however a tower was built, O and B being the leaders of the construction. Therefore, according to these, the division of tongues also happened, there being one lip and one language for all, as was said above. But only Eber, not having consented to the vain labor of the rest, remained in his own language. Therefore, from the beginning, the Hebrew language. That those from Adam used242 the Hebrew language, is clear both from the fact that those around Abraham used such a dialect, and it is clear also from the fact that the second Adam, Christ our God, used the Hebrew language. And the things on the cross show this, and no less also those things in which he said 'ephphatha,' that is, be opened, and again elsewhere 'talitha koum,' that is, I say to you, maiden. And in addition to these things, the great Epiphanius also says this concerning these things: after the flood, the tower, then Eber the progenitor of the Hebrews, who they say did not wish to have fellowship with those building the tower, remained in his own language. Abraham was his descendant, whence also the Hebrew language.” And Josephus says the same things as these. And these say so, but Theodoret says that those from Adam used the Syriac language. But it should be known that Canaan, the son of Ham, seeing that the land towards Lebanon was good, after the allotment to them, and better than his own land, tyrannically seized it, and drove out the heirs from Shem from there. And so all the land of the promise was called Canaan. And Josephus says that when Canaan, being the fourth son of Ham, having inhabited the land called Judaea, named it Canaan after himself. And Shem begets Arphaxad, and Arphaxad begets Cainan. 243 This Cainan, as George says, compiled astronomy, having found the nomenclature of the stars set forth by Seth and his children, written on a stone tablet. For the descendants of Seth, having been initiated beforehand from above into the future destruction of men by both fire and water, and having made two pillars, one of stone and the other of brick, wrote all the celestial things set forth by their forefather Seth, reasoning that if the world should be destroyed by water, the stone pillar would remain and the things written on it (which pillar after the flood remained at Mount Sirion, and is there until now, as Josephus says), but if the destruction should happen by fire, the brick one would remain. And from the tribe of Shem appeared another giant-born, by the name of Cronus. This one, having become very powerful and having subjected many, first demonstrated how to rule and to hold power over others, and having ruled first of the Assyrians for 56 years, he subjected all the land of Persia. And after Cronus, Ninus reigned for 52 years, who indeed, having taken his own mother Semiramis as a wife, it became a law for the Persians to take their own mothers and sisters. From whose race was born also Zoroaster the famous Persian astronomer, who said to the Persians, “if 244 the heavenly fire should burn me,” (for he even prayed for this) “take from my bones, and keep them for the establishment of your kingdom.” Which indeed also happened. And in the histories which the great theologian Gregory used against Julian, he also says these things. The Babylonians are said to have first discovered astronomy through Zoroaster, and second the Egyptians received it. And the Medes discovered magic, then the Persians. But magic differs from sorcery. And magic is an invocation, as they say, of beneficent demons for the establishment of some good; while sorcery is of malevolent demons wandering around tombs for the establishment of some evil. And sorcery (goēteia) was heard from the wailings (goōn) and the lamentations that happen in the tombs, while magic from the Magusaeans, that is, the Persians, whence it also had its beginning; Magus is what the Persians are called in their native tongue. However, the great Cyril is found writing these things also in his works against Julian, that nine hundred years after the flood, Arbylus reigned first of the Assyrians

