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From The Biographical Writings and Letters of Venerable Bede, translated from the Latin, by J. A. Giles; James Bohn, London, 1845; pp. 235-241.
The fourth generation, from David to the Babylonish captivity, has 473 years according to the Hebrew verity, but 485 according to the Septuagint translation. In both texts the generations are seventeen: but the Evangelist Matthew, for the sake of a certain mystery, gives the number fourteen. This may be called the youthful period of God’s people, wherein kings first began to reign, for man’s youth is best adapted for governing a kingdom.
VENERABLE BEDE’S
CHRONICLE
OF THE
SIX AGES OF THE WORLD.
-------------o-------------
The Fourth
Age.
THE FOURTH AGE
The fourth age of the world begins not only with the commencement of the Jewish kingdom, but also with a renewal of the promise of the kingdom of Christ which was made to the fathers; the Lord swearing to David, by his truth, that the fruit of his bowels should sit upon his throne.
David
Ephesus.
Carthage.
David, the first king of the tribe of Judah, reigned 40 years. Latinus Sylvius, the fifth king of the Latins, reigned 50 years. Ephesus was founded by Andronicus; Carthage by Chalcedon of Tyre according to some; according to others, by Dido, his daughter, in the 143rd year after the fall of Troy.
Solomon.
Building of
the Temple.
Solomon, son of David, reigned 40 years. In the fourth year of his reign, in the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, 480 years from the departure of Israel from Egypt, as we learn from the book of Kings; and that this might be a type of the whole of time, inasmuch as the Church of Christ is built in this world and perfected in the next, he finished the work in seven years,
[A.M. 3000.
B.C. 1004.]
and dedicated it in the seventh month of the eighth year. Alba Sylvius, son of Silvius
236
Æneas,
The Fourth
Age.
[A.M. 3000.
B.C. 1004.]
the sixth king of the Latins, reigned 39 years. The queen of Sheba came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
Rehoboam, son of Solomon, reigned 17 years. Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim, separated ten tribes from the house of David and from the Lord; a type of heretics, who separate their followers from Christ and the Church. In the fifth year of his reign, Sesac, king of Egypt, came to Jerusalem and spoiled the temple. Ægyptus Silvius, seventh king of the Latins, son of Alba,
Samos
founded.
the former king, reigned 24 years. Samos was founded, and Smyrna enlarged to the size of a city.
Abijah, son of Rehoboam, reigned 3 years. He overcame Jeroboam, who fought against him, and slew 500,000 of his army, because he put his trust in the Lord
Asa, son of Abijah, reigned 41 years. Benhadad, king of Syria, whose chief city was Damascus, being persuaded by Asa to war against Israel, smote all the land of Naphtalim. Capys Silvius, eighth king of the Latins, son of Ægyptus, the former king, reigns 28 years. Asa destroys the idols, cleanses the temple, overthrows, with all his army, Zerah the Æthiopian, who came out against him. Ambri [Omri], king of Israel, buys the mountains of
Samaria.
Jericho.
Samaria of Somer for two talents of silver, and builds Samaria. Aheil of Bethel rebuilds Jericho.
Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, reigned 25 years. Elijah the Tishbite restrained the rain for three years and a half on account of the sins of Ahab and of the people of Israel, and among his other acts anointed Elisha, the son of
237
Sophal,
The Fourth
Age.
of Abel-meholah, to be prophet in his own stead. Capetus Sylvius, ninth king of the Latins, son of Capys the former king, reigned 13 years. After him his son Tiberinus Sylvius reigned 8 years.
The river
Tyber named.
From him the river Tyber received its name, which before was Albula. After him his son Agrippa Sylvius reigned 40 years. Jehoshaphat did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.
Elijah carried
to heaven.
[A.M. 3108.
B.C. 896.]
Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, reigned 8 years. Elijah is carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and Elisha left as his successor in the prophetic office, who, for his first miracle, heals the waters of Jericho. In the days of Jehoram, Edom revolted against Judah, and made itself a king. But Jehoram walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, whose daughter he had married.
