After the flood, the entire earth was split into three portions. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by SAFE0 Gaster in 1899, each of Noah's sons claimed a continent. Shem took Asia—the land of Persia, stretching from Bactria to India, with 27 languages and 406 peoples. Ham took Africa, from Aram and Lebanon to the Red Sea, with 22 languages and 394 peoples. Japheth chose Europe, extending from Media to the river Tanais, with 23 languages and 300 peoples.
The chronicle then maps biblical names onto medieval geography in extraordinary detail. The compiler, Eliezer the Levite, wove together material from the Book of Josippon (a 10th-century Hebrew chronicle of Jewish history) with Jerahmeel's own genealogies. Magog became the Scythians, from whom arose Gog and Magog—the peoples that Alexander of Macedon enclosed behind the Caspian Mountains, and from them descended the Goths, Normans, Bavarians, Lombards, and Saxons. Tubal became the Iberians and Spaniards. Ashkenaz was placed in Greece. The Dodanim were identified as the Danes, dwelling in "Danemarka."
Among Ham's descendants, Cush was Ethiopia, Misraim was Egypt, and Canaan was the Land of Israel. Nimrod, son of Cush, established his kingdom in Babylon and became the first man to force others to worship him as a god. His son Bel gave his name to all idols—Ba'al Pe'or, Ba'al Zebub. The chronicle draws a direct line: Nimrod counseled the people to build the Tower of Babel. Anyone who rebelled against God was compared to "Nimrod, the mighty hunter before God."
Shem's descendants traced through Aram to Syria, through Elam to Persia, and through Arpakhshad to Chaldea. The text identifies the birthplace of Job in the land of Us. Each river marked a boundary—the Euphrates for Shem, the Nile for Ham, the Tigris for Japheth. The whole known world had its origins in three brothers stepping off an ark.
XXXI. (1) These are the generations of the sons of
Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Children were born to
them after the flood, for from Noah there came forth 72
families — from Japheth, 15; from Ham, 30; and from
Shem, 27. And these 72 families were separated each
according to his lineage in his own land, with their
several nations, into 72 languages, the Hebrew language
in Eber, the Egyptian in Egypt, the Greek in Greece,
Latin in Eome, the Aramean in Syria, the Chaldean in
Chaldea, etc. The nations which descended from Shem
were 406, Britania, Qalabra, Tosqana, Luqa, Piqensa, etc.
The whole earth was divided into three parts. (2) Shem,
the eldest, chose his portion in the land of 'Asya (S'Dr),
that is, the land of Persia, from Baqtris to Endiana, from
the Persian Piiver until the Ocean in the west and the
whole Piinos. They numbered 27 languages, and 406
peoples. Ham took his portion in the land of Afriqia,
which comprises Aram, Hamath, and the mountain of
Lebanon, in a well-watered land, until the Eed Sea and
the Sea of Philistia, from Piinos as far as Gadaira. The
number of their languages was 22, and that of the peoples
394. (3) Japheth chose his portion in the land of Eoropa
(S£ii-ni^\s), that is, in the south from Media to Bodea
(n5<nn), and their boundaries extended from the moun-
66 [XXXI. 3
tains of Taoro (nixo) and Mano 0^^^), in Syria and
Sisilia, until the river Tanais (dn^o), until Gadaira, that
is, the land of Eoropa (t^sinti^''^?, Europe). The number of
their languages was 23, and that of their peoples 300.
The land of Shem contained the river Euphrates; Ham,
G(ih6n) which is called the Nile; Japheth, Hiddeqel
(Tigris), in Media and Babylon. (4) The children of
Japheth are Gomer, i.e., Gavathi (or Galathi, '•n5<^wS3) and
Regini; Magog, i.e., Sqite {'W^) (Scythes), from whom
arose Gog and Magog. These were the peoples which
Alexander of Macedon enclosed in the Caspian Mountains;
and from them arose the Guti (Goths), Pirati (^P^T?),
Nordmani (^J?oi"|''ii), Bauveri (n^nixn), Langobardi, Saqsonei,
Gasqonei. Madai are: Medi, Yavan-Gresi CT^.^), Armenei
(>N''3>?D"ix), and Fransi CV^:"?). The river of the Gresi (^V-^f)
is called Yoniu. Tubal are Iberi and Ispamia; Mesech
are the Qapadoses (i^'Vnssf^). The name of the city was
formerly Mesekhah (nsJi^^), and the royal city was Qapa-
doqia (x^pnisp), now called Cpesarea (Kesari, ^"iDp), in the
land of Kaftor; Tiras are Trases (t^V^^in). The children
of Gomer were Ashkenaz, in the land of the Greeks, or
Gresi (^vnj), Rifath (n^n) is Paflagronas (Paphlagonians)
(C'yn^sS^ss). Togarmah are the Frezes (Phryges,
^'^jn?)). The children of Yavan were Elisa' (r::>''^5<),
i.e., Eolides (t^"i''?li<^s), and they are one-fifth of the Greek
tongue. Tarshish is Silisia (nsv^'p/p) — this is the Tarshish
in the Book of Jonah — Kittim are Qipres (D'lQ^i?), Dodanim
are Piodie (*^>nn). All these live from the mountain Amone
(^MDJ<) and Taoro (^li^P), in Brittania, as far as the sea
Oqeanos. [Eliezer the Levite thought fit to add here the
chapter, from the beginning of Jossipon the Great's work,
because it is similar to the above; and this is the very
beginning of the Book of Jossipon.]
