Pontus, celebrated for a very literal and
accurate translation of the Old Testament into Greek. Epiphanius (_De
Pond. et Mens._ c. 15) preserves a tradition that he was a kinsman of
the emperor Hadrian, who employed him in rebuilding Jerusalem (Aelia
Capitolina, q.v.), and that he was converted to Christianity, but, on
being reproved for practising pagan astrology, apostatized to Judaism.
He is said also to have been a disciple of Rabbi 'Aqiba (d. A.D. 132),
and seems to be referred to in Jewish writings as [Hebrew: akiles].
Aquila's version is said to have been used in place of the Septuagint in
the synagogues. The Christians generally disliked it, alleging without
due grounds that it rendered the Messianic passages incorrectly, but
Jerome and Origen speak in its praise. Origen incorporated it in his
_Hexapla_.

It was thought that this was the only copy extant, but in 1897
fragments of two codices were brought to the Cambridge University
Library. These have been published--the fragments containing 1 Kings
xx. 7-17; 2 Kings xxiii. 12-27 by F.C. Burkitt in 1897, those
containing parts of Psalms xc.-ciii. by C. Taylor in 1899. See F.C.
Burkitt's article in the _Jewish Encyclopaedia_.

AQUILA, CASPAR [KASPAR ADLER] (1488-1560), German reformer, was born at
Augsburg on the 7th of August 1488, educated there and at Ulm (1502), in
Italy (he met Erasmus in Rome), at Bern (1508), Leipzig (1510) and
Wittenberg (1513). According to his son, he entered the ministry in
August 1514, at Bern. He was for some time a military chaplain. In 1516
he became pastor of Jenga, near Augsburg. Openly proclaiming his
adhesion to Luther's doctrine, he was imprisoned for half a year (1520
or 1522) at Dillingen, by order of the bishop of Augsburg; a death
sentence was commuted to banishment through the influence of Isabella,
wife of Christian II. of Denmark and sister of Charles V. Returning to
Wittenberg he met Luther, acted as tutor to the sons of Franz von
Sickingen at Ebernburg, taught Hebrew at Wittenberg, and aided Luther in
his version of the Old Testament. The dates and particulars of his
career are uncertain till 1527, when he became pastor at Saalfeld, and
in 1528, superintendent. His vehement opposition to the Augsburg Interim
(1548) led him to take temporary shelter at Rudolstadt with Catherine,
countess of Schwarzburg. In 1550 he was appointed dean of the
Collegiatstift in Schmalkalden. Here he had a controversy wi