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a particular purpose. For from this the great disagreement arises and has arisen for many of the historians, so that we find almost no two who agree in all things. For this reason, we have been eager, according to our ability, first to follow the divine scriptures, and then also to make note of the account concerning these things by those who have written anything accurately, even if they have erred in other matters. And since general matters, being taken up before more particular ones, have a clearer demonstration, and the 70 years of the captivity of Judah, being a certain particular instance related to the recall of the 12 tribes, is sometimes said to have happened in the 1st year of Cyrus, and sometimes in the 2nd year of Darius Hystaspes, as we shall subsequently show the divine pronouncements delivered through Jeremiah the prophet bear witness, showing from what time they began, as it were, to complete the seventy-year period at the 1st year of Cyrus; but the account concerning the whole matter, both of the ten so-called tribes of Israel in Samaria and of the two so-called tribes of Judah in Jerusalem, of their captivity and the length of the time of affliction, a common and single pronouncement from God, we have received as written by only one of the prophets, and by no other. Let us see what the great prophet Ezekiel says, he who discoursed concerning this and suffered for this, as from the spirit that gave him oracles, in the 5th year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, which was one and the same as the 5th year of the reign of Zedekiah. He says therefore: And you shall lie on your left side, and you shall lay the iniquities of the house of Israel upon it, according to the number of the 150 days that you shall lie upon it, and you shall take upon yourself its iniquities. And I have given you their two iniquities for a number of one hundred and ninety days. And you shall take upon yourself the iniquities of the house of Israel and shall complete these things. And you shall lie on your right side, and you shall take upon yourself the iniquities of the house of Judah for 40 days. I have appointed for you a day for a year. And against the siege of Jerusalem you shall prepare your face and you shall strengthen your arm and prophesy against it. And I, behold, have put bonds upon you, and you shall not turn from your one side to your other side, until the days of your siege are completed. From these things it is clear to those who wish to understand correctly that the entire time of the captivity of the whole Hebrew nation is encompassed in 107 years, beginning from the first captivity under Tiglath-pileser and Pekah, which happened in the year of the world 4762 in the 12th year of Ahaz, and ending in the 1st year of Cyrus, the first king of the Persians and Medes and Assyrians and Babylonians, which itself coincides with the year of the world 4952. If, then, from the 4952 years of the world we subtract these same 107 years, there remains for us, as has been said before, 4762; and if to the 4762 years of the world we add 120 years from the 1st year of Hoshea to the 4th year of Zedekiah, there will be left for us the 70 years of the captivity of Judah until the 2nd year of Cyrus. But also the 150 years of the 9 tribes of Israel, being reckoned from the same year of the world 4762, end in the 26th year of Nebuchadnezzar, which was the 8th from the 11th year of Zedekiah and the complete desolation of Jerusalem. And from the 27th year of Nebuchadnezzar, that is, the 9th from the capture, to the reign of Cyrus are the remaining 40 according to Ezekiel. Perhaps someone might reasonably be perplexed as to how Jeremiah and Zechariah the prophets, along with the writing of Ezra, say there are 70 years of the captivity of Judah, but Ezekiel only 40. To which we say that it is possible for them also to agree with Ezekiel, if the same 40 years are numbered from the last captivity of Judah that happened in Egypt. And after other things according to the divine prophecy through Jeremiah: when he hid the stones in the vestibule of the house of Pharaoh, also called Hophra, in Tahpanhes, the prophet Jeremiah threatening Egypt and those in it with the coming of Nebuchadnezzar, and to the remnant of Judah who had fled to Egypt, toward

