50

therefore more ancient and more true. For Thallus makes mention of Belus, who was king of the Assyrians, and of Cronus the Titan, asserting that Belus waged war with the Titans against Zeus and those with him who are called gods, where he says, "And Ogygus, being defeated, fled to Tartessus, at that time the country was called Acte, but now is named Attica, of which Ogygus was then king." And the other countries and cities from which they got their names, we do not think it necessary to enumerate, especially to you who are acquainted with the histories. That Moses, therefore, is shown to be more ancient than all writers (and not he alone, but also most of the prophets who came after him) and than Cronus and Belus and the Trojan war, is clear. For according to the history of Thallus, Belus is found to be 322 years older than the Trojan war. And that Moses precedes the capture of Ilium by about ... or even 1000 years, we have shown in the preceding remarks. But since Cronus and Belus flourished at the same time, most people do not know who Cronus is, or who Belus is. Some worship Cronus and call this very one Bel and Baal, especially those who inhabit the eastern climes, not knowing either who Cronus is or who Belus is. But among the Romans he is called Saturn; for they do not themselves know which of them he is, whether Cronus or Belus. The beginning of the Olympiads, then, took its religious sanction, they say, from Iphitus, but according to some, from Aemon, who was also called the Elean. The number of the years and Olympiads, therefore, in their order, we have shown above. Therefore, concerning the antiquity of our records and the total number of the years, I think what has now been said is as accurate as possible. For if some period of time has escaped us, say perhaps 50 or 100 or even 200 years, it is not, however, myriads or thousands of years, as Plato and Apollonius and the rest have falsely recorded. the exact number of all the years of which we are perhaps ignorant, because the running months and days have not been recorded in the sacred books. Furthermore, concerning the times of which we speak, Berossus is also in agreement, who philosophized among the Chaldeans and interpreted the Chaldaic writings to the Greeks, who has said some things in accordance with Moses concerning both the flood and many other narratives. Moreover, he has also said things partly in agreement with the prophets Jeremiah and Daniel; for he relates the things that happened to the Jews under the king of the Babylonians, whom he calls Nabopalassar, but who is called by the Hebrews Nebuchadnezzar. He also makes mention concerning the temple in Jerusalem, how it was laid waste by the king of the Chaldeans, and that, when the foundations of the temple were laid in the second year of Cyrus's reign, the temple was completed in the second year of the reign of Darius. But of the histories of the truth the Greeks make no mention, first because they have only recently partaken of the experience of letters, and they themselves confess this, asserting that letters were invented,

