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Hortatory Address to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 13

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter XIII.—History of the Septuagint.

But if any one says that the writings of Moses

‹ Chapter 12 Chapter 14 ›

and

of

the

rest

of

the

prophets

were

also

written

in

the

Greek

character

,

let

him

read

profane

histories

,

and

know

that

Ptolemy

,

king

of

Egypt

,

when

he

had

built

the

library

in

Alexandria

,

and

by

gathering

books

from

every

quarter

had

filled

it

,

then

learnt

that

very

ancient

histories

written

in

Hebrew

happened

to

be

carefully

preserved

;

and

wishing

to

know

their

contents

,

he

sent

for

seventy

wise

men

from

Jerusalem

,

who

were

acquainted

with

both

the

Greek

and

Hebrew

language

,

and

appointed

them

to

translate

the

books

;

and

that

in

freedom

from

all

disturbance

they

might

the

more

speedily

complete

the

translation

,

he

ordered

that

there

should

be

constructed

,

not

in

the

city

itself

,

but

seven

stadia

off

(

where

the

Pharos

was

built

)

,

as

many

little

cots

as

there

were

translators

,

so

that

each

by

himself

might

complete

his

own

translation

;

and

enjoined

upon

those

officers

who

were

appointed

to

this

duty

,

to

afford

them

all

attendance

,

but

to

prevent

communication

with

one

another

,

in

order

that

the

accuracy

of

the

translation

might

be

discernible

even

by

their

agreement

.

And

when

he

ascertained

that

the

seventy

men

had

not

only

given

the

same

meaning

,

but

had

employed

the

same

words

,

and

had

failed

in

agreement

with

one

another

not

even

to

the

extent

of

one

word

;

but

had

written

the

same

things

,

and

concerning

the

same

things

,

he

was

struck

with

amazement

,

and

believed

that

the

translation

had

been

written

by

divine

power

,

and

perceived

that

the

men

were

worthy

of

all

honour

,

as

beloved

of

God

;

and

with

many

gifts

ordered

them

to

return

to

their

own

country

.

And

having

,

as

was

natural

,

marvelled

at

the

books

,

and

concluded

them

to

be

divine

,

he

consecrated

them

in

that

library

.

These

things

,

ye

men

of

Greece

,

are

no

fable

,

nor

do

we

narrate

fictions

;

but

we

ourselves

having

been

in

Alexandria

,

saw

the

remains

of

the

little

cots

at

the

Pharos

still

preserved

,

and

having

heard

these

things

from

the

inhabitants

,

who

had

received

them

as

part

of

their

country’s

tradition

,

we

now

tell

to

you

what

you

can

also

learn

from

others

,

and

specially

from

those

wise

and

esteemed

men

who

have

written

of

these

things

,

Philo

and

Josephus

,

and

many

others

.

But

if

any

of

those

who

are

wont

to

be

forward

in

contradiction

should

say

that

these

books

do

not

belong

to

us

,

but

to

the

Jews

,

and

should

assert

that

we

in

vain

profess

to

have

learnt

our

religion

froth

them

,

let

him

know

,

as

he

may

from

those

very

things

which

are

written

in

these

books

,

that

not

to

them

,

but

to

us

,

does

the

doctrine

of

them

refer

.

That

the

books

relating

to

our

religion

are

to

this

day

preserved

among

the

Jews

,

has

been

a

work

of

Divine

Providence

on

our

behalf

;

for

lest

,

by

producing

them

out

of

the

Church

,

we

should

give

occasion

to

those

who

wish

to

slander

us

to

charge

us

with

fraud

,

we

demand

that

they

be

produced

from

the

synagogue

of

the

Jews

,

that

from

the

very

books

still

preserved

among

them

it

might

clearly

and

evidently

appear

,

that

the

laws

which

were

written

by

holy

men

for

instruction

pertain

to

us

.

Notes

36
[Doubtless Justin relates the tradition as he received it. Consult Dr. Selwyn’s full account of the fables concerning the LXX., in Smith’s Dict. of the Bible, iii. p. 1203 ff.]