THE JEWISH INSTITUTIONS AND LAWS OF FAR HIGHER
ANTIQUITY THAN THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE GREEKS.
On the plagiarizing of the dogmas of the philosophers from the Hebrews,
we shall treat a little afterwards. But first, as due order demands,
we must now speak of the epoch of Moses, by which the philosophy of
the Hebrews will be demonstrated beyond all contradiction to be the
most ancient of all wisdom. This has been discussed with accuracy by
Tatian in his book _To the Greeks_, and by Casian in the first book
of his _Exegetics_. Nevertheless our commentary demands that we too
should run over what has been said on the point. Apion, then, the
grammarian, surnamed Pleistonices, in the fourth book of _The Egyptian
Histories_, although of so hostile a disposition towards the Hebrews,
being by race an Egyptian, as to compose a work against the Jews, when
referring to Amosis king of the Egyptians, and his exploits, adduces,
as a witness, Ptolemy of Mendes. And his remarks are to the following
effect: Amosis, who lived in the time of the Argive Inachus, overthrew
Athyria, as Ptolemy of Mendes relates in his _Chronology_. Now this
Ptolemy was a priest; and setting forth the deeds of the Egyptian kings
in three entire books, he says, that the exodus of the Jews from Egypt,
under the conduct of Moses, took place while Amosis was king of Egypt.
Whence it is seen that Moses flourished in the time of Inachus. And
of the Hellenic states, the most ancient is the Argolic, I mean that
which took its rise from Inachus, as Dionysius of Halicarnassus teaches
in his _Times_. And younger by forty generations than it was Attica,
founded by Cecrops, who was an aboriginal of double race, as Tatian
expressly says; and Arcadia, founded by Pelasgus, younger too by nine
generations; and he, too, is said to have been an aboriginal. And more
recent than this last by fifty-two generations, was Pthiotis, founded
by Deucalion. And from the time of Inachus to the Trojan war twenty
generations or more are reckoned; let us say, four hundred years and
more. And if Ctesias says that the Assyrian power is many years older
than the Greek, the exodus of Moses from Egypt will appear to have
taken place in the forty-second year of the Assyrian empire,[991] in
the thirty-second year of the reign of Belochus, in the time of Amosis
the Egyptian, and of Inachus the Argive. And in Greece, in the time of
Phoroneus, who succeeded Inachus, the flood of Ogyges occurred; and
monarchy subsisted in Sicyon first in the person of Ægialeus, then of
Europs, then of Telches; in Crete, in the person of Cres. For Acusilaus
says that Phoroneus was the first man. Whence, too, the author of
_Phoronis_ said that he was “the father of mortal men.” Thence Plato
in the _Timæus_, following Acusilaus, writes: “And wishing to draw
them out into a discussion respecting antiquities, he[992] said that
he ventured to speak of the most remote antiquities of this city[993]
respecting Phoroneus, called the first man, and Niobe, and what
happened after the deluge.” And in the time of Phorbus lived Actæus,
from whom is derived Actaia, Attica; and in the time of Triopas lived
Prometheus, and Atlas, and Epimetheus, and Cecrops of double race, and
Ino. And in the time of Crotopus occurred the burning of Phaethon, and
the deluge[994] of Deucalion; and in the time of Sthenelus, the reign
of Amphictyon, and the arrival of Danaus in the Peloponnesus; and under
Dardanus happened the building of Dardania, whom, says Homer,
“First cloud-compelling Zeus begat,”--
and the transmigration from Crete into Phœnicia. And in the time of
Lynceus took place the abduction of Proserpine, and the dedication of
the sacred enclosure in Eleusis, and the husbandry of Triptolemus,
and the arrival of Cadmus in Thebes, and the reign of Minos. And in
the time of Prœtus the war of Eumolpus with the Athenians took place;
and in the time of Acrisius, the removal of Pelops from Phrygia, the
arrival of Ion at Athens; and the second Cecrops appeared, and the
exploits of Perseus and Dionysus took place, and Orpheus and Musæus
lived. And in the eighteenth year of the reign of Agamemnon, Troy was
taken, in the first year of the reign of Demophon the son of Theseus at
Athens, on the twelfth day of the month Thargelion, as Dionysius the
Argive says; but Ægias and Dercylus, in the third book, say that it was
on the eighth day of the last division of the month Panemus; Hellanicus
says that it was on the twelfth of the month Thargelion; and some of
the authors of the _Attica_ say that it was on the eighth of the last
division of the month in the last year of Menestheus, at full moon.
“It was midnight,”
says the author of the _Little Iliad_,
“And the moon shone clear.”
Others say, it took place on the same day of Scirophorion. But Theseus,
the rival of Hercules, is older by a generation than the Trojan war.
Accordingly Tlepolemus, a son of Hercules, is mentioned by Homer, as
having served at Troy.
Moses, then, is shown to have preceded the deification of Dionysus six
hundred and four years, if he was deified in the thirty-second year of
the reign of Perseus, as Apollodorus says in his _Chronology_.
From Bacchus to Hercules and the chiefs that sailed with Jason in
the ship Argo, are comprised sixty-three years. Æsculapius and the
Dioscuri sailed with them, as Apollonius Rhodius testifies in his
_Argonautics_. And from the reign of Hercules, in Argos, to the
deification of Hercules and of Æsculapius, are comprised thirty-eight
years, according to Apollodorus the chronologist; from this to the
deification of Castor and Pollux, fifty-three years. And at this time
Troy was taken. And if we may believe the poet Hesiod, let us hear him:
“Then to Jove, Maia, Atlas’ daughter, bore renowned Hermes,
Herald of the immortals, having ascended the sacred couch.
And Semele, the daughter of Cadmus, too, bore an illustrious son,
Dionysus, the joy-inspiring, when she mingled with him in love.”
