{a) Nabuchadonofory &c.] Con- cerning him, Jofephus hdiS pre- ferved us a Place of Berojus, in the Xth of his Ancient Hillory, and in his firlt Book againit y/;)/>/£;7?; which may be ■ compared with Enfeb.ius^ who in his Chranicon about thefc Times, and in his Prepar. Book IX ch. 40, and 41, pro- duces this and the following Placeof /'^;^f7?«j. *' Nahopal- " lafarus his Father, hearing *' that he who was appointed " Governor over Egypt, and *' the Places about Qrlo Syria " and Phc^nice, had revolted, *• being himfelfunable to bear ** plardfiiips, he inveiled his ** Son t^abuchadonofor^ who *^ was a young Man. wiih " Part of his Power, and fent *' Him againft him And Nu" •* huchadonofor^ coming to a ** Battle with the Rebel, fmote *' him, and took him, and ** reduced the whole Land to •* his Subje^Sion again, kh^p-^ *' pened about this Time, that ** his Father 'Nabopallajarus ** fell fick, and died, in the •' City of Babylon, after he *' had reigned twenty - nine •' Years. Nabuchadona/or in a '• little Time hearing of the '■ Death of his Far her, after *'• he had put in order his Af- " fails \n Eg}pt, and the reil *! of the Couiiiry, and com- '* mitted to ibme of his Friends *•;hc Povver over the Captivus *'of Seft. 16, the Chrijlian Religio?!, *' of the Jen.vSj Phanicians^ ** Syrians, and the People a- *' bout Egypt, and ordered e- ** very thing that was left of *' any Ufe, to be conveyed to **■ Babylon ^ he hirnfelf with a " few, came through the Wil- *• dernefs to Babylon j where " he found Affairs fettled by ** the Chaldaam, and the Go- •' vernment maintained under " one of the moil eminent a- ** mongft them, fo that he *' inherited his Father's King- ** dom entire; and having ta- ^' ken a View of the Captives, '* he ordered them to be dif- ** perfed by Colonies, through- *• out all the proper Places in *• the Country about Babylon. *' And he richly adorned the •• Temple oi Belus and others, ^* with the Spoils of the War; *' and he renewed the ancient *' City of Babylony by adding *' another to it; fo as that af- *' trrwards, in a Siege, the ** River might never be turned ** cut of its Conrfe, to aflault *' the City. Ke alfo encom- ** paiTed the City with three " Walls within, and three *' without, fomemade of Tile ** and Pitch, others of Tile *' alone. The City being thus *' well walled, and the Gates *' beautifully adorned; he add- ** ed to hh Father's Palace, a *' new one, far exceeding it *• in Heighth and Coftlinefs j *' to relate the Particulars of ** which would be tedious. *• However, as exceeding great *' and beautiful as it was, it *' was finillied in fifteen Days j ** on this Palace he built very *' high VValks of Stone, which *' to the Sight appeared like " Mountains.and planted them " with all forts of Trees, and '• made what they call a Pen- " file Garden for his Wife, " who was brought up in Me- ** dia, to delight herfelf with ** the Profpedl of the moun- •* tainous Country. After he *' had begun the foremention- " ed Wail, he fell fick and *' died, having reigned forty- *' three Years. »* This Wife of NabuchaJonofor, is Nitocris, ac- cording to Hetodotusy in his Ift Book, as we learn from the great Scaliger^ in his famous Appendix to the Emendation of Time. Thefe things are ex- plained by Curtiui^ in his Vth Book, to which I refer ycu; and partly by 6"/r^i^o,Boo.kXV. and Diodorus, Book II. Bero- fus, out of whom we have quoted thefe things, and thofe before, was the Priell of Beiui, after Alexander the Great's time J to whom the Athenians erefted a Statue with a golden Tongue, in the publick Gam- ing-Place, for his Divine Pre- didions. This is mentioned hy Pliny, Book VII. Ch. 37. of his Natural Hillory. Athe- naus in his XVth, calls his Book Babylonica. Taiian (who himfelf alfo affirms, that Berofus mentions Nabuchado- nojor^) and Clemens call it Chaldaica. King Juba con- felTes, that he look out hence what he wrote concerning the Affairs oi Syria, as Tatian ob- {t:v&s. He is alfo mentioned by VitrwviuSy and by Tertul- lian in his Apology, and by the Writer of the Alexandrian Chronicon. Eu/ebius, both in his Chronicony and in the End of the IXth I JO IXth of his Praparat, tells