Ahaziah, son of Jehoram, reigned 1 year. Jonadab, the son of Rechab, is an illustrious man of this period. Ahaziah, with his son Joash, and grandson Amaziah, for their enormous wickedness, and because there was nothing good in either of them, the Evangelist Matthew excludes from the genealogy of our Lord and Saviour.
[A.M. 3120.
B.C. 884.]
Athaliah, mother of Ahaziah, reigned 5 years. When she saw that her son Ahaziah was slain by Jehu, king of Israel, she slew all the seed royal of the house of Jehoram, except only Joash, a son of Azariah, who was saved from the midst of the king’s sons by Josabeth, sister of Ahaziah, and wife of Jehoiada, the High Priest. The Septuagint states that Athaliah reigned 7 years.
Joash, son of Ahaziah, reigned 40 years. His beginning
238
was good, his end most evil.
The Fourth
Age.
At the beginning he repaired the temple; in the end, among other enormities, he ordered Zacharias, son of Jehoiada, who formerly preserved him, and restored his kingdom, to be stoned between the temple and the altar. This man is for his worth styled by our Lord, in the Gospel, the son of Barachias, or the blessed Lord. Aremulus Sylvius, the twelfth king of the Latins, and son of Agrippa, the former king, reigned 19 years: he placed a garrison of Albans among the mountains where Rome now stands. His son was Julius, the great grandfather of Julius Proculus, who, migrating with Romulus to Rome, became the founder of the Julian family.
Amaziah, son of Joash, reigned 29 years. Elisha the prophet died, and was buried in Samaria. Hazael, king of Syria, afflicted Israel. Aventinus Sylvius, thirteenth king of the Latins, and elder son of Aremulus, the former king, reigned 37 years, and died and was buried on that hill which is now part of the city, and to which he gave an imperishable name.
Azariah, who is also called Uzziah, son of Amaziah, reigned 52 years. Thonosconcoleros, whose name in Greek is Sardanapalus,
Sardanapa-
lus
the thirty-sixth king of the Assyrians, built Tarsus and Anchiale; he was conquered in battle by Arbaces the Mede, and destroyed himself by fire. Up to this time history records that there were kings of Assyria for a period of 1197 years. The whole period from the first year of Ninus is computed to be 1240 years. Procas Sylvius, fourteenth king of the Latins, and son of Aventinus, the former king, reigned 23 years. After him, Amulius Sylvius, the fifteenth king, reigned 44 years.
Arbaces.
Arbaces the Mede destroyed the Assyrian empire, and transferred the dominion
239
to the Medes,
The Fourth
Age.
Macedon.
over whom he reigned 28 years as their first king. The kingdom of Macedon commenced under Caranus its first king, who reigned 28 years. There is a failure of the kings of Lacedæmon: the line of the Lydian kings commenced.
The first
Olympiad.
[A.M. 3228.
B.C. 776.]
Jotham, son of Uzziah, reigned 16 years. The first Olympiad is established by the Elians, 405 years after the taking of Troy. Remus and Romulus are born from Mars and Ilia. Jotham, among his other good deeds, built a very lofty gate to the house of the Lord, the same which in the Acts of the Apostles is called Beautiful; forasmuch as all the gates of the temple were on the ground, except the Beautiful Gate, which was suspended on high, and was called by the Hebrews, Jotham’s Gate.
Ahaz, son of Jotham, reigned 16 years. At his instigation, Tiglath Pileser, king of Assyria, slew Rezin, king of Syria, and carried away the inhabitants of Damascus to Cyrene.
Romulus and
Remus.
Rome built.
[A.M. 3251.
B.C. 753.]