Cadmus, the father of Semele, came to Thebes in the time of Lynceus,
and was the inventor of the Greek letters. Triopas was a contemporary
of Isis, in the seventh generation from Inachus. And Isis, who is the
same as Io, is so called, it is said, from her going (ἰέναι) roaming
over the whole earth. Her, Istrus, in his work on the migration of the
Egyptians, calls the daughter of Prometheus. Prometheus lived in the
time of Triopas, in the seventh generation after Moses. So that Moses
appears to have flourished even before the birth of men, according
to the chronology of the Greeks. Leon, who treated of the Egyptian
divinities, says that Isis by the Greeks was called Ceres, who lived
in the time of Lynceus, in the eleventh generation after Moses. And
Apis the king of Argos built Memphis, as Aristippus says in the first
book of the _Arcadica_. And Aristeas the Argive says that he was named
Serapis, and that it is he that the Egyptians worship. And Nymphodorus
of Amphipolis, in the third book of the _Institutions of Asia_, says
that the bull Apis, dead and laid in a coffin (σορός), was deposited
in the temple of the god (δαίμονος) there worshipped, and thence was
called Soroapis, and afterwards Serapis by the custom of the natives.
And Apis is third after Inachus. Further, Latona lived in the time
of Tityus. “For he dragged Latona, the radiant consort of Zeus.” Now
Tityus was contemporary with Tantalus. Rightly, therefore, the Bœotian
Pindar writes, “And in time was Apollo born;” and no wonder when he is
found along with Hercules, serving Admetus “for a long year.” Zethus
and Amphion, the inventors of music, lived about the age of Cadmus.
And should one assert that Phemonoe was the first who sang oracles in
verse to Acrisius, let him know that twenty-seven years after Phemonoe,
lived Orpheus, and Musæus, and Linus the teacher of Hercules. And
Homer and Hesiod are much more recent than the Trojan war; and after
them the legislators among the Greeks are far more recent, Lycurgus and
Solon, and the seven wise men, and Pherecydes of Syros, and Pythagoras
the great, who lived later, about the Olympiads, as we have shown. We
have also demonstrated Moses to be more ancient, not only than those
called poets and wise men among the Greeks, but than the most of their
deities. Nor he alone, but the Sibyl also is more ancient than Orpheus.
For it is said, that respecting her appellation and her oracular
utterances there are several accounts; that being a Phrygian, she was
called Artemis; and that on her arrival at Delphi, she sang--
“O Delphians, ministers of far-darting Apollo,
I come to declare the mind of Ægis-bearing Zeus,
Enraged as I am at my own brother Apollo.”
There is another also, an Erythræan, called Herophile. These are
mentioned by Heraclides of Pontus in his work _On Oracles_. I pass
over the Egyptian Sibyl, and the Italian, who inhabited the Carmentale
in Rome, whose son was Evander, who built the temple of Pan in Rome,
called the Lupercal.
It is worth our while, having reached this point, to examine the dates
of the other prophets among the Hebrews who succeeded Moses. After
the close of Moses’ life, Joshua succeeded to the leadership of the
people, and he, after warring for sixty-five years, rested in the good
land other five-and-twenty. As the book of Joshua relates, the above
mentioned man was the successor of Moses twenty-seven years. Then
the Hebrews having sinned, were delivered to Chusachar[995] king of
Mesopotamia for eight years, as the book of Judges mentions. But having
afterwards besought the Lord, they receive for leader Gothoniel,[996]
the younger brother of Caleb, of the tribe of Judah, who, having
slain the king of Mesopotamia, ruled over the people forty years in
succession. And having again sinned, they were delivered into the
hands of Æglom[997] king of the Moabites for eighteen years. But on
their repentance, Aod,[998] a man who had equal use of both hands,
of the tribe of Ephraim, was their leader for eighty years. It was
he that despatched Æglom. On the death of Aod, and on their sinning
again, they were delivered into the hand of Jabim[999] king of Canaan
twenty years. After him Deborah the wife of Lapidoth, of the tribe of
Ephraim, prophesied; and Ozias the son of Rhiesu was high priest. At
her instance Barak the son of Bener,[1000] of the tribe of Naphtali,
commanding the army, having joined battle with Sisera, Jabim’s
commander-in-chief, conquered him. And after that Deborah ruled,
judging the people forty years. On her death, the people having again
sinned, were delivered into the hands of the Midianites seven years.
After these events, Gideon, of the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joas,
having fought with his three hundred men, and killed a hundred and
twenty thousand, ruled forty years; after whom the son of Ahimelech,
three years. He was succeeded by Boleas, the son of Bedan, the son
of Charran,[1001] of the tribe of Ephraim, who ruled twenty-three
years. After whom, the people having sinned again, were delivered to
the Ammonites eighteen years; and on their repentance were commanded
by Jephtha the Gileadite, of the tribe of Manasseh; and he ruled six
years. After whom, Abatthan[1002] of Bethlehem, of the tribe of Juda,
ruled seven years. Then Ebron[1003] the Zebulonite, eight years. Then
Eglom of Ephraim, eight years. Some add to the seven years of Abatthan
the eight of Ebrom.[1004] And after him, the people having again
transgressed, came under the power of the foreigners, the Philistines,
for forty years. But on their returning [to God], they were led by
Samson, of the tribe of Dan, who conquered the foreigners in battle.
He ruled twenty years. And after him, there being no governor, Eli the
priest judged the people for forty years. He was succeeded by Samuel
the prophet; contemporaneously with whom Saul reigned, who held sway
for twenty-seven years. He anointed David. Samuel died two years before
Saul, while Abimelech was high priest. He anointed Saul as king, who
was the first that bore regal sway over Israel after the judges; the
whole duration of whom, down to Saul, was four hundred and sixty-three
years and seven months.
Then in the first book of Kings there are twenty years of Saul, during
which he reigned after he was renovated. And after the death of Saul,
David the son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah, reigned next in Hebron,
forty years, as is contained in the second book of Kings. And Abiathar
the son of Abimelech, of the kindred of Eli, was high priest. In his
time Gad and Nathan prophesied. From Joshua the son of Nun, then, till
David received the kingdom, there intervene, according to some, four
hundred and fifty years. But, as the chronology set forth shows, five
hundred and twenty-three years and seven months are comprehended till
the death of David.
