To Autolycus 3.20
Summary: From Manetho's list of Egyptian kings Theophilus shows that the Exodus under “Tethmosis” preceded famous Egyptian cities and the Greek hero Danaus.
Greek text · Otto 8:234–240
Ὁ δὲ Μωσῆς ὁδηγήσας τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ὡς ἔφθημεν εἰρηκέναι, ἐκβεβλημένους ἀπὸ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ὑπὸ βασιλέως Φαραώ, οὗ τοὔνομα Τέθμωσις, ὅς, φασίν, μετὰ τὴν ἐκβολὴν τοῦ λαοῦ ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη εἴκοσι πέντε καὶ μῆνας δʼ, ὡς ὑφῄρηται Μαναιθώς. Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Χεβρῶν ἔτη ιγ΄, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Ἀμένωφις ἔτη κ΄, μῆνας ζ΄, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτοῦ Ἀμέσση ἔτη κα΄, μῆνα α΄, μετὰ δὲ ταύτην Μήφρης ἔτη ιβ΄, μῆνας θ΄, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Μηφραμμούθωσις ἔτη κ΄, μῆνας ι΄, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Τυθμώσης ἔτη θ΄, μῆνας η΄, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Δαμφενόφις ἔτη λ΄, μῆνας ι΄, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Ὦρος ἔτη λς΄, μῆνας ε΄, τούτου δὲ θυγάτηρ ἔτη ι΄, μῆνας γ΄, μετὰ δὲ ταύτην Μερχερὴς ἔτη ιβ΄, μῆνας γ΄, τοῦ δὲ Ἄρμαϊς ἔτη δ΄, μῆνα α΄, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Ῥαμέσσης ἐνιαυτόν, μῆνας δ΄, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Μέσσης Μιαμμοὺ ἔτη [ξ]ς΄ καὶ μῆνας β΄, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Ἀμένωφις ἔτη ιθ΄, μῆνας ς΄, τοῦ δὲ Θοῖσσος καὶ Ῥαμέσσης ἔτη ι΄, οὓς φασιν ἐσχηκέναι πολλὴν δύναμιν ἱππικῆς καὶ παράταξιν ναυτικῆς κατὰ τοὺς ἰδίους χρόνους. Οἱ μὲν Ἑβραῖοι, κατʼ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ παροικήσαντες ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ καταδουλωθέντες ὑπὸ βασιλέως ὃς προείρηται Τέθμωσις, ᾠκοδόμησαν αὐτῷ πόλεις ὀχυράς, τήν τε Πειθὼ καὶ Ῥαμεσσῆ καὶ Ὤν, ἥτις ἐστὶν Ἡλίου πόλις· ὥστε καὶ τῶν πόλεων τῶν τότε ὀνομαστῶν κατʼ Αἰγυπτίους δείκνυνται προγενέστεροι οἱ Ἑβραῖοι ὄντες, οἳ καὶ προπάτορες ἡμῶν, ἀφʼ ὧν καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς βίβλους ἔχομεν ἀρχαιοτέρας οὔσας ἁπάντων συγγραφέων, καθὼς προειρήκαμεν. Αἴγυπτος δὲ ἡ χώρα ἐκλήθη ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως Σέθως· τὸ γὰρ Σέθως, φασίν, Αἴγυπτος καλεῖται. Τῷ δὲ Σέθως ἦν ἀδελφὸς ᾧ ὄνομα Ἄρμαϊς· οὗτος Δαναὸς κέκληται ὁ εἰς Ἄργος ἀπὸ Αἰγύπτου παραγενόμενος, οὗ μέμνηνται οἱ λοιποὶ συγγραφεῖς ὡς πάνυ ἀρχαίου τυγχάνοντος.
English · Claude translation
Moses, as we have said, led out the Jews, who had been driven from the land of Egypt by King Pharaoh, whose name was Tethmosis. After the expulsion of the people, they say, he reigned twenty-five years and four months, as Manetho relates. After him Chebron reigned 13 years; after him Amenophis, 20 years and 7 months; after him his sister Amesse, 21 years and 1 month; after her Mephres, 12 years and 9 months; after him Mephrammouthosis, 20 years and 10 months; after him Tythmoses, 9 years and 8 months; after him Damphenophis, 30 years and 10 months; after him Horus, 36 years and 5 months; his daughter, 10 years and 3 months; after her Mercheres, 12 years and 3 months; his son Armais, 4 years and 1 month; after him Ramesses, 1 year and 4 months; after him Messes Miammou, [6]6 years and 2 months; after him Amenophis, 19 years and 6 months; and his sons Thoissos and Ramesses, 10 years, who, they say, had a great force of cavalry and a naval fleet in their time. The Hebrews, who at that time were sojourning in Egypt and had been enslaved by the king called Tethmosis, built for him fortified cities, Peitho and Ramesse and On, which is Heliopolis. So the Hebrews are shown to be older even than the cities that were then famous among the Egyptians. They are our forefathers, from whom we have the sacred books, which are older than all the historians, as we said. The country was called Egypt after King Sethos; for Sethos, they say, is called Aegyptus. Sethos had a brother named Armais; he is the one called Danaus, who came from Egypt to Argos, and whom the other historians mention as being very ancient.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The king list comes from Manetho, probably through Josephus (Against Apion 1.94–102). The bracketed digit is supplied by the editor.
- Theophilus calls the Hebrews “our forefathers,” claiming Israel's history as the church's own.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (accent: grave on οὓς before a following word): οὕς φασιν ἐσχηκέναι → οὓς φασιν ἐσχηκέναι.
Cite this passage
Theophilus, Autol. 3.20 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theophilus-autolycus/3/20/).
Plain text
Theophilus, Autol. 3.20 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theophilus-autolycus/3/20/).
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