6

called a region, and this is of the same city, now existing as a desert, he entrusted the same library to a certain Demetrius of Phalerum, having ordered him to collect the books from all over the earth, having written letters and earnestly entreated each of the kings and rulers on the earth not to hesitate to send those under his kingdom and rule, the books, I say, of poets and prose writers, orators and sophists and physicians and medical sophists and historians and others. And as the work progressed and the books were being collected from everywhere, the king asked the one entrusted with the library on one of the days, "How many books would there be that have already been collected in the library?" And he answered the king, saying, "There are already five myriads of books and four thousand eight hundred, more or less. But we hear that there is still a great multitude in the world, among the Ethiopians and Indians, Persians and Elamites and Babylonians, Assyrians and Chaldeans, among the Romans and Phoenicians, Syrians and those in Greece called Romans, not yet called Romans but Latins. But also among those in Jerusalem and in Judea there are divine books of the prophets, narrating concerning God and the creation of the world, and all other teaching for the common good. If, therefore, it seems good to your majesty, O king, to send for these also, write to the teachers in Jerusalem and they will send them to you, so that I may also place these same books in the same library of your piety." Then, therefore, the king writes a letter having these contents. King Ptolemy to the teachers of the Jews in Jerusalem, many greetings. Having constructed a library and gathered a multitude of books from every nation, I have deposited them in it. And having heard that among you also there are books of the prophets declaring concerning God and the creation of the world, and desiring to dedicate these along with the others, I have written, so that you might send these to us. For you will know that I am desirous of such a cause for the sake of honor and not for the sake of curiosity nor of malice, but I make the request for these things for the sake of faith and friendship towards you, by recalling the goodwill shown by us towards you long ago. For you surely remember how many captives were taken from your country and brought to Egypt our country, I released them, and having cared for them with many provisions and no ordinary treatment, I sent them away free. But also having healed those among them who were wounded, I likewise released them and clothed the naked. And now also a golden table adorned with most precious stones, of one hundred talents in weight, in place of the table which was taken from the holy place of Jerusalem, I have sent, along with gifts and treasures for the holy place. I have made this narration, therefore, so that you may know that it is for the sake of a vow and piety that I ask for the books. And so the letter was sent and the dispatched gifts likewise. And they, having received the letter and read it and seen the dispatched gifts, were exceedingly joyful and without delay, having transcribed the books in golden Hebrew letters, they sent those already appointed for me, twenty-two being canonical, and seventy-two being apocryphal. And the king, having received them and perused them and not being able to read them, since the characters were Hebrew and they were written in the Hebrew dialect, is compelled to write a second letter to them and to ask for interpreters who are able to explain to him in the Greek dialect the things of the Hebrew language. And the letter contained these things. King Ptolemy to the teachers of piety in Jerusalem, many greetings. Of a hidden treasure and a spring

