51
And Haran, the brother of Abraham, was burned along with them, while he was trying to extinguish the fire. He also admonished his father to desist from idolatry and the making of idols, as Josephus says. In these times flourished Melchizedek, the first high priest and first king of Salem, proclaimed in the divine scripture, reported in the oracles as a virgin and without genealogy, and in bread and wine prefiguring the bloodless sacrifice of Christ, our true God and savior, who was without mother from above and without father from below; by which, having blessed Abraham, he declared our worship in spirit and in truth to be more authoritative than the worship under the law, appearing as the only one among men greater than the patriarch Abraham, since indeed, without a doubt, according to the divine apostle and the truth, the lesser is blessed and tithed by the greater. 112 The beginning of the 41st Jubilee among the Hebrews. A Jubilee among them is a fifty-year period, so that from Adam, according to them, to the 45th year of Abraham is 2052 years. The angel speaking to Moses said to him that 'I taught Abraham the Hebrew language to speak all the ancestral things according to the creation from the beginning,' as it is written in the Little Genesis. In the 3373rd year of the world, and the 61st of Abraham, Abraham set fire to the idols of his father, and Haran was burned along with them, wanting to extinguish the fire in the night. And Terah went out with Abraham to come into the land of Canaan, and changing his mind he dwelt in Haran, being an idol-worshipper until his death. In this 3387th year of the world, which was the 75th year of Abraham, he departed from Haran according to a divine oracle, and came to Shechem, and built an altar between Bethel and Ai in his 76th year. In the 3393rd year of the world, the 81st of Abraham, he went down to Egypt with Sarah in the 7th year of his sojourning, as some say. Of Africanus concerning Abraham. From this begins the appellation of the Hebrews. For Hebrews is interpreted as 'those who crossed over,' from Abraham having crossed the Euphrates, and not, as some think, from the aforementioned Eber. Therefore, to Abraham's entrance into the promised land, from the flood and Noah, 10 generations, there are 1015 years; and from Adam, 20 generations, there are 3277 years. There remains for the proposed precise chronology in Africanus 110 years out of the 130 years of the second Cainan. for the other 20 from the same 130 were already carried off by the 113 increase of the 2262 years from Adam to the flood, these having been added to the years of Methuselah. Eusebius enumerates the 430 years from the 75th year of Abraham, that is, from the first year of his sojourning in the land of Canaan, until the 81st year of Moses and the departure of Israel from Egypt. The book of Genesis records the divine decree concerning this after the return from Egypt and the war against the kings and the blessings of Melchizedek, as one who wishes can learn precisely by reading it. Abraham was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abraham, as it is written in the book of Genesis; and it was the 3398th year of the world. From this is the race of the Ishmaelites or Hagarenes; these same are also Saracens, having renamed themselves from Sarah, as some say, deeming it unworthy to be called Hagarenes in a servile manner. But others say the Ishmaelites are called Saracens because Sarah sent Hagar away empty of inheritance. Abraham pleaded that the righteous not be destroyed with the ungodly, on account of Lot his nephew. Lot, being sent out to Zoar with his wife and daughters, is saved, with only his wife turning back and for this reason being frozen into an indestructible pillar of salt, which even now many come to see for the sake of the story. And the city of Zoar was saved on account of Lot, though the men in it were corrupted, as they say, and the lake was overturned along with the land. Abraham sojourned in Gerar, which some say is Ashkelon, as does Africanus. Abraham took Keturah as a wife after the death of Sarah in his old age, from whom he had 5 sons, Zimran, Jokshan,
51
