=11. Language of the Old Testament.=--It is highly probable, almost certain indeed, that nearly all the books of the Old Testament were originally written in Hebrew. Scholars profess to have found evidence that small portions of the books of Ezra, Daniel, and Jeremiah were written in the Chaldee language; but the prevalence of Hebrew as the language of the original scriptures has given to the Old Testament the common appellation, Hebrew or Jewish canon. Of the Pentateuch, two versions have been recognized,--the Hebrew proper and the Samaritan,[748] the latter of which was preserved in the most ancient of Hebrew characters by the Samaritans, between whom and the Jews there was lasting enmity. [748] See Note 2. =12. The Septuagint.=--Passing over the Peshito or early Syriac version of the Old Testament as of minor significance, we recognize as the first important translation of the Hebrew canon that known as the _Septuagint_.[749] This was a Greek version of the Old Testament, translated from the Hebrew at the instance of an Egyptian monarch, probably Ptolemy Philadelphus, about 286 B. C. The name _Septuagint_ suggests the number seventy, and is said to have been given because the translation was made by a body of seventy-two elders (in round numbers seventy); or, as other traditions say, because the work was accomplished in seventy, or seventy-two days; or, according to yet other stories, because the version received the sanction of the Jewish ecclesiastical council, the Sanhedrin, which comprised seventy-two members. Certain it is that the Septuagint (sometimes indicated by the numerals LXX) was the current version among the Jews in the days of Christ's ministry, and was quoted by the Savior and the apostles in their references to the old canon. It is regarded as the most authentic of the ancient versions, and is accepted at the present time by the Greek Christians and other eastern churches. It is evident, then, that from a time nearly three hundred years before Christ, the Old Testament has been current in both Hebrew and Greek: this duplication has been an effective means of protection against alterations. [749] See Note 3. =13. The Present Compilation= recognizes thirty-nine books in the Old Testament: these were originally combined as twenty-two books, corresponding to the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The thirty-nine books as at present constituted may be conveniently classified as follows: (1.) The Pentateuch or Books of the Law 5 (2.) The Historical Books 12 (3.) The Poetical Books 5 (4.) The Books of the Prophets 17