~250 BC

Events

• Ptolemy Philadelphus commissioned 72 Hebrew scholars (six from each tribe), chosen through Eleazar the high priest, to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek; they completed the Septuagint in 70 days with complete agreement; the version was deposited in the Alexandrian library through Demetrius

Preface and Praise of Sacred Scripture

• The Septuagint Translation and Greek Translators — The Septuagint translation commissioned by Ptolemy Philadelphus

  "To what end, 250 years before Christ, did He put it into the mind of Ptolemy Philadelphus, son of Ptolemy Lagus... to choose, through Eleazar the high priest, six of the most learned men from each tribe of the Hebrews — that is, 72 interpreters — to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek"