2

the events up to the captivity in Babylon. After the kingdoms, Ezra. For when they had sinned and were carried away to Babylon, and they spent seventy years there in servitude, God later became merciful to them and prepared Cyrus, the then reigning king of the Persians—Cyrus, whose education Xenophon wrote about—to release the captives. And when he released them, they returned under the leadership of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel. And Ezra writes of this return; how upon returning they built the temple a second time and raised up the city. And when a hundred years had passed, again the Macedonian war overtook them. Then the events under Antiochus Epiphanes occurred, when, after being besieged for three and a half years and suffering terribly, they were again delivered from the evils that had come upon them. And after a short time had passed after that, Christ comes, and the Old Covenant comes to an end. So, in order to learn from where the Jewish race was established, it is necessary to say a few things. After Adam came Seth, then Enoch, then others for many generations; and then Noah, in whose time, when men had been corrupted by wickedness, the flood occurred. Then when the flood ceased, he came out of the ark alone with his three sons, and filled the earth from his own lineage, with many being born in succession. So when they became many, they planned to build a tower reaching up to heaven. But God, condemning their plan, confused their tongues and divided the one into many. Therefore it became necessary for them, not understanding one another, not even to dwell with one another; and this became the reason for them to be scattered everywhere over the whole world. And it is said that in this confusion of tongues, Eber, the ancestor of the Jews, did not wish to take part in the enterprise with them, and alone remained preserving his own language, being honored for this most excellent judgment. His descendant was Abraham; for this reason also the language of the Jews is called Hebrew, from Eber. Of this one, then, was the descendant [Abraham], of Abraham, Isaac, whose was Jacob. This one begot the twelve patriarchs, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, Gad, Dan, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin. The tribes after these were named after these eleven patriarchs. For each begot a tribe, and those born were called after them. However, instead of Joseph, there is no longer one tribe, but two. For his father did not wish him to be the eponym of one tribe. What then happens? Since he was one person, in order that he might become a double patriarch, he made his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, 56.316 to become the eponyms of two tribes, and the two tribes were reckoned to Joseph. So it came to pass from this that there were eleven (read, thirteen) tribes, eleven of the others, two of Joseph through his sons. The tribe of Levi is taken out and set apart for the order of the priesthood; for it was not necessary for them to be occupied with anything else; and the number of twelve remains not mutilated. So the twelve did all the other things; but the tribe of Levi was assigned to the priestly duties alone. From this tribe was Moses. These twelve patriarchs, therefore, having gone into Egypt, with the promise of God to Abraham being fulfilled which said, "I will make your seed as the stars of heaven," became the ancestors of six hundred thousand. From this the race of the Jews was established, named from the tribe of Judah, the most royal, from which the kings would come.

Of the Old Covenant, then, there is the historical part, which we have spoken of before; and the advisory, such as the Proverbs, and the Wisdom of Sirach, and Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs; and the prophetic, such as the sixteen Prophets, I say, and Ruth, and David. And one might find these types divided broadly existing within one another. For example, in the histories one might find prophecy; and of the prophets

