SEPTUAGINT, a Greek version of the Hebrew or Old Testament Scriptures, the oldest one made into any language. A still extant letter referred to by Jo sephus, Jerome, and Eusebius, purports to be from a certain Aristeas, officer at the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus. It states that after the king had founded the great Alexandrian library, he wished to have a copy of the Jewish sacred books. By the advice of his chief librarian, Demetrius Phalareus, he sent to the high priest at Jerusalem, requesting him to send six translators from each tribe, 72 in all. The request was complied with; the translators came and completed their work in 72 days. From their number, and perhaps the time they occupied, the name Septuagint arose. But the letter of Aristeas is not now believed to be genuine, and Coptic words in the work show that the translators were from Egypt, and not from Jerusalem. The version was apparently made at Alex andria, and was commenced about 280 B. C., the Pentateuch being the only part translated at first. It is well done. Next
in value is the book of Proverbs. Job was translated from the Hebrew text, dif fering both by excess and defect from that now recognized. Esther, the Psalms, and the Prophets followed, seemingly.be tween 180 and 170 E. C. Jeremiah is the best translated, and Daniel is exe cuted so badly that Theodotian, in the 2d century A. D., had to do the work again. Jesus and His Apostles frequently quoted the Septuagint in place of the Hebrew. The Jews had a high opinion of the Sep tuagint, but on finding the Messianic pas sages used effectively by the Christians in controversy with them, they estab lished a fast to mourn that the Septua gint had ever been issued, and had a new translation by Aquila brought out for the use of the synagogues. Three Christian recensions took place late in the 3rd or early in the 4th century. The first mod ern edition was the Complutensian in 1514-1517; since then others have ap peared.