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Demetrius the Chronographer
220 BC
Demetrius the Chronologer "On the Kings in Judea" 220 BC
8 Chronological Markers
Demetrius Years
Steven Rudd
Actual years
Demetrius
BC date
Steven Rudd
Actual BC date
Estimated creation date (5554 BC + errors of + 205 - 215 - 60 years)
-
-
5484 BC
5554 BC
Estimated flood date (3298 BC + errors of + 205 - 215 - 60 years error)
-
-
3228 BC
3298 BC
Assumed exodus date was same as Josephus (1446 BC + errors of + 205 years)
-
-
1651 BC
1446 BC
Estimated date when Jacob entered Egypt (5484 - 36241)
-
-
1860 BC
1876 BC
Adam to Jacob in Egypt: Both Demetrius and Clement included 130 yrs. Cainan, Lk 3:36, but both wrongly dated Abram's birth to 70th yr. of Terah, correct is 130.
36241
3678
5484-1860 BC
5554-1876 BC
Flood to Jacob entered Egypt.
13601
1422
3228-1868 BC
3298-1876 BC
Adam to the Flood (computed: 36241 - 13601 = 2264 years).
2264
2256
5279-3015 BC
5554-3298 BC
Abraham entered Canaan until Jacob entered Egypt.
2151
215
2075-1860 BC
2091-1876 BC
Short sojourn 215 yrs. Clement used the correct long sojourn of 430 years.
2151
430
1866-1651 BC
1876-1446 BC
Assyrian captivity to Ptolemy IV (222 BC).
5742
501
796-222 BC3
723-222 BC
Babylonian captivity/Temple burned to Ptolemy IV (222 BC).
3382
365
560-222 BC3
587-222 BC
Assyrian to Babylonian captivity/Temple burned. (actual sum is 2363 not 129 years)
1292
136
796-560 BC3
723-587 BC
1. Demetrius as quoted by Eusebius in Preparation of the gospel 9.21.
2. Demetrius as quoted by Clement in Stromata/Miscellaneous 1:21.141
3. Demetrius' numbers contradict: 1. His error in wrong number or wrong Ptolemy. 2. His original numbers were changed by later scribes.
1. Demetrius the chronographer was a Greek speaking Jew who lived
and worked in Alexandria, which meant he had access to the largest library
in the world.
a. Demetrius wrote a book called "On the Kings in Judea"
which dated to Ptolemy Philopater IV (222-204 BC) and is the first extant
chronology based directly upon the Septuagint translated just 60 years
earlier in 280 BC. Demetrius is also the earliest datable Jewish author who
wrote in Greek.
b. "Demetrius is the first witness to the use of the
Septuagint, or at least of the Greek Pentateuch. His work clearly, and
perhaps exclusively, presupposes the Greek Old Testament. Evidence for a
knowledge of biblical traditions in Hebrew is scant. In fragments 2 and 3
he reflects the chronographic system of the Septuagint and shows no
knowledge of the numerical figures of the Hebrew text where they differ
from those of the Septuagint. Further, his spellings of biblical names
generally follow the Septuagint; even his phrasing is reminiscent of the
Greek Old Testament." (Demetrius the Chronographer: A New Translation, J.
Hanson, Old Testament pseudepigrapha, James H. Charlesworth, vol 2, p844,
1985 AD)
2. Demetrius would have located Mt. Sinai near the city of Madyan
(al Bad) in northwestern Arabia.
a. "He [Demetrius] says, however, that Moses fled into
Midian, and there married Zipporah ... and they dwelt in the city Madiam,
which was called from one of the sons of Abraham." (Eusesbius, Praep. Ev.
