And 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 entirely factual or embellished with legend is a debate for scholars, but the story itself is undeniably compelling.
It centers on King Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the ruler of Egypt in the 3rd century BCE. Ptolemy was a serious collector of books and manuscripts, and he dreamed of creating the greatest library the world had ever seen in Alexandria. Think of it as the ancient world’s equivalent of Google – but with papyrus scrolls instead of servers.
To achieve this ambitious goal, Ptolemy employed Demetrius of Phalerum, a philosopher and statesman, as his chief librarian. Demetrius was tasked with scouring the known world for texts to add to the royal collection.
And that's where our story truly begins.
According to the Letter of Aristeas, Demetrius informs King Ptolemy about a rather significant population within his kingdom. "'More than two hundred thousand, O king,' he said, 'and I shall make endeavour in the immediate future to gather together the remainder also, so that the total of five hundred thousand may be reached.'" He's talking about the Jewish population within Ptolemy's realm.
Then Demetrius drops a bombshell: "'I am told that the laws of the Jews are worth transcribing and deserve a place in your library.'" In other words, Demetrius believed that the Torah, the foundational text of Judaism, was worthy of inclusion in Ptolemy's grand library.
The King, enthusiastic as ever, asks what's stopping them?
Demetrius explains, "'They need to be translated,' answered Demetrius, 'for in the country of the Jews they use a peculiar alphabet (just as the Egyptians, too, have a special form of letters) and speak a peculiar dialect.'" He clarifies that while some believe they speak Syriac, "'this is not the case; their language is quite different.'" Of course, he's referring to Hebrew.
Demetrius highlights the challenge: the Jewish texts were written in Hebrew, a language and script unfamiliar to most scholars in Alexandria. To make these texts accessible to the wider world – and, crucially, to the King – they needed to be translated into Greek.
So, what does the King do? He doesn't hesitate. "And the king when he understood all the facts of the case ordered a letter to be written to the Jewish High Priest that his purpose (which has already been described) might be accomplished." Ptolemy sets in motion the wheels that would eventually lead to the creation of the Septuagint. : this single decision sparked a cultural and intellectual exchange of immense proportions. It allowed the wisdom and teachings of the Hebrew Bible to reach a broader audience, influencing philosophy, literature, and religion for centuries to come. It's a reminder that the simple act of translation can bridge divides and open up new worlds of understanding. What other hidden gems are waiting to be unlocked through translation today?