That’s precisely what happened back in the 3rd century BCE, according to the Letter of Aristeas.
This fascinating text, attributed to a courtier named Aristeas in the service of Egyptian King Ptolemy II Philadelphus, details the story of how the Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible – came to be. It's a wild tale involving royal decrees, diplomatic missions, and a whole lot of scholarly collaboration.
But, before we get to the juicy bits of the translation itself, there's a curious list that pops up. It's a roster of the translators themselves. Specifically, the text names the representatives sent from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Six men from each tribe, carefully chosen and dispatched to Alexandria for this monumental task.
So, who were these individuals entrusted with rendering the sacred Hebrew texts into Greek for the very first time? Let's take a look.
From the fourth tribe, we have Jonathan, Abraeus, Elisha, Ananias, Chabrias... Not bad, right?
And from the fifth tribe: Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, Sabbataeus, Simon, Levi. Some seriously significant names in there.
The sixth tribe offers up: Judas, Joseph, Simon, Zacharias, Samuel, Selemias.
Moving on to the seventh tribe, we find: Sabbataeus, Zedekiah, Jacob, Isaac, Jesias, Natthaeus. Notice any repeats?
The eighth tribe contributes: Theodosius, Jason, Jesus, Theodotus, John, Jonathan.
And from the ninth tribe: Theophilus, Abraham, Arsamos, Jason, Endemias, Daniel.
The tenth tribe gives us: Jeremiah, Eleazar, Zachariah, Baneas, Elisha, Dathaeus.
From the eleventh tribe, we have: Samuel, Joseph, Judas, Jonathes, Chabu, Dositheus.
Finally, the twelfth tribe rounds out the group with: Isaelus, John, Theodosius, Arsamos, Abietes, Ezekiel.
In total, seventy-two scholars. Six from each tribe, united in Alexandria for a single, divine purpose.
It's easy to just skim over a list like this, but think about it. Each of these names represents a person, a life, a family. Each man was a scholar, deeply learned in the Hebrew scriptures and, presumably, possessing a working knowledge of Greek. They left their homes and traveled to a foreign land to undertake a task that would shape the future of Jewish and, later, Christian tradition.
Why is this list even included in the Letter of Aristeas? Perhaps it's a testament to the meticulous care taken in selecting the translators. Maybe it's meant to emphasize the unity of the twelve tribes in this shared endeavor. Or perhaps it's simply a way of honoring the individuals who dedicated their time and talents to this important project.
Whatever the reason, this list offers a glimpse into the human side of a truly extraordinary undertaking. It reminds us that even the most monumental achievements are ultimately the result of individual efforts, of people working together to create something lasting and meaningful. And it makes you wonder, doesn't it? What were their debates like? What challenges did they face? What did they have for dinner? The Letter of Aristeas gives us the outline; it’s up to us to imagine the story within.