Rome was founded on the Palatine Hill, on the twentieth of April, by the twins Remus and Romulus, sons of Rhea Sylvia, daughter of Numitor, brother of King Amulius, and a vestal virgin, but deflowered. At the Consualian games the Sabine women were ravished, in the third year from the building of the city. Remus was slain with a shepherd’s crook by Fabius, the general of Romulus.
Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, reigned 29 years. In the sixth year of his reign, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria,
Israel carried
into cap-
tivity.
took Samaria, and carried Israel captive into Assyria, in the 260th year of their kingdom, from Jeroboam their first king. On the death of Romulus, after a reign of
240
38 years,
The Fourth
Age.
Numa Pom-
pilius.
[A.M. 3889.
B.C. 715.]
the Senators ruled in turn for five days each for a whole year. After them, Numa Pompilius reigned 41 years: he built the Capitol from its foundation.
Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, reigned 55 years. For his sins he was carried in fetters to Babylon, but on his repentance and prayers he was restored to his kingdom.
Tullus Hos-
tilius.
Tullus Hostilius, the third king of Rome, reigned 32 years. He was the first of the Roman kings that used the purple and the fasces: he enlarged the city by taking in Mount Cœlius.
Amon, son of Manasseh, reigned 2 years according to the Hebrew text, 12 according to the Septuagint. The town of Histrus was founded in Pontus. Amon is slain by his servants.
Josiah.
Josiah, son of Amon, reigned 31 years. After cleansing Judea and Jerusalem, and having repaired the temple, and removed the pollutions of idolatry, he celebrated the Passover to the Lord with all circumstances of solemnity, in the 28th year of his reign, and having engaged with Necho, king of Ægypt, he is slain in the field of Megiddo, which is now called Maximianopolis.
Ancus Mar-
tius.
Ancus Martius, the fourth king of Rome, son of Numa’s daughter, reigned 23 years. He added the hills Avetine and Janiculum to the city, and built Ostia on the sea, sixteen miles from the city.
Tarquinius
Priscus.
After him Tarquinius Priscus reigned 37 years. He built the Circus, increased the number of the Senate, instituted the Roman games, built the city walls, constructed sewers, and reared the Capitol. In the Hebrew text Josiah is said to have reigned 31 years; in the Septuagint, 32. Eusebius, too, has added another year between his reign and that
241
of Jehoiachin,
The Fourth
Age.
in respect of six months, during which Jehoahaz or Jehoiachin reigned. But the truth will appear from Jeremiah, who declares that he prophesied 23 years, from the thirteenth of Josiah to the fourteenth of Jehoiachin; and that Nebuchadnezzar began to reign in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; and that in the nineteenth year of his reign Jerusalem was destroyed.
Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, reigned 11 years. After Josiah, his son Jehoahaz reigned 3 months: he was bound and carried into Egypt by Necho,
[A.M. 3405.
B.C. 599.]
Who made Jehoiakim king. In the third year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerusalem, and carries away many captives, among whom were Daniel,
Daniel and
others taken
into capti-
vitity.
Azariah, Hananias, and Mishael, and carries part of the vessels of the temple to Babylon. The Scripture dates the reign of Nebuchadnezzar from the fourth year of Jehoiakim, because from that time he began to reign not only over the Chaldees and Jews, but also over the Assyrians, Egyptians, Moabites, and innumerable other nations. Jehoiachin, who is also Jechonias, son of Jehoiakim, reigned 3 months and 10 days. When Jerusalem was surrounded by the Chaldees, he went forth to the king of Babylon with his mother, and was carried to Babylon with his people, in the eighth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.
[A.M. 3416.
B.C. 588.]
Zedekiah, who is also called Mathias, son of Josiah, reigned 11 years. In the eleventh year of his reign, but in the nineteenth of the king of Babylon, the king of Judah was carried captive to Babylon,
Zedekiah
taken into
captivity.
and the temple of the Lord burned with fire, in the 430th year from its foundation. The Jews who were left fled into Egypt, which after five years being smitten by the Chaldees, they too went into Babylon.