9.29, quoting Demetrius the Chronographer)
3. Original text of Demetrius:
a. Text of Demetrius in 220 BC, as recorded by Eusebius in AD
325: "From Adam until Joseph's brethren came into Egypt there were 3624
years; and from the Deluge until Jacob's coming into Egypt was 1362
years; and from the choice of Abraham from among the Gentiles and his
coming from Charran (Haran) into Canaan until Jacob and his family came
into Egypt was 215 years." (Demetrius, Quoted by Eusebius in Preparation
of the gospel 9.21)
b. Text of Demetrius in 220 BC, as recorded by Clement in AD 200:
"Demetrius in his book On the Kings of Judaea says that the tribes of
Judah, Benjamin, and Levi were not taken captive by Sennacherib, and
moreover, from that captivity when Nebuchadnezzar deported them from
Jerusalem, the period was 128 years six months. From the time when the ten
tribes were taken as prisoners from Samaria to Ptolemy IV, 573 years nine
months, and from the deportation from Jerusalem, 338 years three months.
Philo too has written of the kings of Judaea but his figures are at
variance with those of Demetrius." (Demetrius quoted by Clement of
Alexandria, Stromata/Miscellaneous 1:21.141)
4. Total error of 275 years: Demetrius made two errors that
reduced flood and creation dates by 275 years.
a. Error of 60 years: Demetrius misdated Abram's birth when
Terah was 70 (correct is 130), which reduced his flood and creation dates
by 60 years.
b. Error of 215 years: Demetrius used the 215-year short sojourn
(correct is 430) which lowered his flood and creation dates by 215 years.
i. Demetrius calculated the 215 years as follows: From Levi
entering Egypt to the birth of Kohath (17 yrs.) plus Kohath's age at the
birth of Amram (40) plus Amram's age at the birth of Moses (78) plus
Moses' age at Exodus (80) equals: 17 + 40 + 78 + 80 = 215 years
sojourning in Egypt.
c. The 215-year error of the short sojourn does not affect the
relative chronology between the creation to Abraham, but it reduced the BC
dates for creatin and the flood by 215 years.
5. Demetrius is the earliest author to include Cainan (Kainan) in
the post flood chronology (Lk 3:28) which which the Hebrew Masoretic Text
(MT) omitted.
a. The chronology of the MT lowered the date of both the flood
and creation by 130 years because of the exclusion of Cainan.
b. "The period from the Flood to Abraham in Genesis 11:10-32 in
the LXX with Kainan included equals exactly 1072 years This is the same
figure derived from Demetrius' post - Flood chronology (1362 minus 290
[215+75] equals 1072). In order for Demetrius' chronological calculations
to work, the Genesis 11 LXX text in his possession had to include Kainan
and his 130 - year begetting age. The 1072 - year calculation is
independently affirmed by the post - Flood chronology in the Samaritan
Pentateuch. The SP excludes Kainan, but matches the rest of the LXX 's
begetting ages, yielding a total of 942 years from the Flood to Abraham's
birth. Eusebius' calculation from his manuscript(s) of the LXX, sans
Kainan, also equals 942 years (Chronicle 27). When Kainan's 130 is added
to 942 from the SP and Eusebius, we reach the exact same total as the LXX
and Demetrius: 1072 years. Because of Demetrius' chronological precision,
we can conclude that Kainan necessarily appeared in his manuscript(s) of
LXX Genesis 11:13b- 14 b in ca . 220 BC. This first external witness to
the LXX was written just a few decades after its origin. Demetrius long
predates the Gospel of Luke, providing irrefutable external evidence for
Kainan's presence in LXX Genesis 11 in the late third century BC, and
annulling the theory that Kainan originally arose as a scribal error in
Luke" (New Evidence for Kainan in New Testament and LXX Papyri, Henry
Smith, 2019 AD)
6. Demetrius's chronology confirmed the Genesis 5 & 11 numbers
in the Greek Septuagint (LXX) against the Masoretic Text (MT). Recent
research by the author has concluded the Jews corrupted the text in the MT
at Zippori in AD 160 to chronologically exclude Jesus of Nazareth as a
messiah. The Masoretic text we possess today, the Seder Olam Rabbah, and
the Mishnah are three important Jewish documents were fabricated at Zippori
between AD 160-200. They reduced the age of the earth from 5554 BC to 4174
BC to push Jesus outside their 1708-year window of expectation between 4292
- 6000 years after creation. This man-made, non-Biblical Jewish
eschatological idea is witnessed in the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 11:1,
I.88.A-91.F and is believed by Jews down to the present time. Pushing
Jesus Christ outside this window was done by the Jews in AD 160 by
corrupting the chronological numbers in Gen 5,11. The autograph originals
are preserved in the Septuagint as reflected in both Demetrius and
Josephus.
