Chapter XIII.—History of the Septuagint.

But if any one says that the writings of Moses and of the rest of the prophets were also written in the Greek character, let him read profane histories, and know that Ptolemy, king of Egypt, when he had built the library in Alexandria, and by gathering books from every quarter had filled it, then learnt that very ancient histories written in Hebrew happened to be carefully preserved; and wishing to know their contents, he 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 honour, as beloved of God; and with many gifts ordered them to return to their own country. And having, as was natural, marvelled at the books, and concluded them to be divine, he consecrated them in that library. These things, ye men of Greece, are no fable, nor do we narrate fictions; but we ourselves having been in Alexandria, saw the remains of the little cots at the Pharos still preserved, and having heard these things from the inhabitants, who had received them as part of their country’s tradition,36    [Doubtless Justin relates the tradition as he received it. Consult Dr. Selwyn’s full account of the fables concerning the LXX., in Smith’s Dict. of the Bible, iii. p. 1203 ff.] we now tell to you what you can also learn from others, and specially from those wise and esteemed men who have written of these things, Philo and Josephus, and many others. But if any of those who are wont to be forward in contradiction should say that these books do not belong to us, but to the Jews, and should assert that we in vain profess to have learnt our religion from them, let him know, as he may from those very things which are written in these books, that not to them, but to us, does the doctrine of them refer. That the books relating to our religion are to this day preserved among the Jews, has been a work of Divine Providence on our behalf; for lest, by producing them out of the Church, we should give occasion to those who wish to slander us to charge us with fraud, we demand that they be produced from the synagogue of the Jews, that from the very books still preserved among them it might clearly and evidently appear, that the laws which were written by holy men for instruction pertain to us.

Εἰ δέ τις φάσκοι καὶ τὴν Μωϋσέως καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προφητῶν τοῖς τῶν Ἑλλήνων γεγράφθαι γράμμασι, γνώτω, ταῖς ἔξωθεν ἐντυχὼν ἱστορίαις, ὅτι Πτολεμαῖος ὁ τῆς Αἰγύπτου βασιλεύς, βιβλιοθήκην ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ κατασκευάσας καὶ πανταχόθεν συναγαγὼν βιβλία καὶ πληρώσας αὐτήν, ἔπειτα μαθὼν ὅτι ἀρχαίας ἱστορίας τοῖς τῶν Ἑβραίων γράμμασι γεγραμμένας σώζεσθαι ἀκριβῶς συμβαίνει, γνῶναι τὰ γεγραμμένα βουλόμενος, σοφοὺς ἄνδρας ἑβδομήκοντα, τοὺς καὶ τὴν Ἑλλήνων καὶ Ἑβραίων διάλεκτον εἰδότας, ἑρμηνεῦσαι αὐτοῖς τὰς βίβλους προσέταξεν, ἀπὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ μεταστειλάμενος. Καὶ ἵνα πάσης ὀχλήσεως ἐκτὸς ὄντες θᾶττον ἑρμηνεύσωσι, προσέταξεν αὐτοῖς μὴ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πόλει, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ ἑπτὰ σταδίων ἔνθα τὸν φάρον ᾠκοδομῆσθαι συμβαίνει, ἰσαρίθμους τῶν ἑρμηνευόντων οἰκίσκους γενέσθαι μικρούς, ἐπὶ τῷ ἕκαστον ἰδίᾳ καθ' ἑαυτὸν τὴν ἑρμηνείαν πληρῶσαι, προστάξας τοῖς ἐφεστῶσιν ὑπηρέταις πάσης μὲν αὐτοὺς θεραπείας τυγχάνειν, εἴργεσθαι δὲ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὁμιλίας, ἵνα τὸ τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἀκριβὲς καὶ διὰ τῆς τούτων συμφωνίας γνωσθῆναι δυνηθῇ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔγνω τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας μὴ μόνον τῇ αὐτῇ διανοίᾳ ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς αὐταῖς λέξεσι χρησαμένους, καὶ μηδὲ ἄχρι μιᾶς λέξεως τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους συμφωνίας διημαρτηκότας ἀλλὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν γεγραφότας, ἐκπλαγεὶς καὶ θείᾳ δυνάμει τὴν ἑρμηνείαν γεγράφθαι πιστεύσας, πάσης μὲν τιμῆς αὐτοὺς ἀξίους, ὡς θεοφιλεῖς ἄνδρας, διέγνω, μετὰ πολλῶν δὲ δώρων αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν πατρίδα ἐπανελθεῖν προσέταξε, τὰς δὲ βίβλους ἐκθειάσας, ὡς εἰκός, ἐκεῖσε ἀνέθηκεν. Ταῦτα οὐ μύθους ὑμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, οὐδὲ πεπλασμένας ἱστορίας ἀπαγγέλλομεν: ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ γενόμενοι καὶ τὰ ἴχνη τῶν οἰκίσκων ἐν τῇ Φάρῳ ἑωρακότες ἔτι σωζόμενα, καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐκεῖ ὡς τὰ πάτρια παρειληφότων ἀκηκοότες, ταῦτα ἀπαγγέλλομεν, ἃ καὶ παρ' ἑτέρων ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν μανθάνειν, καὶ μάλιστα παρ' αὐτῶν τῶν περὶ τούτων ἱστορησάντων σοφῶν καὶ δοκίμων ἀνδρῶν, Φίλωνός τε καὶ Ἰωσήπου, καὶ ἑτέρων πλειόνων. Εἰ δέ τις φάσκοι τῶν προχείρως ἀντιλέγειν εἰθισμένων, μὴ ἡμῖν τὰς βίβλους ταύτας ἀλλὰ Ἰουδαίοις προσήκειν, διὰ τὸ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν σώζεσθαι, καὶ μάτην ἡμᾶς ἐκ τούτων φάσκειν τὴν θεοσέβειαν μεμαθηκέναι λέγοι, γνώτω ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἐν ταῖς βίβλοις γεγραμμένων ὅτι οὐκ αὐτοῖς ἀλλ' ἡμῖν ἡ ἐκ τούτων διαφέρει διδασκαλία. Τὸ δὲ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις ἔτι καὶ νῦν τὰς τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ θεοσεβείᾳ διαφερούσας σώζεσθαι βίβλους θείας προνοίας ἔργον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γέγονεν: ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας προκομίζοντες πρόφασιν ῥᾳδιουργίας τοῖς βλασφημεῖν ἡμᾶς βουλομένοις παράσχωμεν, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῆς ταύτας ἀξιοῦμεν προκομίζεσθαι, ἵνα ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἔτι παρ' αὐτοῖς σωζομένων βιβλίων, ὡς ἡμῖν τὰ πρὸς διδασκαλίαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν γραφέντα δίκαια σαφῶς καὶ φανερῶς προσήκει, φανῇ.