And after this Solomon the son of David reigned forty years. Under him
Nathan continued to prophesy, who also exhorted him respecting the
building of the temple. Achias of Shilo also prophesied. And both the
kings, David and Solomon, were prophets. And Sadoc the high priest was
the first who ministered in the temple which Solomon built, being the
eighth from Aaron, the first high priest. From Moses, then, to the age
of Solomon, as some say, are five hundred and ninety-five years, and as
others, five hundred and seventy-six.
And if you count, along with the four hundred and fifty years from
Joshua to David, the forty years of the rule of Moses, and the other
eighty years of Moses’ life previous to the exodus of the Hebrews from
Egypt, you will make up the sum in all of six hundred and ten years.
But our chronology will run more correctly, if to the five hundred and
twenty-three years and seven months till the death of David, you add
the hundred and twenty years of Moses and the forty years of Solomon.
For you will make up in all, down to the death of Solomon, six hundred
and eighty-three years and seven months.
Hiram gave his daughter to Solomon about the time of the arrival of
Menelaus in Phenicia, after the capture of Troy, as is said by Menander
of Pergamus, and Lætus in _The Phenicia_. And after Solomon,
Roboam his son reigned for seventeen years; and Abimelech the son
of Sadoc was high priest. In his reign, the kingdom being divided,
Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim, the servant of Solomon, reigned in
Samaria; and Achias the Shilonite continued to prophesy; also Samæas
the son of Amame, and he who came from Judah to Jeroboam,[1005] and
prophesied against the altar. After him his son Abijam, twenty-three
years; and likewise his son Asaman.[1006] The last, in his old age,
was diseased in his feet; and in his reign prophesied Jehu the son of
Ananias.
After him Jehosaphat his son reigned twenty-five years.[1007] In his
reign prophesied Elias the Thesbite, and Michæas the son of Jebla, and
Abdias the son of Ananias. And in the time of Michæas there was also
the false prophet Zedekias, the son of Chonaan. These were followed by
the reign of Joram the son of Jehosaphat, for eight years; during whose
time prophesied Elias; and after Elias, Elisæus the son of Saphat. In
his reign the people in Samaria ate doves’ dung and their own children.
The period of Jehosaphat extends from the close of the third book of
Kings to the fourth. And in the reign of Joram, Elias was translated,
and Elisæus the son of Saphat commenced prophesying, and prophesied for
six years, being forty years old.
Then Ochozias reigned a year. In his time Elisæus continued to
prophesy, and along with him Adadonæus.[1008] After him the mother
of Ozias,[1009] Gotholia,[1010] reigned eight[1011] years, having
slain the children of her brother.[1012] For she was of the family of
Ahab. But the sister of Ozias, Josabæa, stole Joas the son of Ozias,
and invested him afterwards with the kingdom. And in the time of this
Gotholia, Elisæus was still prophesying. And after her reigned, as
I said before, Joash, rescued by Josabæa the wife of Jodæ the high
priest, and lived in all forty years.
There are comprised, then, from Solomon to the death of Elisæus the
prophet, as some say, one hundred and five years; according to others,
one hundred and two; and, as the chronology before us shows, from the
reign of Solomon an hundred and eighty-one.
Now from the Trojan war to the birth of Homer, according to
Philochorus, a hundred and eighty years elapsed; and he was posterior
to the Ionic migration. But Aristarchus, in the _Archilochian Memoirs_,
says that he lived during the Ionic migration, which took place a
hundred and twenty years after the siege of Troy. But Apollodorus
alleges it was an hundred and twenty years after the Ionic migration,
while Agesilaus son of Doryssæus was king of the Lacedæmonians: so
that he brings Lycurgus the legislator, while still a young man,
near him. Euthymenes, in the _Chronicles_, says that he flourished
contemporaneously with Hesiod, in the time of Acastus, and was born
in Chios, about the four hundredth year after the capture of Troy.
And Archimachus, in the third book of his _Eubœan History_, is of
this opinion. So that both he and Hesiod were later than Elisæus the
prophet. And if you choose to follow the grammarian Crates, and say
that Homer was born about the time of the expedition of the Heraclidæ,
eighty years after the taking of Troy, he will be found to be later
again than Solomon, in whose days occurred the arrival of Menelaus in
Phenicia, as was said above. Eratosthenes says that Homer’s age was two
hundred years after the capture of Troy. Further, Theopompus, in the
forty-third book of the _Philippics_, relates that Homer was born five
hundred years after the war at Troy. And Euphorion, in his book about
the _Aleuades_, maintains that he was born in the time of Gyges, who
began to reign in the eighteenth Olympiad, who, also he says, was the
first that was called tyrant (τύραννος). Sosibius Lacon, again, in his
_Record of Dates_, brings Homer down to the eighth year of the reign
of Charillus the son of Polydectus. Charillus reigned for sixty-four
years, after whom the son of Nicander reigned thirty-nine years. In his
thirty-fourth year it is said that the first Olympiad was instituted;
so that Homer was ninety years before the introduction of the Olympic
games.
After Joas, Amasias his son reigned as his successor thirty-nine years.
He in like manner was succeeded by his son Ozias, who reigned for
fifty-two years, and died a leper. And in his time prophesied Amos, and
Isaiah his son,[1013] and Hosea the son of Beeri, and Jonas the son
of Amathi, who was of Geth-chober, who preached to the Ninevites, and
passed through the whale’s belly.
Then Jonathan the son of Ozias reigned for sixteen years. In his time
Esaias still prophesied, and Hosea, and Michæas the Morasthite, and
Joel the son of Bethuel.
Next in succession was his son Ahaz, who reigned for sixteen years. In
his time, in the fifteenth year, Israel was carried away to Babylon.
And Salmanasar the king of the Assyrians carried away the people of
Samaria into the country of the Medes and to Babylon.
Again Ahaz was succeeded by Osee,[1014] who reigned for eight years.
