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and their generations came to the land of Shinar, which is Babylon, which is interpreted as Confusion, because the tongues of those building the tower were confused there, one must listen clearly to the scripture which says, “and it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.” and a little later, “And the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city and the tower. Therefore is the name of it called Confusion.” And Babylon is interpreted in Hebrew as Confusion. And having anticipated it, it has said a little before that “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was 38 Babylon, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.” What could we wish to hear clearer than these things concerning Babylon, that before the flood it had not yet appeared, nor after the flood until the people, having multiplied, moved from the east and settled in the land of Shinar, and built the city and the tower, with the God-fighter Nimrod leading and reigning over them, who, in imitation of the giants before the flood, did all things tyrannically and persuaded his subjects first to disobey God and to build a tower reaching to heaven against Him. Wherefore the oracle says, “he began to be a mighty one in the earth,” that is, after the destruction of the former giants, this one began to be the first giant in wickedness after them on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord, an adversary of God, as it is said. But since Babylon, as has been shown by the God-spoken words, did not exist before the flood, neither did the kingdom of the Chaldeans exist previously, until the reign of Nimrod and the building of the tower, and by these things the account of Manetho concerning the Egyptians and their dynasties before the flood is also proven false, first from the fact that each of them, establishing his own account, that is, the writers of Chaldean and of Egyptian history, the one does not mention nor does the writer on Egyptian affairs establish the Chaldean accounts—lying, as they say, about their own affairs—nor does the writer on Chaldean affairs establish the Egyptian accounts, but each, glorifying his own nation and fatherland, weaves spiders' webs; then also from the fact that Egypt was first settled and ruled by Mizraim, the second son of Ham, according to the scripture, and uncle of Nimrod the son of Cush, the son of Ham the first, from whom even to this time the country is thus called Mestraia by the Hebrews and Syrians and Arabs, and this is manifest to all historians, even if I know not how, just as with the Chaldean, so also they thought fit to record the falsehoods of the Egyptian dynasty, all being lies by nature, as truth alone has shown, than which nothing is stronger. These things, therefore, having been clarified, I think not superfluously, it is fitting to set forth small chapters from Abydenus and Apollodorus concerning the same things, and further also from Manetho for a complete proof of their refutation, and so that no one seeking to read those writings should be occupied with many books, to put an end to the discussion concerning them, and thus to take up the rest of the history as we are able. For Abydenus says, agreeing, though not in all things, with Alexander: 39 From Abydenus, Concerning the Kingdom of the Chaldeans So much, then, concerning the wisdom of the Chaldeans. They say that Alorus was the first to reign over the country, and that he spread the report concerning himself that God had appointed him shepherd of the people. And he reigned for 10 sari. A saros is 3,600 years, a neros is 600, and a sossos is 60. And after him, Alaparus ruled for 3 sari, after whom Amillarus from the city of Pantibiblon reigned for 13 sari. in whose time a second Annedotus, a demigod in appearance similar to Oannes, emerged from the sea.

