Aquila and Bible Translation in Early Christianity
Early Christian writers mention Aquila mainly as a Bible translator in comparison with the Septuagint and other Greek versions. Origen and Irenaeus refer to Aquila’s version when discussing Hebrew readings and scriptural wording, while Clement speaks more generally about the Greek translation of Scripture. There is not enough direct, focused teaching to support a broad claim about early Christian beliefs on Aquila’s Bible translation.
119 early-church witnesses · 213 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about aquila's Bible Translation?
Early Christian writings do not give enough direct evidence to build a strong page about Aquila's Bible translation. The closest useful text is a late and likely unrelated name-match in Hippolytus, where Aquila appears inside a quoted translation, not as the topic of discussion. Most of the usable early material instead talks about Aquila the coworker of Paul, or about other Bible translations such as the Septuagint, so it does not answer the translation question directly.
A few passages on Aquila's version in Origen and Irenaeus are relevant to Bible translation history, but they are about Aquila the Jewish translator in general, not about Christian teaching on a translation by Aquila as a distinct belief. The page should therefore stay narrow or be reviewed for a possible topic mismatch. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Origen and Irenaeus refer to Aquila’s version as a Hebrew-based Greek translation.
- Clement of Alexandria speaks generally about Scripture being translated into Greek.
- There is not enough direct evidence for a strong, focused claim about early Christian belief on Aquila’s translation.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians say Aquila translated from the Hebrew text?
Early Christian writers explicitly say Aquila followed the Hebrew reading and translated the Scriptures carefully. They present him as a serious translator whose work was associated with accuracy rather than novelty.
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Origen, Exhortation to Martyrdom Direct teaching
...e again with those whom the Lord raises," to the end, are not in the Hebrew, and so they are not in Aquila's edition. But they are found in the Septuagint and in Theodotion's version, agreeing with each other at least in sense. And I found many other places in Job where our copies have more than the Hebrew ones, sometimes a little more, and sometimes a great deal more. A little more, for example, when to the words, "Rising up in the morning, he offered burnt-offerings for them according to their number," they add, "one heifer for the sin of their soul"; and to the words, "The angels of God came to present themselves before God, and the devil came with them," they add, "from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." Again, after "The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away," the Hebrew does not have, "It was so, as seemed good to the Lord." Then our copies are much fuller than the Hebrew when Job's wife speaks to him, from "How long will you hold out?" And he said, "Lo, I wait yet a little while, looking for the hope of my salvation," down to "that I may cease from my troubles, and my sorrows which compass me." For they have only these words of the woman: "Bu
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Origen, Exhortation to Martyrdom Direct teaching
Then in Job, the words from It is written, that he shall rise again with those whom the Lord raises, to the end, are not in the Hebrew, and so not in Aquila's edition;
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Direct teaching
But not as some allege, among those now presuming to expound the Scripture, [thus:] “Behold, a young woman shall conceive, and bring forth a son,” as Theodotion the Ephesian has interpreted, and Aquila of Pontus, both Jewish proselytes.
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Origen, Exhortation to Martyrdom Supporting witness
For so Aquila, following the Hebrew reading, gives it, who has obtained the credit among the Jews of having interpreted the Scriptures with no ordinary care, and whose version is most commonly used by those who do not know Hebrew, as the one which has been most successful.
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Origen, Commentary on John Supporting witness
The same inaccuracy with regard to proper names is also to be observed in many passages of the law and the prophets, as we have been at pains to learn from the Hebrews, comparing our own copies with theirs which have the confirmation of the versions, never subjected to corruption, of Aquila and Theodotion and Symmachus.
More related quotations from this section 11 shown
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness
...conceal the truth by consulting together, so he separated them and asked each one to write the same translation. He did this for all the books. When they gathered before Ptolemy and compared their interpretations, God was glorified, and the Scriptures were acknowledged as truly divine. All of them read out the common translation in the same words and names, so even the Gentiles present perceived that God inspired the translation. It was not surprising that God did this, as He had, during the captivity under Nebuchadnezzar, inspired Esdras the priest to recast the Scriptures corrupted during the captivity and re-establish Mosaic legislation with the people when the Jews returned to their land after seventy years in the time of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness
but Ptolemy was much earlier, under whom the Scriptures were interpreted;—[since these things are so, I say,] truly these men are proved to be impudent and presumptuous, who would now show a desire to make different translations, when we refute them out of these Scriptures, and shut them up to a belief in the advent of the Son of God.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness
But he, wishing to test them individually, and fearing lest they might perchance, by taking counsel together, conceal the truth in the Scriptures, by their interpretation, separated them from each other, and commanded them all to write the same translation.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
...eus worked on this task with the greatest zeal and used careful accuracy with the materials for the translation. At that time, the Macedonians still ruled Asia, and the king wanted to decorate the library at Alexandria with every kind of writing. So he asked the people of Jerusalem to translate the prophecies they possessed into Greek. Since they were subjects of the Macedonians, they chose seventy elders from among the most respected men, men skilled in the Scriptures and also skilled in the Greek language, and sent them to him with the divine books. Then each man translated each prophetic book separately. When all the translations were compared together, they agreed in both meaning and wording. For this was God's plan, carried out for the benefit of Greek listeners. It was not contrary to the inspiration of God, who gave the prophecy, also to bring about the translation and make it, so to speak, a Greek prophecy. Since the Scriptures had perished during the captivity under Nebuchadnezzar, Esdras the Levite, the priest, in the time of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, became inspired in the exercise of prophecy and restored again the whole of the ancient Scriptures. And Aristobu
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
It was not alien to the inspiration of God, who gave the prophecy, also to produce the translation, and make it as it were Greek prophecy.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
And each having severally translated each prophetic book, and all the translations being compared together, they agreed both in meaning and expression.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
Wherefore also the Scriptures were translated into the language of the Greeks, in order that they might never be able to allege the excuse of ignorance, inasmuch as they are able to hear also what we have in our hands, if they only wish.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
It is said that the Scriptures both of the law and of the prophets were translated from the dialect of the Hebrews into the Greek language in the reign of Ptolemy the son of Lagos, or, according to others, of Ptolemy surnamed Philadelphus;
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Justin Martyr, The First Apology Background
And when their contents were found to be unintelligible to the Egyptians, he again sent and requested that men be commissioned to translate them into the Greek language.
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Justin Martyr, Hortatory Address to the Greeks Background
and wishing to know their contents, he sent for seventy wise men from Jerusalem, who were acquainted with both the Greek and Hebrew language, and appointed them to translate the books;
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Nehemiah 8:8 Background
So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
Common Questions
Did early Christians talk about Aquila's Bible translation?
Yes, but only in a limited way. Origen and Irenaeus mention Aquila’s version when comparing Greek and Hebrew readings, but there is not much direct early teaching about it as a separate doctrine.
Which early Christian writers mention Aquila's version?
Origen and Irenaeus are the clearest early witnesses here. They refer to Aquila in discussions about Hebrew readings and scriptural translation.
Source Index for Aquila's Bible Translation
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 213 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 119
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 94
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
Related Resources
Course Lesson
Does God Want US to Use Archaic Bible Translations?
Open a related course lesson for more teaching connected with Aquila's Bible Translation.