Septuagint

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

The Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, used by the early Church and quoted in the New Testament. It is still the Old Testament of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Traditional attribution

Translated by 72 Jewish elders for Ptolemy II, all producing identical versions.

Historical scholarship

Translated in stages by Jewish scholars in Alexandria, starting with the Torah.

Context and curiosity

'Septuagint' comes from the Latin for 'seventy'.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Christianity (Ptolemaic Alexandria). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 3rd–1st century BCE and original language or script as Koine Greek. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.