Then followed Hezekiah, for twenty-nine years. For his sanctity, when
he had approached his end, God, by Isaiah, allowed him to live for
other fifteen years, giving as a sign the going back of the sun. Up to
his times Esaias, Hosea, and Micah continued prophesying.
And these are said to have lived after the age of Lycurgus, the
legislator of the Lacedæmonians. For Dieuchidas, in the fourth book of
the _Megarics_, places the era of Lycurgus about the two hundred
and ninetieth year after the capture of Troy.
And Esaias is still seen prophesying in the two hundredth year after
the reign of Solomon, in whose time Menelaus was proved to have come to
Phenicia; and along with Esaias, Michaiah, and Hosea, and Joel the son
of Bethuel.
After Hezekiah, his son Manasses reigned for fifty-five years. Then his
son Amos for two years. After him reigned his son Josias, distinguished
for his observance of the law, for thirty-one years. He “laid the
carcases of men upon the carcases of the idols,” as is written in the
book of Leviticus.[1015] In his reign, in the eighteenth year, the
passover was celebrated, not having been kept from the days of Samuel
in the intervening period.[1016] Then Chelkias the priest, the father
of the prophet Jeremiah, having fallen in with the book of the law,
that had been laid up in the temple, read it and died.[1017] And in
his days Olda[1018] prophesied, and Sophonias,[1019] and Jeremiah. And
in the days of Jeremiah was Ananias the son of Azor,[1020] the false
prophet. He[1021] having disobeyed Jeremiah the prophet, was slain by
Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt at the river Euphrates, having encountered
the latter, who was marching on the Assyrians.
Josiah was succeeded by Jechoniah, called also Joachas,[1022] his son,
who reigned three months and ten days. Necho king of Egypt bound him
and led him to Egypt, after making his brother Joachim king in his
stead, who continued his tributary for eleven years. After him his
namesake[1023] Joakim reigned for three months. Then Zedekiah reigned
for eleven years; and up to his time Jeremiah continued to prophesy.
Along with him Ezekiel[1024] the son of Buzi, and Urias[1025] the son
of Samæus, and Ambacum[1026] prophesied. Here end the Hebrew kings.
There are then from the birth of Moses till this captivity nine hundred
and seventy-two years; but according to strict chronological accuracy,
one thousand and eighty-five, six months, ten days. From the reign of
David to the captivity by the Chaldeans, four hundred and fifty-two
years and six months; but as the accuracy we have observed in reference
to dates makes out, four hundred and eighty-two and six months ten days.
And in the twelfth year of the reign of Zedekiah, forty years before
the supremacy of the Persians, Nebuchodonosor made war against
the Phœnicians and the Jews, as Berosus asserts in his _Chaldæan
Histories_. And Joabas,[1027] writing about the Assyrians, acknowledges
that he had received the history from Berosus, and testifies to his
accuracy. Nebuchodonosor, therefore, having put out the eyes of
Zedekiah, took him away to Babylon, and transported the whole people
(the captivity lasted seventy years), with the exception of a few who
fled to Egypt.
Jeremiah and Ambacum were still prophesying in the time of Zedekiah. In
the fifth year of his reign Ezekiel prophesied at Babylon; after him
Nahum, then Daniel. After him, again, Haggai and Zechariah prophesied
in the time of Darius the First for two years; and then the angel
among the twelve.[1028] After Haggai and Zechariah, Nehemiah, the
chief cup-bearer of Artaxerxes, the son of Acheli the Israelite, built
the city of Jerusalem and restored the temple. During the captivity
lived Esther and Mordecai, whose book is still extant, as also that of
the Maccabees. During this captivity Mishael, Ananias, and Azarias,
refusing to worship the image, and being thrown into a furnace of fire,
were saved by the appearance of an angel. At that time, on account of
the serpent,[1029] Daniel was thrown into the den of lions; but being
preserved through the providence of God by Ambacub, he is restored on
the seventh day. At this period, too, occurred the sign of Jona; and
Tobias, through the assistance of the angel Raphael, married Sarah, the
demon having killed her seven first suitors; and after the marriage of
Tobias, his father Tobit recovered his sight. At that time Zorobabel,
having by his wisdom overcome his opponents, and obtained leave from
Darius for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, returned with Esdras to his
native land; and by him the redemption of the people and the revisal
and restoration of the inspired oracles were effected; and the passover
of deliverance celebrated, and marriage with aliens dissolved.
Cyrus had, by proclamation, previously enjoined the restoration of the
Hebrews. And his promise being accomplished in the time of Darius, the
feast of the dedication was held, as also the feast of tabernacles.
There were in all, taking in the duration of the captivity down to the
restoration of the people, from the birth of Moses, one thousand one
hundred and fifty-five years, six months, and ten days; and from the
reign of David, according to some, four hundred and fifty-two; more
correctly, five hundred and seventy-two years, six months, and ten days.
From the captivity at Babylon, which took place in the time of Jeremiah
the prophet, was fulfilled what was spoken by Daniel the prophet as
follows: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy
holy city, to finish the transgression, and to seal sins, and to wipe
out and make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal the vision and the prophet, and to anoint
the Holy of Holies. Know therefore, and understand, that from the going
forth of the word commanding an answer to be given, and Jerusalem to
be built, to Christ the Prince, are seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
and the street shall be again built, and the wall; and the times shall
be expended. And after the sixty-two weeks the anointing shall be
overthrown, and judgment shall not be in him; and he shall destroy the
city and the sanctuary along with the coming Prince. And they shall be
destroyed in a flood, and to the end of the war shall be cut off by
desolations. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week;
and in the middle of the week the sacrifice and oblation shall be taken
away; and in the holy place shall be the abomination of desolations,
and until the consummation of time shall the consummation be assigned
for desolation. And in the midst of the week shall he make the incense
of sacrifice cease, and of the wing of destruction, even till the
consummation, like the destruction of the oblation.”[1030] That the
temple accordingly was built in seven weeks, is evident; for it is
written in Esdras. And thus Christ became King of the Jews, reigning in
Jerusalem in the fulfilment of the seven weeks. And in the sixty and
two weeks the whole of Judæa was quiet, and without wars. And Christ
our Lord, “the Holy of Holies,” having come and fulfilled the vision
and the prophecy, was anointed in His flesh by the Holy Spirit of His
Father. In those “sixty and two weeks,” as the prophet said, and “in
the one week,” was He Lord. The half of the week Nero held sway, and
in the holy city Jerusalem placed the abomination; and in the half
of the week he was taken away, and Otho, and Galba, and Vitellius.
