A sixth passage which Polyhistor attributes to Eupolemus in Eusebius' quotations of Polyhistor is usually considered spurious as being dissimilar to the other passages quoted and has come to be called Pseudo-Eupolemus.
Style and vocabulary indicate the writing as also originally in Greek and the date of composition of the seemingly genuine passages is about
158/7 BC. That the author dates his work by the
Seleucids rather than the
Ptolemies suggests
Palestinian rather than
Egyptian origin. It has been speculated that the author might be the Eupolemus who was ambassador of
Judas Maccabeus to
Rome as found in
1 Maccabees 8.17f and
2 Maccabees 4.11.[3]
Writings
The fragments usually considered Eupolemus' genuine work are:
A statement that
Moses was the first wise man, that he taught the alphabet to the Jews who passed it on to the
Phoenicians who passed it on to the Greeks, and that
Moses first wrote laws for the Jews (Praep. 9.26.1).
Some chronology about the period from Moses to
David and some details of David's arrangements for building the temple followed by purported transcripts of letters exchanged between King
Solomon and "Vaphres King of Egypt" and between Solomon and "Souron the King of
Tyre", the Biblical
Hiram (Praep. 9.30.1–34.18).
A short statement about gold shields made by Solomon (Praep. 9.34.20).
A very short account of the persecution of the prophet
Jeremiah by King "Jonachim" who seems to correspond to the Biblical kings
Jehoiakim,
Jehoiachin, and
Zedekiah followed by a short fictionalized account of the fall of Judah ending with the note that Jeremiah preserved the ark and the tablets (Praep. 9.39.2–5).
A chronological summary indicating 5,149 years from
Adam to the 5th year of
Demetrius (Strom. 1.141,4).
Writing of Pseudo-Eupolemus
The fragment usually known as Pseudo-Eupolemus (Praep. 9.17.2–9) relates:
The Assyrian city of
Babylon [sic] was built by giants who escaped the
Flood and they also built the tower. After its destruction the giants were scattered.
There follows a summary of
Abraham's career based on the Biblical account with some changes and details similar to those found in the Genesis Apocryphon and
Josephus and in
Enochite tradition. Abraham is particularly knowledgeable about
astronomy and when he goes down to Egypt he teaches
astrology to the Egyptian priests and explains that Enoch first discovered astrology.
Then follows a puzzling passage which seems to have little to do with the context and may be garbled:
For the
Babylonians say that the first was
Belus, who is the same as
Cronus, and that of him were born sons named Belus and
Canaan. This Canaan fathered the father of the
Phoenicians, whose son was Chum/Chus, called by the Greeks Asbolus and was the father of the
Ethiopians and the brother of Mestraim, the ancestor of the
Egyptians.
Traditionally many translators have emended Canaan to Cham, that is Ham since in
Genesis 10.6
Ham is the father of
Cush and
Mizraim. However the author here claims to be relating Babylonian tradition, not Hebrew tradition, for whatever that is worth. Asbolus means 'sooty'.
Robert Doran in his translation in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume 2, emends einai Kronon 'is the same as Cronus' to einai Kronou 'is son of Cronus' noting that in no other text is anyone called Belus ever equated with Cronus. However, in
Sanchuniathon's Historie, we find the gods Cronus & Elus in the same place on the genealogical tree, even though Elus is equated to
El in this case.
The account concludes by indicating that the Greeks relate that
Atlas discovered astrology but that Atlas is really Enoch and that Enoch learned from the angels of God.
Robert Doran gives reason for believing that this fragment may be part of the genuine work of Eupolemus despite earlier doubts.[4]
References
^"Eupolemus". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
^Mercer dictionary of the Bible By Watson E. Mills, Roger Aubrey Bullard Page 272
ISBN978-0-86554-299-0 (1990)
^Martin McNamara writes: "The writer is probably to be identified with Eupolemus, the son of John, the son of Accos, who according to 1 Macc 8:17 and 2 Macc 4:11 was sent together with Jason son of Eleazar on an embassy to Rome in 161 B.C. to negotiate a treaty between the resurgent Hasmoneans and the Roman Republic. Evidently Eupolemus was a friend of the Jewish ruler Judas Maccabee and a gifted diplomat as well, since he succeeded in his mission. He may have been a priest since he speaks at length in his writing of Solomon's temple. He composed his work in the year 158/157 B.C." (page 222 of Intertestamental Literature, Martin McNamara,
Glazier (Michael) Inc., U.S.; New Ed edition, Feb 1991,
ISBN0-89453-256-1).
