and　relating；　as　if　they　were　her　own　workmanship；　as　indeed　in　these　affairs　the　Chaldean　History　cannot　but　be　the　most　credible。　Moreover；　we　meet　with　a　confirmation　of　what　Berosus　says　in　the　archives　of　the　Phoenicians；　concerning　this　king　Nabuchodonosor；　that　he　conquered　all　Syria　and　Phoenicia；　in　which　case　Philostratus　agrees　with　the　others　in　that　history　which　he　composed；　where　he　mentions　the　siege　of　Tyre；　as　does　Megasthenes　also；　in　the　fourth　book　of　his　Indian　History；　wherein　he　pretends　to　prove　that　the　forementioned　king　of　the　Babylonians　was　superior　to　Hercules　in　strength　and　the　greatness　of　his　exploits；　for　he　says　that　he　conquered　a　great　part　of　Libya；　and　conquered　Iberia　also。　Now　as　to　what　I　have　said　before　about　the　temple　at　Jerusalem；　that　it　was　fought　against　by　the　Babylonians；　and　burnt　by　them；　but　was　opened　again　when　Cyrus　had　taken　the　kingdom　of　Asia；　shall　now　be　demonstrated　from　what　Berosus　adds　further　upon　that　head；　for　thus　he　says　in　his　third　book：　〃Nabuchodonosor；　after　he　had　begun　to　build　the　forementioned　wall；　fell　sick；　and　departed　this　life；　when　he　had　reigned　forty…three　years；　whereupon　his　son　Evilmerodach　obtained　the　kingdom。　He　governed　public　affairs　after　an　illegal　and　impure　manner；　and　had　a　plot　laid　against　him　by　Neriglissoor；　his　sister's　husband；　and　was　slain　by　him　when　he　had　reigned　but　two　years。　After　he　was　slain；　Neriglissoor；　the　person　who　plotted　against　him；　succeeded　him　in　the　kingdom；　and　reigned　four　years；　his　son　Laborosoarchod　obtained　the　kingdom；　though　he　was　but　a　child；　and　kept　it　nine　mouths；　but　by　reason　of　the　very　ill　temper　and　ill　practices　he　exhibited　to　the　world；　a　plot　was　laid　against　him　also　by　his　friends；　and　he　was　tormented　to　death。　After　his　death；　the　conspirators　got　together；　and　by　common　consent　put　the　crown　upon　the　head　of　Nabonnedus；　a　man　of　Babylon；　and　one　who　belonged　to　that　insurrection。　In　his　reign　it　was　that　the　walls　of　the　city　of　Babylon　were　curiously　built　with　burnt　brick　and　bitumen；　but　when　he　was　come　to　the　seventeenth　year　of　his　reign；　Cyrus　came　out　of　Persia　with　a　great　army；　and　having　already　conquered　all　the　rest　of　Asia；　he　came　hastily　to　Babylonia。　When　Nabonnedus　perceived　he　was　coming　to　attack　him；　he　met　him　with　his　forces；　and　joining　battle　with　him　was　beaten；　and　fled　away　with　a　few　of　his　troops　with　him；　and　was　shut　up　within　the　city　Borsippus。　Hereupon　Cyrus　took　Babylon；　and　gave　order　that　the　outer　walls　of　the　city　should　be　demolished；　because　the　city　had　proved　very　troublesome　to　him；　and　cost　him　a　great　deal　of　pains　to　take　it。　He　then　marched　away　to　Borsippus；　to　besiege　Nabonnedus；　but　as　Nabonnedus　did　not　sustain　the　siege；　but　delivered　himself　into　his　hands；　he　was　at　first　kindly　used　by　Cyrus；　who　gave　him　Carmania；　as　a　place　for　him　to　inhabit　in；　but　sent　him　out　of　Babylonia。　Accordingly　Nabonnedus　spent　the　rest　of　his　time　in　that　country；　and　there　died。〃
