ARISTEA. — Pseudonym of the author of the Letter to Philocrates, which recounts the origin of the Greek biblical version of the Septuagint (v.).
Some, however, such as B. Motzo, identify him with the historian A. (2nd century B.C.), author of a Περὶ Ἰουδαίων, of which a fragment remains in Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica, 9, 25 (PG 21, 728). The author of the «letter of A.» claims to be Greek, a contemporary of Ptolemy Philadelphus and a participant in the events he recounts; but examination of the work shows that he is a Hellenistic Jew, later than the events handed down, concealed beneath the name of the aforementioned historian. He addresses pagans, with the aim of Jewish propaganda.
The first to point out the apocryphal character of the letter was Lud. de Vives (Comm. in Civ. Dei, 18, 45, Basilea 1522). The period of A. is uncertain: between the middle of the 3rd century B.C. and the 1st century of the Christian era; the most probable opinions are the two that place it either around 200 (E. Schürer, H. B. Swete, L. H. Vincent, R. Tramontano) or in 100 B.C. or shortly thereafter (P. Wendland, H. Thackeray, B. Motzo, A. Momigliano; P. Riessler: 80–63 B.C.).
Once the many fantastic embellishments are set aside—collected and expanded by later Jewish writers (Philo, Flavius Josephus) and Christian writers (Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, Epiphanius, Augustine)—the letter yields valuable information on Palestinian topography and on the history of Judaism in Palestine and Egypt, as well as on the origins of the « Septuagint ».
A. recounts that the Greek version of the Bible, limited to the Pentateuch, was completed at Alexandria at the command of King Ptolemy II Philadelphus (283–246 B.C.) by 72 Jewish scholars, sent by Eleazar, high priest of Jerusalem, to the island of Pharos, through the good offices of the supposed Alexandrian librarian, Demetrius of Phalerum.
When A. was writing, around 200 or 100 B.C., there thus existed a translation of the Pentateuch, believed to date from the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus and produced by several interpreters on the initiative of the Jewish community of Alexandria, where Hebrew was generally unknown. Before this version, which might be termed official, there was already a Greek version, perhaps only partial and little known outside Jewish circles (Letter, §§ 30, 31, 313–16).