Chapter XX. Philo on the Same

‘PHILO also speaks of this in the first book of his work Concerning Jerusalem: [1]

[PHILO] “ Ἔκλυον ἀρχεγόνοισι τὸ μυρίον ὥς ποτε θεσμοῖς Ἀβραὰμ κλυτοηχὲς ὑπέρτερον ἅμματι δεσμῶν παμφαές, πλήμμυρε, μεγαυχητοῖσι λογισμοῖς, θειοφιλῆ θέλγητρα. Λιπόντι γὰρ ἀγλαὸν ἕρκος αἰνοφύτων, ἔκκαυμα βριήπυος αἰνετὸς ἴσχων, ἀθάνατον ποίησεν ἑὴν φάτιν, ἐξ ὅτ' ἐκείνου ἔκγονος αἰνογόνοιο πολύμνιον ἔλλαχε κῦδος.”

and the rest: to which after a few lines he adds:

“ Ἀρτίχερος θηκτοῖο ξιφηφόρον ἐντύνοντος λήμματι, καὶ σφαράγοιο παρακλιδὸν ἀθροισθέντος, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐν χείρεσσι κερασφόρον ὤπασε κριόν.”

and the rest that follows this.’

This then from the fore-mentioned work of Polyhistor. But Josephus also in the first book of his Antiquitiesmentions the same author in the following passage:

[JOSEPHUS] [2] ‘Now it is said that this Afren made an expedition into Libya and subdued it; and his grandsons having settled there called the land Africa after his name.

‘And my statement is confirmed by Alexander Polyhistor, who speaks thus:

‘”But Cleodemus the prophet, who is also called Malchas, in narrating the history of the Jews even as Moses their Lawgiver has narrated it, says that by Chettura Abraham had many sons: and he also mentions their names, calling three of them Afer, Assur, and Afran.

‘And from Assur Assyria was named; and from the other two, Afra and Afer, a city Afra and the country Africa. And these, he says, joined Hercules in his expedition against Libya and Antaeus: and Hercules having married the daughter of Afra begat of her a son Diodorus. And of him was born Sophonas, from whom the barbarian Sophae are called.” ‘

Let it suffice then that the story of Abraham is briefly set forth in these quotations.