^Cf also Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spano, "(Pseudo-)Eupolemus and Shechem: Methodology: Enabling the Use of Hellenistic Jewish Historians' Work in Biblical Studies", in: Lester L. Grabbe (ed.), Enquire of the Former Age. Ancient Historiography and Writing the History of Israel (ESHM 9; LHB/OTS 554), New York: T & T Clark 2011, 77-96
Selected bibliography
"Eupolemus", translated by F. Fallon (pp.861-872), and "Pseudo-Eupolemus", translated by R. Doran (pp. 873-879) in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume 2, edited by James H. Charlesworth, Doubleday; New York, 1985.
ISBN0-385-18813-7.
Eusebius
Eusebius, Werke: Band 8: De Praeparatio Evangelica, ed. K. Mras. (Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte), 43,1–2 Berlin, 1954–56. (This is the standard critical edition of Eusebius.)
Eusebius, Preparation for the Gospel: Part 1, Books 1–9 , translated by Edward Hamilton Gifford, Clarendon Press; Oxford, 1903. Reissued by Baker House Company, 1991.
ISBN0-8010-3369-1 (ppr),
ISBN0-8010-3370-5 (clth). This is available on the web and the Eupolemus material begins in
Tertullian Project: Praeparatio: Book 9.
Clement of Alexandria
Clemens Alexandrinus, Werke, eds. Stählin. O. and Fruechtel. L. (Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte, 15), Berlin, 1960. This is the standard critical edition of Clement of Alexandria.
A sixth passage which Polyhistor attributes to Eupolemus in Eusebius' quotations of Polyhistor is usually considered spurious as being dissimilar to the other passages quoted and has come to be called Pseudo-Eupolemus.
Style and vocabulary indicate the writing as also originally in Greek and the date of composition of the seemingly genuine passages is about
158/7 BC. That the author dates his work by the
Seleucids rather than the
Ptolemies suggests
Palestinian rather than
Egyptian origin. It has been speculated that the author might be the Eupolemus who was ambassador of
Judas Maccabeus to
Rome as found in
1 Maccabees 8.17f and
2 Maccabees 4.11.[3]
Writings
The fragments usually considered Eupolemus' genuine work are:
A statement that
Moses was the first wise man, that he taught the alphabet to the Jews who passed it on to the
Phoenicians who passed it on to the Greeks, and that
Moses first wrote laws for the Jews (Praep. 9.26.1).
Some chronology about the period from Moses to
David and some details of David's arrangements for building the temple followed by purported transcripts of letters exchanged between King
Solomon and "Vaphres King of Egypt" and between Solomon and "Souron the King of
Tyre", the Biblical
Hiram (Praep. 9.30.1–34.18).
A short statement about gold shields made by Solomon (Praep. 9.34.20).
A very short account of the persecution of the prophet
Jeremiah by King "Jonachim" who seems to correspond to the Biblical kings
Jehoiakim,
Jehoiachin, and
Zedekiah followed by a short fictionalized account of the fall of Judah ending with the note that Jeremiah preserved the ark and the tablets (Praep. 9.39.2–5).
A chronological summary indicating 5,149 years from
Adam to the 5th year of
Demetrius (Strom. 1.141,4).
Writing of Pseudo-Eupolemus
The fragment usually known as Pseudo-Eupolemus (Praep. 9.17.2–9) relates:
The Assyrian city of
Babylon [sic] was built by giants who escaped the
Flood and they also built the tower. After its destruction the giants were scattered.
