The Annals of the World, Title page 1 – History 1
THE ANNALS OF THE WORLD.
Deduced from The Origin of Time, and continued to the beginning of the Emperour Vespasians Reign, and the totall Destruction and Abolition of the Temple and Common-wealth of the Jews.
Containing the HISTORIE Of the OLD and NEW TESTAMENT. With that of the MACCHABEES.
Also all the most Memorable Affairs of Asia and Egypt, And the Rise of the Empire of the Roman Caesars, under C. Julius, and Octavianus.
COLLECTED From all History, as well Sacred, as Prophane, and Methodically digested,
By the most Reverend JAMES USSHER, Arch-Bishop of ARMAGH, and Primate of IRELAND.
LONDON, Printed by E. TYLER, for J. CROOK, at the Sign of the Ship in St. Pauls Church-yard, and for G. BEDELL, at the Middle-Temple-Gate, in Fleet-Street. M.DC.LVIII.
THE Epistle to the Reader.
CEnsorinus, in his little book, written to Q Cerellius of ones Birth day; having in hand the Explication of Times Intervals, thought good thus to Preface it. aC…rsor. in Cap. 20.Si Origo Mundii… hominum notitiam venisset, inde exordium sumeremus. If the Origin of the World had been known unto Man, I would thence have taken my beginning. And a little after, speaking of this Time. Sive habuit initium, saies he, bIb. c. 21.Sive semper fuit, certò quot annorum sit, non potest comprehendi. Whether time had a beginning, or whether it alwaies was, the certain number of years cannot be comprehended. Therefore Ptolemaeus, from Astronomical supputations, thus renounces this Epoch of the World, as a thing most remote from the knowledge of Man, cPtolem. foreign lib. 3.foreign. To find Observation upon the Passages of the whole World, or such an imme…se croud of times, I think much out of their way, that desire to learn and know the truth: And Julius Firmius Maternus, from his dircourse of Birth-dayes, that Geniture of the World, received from Esculapius and Anubius. dJul. Firm. Mathes. lib. 3. cap. 2.Non fuit ista genitura Mundi, (saies he) Nec enim Mundus certum diem habuit ortus sui, nec aliquid interfuit eo tempore quo Mundus Divinae mentis ac providi Numinis ratione forma…us est: Nec eo usque, se intentio potuit humanae frigilitatis extendere ut Originem Mundi facile possit ratione concipere, aut explicare. That was not the Birth day of the World: Nor, indeed, had the World any certain day of its beginning: Nor was there any thing in Being at that time, when the World was formed by the Wisdom of the Divine Vnderstanding, and Provident Deity; Nor could the intention of Human frailty so far extend it self, that it could conceive or unfold, by an easie account, the Worlds Original.
Nor, truly, is it strange that Heathens, altogether ignorant of holy writ, should thus dispair, of ever attaining the knowledge of the Worlds Rise; when as even amongst Christians, that most renowned Chronographer Dionysius Petavius, being about to declare his Opinion concerning the Creation of the World, and the number of years, from thence down to us, first madeePetav. de Doctrinâ temporum, lib. 9. c. 2. this resolution before his discourse. Annorum ab orbe condito ad haec tempora numerum neque certâ ratione compertum esse, neque citra Divinam significationem posse comperiri. That the number of years from the beginning of the World, to these our dayes, can by no reasons be certainly concluded, nor any way found out, without Divine Revelation. From whose opinion Philastrius Brixiensis did very much dissent; denoting it heresiefPhilast. De Haeres. ib. c. 6. p. 63. to affirm the number of years, from the beginning of the World, uncertain; and that men knew not the spaces of Time. And Lactantius Firmianus, whose assertion in his Divine Institutions, is somewhat more bold.gLactant. l. 7. c. 14. Nos, quo Divinae literae ad scientiam veritatis erudiunt, principium Mundi finemque cognovimus. We whom the Holy Scriptures do train up to the knowledge of Truth, know both the beginning and end of the World. For whatsoever may be done of things past, we are taught that thehActs 1. 7. Matth. 24. 36. Father hath reserved the knowledge of things future in his own power; Nor is there any Mortal to whom the whole continuance of time is known: whither that of the Son of Sirac is thought to tend.iEccles. 1. 28. ib. Nicol. Lyranus. foreign. The Sands of the Sea, the Drops of Rain, and the Daies of the World, who can number? Which Lyranus thinking to have been spoken of time past, (when as others interpret it here, and in Chap. XVIII. 11. of the dayes of eternity) draws thence this erroneous conclusion, That the dayes from the beginning of the World were never by any man cast up certainly and precisely.