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ἴδιον σκοπόν. ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ ἡ πολλὴ διαφωνία γίνεται καὶ γέγονε τοῖς πολλοῖς τῶν ἱστορικῶν, ὥστε σχεδὸν δύο μὴ εὑρίσκειν ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἐν πᾶσιν ὁμοφωνοῦντας. Ὅθεν καὶ σπουδὴ γέγονεν ἡμῖν κατὰ δύναμιν ταῖς θείαις πρότερον ἐξακολουθοῦσι γραφαῖς, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἀκριβῶς τι γράψασι τὸν περὶ τούτων λόγον ὑποσημήνασθαι, εἰ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις τι διήμαρτον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὰ καθολικὰ τῶν μερικωτέρων προλαμβανόμενα σαφεστέραν ἔχει τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, ἡ δὲ τῶν οʹ ἐτῶν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ Ἰούδα μερική τις οὖσα πρὸς τὴν τῶν ιβʹ φυλῶν ἀνάκλησις ποτὲ μὲν τῷ αʹ ἔτει Κύρου λέγεται γενέσθαι, ποτὲ δὲ τῷ βʹ ἔτει ∆αρείου τοῦ Ὑστάσπου, ὡς ἐφεξῆς τὰς δι' Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου θείας ἐξενεχθείσας ἀποφάσεις δείξομεν μαρτυρούσας, ἀπὸ ποίου χρόνου ἀρξάμεναί πως ἐπὶ τὸ αʹ ἔτος Κύρου τὸν ἑβδομηκονταετῆ συνάγουσι χρόνον, τὸν δὲ καθ' ὅλου περί τε τῶν ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ δέκα τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ λεγομένων φυλῶν λόγον καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ βʹ τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ αὐτῶν ἐπιλεγομένων τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας καὶ τῆς ποσότητος τοῦ χρόνου τῆς κακώσεως, κοινὴν καὶ μίαν ἐκ θεοῦ ἀπόφασιν παρ' ἑνὶ τῶν προφητῶν μόνῳ, παρ' ἄλλῳ δὲ οὐδενὶ γεγραμμέ νην παρειλήφαμεν. Ἴδωμεν τί φησιν ὁ περὶ ταύτης διαλεγόμενος καὶ ὑπὲρ ταύτης κακούμενος μέγας προφήτης Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὡς ἐκ τοῦ χρηματίζοντος πρὸς αὐτὸν πνεύμα τος κατὰ τὸ εʹ ἔτος τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας Ἰωακείμ, ὅπερ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ὑπῆρχε τῷ εʹ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Σεδεκίου. φησὶν οὖν· καὶ σὺ κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου τὸ ἀριστερὸν καὶ θήσεις τὰς ἀδικίας οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ ἐπ' αὐτὸ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν νʹ καὶ ρʹ, ἃς κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐγὼ δέδωκά σοι τὰς βʹ ἀδικίας αὐτῶν εἰς ἀριθμὸν ἐνενήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ἡμέρας. καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ καὶ συντελέσῃ ταῦτα. καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου τὸ δεξιόν, καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας οἴκου Ἰούδα μʹ ἡμέρας. ἡμέραν εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν τέθεικά σοι. καὶ εἰς τὸν συγκλεισμὸν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσωπόν 273 σου καὶ τὸν βραχίονά σου στερεώσεις καὶ προφητεύσεις ἐπ' αὐτήν. καὶ ἐγὼ ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ἐπὶ σὲ δεσμούς, καὶ μὴ στραφῇς ἀπὸ πλευροῦ σου ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου, ἕως συντελεσθῶσιν ἡμέραι τοῦ συγκλεισμοῦ σου. Ἐκ τούτων παρίσταται τοῖς βουλομένοις ὀρθῶς νοεῖν ὅτι ὁ πᾶς τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας χρόνος τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους τῶν Ἑβραίων ἔτεσιν ρζʹ περιγρά φεται, ἀρξάμενος μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπὸ Θεγλαφαλασὰρ καὶ Φακεὲ πρώτης αἰχμαλωσίας, ἥτις τῷ κοσμικῷ δψξβʹ ἔτει γέγονε κατὰ τὸ ιβʹ ἔτος Ἄχαζ, λήξας δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ αʹ ἔτος Κύρου τοῦ πρώτου Περσῶν καὶ Μήδων καὶ Ἀσσυρίων καὶ Βαβυλωνίων βασιλέως, ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ συντρέχει τῷ δνβʹ ἔτει τοῦ κόσμου. ἐὰν ἄρα ἐκ τῶν δνβʹ τοῦ κόσμου ἐτῶν ἀφέλωμεν τὰ αὐτὰ ρζʹ ἔτη, ὑπολείπεται ἡμῖν, ὡς προείρηται, δψξβʹ, καὶ ἐὰν τοῖς δψξβʹ κοσμικοῖς ἔτεσι προσθῶμεν ἔτη ρκʹ ἀπὸ τοῦ αʹ ἔτους Ὠσηὲ ἕως τοῦ δʹ ἔτους Σεδεκίου, ὑπολειφθήσεται ἡμῖν τὰ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ Ἰούδα οʹ ἔτη ἕως τοῦ βʹ ἔτους Κύρου. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ρνʹ ἔτη τῶν θʹ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ φυλῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ δψξβʹ ἔτους τοῦ κόσμου ψηφιζόμενα εἰς τὸ κςʹ ἔτος λήγει τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσωρ, ὅπερ ἦν ηʹ ἀπὸ τοῦ ιαʹ ἔτους Σεδεκίου καὶ τελείας ἐρημώσεως Ἱερουσαλήμ. ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ κζʹ ἔτους Ναβουχοδονόσωρ ἤτοι θʹ τῆς ἁλώσεως ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν Κύρου τὰ λοιπὰ μʹ κατὰ τὸν Ἰεζεκιήλ. Ἴσως δ' ἄν τις εὐλόγως ἀπορήσοι πῶς Ἱερεμίας μὲν καὶ Ζαχαρίας οἱ προφῆται σὺν τῇ γραφῇ τοῦ Ἔσδρα οʹ ἔτη φασὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας Ἰούδα, ὁ δὲ Ἰεζεκιὴλ μόνα μʹ. πρὸς ὅ φαμεν ὅτι δυνατὸν κἀκείνους τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ συμφωνεῖν ἀριθμουμένων τῶν αὐτῶν μʹ ἐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ὑστάτης ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γενομένης αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ Ἰούδα. Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα κατὰ τὴν θείαν διὰ Ἱερεμίου πρόρρησιν· ἡνίκα τοὺς λίθους κατέκρυψεν ἐν προθύροις οἴκου Φαραῶ τοῦ καὶ Οὐαφρεὶ ἐν Τάφναις, ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας ἀπειλήσας Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ τὴν ἔλευσιν Ναβουχοδονόσωρ καὶ τοῖς προσφυγοῦσιν εἰς Αἴγυπτον καταλοί ποις Ἰούδα πρὸς