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«Berossus mentions our father Abraham, not by name, but saying thus: ‘After the flood, in the tenth generation, there was among the Chaldeans a certain 9.16.3 just and great man, and skilled in heavenly things.’ But Hecataeus has done more than just mention him; for he composed and left behind a book about him. 9.16.4 And Nicolaus of Damascus, in the fourth book of his Histories, says thus: ‘Abrames reigned in Damascus, having arrived as a foreigner with an army from the land beyond Babylon, called the land of the Chaldeans. And not long after, departing from this country also with his own people, he settled in the land then called Canaan, but now Judea, and those from him multiplied, concerning whom in another 9.16.5 discourse I shall relate the histories.’ And the name of Abraham is still even now glorified in the region of Damascus, and a village is shown named after him, called Abraham's Dwelling. But when a famine later seized Canaan, Abram, having learned that the Egyptians were prospering, was eager to go to them, both to share in their abundance and to be a hearer of the priests, concerning what they might say about the gods; for he would either follow them if they were found to be better, or he would convert them to what is better, since he himself thought better.’ 9.16.6 Then he adds next: ‘And he associated with the most learned of the Egyptians, and it came to pass that his virtue and the 9.16.7 glory upon him became more illustrious from this. For since the Egyptians were content with different customs and disparaged one another's laws and for this reason were hostile to one another, he, by conferring with each of them and refuting the arguments they made about their own beliefs, showed them to be empty and 9.16.8 having no truth. Therefore, being admired by them in their gatherings as a most intelligent and skillful man, not only in understanding, but also in persuading by speaking about what he might undertake to teach, he bestowed on them both arithmetic and delivered to them the science of astrology. For before Abraham's arrival, the Egyptians were ignorant of these things. For these things came from the Chaldeans to Egypt, whence they also came to the Greeks.’ This is from Josephus. 9.17.1 And Alexander Polyhistor agrees with these things, being a very intelligent and very learned man, very well known to those Greeks who have not made the fruit of education a secondary matter, who in his work *On the Jews* relates the things concerning this Abraham in the following manner, word for word:

9.17.2 17. OF EUPOLEMUS CONCERNING ABRAHAM; FROM THE WRITING OF ALEXANDER POLYHISTOR CONCERNING THE JEWS

«And Eupolemus in his work *On the Jews of Assyria* says that the city of Babylon was first founded by those who were saved from the flood; and that they 9.17.3 were giants, and that they built the tower mentioned in history. But when this fell by the action of God, the giants were scattered over the whole earth. And in the tenth generation, he says, in a city of Babylonia, Camarina, which some say is the city Uria (and being interpreted is the city of the Chaldeans), or in the thirteenth generation, Abraham was born, surpassing all in nobility and wisdom, who indeed also invented astrology and the Chaldaic art, and having turned to piety 9.17.4 was well-pleasing to God. And that he, because of the commandments of God, came to Phoenicia and dwelt there, and having taught the Phoenicians the turnings of the sun and moon and all other things, was well-pleasing to their king. And later the Armenians made an expedition against the Phoenicians; and when they were victorious and had taken his nephew captive, Abraham, having aided with his servants, became master of the