2

τὰ μέχρι τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῆς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα. Μετὰ δὲ τὰς βασιλείας Ἔσδρας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπηνέχθησαν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἁμαρτόντες, καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη διετέλεσαν αὐτόθι δουλεύοντες, ὁ Θεὸς ὕστερον ἵλεως αὐτοῖς γενόμενος, παρεσκεύασε τὸν Κῦρον τὸν τότε Περσῶν βασιλεύοντα, Κῦρον, οὗ τὰς παιδείας ἀνέγραψε Ξενοφῶν, ἀφεῖναι τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους. Καὶ ἀφέντος, ἐπανῆλθον ἡγουμένου τοῦ Ἔσδρα, τοῦ Νεεμίου, τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ. Καὶ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ταύτην γράφει ὁ Ἔσδρας· ὡς ἐπανελθόντες ἐκ δευτέρου τὸν ναὸν ᾠκοδόμησαν, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀνέστησαν. Καὶ ἑκατὸν διαγενομένων ἐτῶν, πάλιν πόλεμος αὐτοὺς κατέλαβεν ὁ Μακεδονικός. Εἶτα τὰ ἐπὶ Ἀντιόχου συνέβη τοῦ Ἐπιφανοῦς, ὅτε καὶ τρία ἔτη πολιορκηθέντες καὶ ἥμισυ, κακῶς παθόντες, πάλιν ἀπηλλάγησαν τῶν ἐπιγενομένων κακῶν. Καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνο ὀλίγου διαγενομένου χρόνου, ἔρχεται ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ τέλος λαμβάνει ἡ Παλαιά. Ὥστε δὲ μαθεῖν πόθεν συνέστη τὸ Ἰουδαίων γένος, ἀναγκαῖον ὀλίγα εἰπεῖν. Μετὰ τὸν Ἀδὰμ γέγονεν ὁ Σὴθ, εἶτα Ἐνὼχ, εἶτα ἕτεροι μέχρι πλειόνων γενεῶν· καὶ τότε ὁ Νῶε, ἐφ' οὗ, τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαφθαρέντων ὑπὸ κακίας, γίνεται ὁ κατακλυσμός. Εἶτα τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ παυθέντος, ἐξελθὼν ἀπὸ τῆς κιβωτοῦ μόνος μετὰ παίδων τριῶν, ἐνέπλησε τὴν γῆν ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ γενεᾶς, κατὰ διαδοχὴν πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν τικτομένων. Ὡς οὖν ἐγένοντο πολλοὶ, ἐβουλεύσαντο πύργον οἰκοδομῆσαι, φθάνοντα ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Καταγνοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν γνώμην ὁ Θεὸς, συνέχεεν αὐτῶν τὰς γλώσσας, καὶ τὴν μίαν εἰς πολλὰς διέτεμεν. Ὅθεν ἀνάγκη γέγονεν αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἀκούουσιν ἀλλήλων, μηδὲ συνοικῆσαι ἀλλήλοις· καὶ αὕτη γέγονε πρόφασις τοῦ πανταχοῦ διασπαρῆναι αὐτοὺς τῆς οἰκουμένης. Λέγεται δὲ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ συγχύσει τῶν γλωσσῶν ὁ Ἕβερ ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πρόγονος μὴ βουληθῆναι κοινωνῆσαι τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως αὐτοῖς, καὶ μόνος μεῖναι διατηρῶν τὴν οἰκείαν γλῶσσαν, τῆς καλλίστης γνώμης τοῦτο τιμηθείς. Τούτου ἔγγονος ἐγένετο, Ἀβραάμ· διὸ καὶ Ἰουδαίων γλῶσσα Ἑβραϊκὴκέκληται, ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἕβερ. Τούτου τοίνυν ἐγένετο ἔγγονος [Ἀβραὰμ], τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, Ἰσαὰκ, οὗἸακώβ. Οὗτος ἐγέννησε τοὺς δώδεκα πατριάρχας, τὸν Ῥουβεὶμ, τὸν Συμεὼν, τὸν Λευὶ, τὸν Ἰούδαν, τὸν Ἰσαχὰρ, τὸν Ζαβουλὼν, τὸν Νεφθαλεὶμ, τὸν Γὰδ, τὸν ∆ὰν, τὸν Ἀσὴρ, τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, τὸν Βενιαμίν. Τούτων τῶν ἕνδεκα πατριαρχῶν ἐπώνυμοι γεγόνασιν αἱ μετὰ ταῦτα φυλαί. Ἕκαστος γὰρ φυλὴν ἀπεγέννησε, καὶ οἱ τεχθέντες, ἀπ' ἐκείνων ἐκαλοῦντο. Ἀντὶ μέντοι τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ μία φυλὴ οὐκέτι γίνεται, ἀλλὰ δύο. Οὐ γὰρ ἠβουλήθη ὁ πατὴρ ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ μιᾷ φυλῇ ἐπώνυμον αὐτὸν γενέσθαι. Τί οὖν γίνεται; Ἐπειδὴ εἷς ἦν ὁ αὐτὸς, ἵνα διπλοῦς γένηται πατριάρχης, τὸν Ἐφραῒμ καὶ τὸν Μανασσῆ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ τοὺς δύο, 56.316 τούτους ἐποίησε δύο φυλῶν γενέσθαι ἐπωνύμους, καὶ αἱ δύο φυλαὶ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἐλογίζοντο. Ὥστε συνέβη ἐκ τούτου ἕνδεκα (λ. τρισκαίδεκα) εἶναι τὰς φυλὰς, ἕνδεκα τὰς τῶν ἄλλων, δύο τὰς τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τὰς διὰ τῶν παίδων. Ὑπεξαιρεῖται ἡ τοῦ Λευὶ, καὶ ἀφορίζεται τῇ τάξει τῆς ἱερωσύνης· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν ἀναγκαῖον ἄλλο τι μεταχειρίσαι· καὶ μένει τῶν δώδεκα ὁ ἀριθμὸς μὴ ἀκρωτηριασθείς. Αἱ μὲν οὖν δώδεκα τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἔπραττον· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Λευὶ τὰ ἱερατικὰ ἦν ἐπιτεταγμένη μόνη. Ἐκ ταύτης ἦν ὁ Μωϋσῆς. Οὗτοι τοίνυν οἱ δώδεκα πατριάρχαι ἀπελθόντες εἰς Αἴγυπτον, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίας τῆς πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ πληρουμένης τῆς λεγούσης, Ποιήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἑξακοσίων χιλιάδων ἐγένοντο πρόγονοι. Ἐντεῦθεν τὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συνέστη γένος ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς ὀνομασθὲν τῆς βασιλικωτάτης, ὅθεν οἱ βασιλεῖς ἂν ἐγένοντο.

Τῆς οὖν Παλαιᾶς ἐστι τὸ μὲν ἱστορικὸν, τοῦτο δὴ ὃ προειρήκαμεν· τὸ δὲ συμβουλευτικὸν, ὡς αἵ τε Παροιμίαι, καὶ ἡ τοῦ Σειρὰχ Σοφία, καὶ ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, καὶ τὰ Ἄσματα τῶνᾀσμάτων· τὸ δὲ προφητικὸν, ὡς οἱ δεκαὲξ λέγω Προφῆται, καὶ Ῥοὺθ, καὶ ∆αυΐδ. Εὕροι δ' ἄν τις τὰ εἴδη ταῦτα διῃρημένα ἁδρομερῆ ἐν ἀλλήλοις ὄντα. Οἷόν τι λέγω, ἐν ταῖς ἱστορίαις εὕροι τις ἂν προφητείαν· καὶ τῶν προφητῶν