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year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, from which until 281 the first year of Cyrus is completed and the second begins, 70 years are gathered. For in the second year of Cyrus, when the foundations of the temple were laid, with Zerubbabel son of Salathiel, the son of Jeconiah, leading as from the royal scepter of Judah, and Jesus son of Jozadak serving as high priest, after 46 years the work was completed in the time of Darius son of Hystaspes, as we shall again show there. For though Cyrus had promoted the building and given orders, those who began the construction were hindered, because the neighboring peoples opposed and maligned them, especially those in Samaria. This Cyrus, having deposed his grandfather Astyages, who was mentioned before, king of the Medes, introduced the Persian kingdom, after the Medes had ruled for some years after Sardanapalus, from Arbaces the Mede who deposed him and the Assyrian rule. This Cyrus captured Croesus in war and the kingdom of the Lydians, having come to Sardis, and he appointed him as tutor for his son Cambyses. This same man again showed the prophet Daniel to be more illustrious than all. And having shattered Bel so that he was not worshipped and having slain the dragon, he cast him into the lions' den a second time. To us, then, following the divine scripture of Chronicles, which we cited above together with the letter of Cyrus, it thus seems that the 70th year was fulfilled in the present first year of Cyrus, counting from the fourth year of Jehoiakim, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, and the 23rd from the 282 beginning of the prophecy of Jeremiah and the 13th of the reign of Josiah, from which point some have also thought to count the same seventy-year period to the first year of Cyrus, which is dissonant with the divine decree spoken through the mouth of Jeremiah after 23 years in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, as those who wish can be persuaded from the writing of Jeremiah, which we also have set forth for the sake of a clear view, and with the chronological calculation reckoning 73 instead of 70 from the 13th year of Josiah. It is also worthwhile to bring forward the divinely-wise Ezra, who teaches us more clearly the same things as 2 Chronicles, that in the first year of Cyrus the seventy-year period was fulfilled, in which he writes thus: He was called Cyrus in Greek, but Artaxerxes in Persian. In his third year Balsamus and Mithridates and Romelius wrote against him concerning those building the temple, and this same Cyrus stopped them after they had laid the foundation. Ezra calls this man Artaxerxes in his writing, and Artasasthas. But the one who sent Ezra with honor to Jerusalem is another Artaxerxes, the one called Longimanus, grandson of Darius son of Hystaspes. Cyrus, having campaigned against the Massagetae, was