The Book of the Bee 52

THE BOOK OF THE BEE

THE SYRIAC TEXT

EDITED FROM THE MANUSCRIPTS IN LONDON, OXFORD, AND MUNICH

CHAPTER LII.

THE NAMES OF THE KINGS WHO HAVE REIGNED IN THE WORLD FROM THE FLOOD UNTIL NOW.

THE MEDIAN KINGS WHO REIGNED IN BABYLON.

Darius the son of Vashtasp (Hystaspes) reigned 24 years.

Ahshesh (Xerxes) his son, 20 years.

Artahshisht the long-hand (Artaxerxes Longimanus), 41 years.

Daryash (Darius) the son of the concubine, 20 years.

Artahshisht (Artaxerxes) the ruler, 30 years.

Arses the son of Ochus, 4 years.

Daryash (Darius) the son of sham (Arsanes), 6 years.

THE YEARS OF THE EGYPTIAN KINGS.

Alexander the son of Philip, 12 years. Ptolemy the son of Lag, 40 years. Ptolemy Philadelphus, 38 years. In his third year the fifth millennium ended. This (king) asked the captive Jews who were in Egypt, and seventy old men translated the Scriptures for him, from Hebrew into Greek, in the island of Pharos. In return for this he set them free, and gave back to them also the vessels of their temple. Their names are these. Josephus, Hezekiah, Zechariah, John, Ezekiel, Elisha; these were of the tribe of Reuben. Judah, Simon, Samuel, Addai, Mattathias, Shalm these were of the tribe of Simeon. Nehemiah, Joseph, Theodosius, B Adonijah, Du>k these were of the tribe of Levi. Jothan, Abd Elisha, Ananias, Zechariah, Hilkiah; these were of the tribe of Judah. Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, Sambu>t (Sabbateus), Simon, Levi; these were of the tribe of Issachar. Judah, Joseph, Simon, Zechariah, Samuel, Shaml these were of the tribe of Zebulon. Sambu>t (Sabbateus), Zedekiah, Jacob, Isaac, Jesse, Matthias; these were of the tribe of Gad. Theodosius, Jason, Joshua, John, Theodotus, Jothan; these were of the tribe of Asher. Abraham, Theophilus, Arsam, Jason, Jeremiah, Daniel; these were of the tribe of Dan. Jeremiah, Eliezer, Zechariah, Benaiah, Elisha, Dath these were of the tribe of Naphtali. Samuel, Josephus, Judah, Jonathan, Dositheus, Caleb; these were of the tribe of Joseph. Isalus, John, Theodosius, Arsam, Abijah, Ezekiel; these were of the tribe of Benjamin.

After Ptolemy Philadelphus arose Ptolemy Euergetes; (he reigned) 26 years.

Ptolemy Philopator, 17 years.

Ptolemy Epiphanes, 24 years.

Ptolemy Philometor, 35 years. The time of the Maccabees extended to this (reign), and in it the old Covenant came to an end.

Ptolemy Soter, 17 years.

Ptolemy Alexander, 18 years.

Ptolemy Dionysius, 30 years.

THE YEARS OF THE ROMAN EMPERORS.

Gaius Julius, 4 years.

Augustus, 57 years. In the forty-third year of his reign our Lord Christ was born.

Tiberius, 23 years. In the fifteenth year of his reign our Lord was baptised; and in the seventeenth year He suffered, died, rose again, and ascended to heaven.

Gaius (Caligula), 4 years.

Claudius, 14 years.

Nero, 14 years.

Vespasian, 10 years. Immediately after he came to the throne, he sent his son Titus against Jerusalem, and he besieged it for two years, until he uprooted it and destroyed it.

Titus, 2 years.

Domitian, 15 years.

Trajan, 20 years. John, the son of Zebedee, lived until the seventh year of his reign.

Hadrian, 20 years.

Antoninus, 20 years.

Verus, 20 years.

Commodus, 14 years.

Severus, 20 years.

The house of Antoninus.

Alexander the son of Mammaea, 13 years.

Maximinius and Gordianus, 9 years.

Philip and Gallus, 10 years.

Valerianus and Gallius (Gallienus), 15 years.

Claudius and Tacitus, 16 years.

Diocletian and those that were with him, 20 years.

Constantine, 33 years.

THE KINGS OF THE PERSIANS FROM SH (SAPOR) THE SON OF HORMIZD.

In the fourth year of Constantine Caesar the Victorious, Sh reigned in Persia 70 years.

Ardash his brother, 20 years.

Vahr (Bahr) and Sh, the sons of Ardash, 20 years.

Yazdagerd, the son of Sh, 20 years.

Vahr (Bahr), the son of Yazdagerd, 20 years.

P, the son of Yazdagerd, 27 years.

Balh, the son of P, 4 years.

Kaw, the son of P, 41 years.

Chosrau, the son of Kaw, 47 years.

Hormizd, the son of Chosrau, 12 years.

From Sh to this fifteenth year of Chosrau the son of Hormizd, in which he destroyed D is three hundred and six years. The sum of all the years from Adam to this fifteenth year of Chosrau the conqueror, which is the nine hundred and sixteenth year of the Greeks, is 5861 years. From Adam to the Crucifixion is 5280 years. The whole of the Jewish economy therefore, from the time they went out of Egypt until Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus, was 1601 years. From Abraham to this year is 2031 years.

OF THE YEARS THAT HAVE PASSED AWAY FROM THE WORLD.

From Adam to the Flood was 2262 years. From the Flood to Abraham was 1015 years. From Abraham to the Exodus of the people from Egypt was 430 years. From the Exodus of the people by the hand of Moses to Solomon and the building of the Temple was 400 years. From Solomon to the first Captivity, which Nebuchadnezzar led away captive, was 495 years. From the first Captivity to the prophesying of Daniel was 180 years. From the prophesying of Daniel to the Birth of our Lord was 483 years. All these years make 5345 years. From Alexander to our Lord was 303 years. From our Lord to Constantine was 341 years. In the year 438 of Alexander the Macedonian, the kingdom of the Persians had its beginning. Know, O my brother readers, that from the beginning of the creation of Adam to Alexander was 5180 years.