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A Letter to Origen from Africanus About the History of Susanna

Julius Africanus

Section 2

About this work

Africanus questions the authenticity of Susanna by comparing textual forms, wordplay, historical setting, and Hebrew transmission, prompting Origen’s surviving response in defense of the narrative’s use.

Author: Julius Africanus
Date: c. AD 240
Origin: Palestine
Genre: Letter

2. Moreover, how is it that they who

‹ A Letter to Origen from Africanus

were

captives

among

the

Chaldæans

,

lost

and

won

at

play

,

thrown

out

unburied

on

the

streets

,

as

was

prophesied

of

the

former

captivity

,

their

sons

torn

from

them

to

be

eunuchs

,

and

their

daughters

to

be

concubines

,

as

had

been

prophesied

;

how

is

it

that

such

could

pass

sentence

of

death

,

and

that

on

the

wife

of

their

king

Joakim

,

whom

the

king

of

the

Babylonians

had

made

partner

of

his

throne

?

Then

if

it

was

not

this

Joakim

,

but

some

other

from

the

common

people

,

whence

had

a

captive

such

a

mansion

and

spacious

garden

?

But

a

more

fatal

objection

is

,

that

this

section

,

along

with

the

other

two

at

the

end

of

it

,

is

not

contained

in

the

Daniel

received

among

the

Jews

.

And

add

that

,

among

all

the

many

prophets

who

had

been

before

,

there

is

no

one

who

has

quoted

from

another

word

for

word

.

For

they

had

no

need

to

go

a

-

begging

for

words

,

since

their

own

were

true

;

but

this

one

,

in

rebuking

one

of

those

men

,

quotes

the

words

of

the

Lord

:

“

The

innocent

and

righteous

shalt

thou

not

slay

.

”

From

all

this

I

infer

that

this

section

is

a

later

addition

.

Moreover

,

the

style

is

different

.

I

have

struck

the

blow

;

do

you

give

the

echo

;

answer

,

and

instruct

me

.

Salute

all

my

masters

.

The

learned

all

salute

thee

.

With

all

my

heart

I

pray

for

your

and

your

circle’s

health

.

Notes

2
Nolte would change ἠστραγαλωμένοι (or ἀστραγαλώμενοι, as Wetsten. has it), which is a ἅπαξ εἰρημένον, into στραγγαλώμενοι or ἐστραγγαλωμένοι, “strangled.” He compares Tob. ii. 3.