It wasn't Greek to them: 72 elders of the Septuagint

Long before Jesus’ time, many Jews had been scattered across the Greek-speaking world, and needed their scriptures in Greek instead of Hebrew and Aramaic.  So sometime around 282 B.C Greek-speaking Jews began translating the Old Testament into Greek, an effort that was completed by about 132 B.C.  According to Jewish legend, it was written by 72 elders who translated the entire Pentateuch---the first five books of the Old Testament---in just 72 days.  Those 72 elders gave their name to the work: Septuagint comes from the Latin title versio septuaginta interpretum ("translation of the seventy interpreters").  Yes, just to be confusing: the work of Jewish elders who translated Hebrew into Greek has a Latin name!  And to be even more confusing, it is usually abbreviated as “the LXX”, which is the Roman numerals for “70”.  70, not 72 (which would be LXXXII).  Don’t ask.

The Christian apologist Justin Martyr explained the origins of the LXX:

[The Egyptian king] Ptolemy […] sent for seventy wise men from Jerusalem, who were acquainted with both the Greek and Hebrew language, and appointed them to translate the books; and that in freedom from all disturbance they might the more speedily complete the translation, he ordered that there should be constructed, not in the city itself, but seven stadia off (where the Pharos was built), as many little cots as there were translators, so that each by himself might complete his own translation; and enjoined upon those officers who were appointed to this duty, to afford them all attendance, but to prevent communication with one another, in order that the accuracy of the translation might be discernible even by their agreement. And when he ascertained that the seventy men had not only given the same meaning, but had employed the same words, and had failed in agreement with one another not even to the extent of one word, but had written the same things, and concerning the same things, he was struck with amazement, and believed that the translation had been written by divine power, and perceived that the men were worthy of all honor, as beloved of God; and with many gifts ordered them to return to their own country.  

                Oratory Address to the Greeks, 13

              

Justin was repeating a story first found in an older letter called the Letter of Aristeas, which is widely regarded as pseudo-history today.  But the important point is not exactly how many people did the translating, but that it was done at all, and that it was important enough that legends grew up around it.  In short, long before Jesus was born but late in the history of the Jews, they chose to translate their scriptures from Hebrew and Aramaic into Greek, and the result of their work is called the Septuagint, which is abbreviated LXX.  In the next post I’ll talk about the LXX itself and whether it was accepted by Jesus and his apostles (spoiler: it was), and how it affected the make-up of our modern Bible.