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Onomasticon

Of Eusebius, son of Pamphilus, bishop. Of Caesarea in Palestine concerning the local names in the divine scripture.

Just as in the preface of the subject proposed by you, O holy man of God, Paulinus, having delivered in the work preceding this the promised subjects—first, having translated into the Greek language the designations of the nations throughout the world which are found in the divine scripture with Hebrew names, then, having made a register from every book of ancient Judea, and dividing the inheritances of the twelve tribes within it, and in addition to these, having sketched, as in a type of drawing, an image of their formerly renowned metropolis, I mean Jerusalem, and of the temple in it, with a presentation of the commentaries on the places—so in this work, following those things which have been prepared for the usefulness of the whole subject, I will now add your proposal, setting forth the meanings of the cities and villages mentioned in the divine scripture in their native tongue, what country they are from, and how they are named in our time, whether the same as the ancient names or changed to others. Therefore, from all the divinely inspired scripture I shall collect the matters sought, and I shall set them forth each according to its letter for easy comprehension of those that are encountered sporadically in the readings. Letter A. Genesis. Ararat Gen 8, 4 . Armenia; the ark is said to have rested in the mountains of Ararat, and they say that to this day remains of the ark are shown on the mountains of Armenia. Jeremiah also mentions Ararat in the vision against Babylon. And Josephus in the first book of the Jewish Antiquities, recounting the history concerning the place, also presents witnesses from outside sources, writing thus in his own words: "And Noah, having learned that the earth was freed from the flood, after waiting another seven days, sent forth the animals from the ark, and he himself, coming forth with his family and having sacrificed to God, feasted with his household. The Armenians call this place 'the landing place.' For there, where the ark was saved, the inhabitants of the area still now show its remains. All who have written barbarian histories mention this flood and the ark, among whom is also Berossus the Chaldean. For in relating the events concerning the flood he somewhere explains it thus: It is said that a part of the vessel still exists in Armenia at the mountain of the Cordyaeans, and that some people take away pieces of the bitumen. People use what is brought back mostly for averting evils. Hieronymus the Egyptian, who wrote the Phoenician Archaeology, also mentions these things, as do Mnaseas and many others. And Nicolaus of Damascus in his ninety-sixth book recounts these events, saying thus: 'There is above Minyas a great mountain in Armenia, called Baris, to which it is said many fled during the flood and were saved, and that someone carried on an ark came to land on its summit, and the remains of the timbers were preserved for a long time. This would be the one whom Moses, the lawgiver of the Jews, also wrote about.'" Accad Gen 10, 10 . A city of the kingdom of Nebrod in Babylon. Aggai Gen 12, 8 . to the west of Bethel. They are not very far from each other. Bethel is situated for those going to Aelia from Neapolis on the left of the road around the twelfth milestone from Aelia. And Bethel remains to this day, but Aggai is shown only as a deserted place. The scripture also calls it Gai. Ashtaroth Karnaim Gen 14, 5. a land of giants beyond the Sodomite region, whom Chedorlaomer slew. And there are to this day two villages in Batanaea, which is also Batolouas, from each other

1

Onomasticon

Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Παμφίλου ἐπισκόπου. Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστίνης περὶ τῶν τοπικῶν ὀνομάτων τῶν ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ.

