ARISTEAS, the author of the History or rather Romance concerning the version of the Septuagint, is an Author, whose Original, Age and Country we are strangers to. He gives himself out to be an Egyptian, one of Ptolemy Philadelphus’s life-guard, a great favourite of this Prince, and by religion an Heathen. But upon examining his work and his discourses, we may easily discover that he was a Jew. The sentiments, language, and expreflions of a Jew appear in all he fays. We know not in what time he lived; whether in the reign of Philadelphus King of Egypt, or of Philometor, as is differently related, or whether he were more modern. Dodwel in his Differtation upon Aristeas1, thinks he lived after Philo the Jew, and that this last is the first writer who has spoken of a Translation of the holy Scriptures out of Hebrew into Greek2, undertaken by the direction of Ptolemy Philadelphus. Aristobulus, who is supposed to be a Jew of the Peripatetick Sect of Philosophers, and is cited in Eusebius3, speaks likewise of this Translation: but he names neither Aristeas nor Philo. Josephus the Historian is the first, who has particularly mentioned him. As to Aristobulus we shall say something of him hereafter. It is sufficient here to shew, that what is said of the person and history of Aristeas labours under very great difficulties, and is dress’d up with abundance of fables4.
Read this article in its place on the printed pages
Footnotes
-
Dodwel Differt. super Hist. Arist. c. 1. ↩
-
Philo de Vita Mosis, l. ii. ↩
-
Præparat. Evangel. l. iii. c. 9. ↩
-
Translators’ note. See a fuller account of this matter in Dr. Hoddy’s Book de Bibliorum testibus originalibus, versionibus Græcis & Latinâ vulgatâ; in Dr. Prideaux’s Connection &c. Part ii. Book i. and Basnage’s History of the Jews. tom. vii. c. 7. ↩