The Bible wasn't translated from "ancient Hebrew" by a single person. It was a multi-stage process involving different languages and translators over a long period. Here's a breakdown:
* Hebrew Bible (Old Testament):
* Originally written primarily in Biblical Hebrew, with some portions in Aramaic.
* The Septuagint (LXX) was the first major translation, completed in the 2nd century BCE. It translated the Hebrew Bible into Koine Greek. This was done by a group of scholars in Alexandria, Egypt.
* Later translations, like the Latin Vulgate by St. Jerome (late 4th century CE), drew on both the Hebrew texts and the Septuagint. Jerome translated primarily from the Hebrew but consulted Greek versions.
* New Testament:
* Originally written in Koine Greek.
* Translations into other languages, like Latin, Syriac, and Coptic, began relatively early.
* Jerome's Latin Vulgate included a translation of the New Testament from the Greek.
Key Takeaways:
* There was no single, original translator of the entire Bible from "ancient Hebrew."
* The Septuagint was the first major translation of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) into Greek.
* St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), using both Hebrew and Greek sources. This became the standard Bible for the Western Church for centuries.
* Many other translations into various languages have occurred throughout history, each with its own team of translators and source texts.