  21。　These　accounts　agree　with　the　true　histories　in　our　books；　for　in　them　it　is　written　that　Nebuchadnezzar；　in　the　eighteenth　year　of　his　reign；　laid　our　temple　desolate；　and　so　it　lay　in　that　state　of　obscurity　for　fifty　years；　but　that　in　the　second　year　of　the　reign　of　Cyrus　its　foundations　were　laid；　and　it　was　finished　again　in　the　second　year　of　Darius。　I　will　now　add　the　records　of　the　Phoenicians；　for　it　will　not　be　superfluous　to　give　the　reader　demonstrations　more　than　enough　on　this　occasion。　In　them　we　have　this　enumeration　of　the　times　of　their　several　kings：　〃Nabuchodonosor　besieged　Tyre　for　thirteen　years　in　the　days　of　Ithobal；　their　king；　after　him　reigned　Baal；　ten　years；　after　him　were　judges　appointed；　who　judged　the　people：　Ecnibalus；　the　son　of　Baslacus；　two　months；　Chelbes；　the　son　of　Abdeus；　ten　months；　Abbar；　the　high　priest；　three　months；　Mitgonus　and　Gerastratus；　the　sons　of　Abdelemus；　were　judges　six　years；　after　whom　Balatorus　reigned　one　year；　after　his　death　they　sent　and　fetched　Merbalus　from　Babylon；　who　reigned　four　years；　after　his　death　they　sent　for　his　brother　Hirom；　who　reigned　twenty　years。　Under　his　reign　Cyrus　became　king　of　Persia。〃　So　that　the　whole　interval　is　fifty…four　years　besides　three　months；　for　in　the　seventh　year　of　the　reign　of　Nebuchadnezzar　he　began　to　besiege　Tyre；　and　Cyrus　the　Persian　took　the　kingdom　in　the　fourteenth　year　of　Hirom。　So　that　the　records　of　the　Chaldeans　and　Tyrians　agree　with　our　writings　about　this　temple；　and　the　testimonies　here　produced　are　an　indisputable　and　undeniable　attestation　to　the　antiquity　of　our　nation。　And　I　suppose　that　what　I　have　already　said　may　be　sufficient　to　such　as　are　not　very　contentious。
  22。　But　now　it　is　proper　to　satisfy　the　inquiry　of　those　that　disbelieve　the　records　of　barbarians；　and　think　none　but　Greeks　to　be　worthy　of　credit；　and　to　produce　many　of　these　very　Greeks　who　were　acquainted　with　our　nation；　and　to　set　before　them　such　as　upon　occasion　have　made　mention　of　us　in　their　own　writings。　Pythagoras；　therefore；　of　Samos；　lived　in　very　ancient　times；　and　was　esteemed　a　person　superior　to　all　philosophers　in　wisdom　and　piety　towards　God。　Now　it　is　plain　that　he　did　not　only　know　our　doctrines；　but　was　in　very　great　measure　a　follower　and　admirer　of　them。　There　is　not　indeed　extant　any　writing　that　is　owned　for　his　（15）　but　many　there　are　who　have　written　his　history；　of　whom　Hermippus　is　the　most　celebrated；　who　was　a　person　very　inquisitive　into　all　sorts　of　history。　Now　this　Hermippus；　in　his　first　book　concerning　Pythagoras；　speaks　thus：　〃That　Pythagoras；　upon　the　death　of　one　of　his　associates；　whose　name　was　Calliphon；　a　Crotonlate　by　birth；　affirmed　that　this　man's　soul　conversed　with　him　both　night　and　day；　and　enjoined　him　not　to　pass　over　a　place　where　an　ass　had　fallen　down；　as　also　not　to　drink　of　such　waters　as　caused　thirst　again；　and　to　abstain　from　all　sorts　of　reproaches。〃　After　which　he　adds　thus：　〃This　he　did　and　said　in　imitation　of　the　doctrines　of　the　Jews　and　Thracians；　which　he　transferred　into　his　own　philosophy。〃　For　it　is　very　truly　affirmed　of　this　Pythagoras；　that　he　took　a　great　many　of　the　laws　of　the　Jews　into　his　own　philosophy。　