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One of the Ptolemies, kings of Egypt, desired to know and have
these sacred books. For after Alexander of Macedon, who is also
styled the Great, had by his most wonderful, but by no means enduring
power, subdued the whole of Asia, yea, almost the whole world,
partly by force of arms, partly by terror, and, among other kingdoms
of the East, had entered and obtained Judea also on his death his
generals did not peaceably divide that most ample kingdom among them for
a possession, but rather dissipated it, wasting all things by wars.
Then Egypt began to have the Ptolemies as her kings. The first of
them, the son of Lagus, carried many captive out of Judea into
Egypt. But another Ptolemy, called Philadelphus, who succeeded
him, permitted all whom he had brought under the yoke to return free;
and more than that, sent kingly gifts to the temple of God, and
begged Eleazar, who was the high priest, to give him the
Scriptures, which he had heard by report were truly divine, and
therefore greatly desired to have in that most noble library he had
made. When the high priest had sent them to him in Hebrew, he
afterwards demanded interpreters of him, and there were given him
seventy-two, out of each of the twelve tribes six men, most learned
in both languages, to wit, the Hebrew and Greek and their
translation is now by custom called the Septuagint. It is reported,
indeed, that there was an agreement in their words so wonderful,
stupendous, and plainly divine, that when they had sat at this work,
each one apart (for so it pleased Ptolemy to test their fidelity),
they differed from each other in no word which had the same meaning and
force, or, in the order of the words; but, as if the translators had
been one, so what all had translated was one, because in very deed the
one Spirit had been in them all. And they received so wonderful a
gift of God, in order that the authority of these Scriptures might be
commended not as human but divine, as indeed it was, for the benefit
of the nations who should at some time believe, as we now see them
doing.
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