us, that Nabuchadonofor is men- tioned alfo in Abydenus, who wrote of the Ajjyriam: The Words are thefc " Meghafthe- '* nes fays, that Nabuchodrofo- *• rus was ftronger than Hercu- «' les, and waged War againft •* Lybia and Iberza^ and having •* overcome them, he planted •* them in feveral Colonies on •* the right Shore of the Sea. *• And the Chaldaans relate •• moreover concerning him, •' that as he was going into *• his Palace on a certain time, •* he was infpired by a God, •• and fpake the following •' Words. I Nahuchodroforus •* foretel a fad Calamity that «* will befal you, O Babylo- '* niam; which neither Belus^ ** our Forefather, nor Queen *' Be/fis could perfuade the •* Fates to avert: There (hall «* come a Berfian Mule, who •* affifted by your Gods, fhall ** biring Slavery upon you; *» Medus, the Glory of the ** Jjfyriansy will alfo help to *• do this. I wiili that before •* he betrays his Countrymen, «' fome Charybdis, or Sea, •* would fvvallow him up and «' dellroy him; or that he <' were directed another way, «* through the Wildernefs, •* where there are no Cities, " or Footfteps of Men, where •• the wild Beafts feed, and •* the Birds fly about: That «* he might wander folitary *' amongrt the Rocks and «* Dens, and that a happy End *• had overtaken me, before *• thefe things were put into •• my Mind. Having prophe- •• fied this, he fuddenly dif- Of the Truth of Book IIL ** appeared." Compare this laft with that which is faid of ihisNabuchadonofory intheBook of Daniel; the fir ft out of Me- gafihenes^ we have alfo in Jo^ fephusy Book X. Chap. II. of his Ancient Hiftory; and he fays it is in the IVth of his Indian Hiftory. Eufebius like- wife has this concerning Nabu- chadonofofy out of Abydenus, ** It is reported (of the Place ** w^^;v Babylon y?««^^,^ that ** at firft, it was all Water, ** called Sea, buti?<?/«j drained '* it, and allotted to every one *' his Portion of Land, and in- *' com pa (Ted Babylon with a *' Wall, which Time has worn *' out. But 'Nabuchadonofor '* walled it again, which re- *' mained till the Macedonian ** Empire; and it had brazen ** Gates." And a little after: *• When Nabuchadonofor came ** to the Government, in fif- ** teen Days time, he walled •* Babylon with a triple Wall, *' and he turned out of their " Courfe, the Rivers Armacale *' and Acracanusy which is *' an Arm oi Euphrates And ** for the City of the Sippare^ *' nicnsy he digged a Pool " forty Furlongs round, and •' twenty Fathom deep; and " made Sluices to open, and *' water the Fields: They call ** them Guides to the Aqu^- " duS}j He alfo built up a '* Wall to exclude the Red "Sea; and he rebuilt 'T^z-^^o;?, '* to hinder the Incurfions of ** thQ Arabians; and he plant- '* ed his Palace with Trees, '* called the Penfile Gardens." Compare this with Dan. IV. 27. And Siraboy Book XV. quotes Sefl:. i6. the Chrijlian ReUgioju 171 huchadonofor^ (a) and other Chaldeans. Vaphres^ quotes thcfc Words alfo out of the fame Magajlhencs. ♦* Na- •' buchadotiofor, whofe Fame " amongft the Cbaldaam is •• greater than Hercules, went •' as far as the Pillars.''' There were others, who touched upon the Hiitory of this King, but we have only the Names of them remaining. Diodes in the lid of his ferjian Hiftory, and Pblloilratus, in that of the Indians and Phcenicians^ who fays that Tyre was befieged by him XII f Years, as Jofephuy tells us, in the forecited Place of his Ancient Hillory, and in his Ift Book againft Appion, where he quotes the following Words out of the publick A<5ts of the Phcenicians. '* When •* Ithobalus was King, t^abu- " chadonofar befieged Tyre *' thirteen Years. After him, *• Baal xt\^\\tdi ten Years; af- *' rer him. Judges were ap- *' pointed to govern Tyre; *' Eccibalust the Son of Baf- -' /Vzi'i^^, two Months; Chelbes *• the Son of Abdaius^ ten •* Months; Abbarusl\i&\\\<^- •* Prieft, three Months; Mut- *' gonus, and Gerajlratus, the *' Sons of AbdelinuSf were •* Judges fix Years; betwixt " whom, Belatorus reigned •* one. After his Death, they •' fent and fetched Cerbalus •* from Babylon; he reigned •* four Years. After his Death *' they fent for his Brother " Hirom^ who reigned twenty *' Years. In his time, Cyrus •' the P^r/za-wflourifhed.'