OCR Text |
Show T hefirst Booke of the frit part - Cuar.10,§.2. by Cbufb,after hischildren were alfo become Fathers ,and of a later timethan fone of his Grand-children'& Nephewes. Howfoeuer, feeing Mofes it expreflewotds calleth Nimrod the Sonne of Cha/b, other' mens coniectures to the contrary oughtto ae aeoat of Nimrod, both the Fathers and many Later Writers call tyraninicall; the fame beginning in Babel, ( whichis ) confufion: But it fecmeth to mee that He. lexiipin cea not amiffe hereof : the fame expofition being alfo made bythe Atithor ofthat worke called Owxomefticnm Theolegicum; who aflirmes that- Nimrod was therefore called edmarus Dominator, Abitterorfeuere Gouernour, becaute his formeof rule feemedat firft farre moreterrible than Paternall authority. Andthereforeis hee into this refpeét alfo called « mightie Hunter : becaufe he tooke and deftroyed bothBeatts & Thecues.But Saint Auga/line vnderftandsit otherwife,and conuerts the word ( ante)by (contra)affirming therein,that Nimrod was'a mightie Hunter againft God: Sic ergo iatellizendus eft Gigas ille,Venator contra Dominums Soisthat Giant to be underfood, a Hunter againftthe Lord. But howfocuerthis word(amightic Husterbe vnderftood ; yet it rather appeareth, that as'Viewred hadthe commandofall thofe, which wentwith himfrom the Eaft into Shinaar':fo,this charge wastather giuen him,than by him vfurped. Forit no whetels found, that woah himfelfe, or any ofthe Sonnes of his owne body came withthis trotpe into Babylon :no mention at all being made ofNoah(the yeeres ofhis life excep-" ted)in the fiicceeding Story ofthe Hebrews;northat Sem wasin this difobedienttroupe or among the builders ofBabel. Thefameis alfo confirmed by diuers ancient Hiftorians,that Nimsrod,Suphuejand IGan were the Captaines and: Leaders*ofall thofe which came. from the Eaft. And though Sem came not himfelfe fo farre Welt as Shizaar (his lot being caft on the Eaft parts)yet from his Sonnes Nephew Heber, the name and Nation ofthe Hebrewes (ac cording'to the general opinion)tooke beginning;whoinhabited the Southermott parts ofGhaldea about the Citte ofv3 from whence Abraham was by God called into Char yan,and thence into Canaan. And becaufethofe ofthe Race ofSem which came into Chaldea, wete no partners ing? Cuario.§.2. of the Fiftorie of the World. wt Babel,Evec,Accad, and Chalne,in the Land ofShinaar; wherefore Nimrod was the firft King of Babel. And certainly it beftagreeth with reafon; that Wizus was the third, and not one with Wérmred,as Mercator(led by Clement)fuppofed: for in Ninas time the World was maruailoufly replenifhed.Andif S. Agufine had vndoubtedly taken Belus for Nimrod,he would haue giuen him the name which the Scriptures gine him, rather than hate borrowed any thing out ofprophaneAuthors. And for thofe words ofS. 4ugupine (qui primus illic regenauerat ; Who was the firft that reigned there) fuppofed to be meant by Belus:thofe words do not difprouethat Nimrod was the Founderof the Babylonian Empire. For althoughJulius Cefar ouerthrew the liberty of the XemanzeCommonroWealth,making himfelfe perpetuall Didator,yetduguflus was thefirft eftablifhed Emperor: and the firft that reigned abfolutely by foueraigne authority ouer the Romans; asan Emperour. Thelike may be {aid of Némrod,thathe firft brake the rule of Elderthip and Paternitie, laying the foundationoffoheraigne Rule,as Céfar did ; and yet Belus was the firft, who peaceably,and with a generall allowance exercifed fuch a power. Pererins is of opinion, that Belus and Nimrod were the fame,becaufe many things are {aid of them bothagreeing in time : forit was about 200. yeeres after the floud (as they account) that Belws reigned : but fuch agreement of times proues it not. For fo Edward thethird, and his grand-child £échara the fecond,were kings bothin one yeere : the onedyed; theother 20 in the fame yeere was. crowned