The Jewish government also, at Ptolemy's request, designated a company of Hebrew scholars, six from each tribe--men learned in both the Greek and Hebrew languages--to proceed to Alexandria, and there, at the Museum, to make a careful translation of the Hebrew books into Greek.

As there were twelve tribes, and six translators chosen from each, there were seventy-two translators in all.

They made their translation, and it was called the _Septuagini_, from the Latin _septuaginta duo_, which means seventy-two.
Although out of Judea there was no feeling of reverence for these Hebrew Scriptures as books of divine authority, there was still a strong interest felt in them as very entertaining and curious works of history, by all the Greek and Roman scholars who frequented Alexandria to study at the Museum.

Copies were accordingly made of the Septuagint translation, and were taken to other countries; and there, in process of time, copies of the copies were made, until at length the work became extensively circulated throughout the whole learned world.

When, finally, Christianity became extended over the Roman empire, the priests and monks looked with even a stronger interest than the ancient scholars had felt upon this early translation of so important a portion of the sacred Scriptures.