And Vespasian rose to the supreme power, and destroyed Jerusalem, and
desolated the holy place. And that such are the facts of the case, is
clear to him that is able to understand, as the prophet said.
On the completion, then, of the eleventh year, in the beginning of the
following, in the reign of Joachim, occurred the carrying away captive
to Babylon by Nabuchodonosor the king, in the seventh year of his reign
over the Assyrians, in the second year of the reign of Vaphres over the
Egyptians, in the archonship of Philip at Athens, in the first year
of the forty-eighth Olympiad. The captivity lasted for seventy years,
and ended in the second year of Darius Hystaspes, who had become king
of the Persians, Assyrians, and Egyptians; in whose reign, as I said
above, Haggai and Zechariah and the angel of the twelve prophesied. And
the high priest was Joshua the son of Josedec. And in the second year
of the reign of Darius, who, Herodotus says, destroyed the power of the
Magi, Zorobabel the son of Salathiel was despatched to raise and adorn
the temple at Jerusalem.
The times of the Persians are accordingly summed up thus: Cyrus
reigned thirty years; Cambyses, nineteen; Darius, forty-six; Xerxes,
twenty-six; Artaxerxes, forty-one; Darius, eight; Artaxerxes,
forty-two; Ochus or Arses, three. The sum total of the years of the
Persian monarchy is two hundred and thirty-five years.
Alexander of Macedon, having despatched this Darius, during this
period, began to reign. Similarly, therefore, the times of the
Macedonian kings are thus computed: Alexander, eighteen years; Ptolemy
the son of Lagus, forty years; Ptolemy Philadelphus, twenty-seven
years; then Euergetes, five-and-twenty years; then Philopator,
seventeen years; then Epiphanes, four-and-twenty years; he was
succeeded by Philometer, who reigned five-and-thirty years; after
him Physcon, twenty-nine years; then Lathurus, thirty-six years;
then he that was surnamed Dionysus, twenty-nine years; and last
Cleopatra reigned twenty-two years. And after her was the reign of the
Cappadocians for eighteen days.
Accordingly the period embraced by the Macedonian kings is, in all,
three hundred and twelve years and eighteen days.
Therefore those who prophesied in the time of Darius Hystaspes, about
the second year of his reign,--Haggai, and Zechariah, and the angel of
the twelve, who prophesied about the first year of the forty-eighth
Olympiad,--are demonstrated to be older than Pythagoras, who is said to
have lived in the sixty-second Olympiad, and than Thales, the oldest
of the wise men of the Greeks, who lived about the fiftieth Olympiad.
Those wise men that are classed with Thales were then contemporaneous,
as Andron says in the _Tripos_. For Heraclitus being posterior to
Pythagoras, mentions him in his book. Whence indisputably the first
Olympiad, which was demonstrated to be four hundred and seven years
later than the Trojan war, is found to be prior to the age of the
above-mentioned prophets, together with those called the seven wise
men. Accordingly it is easy to perceive that Solomon, who lived in
the time of Menelaus (who was during the Trojan war), was earlier by
many years than the wise men among the Greeks. And how many years
Moses preceded him we showed, in what we said above. And Alexander,
surnamed Polyhistor, in his work on the Jews, has transcribed some
letters of Solomon to Vaphres king of Egypt, and to the king of the
Phenicians at Tyre, and theirs to Solomon; in which it is shown that
Vaphres sent eighty thousand Egyptian men to him for the building of
the temple, and the other as many, along with a Tyrian artificer, the
son of a Jewish mother, of the tribe of Dan,[1031] as is there written,
of the name of Hyperon.[1032] Further, Onomacritus the Athenian, who
is said to have been the author of the poems ascribed to Orpheus, is
ascertained to have lived in the reign of the Pisistratidæ, about the
fiftieth Olympiad. And Orpheus, who sailed with Hercules, was the pupil
of Musæus. Amphion precedes the Trojan war by two generations. And
Demodocus and Phemius were posterior to the capture of Troy; for they
were famed for playing on the lyre, the former among the Phæacians,
and the latter among the suitors. And the _Oracles_ ascribed to Musæus
are said to be the production of Onomacritus, and the _Crateres_
of Orpheus the production of Zopyrus of Heraclea, and _The Descent
to Hades_ that of Prodicus of Samos. Ion of Chios relates in the
_Triagmi_,[1033] that Pythagoras ascribed certain works [of his own]
to Orpheus. Epigenes, in his book respecting _The Poetry attributed to
Orpheus_, says that _The Descent to Hades_ and the _Sacred Discourse_
were the production of Cecrops the Pythagorean; and the _Peplus_ and
the _Physics_ of Brontinus. Some also make Terpander out ancient.
Hellanicus, accordingly, relates that he lived in the time of Midas:
but Phanias, who places Lesches the Lesbian before Terpander, makes
Terpander younger than Archilochus, and relates that Lesches contended
with Arctinus, and gained the victory. Xanthus the Lydian says that
he lived about the eighteenth Olympiad; as also Dionysius says that
Thasus was built about the fifteenth Olympiad: so that it is clear
that Archilochus[1034] was already known after the twentieth Olympiad.
He accordingly relates the destruction of Magnetes as having recently
taken place. Simonides is assigned to the time of Archilochus. Callinus
is not much older; for Archilochus refers to Magnetes as destroyed,
while the latter refers to it as flourishing. Eumelus of Corinth being
older, is said to have met Archias, who founded Syracuse.
