while Hieronymus never mentions us in his history, although he
was bred up very near to the places where we live. Thus different
from one another are the inclinations of men; while the one
thought we deserved to be carefully remembered, as some
ill-disposed passion blinded the other's mind so entirely, that
he could not discern the truth. And now certainly the foregoing
records of the Egyptians, and Chaldeans, and Phoenicians,
together with so many of the Greek writers, will be sufficient
for the demonstration of our antiquity. Moreover, besides those
forementioned, Theophilus, and Theodotus, and Mnaseas, and
Aristophanes, and Hermogenes, Euhemerus also, and Conon, and
Zopyrion, and perhaps many others, (for I have not lighted upon
all the Greek books,) have made distinct mention of us. It is
true, many of the men before mentioned have made great mistakes
about the true accounts of our nation in the earliest times,
because they had not perused our sacred books; yet have they all
of them afforded their testimony to our antiquity, concerning
which I am now treating. However, Demetrius Phalereus, and the
elder Philo, with Eupolemus, have not greatly missed the truth
about our affairs; whose lesser mistakes ought therefore to be
forgiven them; for it was not in their power to understand our
writings with the utmost accuracy.

24. One particular there is still remaining behind of what I at
first proposed to speak to, and that is, to demonstrate that
those calumnies and reproaches which some have thrown upon our
nation, are lies, and to make use of those writers' own
testimonies against themselves; and that in general this
self-contradiction hath happened to many other authors by reason
of their ill-will to some people, I conclude, is not unknown to