribed and the work of translation was finished in seventy-two days, Demetrius gathered all the Jews together at the place where the laws were translated, where the interpreters were, and read them over. The multitude also approved of those elders who were the interpreters of the law. They unanimously commended Demetrius for his proposal, as the inventor of something so greatly for their benefit, and they asked that he allow their rulers to read the law as well. Moreover, everyone, both the priests and the most ancient of the elders, and the chief men of their community, requested that since the interpretation was happily finished it remain in the state it was in and not be altered. And when they all approved this idea, they ordered that if anyone observed anything superfluous, or anything omitted, that he would look at it again and have it laid before them and corrected; in this they acted wisely, in that when the thing was judged to have been well done, it might continue forever.