6

καλουμένῳ κλῖμα δὲ ἔστι τοῦτο τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως ἔρημον τανῦν ὑπάρχον ἐνεχείρισε ∆ημητρίῳ τινὶ τῷ Φαλαρηνῷ τὴν αὐτὴν βιβλιοθήκην, προστάξας συναγαγεῖν τὰς πανταχοῦ γῆς βίβλους, γράψας ἐπιστολὰς καὶ προσλιπαρήσας ἕκαστον τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς βασιλέων τε καὶ ἀρχόντων τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν τε καὶ ἀρχὴν μὴ κατοκνῆσαι ἀποστεῖλαι ποιητῶν τε λέγω καὶ λογογράφων, ῥητόρων τε καὶ σοφιστῶν καὶ ἰατρῶν καὶ ἰατροσοφιστῶν καὶ ἱστοριογράφων καὶ λοιπῶν βίβλους. Τοῦ δὲ ἔργου προκόπτοντος καὶ τῶν βιβλίων πανταχόθεν συναγομένων, ἠρώτησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν τὴν βιβλιοθήκην πεπιστευμένον ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν, ὅτι πόσαι δ' ἂν εἶεν βίβλοι αἱ ἤδη ἐν τῇ βιβλιοθήκῃ συναχθεῖσαι. Ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίθη τῷ βασιλεῖ λέγων ὅτι ἤδη μέν εἰσι μυριάδες πέντε βιβλίων καὶ τετρακισχίλιαι ὀκτακόσιαι πλεῖον ἢ ἔλασσον. Ἀκούομεν δὲ ἔτι πολὺ πλῆθος ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὑπάρχειν, παρά τε Αἰθίοψι καὶ Ἰνδοῖς, Πέρσαις τε καὶ Ἐλαμίταις καὶ Βαβυλωνίοις, Ἀσσυρίοις τε καὶ Χαλδαίοις, παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις τε καὶ Φοίνιξι, Σύροις τε καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι Ῥωμαίοις οὔπωῬωμαίοις καλουμένοις ἀκμὴν ἀλλὰ Λατίνοις. Ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις τε καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ὑπάρχουσι βίβλοι θεϊκαὶ τῶν προφητῶν, διηγούμεναι περὶ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς κοσμοποιίας, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης πάσης κοινωφελοῦς διδασκαλίας. Εἰ οὖν δοκεῖ τῷ κράτει σου, βασιλεῦ, καὶ αὐτὰς μεταστείλασθαι, γράψον τοῖς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις διδασκάλοις καὶ ἀποστελοῦσί σοι, ὅπως καὶ τὰς αὐτὰς βίβλους καταθῶ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ τῆς σῆς εὐσεβείας βιβλιοθήκῃ. Τότε τοίνυν γράφει ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιστολὴν ἔχουσαν τάδε. Βασιλεὺς Πτολεμαῖος τοῖς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις τῶν Ἰουδαίων διδασκάλοις πλεῖστα χαίρειν. Βιβλιοθήκην κατασκευάσας καὶ πλῆθος συναγαγὼν βιβλίων ἐξ ἑκάστου ἔθνους, ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπεθέμην. Ἀκούσας δὲ ὡς καὶ παρ' ὑμῖν ἐμφέρονται βίβλοι προφητῶν περὶ Θεοῦ τε καὶ κοσμοποιίας δηλοῦσαι, καὶ ταύτας ἅμα ταῖς ἄλλαις ἀφιερῶσαι ἐπιθυμῶν, γέγραφα, ὅπως ταύτας ἡμῖν ἀποστείλητε. Ὅτι γὰρ τιμῆς ἕνεκεν καὶ οὐ περιεργείας χάριν οὐδὲ κακονοίας τῆς τοιαύτης αἰτίας εἰμὶ ἐπιθυμητής, ἀλλὰ πίστεως ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς περὶ ὑμᾶς φιλίας τὴν τούτων αἴτησιν ποιοῦμαι ἐκ τῆς πάλαι ὑφ' ἡμῶν περὶ ὑμᾶς γενομένης εὐνοίας ἀναμνησθέντες εἴσεσθε. Μέμνησθε γάρ που ὡς αἰχμαλώτων πολλῶν ἐκ τῆς ὑμετέρας πατρίδος ληφθέντων καὶ εἰς Αἴγυπτον τὴν ἡμετέραν πατρίδα ἀχθέντων ἀνῆκα, καὶ μετ' ἐφοδίων πολλῶν καὶ θεραπείας οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἐπιμελησάμενος αὐτῶν ἐλευθέρους ἀπέπεμψα. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς πεπληγμένους ἰασάμενος ὡσαύτως ἀνῆκα καὶ τοὺς γυμνοὺς ἐνέδυσα. Καὶ νῦν δὲ τράπεζαν χρυσῆν μετὰ πολυτελεστάτης λιθίας κεκοσμημένην ἐξ ὁλκῆς ταλάντων ἑκατὸν ἀντὶ τῆς τραπέζης τῆς ληφθείσης ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου τόπου Ἱεροσολύμων ἀπέστειλα, μετὰ καὶ δώρων καὶ κειμηλίων τῷ ἱερῷ τόπῳ. Τούτων τοίνυν τὴν διήγησιν ἐποιησάμην, ὅπως γνῶτε ὅτι ὑπὲρ εὐχῆς καὶ εὐσεβείας τὰς βίβλους αἰτῶ. Καὶ ἡ μὲν ἐπιστολὴ ἀπεστάλη καὶ τὰ ἀπεσταλμένα δῶρα ὡσαύτως. Αὐτοὶ δὲ δεξάμενοι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν καὶ ἀναγνόντες καὶ τὰ ἀπεσταλμένα θεασάμενοι διὰ χαρᾶς ἔσχον σφόδρα καὶ ἀμελλητὶ χρυσέοις γράμμασιν ἑβραϊκοῖς τὰς βίβλους μεταγραψάμενοι τὰς ἤδη μοι προτεταγμένας ἀπέστειλαν, εἴκοσι δύο μὲν τὰς ἐνδιαθέτους, ἑβδομήκοντα δύο δὲ τὰς ἀποκρύφους. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς κομισάμενος καὶ ἐντυχὼν καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος ἀναγνῶναι τῶν στοιχείων ἑβραϊκῶν ὑπαρχόντων καὶ διαλέκτῳ τῇ ἑβραϊκῇ γεγραμμένων, δευτέραν ἐπιστολὴν ἀναγκάζεται αὐτοῖς γράψαι καὶ αἰτῆσαι ἑρμηνευτὰς τοὺς δυναμένους αὐτῷ φράσαι εἰς τὴν ἑλληνικὴν διάλεκτον τὰ τῆς ἑβραΐδος. Περιεῖχε δὲ ἡ ἐπιστολὴ τάδε. Ὁ βασιλεὺς Πτολεμαῖος τοῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας διδασκάλοις τοῖς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις πλεῖστα χαίρειν. Θησαυροῦ κεκρυμμένου καὶ πηγῆς