Page 11.—_History of the Jews in Egypt._] According to the account of Aristeas, to whom we owe the fable of the origin of the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Jews had settled in Egypt as early as the time of Psammetichus, 670 B. C. This, however, is not confirmed by ֖more credible authors. Herodotus mentions only Ionian and Carian mercenaries, (ii. 152.) as having served Psammetichus; Diodorus (i. 66.) does indeed add Arabians, under whom Jews may have been included; but there is nothing in the sacred volume to countenance the supposition. After the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, Gedaliah, whom the Babylonians had left in command over the remnant of the people, was murdered by Ishmael, a prince of the house of Judah, who had taken refuge with the king of Ammon. The people, fearing the vengeance of Nebuchadnezzar, determined to take refuge in Egypt. Jeremiah, who endeavoured to dissuade them from it, was compelled to accompany them in their flight, and probably died in Egypt. (Jer. xli. xlii. xliii.) The fugitives took up their abode in the country adjacent to Pelusium, (Jer. xliv.) at Memphis and Thebes. It was predicted by Jeremiah that they should be cut off, but we know not in what manner the prophecy was fulfilled: probably from this time to that of Alexander the Great, a considerable number of Jews remained in the principal cities of Egypt. Alexander, when he founded the city which bore his name, brought a great number of Jews to settle there, (Jos. Bell. Jud. ii. 18. 7. cont. Apion. ii. 4.) allowed them to be called Macedonians, and gave them a quarter of the city, adjoining the palace, for their peculiar residence, that they might observe their national customs without molestation. Ptolemy Lagi, the founder of the kingdom of Egypt, endeavoured to possess himself of Palestine, but was driven out by Antigonus, and in his retreat carried with him a great number of Jewish families; (B. C. 312) some of whom he placed in his garrisons, others he sent to Cyrene, (Jos. Apion. ii. 4.) but the greater part he settled at Alexandria, continuing to them the privileges which had been granted to them by Alexander. After the battle of Ipsus, (301) Judæa remained in the hands of Ptolemy, and many more of the Jews were attracted to the new capital of Egypt. (Jos. Ant. xii. 1.) Their number must have been very great, if we could rely on the account given by Josephus, that 120,000 of them were ransomed from slavery by Ptolemy Philadelphus, (B. C. 277, Ant. xii. 2. 1.) when he caused the Jewish law to be translated into Greek. The succeeding princes of this family treated the Jews with great kindness, desirous probably of attaching their countrymen in Palestine, and thus securing their possession of that region, so eagerly contested between them and the kings of Syria.[133] In the reign of Ptolemy Philometor, Onias, whose father, the third high-priest of that name, had been murdered, fled into