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| Chapter XXIX.—Antiquity of Christianity.
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Chapter XXIX.—Antiquity of Christianity.
These periods, then, and all the above-mentioned
facts, being viewed collectively, one can see the antiquity of the
prophetical writings and the divinity of our doctrine, that the doctrine
is not recent, nor our tenets mythical and false, as some think; but very
ancient and true. For Thallus mentioned Belus, king of the Assyrians, and
Saturn, son of Titan, alleging that Belus with the Titans made war against
Jupiter and the so-called gods in his alliance; and on this occasion he
says that Gyges, being defeated, fled to Tartessus. At that time Gyges
ruled over that country, which then was called Acte, but now is named
Attica. And whence the other countries and cities derived their names,
we think it unnecessary to recount, especially to you who are acquainted
with history. That Moses, and not he only, but also most of the prophets
who followed him, is proved to be older than all writers, and than Saturn
and Belus and the Trojan war, is manifest. For according to the history
of Thallus, Belus is found to be 322 years prior to the Trojan war. But
we have shown above that Moses lived somewhere about 900 or 1000 years
before the sack of Troy. And as Saturn and Belus flourished at the same
time, most people do not know which is Saturn and which is Belus. Some
worship Saturn, and call him Bel or Bal, especially the inhabitants of
the eastern countries, for they do not know who either Saturn or Belus
is. And among the Romans he is called Saturn, for neither do they know
which of the two is more ancient—Saturn or Bel. So far as regards
the commencement of the Olympiads, they say that the observance dates from
Iphitus, but according to others from Linus, who is also called Ilius. The
order which the whole number of years and Olympiads holds, we have shown
above. I think I have now, according to my ability, accurately discoursed
both of the godlessness of your practices,690
and of the whole number of the epochs
of history. For if even a chronological error has been committed by us,
of, e.g., 50 or 100, or even 200 years, yet
not of thousands and tens of
thousands, as Plato and Apollonius and other mendacious authors have
hitherto written. And perhaps our knowledge of the whole number of the
years is not quite accurate, because the odd months and days are not set
down in the sacred books.691
| 691
[Usher quotes this concession as to the ἀκριβεία
or minute delicacy he could not attain. Ut supra, p. 119, note 1.] | But so far as regards the periods
we speak of, we are corroborated by Berosus,692
the Chaldæan philosopher, who made the Greeks
acquainted with the Chaldæan literature, and uttered some things
concerning the deluge, and many other points of history, in agreement
with Moses; and with the prophets Jeremiah and Daniel also, he spoke
in a measure of agreement. For he mentioned what happened to the Jews
under the king of the Babylonians, whom he calls Abobassor, and who is
called by the Hebrews Nebuchadnezzar. And he also spoke of the temple
of Jerusalem; how it was desolated by the king of the Chaldæans,
and that the foundations of the temple having been laid the second year
of the reign of Cyrus, the temple was completed in the second year of
the reign of Darius.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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