Ὥσπερ ἐν προοιμίῳ τῆς ὑπὸ σοῦ προτεθείσης ὑποθέσεως, ἱερὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπε Παυλῖνε, ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου τὰς ἐπηγγελμένας ὑποθέσεις ἀποδούς, καὶ πρῶτα μὲν τῶν ἀνὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐθνῶν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν μεταβαλὼν τὰς ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ κειμένας Ἑβραίοις ὀνόμασι προσρήσεις, ἔπειτα τῆς πάλαι Ἰουδαίας ἀπὸ πάσης βίβλου καταγραφὴν πεποιημένος, καὶ τὰς ἐν αὐτῇ τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν διαιρῶν κληρουχίας, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡς ἐν γραφῆς τύπῳ τῆς πάλαι διαβοήτου μητροπόλεως αὐτῶν, λέγω δὴ τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τοῦ τε ἐν αὐτῇ ἱεροῦ τὴν εἰκόνα διαχαράξας μετὰ παραθέσεως τῶν εἰς τοὺς τόπους ὑπομνημάτων, ἑξῆς ἐν τούτῳ καὶ ἀκολούθως ἐκείνοις ὡς ἂν εἰς τὸ χρήσιμον τῆς ὅλης ὑποθέσεως προηυτρεπισμένοις τὴν σὴν ἐπισυνάψω πρόθεσιν, τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς θείας φερομένων γραφῆς πατρίῳ γλώττῃ πόλεων καὶ κωμῶν τὰς σημασίας ποίας τε χώρας εἶεν καὶ ὅπως αὐτὰς οἱ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὀνομάζουσιν, εἴτε τοῖς παλαιοῖς ὁμοίως εἴτε καὶ ἑτέρως μεταβάλλοντες, ἐκθέμενος. ἀπὸ πάσης μὲν οὖν τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς ἀναλέξω τὰ ζητούμενα, ἐκθήσομαι δὲ κατὰ στοιχεῖον ἕκαστα εἰς εὐχερῆ κατάληψιν τῶν σποράδην ἐν τοῖς ἀναγνώσμασιν ὑποπιπτόντων. Στοιχεῖον Α. Γενέσεως. Ἀραράτ ̣Gen 8, 4 ̣. ἡ Ἀρμενία· ἐν ὄρεσιν Ἀραρὰτ ἡ κιβωτὸς καθίσαι λέγεται, καί φασιν εἰς δεῦρο δείκνυσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων Ἀρ 4 μενίας λείψανα τῆς κιβωτοῦ. μέμνηται καὶ Ἱερεμίας τῆς Ἀραρὰτ ἐν τῇ κατὰ Βαβυλῶνος ὁράσει. καὶ Ἰώσιππος δὲ ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἀρχαιολογίας τὰ περὶ τὸν τόπον ἱστορῶν παρατίθεται καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξω μάρτυρας, ὧδε ῥήμασιν αὐτοῖς γράφων· «μαθὼν» δὲ Νῶε «ἀπηλλαγμένην τὴν γῆν τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, μείνας ἄλλας ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας τά τε ζῷα τῆς λάρνακος ἐξαφίησιν, αὐτός τε μετὰ τῆς γενεᾶς προελθὼν καὶ θύσας τῷ θεῷ συνευωχεῖτο τοῖς οἰκείοις. ἀποβατήριον μέντοι τὸν τόπον τοῦτον Ἀρμένιοι καλοῦσιν. ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἀνασωθείσης τῆς λάρνακος ἔτι νῦν αὐτῆς οἱ περιχώριοι τὰ λείψανα δεικνύουσιν. τοῦ δὲ κατακλυσμοῦ τούτου καὶ τῆς λάρνακος μέμνηνται πάντες οἱ τὰς βαρβαρικὰς ἱστορίας ἀναγεγραφότες, ὧν ἐστὶ καὶ Βήρωσος ὁ Χαλδαῖος. διηγούμενος γὰρ τὰ περὶ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν οὕτω που διέξεισιν· λέγεται δὲ καὶ τοῦ πλοίου ἐν τῇ Ἀρμενίᾳ πρὸς τῷ ὄρει τῶν Κορδυαίων ἔτι μέρος τι εἶναι, καὶ κομίζειν τινὰς τῆς ἀσφάλτου ἀφαιροῦντας. χρῶνται δὲ μάλιστα οἱ ἄνθρωποι τῷ κομιζομένῳ πρὸς τοὺς ἀποτροπιασμούς. μέμνηται δὲ τούτων καὶ Ἱερώνυμος ὁ Αἰγύπτιος, ὁ τὴν ἀρχαιολογίαν τὴν Φοινικικὴν συγγραψάμενος, καὶ Μνασέας δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι πλείους. καὶ Νικόλαος δὲ ὁ ∆αμασκηνὸς ἐν τῇ ἐνενηκοστῇ καὶ ἕκτῃ βίβλῳ ἱστορεῖ περὶ αὐτῶν λέγων οὕτως· ἔστιν ὑπὲρ τὴν Μινυάδα μέγα ὄρος κατὰ τὴν Ἀρμενίαν, Βάρις λεγόμενον, ἐφ' ὃ πολλοὺς συμφυγόντας ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ λόγος ἔχει περισωθῆναι, καὶ τινὰ ἐπὶ λάρνακος ὀχούμενον ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκρώρειαν ὀκεῖλαι, καὶ τὰ λείψανα τῶν ξύλων ἐπὶ πολὺ σωθῆναι. γένοιτο δ' ἂν οὗτος, ὅντινα καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἀνέγραψεν ὁ Ἰουδαίων νομοθέτης». Ἀχάδ ̣Gen 10, 10 ̣. πόλις βασιλείας Νεβρὼδ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι. Ἀγγαί ̣Gen 12, 8 ̣. κατὰ δυσμὰς Βαιθήλ. διεστήκασιν ἀλλήλων οὐ πλεῖστον. κεῖται δὲ ἡ Βαιθὴλ ἀπιόντων εἰς Αἰλίαν ἀπὸ Νέας 6 πόλεως ἐν λαιοῖς τῆς ὁδοῦ ἀμφὶ τὸ δωδέκατον Αἰλίας σημεῖον. καὶ ἡ μὲν Βαιθὴλ εἰς ἔτι νῦν μένει, ἡ δὲ Ἀγγαὶ τόπος ἔρημος αὐτὸ μόνον δείκνυται. καλεῖ δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ Γαὶ ἡ γραφή. Ἀσταρὼθ Καρναείν ̣Gen 14, 5̣. χώρα γιγάντων ὑπὲρ τὴν Σοδομῖτιν, οὓς κατέκοψεν Χοδολλαγόμωρ. καί εἰσιν εἰς ἔτι νῦν δύο κῶμαι ἐπὶ τῆς Βαταναίας τῆς καὶ Βατολούας ἀλλήλων