* For the exad Agreement of this Computation with the Sacred Books, fee Jojephus in the forecited Book againft Appion: Where follows in Jofephus, thefe Words concerning Heca- taus. ♦' The Perftansy fays •* he, drew many Millions of *• us to Babylon''' And con- cerning theWar oiSennacherib, and Nabucbadono for'' iCaptivity^ fee the Place of Demetrius in Clemens, Strom I. He cat anus's authority is very little to the Purpofe, becaufe he isafpurious Writer. ^tzGer.J.VoJfiusMpon the Greek Hiftorians. Le Clerc. (<?) yind other Chaldeans, &c.] After the forecited Words of Berofusy follow thefe, ac- cording to Jofephus, in both the Places now mentioned. •' His Son E'vilmaradoch was ** made Head of the King- ** dom; he managed Affairs •* unjuftly and wantonly; af- •' ter he had reigned two *' Years, he was treacheroufly ** flain by Nerigliforoorus, who ** married his Sifter; after his ** Death, NerigUforoorus, who " thus killed him, poffeiTed " the Government, and reign- ** ed four Years. His Son La- '* borofoarcheduSya.YoMihjQign" ** ed nine Months; but be- ** caufe there appeared in him •* many evil Difpofitions, he •• was flain by the Treachery ** of his Friends. After his ** Death, they who killed him, *' agreed to devolve the Go- ** vernment Of the Triah of Book III.
** vernment upon Nabonn£<ius, •* a certain Babylonian, who •* was alfo one of the Con- ** fpirators. In this Reign. *« the Walls of the City Ba- ** by Ion, along the River, were •' beautified with burnt Brick ** and Pitch. In the feven- •* teenth Year of his Reign, ** Cyrus came out of Perjta, •* with a great Army, and «« having fubdued all the reft ** of Jj'ia, he came as far as •* Babylon; Nabonnidus, hear- •« ing of his coming, met him "with a great Army alfo, but ** he was overcome in the *• Battle, and fled away with *' a few, and fhut up himfelf •'• in the City of the Borftppeni. •* Then Cyrus having taken **. Babylon, ordered the out- •* ward Walls of the City to •* be razed, becaufe the Peo- '* pie appeared to be very " much given to change, and ** the Town hard to be taken; •• and went from thence to " Borjippus, to befiege Nabon- •* nitlus; but he rot enduring '^ the Siege, yielded himfelf *» immediately; whereupon *« Cyrus treated him kindly, ** and giving him Carmania to «' dwell in, he fent him out •* of Babylonia', and Nabonni- ** dm paffed the Remainder of *' his Days in thai Country, «« and died there." Eufeblus, m the forementioned Place, has preferved the following Words Q^AbydenuSi immediate- ly after thofe now quoted concerning Nakuchadonofor. " Af- «' ter him reigned his Son "'Erjilmarururhus: His Wife'^ ♦' Brother Nerigla/arusy who " flew him, left a Son, whofe ** Name was Lahojfcarafciis, " He dying by aviolerrrDeath, " they made Nabannidachus " King, who was not related * to him. Cyrusy when he " took BabyloffyTrnde this Man " Governor of Carmania.** This E'vilmerodach is men- tioned by Name in 2 Kings XXV. 27. Concerning the XQ^^iteScaliger That ofCy- r«/'8 taking 5rt^7o;?,agrees with this of Herodot s. " So Cyrus ** made an Irruption as far as ** Babylon j and the Babylo^ " nians having provided an " Army, expected him: As '* foon as he approached the ** City, the Babylonians fo^-'ght *' with him; bat to fave ** themfelves from being bea- " ten, they (hut them<elves '* up in the City." Comp this with the Lift q^ Jeremiah, 20, 30,31. ConcerningtheFiightat Borfippe, fee Jeremiah LI. 39. Concerning the drying up the Riveras Channel, Herodoti$s a- grees with Jeremiah^ LL 39. The Words of Herodotus are. He divided the Rivera bringing it to a ft an ding Lake, fo that he made the ancient Current pajfable, having diiJerted the Ri^ver. It is worth confider- ^ ing. whether what Diodorus relates in his fecond Book concerning Belefts the Chalde- an, mav not have refpe«f^ to Daniel, v/hofe Name in Chal- dee was Beltafm%'zar^, Dan. I. 7. The Triuh of what we read in Scripture, concerning fhe''7;'/:v/.7<^/7;jKing?, is ftrongly confirmed by the Chronology of the Ailronomical Canon of Nabonajfar. as you may iee in Sir John MayJl.^ain\Q\\voi\{y\Q' gical Canon. Le Clerc.