We were induced to mention these things, because the poets of the epic
cycle are placed amongst those of most remote antiquity. Already, too,
among the Greeks, many diviners are said to have made their appearance,
as the Bacides, one a Bœotian, the other an Arcadian, who uttered many
predictions to many. By the counsel of Amphiletus the Athenian,[1035]
who showed the time for the onset, Pisistratus, too, strengthened his
government. For we may pass over in silence Cometes of Crete, Cinyras
of Cyprus, Admetus the Thessalian, Aristæas the Cyrenian, Amphiaraus
the Athenian, Timoxeus[1036] the Corcyræan, Demænetus the Phocian,
Epigenes the Thespian, Nicias the Carystian, Aristo the Thessalian,
Dionysius the Carthaginian, Cleophon the Corinthian, Hippo the daughter
of Chiro, and Bœo, and Manto, and the host of Sibyls, the Samian,
the Colophonian, the Cumæan, the Erythræan, the Pythian,[1037] the
Taraxandrian, the Macetian, the Thessalian, and the Thesprotian, And
Calchas again, and Mopsus, who lived during the Trojan war. Mopsus,
however, was older, having sailed along with the Argonauts. And
it is said that Battus the Cyrenian composed what is called _the
Divination_ of Mopsus. Dorotheus in the first _Pandect_ relates
that Mopsus was the disciple of Alcyon and Corone. And Pythagoras
the Great always applied his mind to prognostication, and Abaris
the Hyperborean, and Aristæas the Proconnesian, and Epimenides the
Cretan, who came to Sparta, and Zoroaster the Mede, and Empedocles of
Agrigentum, and Phormion the Lacedæmonian; Polyaratus, too, of Thasus,
and Empedotimus of Syracuse; and in addition to these, Socrates the
Athenian in particular. “For,” he says in the _Theages_, “I am
attended by a supernatural intimation, which has been assigned me
from a child by divine appointment. This is a voice which, when it
comes, prevents what I am about to do, but exhorts never.”[1038] And
Execestus, the tyrant of the Phocians, wore two enchanted rings, and
by the sound which they uttered one against the other determined the
proper times for actions. But he died, nevertheless, treacherously
murdered, although warned beforehand by the sound, as Aristotle says in
the _Polity of the Phocians_.
Of those, too, who at one time lived as men among the Egyptians,
but were constituted gods by human opinion, were Hermes the Theban,
and Asclepius of Memphis; Tireseus and Manto, again, at Thebes, as
Euripides says. Helenus, too, and Laocoon, and Œnone, and Crenus in
Ilium. For Crenus, one of the Heraclidæ, is said to have been a noted
prophet. Another was Jamus in Elis, from whom came the Jamidæ; and
Polyidus at Argos and Megara, who is mentioned by the tragedy. Why
enumerate Telemus, who, being a prophet of the Cyclops, predicted to
Polyphemus the events of Ulysses’ wandering; or Onomacritus at Athens;
or Amphiaraus, who campaigned with the seven at Thebes, and is reported
to be a generation older than the capture of Troy; or Theoclymenus in
Cephalonia, or Telmisus in Caria, or Galeus in Sicily?
There are others, too, besides these: Idmon, who was with the
Argonauts, Phemonoe of Delphi, Mopsus the son of Apollo and Manto in
Pamphylia, and Amphilochus the son of Amphiaraus in Cilicia, Alcmæon
among the Acarnanians, Anias in Delos, Aristander of Telmessus, who was
along with Alexander. Philochorus also relates in the first book of the
work, _On Divination_, that Orpheus was a seer. And Theopompus, and
Ephorus, and Timæus, write of a seer called Orthagoras; as the Samian
Pythocles in the fourth book of _The Italics_ writes of Caius Julius
Nepos.
But some of these “thieves and robbers,” as the Scripture says,
predicted for the most part from observation and probabilities, as
physicians and soothsayers judge from natural signs; and others were
excited by demons, or were disturbed by waters, and fumigations,
and air of a peculiar kind. But among the Hebrews the prophets were
moved by the power and inspiration of God. Before the law, Adam spoke
prophetically in respect to the woman, and the naming of the creatures;
Noah preached repentance; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob gave many clear
utterances respecting future and present things. Contemporaneous with
the law, Moses and Aaron; and after these prophesied Jesus the son
of Nave, Samuel, Gad, Nathan, Achias, Samæas, Jehu, Elias, Michæas,
Abdiu, Elisæus, Abbadonai, Amos, Esaias, Osee, Jonas, Joel, Jeremias,
Sophonias the son of Buzi, Ezekiel, Urias, Ambacum, Naum, Daniel,
Misael, who wrote the syllogisms, Aggai, Zacharias, and the angel among
the twelve. These are, in all, five-and-thirty prophets. And of women
(for these too prophesied), Sara, and Rebecca, and Mariam, and Debbora,
and Olda.
Then within the same period John prophesied till the baptism of
salvation; and after the birth of Christ, Anna and Simeon. For
Zacharias, John’s father, is said in the Gospels to have prophesied
before his son. Let us then draw up the chronology of the Greeks from
Moses.
From the birth of Moses to the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, eighty
years; and the period down to his death, another forty years. The
exodus took place in the time of Inachus, before the wandering of
Sothis,[1039] Moses having gone forth from Egypt three hundred and
forty-five years before. From the rule of Moses, and from Inachus
to the flood of Deucalion, I mean the second inundation, and to the
conflagration of Phaethon, which events happened in the time of
Crotopus, forty generations are enumerated (three generations being
reckoned for a century). From the flood to the conflagration of Ida,
and the discovery of iron, and the Idæan Dactyls, are seventy-three
years, according to Thrasyllus; and from the conflagration of Ida to
the rape of Ganymede, sixty-five years. From this to the expedition
of Perseus, when Glaucus established the Isthmian games in honour
of Melicerta, fifteen years; and from the expedition of Perseus to
the building of Troy, thirty-four years. From this to the voyage of
the Argo, sixty-four years. From this to Theseus and the Minotaur,
thirty-two years; then to the seven at Thebes, ten years. And to the
Olympic contest, which Hercules instituted in honour of Pelops, three
years; and to the expedition of the Amazons against Athens, and the
rape of Helen by Theseus, nine years. From this to the deification
of Hercules, eleven years; then to the rape of Helen by Alexander,
four years. From the taking of Troy to the descent of Æneas and the
founding of Lavinium, ten years; and to the government of Ascanius,
eight years; and to the descent of the Heraclidæ, sixty-one years; and
to the Olympiad of Iphitus, three hundred and thirty-eight years.