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καὶ τὰς γεννήσεις αὐτῶν ἦλθον ἐν γῇ Σεναάρ, ἥτις ἐστὶ Βαβυλών, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται σύγχυσις, διὰ τὸ συγκεχύσθαι ἐκεῖ τὰς γλώσσας τῶν τὸν πύργον οἰκοδομούντων, ἀκουστέον τρανῶς τῆς γραφῆς λεγούσης «καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ κινῆσαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν εὗρον πεδίον ἐν γῇ Σεναάρ, καὶ κατῴκησαν ἐκεῖ. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῷ πλησίον· δεῦτε, πλινθεύσωμεν πλίνθους καὶ ὀπτήσωμεν αὐτὰς πυρί.» καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον «καὶ διέσπειρεν αὐτοὺς κύριος ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπαύσαντο οἰκοδομοῦντες τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν πύργον. διὰ τοῦτο ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς Σύγχυσις.» σύγχυσις δὲ Βαβυλὼν ἑρμη νεύεται Ἑβραϊστί. προείρηκε δὲ πρὸ μικροῦ προλαβοῦσα ὅτι «Χοὺς δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Νεβρώδ. οὗτος ἤρξατο εἶναι γίγας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. οὗτος ἦν γίγας κυνηγὸς ἔναντι κυρίου. καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ 38 Βαβυλών, Ὀρὲχ καὶ Ἀρχὰδ καὶ Χαλάνη ἐν γῇ Σεναάρ.» τούτων τί σαφέστερον ἀκούειν ἐθέλοιμεν περὶ Βαβυλῶνος, ὅτι πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ οὐδέπω ὤφθη οὐδὲ μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν ἕως τοῦ κινῆσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώ πους πληθυνθέντας ἐξ ἀνατολῶν καὶ κατοικῆσαι αὐτοὺς ἐν γῇ Σεναάρ, καὶ οἰκοδομῆσαι τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν πύργον, προηγουμένου αὐτῶν τοῦ θεομά χου Νεβρὼδ καὶ βασιλεύοντος, κατὰ μίμησίν τε τῶν πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ γιγάντων πάντα τυραννικῶς πράττοντος καὶ πείθοντος τοὺς ὑπηκόους πρῶ τον ἀπειθεῖν τῷ θεῷ καὶ πύργον οἰκοδομεῖν οὐρανομήκη κατέναντι αὐτοῦ. διό φησι τὰ λόγια· «οὗτος ἤρξατο εἶναι γίγας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς», τοῦτ' ἔστι μετὰ τὴν τῶν προτέρων γιγάντων ἀπώλειαν οὗτος ἤρξατο εἶναι γίγας πρῶτος τῇ κακίᾳ μετ' ἐκείνους ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. οὗτος ἦν γίγας κυνηγὸς ἔναντι κυρίου, ἀντίθεος τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον. τῆς δὲ Βαβυλῶνος, ὡς ἀποδέδεικται ταῖς θεο λέκτοις φωναῖς, μὴ οὔσης πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ οὐδ' ἡ Χαλδαίων βασι λεία ἔσται τὸ πρότερον ἕως τῆς βασιλείας Νεβρὼδ καὶ τῆς πυργοποιίας, τούτοις δὲ συναποδείκνυται καὶ ἡ παρὰ Μανεθῶ περὶ τῶν πρὸ τοῦ κατα κλυσμοῦ καὶ δυναστειῶν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων συγγραφὴ ψευδής, πρῶτον μὲν ἐξ ὧν ἑκάτερος αὐτῶν ἑαυτὸν συνιστῶν, ἤγουν οἱ τῶν Χαλδαϊκῶν καὶ οἱ τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν συγγραφεῖς, θάτερος οὐ μέμνηται οὐδὲ συνιστᾷ ὁ τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν τὰ τῶν Χαλδαϊκῶν, περὶ αὐτούς, ὥς φασι, ψευδόμενοι γε γονότα, οὐδ' ὁ τῶν Χαλδαϊκῶν τὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τὸ ἴδιον ἔθνος καὶ τὴν πατρίδα δοξάζων ἀράχνας ὑφαίνει· ἔπειτα καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πρώτου τὴν Αἴγυπτον ὑπὸ τοῦ Μεστρὲμ τοῦ δευτέρου υἱοῦ Χάμ, κατὰ τὴν γραφήν, θείου δὲ τοῦ Νεβρὼδ υἱοῦ Χοῦς υἱοῦ Χὰμ τοῦ πρώτου, κατοι κισθῆναι καὶ βασιλευθῆναι, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ ἕως τοῦδε τοῦ χρόνου παρ' Ἑβ ραίοις καὶ Σύροις καὶ Ἄραψι οὕτω καλεῖται ἡ χώρα Μεστραία, καὶ τοῦτο πᾶσίν ἐστιν ἱστορικοῖς πρόδηλον, εἰ καὶ οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ὥσπερ τὰ τῆς Χαλδαϊκῆς, οὕτω καὶ τὰ τῆς Αἰγυπτιακῆς δυναστείας ψευδηγορήματα στοιχειῶσαι ἠξίωσαν πάντα ψεύδη πεφυκότα, ὡς ἡ ἀλήθεια μόνη ἀπέδει ξεν, ἧς οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον. τούτων οὖν οὐ περιττῶς οἶμαι διασαφισθέντων ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν Ἀβυδηνοῦ τε καὶ Ἀπολλοδώρου μικρὰ κεφάλαια περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν παραθέντας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Μανεθῶ πρὸς τελείαν ἀπόδειξιν τῆς ἐκείνων ἀνατροπῆς, καὶ ἵνα μή τις ἐκεῖνα ζητῶν ἀναγνῶναι τὰ συγγράμματα περὶ πολλὰς ἀσχολοῖτο βίβλους, πέρας ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ περὶ αὐτῶν λόγῳ, καὶ οὕτω τῆς λοιπῆς κατὰ δύναμιν ἱστορίας ἐπιλαβέσθαι. λέγει γὰρ ὁ Ἀβυδη νὸς συνᾴδων μέν, οὐκ ἐν πᾶσι δέ, τῷ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ· 39 Ἐκ τῶν Ἀβυδηνοῦ Περὶ τῆς τῶν Χαλδαίων βασιλείασ Χαλδαίων μὲν τῆς σοφίης πέρι τοσαῦτα. βασιλεῦσαι δὲ τῆς χώρας πρῶ τον λέγουσιν Ἄλωρον, τὸν δὲ ὑπὲρ ἑωυτοῦ λόγον διαδοῦναι ὅτι μιν τοῦ λεῶ ποιμένα ὁ θεὸς ἀποδείξαι. βασιλεῦσαι δὲ σάρους ιʹ. σάρος δέ ἐστιν χʹ καὶ γʹ ἔτεα, νῆρος δὲ χʹ, σῶσσος δὲ ξʹ. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Ἀλάπαρον ἄρξαι σάρους γʹ, μεθ' ὃν Ἀμίλλαρος ἐκ πόλεως Παυτιβίβλων ἐβασίλευσε σάρους ιγʹ. ἐφ' οὗ δεύτερον Ἀννήδωτον τὴν θάλασσαν ἀναδῦναι παραπλήσιον Ὠάννῃ τὴν ἰδέαν ἡμιδαίμονα.