destroyed by Tomyris, their queen. After him, his son Cambyses rules the Persians for 8 years. Some suppose this man to be Nebuchadnezzar II, the one in the time of Holofernes and Judith, as does Africanus, which is impossible; first, because it is written in Judith that Holofernes was sent out against Syria and Palestine and Egypt in his eighteenth year, but this man reigned for only 8 years, so how did he send out Holofernes in his eighteenth year? Second, because it is written that the events concerning Judith and Holofernes took place during the time of Joakim the great high priest, who was the son of Jesus son of Jozadak; 283 but Joakim served as high priest for 20 years after the death of Cambyses. It remains, therefore, that the events concerning Judith happened in the time between Artaxerxes Longimanus and Cambyses. But it is not possible to say this for the times of Darius who was after Cambyses. For almost his entire time Zerubbabel was leading the Jews, being very dear to this same Darius son of Hystaspes, along with Jesus son of Jozadak. nor during the time of Artaxerxes Longimanus from his 20th year until his 32nd, in which time Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. For Eliashib was high priest, the one after Joakim, his son, in the time of Nehemiah, as is written. It remains, therefore, in the time of Xerxes the son of Darius the

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ἔτος ἐστὶ τῆς βασιλείας Ναβουχοδονόσωρ, ἀφ' οὗ ἐπὶ 281 τὸ πρῶτον ἔτος Κύρου πληρούμενον καὶ ἀρχόμενον τὸ βʹ ἔτη οʹ συνάγεται. τῷ γὰρ δευτέρῳ ἔτει Κύρου τῶν θεμελίων ὑποβληθέντων τοῦ ναοῦ, Ζοροβάβελ υἱὸς Σαλαθιὴλ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰεχονία ἡγουμένου ὡς ἐκ βασιλικοῦ τοῦ Ἰούδα σκήπτρου, καὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ ἀρχιερατεύσαντος,μετὰ μςʹ ἔτη τὸ ἔργον ἐτελειώθη ἐπὶ ∆αρείου τοῦ Ὑστάσπου, ὡς ἐκεῖσε πάλιν δηλώσομεν. τοῦ γὰρ Κύρου φιλοτιμησαμένου τὰ πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν καὶ κελεύσαντος εἴρχθησαν ἀρξάμενοι τῆς οἰκοδομῆς, ἀντιταξαμένων καὶ διαβεβηκότων αὐτοὺς τῶν περιοίκων ἐθνῶν, μάλιστα τῶν ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ. Κῦρος οὗτος Ἀστυάγην τὸν προδεδηλωμένον ἑαυτοῦ πάππον βασιλεύοντα Μήδων καθελών, τὴν Περσικὴν εἰσῆξε βασιλείαν, Μήδων βασιλευσάντων ἔτη που μετὰ Σαρδανάπαλον ἀπὸ Ἀρβάκου Μήδου τοῦ καθελόντος αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν Ἀσσυρίων ἀρχήν. Κῦρος οὗτος πολέμῳ τὸν Κροῖσον ἔλαβε καὶ τὴν Λυδῶν βασιλείαν εἰς Σάρδεις ἐλθών, τῷ παιδί τε Καμβύσῃ παιδαγωγὸν αὐτὸν κατέστησεν. Ὁ αὐτὸς ∆ανιὴλ τὸν προφήτην αὖθις ἐπιφανέστερον πάντων ἀνέδειξε. συντρίψαντα δὲ καὶ τὸν Βῆλον εἰς τὸ μὴ προσκυνεῖσθαι καὶ τὸν δράκοντα ἀνελόντα ἐν τῷ τῶν λεόντων λάκκῳ ἐνέβαλε τὸ δεύτερον. Ἡμῖν μὲν οὖν ἑπομένοις τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ τῶν Παραλειπομένων, ἧς ἀνωτέρω τὴν χρῆσιν παρεθέμεθα σὺν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ Κύρου, οὕτω δοκεῖ πεπληρῶσθαι τὸ οʹ ἔτος εἰς τὸ παρὸν πρῶτον ἔτος Κύρου ἀπὸ τοῦ δʹ Ἰωακείμ, ὅπερ ἦν ἔτος αʹ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσωρ, κʹ δὲ καὶ γʹ ἀπὸ τῆς 282 ἀρχῆς τῆς προφητείας Ἱερεμίου καὶ ιγʹ τῆς Ἰωσίου βασιλείας, ἀφ' οὗ καί τισιν ἔδοξε τὸν αὐτὸν ἑβδομηκονταετῆ χρόνον ἀριθμεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ αʹ ἔτος Κύρου, ὅπερ ἀσύμφωνον καὶ τῇ θείᾳ ἀποφάσει τῇ διὰ στόματος Ἱερεμίου μετὰ κγʹ ἔτος ἐξενεχθείσῃ κατὰ τὸ δʹ ἔτος Ἰωακείμ, ὡς ἔξεστι τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐκ τῆς Ἱερεμίου γραφῆς πείθεσθαι, ἧς καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν προὐθήκαμεν διὰ τὸ εὐσύνοπτον, καὶ τῇ χρονικῇ συναριθμήσει ζγʹ συλλογιζομένῃ ἀντὶ τῶν οʹ ἀπὸ τοῦ ιγʹ ἔτους Ἰωσίου. Ἄξιον δὲ καὶ τὸν θεόφρονα Ἔσδραν τὰ αὐτὰ τῇ βʹ τῶν Παραλει πομένων τρανότερον ἡμῖν διδάσκοντα, ὅτι τῷ αʹ ἔτει Κύρου ὁ ἑβδομη κονταετὴς χρόνος πεπλήρωται, προάγειν, ἐν οἷς οὕτω γράφει· Κῦρος Ἑλληνιστὶ ἐκαλεῖτο, Ἀρταξέρξης δὲ Περσιστί. τῷ γʹ ἔτει αὐτοῦ κατέγραψε πρὸς αὐτὸν Βάλσαμος καὶ Μιθριδάτης καὶ Ῥωμέλιος περὶ τῶν οἰκοδομούντων τὸν ναόν, καὶ ἔπαυσεν αὐτοὺς μετὰ τὸ θεμελιῶσαι ὁ αὐτὸς Κῦρος. Τοῦτον ὁ Ἔσδρας καλεῖ Ἀρταξέρξην ἐν τῇ γραφῇ αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἀρτασασθάς.ὁ δὲ τὸν Ἔσδραν ἀπολύσας μετὰ τιμῆς εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἄλλος Ἀρταξέρξηςἐστίν, ὁ λεγόμενος Μακρόχειρ, ἔγγονος ∆αρείου τοῦ Ὑστάσπου. Κῦρος στρατεύσας ἐπὶ Μασσαγέτας ὑπὸ Τομύριδος γυναικὸς βασιλίδος αὐτῶν διεφθάρη. μεθ' ὃν Καμβύσης παῖς κρατεῖ Περσῶν ἔτη ηʹ. τοῦτον οἴονταί τινες εἶναι Ναβουχοδονόσωρ βʹ τὸν κατὰ Ὁλοφέρνην καὶ τὴν Ἰουδήθ, ὡς καὶ Ἀφρικανός, ὅπερ ἀδύνατον, πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει αὐτοῦ γέγραπται ἐν τῇ Ἰουδὴθ ἐξαπεστάλθαι Ὁλοφέρνης κατὰ Συρίας καὶ Παλαιστίνης καὶ Αἰγύπτου, οὗτος δὲ ηʹ μόνα ἔτη ἐβασίλευσε καὶ πῶς τῷ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει αὐτοῦ ἐξέπεμψεν Ὁλοφέρνην; ἔπειτα ὅτι ἐπὶ Ἰωακεὶμ τοῦ μεγάλου ἀρχιερέως, ὃς ἦν υἱὸς Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ἰωσεδέκ, 283 γέγραπται πεπρᾶχθαι τὰ κατὰ Ἰουδὴθ καὶ Ὁλοφέρνην· ὁ δὲ Ἰωακεὶμμετὰ τὴν Καμβύσου τελευτὴν ἀρχιεράτευσεν εἰς ἔτη κʹ. Λείπεται ἄρα τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰουδὴθ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ τοῦ τε Μακρόχει ρος Ἀρταξέρξου καὶ τοῦ Καμβύσου γεγονέναι. ἀλλ' ἐν μὲν τοῖς χρόνοις ∆αρείου τοῦ μετὰ Καμβύσην οὐ δυνατὸν τοῦτο φάναι. τὸν γὰρ ἅπαντα χρόνον αὐτοῦ σχεδὸν ὁ Ζοροβάβελ ἡγεῖτο τῶν Ἰουδαίων, φίλτατος ὢν τῷ αὐτῷ ∆αρείῳ Ὑστάσπου σὺν Ἰησοῦ τῷ τοῦ Ἰωσεδέκ. ἀλλ' οὐδὲἐπὶ τοῦ Μακρόχειρος Ἀρταξέρξου ἀπὸ τοῦ κʹ ἔτους αὐτοῦ ἕως τοῦ λβʹ, ἐν ᾧ χρόνῳ ὁ Νεεμίας τὰ τείχη Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνήγειρεν. Ἐλιάσιβος γὰρ ἱεράτευεν, ὁ μετὰ τὸν Ἰωακείμ, υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ἐπὶ Νεεμίου, ὡς γέγρα πται. Λείπεται ἄρα ἐπὶ Ξέρξου τοῦ υἱοῦ ∆αρείου τοῦ