The Septuagint is a third century B.C. Greek translation of the Old Testament. The word septuaginta is Latin for 70.
The Septuagint gets its name from the 70 or 72 Jewish scholars commissioned in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 B.C.), according to the Letter of Aristeas to his brother Philocrates, to translate the Old Testament into the Greek language that was supplanting Hebrew as the language of the Jewish people. Aristeas comes up with 72 from 6 elders for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Legend further stipulates that the translation was created in 72 days.
Source: "Why Study the Septuagint?" by Melvin K. H. Peters. The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 49, No. 3 (Sep., 1986), pp. 174-181. (This article lists editions of the Septuagint.)
According to Calvin J. Roetzel in The World That Shaped the New Testament, the original Septuagint only contained the Pentateuch, but in later versions included the Prophets and Writings. He also says that the story about the creation of the document includes such later embellishments as that seventy-two scholars working independently made separate translations in 70 days that agreed in every detail.
Featured Thursday's Term to Learn.
The term Septuagint is sometimes used to refer to any Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.