There is another consideration; the Greek of the New Testament differs materially in its character from the classical Green, or from the Greek language as a whole. About b.c. 288, the law of Moses was translated from Hebrew into Greek, by request of Ptolemy Philadelphus, who sought everywhere for books to enrich his great library at Alexandria. Subsequently other portions were translated, and hence, we have what is known as the Septuagint version of the Old Testament. This was largely used among the Jewish people in Egypt and elsewhere in the time of our Saviour. It was a Greek version of a Hebrew book, and it was through this book, as well as by intercourse with Grecian people and foreigners of the Jewish stock, that the Jewish people became acquainted with the Greek tongue. But the Greek of the Septuagint was full of Hebrew ideas and idioms, and hence the Greek of the Jews in Palestine, and of the New Testament which is also saturated with Old Testament ideas, differed from the ordinary language of the Greeks, new meanings having been imparted to various words, in order that they might represent Hebrew words and Hebrew ideas. For example, when the Greek word hades is used, we are not thereby committed to a belief in all the fabulous ideas of the Greeks concerning the abode of the dead, for the word was but the representative of the Hebrew word sheol, which is almost always translated hades in the Greek Testament. Hence in studying this Greek word in the New Testament we are not to go to the Greek classics to find out what they mean by the word hades, but rather to the Hebrew prophets to learn in what sense they use the Hebrew word sheol, of which it is the Greek equivalent. So the word diatheke in classic Greek signifies a will, testament, covenant, and so the term in the common English version is translated in both these ways. But in the Septuagint the word diatheke is used to translate the Hebrew word berith, which signifies a covenant, but does not signify a will or testament.1* Hence, instead of speaking of "The New Testament" we should more correctly call it the "The New Covenant." A variety of instances might be adduced where New Testament Greek words have meaning widely different from the same words in classic Greek.