said, that there was originally one vast abyss, which was enveloped in universal darkness. This abyss was inhabited by myriads of hideous miscreated beings, horrid to imagination. The poet Milton seems to allude to this description of Berosus, when he speaks of The secrets of the hoary deep, a dark Without dimension, where length, breadth, and height, And time, and place were lost where nature bred Perverse all monstrous, all prodigious things, Abominable, unutterable, and worse Than fables yet have feign'd, or fear conceiv'd, Gorgons, and Hydras, and Chimeras dire. After having given an account of chaos, Berosus tells us, that a delineation of this history, and all these monstrous forms were to be seen in Babylonia and from this undoubtedly he borrowed this motley representation. The whole is certainly taken from antient hieroglyphics. Oannes now proceeds to the works of the creation, and the formation of the heavens: at which time all the animals of the deep were annihilated. A set of rational beings succeeded, who partook of divine knowledge: but not being able to bear the brightness of new-created light, they perished. Upon this, another set of rational beings, were formed, who were able to bear the light. The Deity also formed the stars, together with the sun, and moon, and five planets. He then gave an account of the wickedness of men, and the ruin of all mankind by a deluge, except Sisuthrus. These are the contents of the first book of Berosus. In the second he promises to write of the kings, who reigned in Babylonia: which history, if we may believe Abydenus and Apollodorus, containing an antediluvian account of the world. In this notion they are followed by that very learned father, Eusebius. At this rate, Berosus expended his labour upon times the most uncertain, and the least interesting; and of his real ancestors, the genuine Babylonians and Chusdim, said not a word. For had it appeared to Eusebius, that there was any further account given of the kings of Babylon, and their achievements, he could not but have mentioned it; as it was of such consequence to him as a chronologer, and so connected with the purport of his writings. But, if we may judge from his silence, there was no such account: and the reason, as I before said, is plain. For whatever kings may have reigned at Babylon, or in Chaldea, they have had their series reversed; and by a groundless anticipation have been referred to another period. But if we turn the tables, and reduce the series to its origi nal order; we shall find Sisuthrus, the Patriarch, stand first: and whoever they may be, who are brought between him and Alorus, they will come after. For Alorus will be found to be no other than 6 Nimrod, the son of Chus. He is by Berosus truly styled Xandros, one of the Chusdim, or Chaldeans; and represented as the first king of Babylon. He was indeed the first who reigned upon earth; and we need no other proof, that this is the truth, than the words of these very writers Abydenus and Apollodorus. 47 Χαλδαίων Βασιλευσαι δε της χώρας μεν της σοφιας περι τοσαυτα. πρώτον δε εται Αλωρον. So much for the wisdom of the Chaldeans. It is said that the first king in this country (Chaldea) was Alorus. To the same purpose Apollodorus. Ταύτα μεν ὁ Βηρωσσος ιςορησε, င် 46 Παρα μεν Χαλδαίοις πρωτος ὁ άρξας αυτων Αλωρος. Chron. Paschale. p. 23. 47 The Chaldeans were famed for their knowledge in astronomy and other sciences; and, according to Abydenus, the previous account given by Berosus was concerning the wisdom of this people. He then concludes ; Χαλδαίων μεν της σοφίας περί τοσαυτα : So much for the wisdom of the Chaldeans: we come now to their kings. The first of these was Al rus, a Chaldean by birth, &c. Who can suppose that this relates to an antediluvian æra? And Eusebius puts the matter out of all doubt: Οι Χαλδαίοι πρωτοι ανηγόρευσαν ἑαυτες βασιλεις, ὧν πρωτος Εύηχους, ὁ παρ ̓ ἡμιν Νευροδ (οι Νεμροδ CaoλEVEY. Eusebii Chron. P. 14. πρωτον γενεσθαι βασιλιά Αλωρον εκ Βαβυλωνος Χαλδαιον. What the Greeks and Romans rendered Chaldæus, whom we in our scripture version idly follow, is in the original Chasdim or Chusdim, one of the sons of Chus; and the purport of this extract from Berosus is very explicit and particular; that the first of all kings, that is the first person who reigned in the world, was a man styled Alorus, who was of Babylon, and one of the Chusdim or Cuthites, How is it possible to imagine that this description refers to an antediluvian? We may therefore close the account with that curious passage from Eupolemus, which was preserved by the same Alexander Polyhistor to whom we are indebted for the fragment from Berosus. He tells us that Babylon was the first built city in the world, founded by some of those persons who had escaped the deluge, who were of the Giant race. They likewise erected the celebrated tower. But when that was thrown down by the hand of God, the Giants were scattered over the face of the earth. 48 Πολιν Βαβυλωνα πρωτον μεν κτισθηναι ὑπο των διασωθέντων εκ τε κατακλυσμο είναι δε αυτες Γιγαντας, οικοδομειν δε τον ιςορεμενον Πύργον. Πεσοντος δε τετε ὑπο της τε Θες ενεργειας, της Γίγαντας διασπαρηναι καθ' ὅλην την γην. Eusebii Præp. Evang. 1. 9. c. 17. p. 418. Who the personages may be, who intervene between Sisuthrus and Alorus, that is between Noah and Nimrod, is hard to determine. Thus much we know, that the Patriarch never assumed royalty; so that there could be no connexion between them as monarchs in succession. The series exhibited in the history must have been by family descent, in which Nimrod stood only fourth; so that all the personages but two, of those who had been introduced in the interval, are probably kings of other places in Chaldea; or priests who had a kind of sovereign rule, and have been wrongly inserted. Sisuthrus is, past controversy, Noah. Amelon is composed of the titles of Ham, consisting of Am El On, all relating to the Sun or Orus, under which character this person was in aftertimes worshipped. Daus Pastor is by Apollodorus expressed Daonus, from 50 Da On, the Sun, a title assumed by Ham and his sons. Amenon, like Amelon, is made up of terms which are all titles of the same person, 49 Cedrenus p. 11. 4) Νωε Ξισαθρος παρα Χαλδαίοις. 50 It is a title given to Orion, who was the same as Nimrod. Chron. Pasch. 36. He is styled Chan-Daon, the Lord Daon, by Lycophron; who mentions Τριπάτορος φασγανον Κανδαινος. ν. 328. scilicet Ωρίωνος, ἵν και Κανδαινα Βοιωτοι καλεσιν. Schol. ibid. So Megalorus of Abydenus is Mag-Alorus; in other words, Magus Alorus, Nebrodes, Orion, the chief of the Magi. |