THE ORIGIN OF THE OLD TESTAMENT It is interesting that there were 70 (plus two or 72, symbolizing the 72 degrees in Astrology) Rabbis involved in the writing, and the temple at Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE. According to askwhy.co.uk/christianity/0620Alexandria.html article “THE LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA,” The workshop in which religions were modeled was Alexandria in Egypt…focal center of culture, knowledge, religious speculation and propagandism. It became the emporium for religions dogmas throughout the East and a place of resort for the disciples of nearly every system of religious faith then existing…The Alexandrian museum and library were founded and maintained by the long succession of the Ptolemies in Egypt from the beginning of the 3rd century BC. After Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexanders generals, made himself Pharaoh of Egypt, at the suggestion of Demetrius of Phalereus he set up a shrine devoted to the Muses—the Museum of Alexandria… A letter dated about 180-145 BC first mentions the library of Alexandria. The author, one Aristeas, a Jewish scholar is relating—about a century later—a romanticized account of the translation into Greek of the Jewish scriptures. Aristeas writes that Demetrius recommended Ptolemy Soter to gather a collection of books on kingship and ruling, like Platos philosopher kings, and furthermore to gather books of all the worlds people that he might better understand subjects and trade partners. So, Ptolemy gave Demetrius the jobs of gathering extant books and scrolls and supervising the translation of the books of all nations into Greek. The translation of the Jew-ish (KaMA’atian) scriptures began it and, at Demetrius suggestion, Ptolemy hired and housed 72 rabbis for the project…Alexanders successor, Ptolemy Soter, carried off one hundred thousand Jews. They were deported to Egypt or fled there still reeling from the influences of the Babylonian captivity. Jews came to be a large minority of the population of Alexandria, living beside the Egyptian Greeks in their own quarter, governed by an ethnarch and originally exempted from many taxes. The Jews had always copied features they liked from the religions of their neighbors or conquerors and grafted their doctrines into Judaism, as Old Testament history shows…Ptolemy Philadelphus had set up the Museum library and later the Serapeum had followed and was open to the public, the city offered the perfect opportunity to religious thinkers to learn the ideas of the sages of ancient religions and adapt them. Theological schools arose and a stimulating mix of Pagan, Jewish and eastern thought developed. Ideas were adapted not only from the other theologies common in Alexandria, but also from Zoroasterism of Iran and even, through the founder of Neo-Platonism, Ammonius, Buddhism and Hinduism from India. Men of every philosophy and every faith met, exchanged ideas and borrowed religious doctrines, revising their own religions in the light of others wisdom.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 22:19:42 +0000
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