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«Μνημονεύει δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἁβραάμου Βηρωσσός, οὐκ ὀνομάζων, λέγων δὲ οὕτως· «Μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν δεκάτῃ γενεᾷ παρὰ Χαλδαίοις τις 9.16.3 ἦν δίκαιος ἀνὴρ καὶ μέγας καὶ τὰ οὐράνια ἔμπειρος.» Ἑκαταῖος δὲ καὶ τοῦ μνησθῆναι πλεῖόν τι πεποίηκε· βιβλίον γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ συνταξάμενος κατέλιπε. 9.16.4 Νικόλαος δὲ ὁ ∆αμασκηνὸς ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ τῶν ἱστοριῶν λέγει οὕτως· «Ἁβραάμης ἐβασίλευε ∆αμασκοῦ, ἔπηλυς σὺν στρατῷ ἀφιγμένος ἐκ τῆς γῆς τῆς ὑπὲρ Βαβυλῶνος, Χαλδαίων λεγομένης. μετ' οὐ πολὺν δὲ χρόνον ἐξαναστὰς καὶ ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς χώρας σὺν τῷ σφετέρῳ λαῷ εἰς τὴν τότε μὲν Χαναναίαν λεγομένην, νῦν δὲ Ἰουδαίαν, μετῴκησε καὶ οἱ ἀπ' ἐκείνου πληθύσαντες, περὶ ὧν ἐν ἑτέρῳ 9.16.5 λόγῳ διέξειμι τὰ ἱστορούμενα.» τοῦ τε Ἁβραάμου ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐν τῇ ∆αμασκηνῇ τὸ ὄνομα δοξάζεται, καὶ κώμη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δείκνυται Ἁβραάμου οἴκησις λεγομένη. λιμοῦ δὲ χρόνοις ὕστερον τὴν Χαναναίαν καταλαβόντος, Ἅβραμος Αἰγυπτίους εὐδαιμονεῖν πυθόμενος διαίρειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἦν πρόθυμος, τῆς τε ἀφθονίας τῆς ἐκείνων μεθέξων καὶ τῶν ἱερέων ἀκροατὴς ἐσόμενος, ὧν λέγοιεν περὶ θεῶν· ἢ γὰρ κρείσσοσιν εὑρεθεῖσι κατακολουθήσειν ἢ μετακοσμήσειν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον, αὐτὸς ἄμεινον φρονῶν.» 9.16.6 Εἶθ' ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· «Καὶ συνῆν Αἰγυπτίων τοῖς λογιωτάτοις, τήν τε ἀρετὴν αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν 9.16.7 ἐπ' αὐτῷ δόξαν ἐντεῦθεν ἐπιφανεστέραν συνέβη γενέσθαι. τῶν γὰρ Αἰγυπτίων διαφόροις ἀρεσκομένων ἔθεσι καὶ τὰ παρ' ἀλλήλοις ἐκφαυλιζόντων νόμιμα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δυσμενῶς ἐχόντων πρὸς ἀλλήλους, συμβαλὼν αὐτῶν ἑκάστοις καὶ διαπτύων τοὺς λόγους, οὓς ἐποιοῦντο περὶ τῶν ἰδίων, κενοὺς καὶ μηδὲν 9.16.8 ἔχοντας ἀληθὲς ἀπέφαινε. θαυμασθεὶς οὖν ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς συνουσίαις ὡς συνετώτατος καὶ δεινὸς ἀνὴρ οὐ νοῆσαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πεῖσαι λέγων περὶ ὧν ἂν ἐπιχειρήσειε διδάσκειν, τήν τε ἀριθμητικὴν αὐτοῖς χαρίζεται καὶ τὰ περὶ ἀστρολογίαν παραδίδωσι. πρὸ γὰρ τῆς Ἁβραάμου παρουσίας Αἰγύπτιοι τούτων εἶχον ἀμαθῶς. ἐκ Χαλδαίων γὰρ ταῦτ' ἐφοίτησεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ὅθεν ἦλθε καὶ εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας.» Ταῦτα ὁ Ἰώσηπος. 9.17.1 Συνᾴδει δὲ τούτοις καὶ ὁ Πολυΐστωρ Ἀλέξανδρος, πολύνους ὢν καὶ πολυμαθὴς ἀνὴρ τοῖς τε μὴ πάρεργον τὸν ἀπὸ παιδείας καρπὸν πεποιημένοις Ἕλλησι γνωριμώτατος, ὃς ἐν τῇ Περὶ Ἰουδαίων συντάξει τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἁβραὰμ τοῦτον ἱστορεῖ κατὰ λέξιν τὸν τρόπον·

9.17.2 ιζʹ. ΕΥΠΟΛΕΜΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΑΒΡΑΑΜ· ΑΠΟ ΤΗΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΠΟΛΥΙΣΤΟΡΟΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΩΝ ΓΡΑΦΗΣ

«Εὐπόλεμος δὲ ἐν τῷ περὶ Ἰουδαίων τῆς Ἀσσυρίας φησὶ πόλιν Βαβυλῶνα πρῶτον μὲν κτισθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν διασωθέντων ἐκ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ· εἶναι δὲ 9.17.3 αὐτοὺς γίγαντας, οἰκοδομεῖν δὲ τὸν ἱστορούμενον πύργον. πεσόντος δὲ τούτου ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνεργείας τοὺς γίγαντας διασπαρῆναι καθ' ὅλην τὴν γῆν. δεκάτῃ δὲ γενεᾷ, φησίν, ἐν πόλει τῆς Βαβυλωνίας Καμαρίνῃ, ἥν τινας λέγειν πόλιν Οὐρίην εἶναι δὲ μεθερμηνευομένην Χαλδαίων πόλιν, ἢ ἐν τρισκαιδεκάτῃ γενέσθαι Ἁβραὰμ γενεᾷ, εὐγενείᾳ καὶ σοφίᾳ πάντας ὑπερβεβηκότα, ὃν δὴ καὶ τὴν ἀστρολογίαν καὶ Χαλδαϊκὴν εὑρεῖν ἐπί τε τὴν εὐσέβειαν ὁρμήσαντα 9.17.4 εὐαρεστῆσαι τῷ θεῷ. τοῦτον δὲ διὰ τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς Φοινίκην ἐλθόντα κατοικῆσαι, καὶ τροπὰς ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα διδάξαντα τοὺς Φοίνικας εὐαρεστῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ αὐτῶν. ὕστερον δὲ Ἀρμενίους ἐπιστρατεῦσαι τοῖς Φοίνιξι· νικησάντων δὲ καὶ αἰχμαλωτισαμένων τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἁβραὰμ μετὰ οἰκετῶν βοηθήσαντα ἐγκρατῆ γενέσθαι τῶν