There follows a summary of
Abraham's career based on the Biblical account with some changes and details similar to those found in the Genesis Apocryphon and
Josephus and in
Enochite tradition. Abraham is particularly knowledgeable about
astronomy and when he goes down to Egypt he teaches
astrology to the Egyptian priests and explains that Enoch first discovered astrology.
Then follows a puzzling passage which seems to have little to do with the context and may be garbled:
For the
Babylonians say that the first was
Belus, who is the same as
Cronus, and that of him were born sons named Belus and
Canaan. This Canaan fathered the father of the
Phoenicians, whose son was Chum/Chus, called by the Greeks Asbolus and was the father of the
Ethiopians and the brother of Mestraim, the ancestor of the
Egyptians.
Traditionally many translators have emended Canaan to Cham, that is Ham since in
Genesis 10.6
Ham is the father of
Cush and
Mizraim. However the author here claims to be relating Babylonian tradition, not Hebrew tradition, for whatever that is worth. Asbolus means 'sooty'.
Robert Doran in his translation in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume 2, emends einai Kronon 'is the same as Cronus' to einai Kronou 'is son of Cronus' noting that in no other text is anyone called Belus ever equated with Cronus. However, in
Sanchuniathon's Historie, we find the gods Cronus & Elus in the same place on the genealogical tree, even though Elus is equated to
El in this case.
The account concludes by indicating that the Greeks relate that
Atlas discovered astrology but that Atlas is really Enoch and that Enoch learned from the angels of God.
Robert Doran gives reason for believing that this fragment may be part of the genuine work of Eupolemus despite earlier doubts.[4]
References
^"Eupolemus". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
^Mercer dictionary of the Bible By Watson E. Mills, Roger Aubrey Bullard Page 272
ISBN978-0-86554-299-0 (1990)
^Martin McNamara writes: "The writer is probably to be identified with Eupolemus, the son of John, the son of Accos, who according to 1 Macc 8:17 and 2 Macc 4:11 was sent together with Jason son of Eleazar on an embassy to Rome in 161 B.C. to negotiate a treaty between the resurgent Hasmoneans and the Roman Republic. Evidently Eupolemus was a friend of the Jewish ruler Judas Maccabee and a gifted diplomat as well, since he succeeded in his mission. He may have been a priest since he speaks at length in his writing of Solomon's temple. He composed his work in the year 158/157 B.C." (page 222 of Intertestamental Literature, Martin McNamara,
Glazier (Michael) Inc., U.S.; New Ed edition, Feb 1991,
ISBN0-89453-256-1).
^Cf also Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spano, "(Pseudo-)Eupolemus and Shechem: Methodology: Enabling the Use of Hellenistic Jewish Historians' Work in Biblical Studies", in: Lester L. Grabbe (ed.), Enquire of the Former Age. Ancient Historiography and Writing the History of Israel (ESHM 9; LHB/OTS 554), New York: T & T Clark 2011, 77-96
Selected bibliography
"Eupolemus", translated by F. Fallon (pp.861-872), and "Pseudo-Eupolemus", translated by R. Doran (pp. 873-879) in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume 2, edited by James H. Charlesworth, Doubleday; New York, 1985.
ISBN0-385-18813-7.
Eusebius
Eusebius, Werke: Band 8: De Praeparatio Evangelica, ed. K. Mras. (Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte), 43,1–2 Berlin, 1954–56. (This is the standard critical edition of Eusebius.)
Eusebius, Preparation for the Gospel: Part 1, Books 1–9 , translated by Edward Hamilton Gifford, Clarendon Press; Oxford, 1903. Reissued by Baker House Company, 1991.
ISBN0-8010-3369-1 (ppr),
ISBN0-8010-3370-5 (clth). This is available on the web and the Eupolemus material begins in
Tertullian Project: Praeparatio: Book 9.
Clement of Alexandria
Clemens Alexandrinus, Werke, eds. Stählin. O. and Fruechtel. L. (Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte, 15), Berlin, 1960. This is the standard critical edition of Clement of Alexandria.