Fragment 4 of Berossus' Babylonian History, which was published in 278 BCE, in the translation by G.P Verbrugghe and J.M. Wickersham (with some minor modifications).The text itself is lost, but was quoted by a Byzantine author named George Syncellus, who lived in the early ninth century. Syncellus, Chronological Excerpts 53-56 [53] In the second book, Berossus records
The Epic of Gilgameš is one of the most famous texts from ancient Babylonia. It tells the story of a king who is trying to find immortality, and meets Ut-napištim, who has survived the Great Flood and has found what Gilgameš is looking for. In the following text, tablet of XI of the standard edition
The Epic of Atraḥasis is the fullest Mesopotamian account of the Great Flood, with Atraḥasis in the role of Noah. It was written in the seventeenth century BCE. Translation Complaints of the Lower Gods [1] When the gods were man they did forced labor, they bore drudgery. Great indeed was the drudgery of the gods, the forced labor was heavy, the
Berossus' own account (in Babylonian History) is lost, but it was summarized by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in his Against Apion. One such account is the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (562 BC – 605 BC). Berossus [...] at length comes down to Nabopolassar, who was king of Babylon and the Chaldaeans. And when he was
Berossus' own account (Babylonian History) is lost, but it was summarized in an Armenian translation of the Chronicon by the Christian author Eusebius. Below is its description of the creation of the world and mankind based on the epic Enûma êliš, and includes the story of Oannes, who taught wisdom to man, and a Babylonian
When Jesus arrived on the other side of the Sea of Galilee (he landed in the region of the Gadarenes), two demon-possessed men came from the tombs to meet him. The men were violent and no one could pass by them. The men shouted, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come
In the summary below, I present the official name of the biblical chapter with its common name in parenthesis. The author of each book (where known) is included along with a brief summary of the biblical book's intent, content, and key characters. Detailed outlines of each bible book may be viewed here. Old Testament GENESIS (traditionally written
When the seventh seal was opened, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. John saw seven angels standing before God. Each angel was given a trumpet. Another angel holding a golden censer approached the golden altar. He was given incense with the prayers of God’s people to offer on the altar. The
It is likely that at least some of the histories recorded in the Bible were not documented at the time they occurred. For instance, the creation accounts in Genesis were almost certainly not recorded millions of years ago. Likely, the creation stories transitioned to the Bible’s pages through oral tradition – the transfer of knowledge
When Esau and his brother Jacob found scarce opportunities in their region, Esau took everything he acquired in Canaan and moved to Seir. These are the tribal chiefs among Esau’s descendants (along with relevant notes from other references in the Bible). Esau and Adah (daughter of Elon the Hittite) Eliphaz (Esau’s firstborn) – name means “my