Origen arranges biblical versions side by side
About this date: The Hexapla was a long scholarly undertaking. 230 is an approximate placement, not a known completion or publication date.
Origen compares the Hebrew text with Greek renderings in a multi-column biblical project. Eusebius describes his search for additional translations and the arrangement associated with the Hexapla.
Historical context
Readers encountered differences among textual witnesses long before printing. Origen's work made comparison part of Christian biblical scholarship, although most of the large project is now lost.
Key points
- Hebrew study supports the comparison of versions.
- Some books had more witnesses than the familiar six-column description suggests.
- Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion are translators whose work Origen consulted.
People
- Origen
- Aquila
- Symmachus
- Theodotion
Sources and further reading
- Church History VI.16
Languages, additional versions, and column arrangement.