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Reasonably, therefore, one might suppose that this same Xerxes was Nebuchadnezzar, in whose 18th year Holophernes was sent out against all of Syria and Egypt, as is written there. This one also subjugated Egypt, which had been ruled tyrannically under his father Darius, and burned Athens, having arrived in Greece with many tens of thousands of men and a very large fleet; who, having entered Thermopylae and come down to Piraeus, fared terribly in the victory through the generalship of Themistocles at Artemisium and Salamis, and with difficulty returned to his own country, having left behind the generals Mardonius and Masistius with 300,000 men, who were defeated in the war at Plataea and Mycale and were destroyed there, after having wished to make a truce with the Athenians in many ways and not being able to. At that time Phidias the sculptor and Herodotus the historian flourished. They say that during his time the first dictator for the Romans, Tiberius Marcius, arose. And that Miltiades the general, after that victory against the Persians at Marathon, was unjustly bound by the Athenians until death and not even deemed worthy of burial, until Cimon gave himself into bondage on behalf of his father, and was then with difficulty released through Elpinice his own sister, who was joined to a rich man because of her beauty, through whom she also freed her brother Cimon. 302 Artabanus, son of Xerxes, reigned as the 6th of the Persians for 7 months. The year of the world was 5048. Artaxerxes, son of Xerxes, called Longimanus, reigned as the 7th of the Persians for 41 years. The year of the world was 5049. In the 7th year of the reign of Artaxerxes, in the 5th month, Ezra the priest and teacher of the law went up from Babylon to Jerusalem with many captives, with 100 talents of gold and 650 talents of silver and other choice vessels of gold and silver and bronze, as is written in his first and second book, that God put it into the heart of the king to glorify his house which is in Jerusalem, and he gave him favor in the sight of Artaxerxes and the seven counselors and all his rulers. And he wrote to all the rulers and treasurers of Syria and Phoenicia to give whatever might be for the need of the temple and Ezra might command, up to 100 talents of silver and wheat and wine and oil and salt from the royal treasury so that it might be offered, he says, to the most high God, so that there might not be wrath against his kingdom and his sons, and that no one else should rule the nation of the Jews except Ezra the high priest, and that he should lead them in the laws, and all the other things written there concerning his punishing those who transgress the law of the Lord, putting to death and dishonoring and imposing penalties on those deserving of these things, and teaching diligently those who are ignorant. And blessed, he says, be the Lord alone who put these things into the heart of my king. These and other things similar to these Artaxerxes wrote, strengthening Ezra and those with him; but he himself, being most beloved of God and knowledgeable of the divine law, having come to Jerusalem, showed such great exactness concerning the keeping of the divine commandments that he separated all the people who were mixed with foreign women, and the priests and Levites themselves, from their unions contrary to the law of Moses, which no one else before him appears to have done. Throughout his entire writing he mentions no other high priest than himself. And he traces his genealogy as a priest, son of Azareus, son of Ezerias, son of 303 Chelkias, son of Salem, son of Saddu, son of Bokoka, son of Abasai, son of Phinees, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the first priest. Having traced his descent through 10 generations in the first book, in the second he traces his genealogy through 16 generations thus: Ezra son of Sareias, son of Azarias, son of Helkias, son of Seloum, son of Saddouk, son of Achitob, son of Samareia, son of Esdrias, son of Mareoth, son of Zareas, son of Ozei, son of Bokkei, son of Abisoue, son of Phinees, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the first priest. And he is presented as high priest at the end of his first book, where it is written that "And Atarates said to Ezra the high priest and reader and to the Levites who teach the