Seft. 1 6. the Chrijlian Religion, 173 Vaphres (^), the King of Egypt in Jeremiah^ {h) is the fame with Apries in Heroiotus, And the Greek Boolcs {c) are filled with Cyrus and his Suc- cefibrs (d) down to Darius \ and Jofephus in his Book againft Appion^ quotes many other things relating to the Jewijlo Nation: To which may be added, that that we above took {e) out of Straho and Trogus, But there is no Reafon for us Chri- ftians to doubt of the Credibility of thefe Books, becaufe there are Tefti monies in our Books, out of almoft every one of them, the fame as they are found in the Hebrew. Nor did Chrift, when he blamed [a] Vaphres, the King ofE- gypt, &c.] So the Seventy and Eufebius tranflate the He' breuj Word yiDn Chephre. He was Contemporary with Nabuchadonofor, [b) Is the fame avtth Apries ifj Herodotus, &c.] Book II.
(cj Are filled n.mth Cyrus, &c.} See the Places a[ready quoted, and Diodorus Siculus^ Booii n. and Cteftas in \i\iPer- fuks i and Jujiin, Book IV. Chap. 5. and the toUo'.ving. The Foundation of the Tem- ple of 'Jerufalem was laid in Cyrus'^s tirrc, and was finifhed in Darius' s^ according to Be- rofuSy as Theophilus Atitiochenus proves.
[d) Don.vn to Darius, &c.] Cadomanmis. See the foremen- tioned Perfons, and ^^fchylus's Account of Per/ia, and rhe Writers of the Affairs of Alex- ander. Tn the time of this Da- rius. Jaddus was the High- Priert of tJie Ihhrenvs, Nehem. Xn. 22. the fame that went out to meet Alexander the Great, according to the Rela- tion of Jofephus, in his An- cient Hiftory, Book XL 8. At this time lived Hecato'us Ah- derita, fo famous in Plutarch, in his Book concerning 7/?;, and La'ertius in Pyrrho; he wrote a fingle Book concerning the fe-wsyV/henceJofephus in Book II. againft Appion, took a fa- mous Defcription of the Citjr and Temple of "Jerufalem; which Place we find in Uufe- hiusy Book IX. Chap. 9, of hisGofpel Preparation; and io each of chem, there is a Place of Clearchust who commends the Jeijuijh Wifdom, in the Words of Ariflotle. And Jo-. fephus, in the fame Book,naraes Theophilus, Theodoret, Mnafeas^ AriJiophaneSy Hermogenes,Ene- 7nerus^ Canoron, Xopyrion and others, as Per Ions who com- mended the Jei.vs, and gav© Tellimony concerning the Jenxijh Affairs.
{e) Out of Strabo and Tro-s gu5,&c ] Book I.
174 Of the 'Truth of Book III.
blamed many things in the Teachers of the Law, and in the Pharifees of his time, ever accufe them of falfifying the Books of Mo[es and the Prophets, or of ufing fuppofititious or altered Books, And it can never be proved or made credible, that after Chrift's time, the Scripture fhould be corrupted in any thing of Moment; if we do but confider how far and wide the Jewijh Nation, who every where kept thole Books, was dlfperfed over the whole World. For firft, the ten Tribes were carried into Media by the AJfyria^ts^ and afterwards the other two. And many of thefe, fixed themfelves in foreign Countries, after they had a PermilTion from Cyrus to return; {a) the Macedonians invited them inlo Alexandria with great Advantages; the Cruelty of Antiochus^ the Civil War of the Afmonai^ and the foreign Wars of Pompey and Soffius^ fcat- tered a great many; {b) the Country of Cyrene was filled with Jews y (c) the Cities of AJia (d) Ma- cedoniay (e) Lycaonia, (/) and the Ides oi Cyprus, and {a) The Macedonians invited follovvingBookXlII. Cb. 4, 5, cribed hy Jofephus in his III J e%vs w^xc (rtQoi Alexandria, Book againll Jppion, fpeaking Jofephus XIV. i.
