Let them be on the top of Joseph: Even the head of the Distinguished of his brethren! BENJAMIN :-let him raven like a wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey; Oswestry. Biblical Anecdotes. 3. W THE ALEXANDRIAN or SEPTUAGINT GREEK VERSION of the OLD TESTAMENT. AMONG the Greek versions of the Old Testament, the ALEXANDRIAN, or SEPTUAGINT, as it is generally termed, is the most ancient and valuable; and was so highly esteemed both by the Jews and the early Christians, as to be constantly read in the synagogues and churches. Hence it is uniformly cited by the early fathers, whether Greek or Latin, and from this version all the translations into other languages which were anciently approved by the Christian church, were executed, (with the exception of the Syriac), as the Arabic, Armenian, Ethiopic, Gothic, and Old Italic or the Latin version in use before the time of Jerome: and to this day the Septuagint is 22 Or, according to some writers, "when." Others again would transpose and . A selection of some judicious observations may be seen in the celebrated Synopsis of M. Poole. 23 As a concluding note, it may be observed, that the following analogy has been remarked by Gen. Vallancey, altered a little by Dr. Hales, and animadverted upon by Dr. A. Clarke, between the sons of Israel and the 12 signs of the Zodiac :1. Reuben-Aquarius. 2. Simeon and Levi-Gemini. 3, Judah-Leo. 4. AsherVirgo, with an ear of corn. 5. Issachar-Taurus. 6, 7. Dan-Scorpio: and, on the celestial sphere, his claws originally occupied the space of Libra. 8. JosephSagittarius. 9. Naphtali-Aries: with a play on his name. 10. Zebulun— Cancer. 11. Gad-reversed Dag, a fish-Pisces. 12. Benjamin-Capricorn :—which on the Egyptian sphere was represented by a goat, led by Pan, with a wolf's head. exclusively read in the Greek and most other Oriental churches. Much uncertainty has prevailed concerning the real history of this ancient version; while some have advocated its miraculous and divine origin, other eminent philologists have laboured to prove that it must have been executed by several persons at different times. The most ancient is account to be found in a treatise written in the Greek language by Aristeas, who professes himself to have been an officer in the guards of the king of Egypt at the time it was made; and is delivered by way of letter, to his brother Philocrates. The following is the substance of his narrative: PTOLEMY PHILADELPHus, king of Egypt, wishing to establish an extensive library at Alexandria, committed the charge of it to Demetrius Phalereus, a noble Athenian, who collected from various quarters, 20,000 volumes. In the course of his inquiries after curious and valuable books, he was informed of the LAW OF MOSES. This information he communicated to the king; and urged the importance of a translation of it into Greek. Ptolemy adopted measures for obtaining it; and accordingly directed that an embassy should be sent to Eleazar, the High-Priest, at Jerusalem, to request him to transmit a correct copy of the Law, and to send a certain number of grave and learned men, who should be capable of translating it out of Hebrew into Greek. Aristeas, Sosibius of Tarentum, and Andreas, three noblemen of Ptolemy's court, and persons friendly to the Jews, embraced the opportunity, for soliciting the liberation of the Jewish captives, taken priosners by Ptolemy Soter, and still detained in slavery. Their suit was successful, and the king ordered twenty drachmas to be paid for each of them, whether man, woman, or child. The sum expended in their ransom was 660 talents, liberating 198,000 captives. Aristeas and Andreas were afterwards commissioned to carry the official letter from Ptolemy to Eleazar, and their embassy was accompanied with gifts for the temple, and money for the sacrifices there offered, and the general service of the sanctuary; viz 100 talents; 50 talents in utensils of gold; and 20 talents in utensils of silver, beside the precious stones with which they were adorned, and which were of twice the value of the gold. Their embassy succeeded; and Eleazar sent to the Egyptian king, a copy of the Law, written in letters of gold, upon skins of parchment of exquisite fineness and beauty. Six Elders out of every tribe, men of acknowledged reputation and learning, were chosen to execute the translation, who returned to Alexandria, with the messengers of Ptolemy. On their arrival, the seventy-two Elders were graciously received by the king, who not only expressed his satisfaction at receiving the Law, and his astonishment at its execution; but also feasted the Elders for several days, and, during the festival, fully satisfied himself of their wisdom and ability, by proving each of them by seventy-two different questions. The seven days of feasting being ended, each of the Elders received three talents, as a mark of the royal favour; and were then conducted by Demetrius to a sumptuous habitation, prepared for them in a retired situation, in the Isle of Pharos, near Alexandria. Here they pursued their important undertaking with the utmost diligence, daily collating their separate versions with each other, and then dictating the approved version to Demetrius, who