a. Flood to Jacob is 1360 years: (correct is 1422 years)
i. Demetrius calculated 1360 years from the flood to Jacob
entering Egypt, which is a perfect match for the correct LXX chronology at
1422 with a net difference of 62. When you add his 60-year error in dating
the birth of Abram, there are only two years difference. (1360 years + 60 +
2 = 1422 years LXX.) The remaining 2-year difference was caused by his own
minor errors and variants.
b. Creation to Jacob is 3624 years: (correct is 3678)
i. The net difference is only 54 years which is easily accounted
for by his 60-year mistake in dating the birth of Abram. The remaining 6
years are his own minor errors and scribal errors.
c. Creation to flood is 2264 years: (correct is 2256)
i. Demetrius is in exact agreement with the LXX with only 8
additional years.
ii. Although Demetrius never gave the years from Adam to the
flood, it can easily be computed from his other two numbers: 3624 - 1360
= 2264.
iii. Notice during this period, the 60-year error of dating the
birth of Abram has no effect and the numbers are correct to our correct
understanding today.
7. Creation date of Demetrius: 5484 BC
a. Demetrius never connected his pre-exodus chronology to any
later period, which makes it impossible to know for certain his age of the
earth.
b. However, it is safe to assume he made the same two mistakes
typical of other ancient chronologers by ignoring coregencies during the
periods of the Judges and the Kings. This error added about 200-300 years
to the date of the exodus. For example, Clement dated the exodus to 1719 BC
which is 273 years higher than the correct 1446 BC. Josephus dated the
exodus to 1651 BC, which is 205 year higher than the correct 1446 BC. Being
an early Jewish writer, Demetrius, likely dated the exodus to between
1650-1675 BC. Let us assume Demetrius and Josephus both made the same
205-year error and misdated the exodus to 1651 BC.
c. Starting with an assumed error of 205-year additional years
from the birth of Christ to the exodus and subtracting Demetrius'
215-year error of the short sojourn and subtracting the 60-year error of
the birth of Abram, this set his relative chronology 275 years lower than
what we know to be correct. (205 - 215 - 60 = -70) The net difference is
only 70 years lower than the correct date of creation. (correct is 5554
BC). Demetrius' creation date is 5484 BC.
d. The BC dates for the chronology of Demetrius can now be
calculated as reflected in the chart.
8. Conclusion:
a. Chronology of Demetrius:
i. Demetrius's assumed exodus date was 1651 BC (1446 BC + 205
assumption error years)
ii. Demetrius's estimated creation date was 5484 BC (5554 BC -
70 years)
iii. Demetrius's estimated flood date was 3228 BC (3298 BC - 70
years)
b. Demetrius was the most accurate ancient Jewish chronologer
because of his reliance upon the Septuagint which had been translated only
60 years earlier.
i. His four major errors or ignoring coregencies of Judges and
Kings, misdating the birth of Abraham and using the 215-year short sojourn
(Clement used 430 years for sojourn).
ii. Both Demetrius and Clement correctly included the 130 years
of Cainan that Josephus omitted.
iii. He correctly dated creation and the flood only 70 years too
low.
iv. He correctly dated Jacob entering Egypt only 16 years too
low.
c. Demetrius' exodus date of 1651 BC is corrected to a
perfect match of 1446 BC when you remove the 205 extra years that are
assumed to be added to his chronology during the Judges and Kings. Keep in
mind the perfect match is achieved by removing the assumed 205 extra error
years typical of ancient chronologers.