μέντοι πύργος ἐκτίζετο οʹ καὶ βʹ τοῦ κτίσματος ἀρχηγῶν ὄντων. κατὰ τούτους λοιπὸν καὶ ἡ διαίρεσις τῶν γλωσσῶν γέγονε, χείλους ὄντος ἑνὸς καὶ φωνῆς ἐπὶ πᾶσι μιᾶς, ὡς ἄνωθεν εἴρηται. μόνος δὲ ὁ Ἕβερ μὴ συγκατατεθεὶς τῇ ματαιοπονίᾳ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ γλώσσῃ ἔμεινεν. ἀρχῆθεν λοιπὸν ἡ Ἑβραῒς φωνή. ὅτι δὲ τῇ Ἑβραίων γλώσσῃ ἐχρῶν242 το οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδάμ, δῆλον μὲν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ τῇ τοιαύτῃ χρᾶσθαι διαλέκτῳ, δῆλον δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸν δεύτερον Ἀδὰμ Χριστὸν τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν τῇ Ἑβραίων χρᾶσθαι φωνῇ. καὶ δηλοῦσι μὲν τοῦτο καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ κἀκεῖνα ἐν οἷς ἔλεγεν ἐφαθά,» τουτέστι διανοίχθητι, καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ ταλιθὰ κοῦμι,» τουτέστι σοὶ λέγω τῷ κορασίῳ. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἐπιφάνιος περὶ τούτων οὕτω φησί μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν ὁ πύργος, εἶτα ὁ Ἕβερ ὁ τῶν Ἑβραίων πρόγονος, ὃν λέγουσι μὴ βουληθέντα κοινωνῆσαι τοῖς τὸν πύργον οἰκοδομοῦσι μεῖναι ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ γλώττῃ. τούτου ἔκγονος ὁ Ἀβραάμ, ὅθεν καὶ ἡ Ἑβραία γλῶττα.» τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ τούτοις καὶ Ἰώ-σηπός φησι. καὶ οὗτοι μὲν οὕτως, ὁ δὲ Θεοδώρητος τῇ Σύρᾳ γλώττῃ τοὺς ἐξ Ἀδὰμ χρᾶσθαι φησίν. Ἰστέον δὲ ὅτι ὁ τοῦ Χὰμ υἱὸς Χαναὰν ἰδὼν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Λίβανον γῆν ὅτι ἀγαθή ἐστι, μετὰ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς κληροδοσίαν, καὶ κρείττων τῆς ἑαυτοῦ γῆς, τυραννικῶς καθήρπαξεν αὐτήν, καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ Σὴμ κληρονόμους ἐκεῖθεν ἐξήλασε. καὶ οὕτω πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ Χαναὰν προσηγορεύθη. καὶ Ἰώσηπος δέ φησιν ὅτε Χαναὰν τέταρτος ὢν τοῦ Χὰμ παῖς, τὴν Ἰουδαίαν καλουμένην οἰκήσας Χαναὰν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ προσηγόρευσεν. Ὁ δὲ Σὴμ γεννᾷ τὸν Ἀρφαξᾶ, Ἀρφαξᾶ δὲ τὸν Καϊνᾶν. 243 οὗτος δὲ ὁ Καϊνᾶς, ὥς φησι Γεώργιος, συνεγράψατο τὴν ἀστρονομίαν, εὑρηκὼς τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Σὴθ καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ τέκνων ἐκτεθεῖσαν ὀνομασίαν τῶν ἀστέρων ἐν πλακὶ λιθίνῃ γεγραμμένην. οἱ γὰρ τοῦ Σὴθ ἔγγονοι προμυηθέντες ἄνωθεν τὴν μέλλουσαν γενέσθαι φθορὰν τῶν ἀνθρώπων διά τε πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος καὶ ποιήσαντες δύο στήλας, μίαν μὲν λιθίνην ἑτέραν δὲ πλινθίνην, ἔγραψαν τὰ ἐκ τοῦ πάππου αὐτῶν Σὴθ ἐκτεθέντα οὐράνια πάντα, λογισάμενοι ὅτι εἰ μὲν δι ὕδατος ὁ κόσμος φθαρῇ, ἡ λιθίνη στήλη μενεῖ καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγραμμένα (ἥτις στήλη μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν εἰς τὸ Σίδιρον ὄρος ἔμεινε, καὶ ἔστιν ἕως ἄρτι, ὥς φησιν Ἰώσηπος), εἰ δὲ διὰ πυρὸς γένηται ἡ φθορά, μενει ἂν ἡ πλινθίνη. Ἀνεφάνη δὲ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Σὴμ φυλῆς ἕτερος γιγαντογενὴς τοὔνομα Κρόνος. οὗτος πάνυ γενόμενος δυνατὸς καὶ πολλοὺς ὑποτάξας, πρῶτος κατέδειξε τὸ βασιλεύειν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κρατεῖν, καὶ βασιλεύσας πρῶτος Ἀσσυρίων ἔτη νϛʹ ὑπέταξε πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Περσίδος. μετὰ δὲ Κρόνον ἐβασίλευσε Νῖνος ἔτη νβʹ, ὅς γε τὴν οἰκείαν μητέρα Σεμίραμιν λαβὼν εἰς γυναῖκα, νόμος ἐγένετο Πέρσαις λαμβάνειν τὰς ἑαυτῶν μητέρας καὶ ἀδελφάς. ἐξ οὗ γένους ἐγένετο καὶ Ζωρόαστρος ὁ περιβόητος Περσῶν ἀστρονόμος, ὃς εἶπε τοῖς Πέρσαις, ἐὰν 244 καύσῃ με τὸ οὐράνιον πῦρ,» (τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ηὔχετο) λάβετε ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων μου, καὶ φυλάσσετε εἰς σύστασιν τῆς βασιλείας ὑμῶν.» ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν. ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἱστορίαις αἷς ἐχρήσατο κατὰ Ἰουλιανοῦ ὁ θεολόγος μέγας Γρηγόριος καὶ τάδε φησί. τὴν ἀστρονομίαν λέγονται πρῶτον εὑρηκέναι Βαβυλώνιοι διὰ Ζωροάστρου, δεύτερον δὲ ἐδέξαντο οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι. τὴν δὲ μαγείαν εὗρον Μῆδοι, εἶτα Πέρσαι. διαφέρει δὲ μαγεία γοητείας. καὶ ἡ μὲν μαγεία ἐπίκλησίς ἐστιν, ὥς φασι, δαιμόνων ἀγαθοποιῶν πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ τινὸς σύστασιν· γοητεία δέ ἐστι δαιμόνων κακοποιῶν περὶ τοὺς τάφους εἱλουμένων ἐπὶ κακοῦ τινὸς σύστασιν. γοητεία δὲ ἤκουσεν ἀπὸ τῶν γοῶν καὶ τῶν θρήνων τῶν ἐν τοῖς τάφοις γινομένων, μαγεία δὲ ἀπὸ Μαγουσαίων ἤτοι Περσῶν, ὅθεν ἔσχε καὶ τὴν ἀρχήν· Μαγὼς ἐγχωρίως οἱ Πέρσαι λέγονται. ὁ μέντοι μέγας Κύριλλος ἐν τοῖς κατὰ Ἰουλιανοῦ καὶ τάδε γράφων εὕρηται, ὅτι μετὰ ἐννακόσια ἔτη τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐβασίλευσεν Ἄρβυλος πρῶτος