acted as their scribe. In seventy-two days they completed the whole translation, which was afterwards read in the presence of the king, who expressed his approbation in the most decided manner, and rewarded each of the Elders, with three rich garments, two talents of gold, and a cup of gold of the weight of one talent. He afterwards sent them honourably back to Jerusalem, loaded with the most valuable gifts to Eleazar the High-Priest; and commanded the Version itself to be lodged with the utmost care in the Alexandrian Library. Such is the account given by Aristeas. It has however been called in question by many of the learned. * Vives, Scaliger, Van Dale, Dr. Prideaux, and Dr. Hody, were the principal writers who, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, attacked the genuineness of the pretended Hody, De Bibliorum Textibus Originalibus; Aristea Hist. pp. i.—xxxv. fol. Oxon. 1705. narrative of Aristeas; the latter especially, in a work, expressly written on the subject, has so fully exposed the inconsistencies and anachronisms of the author, that the History of Aristeas is now generally considered as spurious. Philo the Jew, who also notices the Septuagint version, was ignorant of most of the circumstances narrated by Aristeas; but he relates others which appear not less extraordinary. According to him, Ptolemy Philadelphus sent to Palestine for some learned Jews, whose number he does not specify: and these going over to the island of Pharos, there executed so many distinct versions, all of which so exactly and uniformly agreed in sense, phrases, and words, as proved them not to have been common interpreters, but prophetically inspired and divinely directed, who had every word dictated to them by the spirit of God, throughout the entire translation. He adds that an annual festival was celebrated by the Alexandrian Jews in the isle of Pharos, where the version was made, until his time, to preserve the memory of it, and to thank God for so great a benefit.* But, although the story as narrated by Aristeas, is certainly in some measure fabulous, the general fact must be allowed; since writers prior to the Christian era, or nearly coeval with it, have attested its truth. Aristobulus, Josephus, Clemens Alexandrinus, Justin Martyr, and Eusebius, and even the Talmudical writers all concur in the leading facts of the history of this Version.† Dr. Masch supposes that this translation was promoted by Ptolemy on political grounds, in order to secure the residence of the Jews in Egypt, by preventing the necessity of a constant intercourse with Judæa, for want of the Law. The specious pretence of obtaining a copy of the Law for the library which had been erected at Alexandria, he conjectures to have originated with Demetrius. The transcription of the Law into the Greek characters, and the version of it into the Greek language, De Vitâ Mosis. lib. ii. + See Bibliotheca Sacra, edit. Masch, pt. ii. vol. II. in Præfat. Waltoni Bib. Polyglott. Proleg. 9. Hamilton's Introduction to the Heb, Scriptures, ch. vi. H H he considers it to have been the effect of coercion, not of choice; and the account of Aristeas to have been written for the purpose of giving, a plausible colouring to the whole transaction. This opinion, if adopted, affords a reason why the Hellenist Jews celebrated the translation of the Law by an annual feast, and the Jews of Palestine marked it by an annual fast.† It is probable that only the Law, or five books of Moses, were at first translated, and that the other books of the Old Testament were done at different times, by different hands, as the necessity of the case demanded, or the Providence of God appointed; and being added to the books already translated were comprehended with them in the general term Septuagint, or Septuagint Version, so called from the number of translators employed. + Mr. Horne, however, who appears to have bestowed great attention on the subject, adopts the opinion of those who suppose that the seventy interpreters, as they are called, executed their version of the Pentateuch, during the joint reigns of Ptolemy Lagus and his son Philadelphus. And that it was made neither by the command of Ptolemy, nor at the request nor under the superintendence of Demetrius Phalerius; but was voluntarily undertaken by the Jews for the use of their countrymen. By this translation of the Scriptures into Greek, Divine Providence prepared the way for the preaching of the gospel which was then approaching, and facilitated the promulgation of it amongst many nations, by the instrumentality of the finest, most copious, and most correct language that was ever spoken, and which became common to all the countries conquered by Alexander and to this version many of the most celebrated heathen philosophers were indebted for their most correct notions of the being and perfections of God, as well as for their best and purest sentiments of moral duties.§ * Bibliotheca Sacra, edit. Masch. ubi sup. in Præfat. p. 12. ↑ Hamilton's Introdnction to Heb. Scriptures, ch. vi. pp. 114-117. Hody, De Bibl. Text. Orig. Lib. ii. ch. vii. ix. Owen's enquiry into the present state of the Septuagint Version, sec. i. pp. 2, 3. Gale 's Court of the Gentiles, passim. |