Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies 22

Let the various accounts of the times given by many and also presented by us stand as they are. They say that both the scriptures of the Law and the Prophetic scriptures were translated from the Hebrew dialect into the Greek language during the reign of King Ptolemy of Lagus, or, as some say, during the reign of Ptolemy surnamed Philadelphus. He applied the greatest zeal to this task, and Demetrius of Phalerum also handled the translation with exact care. For while the Macedonians still held Asia, the king, desiring to adorn the library in Alexandria that he had founded with all writings, considered it worthy and also asked the people of Jerusalem to translate their prophecies into the Greek dialect. They, since they still obeyed the Macedonians, chose seventy elders who were expert in the scriptures and versed in the Greek dialect, and sent them to him along with the divine books. Each man translated each prophecy separately, and when the translations were compared, they all agreed in both thought and wording. For it was the deliberate will of God for Greek ears. It is not strange, therefore, that the prophecy given by God and the translation, as it were a Greek prophecy, should be fulfilled by divine inspiration. For even during the captivity under Nebuchadnezzar, when the scriptures were destroyed in the time of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians, Ezra the Levite and priest, becoming inspired, renewed all the ancient scriptures by prophesying them anew. Aristobulus, in the first book of his writings to Philometor, writes word for word that Plato also followed our legislation and is clearly seen to have worked through each thing said in it. Moreover, the accounts of the exodus of the Hebrews, our fellow citizens, from Egypt, the manifestation and possession of all things that happened to them, and the explanation of the entire legislation, were translated before Demetrius by others, before the reign of Alexander and the Persians. So it is evident that the aforementioned philosopher took many things, for he was very learned, just as Pythagoras also transferred many things from our tradition into his own doctrinal system. Numenius, the Pythagorean philosopher, writes outright: "What is Plato but Moses speaking Attic?" This Moses was a theologian and prophet, and, as some say, an interpreter of sacred laws. The scriptures themselves, being trustworthy, proclaim his lineage, deeds, and life. Nevertheless, we too must speak of these things, as fully as possible, in few words.