The first Christian Writer, (that I have had the view of) who attempted from Holy Writings to deduce the Age of the World, was Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch; who,kTheoph. ad Autolyc. lib. 3. concerning this whole account, thus generally declares. foreign. All times and years are made known to them who are willing to obey the truth. But concerning the exactnesse of this Calculation, he thus afterwards proceeds. foreign. And haply we may not be able to give an exact account of every year, because in the Holy Scriptures there is no mention of the months and dayes current.
For when as the Scripture commonly takes notice only of the whole intire years, not regarding the dayes and months either deficient to the making up compleat years, or supernumerary to the intire, there might a doubt arise of the accuratenesse of that sum which shall arise from such years added together. But yet, granting this one thing, (and that most consonant to reason) That Holy Writers, consigning the years of the World, in their several places, with such diligence, had this in designe, That the series of the Years of the World, which could no other way be learned, might be discovered unto us; This (I say) being granted, we affirm that the Holy Ghost hath, as much as was necessary, provided against this doubt: when as he hath to the several terminations and turnings of the several Periods, (on which the series of time depends) adjoyned the very monethmonth and day. As for example, when the Israelites are said to go out of Egypt, thelNum. 33. 3. fifteenth day of the first monethmonth: and Solomon to begun to build the Temple, in the 480 year after theirm2 Reg. 6. 1. depature, on the second day of then2 Cor. 3. 2. second month, the moneths and dayes which bound each termination of that Period, shew, that 11 moneths and 14 dayes are to be taken away; and not that the whole 480, but only 479 years, and sixteen dayes are to be taken for the space of that Period.
Tempus Astronomicum, à primo creationis puncto ad principium aerae Christianae exactum, quise dare nobis posse promittunt, favore mihi digni videntur magis quam laude, quia majus quid ingenio humano moliuntur. Those who promise to give us an exact Astronomical Table of Time, from the first point of the Creation unto Christ, seem to me more worthy of encouragement than praise, in that they attempt a thing above human capacity, saies David Paraeus, who, among the latest of our Writers, took upon him to number the years, even to Christs time, out of the Holy Scriptures. Therefore he saies, leaving the Astronomical, he betook himself to the Politick time of the Hebrews, Egyptians, and Persians, as to a foreign; or, another Course.
But if I have any insight in this businesse, it is of no great concernment, what rule we make use of in measuring the course of time, so it be known and terminated with a certain number of dayes. And if any one could with D. Paraeus, by some equal measure of years, define the distance between the foundation of the World, and Christs time; It were also most easie, without the help of any Astronomical Table, to set down how many Aequinoctials in number happened, during that Interval. And the noted revolution of time in any Political year, from an Aequinoctial to the same point again, what is it but a year natural and truly Astronomical?
But if any one, well seen in the knowledge, not onelyonly of Sacred and exotick History, but of Astronomical Calculation, and the old Hebrew Kalender, shall apply himself to these studies, I judge it indeed difficult, but not impossible for such a one to attain, not onelyonly the number of years, but even, of dayes from the Creation of the World. That, without doubt, by retrograde supputation, Basil, the great, teaches us we may attain to the first day of the World.oBasil. in Hexamer. Homil. 1. foreign. Thou mayst indeed learn in what very time the foundation of the World was laid, if returning from this time to former ages, thou endeavour studiously to find out the day of the Worlds Origin. For thus thou mayest find whence time had its first motion. But in regard, in divers Ages and Nations, divers Epoches of time were used, and several forms of years: Here it's necessary that some common and known account should be observed, to which the diversity of the rest may most appositely be reduced. And to us there is no measure of time more known, and more accommodatious to the common collation of times than the form of the Julian Years and Months, deduced from the middle of the night beginning the Kalends of January, of the first year of the common account from Christ; with those three Cicles, by which being joyned, every year is distinguished from all other years whatsoever. For example, the Roman indiction 1… years, the Cicle of the Moon, or Golden Number 19, and the Cicle of the Sun (the Index of Sun-day, or our Lords Day) containing the Period of twenty eight years. Nor is there any thing more or better known than That at this day, the year (I do not say to the true Nativity of Christ, which is controverted amongst the Learned, but) of the common Christian aera MDCL is noted with the Caracters of 3 in the Roman indiction, 17 in the Lunar Cicle, and 7. in that of the Sun.
