Letter of Aristeas

The so-called Letter of Aristeas is a pseudepigraphe writing a Jew from the epoch of Hellenism. He describes and justifies the translation of the Pentateuch from Hebrew into Greek ( Septuagint ).

Author and date

The author of the letter has the pseudonym Aristeas increased and pretends to be a supporter of the Greek religion. He has the appearance of a high official at the Egyptian king Ptolemy Hof - meant Ptolemy II Philadelphus is ( 285-246 BC) - to clothe. In the letter, he reported his alleged friend Philocrates about the circumstances surrounding the origin of the Septuagint text. In reality, however, is in the author to an Egyptian Jew from Alexandria, who turns to a Jewish audience. The content does not provide useful criteria for dating. For formal reasons, which concern the style of inserted into the letter alleged official documents, it can be assumed that the Letter of Aristeas has emerged in the second half of the 2nd century BC.

Content

In the letter, reported pseudo - Aristeas, he was at the suggestion of royal librarian Demetrios of Phalerum of Ptolemy to Jerusalem been sent to the Jewish high priest Eleazar, with whom he had held talks over the allegorical significance of Jewish religious commandments. Then he returned with Torah scrolls and 72 translators to Alexandria (6 each men from the twelve tribes of Israel ). This would then have the Pentateuch translated into Greek in 72 days. The later further embellishment of legend, according to which the 72 translators worked independently and still produced by divine inspiration all the same Greek text is not yet in the Letter of Aristeas. At length, however, is reported on the table discussions of the 72 scholars with the Egyptian king, Ptolemy in which the Jews over the course of seven days, philosophical questions; each of the 72 answered a question. The translation was approved by the Jews in Alexandria. She is so authorized, and who it change something that should be cursed. Then the work was submitted to the king, who wished to have in his library ( the famous Library of Alexandria ). In addition, it is reported in the letter that the king had bestowed upon the request of Aristeas all Jewish prisoners of war who were slaves in his kingdom, freedom.

Pseudo- Aristeas proves to be elucidated and the Greek way of thinking very open. He thinks about Zeus was simply another name for HaShem. The Greek polytheism he rejects as a devout Jew, but avoids polemics, especially since he himself indeed posing as Greek. He leaves the High Priest Eleazar a euhemeristische interpretation present: The Greek gods were excellent people who were passing through their significant achievements to divine honors.

Looking at his Jewish readership endeavor of the authors to present the project to the translation of the Pentateuch into Greek as justified and successful and confront doubts his Jewish contemporaries as to the accuracy of the translation text.

Lore and History of Research

There are more than 20 manuscripts of this letter is transmitted, which is mentioned and quoted in many other texts. It is written in flawless Greek.

The letter was recognized at an early stage due to philological textual criticism as a fake. Even Humphrey Hody wrote in 1684 his Contra historiam Aristeae de LXX interpretibus dissertatio, in which he points out, the letter was a late forgery by a Hellenized Jews. However, he disagreed with Isaac Vossius (1618-1689), the librarian of Queen Christina of Sweden, in the notes of his edition of Pomponius Mela.

Expenditure

  • Kautzsch E. ( ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament. Vol 2: The Apocrypha of the Old Testament. Darmstadt 1962 ( 2nd, unaltered reprint of the first edition of 1900).
  • André Pelletier ( eds.): Lettre d' Aristée a Philocrate, Paris 1962 [ critical edition with French translation]
  • Norbert Meisner: Aristeas, in: cumin, Werner Georg; Lichtenberger, Hermann ( ed.): Jewish writings of the Hellenistic- Roman period. Vol 2: Instruction in narrative form, Gütersloh 1973, p 35-88.
  • Shutt, RJH: Letter of Aristeas, in: Charlesworth, James Hamilton ( ed.): The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Vol 2: Expansions of the " Old Testament" and Legends, Wisdom and Philosophical Literature, Prayers, Psalms and Odes, Fragments of Lost Judaeo - Hellenistic Works, Garden City, New York, 1985, 7-34.
  • Kai Brodersen (ed.): Aristeas: The King and the Bible, Greek- Dt, Loeb Classical Library 18576, Stuttgart. Reclam, 2008 ISBN 3-15-018576-9.
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