Ptolemy of Egypt was a book collector. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle preserved by Moses Gaster in 1899, the Macedonian king who ruled Egypt commanded his two officers, Aristios and Andrios, to gather every book they could find. After amassing 950 volumes in Median, Persian, and other languages, Ptolemy laughed and told them to find fifty more to make a thousand.
His officers had a better idea. They told Ptolemy about a collection of books far more valuable than anything in his library—the Torah of the Jews, containing laws of unmatched wisdom. Ptolemy sent messengers to the high priest Eleazar in Jerusalem, requesting seventy-two elders who could translate the Torah into Greek. Eleazar complied, sending six scholars from each of the twelve tribes bearing a Torah scroll written in gold ink.
Ptolemy received them with honor, then placed each elder in a separate room to produce an independent translation. When the seventy-two versions were compared, every single one matched—word for word. God had placed identical understanding in each translator's heart. This, the chronicle says, was the origin of the Greek translation of the Torah.
But the chronicle pivots sharply to darker times. Antiochus, king of Greece, marched against Jerusalem after learning that the Jews had celebrated when a false rumor of his death spread. He slaughtered 80,000 men, women, and children in three days. He entered the Temple—a place where only the high priest could go—and plundered its golden vessels, treasures, and sacred objects. Before departing, he left his officer Phillipos with orders to forbid Torah study, prohibit Sabbath observance, ban circumcision, and execute anyone who refused to bow to an idol or eat swine's flesh.
LXXXVII. (1) Now, Ptolemy the Macedonian, who was
made King of Egypt, was a wise and clever king, who
delighted much in books. He, therefore, commanded his
two officers to collect very many of them. The names
of these princes were Aristios and Andrios. Having
collected together many Median and Persian books,
besides others in all kinds of languages, the king said to
them, ' How many books have you obtained ?' ' Nine
hundred and fifty,' they replied. Ptolemy laughed at this,
and said, ' Go and add another fifty to make a thousand.'
(2) But Aristios and Andrios replied, '0 my lord, it
is in vain that we weary ourselves to obtain these books,
since they are useless. Now, if it please the king, let him
write to the priest at Jerusalem, and he will send thee some
wise men of that place, conversant with the Greek language,
who will explain to thee their law, which is the holy
writing, but the books we have copied are of no use.'
17—2
260 [LXXXVII. 3
(3) Acting upon their advice, the king made such a
request of the priest who was in those days, and the high
priest sent him seventy priests with Eleazar as their
chief, the same Eleazar who was afterwards tried during
the reign of Antiochus, and who died a martyr's death for
his God.
(4) When Eleazar and these seventy priestly interpreters
came to Egypt, Ptolemy, having put them in seventy
different houses, one distinct from the other, provided each
one with a scribe, and the priests interpreted the whole
twenty-four books of the law, which these seventy elders
then translated from Hebrew into Greek. As soon as it
was finished, Eleazar brought the various copies to the
king, who, after reading each one of them, found that they
were all of one mind, and that the interpretations of all
were identical. (5) The king was much rejoiced at this,
and, presenting Eleazar and the seventy elders with much
money, sent them back to Jerusalem. He further gave
150,000 men of Judah their freedom, besides presenting
them each with fifty drachmas of gold, and a table of pure
gold weighing 1,000 talents for the temple. Upon it he
engraved the land of Egypt, and the course of the river
Nile in Egypt, by which the country is watered, and inlaid
it with precious stones, so that the like of it had never been
seen in all the land. This the King Ptolemy sent as a
present to the temple of the great and awe-inspiring God
of the whole world.
(6) A long time after this, Antiochus was made King of
Macedonia, while Ptolemy, King of Egypt, was gathered to
his people, and another Ptolemy succeeded him. But
Antiochus rose up against him, and having slain him,
captured the whole land of Egypt, over which he reigned.
(7) In those days fierce battles began to be fought against
the people of Judah, for after Antiochus had smitten Egypt
he became very proud, and issued a proclamation to every
people, commanding them to bow down to the image of the
king. And all the nations obeyed. But the godless men
of our people, Menelaos, Simeon, Alkimos, and others,
incited Antiochus to do evil to the Israelites. At this time
a great miracle was seen in Jerusalem. There were seen
forty men riding between heaven and earth on what seemed
like horses of fire. The riders carried in their hands
partly golden implements of war, with which they fought
one against the other for forty days. At this the wicked
men of our people went to King Antiochus, and said,
* Behold, we have seen a miracle in Jerusalem, and the
people say that Antiochus the king is dead, and are
rejoicing at the downfall of our lord.' (8) The king was
greatly angered at this, and immediately went to Jerusalem
and smote them with the edge of the sword, so that there
was a great slaughter in the city. A great multitude were
sent into exile, and the assembly of the Hassidim scattered.
They fled to the forest, and fed upon the grass as animals,
and hid themselves in the forest like wild beasts, for
Antiochus was not satisfied with slaying many, but he sent
many more into captivity, and when he left the land of
Judah, he left his ofiicers to afilict the people, and he left
Phillipos the Pelusian. They are Phrygians (nna ^D^psD),
and so are also the Trojans (^J''nn), of whom the Eomans
are descended. Phillipos belonged to that race. The king
left him there to oppress the Israelites, commanding him
thus, * Whoever is willing to bow down to the image I set
up, and to eat of the flesh of the swine, shall live, but all
who refuse shall be slain without mercy. Prohibit also this
people from observing the Sabbath, and from circumcising
their children.'
