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Now they were the grandchildren of Noah, in honor of whom names were
imposed on the nations by those that first seized upon them. Japhet, the
son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the
mountains Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along
Asia, as far as the river
Tansis, and along
Europe to
Cadiz; and settling themselves on the lands
which they light upon, which none had inhabited before, they called the
nations by their own names. For Gomer founded those whom the Greeks now
call Galatians, [Galls,] but were then called Gomerites. Magog founded
those that from him were named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called
Scythians. Now as to
Javan and Madai, the sons of Japhet; from Madai came
the Madeans, who are called Medes, by the Greeks; but from Javan,
Ionia,
and all the Grecians, are derived. Thobel founded the Thobelites, who are
now called Iberes; and the Mosocheni were founded by Mosoch; now they are
Cappadocians. There is also a mark of their ancient denomination still
to be shown; for there is even now among them a city called
Mazaca, which
may inform those that are able to understand, that so was the entire nation
once called. Thiras also called those whom he ruled over Thirasians; but
the Greeks changed the name into Thracians. And so many were the countries
that had the children of Japhet for their inhabitants. Of the three sons
of Gomer, Aschanax founded the Aschanaxians, who are now called by the
Greeks Rheginians. So did Riphath found the Ripheans, now called Paphlagonians;
and Thrugramma the Thrugrammeans, who, as the Greeks resolved, were named
Phrygians. Of the three sons of
Javan also, the son of Japhet, Elisa gave
name to the Eliseans, who were his subjects; they are now the Aeolians.
Tharsus to the Tharsians, for so was
Cilicia of old called; the sign of
which is this, that the noblest city they have, and a metropolis also,
is
Tarsus, the
tau being by change put for the
theta. Cethimus
possessed the island Cethima: it is now called
Cyprus; and from that it
is that all islands, and the greatest part of the sea-coasts, are named
Cethim by the Hebrews: and one city there is in
Cyprus that has been able
to preserve its denomination; it has been called Citius by those who use
the language of the Greeks, and has not, by the use of that dialect, escaped
the name of Cethim. And so many nations have the children and grandchildren
of Japhet possessed. Now when I have premised somewhat, which perhaps the
Greeks do not know, I will return and explain what I have omitted; for
such names are pronounced here after the manner of the Greeks, to please
my readers; for our own country language does not so pronounce them: but
the names in all cases are of one and the same ending; for the name we
here pronounce Noeas, is there Noah, and in every case retains the same
termination.
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The children of Ham possessed the land from
Syria and Amanus, and
the mountains of Libanus; seizing upon all that was on its sea-coasts,
and as far as the ocean, and keeping it as their own. Some indeed of its
names are utterly vanished away; others of them being changed, and another
sound given them, are hardly to be discovered; yet a few there are which
have kept their denominations entire. For of the four sons of Ham, time
has not at all hurt the name of Chus; for the Ethiopians, over whom he
reigned, are even at this day, both by themselves and by all men in
Asia,
called Chusites. The memory also of the Mesraites is preserved in their
name; for all we who inhabit this country [of
Judea] called Egypt Mestre,
and the Egyptians Mestreans. Phut also was the founder of
Libya, and called
the inhabitants Phutites, from himself: there is also a river in the country
of Moors which bears that name; whence it is that we may see the greatest
part of the Grecian historiographers mention that river and the adjoining
country by the apellation of Phut: but the name it has now has been by
change given it from one of the sons of Mesraim, who was called Lybyos.
We will inform you presently what has been the occasion why it has been
called
Africa also.
Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, inhabited the country
now called
Judea, and called it from his own name
Canaan. The children
of these [four] were these: Sabas, who founded the Sabeans; Evilas, who
founded the Evileans, who are called Getuli; Sabathes founded the Sabathens,
they are now called by the Greeks Astaborans; Sabactas settled the Sabactens;
and Ragmus the Ragmeans; and he had two sons, the one of whom, Judadas,
settled the Judadeans, a nation of the western Ethiopians, and left them
his name; as did Sabas to the Sabeans: but Nimrod, the son of Chus, staid
and tyrannized at
Babylon, as we have already informed you. Now all the
children of Mesraim, being eight in number, possessed the country from
Gaza to
Egypt, though it retained the name of one only, the Philistim;
for the Greeks call part of that country
Palestine. As for the rest, Ludieim,
and Enemim, and Labim, who alone inhabited in
Libya, and called the country
from himself, Nedim, and Phethrosim, and Chesloim, and Cephthorim, we know
nothing of them besides their names; for the Ethiopic war
2
which we shall describe hereafter, was the cause that those cities were
overthrown. The sons of
Canaan were these: Sidonius, who also built a city
of the same name; it is called by the Greeks Sidon;
Amathus inhabited in Amathine, which is even now called Amathe by the
inhabitants, although the Macedonians named it
Epiphania, from one of his
posterity: Arudeus possessed the island
Aradus:
Arucas possessed Arce,
which is in Libanus. But for the seven others, [Eueus,] Chetteus, Jebuseus,
Amorreus, Gergesus, Eudeus, Sineus, Samareus, we have nothing in the sacred
books but their names, for the Hebrews overthrew their cities; and their
calamities came upon them on the occasion following.
