Fascinating Bible Fact #13  

The Septuagint

Alexander the Great had a short career as a world conqueror, but it made a long-lasting impact. He swept through the Middle East, carrying the Greek culture with him. By the third century B.C., the Greek language was commonly spoken in cities throughout the region. Pockets of Jews lived in these cities, having migrated in times of famine and war. Increasingly, they spoke Greek rather than Hebrew, and that created a problem. How were they to read, study and teach the Hebrew Scriptures? Legend has it that 72 translators (representing six from each tribe of Israel) convened in Alexandria, Egypt, in about 250 BC to create a Greek version of the Scriptures known as the Septuagint (which means "seventy"). Most modern scholars date its translation later and estimate that it took place over a longer period of time. But the Septuagint was certainly being used by the Apostle Paul's time, allowing him to preach about Jesus from prophetic Scriptures to audiences of both Jews and Gentiles.