Authorities on Demetrius the Chronographer:
1. "DEMETRIUS THE CHRONOGRAPHER. A Jewish historian-exegete who
probably flourished in Egypt during the last quarter of the 3d century
B.C.E. He composed at least one work, probably entitled On the Kings in
Judaea, that appears to have chronicled Jewish history from the time of the
patriarchs until the postexilic period. Only a few fragments of the work
survive. Six extant fragments are reliably attributed to Demetrius. They
suggest a work closely, probably exclusively, dependent on the LXX, written
in straightforward, unadorned Gk style. The fragments especially deal with
questions of chronology arising from the biblical text, hence the
designation chronographer (Freudenthal). Though he rehearses biblical
history in the tradition of certain Hellenistic historians, such as
Eratosthenes, Manetho, and Berossus, Demetrius displays an explicit
interest in exegetical problems. In his exegetical approach, he appears to
employ an established method of interpretation known as aporiai kai luseis
("problems and solutions," or "questions and answers") used by
pagan writers to interpret the writings of Homer and Hesiod and later
applied by Philo of Alexandria in interpreting Genesis and Exodus. Five of
the Demetrius fragments (4 of which are explicitly attributed to him) are
preserved by Eusebius in Praep. Evang., Book 9, although Eusebius states
that he is quoting the excerpts from the pagan author Alexander Polyhistor
(ca. 112-30 B.C.E.), who thus appears to be the earliest author to
mention Demetrius and quote from his work. A 6th fragment, preserved in
Clement of Alexandria Strom., Book 1, attributes a work entitled On the
Kings in Judaea to Demetrius and provides a summary of its chronological
calculations for events following the fall of Samaria and the fall of
Jerusalem until the time of Ptolemy IV Philopator (ca. 220-204 B.C.E.).
All of the fragments preserved by Eusebius focus on events in Genesis and
Exodus. Fragment 1 provides a brief, unexceptional summary of Abraham's
sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22). Fragment 2 is the longest of the six
fragments (approximately 137 lines of Gk text). It treats various events
relating to Jacob and Joseph recorded in Genesis 27-50, giving special
attention to chronological questions such as the ages of the patriarchs at
various junctures in their lives, the birthdates of Jacob's sons, his
children's ages when significant events occurred, and the cumulative
number of years for certain designated periods of time, e.g., from Adam
until the time Joseph's brothers arrive in Egypt. The next three
fragments treat events from Exodus. Fragment 3 focuses on Moses,
particularly his marriage to Zipporah (Exod 2:15-22): It was
chronologically possible because she was only one generation older than
Moses; she was endogamous, a descendant of Abraham and Keturah; she was
monogamous, identified with the Cushite (Ethiopian) woman of Num 12:1.
Fragment 4 briefly treats the incident of the bitter water at Marah (Exod
15:22-27), while Fragment 5 explains how the Israelites could have left
Egypt unarmed yet managed to obtain weapons with which to fight the
Egyptians (Exod 13:18; 17:8-13). Establishing the date and provenance for
Demetrius is based primarily on Fragment 6 (Clement of Alexandria Strom.
1.21.141.1-2), in which the reign of "Ptolemy the 4th" (Philopator,
220-204 B.C.E.) is used as a reference point for making certain
chronological calculations pertaining to the length of time between 2
events: the deportation of the 10 tribes after the fall of Samaria (722
B.C.E.) and the deportation of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah after the
fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.E.). Because the calculations present several
difficulties, various textual emendations have been suggested, some of
which identify him as Ptolemy III (246-221 B.C.E.) or Ptolemy VII
Euergetes II (170-164 and 145-117 B.C.E.). These alternative
suggestions, however, have not won widespread acceptance. Consequently,
because it is safe to assume that Demetrius would bring his chronological
calculations down to his own time, and that he would define this time in
terms of his own reigning Ptolemy, his date is confidently set in the last
quarter of the 3d century B.C.E. Because Ptolemaic rule at this time was
concentrated in Egypt, Demetrius is usually placed in an Egyptian, or even
more specifically, an Alexandrian setting. Yet since the extent of
Ptolemaic rule prior to the battle of Paneion (200 B.C.E.) encompassed
Syria as well as Egypt, the setting might have been Palestine, or even
Cyrene. The ability to set a relatively firm date for Demetrius is
important in assessing his overall significance for Judaism in the
Hellenistic period. He thus has the distinction of being the earliest named
Jewish author known to have written in Greek. His importance is related to
at least the following areas: (1) LXX studies. He is an important, reliably
dated witness for the existence of a Gk version of Genesis and Exodus
(perhaps the Gk Pentateuch) as early as the 3d century B.C.E. Indeed,
depending on the date of Ezekiel the Tragedian, Demetrius may be the
earliest independent witness of LXX Genesis and Exodus. In any case, he
becomes an important resource for the study of LXX origins. (2) Jewish
historiography. Though brief, the Demetrius fragments provide an early
instance of a Jewish author in the tradition of other Hellenistic
"cultural" historians, Berossus (Babylon) or Manetho (Egypt), who wrote
national histories promoting their respective peoples and cultures. More
specifically, his explicit interest in chronography perhaps testifies to
the increased respect this particular intellectual discipline had begun to
enjoy, especially among Jews, in the Hellenistic period. It has been
plausibly suggested that Demetrius belonged to a school of chronographical
interpretation that sought systematically to apply principles of
Hellenistic "scientific historiography" to biblical interpretation.
