Chapter XXX.—Cain’s Family and Their Inventions.

Cain also himself had a son, whose name was Enoch; and he built a city, which he called by the name of his son, Enoch. From that time was there made a beginning of the building of cities, and this before the flood; not as Homer falsely says:86    Il., xx. 216. But Homer refers only to Troy.—

And to Enoch was born a son, by name Gaidad; who begat a son called Meel; and Meel begat Mathusala; and Mathusala, Lamech. And Lamech took unto him two wives, whose names were Adah and Zillah. At that time there was made a beginning of polygamy, and also of music. For Lamech had three sons: Jabal, Jubal, Tubal. And Jabal became a keeper of cattle, and dwelt in tents; but Jubal is he who made known the psaltery and the harp; and Tubal became a smith, a forger in brass and iron. So far the seed of Cain is registered; and for the rest, the seed of his line has sunk into oblivion, on account of his fratricide of his brother. And, in place of Abel, God granted to Eve to conceive and bear a son, who was called Seth; from whom the remainder of the human race proceeds until now. And to those who desire to be informed regarding all generations, it is easy to give explanations by means of the holy Scriptures. For, as we have already mentioned, this subject, the order of the genealogy of man, has been partly handled by us in another discourse, in the first book of The History.87    [Of the founder of Christian chronology this must be noted.] And all these things the Holy Spirit teaches us, who speaks through Moses and the rest of the prophets, so that the writings which belong to us godly people are more ancient, yea, and are shown to be more truthful, than all writers and poets. But also, concerning music, some have fabled that Apollo was the inventor, and others say that Orpheus discovered the art of music from the sweet voices of the birds. Their story is shown to be empty and vain, for these inventors lived many years after the flood. And what relates to Noah, who is called by some Deucalion, has been explained by us in the book before mentioned, and which, if you wish it, you are at liberty to read.

Ὁ οὖν Κάϊν καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσχεν υἱὸν ᾧ ὄνομα Ἐνώχ. καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν πόλιν, ἣν ἐπωνόμασεν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἐνώχ. ἀπὸ τότε ἀρχὴ ἐγένετο τοῦ οἰκοδομεῖσθαι πόλεις, καὶ τοῦτο πρὸ κατακλυσμοῦ, οὐχ ὡς Ὅμηρος ψεύδεται λέγων· Oὐ γάρ πω πεπόλιστο πόλις μερόπων ἀνθρώπων. Τῷ δὲ Ἐνὼχ ἐγενήθη υἱὸς ὀνόματι Γαϊδάδ· ἐγέννησεν τὸν καλούμενον Μεήλ, καὶ Μεὴλ τὸν Μαθουσάλα, καὶ Μαθουσάλα τὸν Λάμεχ. ὁ δὲ Λάμεχ ἔλαβεν ἑαυτῷ δύο γυναῖκας, αἷς ὀνόματα Ἀδᾶ καὶ Σελᾶ. ἔκτοτε ἀρχὴ ἐγένετο τῆς πολυμιξίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς μουσικῆς. τῷ γὰρ Λάμεχ ἐγένοντο τρεῖς υἱοί, Ὠβὴλ, Ἰουβὰλ, Θοβέλ. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ὠβὴλ, ἐγένετο ἀνὴρ ἐν σκηναῖς κτηνοτροφῶν, Ἰουβὰλ δέ ἐστιν ὁ καταδείξας ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν, Θοβὲλ δὲ ἐγένετο σφυροκόπος χαλκεὺς χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου. ἕως μὲν οὖν τούτου ἔσχεν τὸν κατάλογον τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ Κάϊν· καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν εἰς λήθην αὐτοῦ γέγονεν τὸ σπέρμα τῆς γενεαλογίας, διὰ τὸ ἀδελφοκτονῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν ἀδελφόν. Eἰς τὸν τόπον δὲ τοῦ Ἄβελ ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς συλλαβεῖν τὴν Eὔαν καὶ τεκεῖν υἱόν, ὃς κέκληται Σήθ· ἀφ' οὗ τὸ λοιπὸν γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁδεύει μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο. τοῖς δὲ βουλομένοις καὶ φιλομαθέσιν καὶ περὶ πασῶν τῶν γενεῶν εὔκολόν ἐστιν ἐπιδεῖξαι διὰ τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν. καὶ γὰρ ἐκ μέρους ἡμῖν γεγένηται ἤδη λόγος ἐν ἑτέρῳ λόγῳ, ὡς ἐπάνω προειρήκαμεν, τῆς γενεαλογίας ἡ τάξις ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ βίβλῳ τῇ περὶ ἱστοριῶν. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἡμᾶς διδάσκει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, τὸ διὰ Μωσέως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν προφητῶν, ὥστε τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς τοὺς θεοσεβεῖς ἀρχαιότερα γράμματα τυγχάνει, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀληθέστερα πάντων συγγραφέων καὶ ποιητῶν δείκνυται ὄντα. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς μουσικῆς ἐφλυάρησάν τινες εὑρετὴν Ἀπόλλωνα γεγενῆσθαι, ἄλλοι δὲ Ὀρφέα ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ὀρνέων ἡδυφωνίας φασὶν ἐξευρηκέναι τὴν μουσικήν. κενὸς δὲ καὶ μάταιος ὁ λόγος αὐτῶν δείκνυται· μετὰ γὰρ πολλὰ ἔτη τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ οὗτοι ἐγένοντο. τὰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ Νῶε, ὃς κέκληται ὑπὸ ἐνίων ∆ευκαλίων, ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ ᾗ προειρήκαμεν ἡ διήγησις ἡμῖν γεγένηται ᾗ, εἰ βούλει, καὶ σὺ δύνασαι ἐντυχεῖν.