Eratosthenes thus sets down the dates: “From the capture of Troy to
the descent of the Heraclidæ, eighty years. From this to the founding
of Ionia, sixty years; and the period following to the protectorate
of Lycurgus, a hundred and fifty-nine years; and to the first year of
the first Olympiad, a hundred and eight years. From which Olympiad to
the invasion of Xerxes, two hundred and ninety-seven years; from which
to the beginning of the Peloponnesian war, forty-eight years; and to
its close, and the defeat of the Athenians, twenty-seven years; and to
the battle at Leuctra, thirty-four years; after which to the death of
Philip, thirty-five years. And after this to the decease of Alexander,
twelve years.”
Again, from the first Olympiad, some say, to the building of Rome,
are comprehended twenty-four years; and after this to the expulsion
of the kings,[1040] when consuls were created, about two hundred and
forty-three years. And from the taking of Babylon to the death of
Alexander, a hundred and eighty-six years. From this to the victory of
Augustus, when Antony killed himself at Alexandria, two hundred and
ninety-four years, when Augustus was made consul for the fourth time.
And from this time to the games which Domitian instituted at Rome, are
a hundred and fourteen years; and from the first games to the death of
Commodus, a hundred and eleven years.
There are some that from Cecrops to Alexander of Macedon reckon a
thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight years; and from Demophon, a
thousand two hundred and fifty; and from the taking of Troy to the
expedition of the Heraclidæ, a hundred and twenty or a hundred and
eighty years. From this to the archonship of Evænetus at Athens, in
whose time Alexander is said to have marched into Asia, according to
Phanias, are seven hundred and fifty years; according to Ephorus,
seven hundred and thirty-five; according to Timæus and Clitarchus,
eight hundred and twenty; according to Eratosthenes, seven hundred and
seventy-four. As also Duris, from the taking of Troy to the march of
Alexander into Asia, a thousand years; and from that to the archonship
of Hegesias, in whose time Alexander died, eleven years. From this date
to the reign of Germanicus Claudius Cæsar, three hundred and sixty-five
years. From which time the years summed up to the death of Commodus are
manifest.
After the Grecian period, and in accordance with the dates, as computed
by the barbarians, very large intervals are to be assigned.
From Adam to the deluge are comprised two thousand one hundred and
forty-eight years, four days. From Shem to Abraham, a thousand two
hundred and fifty years. From Isaac to the division of the land, six
hundred and sixteen years. Then from the judges to Samuel, four hundred
and sixty-three years, seven months. And after the judges there were
five hundred and seventy-two years, six months, ten days of kings.
After which periods, there were two hundred and thirty-five years of
the Persian monarchy. Then of the Macedonian, till the death of Antony,
three hundred and twelve years and eighteen days. After which time,
the empire of the Romans, till the death of Commodus, lasted for two
hundred and twenty-two years.
Then, from the seventy years’ captivity, and the restoration of the
people into their own land to the captivity in the time of Vespasian,
are comprised four hundred and ten years. Finally, from Vespasian to
the death of Commodus, there are ascertained to be one hundred and
twenty-one years, six months, and twenty-four days.
Demetrius, in his book, _On the Kings in Judæa_, says that
the tribes of Juda, Benjamin, and Levi were not taken captive by
Sennacherim; but that there were from this captivity to the last, which
Nabuchodonosor made out of Jerusalem, a hundred and twenty-eight years
and six months; and from the time that the ten tribes were carried
captive from Samaria till Ptolemy the Fourth, were five hundred and
seventy-three years, nine months; and from the time that the captivity
from Jerusalem took place, three hundred and thirty-eight years and
three months.
Philo himself set down the kings differently from Demetrius.
Besides, Eupolemus, in a similar work, says that all the years from
Adam to the fifth year of Ptolemy Demetrius, who reigned twelve years
in Egypt, when added, amount to five thousand a hundred and forty-nine;
and from the time that Moses brought out the Jews from Egypt to the
above-mentioned date, there are, in all, two thousand five hundred and
eighty years. And from this time till the consulship in Rome of Caius
Domitian and Casian, a hundred and twenty years are computed.
Euphorus and many other historians say that there are seventy-five
nations and tongues, in consequence of hearing the statement made by
Moses: “All the souls that sprang from Jacob, which went down into
Egypt, were seventy-five.”[1041] According to the true reckoning, there
appear to be seventy-two generic dialects, as our Scriptures hand
down. The rest of the vulgar tongues are formed by the blending of
two, or three, or more dialects. A dialect is a mode of speech which
exhibits a character peculiar to a locality, or a mode of speech which
exhibits a character peculiar or common to a race. The Greeks say, that
among them are five dialects--the Attic, Ionic, Doric, Æolic, and the
fifth the Common; and that the languages of the barbarians, which are
innumerable, are not called dialects, but tongues.
Plato attributes a dialect also to the gods, forming this conjecture
mainly from dreams and oracles, and especially from demoniacs, who
do not speak their own language or dialect, but that of the demons
who have taken possession of them. He thinks also that the irrational
creatures have dialects, which those that belong to the same genus
understand. Accordingly, when an elephant falls into the mud and
bellows out, any other one that is at hand, on seeing what has
happened, shortly turns, and brings with him a herd of elephants,
and saves the one that has fallen in. It is said also in Libya, that
a scorpion, if it does not succeed in stinging a man, goes away and
returns with several more; and that, hanging on one to the other like
a chain, they make in this way the attempt to succeed in their cunning
design.