50

οὖν ἀρχαιότερα καὶ ἀληθέστερα. Καὶ γὰρ Βήλου τοῦ Ἀσσυρίων βασιλεύσαντος καὶ Κρόνου τοῦ Τιτᾶνος Θάλλος μέμνηται, φάσκων τὸν Βῆλον πεπολεμηκέναι σὺν τοῖς Τιτᾶσι πρὸς τὸν ∆ία καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ θεοὺς λεγομένους, ἔνθα φησίν, "Καὶ Ὤγυγος ἡττηθεὶς ἔφυγεν εἰς Ταρτησσόν, τότε μὲν τῆς χώρας ἐκείνης Ἀκτῆς κληθείσης, νυνὶ δὲ Ἀττικῆς προσαγορευομένης, ἧς Ὤγυγος τότε ἦρξεν." καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς δὲ χώρας καὶ πόλεις ἀφ' ὧν τὰς προσωνυμίας ἔσχον, οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον ἡγούμεθα καταλέγειν, μάλιστα πρὸς σὲ τὸν ἐπιστάμενον τὰς ἱστορίας. ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἀρχαιότερος ὁ Μωσῆς δείκνυται ἁπάντων συγγραφέων (οὐκ αὐτὸς δὲ μόνος ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πλείους μετ' αὐτὸν προφῆται γενόμενοι) καὶ Κρόνου καὶ Βήλου καὶ τοῦ Ἰλιακοῦ πολέμου, δῆλόν ἐστιν. κατὰ γὰρ τὴν Θάλλου ἱστορίαν ὁ Βῆλος προγενέστερος εὑρίσκεται τοῦ Ἰλιακοῦ πολέμου ἔτεσι τκβ. ὅτι δὲ πρός που ἔτεσι " ἢ καὶ α προάγει ὁ Μωσῆς τῆς τοῦ Ἰλίου ἁλώσεως, ἐν τοῖς ἐπάνω δεδηλώκαμεν. Τοῦ δὲ Κρόνου καὶ τοῦ Βήλου συνακμασάντων ὁμόσε, οἱ πλείους οὐκ ἐπίστανται τίς ἐστιν ὁ Κρόνος ἢ τίς ὁ Βῆλος. ἔνιοι μὲν σέβονται τὸν Κρόνον καὶ τοῦτον αὐτὸν ὀνομάζουσι Βὴλ καὶ Βάλ, μάλιστα οἱ οἰκοῦντες τὰ ἀνατολικὰ κλίματα, μὴ γινώσκοντες μήτε τίς ἐστιν ὁ Κρόνος μήτε τίς ἐστιν ὁ Βῆλος. παρὰ δὲ Ῥωμαίοις Σατοῦρνος ὀνομάζεται· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτοὶ γινώσκουσιν τίς ἐστιν αὐτῶν, πότερον ὁ Κρόνος ἢ ὁ Βῆλος. Ἡ μὲν οὖν ἀρχὴ τῶν ὀλυμπιάδων ἀπὸ Eἰφίτου, φασίν, ἔσχηκεν τὴν θρησκείαν, κατὰ δέ τινας ἀπὸ Aἵμονος, ὃς καὶ Ἠλεῖος ἐπεκλήθη. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἀριθμὸς τῶν ἐτῶν καὶ ὀλυμπιάδων ὡς ἔχει τὴν τάξιν, ἐν τοῖς ἐπάνω δεδηλώκαμεν. Τῆς μὲν οὖν ἀρχαιότητος τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν πραγμάτων καὶ τῶν χρόνων τὸν πάντα ἀριθμὸν κατὰ τὸ δύνατον οἶμαι τὰ νῦν ἀκριβῶς εἰρῆσθαι. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἔλαθεν ἡμᾶς χρόνος, εἰ τύχοι εἰπεῖν ἔτη ν ἢ ρ ἢ καὶ ς, οὐ μέντοι μυριάδες ἢ χιλιάδες ἐτῶν, καθὼς προειρήκασιν Πλάτων καὶ Ἀπολλώνιος καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ψευδῶς ἀναγράψαντες. ὅπερ ἡμεῖς τὸ ἀκρι- βὲς ἴσως ἀγνοοῦμεν, ἁπάντων τῶν ἐτῶν τὸν ἀριθμόν, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀνα- γεγράφθαι ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς βίβλοις τοὺς ἐπιτρέχοντας μῆνας καὶ ἡμέρας. Ἔτι δὲ περὶ ὧν φαμεν χρόνων συνᾴδει καὶ Βήρωσος, ὁ παρὰ Χαλδαίοις φιλοσοφήσας καὶ μηνύσας Ἕλλησιν τὰ χαλδαϊκὰ γράμ- ματα, ὃς ἀκολούθως τινὰ εἴρηκεν τῷ Μωσεῖ περί τε κατακλυσμοῦ καὶ ἑτέρων πολλῶν ἐξιστορῶν. ἔτι μὴν καὶ τοῖς προφήταις Ἰερεμίᾳ καὶ ∆ανιὴλ σύμφωνα ἐκ μέρους εἴρηκεν· τὰ γὰρ συμβάντα τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως Βαβυλωνίων, ὃν αὐτὸς ὀνομάζει Ναβο- παλάσσαρον, κέκληται δὲ παρὰ Ἑβραίοις Ναβουχοδόνοσορ. μέμνη- ται καὶ περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ὡς ἠρημῶσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Χαλδαίων βασιλέως, καὶ ὅτι, Κύρου τὸ δεύτερον ἔτος βασιλεύσαντος τοῦ ναοῦ τῶν θεμελίων τεθέντων, ∆αρείου πάλιν βασιλεύσαντος τὸ δεύτερον ἔτος ὁ ναὸς ἐπετελέσθη. Τῶν δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ἱστοριῶν Ἕλληνες οὐ μέμνηνται, πρῶτον μὲν διὰ τὸ νεωστὶ αὐτοὺς τῶν γραμμάτων τῆς ἐμπειρίας μετόχους γεγενῆσθαι καὶ αὐτοὶ ὁμολογοῦσιν φάσκοντες τὰ γράμματα εὑρῆσθαι,