Certainly, his work should be viewed alongside other Jewish writings with
similar chronological interests, such as Jubilees, Genesis Apocryphon, and
Seder Olam. (3) Biblical exegesis. Demetrius displays a consistent interest
in resolving difficulties in the biblical text. Besides questions of
chronology, he addresses other questions the text might pose for a critical
reader: Why did Joseph remain in Egypt 9 years flourishing without
reporting his whereabouts to his aged father in Canaan? Why did he show
partiality to Benjamin? Why is the sinew of the thigh of cattle not eaten
by Jews? These may be questions asked by Jews as they began to read the
biblical text critically, influenced perhaps by Hellenistic "scientific
historiography." Or, perhaps they are questions asked by non-Jews, either
unsympathetic or manifestly hostile, as they became aware of Jewish
biblical history. In these instances, as well as in his discussion of
Moses' marriage to Zipporah, Demetrius appears to be interpreting the
biblical text not merely to resolve chronological difficulties in the text
as an intellectual exercise, but to answer such questions of religious
practice as whether Jews should intermarry with non-Jews, or why certain
food laws are observed." (ABD, Demetrius the Chronographer)
2. "Of the six fragments usually attributed to Demetrius, only
four bear his name (frags. 2-4). The first five of these fragments are
preserved in Eusebius (Praep. Ev. 9) and the sixth in Clement of Alexandria
(Strom. 1.141.1-2). The five fragments from Eusebius are quotations of
Alexander Polyhistor (On the Jews), which quotes from Demetrius's work.
If Clement is to be trusted, the title of this work was On the Kings in
Judea. There is some question as to whether or not fragments 1 and 4 are by
Demetrius, as fragment 1 is anonymous and fragment 4 is very brief.
Certainty in either case is difficult. Difficult to date with any
certainty, the sixth fragment (from Clement) suggests that the reign of
Ptolemy IV Philopator (221-204 B.C.) is a terminus ante quem for
Demetrius's work. The extant work of Demetrius revolves chiefly around
the chronology of the biblical accounts as found in Genesis. Because
Demetrius's work is similar in content to books such as Jubilees, the
rabbinic Seder ˓Olam Rabbah and the Genesis Apocryphon from Cave 4 at
Qumran, B. Z. Wacholder (1964, 56) has suggested that these writings fall
into three different schools of interpretation of biblical history, with
Demetrius on the most developed end and the rabbinic Seder ˓Olam Rabbah on
the most conservative, with the sectarian Jubilees and Genesis Apocryphon
closer in approach to Demetrius and other writings such as
[pseudo]-Eupolemus and Artapanus. In fragment 2, Demetrius precisely
calculates the dates of the various figures in Genesis starting with Jacob
and ending with Moses. Fragment 3 picks up the story with Moses' murder
of the Egyptian overseer and ends with a discussion of the genealogy of
Zipporah, explaining the difficulty of Moses' and Zipporah's marriage
(Ex 2:16 LXX), since they seem to come at mutually exclusive points in the
lineage from Abraham. Fragment 4 is a conflation of unknown ratio of both
the OT and Demetrius's chronographic work, dealing with the short story
in Exodus 15:22-27 of the bitter fountain turned sweet after the
appropriate wood is thrown in, and the oasis at Elim. Fragment 5 explains
the possession by the Israelites of weapons (Ex 17:8-13), when they
supposedly only went out to pray for three days, and suggests that the arms
were salvaged from the drowned Egyptians. Fragment 6, taken from Clement of
Alexandria, is a brief chronology of the time from the fall of the northern
kingdom of Israel until the accession of Ptolemy IV. There is apparently
some corruption in this last fragment, leading to chronological problems,
for which various emendations have been suggested. Demetrius is obviously
concerned to deal with lacunae and contradictions found in the biblical
