“Since God has been pleased to leave us the Records of the _Jewish_ Religion, which was of old the true religion, and affords no small testimony to the Christian religion, it is not foreign to our purpose, to see upon what foundation the credibility of these is built. That these books are theirs, to whom they are ascribed, appears in the same manner as we have proved of our books. And they, whose names they bear, were either Prophets, or men worthy to be credited; such as _Esdras_, who is supposed to have collected them into one volume, at that time, when the Prophets _Haggai_, _Malachi_, and _Zacharias_, were yet alive. I will not here repeat what was said before, in commendation of _Moses_. And not only that first part, delivered by _Moses_, as we have shewn in the first book, but the latter history is confirmed by many _Pagans_. [21]Thus the _Phœnician_ annals mention the names of _David_ and _Solomon_, and the league they made with the _Tyrians_. And _Berosus_, as well as the _Hebrew_ books, mention _Nabuchadonosor_, and other _Chaldæans_. _Vaphres_, the king of _Egypt_ in _Jeremiah_ is the same with _Apries_ in _Herodotus_. And the _Greek_ books are filled with _Cyrus_ and his successors down to _Darius_; and _Josephus_ in his book against _Appion_, quotes many other things relating to the _Jewish_ nation: To which may be added, that we above took out of _Strabo_ and _Trogus_. But there is no reason for us Christians to doubt of the credibility of these books, because there are testimonies in our books, out of almost every one of them, the same as they are found in the _Hebrew_. Nor did Christ when he blamed many things in the teachers of the law, and in the _Pharisees_ of his time, ever accuse them of falsifying the books of _Moses_ and the Prophets, or of using supposititious or altered books. And it can never be proved or made credible, that after Christ’s time, the scripture should be corrupted in any thing of moment; if we do but consider how far and wide the _Jewish_ nation, who every where kept those books, was dispersed over the whole world. For first, the ten tribes were carried into _Media_ by the _Assyrians_, and afterwards the other two. And many of these fixed themselves in foreign countries, after they had a permission from _Cyrus_ to return: the _Macedonians_ invited them into _Alexandria_ with great advantages; the cruelty of _Antiochus_, the civil war of the _Asmonæi_, and the foreign wars of _Pompey_ and _Sossius_, scattered a great many; the country of _Cyrene_ was filled with _Jews_; the cities of _Asia_, _Macedonia_, _Lycaonia_, and the Isles of _Cyprus_, and _Crete_, and others, were full of them; and that there was a vast number of them in Rome, we learn from _Horace_, _Juvenal_, and _Martial_. It is impossible that such distant bodies of men should be imposed upon by any art whatsoever, or that they should agree in a falsity.