155 passagesc. 2nd century BCEHebrew / Aramaic / GreekCC-BY
Individual passages from Letter of Aristeas, shown in source order. Page 1 of 4.
You get glimpses of a world so different, yet so familiar. And the stories! Oh, the stories… Today, I want to share a little snippet from the end of the Letter of Aristeas. It's no...
It all starts with a letter. I'm talking about the Letter of Aristeas. It's not actually part of the Bible itself, but it's a fascinating ancient text that claims to tell us how th...
The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text attributed to a courtier in the service of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (that's Ptolemy the Second, Philadelphus – quite a name. ) suggests that’...
The speaker of the Letter of Aristeas, writing to his brother Philocrates, pauses to tell a personal story about a mission he undertook at the court of the king of Egypt. It began ...
It begins with a letter. Not just any letter, but the Letter of Aristeas. Now, the actual author of this letter is debated by scholars. But for now, let's just call him Aristeas. H...
The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text, gets right to that point. It tells us that the joy of learning, the pursuit of wisdom, it's just… different. More profound than any fleetin...
It all begins with a king and a library. Our tale comes from the Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating document that purports to be a firsthand account of the translation. Whether it's...
Our journey begins with a letter, the Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating, and some would say embellished, account of just how this monumental translation project unfolded. Egypt, ce...
One fascinating, though potentially embellished, account is found in the Letter of Aristeas, a Hellenistic Jewish text purporting to describe how the Hebrew Bible was translated in...
Letter of Aristeas turns to Freeing Jewish Slaves to Receive the Torah. You're an advisor to a powerful king, and you're tasked with acquiring a copy of the Jewish law – the Torah....
Letter of Aristeas turns to Aristeas Prays Before Petitioning for Captive Jews. Being tasked with securing the freedom of countless captives. It's a daunting mission, one that seem...
Letter of Aristeas turns to Saga of Sosibius. King Ptolemy Philadelphus, ruler of Egypt in the 3rd century BCE, is in conversation with Aristeas. They're discussing a rather signif...
The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text that purports to describe the translation of the Hebrew Bible into the Greek Septuagint, touches on just that question. And it does so in a ...
I think it's worthwhile to share a copy of this ancient decree with you, because it really highlights the king's, shall we say, magnanimity. He was, as the text says, "empowered by...
More often, it's a tale riddled with injustice, with power used to justify the unthinkable. The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating document supposedly written in the 2nd century BCE...
Letter of Aristeas turns to King Ptolemy and the Messiah. Buried within this story of translation is a crucial detail about freedom. The Letter recounts the efforts of King Ptolemy...
The story, as told in the Letter of Aristeas, is a fascinating glimpse into a world of kings, scholars, and, well, a whole lot of money. The narrative picks up with a pressing matt...
Our tale begins with a letter – the Letter of Aristeas, to be precise. It purports to be from a courtier named Aristeas to his brother Philocrates, recounting the events surroundin...
It all starts with a letter. The Letter of Aristeas, as it's known, recounts the tale of how the Torah, the first five books of Moses, came to be translated into Greek. Now, the le...
It’s a story filled with diplomacy, royal patronage, and a little bit of legend. It all starts with a king – Ptolemy Philadelphus, ruler of Egypt back in the 3rd century BCE. He wa...
It’s a story filled with intrigue, royal ambition, and a touch of the miraculous. It all starts with a letter… or rather, The Letter of Aristeas. This ancient text, attributed to s...
This is the picture we get from the Letter of Aristeas, where the author describes the actions of a powerful ruler who went above and beyond. He boasts, "I have set at liberty more...
It all starts with a letter, aptly named the Letter of Aristeas. It’s addressed to Philocrates, and the writer, Aristeas, is an official in the court of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, th...
Among the oldest Jewish texts outside the Hebrew Bible is a peculiar document called the Letter of Aristeas, not a letter in scripture, but a letter about scripture, recounting how...
Letter of Aristeas turns to Ptolemy — Andreas Before the Altar. The letter opens with the high priest acknowledging receipt of Ptolemy's correspondence. But this isn’t a simple "th...
Letter of Aristeas turns to Ptolemy Requests Seventy Scholars to Translate Torah. This letter, attributed to someone named Aristeas, a courtier of the king, tells the story of how ...
It all begins with a letter – the Letter of Aristeas. You're a high-ranking official in the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the Greek ruler of Egypt in the 3rd century BCE. You’re t...
Letter of Aristeas turns to Jonathan and the Patriarchs. This fascinating text, attributed to a courtier named Aristeas in the service of Egyptian King Ptolemy II Philadelphus, det...
Our story comes to us from the Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating historical text. But before we get to the translation, we get a glimpse into the opulence surrounding this project....
The Letter of Aristeas gives us a peek behind the curtain. It's a fascinating text, purporting to be from an official in the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus, telling the story of how...
The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text that purports to describe the creation of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), gives us a glimpse into this questi...
Picture the weight of it, the gleam of it. The Letter of Aristeas tells us it was two cubits long, one cubit broad, and one and a half cubits high. Now, a cubit is an ancient measu...
This letter, purportedly written by a Greek official named Aristeas, gives us a glimpse into the creation of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. But amidst t...
Around the edge, where the surface curves upward to meet your gaze, there's a mesmerizing pattern. What is it? A series of precious stone "eggs," meticulously carved. The Letter of...
Nestled within this letter are descriptions of the Temple in Jerusalem, and some of its most magnificent furnishings. Just one small detail: a table. But oh, what a table it must h...
The Letter of Aristeas pauses over the Temple table like a jeweler holding it to the light. In Letter, the edge was engraved with a maeander. Now, this wasn't just any old engravin...
Within its pages, we find a glimpse of the artistry involved in constructing the vessels of the Temple. One small detail in particular catches our eye, an ornate foot that supports...
The Letter of Aristeas gives us a tantalizing glimpse. This ancient text, purporting to be a letter from an official named Aristeas to his brother Philocrates, describes the proces...
We catch a glimpse of it, not from the Bible itself in this case, but from an ancient letter – The Letter of Aristeas. This fascinating text, though not part of the core biblical c...
The Letter of Aristeas lingers over Temple vessels as carefully as it tells the story of translation. Small shields, crafted from different precious stones, each one no less than f...
There’s also another set of treasures that had a similar effect: the vessels created for the Temple in Jerusalem during the time of the Second Temple. The Letter of Aristeas gives ...
It wasn't just about function; it was about honoring something bigger than themselves. Take, for instance, the description we find in the Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text tha...
It's about the dedication, the artistry, the sheer audacity of the project. Take, for instance, the story told in the Letter of Aristeas. Can you imagine? He was constantly checkin...
It’s a fascinating document, purporting to be written by a Greek official named Aristeas to his brother Philocrates. In it, he describes the process of commissioning the translatio...
The Letter of Aristeas asks us to do just that, to linger in the details. It’s a fascinating ancient text purporting to be a letter from an official in the court of Ptolemy II Phil...
Letter of Aristeas turns to The Silent Reverence of Priests at Their Duties. One of the most fascinating accounts we have comes from the Letter of Aristeas, a pseudepigraphical tex...
The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating document from the Hellenistic period, gives us a peek behind the scenes of the Second Temple. It details not just the grandeur, but also the p...
Letter of Aristeas turns to Holy Temple at the Temple. This letter, a fascinating document from the Hellenistic period, purports to be written by a Greek official named Aristeas. H...
