Hexapla

Hexapla is an early critical edition of the Hebrew Bible compiled by Origen of Alexandria in the mid-3rd century CE. It organized six parallel versions of the Hebrew Scriptures to facilitate comparison between Hebrew and Greek texts and to study textual variants.

The six columns are generally described as follows: (1) the Hebrew text in the original consonantal script; (2) the same Hebrew text written in Greek letters as a transliteration for pronunciation; and (3) the Greek Septuagint translation, followed by (4) Aquila’s literal Greek translation, (5) Symmachus’s translation, and (6) Theodotion’s translation.

Origen reportedly gathered Hebrew manuscripts and rival Greek translations to create a comprehensive apparatus for textual comparison. The aim was to approach a restored or clarified Hebrew original by showing how different translators rendered the same Hebrew vowels and meanings, thereby highlighting divergences across witnesses.

Almost no complete copy of Hexapla survives. Its contents are known mainly from secondary quotations and references by later scholars, especially Eusebius in Praeparatio Evangelica and various commentaries by Jerome. The work’s enormous scale meant it was a monumental editorial project, and only fragments and summaries passed into later Christian scholarship.

Impact of Hexapla lies in its pioneering use of parallel-text presentation for textual criticism. It influenced later critical editions and the study of the Hebrew Bible’s transmission, shaping how scholars compare Hebrew manuscripts with Greek translations in the search for the original text.