Beyond the legend, the reality was just as impactful. For the first time, the Hebrew scriptures were accessible to the wider Greek-speaking world. It bridged the gap between Semitic thought and Hellenistic culture, eventually becoming the primary version of the Old Testament used by the early Christian church and the writers of the New Testament.
The was born in the bustling, scholar-filled streets of 3rd-century BCE Alexandria, where the Great Library sought to collect every scrap of human knowledge.
The story goes that Ptolemy II Philadelphus, wanting the Jewish Torah for his collection, sent word to the High Priest in Jerusalem. He requested the finest minds to translate the Hebrew scrolls into Greek, the lingua franca of the Mediterranean.