The irrational creatures do not make use of an obscure intimation, or
hint their meaning by assuming a particular attitude, but, as I think,
by a dialect of their own. And some others say, that if a fish which
has been taken escape by breaking the line, no fish of the same kind
will be caught in the same place that day. But the first and generic
barbarous dialects have terms by nature, since also men confess that
prayers uttered in a barbarian tongue are more powerful. And Plato,
in the _Cratylus_, when wishing to interpret πῦρ (_fire_),
says that it is a barbaric term. He testifies, accordingly, that the
Phrygians use this term with a slight deviation.
And nothing, in my opinion, after these details, need stand in the
way of stating the periods of the Roman emperors, in order to the
demonstration of the Saviour’s birth. Augustus, forty-three years;
Tiberius, twenty-two years; Caius, four years; Claudius, fourteen
years; Nero, fourteen years; Galba, one year; Vespasian, ten years;
Titus, three years; Domitian, fifteen years; Nerva, one year; Trajan,
nineteen years; Adrian, twenty-one years; Antoninus, twenty-one
years; likewise again, Antoninus and Commodus, thirty-two. In all,
from Augustus to Commodus, are two hundred and twenty-two years; and
from Adam to the death of Commodus, five thousand seven hundred and
eighty-four years, two months, twelve days.
Some set down the dates of the Roman emperors thus:
Caius Julius Cæsar, three years, four months, five days; after him
Augustus reigned forty-six years, four months, one day. Then Tiberius,
twenty-six years, six months, nineteen days. He was succeeded by Caius
Cæsar, who reigned three years, ten months, eight days; and he by
Claudius for thirteen years, eight months, twenty-eight days. Nero
reigned thirteen years, eight months, twenty-eight days; Galba, seven
months and six days; Otho, five months, one day; Vitellius, seven
months, one day; Vespasian, eleven years, eleven months, twenty-two
days; Titus, two years, two months; Domitian, fifteen years, eight
months, five days; Nerva, one year, four months, ten days; Trajan,
nineteen years, seven months, ten days; Adrian, twenty years, ten
months, twenty-eight days; Antoninus, twenty-two years, three months,
and seven days; Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, nineteen years, eleven days;
Commodus, twelve years, nine months, fourteen days.
From Julius Cæsar, therefore, to the death of Commodus, are two hundred
and thirty-six years, six months. And the whole from Romulus, who
founded Rome, till the death of Commodus, amounts to nine hundred
and fifty-three years, six months. And our Lord was born in the
twenty-eighth year, when first the census was ordered to be taken in
the reign of Augustus. And to prove that this is true, it is written
in the Gospel by Luke as follows: “And in the fifteenth year, in the
reign of Tiberius Cæsar, the word of the Lord came to John, the son of
Zacharias.” And again in the same book: “And Jesus was coming to His
baptism, being about thirty years old,”[1042] and so on. And that it
was necessary for Him to preach only a year, this also is written: “He
hath sent me to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”[1043] This
both the prophet spake, and the gospel. Accordingly, in fifteen years
of Tiberius and fifteen years of Augustus; so were completed the thirty
years till the time He suffered. And from the time that He suffered
till the destruction of Jerusalem are forty-two years and three months;
and from the destruction of Jerusalem to the death of Commodus, a
hundred and twenty-eight years, ten months, and three days. From the
birth of Christ, therefore, to the death of Commodus are, in all, a
hundred and ninety-four years, one month, thirteen days. And there are
those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but
also the day; and they say that it took place in the twenty-eighth year
of Augustus, and in the twenty-fifth day of Pachon. And the followers
of Basilides hold the day of his baptism as a festival, spending the
night before in readings.
And they say that it was the fifteenth year of Tiberius Cæsar, the
fifteenth day of the month Tubi; and some that it was the eleventh of
the same month. And treating of His passion, with very great accuracy,
some say that it took place in the sixteenth year of Tiberius, on the
twenty-fifth of Phamenoth; and others the twenty-fifth of Pharmuthi;
and others say that on the nineteenth of Pharmuthi the Saviour
suffered. Further, others say that He was born on the twenty-fourth or
twenty-fifth of Pharmuthi.
We have still to add to our chronology the following,--I mean the days
which Daniel indicates from the desolation of Jerusalem, the seven
years and seven months of the reign of Vespasian. For the two years are
added to the seventeen months and eighteen days of Otho, and Galba,
and Vitellius; and the result is three years and six months, which
is “the half of the week,” as Daniel the prophet said. For he said
that there were two thousand three hundred days from the time that the
abomination of Nero stood in the holy city, till its destruction. For
thus the declaration, which is subjoined, shows: “How long shall be the
vision, the sacrifice taken away, the abomination of desolation, which
is given, and the power and the holy place shall be trodden under foot?
And he said to him, Till the evening and morning, two thousand three
hundred days, and the holy place shall be taken away.”[1044]
These two thousand three hundred days, then, make six years four
months, during the half of which Nero held sway, and it was half
a week; and for a half, Vespasian with Otho, Galba, and Vitellius
reigned. And on this account Daniel says, “Blessed is he that cometh to
the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.”[1045] For up to these
days was war, and after them it ceased. And this number is demonstrated
from a subsequent chapter, which is as follows: “And from the time of
the change of continuation, and of the giving of the abomination of
desolation, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred
and thirty-five days.”[1046]
Flavius Josephus the Jew, who composed the history of the Jews,
computing the periods, says that from Moses to David were five hundred
and eighty-five years; from David to the second year of Vespasian, a
thousand one hundred and seventy-nine; then from that to the tenth year
of Antoninus, seventy-seven. So that from Moses to the tenth year of
Antoninus there are, in all, two thousand one hundred and thirty-three
years.
Of others, counting from Inachus and Moses to the death of Commodus,
some say there were three thousand one hundred and forty-two years; and
others, two thousand eight hundred and thirty-one years.
And in the Gospel according to Matthew, the genealogy which begins with
Abraham is continued down to Mary the mother of the Lord. “For,” it
is said,[1047] “from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and
from David to the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations;
and from the carrying away into Babylon till Christ are likewise other
fourteen generations,”--three mystic intervals completed in six weeks.