LXX. Septuagint

From Dictionary.Com, extracted 7/11/2019, "The oldest Greek version of the Old Testament, traditionally said to have been translated by 70 or 72 Jewish scholars at the request of Ptolemy II. Most scholars believe that only the Pentateuch was completed in the early part of the 3rd century b.c. and that the remaining books were translated in the next two centuries."

From ChatGPT:

The Septuagint (often abbreviated LXX) is the earliest known Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament). Its authorship and dating are complex because it was not the work of a single translator or completed all at once. Here’s what scholars generally understand:

Authorship:

• According to Jewish tradition (the Letter of Aristeas, c. 2nd century BC), the translation was begun in Alexandria, Egypt, by about 70–72 Jewish scholars, hence the name “Septuagint” (Latin for “seventy”).
• This story is more legendary than historical, but it reflects the belief that Jewish scholars in the Greek-speaking diaspora were responsible.
• In reality, different books were translated by different translators or groups, with varying styles and quality.

Date:

• Earliest part: The Pentateuch (Genesis–Deuteronomy) was the first section translated, probably in the mid-3rd century BC (around 250 BC), during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus in Egypt.
• Other books: The rest of the Hebrew Bible was translated gradually over the next century or so.

• • Historical and poetic books (e.g., Joshua, Kings, Psalms) were likely done between 200–150 BC.
  • The Prophets may have been completed by around 150–100 BC.
• By the 1st century AD, the Septuagint was widely used among Greek-speaking Jews and later early Christians.

Summary:

• Authorship: Jewish translators in Alexandria (not the legendary “72 scholars,” but multiple hands over time).
• Date: Began with the Pentateuch c. 250 BC, with the rest translated gradually, largely completed by 100 BC.