writings, especially with regard to chronology, but also, apparently, with
regard to other thorny details, such as the possession of weapons by the
Israelites when they had merely gone out to pray. So little of
Demetrius's work survives that it is difficult to determine its exact
nature-it is entirely possible that the chronographic sections that make
up the bulk of the surviving Demetrius were only a small part of the whole,
which his title (if we are to trust Clement), On the Kings of Judea, would
suggest might have been wider in scope." (Dictionary of New Testament
background, C. A. Evans & S. E. Porter, Demetrius, p 268, 2000 AD)
II. Full text of the Extant Fragments of Demetrius the Chronographer
From Eusebius Preaparatio Evangelica 9:29.1-3
"'DEMETRIUS described the slaying of the Egyptian, and the quarrel with
him who gave information about the deceased man, in the same way as the
writer of the Sacred Book. [c] He says, however, that Moses fled into
Midian, and there married Zipporah the daughter of Jothor, who was, as far
as one may conjecture from the names, one of the descendants of Keturah, of
the stock of Abraham, from Jexan who was the son of Abraham by Keturah: and
from Jexan was born Dadan, and from Dadan Raguel, and from Raguel, Jothor,
and Hobab: and from Jothor Zipporah, whom Moses married. 'The generations
also agree; for Moses was seventh from Abraham, and Zipporah sixth. [d] For
Isaac, from whom Moses descended, was already married when Abraham at the
age of a hundred and forty married Keturah, and begat by her a second son
Isaar. Now he begat Isaac when he was a hundred years old; so that Isaar,
from whom Zipporah derived her descent, was born forty-two years later than
Isaac. 'There is therefore no inconsistency in Moses and Zipporah having
lived at the same time. And they dwelt in the city Madiam, which
was called from one of the sons of Abraham. For it says that Abraham sent
his sons towards the East to find a dwelling-place: for this reason also
Aaron and Miriam said at Hazeroth that Moses had married an Aethiopian
woman." (Eus., Praep. Ev. 9.29, quoting Demetrius the Chronographer)
Fragment one
So much says Polyhistor; to which he adds, after other (sentences), saying;
But not long after, God commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a whole
burnt offering to him. And when he led his son up to the mountain, he
heaped up a pyre, and placed Isaac on it. But when he was about to
sacrifice him, he was prevented by an angel, who provided him with a ram
for the offering. And Abraham took his son down from the pyre and offered
the ram.
Fragment two
1. Let us return again to Polyhistor: Demetrius Concerning
Jacob, from the Same Writing of Polyhistor. Demetrius says that Jacob was
(77) years old when he fled to Haran in Mesopotamia, having been sent away
by his parents on account of the secret enmity of Esau towards his brother
(which was due to the fact that his father had blessed him thinking that he
was Esau), and in order that he might acquire a wife there.
2. Jacob, then, set out for Haran in Mesopotamia, having left his
father Isaac, who was 137 years of age, while he was himself 77 years old.
3. Then after spending 7 years there, he married two daughters of
Laban, his maternal uncle, Leah and Rachel, when he was 84 years old. In
seven more years, 12 children were born to him. In the 10th month of the
8th year, Reuben (was born); and in the 8th month of the 9th year, Simeon;
and in the 6th month of the 10th year, Levi; and in the 4th month of the
11th year, Judah. And since Rachel did not bear, she became envious of her
sister, and gave her own handmaid (Bilhah to Jacob as a concubine, who bore
Dan in the 4th month of the 11th year, and in the 2nd month of the 12th
year, Naptali. And Leah gave her own handmaid) Zilpah to Jacob to
concubine, at the same time as Bilhah conceived Naptali, in the 5th month
of the 11th year, and he begot a son in the 2nd month of the same year by
begot another son, whom Leah named Asher.
