White, Joseph; White, Joseph [Editor]: Aegyptiaca, or observations on certain antiquities of Egypt (Band 1): The history of Pompey's pillar elucidated (Oxford, 1801)

42

iEGYPTIACA.

part I.

But to return to our account of the Serapeum.
Whatever might be the hate in which this new edifice
was left at the deceafe of Ptolemy Soter, there is good
authority for afterting, that it was completed in the fol-
lowing reign. I fhall not difcufs the queftion in what
period of the reign of Philadelphus his library was
formed1. Thofe, who defire to fee the arguments on
each fide of this queftion, may confult the laborious
inveftigations of Hody and Voftius. It is fufftcient for
my purpofe to fhew from ancient evidence, that a li-
brary, bearing the name of the Serapecin, exifted in
his time at Alexandria. Now this, if I miftake not,
was a conftituent part of the Serapeum itfelf,

The prevailing teftimony is, that fome tranflation of
the Hebrew Scriptures was made under the direction of
this Monarch, and repoftted in his library at Alexan-
dria; and we have pofitive evidence, that the library, in
which it was preferved, was in the Serapeum. I will
fubjoin the words of Tertullian and Chryfoftom, which
diredtly prove this point.

iyivtto BiEaioAjjVji Iv tw Hegcnrlto puxgoTtpoc tjk OTfMTJi?, rrrK xxl StvyacTYip uvofjvccir^n au-

Tflf. Epiphan. de Pond, et Meni'. edit. Par. 172,2. tom. ii. p. 168.

1 Syncellus refers the inftitution of the Library to the cxxxii. Olym-
piad ; and in this affertion he feems to have the general concurrence of An-
tiquity: nroAEpaio? 0 $iXdStXq>oi—tv ’AA(%xvtyfiot. Bi£Aici3->iV.ni/ jc«0ipi<nt/ caE'. 'OXvp-
Tnolii. Chronographia, edit. Goar. p. 273.