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Chronographia compendiaria

A CHRONOGRAPHIA IN SUMMARY BY JOEL. It should be known that Adam gave names to his children and to all land and sea animals, but his own name and that of his wife an angel of the Lord told them. and Cain took for his wife his first sister Azura, and Seth the second, Asuam, and Abel was a virgin and righteous. And Cain died when his house fell on him. And Seth first discovered Hebrew letters and wisdom and the signs of heaven and the turnings of the years and the months and the weeks, and he gave names to the stars and to the five planets so that they might be recognized by men and by them alone. And the first planet he called Kronos, the second Zeus, the third Ares, the fourth Aphrodite and the fifth Hermes. After the flood, Cainan the son of Arphaxad wrote 4 down astronomy, having found the naming system of Seth and his children and of the stars engraved on a stone tablet. For the descendants of Seth, having been forewarned from above of the future destruction of mankind, made two pillars, one of stone and the other of brick, reasoning that, if the cataclysm were by water, the stone pillar would remain and what was engraved on it, but if by fire, the brick one would be saved. From the Magusaeans, that is, the Persians, began astrology and magic, taking their origins from Nimrod who founded Babylon. After Ninus, a certain Thyrras by name reigned over the Assyrians for 30 years, whom they also renamed Ares after the name of the planetary star, to which Ares the Assyrians erected the first pillar, and whom they worship as a god to this day, calling him in Persian Baal the god, which is Ares god of wars, of whom Daniel also makes mention. In the time of the reign of Phoenix there was Heracles the philosopher, the Tyrian, and the inventor of the purple-shell. For while wandering along the coastal part of Tyre, he saw a shepherd's dog eating the so-called purple-shell, and when the shepherd, thinking the dog was bleeding, took a fleece of wool from the sheep and wiped what was coming down from the dog's mouth, and the fleece was dyed, Heracles noticed that it was not blood but the cause of a dye, which he admired and brought this great gift to King Phoenix, who, being even more astonished, 5 ordered wool to be dyed from the purple-shell and a cloak to be made for him, and thus he was the first to wear a garment of purple. After Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar his son, Cyrus the Persian reigned over the Persians, for 32 years, who, being about to engage in war against Croesus the king of the Lydians and being afraid, sent for the prophet Daniel from the land of India, who, when asked, said to Cyrus "Take courage, you are conquering your enemy. For the prophet Isaiah spoke concerning you. Thus says the Lord to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held. Nations will hearken before him, and I will break the strength of a king. He himself will build my city, and he will return the captivity of my people. The Lord Sabaoth has spoken." And Cyrus, hearing these things, fell at the feet of Daniel and said, "As the Lord your God lives, I will release Israel from my land, so that they may worship their God in Jerusalem." Therefore, having drawn up in battle against Croesus, defeating him decisively and destroying 400 thousands, and taking the rest captive with him, and having completely destroyed the kingdom of the Lydians, he immediately released all the sons of Israel with Zerubbabel in Jerusalem. And after Cyrus, Darius his son, also known as Cambyses, reigned for 8 years. And after Cambyses, Artaxerxes Mnemon, for 20 years. 6 It should be known that Romus, who reigned over Rome, devised the so-called Brumalia for a reason

