years to the world's past._
Let us, then, omit the conjectures of men who know not what they say,
when they speak of the nature and origin of the human race. For some
hold the same opinion regarding men that they hold regarding the world
itself, that they have always been. Thus Apuleius says when he is
describing our race, "Individually they are mortal, but collectively,
and as a race, they are immortal."[531] And when they are asked, how,
if the human race has always been, they vindicate the truth of their
history, which narrates who were the inventors, and what they invented,
and who first instituted the liberal studies and the other arts, and
who first inhabited this or that region, and this or that island? they
reply[532] that most, if not all lands, were so desolated at intervals
by fire and flood, that men were greatly reduced in numbers, and from
these, again, the population was restored to its former numbers, and
that thus there was at intervals a new beginning made, and though
those things which had been interrupted and checked by the severe
devastations were only renewed, yet they seemed to be originated then,
but that man could not exist at all save as produced by man. But they
say what they think, not what they know.
They are deceived, too, by those highly mendacious documents which
profess to give the history of many thousand years, though, reckoning
by the sacred writings, we find that not 6000 years have yet
passed.[533] And, not to spend many words in exposing the baselessness
of these documents, in which so many thousands of years are accounted
for, nor in proving that their authorities are totally inadequate,
let me cite only that letter which Alexander the Great wrote to his
mother Olympias,[534] giving her the narrative he had from an Egyptian
priest, which he had extracted from their sacred archives, and which
gave an account of kingdoms mentioned also by the Greek historians.
In this letter of Alexander's a term of upwards of 5000 years is
assigned to the kingdom of Assyria; while in the Greek history only
1300 years are reckoned from the reign of Bel himself, whom both
Greek and Egyptian agree in counting the first king of Assyria. Then
to the empire of the Persians and Macedonians this Egyptian assigned
more than 8000 years, counting to the time of Alexander, to whom he
was speaking; while among the Greeks, 485 years are assigned to the
Macedonians down to the death of Alexander, and to the Persians 233
years, reckoning to the termination of his conquests. Thus these give
a much smaller number of years than the Egyptians; and indeed, though
multiplied three times, the Greek chronology would still be shorter.
For the Egyptians are said to have formerly reckoned only four months
to their year;[535] so that one year, according to the fuller and truer
computation now in use among them as well as among ourselves, would
comprehend three of their old years. But not even thus, as I said, does
the Greek history correspond with the Egyptian in its chronology. And
therefore the former must receive the greater credit, because it does
not exceed the true account of the duration of the world as it is given
by our documents, which are truly sacred. Further, if this letter of
Alexander, which has become so famous, differs widely in this matter
of chronology from the probable credible account, how much less can we
believe these documents which, though full of fabulous and fictitious
antiquities, they would fain oppose to the authority of our well-known
and divine books, which predicted that the whole world would believe
them, and which the whole world accordingly has believed; which proved,
too, that it had truly narrated past events by its prediction of future
events, which have so exactly come to pass!