4. And in return for the mandrake apples which Reubel brought to
Rachel, Leah again conceived, as did her handmaid Zilpah at the same time,
in the 3rd month of the 12th year, and bore a son in the 12th month of the
same year, and gave him the name Issachar.
5. And again Leah bore another son in the 10th month of the 13th
year, whose name was Zebulun; and in the 8th month of the 14th year, the
same Leah bore a (daughter) named (Dinah). And at the same time as Leah
(conceived) a daughter, Dinah, Rachel also conceived in her womb, and in
the 8th month of the 14th year she bore a son, who was named Joseph, so
that in the 7 years spent with Laban, 12 children were born.
6. But when Jacob wanted to return to his father in Canaan, at
Laban's request he stayed six more years, so that in all he stayed for
twenty years with Laban in Haran.
7. And while he was going to Canaan, an angel of the Lord
wrestled with him, and touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, and he became
numb and went lame; on account of this the tendon of the thigh of cattle is
not eaten. And the angel said to him that fom that time on he would no
longer be called Jacob, but Israel.
8. And he came to (Salem, a city) of the land of Canaan, having
with him his children, Reuben, 12 years and 2 months old; Simeon, 11 years
and 4 months; Levi, 10 years and 6 months; Judah, 9 years and 8 months;
(Dan 9 years and 8 months;) Naptali, 8 years and 10 months; Gad, 8 years
and 10 months; Asher, 8 years; Issachar, 8 years; Zebulon, 7 years and 2
months; Dinah, 6 years and 4 months; Joseph, 6 years and 4 months old.
9. Now Israel lived beside Hamor for 10 years, and Israel's
daughter, Dinah, was defiled by Shechem the son of Hamor, when she was 16
years and 4 months old. And Israel's son Simeon, at 21 years and 4 months,
and Levi, at 20 years and 6 months of age, rushed out and slew both Hamor
and his son Shechem, and all their males, because of the defilement of
Dinah; and Jacob was 107 years old at the time.
10. To resume, when he had come to Luz (which is) Bethel, God said that
he was no longer to be called Jacob, but Israel. From that place he came to
Chaphratha, and after that to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, and there he
fathered Benjamin; and Rachel died after giving birth to Benjamin, and
Jacob lived with her for 23 years.
11. From there, Jacob came to Mamre, (which is) Hebron, to his father,
Isaac, Joseph was then 17 years old, and he was sold into Egypt, and
remained in prison 13 years, so that he was then 30 years old. And Jacob
was 120 years of age, one year before Isaac's death at 180 years of age.
12. And Joseph, having interpreted the king's dreams, governed Egypt for
7 years, in which time he married Aseneth, daughter of Pentephres the
priest of Heliopolis, and begot Manasseh and Ephraim, and 2 years of famine
followed.
13. But though Joseph had prospered for 9 years, he did not send for his
father, because he was a shepherd, as were Joseph's brothers; and to the
Egyptians it is disgraceful to be a shepherd. That this was the reason why
he did not send for him, he himself had made clear, For when his relatives
came, he told them that if they should be summoned by the king and asked
what their occupation was, they should say that they were breeders of
cattle.
14. And they were at a loss as to why Joseph gave Benjamin at breakfast a
portion 5 times as much as theirs, since he was not able to consume so much
meat. He had done this because his father had had (six) sons by Leah, and
two by his mother, Rachel; therefore, he set five portions before Benjamin,
and he himself took one; accordingly they had (six) portions, as many as
the sons of Leah received.
15. Similarly, while he gave two garments to each, to Benjamin he gave
five, and three hundred pieces of gold; and he sent (him) to his father
likewise, so that his mother's house might be equal to the other.
16. And they lived in the land of Canaan from the time when Abraham was
chosen from among the gentiles and migrated to Canaan; Abraham for 25
years; Isaac 60 years; Jacob, 130 years. All the years in the land of
Canaan were (thus) 215.