But for as much as our Christian Epoch falls many Ages after the beginning of the World, and the number of years before that backward, is not onelyonly more troublesome; but (unlesse greater care be taken) more lyable to errour, Also it hath pleased our Modern Chronologers, to adde to that generally received Hypothesis, (which asserted the Julian Years, with their three Cycles by a certain Mathematical prolepsis, to have run down to the very beginning of the World) an artificial Epoch, framed out of three Cycles multiplied in themselves; for the Solar Cicle being multiplyed by the Lunar, or the number of 28, by 19, produces the great Paschal Cycle of 532 years, and that again multiplyed by fifteen, the number of the indiction, there arises the Period of 7980 years, which was first (if I mistake not) observed by Robert Lotharing, Bishop of Hereford, in our Island of Brittain, and 500 years after by Joseph Scaliger, fitted for Chronological uses, and called by the name of the Julian Period, because it conteined a Cycle of so many Julian years. Now if the Series of the three minor Cicles be from this present year, extended backward unto precedent Times, the 4713 years before the beginning of our Christian Account, will be found to be that year into which the first year of the Indiction, the first of the Lunar Cicle, and the first of the Solar will fall. Having placed therefore the heads of this Period in the Kalends of January, in that proleptick year, the first of our Christian vulgar account, must be reckoned the 4714 of the Julian Period, which, being divided by 15. 19. 28. will present us with the 4 Roman indiction, the 2 Lunar Cycle, and the 10 Solar, which are the principal Characters of that year.
We find moreover that the year of our fore-fathers, and the years of the ancient Egyptians, and Hebrews were of the same quantity with the Julian, consisting of twelve equal moneths, every of them conteining 30 dayes, (for it cannot be proved that the Hebrews did use Lunary Moneths, before the Babylonian Captivity) adjoyning to the end of the twelfth monethmonth, the addition of five dayes, and every fourth year six. And I have observed by the continued succession of these years, as they are delivered in holy writ, That the end of the great Nebuchadnezars, and the beginning of Evilmerodachs (his sons) reign, fell out in the 3442 year of the World, but by collation of Chaldean History, and the Astronomical Cannon, it fell out in the …86 year of Nabonasar, and, as by certain connexion, it must follow in the 562 year before the Christian account, and of the Julian Period, the 4152. and from thence I gathered the Creation of the World did fall out upon the 710 year of the julian Period, by placing its beginning in Autumn: but for as much as the first day of the World began with the evening of the first day of the week, I have observed that the Sunday, which in the year 710 aforesaid, came nearest the Autumnal Aequinox, by Astronomical Tables,pSee my Annals on the year of the World, 2553. d. & 3291. c. notwithstanding, the stay of the Sun, in the dayes of Joshua, and the going back of it in the dayes of Ezekiah) happened upon the 23 day of the Julian October; from thence concluded, that from the evening preceding, that first day of the Julian year, both the first day of the Creation, and the first motion of time are to be deduced.
The difficulties of Chronologers, perplexed by that foreign, or love of contention, so termed by Basil, being at last over-passed I encline to this opinion, that from the evening ushering in the first day of the World, to that midnight which began the first day of the Christian aera, there was 4003 years, seventy dayes, and six temporarie howers; and that the true Nativity of our Saviour was full four years before the beginning of the vulgar Christian aera, as is demonstrable by the time of Herods death. For according to our account, the building of Solomons Temple was finished in the 3000 year of the VVorld, and in the 4000 year of the VVorld, the dayes beingqLuc. 2. 6. fulfilled, in which the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, was to bring forth Christ himself, (of whom the Temple was arJohn 2. 21. Type) was manifest in the flesh, and made his first appearance unto man: from whence four years being added to the Christian aera, and as many taken away from the years before it, instead of the Common and Vulgar, we shall obtein a true and natural Epocha of the Nativity of Christ.
But these things, (which I do onelyonly point at for the present) God willing, shall be more fully hereafter confirmed in our Sacred Chronology, which I intend to put forth, together with a Treatise of the Primitive Years, and the Kalender of the ancient Hebrews: In the mean time I thought good to publish the Annals of the Old Testament, built upon the Foundation there laid, with a Chronicle of all Forreign Affairs, transacted in Asia and Egypt, before the beginning of the Olympiads, those things chiefly being reserved to a particular History of the Greeks and Romans, which are recorded to have past in Greece, (to which I joyn Rhodes and the Islands lying betwixt Asia and Europe) and the Western parts.
