The Journey

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMON FOLK BIBLE 

You are on Jeopardy and the topic is “Famous Individuals of Christianity.” You should be able to answer question one on Jesus’s mother or even the $400 question—Jesus’s most beloved disciple (John). Most could even guess at questions about Martin Luther (Justification by faith alone) or John Wycliffe (translated the scriptures into English) but the stumper would be the $1000 question about Ptolemy. Though not a Christian, nor a Jewish convert, Ptolemy’s role in Biblical history cannot be overlooked. 

PREPARTION 

The Persian empire ruled until conquered by Alexander the Great. During his thirteen years of rule, religious freedom continued to be given to the dispersed Jewish communities. Having an even bigger impact on the world was Alexander the Great’s demand that the Greek culture, often called Hellenism, be promoted in his conquered territory. This was a change that affected the entire world and continued well after Alexander’s death. 

After his death, the empire was divided into four territories. Alexander’s general, Ptolemy was awarded control of northern Africa and portions of the Middle East, including Palestine. Despite regional wars, Ptolemy remained in power over his given territory for the next forty years. (source: (historicaleve.com) During the next three hundred years, the influence of the Greek culture grew. Hellenism embraced all aspects of life: art, philosophy, science, architecture, and intellectual development.  

IMPACT OF HELLENISM ON THE JEWISH RACE 

Like the rest of the Middle East, Palestine also was impacted by Hellenism.  Positively, many trade routes were established and Israel’s place as a connection between the east and west developed.  At the same time, the polytheistic beliefs of the Greek empire were counter to the monotheism of the Hebrew nation.  

To counteract the forces of Hellenism, the Jewish religious leaders developed a rigid religious belief system. Attention to the law, observing traditional customs, and an emphasis on the Hebrew educational system remained essential elements of Hebrew life. (source: livestransforming.com) These practices, along with the insistence of using the Hebrew language in religious circles, were important in keeping the dispersed Israelites, along with the homeland, monotheistic until the time of Christ.  

Judaism also continued to flourish outside of Palestine. The openness of Ptolemy for intellectual and religious freedom allowed the city of Alexandria, Egypt to become an enclave for Jewish adherents. The Jewish population of Alexandria were given their own section of the city to live in so that their beliefs and customs could be practiced without influence from outsiders. The one break from a strict Hebrew lifestyle was the acceptance of the Greek language which had become the universal language of all business activities. Since the Greek language was the language used by everyday Judahites, they longed for the books of the Pentateuch and Prophets to be translated into Greek. 

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FIRST ATTEMPTS 

Today, the super-rich buys 12,000 square foot homes or competes to have the biggest yacht. The Ptolemy rulers saw life differently. While a fabulous palace was important, they valued intellectual pursuits as well. Ptolemy, the first was known as a great patron of learning, and the library in Alexandria was a centerpiece of his work.  His successors Ptolemy II and Ptolemy III continued to spend huge sums of money sending advisors throughout the world to secure rare books and valuable art.  

The first attempts to put the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek language were done by hundreds of slaves who wrote into the Greek language what was orally dictated to them. Unfortunately, this led to errors in translation because the slave used their own judgement of what a particular phrase meant. This, though, did produce a Greek version of the Old Testament that was sold cheaply and became known as the “People’s Bible.”   

If one wanted to buy a scholarly copy of the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament) or the books of the Prophets in the Hebrew language, the purchase was expensive. The copy could only be done by Jewish scholars who painstakingly copied the Word of God into another set of writings. If even a small error was made, the entire copy was destroyed. The painstaking process began again. 

PTOLEMY’S SUCCESS 

A spiritual life-changing event was to occur in Alexandria, Egypt. All because of the generosity of Ptolemy’s reign. 

Demetrious Phalereus became the chief advisor for the library. He wanted a true copy of the Hebrew Books of Moses translated into the Greek language. Phalereus sent Eleazar the High-Priest at Jerusalem a huge financial gift to select seventy-two translators of the highest regard to work on a proper translation. Each translator received an authentic manuscript and were sent to the island of Pharos, (an island in the Nile River), spending seventy-two days individually translating the Hebrew manuscript into the Greek language. After comparisons and evaluation, the Jewish Sanhedrin at Alexandria—the Jewish ruling body of that area–formally approved the acceptance of the Greek version of the Pentateuch. It was given the title, Septuagint. (source: The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah) The translation of the books of the Prophets and Jewish History followed. The Greek translation was widely accepted and used at the time of Christ.  

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY 

In the early 1600’s, English scholars used both the Greek Bible and the Hebrew Bible to develop the King James Bible, the only authorized English version for over 300 years.  

God’s wisdom is infinite and His planning impeccable. Throughout history, God’s desire was that world accept Him as their God. He chose the Jewish people from the beginning to be His ambassadors. A Christian’s goal today is the same—be a worthy ambassador.