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of God; and for this reason, having fallen into misfortunes, they became aware of their sin. For since they were flourishing in the abundance of their youth, God again advised them to found a colony. But they, not thinking they had their good things by his benevolence, but supposing their own strength to be the cause of their prosperity, were not persuaded. And to their disobedience of God's counsel they added the devising of a plot, that he was urging them to colonize so that, being divided, they might become very easy to attack. And Nebrod roused them to insolence and contempt for God, who, being the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, and being bold and brave in hand, persuaded them not to attribute their prosperity to God, but to consider that their own virtue provided these things for them. And he gradually changed things into a tyranny, thinking he could thus lawlessly turn men away from the fear of God, if they continued using their own power, and he threatened to avenge himself on God if he should wish to flood the earth again. For he would build a tower too high for the water to be able to surmount it; and he would also avenge the destruction of their forefathers. And the multitude was eager to follow Nebrod's doctrines, considering it slavery to yield to God, and they built the tower. It gained height faster than one would have expected, but its thickness was such that its length seemed less to those who saw it, and it was built of baked brick bound together with bitumen, so that it would not collapse. But seeing them thus maddened, he did not judge to destroy them utterly, because they had not been made wise even by the destruction of the first men, but he cast them into dissension, by making them speak different languages and by the multitude of tongues making them unable to understand one another. And the place where they built the tower is now called Babylon because of the confusion of what was at first the clear dialect. For the Hebrews call confusion Babel. And these things Josephus says about the events after the flood and about Nebrod and the building of the tower and Babylon itself. But also Alexander Polyhistor, as from the Sibyl, says these things, and Abydenus. Of Alexander Polyhistor concerning the building of the tower The Sibyl says that when all men were of one language, some of them built a tower of immense size, so that they might ascend into heaven. And when God blew winds upon them he overthrew it, and gave to each his own language, for which reason the city was called Babylon. And after the flood Titan and Prometheus came to be. And Alexander, testifying these things about the tower-building, and also that Babylon, storied among them to have been ruled for many myriads of years before, was so called because of the confusion. Of Abydenus concerning the same things In which they say the first men, having become arrogant with strength and greatness, and indeed having disdained the gods as being their inferiors, raised a lofty tower, which is now Babylon, and it was already near to heaven. And the winds, coming to the aid of the gods, overthrew the structure upon them, the ruins of which are said to be Babylon. And while they had previously been of one language, from the gods they received a many-voiced tongue; and afterward war arose between Cronus and Titan. Clearly, indeed, this one also, as if forgetting his former boasts about Babylon, agrees that at the time of the building of the tower it was so called because of the confusion of tongues and of these 72 nations scattered over the whole world, which the righteous Noah divided among his three sons in the 2572nd year of the world, the 934th of his life, clearly according to the divine oracle, thus. To Shem his firstborn son, being 431 years old, he gave from Persia and Bactria as far as India in length, and in breadth from India to Rhinocorura of Egypt, that is, the parts from the east to a part of the south, and Syria and Media, and the river Euphrates defining his borders. And to Ham his second son, being 427 years old, he gave the parts toward the south and west and part of the west from

