The Septuagint (250 B.C.)

THE SEPTUAGINT (250 B.C.)
The very earliest known translation of the Bible was the Septuagint. It was a translation of the Old Testament Hebrew Bible into Greek.

Ptolemy Philadelphus.

One of the great wonders of the ancient world was the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Jewish tradition tells us that around 250 B.C. Ptolemy Philadelphus, the king of Egypt, ordered that a translation be made of the Hebrew Scriptures into the common language of that day - Greek.

Greek had become the common language ever since Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known world. Ptolemy 2nd himself was the descendant of one of Alexander's generals who had taken control of Egypt. His legacy is the completion of the great library at Alexandria. The Translators: According to tradition, this translation was the work of 72 Jewish scholars and so became known as the Septuagint (from Septuaginta, meaning “Seventy”).

Acceptance: This translation became the standard version accepted by all non-Hebrew speaking people of the ancient world. It is interesting to note that many of the quotations of the New Testament appear to have been taken from the Septuagint.