Apocryphal Books > Judeo-Christian Legends and Pseudepigrapha > Epistle of Aristeas
Epistle of Aristeas
The Letter of Aristeas to Philocrates, herein called the Epistle of Aristeas, is a Hellenistic work from the 3rd or early 2nd century BC, thought by some biblical scholars to be pseudepigraphical. Josephus ascribes it to Aristeas of Marmora and suggests it was written to a certain Philocrates. The letter describes the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible by seventy-two interpreters sent into Egypt from Jerusalem at the request of the librarian of Alexandria, resulting in the Septuagint translation (LXX). Some have argued that its story of the creation of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible is fictitious, although its ancient date provides an important counterargument. The letter is a vital resource for understanding the Hellenistic Judaism of Jesus’ day and is the earliest text to mention the Great Library of Alexandria, which has been lost to history.
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