συγκατεκαύθη δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ Ἀρρὰν ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἀβραὰμ σβέσαι τὸ πῦρ σπουδάζων. ἐνουθέτει δὲ καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ ἀποστῆναι τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ εἰδω λοποιίας, ὥς φησιν ὁ Ἰώσηππος. Τούτοις τοῖς χρόνοις ἤκμαζε Μελχισεδὲκ ὁ πρῶτος ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ πρῶ τος βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ καταγγελλόμενος, παρθένος καὶ ἀγενεαλόγητος ἐν τοῖς λογίοις φερόμενος, καὶ ἐν ἄρτῳ καὶ οἴνῳ τὴν ἀν αίμακτον θυσίαν τοῦ ἀμήτορος ἄνωθεν καὶ ἀπάτορος κάτωθεν Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προτυπῶν· καθ' ἣν εὐλογήσας τὸν Ἀβραὰμ κυριωτέραν τῆς ἐν νόμῳ λατρείας τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ ἀπέφηνε, κρείττων ἐν ἀνθρώποις μόνος φανεὶς τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἀβραάμ, εἴπερ ἀναμφιλέκτως κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τὸ ἔλαττον ὑπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος εὐλογεῖται καὶ ἀποδεκατοῦται. 112 Ἀρχὴ τοῦ μαʹ Ἰωβηλαίου παρ' Ἑβραίοισ Ἰωβὴλ δὲ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἡ πεντηκονταετηρίς, ὡς εἶναι ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ κατ' αὐ τοὺς ἐπὶ μεʹ ἔτος Ἀβραὰμ ἔτη βνʹ. Ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν τῷ Μωυσῇ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὅτι «τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐγὼ ἐδίδαξα τὴν Ἑβραΐδα γλῶσσαν κατὰ τὴν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς κτίσεως λαλεῖν τὰ πάτρια πάντα», ὡς ἐν λεπτῇ κεῖται Γενέσει. Τῷ γτογʹ ἔτει τοῦ κόσμου, Ἀβραὰμ δὲ ξαʹ ἐνεπύρισεν Ἀβραὰμ τὰ εἴδωλα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ συγκατεκαύθη αὐτοῖς Ἀρρὰν θέλων σβέσαι τὸ πῦρ ἐν νυκτί. καὶ ἐξῆλθε Θάρα σὺν Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ ἐλθεῖν εἰς γῆν Χαναάν, καὶ μεταγνοὺς ᾤκησεν ἐν Χαρρὰν εἰδωλομανῶν ἕως θανάτου αὐτοῦ. Τούτῳ τῷ γτπζʹ ἔτει τοῦ κόσμου, ὅπερ ἦν οεʹ ἔτος Ἀβραάμ, ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ Χαρρὰν κατὰ θεῖον χρησμόν, καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Συχέμ, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε θυσιαστήριον ἀνὰ μέσον Βαιθὴλ καὶ Ἀγγαῒ τῷ ο ςʹ ἔτει αὐτοῦ. Τῷ γτ ζγʹ ἔτει τοῦ κόσμου, παʹ Ἀβραάμ, κατῆλθεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον μετὰ Σάρρας τῷ ζʹ ἔτει τῆς παροικίας αὐτοῦ, ὥς τινες. Ἀφρικανοῦ περὶ Ἀβραάμ Ἔνθεν ἄρχεται τῶν Ἑβραίων ἡ προσωνυμία. Ἑβραῖοι γὰρ οἱ Περάται ἑρμηνεύονται, διαπεράσαντος Εὐφράτην Ἀβραάμ, καὶ οὐχ, ὡς οἴονταί τι νες, ἀπὸ Ἕβερ τοῦ προειρημένου. συνάγεται τοίνυν εἰς τὴν ἐπίβασιν τῆς κατηγγελμένης γῆς Ἀβραὰμ ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ καὶ Νῶε γενεῶν ιʹ ἔτη αιεʹ, ἀπὸ δὲ Ἀδὰμ γενεῶν κʹ ἔτη γσοζʹ. Λείπεται πρὸς τὴν προκειμένην ἀκριβῆ χρονολογίαν ἡ παρὰ τῷ Ἀφρι κανῷ χρόνοις ριʹ ἐκ τῶν ρλʹ ἐτῶν τοῦ δευτέρου Καϊνᾶν. τὰ γὰρ ἄλλα κʹ ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν ρλʹ ἡ ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ ἐπὶ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν τῶν βσξβʹ ἐτῶν 113 παραύξησις προαφήρπασε, προστεθέντων αὐτῶν τοῖς τοῦ Μαθουσάλα χρόνοις. Εὐσέβιος τὰ υλʹ ἔτη ἀπὸ τοῦ εʹ καὶ οʹ ἔτους Ἀβραάμ, ἤτοι ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου ἔτους τῆς παροικίας αὐτοῦ εἰς γῆν Χαναάν, ἕως τοῦ παʹ ἔτους Μωυσέως καὶ ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου πορείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπαριθμεῖ. Ἡ δὲ βίβλος τῆς Γενέσεως τὴν θείαν ἀπόφασιν περὶ τούτου μετὰ τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐπάνοδον καὶ τὸν πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεῖς πόλεμον καὶ τὰς εὐλο γίας τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ ὑπογράφει, καθὼς ἔξεστι μαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς ἐντυγχά νοντι τῷ βουλομένῳ. Ἀβραὰμ ἦν ἐτῶν π ςʹ, ἡνίκα ἔτεκεν Ἄγαρ τὸν Ἰσμαὴλτῷ Ἀβραάμ, ὡς γέγραπται ἐν βίβλῳ τῆς Γενέσεως· τοῦ δὲ κόσμου ἦν ἔτος γτ ζηʹ. Ἐκ τούτου τὸ γένος τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν ἤτοι Ἀγαρηνῶν· οἱ αὐτοὶ καὶ Σαρακηνοί εἰσιν ἀπὸ Σάρρας ἑαυτοὺς μετονομάσαντες, ὥς τινές φασιν, ἀπ αξιοῦντες καλεῖσθαι Ἀγαρηνοὶ δουλικῶς. ἕτεροι δὲ τοὺς Ἰσμαηλίτας Σαρακηνοὺς καλεῖσθαί φασιν, ὅτι Σάρρα τὴν Ἄγαρ κενὴν ἐξαπέστειλε κληρονο μίας. Ἀβραὰμ ἀσεβεῖ μὴ συναπολέσθαι δίκαιον ἐδυσώπει διὰ Λὼτ τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν αὐτοῦ. Λὼτ σὺν τῇ γαμετῇ καὶ ταῖς θυγατράσιν ἐκπεμφθεὶς εἰς Σηγὼρ περισῴζεται, τῆς γυναικὸς μόνης ἐπιστραφείσης καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παγεί σης εἰς στήλην ἁλὸς ἀδιάλυτον, ἣν εἰσέτι πολλοὶ χάριν ἱστορίας ὁρῶ σιν ἐρχόμενοι. Σηγὼρ δὲ ἡ πόλις διὰ τὸν Λὼτ ἐσώθη τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ διαφθαρέντων ἀνδρῶν, ὥς φασι, καὶ τῆς λίμνης ἅμα τῇ γῇ ἀνατρα πείσης. Ἀβραὰμ παρῴκησεν ἐν Γεράροις, ἥν τινες Ἀσκαλῶνά φασιν εἶναι, ὡς καὶ Ἀφρικανός. Ἀβραὰμ ἔλαβε τὴν Χεττούραν γυναῖκα μετὰ τελευτὴν Σάρρας ἐν τῷ γήρᾳ αὐτοῦ, ἐξ ἧς ἔσχεν υἱοὺς εʹ, Ζεμβριάμ, Ἰεξάν,