when it was translated by the
Seventy.

Under Antiochus and Vespasian, when they wanted to abolish the books, and
when there was no prophet, they could not do so. And under the Babylonians,
when no persecution had been made, and when there were so many prophets,
would they have let them be burnt?

Josephus laughs at the Greeks who would not hear...

Tertullian: Perinde potuit abolefactam eam violentia cataclysmi in spiritu
rursus reformare, quemadmodum et Hierosolymis Babylonia expugnatione
deletis, omne instrumentum Judaicae literaturae per Esdram constat
restauratum.[113]

He says that Noah could as easily have restored in spirit the book of Enoch,
destroyed by the Deluge, as Esdras could have restored the Scriptures lost
during the Captivity.

(Theos) en te epi Nabouchodonosor aichmalosia tou laou, diaphthareison ton
Graphon... enepneuse 'Esdra to ierei, ek tes phules Leui tous ton
progegonoton propheton pantas anataxasthai logous, kai apokatastesai to lae
ten dia Mouseos nomothesian. He alleges this to prove that it is not
incredible that the Seventy may have explained the Holy Scriptures with that
uniformity which we admire in them. And he took that from Saint Irenaeus.

Saint Hilary, in his preface to the Psalms, says that Esdras arranged the
Psalms in order