8 Tevet 3515: Torah translated into Greek (LXX/Septuagint) [January 8, 2025]

Chabad, Misc. ^ | January 8, 2024

[Ezekiel]

Jewish History

Torah translated into Greek (246 BCE)

In a second attempt to translate the Torah into Greek (after an unsuccessful attempt 61 years earlier), the ruling Greek-Egyptian emperor Ptolemy gathered 72 Torah sages, had them sequestered in 72 separate rooms, and ordered them to each produce a translation.

On the 8th of Tevet of the year 3515 from creation (246 BCE) they produced 72 corresponding translations, including identical changes in 13 places (where they each felt that a literal translation would constitute a corruption of the Torah's true meaning). This Greek rendition became known as the Septuagint, "of the seventy" (though later versions that carry this name are not believed to be true to the originals). Greek became a significant second language among Jews as a result of this translation.

During Talmudic times, Tevet 8 was observed by some as a fast day, expressing the fear of the detrimental effect of the translation.

https://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/day.asp?tdate=1/8/2025

***

The Septuagint (/ˈsɛptjuədʒɪnt/ SEP-tew-ə-jint),[1] sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (Koinē Greek: Ἡ μετάφρασις τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα, romanized: Hē metáphrasis tôn Hebdomḗkonta), and abbreviated as LXX,[2] is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew.[3][4] The full Greek title derives from the story recorded in the Letter of Aristeas to Philocrates that "the laws of the Jews" were translated into the Greek language at the request of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–247 BCE) by seventy-two Hebrew translators—six from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.[5][6][7]

Septuagint

[Fiji Hill]

Torah translated into Greek (246 BCE BC)

FIFY

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

Thanks for the post and the wee “Daily Thought” contained therein.

[Tell It Right]

In 1516 and 1519 Erasmus published the Greek New Testament, gathering scripture texts into one source so people who new the Greek language could read the New Testament directly without having to trust the Latin Vulgate translation that had been the standard for 1,000 years. He titled it "Novum Testamentum Omne" and had notes on the discrepancies between the original Greek text and the Latin Vulgate.

Caused quite a bit of a stir. William Tyndale used the Greek as his basis for the English translation. For this he was executed.

[jjotto]

The Fast of the Tenth of Tevet actually commemorates three disasters:

1) The translation of Chumash into Greek on the 8th,
2) the deaths of Ezra and Nehemiah on the 9th,
3) the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by the Bablyonians on the 10th.

Three fasts in a row is considered too burdensome, so the 10th of Tevet was designated for all three.

https://aish.com/holidays/tenth-of-tevet/

[Ezekiel]

Torah translated into Greek

Looks like fun:

"Torah" in Hebrew: תורה

= 611

"Torah" in Greek: Τορά

= 471

Name of the Torah in Greek: "70"

611 - 70 = 471 [Τορά]

611 [תורה] + 471 [Τορά] = 1082 = 541 x 2

541 = Israel [ישראל]

***

Torah: it's an art and a science, beginning with an alef [א] and a mem [מ] respectively:

art [אמנות] + science [מדע]

= 611

>>>

Moshiach

The ultimate experience of suffusion with the Divine will occur in the messianic age. This will be a time when all veils will be removed and the glory of the Divine will radiate. This too is alluded to in our enigmatic verse, “If you will walk in My statutes.”

The verse begins with the Hebrew word im, which is spelled with the letters alef and mem. These letters form the acronym of all the redeemers in our national history.8

The redeemers from Egypt were Aaron and Moses. The redeemers from Persia were Esther and Mordechai. The redeemers from our exile will be Elijah and Moshiach. The message is that if we desire the messianic era of Divine revelation and inspiration, we must labor over the Torah today until we are suffused with the transcendence of the Divine. And then, Moshiach will come.

May that day come speedily in our times. Amen.

Effort That Has Value

[lurk]

Thanks for the info.

[Ezekiel]

Biden declares January 9 as a national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter
(Israel National News)

Who does the regime think he is, Ezra? Saddam?

https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4287094/posts?page=29#29

[Verginius Rufus]

If creation was 3761 years before the start of our era, then Bishop Ussher was off by a couple of hundred years when he put the creation in 4004 B.C.

[Ezekiel]

Yikes. Too many numbers sliding around the keyboard:

611 - 70 = 471 [Τορά] should be

541 - 70 = 471 [Τορά];
541 + 70 = 611 [תורה]

[Ezekiel]

Daily Thought
Black Holes
To an astrobiologist:

A black hole was once a fiery sun. But then its fire went out. Eventually, it collapsed upon itself, rendering it a mass of tremendous density.

And now, a star that once shone brightly holds its light within, even pulling in any surrounding light. In the place of light, a star now creates darkness.

A person, too, may end up a black hole: Someone who is meant to shine and teach others—but has burned out and collapsed inward, absorbed in his own self.

Now, rather than shining light for others, he dampens all light, energy and wisdom that passes his way, causing a greater and greater darkness.

We live in times when every one of us can be as brilliant as the sun. The universe has enough black holes. You have light. Shine it for us.

***

[montag813]

Three fasts in a row is considered too burdensome, so the 10th of Tevet was designated for all three.

Well, fasting on the yahrzeit of Ezra (or anyone not murdered, like Gedalia) would be unusual.

[monkeyshine]

There are 70 faces to the Torah. This link explains four of them but you already know a fifth one: numerology. That leaves 65 more ways to find.

https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Seventy_Faces/seventy_faces.html

[montag813]

Biden declares January 9 as a national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter

I instead will celebrate the demise of this godless scumbag, with a small bottle of Skrewball, the peanut-flavored bourbon whiskey.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "We live in times when every one of us can be as brilliant as the sun. The universe has enough black holes. You have light. Shine it for us."

Quite a fine and very personal/individual challenge for each of us.

Again, thanks tor the thread.

[monkeyshine]

There are some theories that the church literally skipped 300 years on the calendar sometime during the dark ages. One December it was 900, and on January it was 1200. Hardly anyone would know since literacy rates were low and limited to clergy and the handful of elites.

[Red Badger]

1082 = 541 x 2

541 = Israel [ישראל]

ISRAEL IS IN TWO PIECES.

Ezekiel’s STICK says they will be brought back together...............

[jjotto]

Yes, it is unusual to fast on such a yahrtzeit, but it is mentioned in the Ez’k’rah section of the Selichot of the Tenth:

“...I fumed on the Ninth with deep-dug shame. He removed from me the cloak of glory and alacrity. The one who had said beautiful words was torn apart on that day. This was Ezra the Scribe...”

[Verginius Rufus]

Impossible to have skipped 300 years—there are too many sources recording events in those centuries (the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, for one). All kinds of things happened-—the Norman Conquest of England, the First, Second and Third Crusades, the conflict between Holy Roman Emperors and popes, the Norse discovery of America, etc. But in 900 probably not many people were thinking in terms of our “Anno Domini” numbers of years.

[DiogenesLamp]

Interesting. Years ago when I had satellite tv, there was a channel called “the research channel” and I would often see speakers discuss Jewish history. I found it fascinating.