PREFACE.

Among the learned monuments of sacred antiquity, a distinguished place is held by the so-called Septuagint original: "Septuagintaviralis" — referring to the "seventy" translators version of the books of the Old Testament. Regarding its origin, there exists an ancient booklet upon which almost all ancient writers on this subject seem to have depended. It circulates under the name of Aristeas and takes the form of a letter written by Aristeas to his brother Philocrates 1). Aristeas—whom the letter itself testifies was held in great honor by Ptolemy Philadelphus, King of Egypt, and whom Josephus asserts was a bodyguard to the same king—relates that Demetrius of Phalerum, the head of the Alexandrian Library, suggested to King Ptolemy Philadelphus (who reigned from 284 to 246 BC) while the king was inspecting the library (which was his chief care to enlarge) in the presence of Aristeas himself, that the laws of the Jews also original Greek: "καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων νόμιμα" should be translated into the Greek language and brought into the royal library. To fulfill this purpose, he promised that the king would send letters to the High Priest of the Jews. However, to prepare for this event, the king—at the persuasion of the same Aristeas—granted freedom with remarkable greatness of soul to all Jews who had been led into captivity either by his father Ptolemy, son of Lagus, or even earlier. Then, following the advice of Demetrius, who testified that the books of the Mosaic Law had been translated rather carelessly and not as they truly were, since they had not received the care of the royal mind 2), the king wrote...

1. After the first Greek and Latin edition of the Letter of Aristeas in Basel in 1561, various editions appeared, such as the Frankfurt edition amended according to the Vatican manuscript—though that is not the most famous manuscript of the Bible—from the recension of Eldanus de Parchum in 1610; likewise the Oxford edition of 1692, repeated in the dissertation of Anton van Dale at Oxford in 1705, and in the same place and year by Humphrey Hody as a preface to his four books on the original texts of the Bible. But it is both worthy of and quite in need of new critical labors, which I intend to undertake shortly.

2. original Greek: "τοῦ νόμου τῶν Ἰουδαίων βιβλία σὺν ἑτέροις ὀλίγοις τισὶν ἀπολείπει· τυγχάνει γὰρ Ἑβραϊκοῖς γράμμασι καὶ φωνῇ λεγόμενα· ἀμελέστερον δὲ καὶ οὐχ ὡς ὑπάρχει σεσήμανται, καθὼς ὑπὸ τῶν εἰδότων προσαναφέρεται, προνοίας γὰρ βασιλικῆς οὐ τέτυχε." "The books of the law of the Jews, along with a few others, are missing; for it happens that they are expressed in Hebrew characters and language. They have been recorded original: "σεσήμανται" rather carelessly and not as they truly are, as is reported by those who know, for they have not received royal attention." The word recorded original: "σεσήμανται" in this passage is serious and ambiguous. To me, indeed, according to the context, it seems it should not be understood in any sense other than that of translation.