17. And in the third year of the famine in Egypt, Jacob came into Egypt
when he was 130 years old; Reuben, (44 years and 10 months); Simeon, 44
years; Levi, 43 years (and 2 months); Judah, 42 years, and (4) months;
(Dan, 42 years and 4 months); Naphtali, 41 years and (6) months; Gad, 41
years and (6) months; Asher, 40 years and 8 months; (Issachar, 40 years and
8 months); Zebulun, (39 years and 10 months); Dinah, 39 years; and
Benjamin, (22) years old.
18. But Joseph (he says) was already there in Egypt, (at age) 39; and
from Adam until Joseph's brothers came into Egypt there were 3624 years;
and from the deluge until Jacob's coming into Egypt, 1360 years; and from
the time when Abraham was chosen from among the gentiles and came from
Haran into Canaan until Jacob and his family came into Egypt there were 215
years.
19. But Jacob came into Haran to Laban when he was (77) years old, and
begot Levi (....) And Levi lived on in Egypt for 17 years, from the time of
his coming from Canaan into Egypt, so that he was 60 years old when he
begot (Kohath). And in the same year in which (Kohath) was born, jacob died
in Egypt, after he had blessed the sons of Joseph, when he himself was 147
years old, leaving Joseph at the age of 56 years. And Levi was 137 years
old when he died. And when (Kohath) was 40 years old he begot Amram, who
was 14 years old when Joseph died in Egypt at the age of 110; and (Kohath)
was 133 years old when he died. Amram took as his wife his uncle's daughter
Jochebed, and when he was 75 years old he begot Aaron (and Moses). But when
he begot Moses, Amram was 136 years old when he died,.
Fragment three
1. Demetruis described the slaying of the Egyptian and the
quarrel with the man who disclosed the information about the one who die in
the same way as the writer of the Sacred Book. He says, however, that Moses
fled into Midian and there married Zipporah the daughter of Jethro, who
was, as far as it may be conjectured from the names of those born from
Keturah of the stock of Abraham, a descendant of Jokshan, who was the son
of Abraham by keturah. And from Jokshan was born Dedan, and from Dedan,
Reuel, and from Reuel, Jothro and Hobab, and from Jethro, Zipporah, whom
Moses married.
2. The generations also agree, for Moses was seventh from
Abraham, and Zipporah, sixth. For Isaac, from whom Moses descended, was
already married when Abraham, at the age of 140 married Keturah, and begot
by her a second son (Jokshan). But he begot Isaac when he was 100 years
old, so that (Joksan), from whom Zipporah derived her descent, was born 42
years later.
3. There is, therefore, no inconsistency in Moses and Zipporah
having lived at the same time. And they lived in the city of Midian, which
was named from one of the sons of Abraham. For it (i.e.Scripture) says that
Abraham sent his sons to the East to settle there. And (it says that) for
this reason also, Aaron and Miriam said at Hazeroth that Moses had married
an Ethiopian woman.
Fragment four
And again after a little.
From there they went for three days, as Demetrius himself says, and the
Sacred Book agrees with him. Since he (i.e. Moses) found there not sweet
but bitter water, when God said he should cast some wood into the fountain,
the water became sweet. And from there they came to Elim, where they found
12 springs of water and 70 palm trees.
Fragment five
And after a short space;
Someone asked how the Israelites had weapons, since they came out unarmed.
For they said that after they had gone out on a three-day journey, and made
sacrifice, they would return again. It appears, therefore, that those who
had not been drowned made use of the others arms.
Fragment six (Clement of Alexandria, Strom 1.141.If.)
But Demetrius says, in his (work) On the Kings of Judaea, that the tribe of
Judah and (those of) Benjamin and Levi were not taken captive by
Sennacherib, but from this captivity to the last (captivity), which
Nebuchadnezzar effected out of Jerusalem, (there were) 128 years and 6
months. But from the time when the ten tribes of Samaria were taken captive
to that of Ptolemy the 4th, there were 573 years and 9 months. But from the
time (of the captivity) of Jerusalem (to Ptolemy the 4th), there were 338
years (and) 3 months.
By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.
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