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τοῦ θεοῦ· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συμφοραῖς περιπεσόντες ᾔσθοντο τῆς ἁμαρτίας. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἤνθουν νεότητος πλήθει, πάλιν ὁ θεὸς αὐτοῖς συνεβούλευσε ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀποικίαν. οἱ δὲ οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνου εὐμένειαν νομίζοντες 45 ἔχειν τὰ ἀγαθά, τὴν δὲ ἰσχὺν αὐτοῖς τὴν οἰκείαν αἰτίαν τῆς εὐπορίας ὑπο λαμβάνοντες οὐκ ἐπείθοντο. προσετίθεσαν δὲ τῷ παρακούειν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ γνώμης καὶ τὸ κατ' ἐπιβουλὴν ἐπινοεῖν εἰς ἀποικίαν αὐτοὺς παρορμᾶν, ἵνα διαιρεθέντες εὐεπιχειρότατοι γένοιντο. Ἐξῆρέ τε αὐτοὺς πρὸς ὕβριν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ καταφρόνησιν Νεβρώ δης, ὃς υἱωνὸς μὲν ὢν Χαμοῦ τοῦ Νώχου, τολμηρὸς δὲ καὶ κατὰ χεῖρα γενναῖος, ἔπειθεν αὐτοὺς μὴ τῷ θεῷ διδόναι τὸ δι' ἐκεῖνον εὐδαιμονεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀρετὴν ταῦτα παρέχειν αὐτοῖς ἡγεῖσθαι. καὶ περιίστα δὲ κατ' ὀλίγον εἰς τυραννίδα τὰ πράγματα, ἀνόμως οὕτω νομίζων ἀποστήσειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοῦ φόβου τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰ χρώμενοι τῇ αὐτῇ δυνάμει διατελοῖεν, ἀμύνεσθαί τε τὸν θεὸν πάλιν ἠπείλει τὴν γῆν ἐπικλύσαι θελήσαντα. πύργον γὰρ οἰκοδομήσειν ὑψηλότερον ἢ τὸ ὕδωρ μὴ ἀναβῆναι δυνηθείη· μετελεύσεσθαι δὲ καὶ τῆς τῶν προγόνων ἀπωλείας. Τὸ δὲ πλῆθος πρόθυμον ἦν τοῖς Νεβρώδου δόγμασιν ἕπεσθαι δουλείαν ἡγούμενον εἴκειν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ τὸν πύργον ᾠκοδόμουν. ἐλάμβανε δὲ θᾶττον ὕψος ἢ προσεδόκησεν ἄν τις ὑπὸ πολυχρονίας, τὸ μέντοι πάχος ἦν τοσοῦτον ὥσθ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μειοῦσθαι τοῖς ὁρῶσι τὸ μῆκος, ᾠκοδόμητο δ' ἐκ πλίνθου ὀπτῆς ἀσφάλτῳ συνδεδεμένης, ὡς ἂν μὴ περιρρέοι. οὕτως δὲ μεμηνότας ὁρῶν ἀφανίσαι μὲν ἐκ παντὸς οὐκ ἔκρινεν, ὅτι μηδ' ὑπὸ τῶν πρώτων ἀπολωλότων σωφρονισθεῖεν, εἰς στάσιν δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐνέβαλεν ἀλλογλώσσους ἀπεργασάμενος καὶ ὑπὸ πο λυφωνίας ποιήσας ἑαυτῶν ἀσυνέτους εἶναι. ὁ δὲ τόπος ἐν ᾧ τὸν πύρ γον ᾠκοδόμησαν νῦν Βαβυλὼν καλεῖται διὰ τὴν σύγχυσιν τοῦ περὶ τὴν διάλεκτον πρῶτον ἐναργοῦς. Ἑβραῖοι γὰρ τὴν σύγχυσιν βαβὲλ καλοῦσι. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Ἰώσηππος περὶ τῶν μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν καὶ τὸν Νεβρὼδ καὶ τῆς πυργοποιίας καὶ αὐτῆς Βαβυλῶνος. ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Πολυίστωρ ὡς ἐκ σιβύλλης τάδε φησὶ καὶ Ἀβυδηνός. 46 Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Πολυίστορος περὶ τῆς πυργοποιίασ Σίβυλλα δέ φησιν ὁμοφώνων ὄντων πάντων ἀνθρώπων τινὰς τούτων πύργον ὑπερμεγέθη οἰκοδομῆσαι, ὅπως εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβῶσι. τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ ἀνέμους ἐμφυσήσαντος ἀνατρέψαι αὐτούς, καὶ ἰδίαν ἑκάστῳ φω νὴν δοῦναι, διὸ δὴ Βαβυλῶνα τὴν πόλιν κληθῆναι. μετὰ δὲ τὸν κατακλυ σμὸν Τιτᾶνα καὶ Προμηθέα γενέσθαι. καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς πυργοποιίας Ἀλέξ ανδρος ταῦτα μαρτυρῶν καὶ αὐτὸς Βαβυλῶνα διὰ τὴν σύγχυσιν κληθῆναι τὴν πρὸ πολλῶν μυριάδων ἐτῶν μυθολογουμένην παρ' αὐτοῖς βεβασι λευκέναι. Ἀβυδηνοῦ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν Ἐν τῇ δὴ λέγουσι τοὺς πρώτους ἀνασχόντας ῥώμῃ τε καὶ μεγέθει χαυ νωθέντας καὶ δὴ θεῶν καταφρονήσαντας ἀμείνονας εἶναι τύρσιν ἠλίβατον ἀείρειν, ἣ νῦν Βαβυλών ἐστιν, ἤδη τε ἆσσον εἶναι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. καὶ τοὺς ἀνέμους θεοῖσι βωθέοντας ἀνατρέψαι περὶ αὐτοῖσι τὸ μηχάνημα, τοῦ δὴ τὰ ἐρείπια λέγεσθαι Βαβυλῶνα. τέως δὲ ὄντας ὁμογλώσσους ἐκ θεῶν πολύ θροον φωνὴν ἐνέγκασθαι· μετὰ δὲ Κρόνῳ καὶ Τιτῆνι συστῆναι πόλεμον. Τρανῶς δὴ καὶ οὗτος ὡς ἐπιλαθόμενος τῶν προτέρων περὶ Βαβυλῶνος κομπασμῶν ὁμολογεῖ ἐπὶ τῆς πυργοποιίας αὐτὴν οὕτω κεκλῆσθαι διὰ τὴν σύγχυσιν τῶν γλωσσῶν καὶ τῶν οβʹ ἐθνῶν τῶνδε διασπαρέντων κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἣν διεμέρισε Νῶε ὁ δίκαιος τοῖς τρισὶν αὐτοῦ υἱοῖς τῷ βφοβʹ ἔτει τοῦ κόσμου, Ϡλδʹ τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον δηλονότι χρησμὸν οὕτως. Σὴμ τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ αὐτοῦ υἱῷ κατάγοντι ἔτος υλαʹ ἔδωκεν ἀπὸ Περ σίδος καὶ Βάκτρων ἕως Ἰνδικῆς μῆκος, πλάτος δὲ ἀπὸ Ἰνδικῆς ἕως Ῥινο 47 κουρούρων τῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἤτοι τὰ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἕως μέρους τῆς μεσημ βρίας, τήν τε Συρίαν καὶ Μήδειαν καὶ ποταμὸν διορίζοντα αὐτοῦ τὰ ὅρια τὸν Εὐφράτην. Χὰμ δὲ τῷ δευτέρῳ αὐτοῦ υἱῷ κατάγοντι ἔτος υκζʹ ἔδωκε τὰ πρὸς νότον καὶ λίβα καὶ μέρος τῆς δύσεως ἀπὸ