Nor　was　our　nation　unknown　of　old　to　several　of　the　Grecian　cities；　and　indeed　was　thought　worthy　of　imitation　by　some　of　them。　This　is　declared　by　Theophrastus；　in　his　writings　concerning　laws；　for　he　says　that　〃the　laws　of　the　Tyrians　forbid　men　to　swear　foreign　oaths。〃　Among　which　he　enumerates　some　others；　and　particularly　that　called　Corban：　which　oath　can　only　be　found　among　the　Jews；　and　declares　what　a　man　may　call　〃A　thing　devoted　to　God。〃　Nor　indeed　was　Herodotus　of　Halicarnassus　unacquainted　with　our　nation；　but　mentions　it　after　a　way　of　his　own；　when　he　saith　thus；　in　the　second　book　concerning　the　Colchians。　His　words　are　these：　〃The　only　people　who　were　circumcised　in　their　privy　members　originally；　were　the　Colchians；　the　Egyptians；　and　the　Ethiopians；　but　the　Phoenicians　and　those　Syrians　that　are　in　Palestine　confess　that　they　learned　it　from　the　Egyptians。　And　for　those　Syrians　who　live　about　the　rivers　Thermodon　and　Parthenius；　and　their　neighbors　the　Macrones；　they　say　they　have　lately　learned　it　from　the　Colchians；　for　these　are　the　only　people　that　are　circumcised　among　mankind；　and　appear　to　have　done　the　very　same　thing　with　the　Egyptians。　But　as　for　the　Egyptians　and　Ethiopians　themselves；　I　am　not　able　to　say　which　of　them　received　it　from　the　other。〃　This　therefore　is　what　Herodotus　says；　that　〃the　Syrians　that　are　in　Palestine　are　circumcised。〃　But　there　are　no　inhabitants　of　Palestine　that　are　circumcised　excepting　the　Jews；　and　therefore　it　must　be　his　knowledge　of　them　that　enabled　him　to　speak　so　much　concerning　them。　Cherilus　also；　a　still　ancienter　writer；　and　a　poet；　（16）　makes　mention　of　our　nation；　and　informs　us　that　it　came　to　the　assistance　of　king　Xerxes；　in　his　expedition　against　Greece。　For　in　his　enumeration　of　all　those　nations；　he　last　of　all　inserts　ours　among　the　rest；　when　he　says；〃　At　the　last　there　passed　over　a　people；　wonderful　to　be　beheld；　for　they　spake　the　Phoenician　tongue　with　their　mouths；　they　dwelt　in　the　Solymean　mountains；　near　a　broad　lake：　their　heads　were　sooty；　they　had　round　rasures　on　them；　their　heads　and　faces　were　like　nasty　horse…heads　also；　that　had　been　hardened　in　the　smoke。〃　I　think；　therefore；　that　it　is　evident　to　every　body　that　Cherilus　means　us；　because　the　Solymean　mountains　are　in　our　country；　wherein　we　inhabit；　as　is　also　the　lake　called　Asphaltitis；　for　this　is　a　broader　and　larger　lake　than　any　other　that　is　in　Syria：　and　thus　does　Cherilus　make　mention　of　us。　But　now　that　not　only　the　lowest　sort　of　the　Grecians；　but　those　that　are　had　in　the　greatest　admiration　for　their　philosophic　improvements　among　them；　did　not　only　know　the　Jews；　but　when　they　lighted　upon　any　of　them；　admired　them　also；　it　is　easy　for　any　one　to　know。　For　Clearchus；　who　was　the　scholar　of　Aristotle；　and　inferior　to　no　one　of　the　Peripatetics　whomsoever；　in　his　first　book　concerning　sleep；　says　that　〃Aristotle　his　master　related　what　follows　of　a　Jew；〃　and　sets　down　Aristotle's　own　discourse　with　him。　The　account　is　this；　as　writ