Septuagint
SEPTUAGINT
SEPTUAGINT , the oldest Greek translation of the Bible. The designation Septuagint, from the Latin septuaginta, "seventy," is based on the legend contained in the apocryphal Letter of *Aristeas, according to which 72 elders of Israel, six from each tribe, translated the Law into Greek, in Alexandria, during the reign of *Ptolemy ii Philadelphus (285–246 b.c.e.). On the basis of this legend it can be inferred that the Pentateuch was translated into Greek in Alexandria during the first half of the third century b.c.e.
The designation Septuagint was extended to the rest of the Bible and the noncanonical books that were translated into Greek during the following two centuries. For full details, see *Bible, Translations.
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Septuagint