thousands, as appears from the ivas fi7ed<ri-:th jewSyScc] See foregoing Words) after the Jojephus, Book XV J. 10. of Death 0/ Alexander, ijcent into his Ancient Hillory. Jcls VI..
Egypt and Phoenicia, by reafon 9. XI. 20.
of the Commotions in Syx\2i. To [c] The Cities of Mz, &.'C.]
which we may add that of Jofephus XII. 3 XIV. 17*.
Philo againfl Fiaccus. There XVI. 4 Jas XIX are no lefs than ten hundred {d) Macedonia y &c.] J^- thoufand Jews Inhabitants of XVII.
Alexandria, and the Country a- (e) Lycaonia, &c.] J<^i hout it, from the loiver Parts of XIV. 18.
Ly bia, to the Borders of JExWi- (f) And the Jfes 9f Cyprus, opia. See moreover Jf?/^/"^z/.r, &c.] ASisXlll. 5.
Seft. 1 6. the Chrijiiaji Religion. ly^ {a) and CretCy and others, were full of them; and that there was a vaft Number of them [b) in Rome^ we learn from(f) Horace^ (d) Juvenal^ and {e) A^ar- tiaL It is impoflible that fuch diftant Bodies of Men, f<r) A'^ Crete, &c.] Aas Aas XVIII. z. XXVIII.
XVII. 5.ofhisAntientHiftory. Sat. IV.
For ive are many.
And like the Jews, imill force you to our Sideo And Sat. V.
Let circumcifed Je=ws Believe it^ .And Sat. IX.
'•'-^This is the thirtieth Sabbath, &c.
[d) Juvenal, &c ] Sat. IX.
Some are of Parents born, ivho Sabbaths keep. And what follows. Sat. XIV.
(e) Martial, &c.] III. 4. The Sabbath-keepers Fajls.
And in other Places; as VII. Rutilius, Book I. of his Itine^ 29, and 34. XI. 97. XII. 57. rary. To which we may add that of / ii:ijh Judasa ne^er had been fuhdu" d By Pompey'j IVar^ or Titus'j Command, The mare fupprefs'd, the dire Contagion fpreads, The conquered Nation crujh the Conqueror, Which is taken out of Seneca, his City of God: He calls who laid of the fame Jetvs; them the mod wicked Nation, The Cujloms of the moft ^vicked only for this Reafon, becaufe Nation, have prevailed fo far, their Laws condemned the that they are embraced all the Negleil of the Worfhip of one World over; fo that the con- God, as we obferved before; quered give Lavjs to the Con. upon which Account, Cato querors. The Place is in Au- Major blamed Socrates. To gujlin, Book IV. Chap, II, of which may be added, theTeftimon/ 376 Of the "truth bf Book III.
Men, fhould be impofed upon by any Art wJiat- foever, or that they fhould agree in a Falfity. We may add further, (a) that almoft three hun- dred Years before Chrift, by the Care of the Egyp- tian Kings, the Hebrew Books were tranflated into Greeks by thofe who are called the Seventy ^ that the Greeks might have them in another Language, but the Senfe the fame in the main \ upon which Account they were the lefs liable to be altered. And the fame Books, were tranflated into Chaldee^ and into the Jerufalem Language •, that is, half Syriac -, {b) partly a little before, {c) and partly a little after Chrift's time. After which, followed other Greek Verfions, that of Aqidla^ Symmachusy and Theodotion \ which Or/g-^/z, and others after him, compared with the feventy Interpreters, and found no Difference in the Hiftory, or in any weiglity Matters. Philo fiourifhed in Caligula* s> time, and Jofephus lived till Vefpajian^s. Each of them quote out of the Hebrew Books, the fame things that we find at this Day. By this time the Chriflian Re- ligion