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Chronographia compendiaria

ΙΩΗΛΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ ΕΝ ΣΥΝΟΨΕΙ. Ἰστέον ὅτι ὁ μὲν Ἀδὰμ ἐπέθηκεν ὀνόματα τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ζῴοις χερσαίοις τε καὶ θαλαττίοις, τὸ δὲ αὐτοῦ ὄνομα καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ ἄγγελος κυρίου εἶπεν αὐτοῖς. καὶ ὁ μὲν Κάϊν ἔλαβε γυναῖκα τὴν πρώτην αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὴν Ἀζούραν, ὁ δὲ Σὴθ τὴν δευτέραν Ἀσουάμ, ὁ δὲ Ἄβελ παρθένος καὶ δίκαιοςὑπῆρχεν. ὁ δὲ Κάϊν τῆς οἰκίας αὐτῷ πεσούσης ἀπέθανεν. ὁ δὲ Σὴθ πρῶτος ἐξεῦρε γράμματα Ἑβραϊκὰ καὶ σοφίαν καὶ τὰ σημεῖα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τὰς τροπὰς τῶν ἐνιαυτῶν καὶ τοὺς μῆνας καὶ τὰς ἑβδομάδας, καὶ τοῖς ἄστροις ἐπέθηκεν ὀνόματα καὶ τοῖς πέντε πλανήταις εἰς τὸ γνωρίζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ μόνων. καὶ τὸν μὲν πρῶτον πλανήτην ἐκάλεσε Κρόνον, τὸν δὲ δεύτερον ∆ία, τὸν τρίτον Ἄρεα, τὸν τέταρτον Ἀφροδίτην καὶ τὸν πέμπτον Ἑρμῆν. μετὰ δὲ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν Καϊνᾶν ὁ υἱὸς Ἀρφαξὰδ συνε 4 γράψατο τὴν ἀστρονομίαν, εὑρηκὼς τὴν τοῦ Σὴθ καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ τέκνων ὀνομασίαν καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων ἐν πλακὶ λιθίνῃ γεγλυμμένην. οἱ γὰρ τοῦ Σὴθ ἔκγονοι προμυηθέντες ἄνωθεν τὴν μέλλουσαν γενέσθαι φθορὰν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐποίησαν δύο στήλας, μίαν μὲν λιθίνην ἑτέραν δὲ πλινθίνην, λογισάμενοι ὅτι, εἰ μὲν δι' ὕδατος ὁ κατακλυσμός, ἡ λιθίνη στήλη μενεῖ καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γεγλυμμένα, εἰ δὲ διὰ πυρός, ἡ πλινθίνη σωθήσεται. ἀπὸ Μαγουσαίων δὲ ἤτοι Περσῶν ἤρξατο ἀστρολογία καὶ μαγεία, λαβόντων ἀρχὰς ἀπὸ Νεβρὼδ τοῦ τὴν Βαβυλῶνα κτίσαντος. Μετὰ Νῖνον ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀσσυρίων Θύρρας τις τοὔνομα, ἔτη λʹ, ὃν καὶ μετεκάλεσαν Ἄρεα εἰς ὄνομα τοῦ πλανήτου ἀστέρος, ᾧ τινὶ Ἄρει πρώτην στήλην ἀνέστησαν οἱ Ἀσσύριοι, καὶ ὡς θεὸν μέχρι τοῦ νῦν προσκυνοῦντες καλοῦσι Περσιστὶ Βάαλ θεός, ὅ ἐστιν Ἄρης πολέμων θεός, οὗ καὶ ∆ανιὴλ μέμνηται. Ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Φοίνικος ἦν Ἡρακλῆς φιλόσοφος, ὁ Τύριος, καὶ τῆς κογχύλης ἐφευρετής. μετεωριζόμενος γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ παράλιον μέρος τῆς Τύρου εἶδε ποιμενικὸν κύνα ἐσθίοντα τὴν λεγομένην κογχύλην, καὶ τοῦ ποιμένος νομίσαντος αἱμάσσειν τὸν κύνα, λαβόντος πόκον ἔριον ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων καὶ ἀπομάξαντος τὸ καταφερόμενον ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ κυνός, καὶ βαφέντος τοῦ πόκου, προσέσχεν ὁ Ἡρακλῆς μὴ εἶναι αὐτὸ αἷμα ἀλλὰ βάμματος πρόξενον, ὃ καὶ θαυμάσας ὡς μέγα δῶρον τουτὶ προσήγαγε τῷ βασιλεῖ Φοίνικι, ὃς καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκπλαγεὶς 5 ἐκέλευσεν ἀπὸ κογχύλης ἔριον βαφῆναι καὶ γενέσθαι αὐτῷ περιβόλαιον, καὶ οὕτω πρῶτον αὐτὸν φορέσαι ἱμάτιον ἐκ πορφύρας. Μετὰ Ναβουχοδονόσορ καὶ Βαλτάσαρ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐβασίλευσε Περσῶν Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης, ἔτη λβʹ, ὃς πόλεμον μέλλων συμβαλεῖν πρὸς Κροῖσον τὸν τῶν Λυδῶν βασιλέα καὶ φοβηθεὶς μετεπέμψατο ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰνδικῆς χώρας τὸν προφήτην ∆ανιήλ, ὃς ἐρωτηθεὶς εἶπε πρὸς Κῦρον "θάρσει, νικᾷς τὸν ἐχθρόν σου. περὶ σοῦ γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ προφήτης Ἠσαΐας. οὕτω λέγει κύριος τῷ Κύρῳ, οὗ ἐκράτησα τῆς δεξιᾶς. ἐπακούσει ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη, καὶ ἰσχὺν βασιλέως διαρρήξω. αὐτὸς οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου, καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐπιστρέψει. εἶπε κύριος Σαβαώθ." ὁ δὲ Κῦρος ἀκούσας ταῦτα εἶπε πρὸς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ πεσὼν "ζῇ κύριος ὁ θεός σου. ἐγὼ ἀπολύσω τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ τῆς γῆς μου, ἵνα λατρεύσωσι τῷ θεῷ αὐτῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ." παραταξάμενος οὖν τῷ Κροίσῳ, κατὰ κράτος ἡττήσας καὶ χιλιάδας υʹ ἀπολέσας, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς αἰχμαλώτους σὺν αὐτῷ λαβών, καὶ τὴν τῶν Λυδῶν βασιλείαν τελείως καταλύσας, τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ πάντας εὐθέως μετὰ Ζοροβάβελ ἀπέλυσεν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Μετὰ δὲ Κῦρον ἐβασίλευσε ∆αρεῖος ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ὁ καὶ Καμβύσης, ἔτη ηʹ. μετὰ δὲ Καμβύσην Ἀρταξέρξης ὁ Μνήμων, ἔτη κʹ. 6 Ἰστέον δὲ ὅτι Ῥῶμος ὁ τῆς Ῥώμης βασιλεύσας τὰ λεγόμενα Βρουμάλια ἐπενόησεν δι' αἰτίας