King. Andyet the opinion(that Wivrod and Belus were one)is far more probable than that ofMercator; whomakes Niaus and Nimrod to be the fame. For itis plaine that the be~ ginning of Nimrods Kingdomewas Babel,andthe Townes adioyning : but the firft and moft famous worke ofWizas was the Citie ofNizeue. Nowwhereas D. Sica/us affirmeth, that Wszas ouercame and fuppreft the B«bylonians, the famerather proueth the contrarie, than that Ninasand Némrod were one per- fon. For Wénus eftablithed thefeat ofhis Empire at Nixeuein Af/yriz, whence the Babylonians might(perchance)in difdaine thereoffall from his obedience, whomhere= coueredagaine byftrong hand; which was eafie: Baéy/on being not walledtill semsragOmistime. the ynbelecuing worke ofthe Towre.: therefore (as many ofthe Fathers conicdturt) didthey retaine the firft andmoftancient language, which the Fathers of the firft Age ---Dicitur altam Coctilibus muris cinxiffe Semiramis rbem. had left to Woah; and Noah to Sem andhis Iflues : Jsfamilia Heber remanfit hec lingts, In the Fawsily of Hcherthis Language remained(faith Saint Augustine out of Epiphanin) and this Language Abraham vfed ; yea,it was anciently and beforethe Floud the Beneea!l {peech: and thereforefirft called ¢ faith Celeflinus )lingna humana : the humsst onmgue, Weknow that Goropins Becanus following TheedorctRabbi Mofes, Aigyptins, Vergarts and othets,is ofanother opinion'; but howfoener we determine ofthis point, wendy with good probability refolue,that none ofthe godlyfeed ofSemwere the chiefe Leet ders ofthis prefiamptuous multitude: And feeing it isnot likely but that fomelone ¥% byorder appointed forthis charge, we may imagine that Wizred rather had itby in authoritie, than violenceofvfurpation. Setsiramis with wals of bricke the Citie didinclofe. Further,where itis alleaged,that asthe Scriptures call Wired migitie: {0 Juftine Kath the fame of Winas,whichis one of Mercators arguments; It may beanfwered, that fuch 49 an addition might hane beene giuento manyother Kings afwell. Forif wee may'beleeuc/u/line; then were Vexoris King of Egypt; and Tans of Seythiamighty Kings before Ninds was bornes And ifwemay compare the words: of440/és( touching Niue rod ) with the vndertakings of Wizas, therewill be found great. difference betweené them. For whereas Mercater conceiueth, that it wastooearly for anythat lived about the time of the confufion of languages,to haueinuaded and' mattered thofe Cities fo farre remoued from Babel,namely, Erec, Accad,and Ghalwe : which worke hethereforeaferi- 611, That Nimrod, Belusand Ninus, wereshree diftiné?perfoms. be th to: Niaus,as amian of the gréateft vndertaking,& confequently would haue Nimrod to hane beene long after the time,in which wefuppofe he flourifhed; and both thofe sonhames ofNimrod and Ninus to belong to oneperfon,to witsto Ninws: tothefe things ek Enzé,and out of hin Walclere? with others: make many Nimrods, Exe confounds him with Be/ws, and fo doth Saint Hicrbme Vpon Of: and thefe word ofS.duguitine feemeto make him ofthe fame rh ee 291privins illic reemanerat 65Opinion: Jbiautem Ninus regneet .annos.; There did Ninus 16/6"f aie rth "f is Eger Belus,whefritGencrncd i Babylonfixticfineyeeres.. Butit cov Nofer-bein 9 tie to aa Sees, that Nimrod was the eftablifher; of that a SPIAINC ANG direct therein Forshe Legianing Nimrods Kingdome (Laith anfwer; Firft,1 doe not finde that fuppofitiontrue, That ener Nimrod in- ities ft after the but that he founded them and-built them from the ground} floud,thaticonducted the childrenof Noshinto thofeparts : and hadnothing built or-erected toh éfe Citics in many mens opinionsaré found to fland farawayfrom ge met leefe. The'Citie of Accad whichthe Sepa Land Epipbanius, Arpbal,dnins takes tobe Wifibs in Mefopotamiasfor the Region thereabont the Cofinographers(faith he)eall sccabene for Zecadéne: Others Oz vader- |