The Septuagint: Treasure and Tragedy

Scholars agree that the five books of the Torah (Gen.–Deut.) were translated during Ptolemy II’s rule. They believe other parts of the Tanakh were translated gradually, probably over a couple hundred years, culminating in about 100 BC. This means the completed translation would have been available at the time of Jesus (Yeshua).

The earliest known text narrating the legend of the translation comes from the Letter of Aristeas, a missive penned to a certain Philocrates from his brother Aristeas, a Greek-speaking Jew from Alexandria. According to this account, Ptolemy II brought 72 translators from Jerusalem to Alexandria for the project. These six translators from each of the twelve tribes were responsible for translating the text from Hebrew to Koine Greek (standardized Greek that emerged after Alexander the Great’s conquests) for the pharaoh’s extensive library.

Philo of Alexandria later repeated this version of events, as did Josephus. However, some experts dispute the account, claiming that the Jews of Alexandria translated the text. The truth is that we simply don’t know.

Although historical records vary and exact census records have not been found, a significant Jewish population of more than a million people are thought to have lived in Alexandria at that time. After Alexander the Great had conquered the known world, Greek had become the dominant language. In time, the Jewish people in the Greek-speaking Diaspora (population living outside Israel) could no longer read or speak Hebrew. The Greek-speaking Jewish population in Alexandra thus celebrated the translation, rejoicing in the fact that they were once again able to read God’s Word. The question is, however, was some of the inherent meaning lost in translation?

Losing Something Valuable

Today, we face somewhat of a similar situation. Most people who study the Bible are unable to read it in its original languages. Instead, we depend on translations. An Orthodox rabbi once told me that we should all read God’s Word in Hebrew because reading a translation is like trying to kiss your wife through a veil. “It simply isn’t the same,” he said. However, for practical reasons, reading the Bible in its original language is simply not possible. Is my rabbi friend correct though? Yes! No translation is perfect, nor does it feel the same as the original. It isn’t possible to communicate all the nuances and poetry of one language into another language. Some words are not easy to translate. Some Hebrew words require a paragraph to explain in English. But I thank God for dedicated translators who have made it possible for us to read the Word of God in our own languages. 

When the writers of the New Testament set down their accounts and letters, they chose to write in Greek, presumably because they wanted to reach a larger audience. Today, if you wanted to have the same effect, you might choose English. However, 2,000 years ago, Greek was the language that was most widely understood. Scholars of the Greek New Testament have determined that many of the times when Scriptures are quoted from the Tanakh, they are taken directly from the Septuagint. That makes sense because the Septuagint was the Greek translation available at the time.

The New Testament was written between the years AD 50–100. At that time, great changes were happening. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in AD 70. Many Jews were murdered and still more were taken captive by Rome. The followers of Jesus were taking His message to the Gentile world. It was necessary for those who were not Jewish to be able to receive the Bible in a language they could understand. Therefore, it is totally understandable why the Septuagint was a treasure to the Greek-speaking world.