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Noah, when, after the deluge, the earth was resettled in its former
condition, set about its cultivation; and when he had planted it with vines,
and when the fruit was ripe, and he had gathered the grapes in their season,
and the wine was ready for use, he offered sacrifice, and feasted, and,
being drunk, he fell asleep, and lay naked in an unseemly manner. When
his youngest son saw this, he came laughing, and showed him to his brethren;
but they covered their father's nakedness. And when Noah was made sensible
of what had been done, he prayed for prosperity to his other sons; but
for Ham, he did not curse him, by reason of his nearness in blood, but
cursed his prosperity: and when the rest of them escaped that curse, God
inflicted it on the children of
Canaan. But as to these matters, we shall
speak more hereafter.
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Shem, the third son of Noah, had five sons, who inhabited the land
that began at
Euphrates, and reached to the
Indian Ocean. For
Elam left
behind him the Elamites, the ancestors of the Persians.
Ashur lived at
the city Nineve; and named his subjects Assyrians, who became the most
fortunate nation, beyond others. Arphaxad named the Arphaxadites, who are
now called Chaldeans. Aram had the Aramites, which the Greeks called Syrians;
as Laud founded the Laudites, which are now called Lydians. Of the four
sons of Aram, Uz founded Trachonitis and
Damascus: this country lies between
Palestine and Celesyria. Ul founded
Armenia; and Gather the Bactrians;
and
Mesa the Mesaneans; it is now called Charax Spasini.
Sala was the son
of Arphaxad; and his son was Heber, from whom they originally called the
Jews Hebrews.
3
Heber begat Joetan and Phaleg: he was called Phaleg, because he was born
at the dispersion of the nations to their several countries; for Phaleg
among the Hebrews signifies
division. Now Joctan, one of the sons
of Heber, had these sons, Elmodad, Saleph, Asermoth, Jera, Adoram,
Aizel, Decla, Ebal, Abimael, Sabeus,
Ophir, Euilat, and Jobab. These inhabited
from Cophen, an Indian river, and in part of
Asia adjoining to it.
And this shall suffice concerning the sons of
Shem.
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I will now treat of the Hebrews. The son of Phaleg, whose father
Was Heber, was Ragau; whose son was Serug, to whom was born
Nahor; his
son was Terah, who was the father of Abraham, who accordingly was the tenth
from
Noah, and was born in the two hundred and ninety-second year after
the deluge; for Terah begat
Abram in his seventieth year.
Nahor begat
Haran
when he was one hundred and twenty years old;
Nahor was born to Serug in
his hundred and thirty-second year; Ragau had Serug at one hundred and
thirty; at the same age also Phaleg had Ragau;
Heber begat Phaleg in his
hundred and thirty-fourth year; he himself being begotten by
Sala when
he was a hundred and thirty years old, whom Arphaxad had for his son at
the hundred and thirty-fifth year of his age. Arphaxad was the son of Shem,
and born twelve years after the deluge. Now
Abram had two brethren, Nahor
and
Haran: of these
Haran left a son, Lot; as also
Sarai and Milcha his
daughters; and died among the Chaldeans, in a city of the Chaldeans, called
Ur; and his monument is shown to this day. These married their nieces.
Nabor married Milcha, and
Abram married
Sarai. Now Terah hating Chaldea,
on account of his mourning for Ilaran, they all removed to
Haran of
Mesopotamia,
where Terah died, and was buried, when he had lived to be two hundred and
five years old; for the life of man was already, by degrees, diminished,
and became shorter than before, till the birth of Moses; after whom the
term of human life was one hundred and twenty years, God determining it
to the length that Moses happened to live. Now Nahor had eight sons by
Milcha; Uz and Buz, Kemuel, Chesed, Azau, Pheldas, Jadelph, and Bethuel.
These were all the genuine sons of Nahor; for
Teba, and Gaam, and Tachas,
and Maaca, were born of Reuma his concubine: but Bethuel had a daughter,
Rebecca, and a son, Laban.