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εὐλόγως ἄρα καὶ Ναβουχοδονόσωρ ἄν τις τὸν αὐτὸν ὑπολάβοι Ξέρξην, οὗ κατὰ τὸ ιηʹ ἔτος ὁ Ὁλοφέρνης ἐξαπεστάλη κατὰ πάσης Συρίας καὶ Αἰγύπτου, ὡς ἐκεῖσε γέγραπται. Οὗτος καὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον τυραννήσασαν ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ∆αρείου καθυπέταξε καὶ τὰς Ἀθήνας ἐνέπρησε σὺν πολλαῖς μυριάσι καὶ ναυτικῷ μεγίστῳ παραγενόμενος εἰς Ἑλλάδα· ὃς εἰσελθὼν τὰς Θερμοπύλας καὶ κατελθὼν εἰς Πειραιᾶ τῇ στρατηγίᾳ Θεμιστοκλέους ἐν Ἀρτεμισίῳ καὶ Σαλαμῖνι νίκῃ δεινῶς πράξας μόλις ἐπάνεισιν εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα, Μαρδόνιον καὶ Μασίστιον στρατηγοὺς καταλείψας σὺν λʹ μυριάσιν ἐν Πλατείαις καὶ Μυκάλῃ πολέμῳ κρατηθέντας κἀκεῖσε διαφθαρέντας πολλά τε βουληθέν τας Ἀθηναίοις σπείσασθαι καὶ μὴ δυνηθέντας. Τότε καὶ Φειδίας ὁ πλάστης καὶ Ἡρόδοτος ἱστορικὸς ἤκμαζον. Κατὰ τοῦτόν φασι πρῶτον γενέσθαι δικάτωρα Ῥωμαίοις Τιβέριον Μάρκιον. Καὶ Μιλτιάδην τὸν στρατηγὸν μετὰ τὴν ἐν Μαραθῶνι κατὰ Περσῶν νίκην ἐκείνην ἀδίκως ὑπ' Ἀθηναίων μέχρι θανάτου δεθῆναι καὶ μηδὲ ταφῆς ἀξιωθῆναι, ἕως Κίμων ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸν δεσμὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πατρὸς ἔδωκε, μόλις ἔπειτα λυθεὶς δι' Ἐλπινίκης ἰδίας ἀδελφῆς ἀνδρὶ πλουσίῳ συναφθείσης διὰ τὴν ὥραν, δι' οὗ καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἔλυσε Κίμωνα. 302 Περσῶν ςʹ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀρτάβανος υἱὸς Ξέρξου μῆνας ζʹ. τοῦ δὲ κόσμου ἦν ἔτος εμηʹ. Περσῶν ζʹ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀρταξέρξης Ξέρξου ὁ λεγόμενος Μακρόχειρ ἔτη μαʹ. τοῦ δὲ κόσμου ἦν ἔτος εμθʹ. Ἐν ἔτει ζʹ βασιλεύοντος τοῦ Ἀρταξέρξου ἐν τῷ εʹ μηνὶ ἀνέβη Ἔσδρας ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ νομοδιδάσκαλος μετὰ πολλῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, χρυσοῦ ταλάντων ρʹ καὶ ἀργυρίου ταλάντων χνʹ καὶ λοιπῶν σκευῶν χρυσῶν καὶ ἀργυρῶν καὶ χαλκῶν ἐκλεκτῶν, ὡς γέγραπται ἐν αʹ καὶ βʹ βίβλῳ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἔδωκεν ἐν καρδίᾳ τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ δοξά σαι τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ τὸν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ χάριν ἐνώπιον Ἀρταξέρξου καὶ τῶν ἑπτὰ συμβούλων καὶ πάντων ἀρχόντων τῶν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἔγραψε πᾶσι τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ γαζοφύλαξι Συρίας καὶ Φοινίκης διδόναι πᾶν ὃ ἂν γένηται εἰς χρείαν τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ προστάξῃ Ἔσδρας ἕως ταλάντων ρʹ ἀργυρίου καὶ σίτου καὶ οἴνου καὶ ἐλαίου καὶ ἁλὸς ἐκ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ γαζοφυλακίου πρὸς τὸ τελεῖσθαι, φησί, τῷ θεῷ τῷ ὑψίστῳ ἕνεκα τοῦ μὴ γενέσθαι ὀργὴν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ μηδένα ἄλλον ἄρχειν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους πλὴν Ἔσδρα τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, καὶ καθηγεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς νομίμοις, καὶ ὅσα ἐκεῖσε γέγραπται λοιπὰ περί τε τοῦ κολάζειν αὐτὸν τοὺς παραβαίνοντας τὸν νόμον κυρίου, θανατοῦν τε καὶ ἀτιμάζειν καὶ ζημίας ἐπάγειν τοῖς ἀξίοις τούτων, καὶ διδάσκειν ἐπιμελῶς τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας. καὶ εὐλογητός, φησί, μόνος ὁ κύριος ὁ δοὺς ταῦτα εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου τοῦ βασιλέως. Ταῦτα καὶ ἕτερα παραπλήσια τούτοις ἔγραψεν Ἀρταξέρξης ἐνισχύων τὸν Ἔσδραν καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ· ὁ δ' αὐτὸς θεοφιλέστατος ὢν καὶ ἐπιστή μων τοῦ θείου νόμου παραγενόμενος εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τοσαύτην ἀκρίβειαν περὶ τὴν φυλακὴν τῶν θείων ἐντολῶν ἐπεδείξατο ὥστε πάντα τὸν λαὸν συμμιχθέντα γυναιξὶν ἀλλοφύλοις καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευίτας παρὰ τὸν Μωυσέως νόμον ἀποζεῦξαι τῆς αὐτῶν συζυγίας, ὅπερ οὐδεὶς ἄλλος τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ φαίνεται δράσας. Οὗτος παρ' ὅλην τὴν συγγραφὴν αὐτοῦ ἀρχιερέως ἄλλου οὐ μέμνηται ἢ ἑαυτοῦ. ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἱερέα γενεαλογεῖ υἱὸν Ἀζαρέου τοῦ Ἐζερίου τοῦ 303 Χελκίου τοῦ Σαλήμου τοῦ Σαδδοῦ τοῦ Βοκοκὰ τοῦ Ἀβασαὶ τοῦ Φινεὲς τοῦ Ἐλεάζαρ τοῦ Ἀαρὼν τοῦ πρώτου ἱερέως. Ταῦτα ἐν τῷ αʹ βιβλίῳ διὰ ιʹ γενεῶν ἑαυτὸν καταγαγών, ἐν δὲ τῷ βʹ διὰ ιςʹ γενεῶν οὕτως ἑαυτὸν γενεαλογεῖ· Ἔσδρας υἱὸς Σαρείου υἱοῦ Ἀζαρίου υἱοῦ Ἐλκία υἱοῦ Σελοὺμ υἱοῦ Σαδδοὺκ υἱοῦ Ἀχιτὼβ υἱοῦ Σαμαρεία υἱοῦ Ἐσδρία υἱοῦ Μαρεὼθ υἱοῦ Ζαρέα υἱοῦ Ὀζεὶ υἱοῦ Βοκκεὶ υἱοῦ Ἀβισουὲυἱοῦ Φινεὲς υἱοῦ Ἐλεάζαρ υἱοῦ Ἀαρὼν τοῦ ἱερέως τοῦ πρώτου. Καὶ ἀρχιερεὺς δὲ ἐν τέλει τοῦ αʹ βιβλίου αὐτοῦ φέρεται, ἐν οἷς γέγραπται ὅτι «καὶ εἶπεν Ἀταράτης Ἔσδρᾳ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ καὶ ἀναγνώστῃ καὶ τοῖς Λευίταις τοῖς διδάσκουσι τὸ