In representing the Sacred History, I have followed the translation of Junius and Trem…llius, using their Hebraism's also, and their Contents of the Chapters. In expressing the Prophane, I have observed the words of their ancient Authours, or of their best Translator out of the Greek, and particularly James Dalechamp in Athenaeus; although in nothing the Chapters I observed the edition of Natalis Comes, and out of these I have my self collected the Histories, or being gathered by them, taken them out of Codomanes, Capellas Emmias, Pezelius, Eberus, Sal…anus, or some other Chronologer, which I had at hand; yet so, that the very Fountains themselves of the first Authours, (whose places I did most diligently mark) were alwayes before mine eyes: for being wholly intent upon the right ordering of times, I was not much concerned in the alteration of other words, which, if it had seemed considerable, had been very easie to have performed.
And whereas amongst a multitude of Historians, which were before Julius Caesars time, the malice of time left only four remaining, Herodotus, Thucidides, Xenophon, and Polibius, (and him also lame and imperfect in the greatest part of him) these, notwithstanding, I esteemed the most Authentick for their Antiquity; and having by their authority corrected the frequent errours in Chronology of Diodorus Siculus; but in Affairs that related to Alexander the Great, (which they not so much as mentioned, I endeavoured not by Diodorus onelyonly, but by Curtius and Arrianus also, to cleer the light of those times, which were by others left dark and obscure.
The four first letters of the Alphabet I made use of, as indexes of the beginnings, progresses, and ending of the years of the World, A. signifying the Autumnal, or first Quarter, B. the Brumal or Winter Quarter. C. the Spring, and the Summer. D. other things, the Prudent Reader will of himself understand: to whom I wish the enjoyment of these endeavours, and bid farewell. London, the 13 Kalend of Jul. according to the Julian Period, in the 1650 year of the Vulgar Christian aera, from the true Nativity of our Lord and Saviour, the 1654 year.
PHILIP MELANCHTHON HIS NARRATION, concerning PHILIP Prince Palatine, to RHENUS.
I Have often heard Capino relate thus, When Dalburgius, the Bishop of the Vangions, Rudolphus Agricola, and my self were with Philip Prince Palatine Elector; not onelyonly in common discourse, but also in serious debates about the Affairs of the Common-wealth; they would often bring notable examples, or from the Persian or Grecian or Roman Affairs: whereby the Prince was very much inflamed with the desire of knowledge in History: but said he observed, the distinction of Times, Nations, and Empires, was very requisite to that end. And therefore desired them, that out of all Antiquities, as far as they were known, from the Hebrew Fountains, Greek, and Latine Authours, they would in order dispose the several Monarchies, that so the Times of the World, and the Series of the most considerable mutations might be known.About the year 1480. There were then no books extant in the German tongue, concerning ancient Empires. Nor had the Latines any thing of that nature, save Justins confused Epitome, which also wanted the distinction of Times. Those learned men were then at leasure and delighted with the work. They therefore recite in order out of the Hebrew, Greek, and Latine Monuments, the several Monarchies, and insert all the most memorable transactions in their due place and order, with the distinctions of Nations, and Times, This Ingenious Prince read these Works most earnestly, and declared his delight in them, and That the Series of Times, and the memory of the most remarkable Affairs were preserved by Divine Providence. For they shewed him, how that the History of the World was continued so, that Herodatus begins his Narrations, a little before the end of the Prophetic History. For even before the end of the Persian Monarchy, concerning which we have most clear Narrations in Daniel, Esdras, and Nehemia, some names of the Kings of Assyria and Egypt, are the same in the Prophets and Herodotus. Jeremias foretells destruction to Apries, which Herodotus describes. After Apryes kills Jeremie, and then Amasis strangles the proud King after he had taken him. The Palatine Prince said he did acknowledge a Testimony of Divine presence, in the constitution of Empires, for that they could neither be attained nor retained by meer Humane power, and that they were therefore constituted, that they might be the Upholders of Human society, conjoyn many Nations, Restore Laws, Justice, Peace, yea, they might teach men concerning God. And therefore did often repeat those words of Daniel, God changes, and confirms Empires. He said likewise, That by the mutations and punishments of Tyrants, the just judgement of the Almighty was most conspicuous; and that all Man-kind was, by these Illustrious Examples, premonished to acknowledg God, and were given to understand that he wills and ordains justice, and is truely offended with those who transgresse this his ordination. Such were the Speeches of that Prince, considering the Rises and Ruines of Empires.