Septuagint - Most Expensive Book?
@arseniajoaquin (1732)
Philippines
December 17, 2006 12:04am CST
Accordingly...
"About 270 B.C., Ptolemy Philadelphus, ruler of Egypt and Syria, was diligently seeking to make the city of Alexandria the culture capital of the world. One of his ambitions was to stock the shelves of its great library with copies of every book on earth, translated out of their original tongues into the then universal Greek, thus making available to Egyptian scholars all the recorded wisdom of the ages. Already the collection numbered more than 200,000 volumes, and he was shooting for 500,000.
Ptolemy was particularly eager to obtain a copy of the wonderful scriptures said to be possessed by the Hebrews. These mysterious laws were said to have been delivered to the Jews by Jupiter (the Father God) himself, and it was commonly believed that the superior personal morals, domestic and social stability, unquenchable patriotism, and remarkable financial talents of the Jewish people were somehow connected with their possession and observance of these fabulous laws...
So all the Jews went freed, at a cost approximating $1,639,419...
All in all, Philadelphus copy of the Bible cost him something over 296 talents (19,536 pounds – almost ten tons!) of gold and 776 (51, 216 pounds – more than 25 tons) of silver, not counting travel expenses, hotel bills, catering service, gold smith’s services, tailoring bills for 226 suits plus tidy sums to the local furniture and textile merchants, not to mention the considerable expense of a public celebration!"
I'm not good at computing. I don't know how much these would be. Can you calculate the approximate cost?
3 people like this
4 responses
@whacks (774)
• Philippines
31 Jan 07
Amazing! Ptolemy could not have spent so much if that book is not important. And for the people of God to translate it means that they have the authority from God for it would not have happened it that's not in accordance with the will of God.
2 people like this
@sweetcakes (3504)
• United States
18 Dec 06
wow that's some interesting info you have here
and alot of money for that book.
@erminiasanjose (1588)
• Philippines
30 Jan 07
Amazing... it's good that somebody took the pains and all such expenses to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek. The Greek language is more widely used at that time and I think even now than the Hebrew language.
I can't also calculate but that must be huge amount of money - tons of gold and silver, and others... WOW! Where could we ever find such? I don't think anybody would spend such amount to have a copy of a book. Such book must be really wonderful!
2 people like this