(6) And the children of Japheth were Gomer, Magog,
Madai, Yavan, Tubal, Mesekh, and Tiras; and these are
the names of the countries of the children of Yapheth who
were scattered at the time of the dispersion. The children
of Gomer were the Frankos (D^p3i2), who inhabited the
XXXI. i4j 67
country of the Frankos (Dip^ns), in the land of Fransehii
(^j'pvnD), on the river Segna (xj^^^^O- Eiphath are the
Britanos (Di^ona), who inhabit the land of Eiphtania
(s^jnan), on the river Lira (i<i'h). The Segna and Lira
both flow into the Ocean. Togarmah branched into ten
families, who are the Cuzar pii?), Pasinaq (pj-'va), Alan
(I'ps), Bulgar (ijSn), Kanbina (.srnJD), Turq (i"5>lo), Buz
(Tin), Zakhukh ("]1dt), Ugar (iJix), and Tulmes (]'D^in). All
of these dwell in the North, and the names of their lands
are taken from their own names, and they live by the river
Hetel (^nn); but Ugar, Bulgar, and Pasinaq live by the
great river called Danube ('?-l^^), i.e., the Dunai (^^jn). (8)
The children of Javan are the Greeks, who dwell in the
land of Nsa (x^'j)i and Macedonia. (9) Madai, that is,
Edalus i^l^r^), dwell in the land of Turkhan (jS^o or
Kurasan IPli?).^ (10) Tubal are the Tuscans (\:?i?*fin), who
dwell in the land of Tuscania, by the river Pisa (i^P^?);
Mesech, i.e., the Saqsoni (>jDpD). (11) Tirus, i.e., the
Eossi (^Dn); the Saqsni (^jL^pL") and the Iglesusi (^Dp^^^x)
dwell by the river of the great sea. The Eossi dwell
by the river Kio (or Kiva, nvd), which flows into the
Gergan (|.sn^:) Sea. (12) Elisa, i.e., Alamania (n^jo^n),
inhabit the mountains of lov and Sebtimo (iD^nnc'i iv);
and from them arose the Lungobardi (nnai^j^), who came
from the other side of the mountains of lov and Septimo
(iD-nn::'! nv), and having conquered Italia, dwelt in it until
this very day on the river Pao (uss), and Tisio ()^2y^); and
from them again arose the Borgonia (i^^Jijna), who dwell by
the river Eodano (ini-i), and the Bidria (i<nn^n), dwelling
by the river Einos (Dijn), which flows into the Great Sea.
And the rivers Tisio and Pio ()i^^^) iN^^^^'n) flow into the
sea Venitiqia (x^p^j^^^n). (13) Tarshish, i.e., the Trkisiani
('':)N^DV"in), who accepted the law of the Macedonians; and
from them come Trasos (Dii^nn). And it came to pass,
when the Ishmaelites captured the land of Trasos, that its
inhabitants fled to the land of Greece, and fought hence
with the Ishmaelites in Trasos. (14) Kittim, i.e., the
1 2 N.B.— These words scarcely legible in the MS.
5—2
68 [XXXI. 14
Eomans, who dwell in the valley Kapania (5<^:2d), by
the river Tiberio. Dodanim (D^iin), these are the Danisqi
('p:r^i"i), who dwell in the midst of the tongues of the sea,
in the land of Danemarka (j^didji) and Asidania (? ^^^n^vs),
in the Great Sea, who swore not to serve the Eomans, and
they hid themselves in the midst of the waves of the sea;
but they could not (withstand) them, for the power of
Eome extended as far as the end of the isles of the sea.
(15) And thus the Moraia (n\STiD), Bruti (^SDm), Sorbin
(pn-no), Lusinin (pJViS), Liumin (pr^), Krakar ("i35<nD), and
Bazimin (pnnn) are reckoned among the descendants of the
Dodanim. They dwell by the seashore, from the border of
Bulgar {i:"?)!) until Venitiqia (t^v^^^^^^) on the sea, and
from there they spread as far as the border of Saqsni
{^:^p^) to the Great Sea; they are called Isqlabi (u'?pD\s).
Some say they are descendants of Canaan, but they trace
their descent to the Dodanim (oonn). [Thus far the
Hebrew of Josippon; from the next sentence beginning,
'And it came to pass when the Lord scattered,' etc., I
shall copy in connection with Esau and the kings of Edom
later on. Let us now return to the narrative of Jerahmeel.]
(16) The children of Shem wereElam 'Elamitet (op^pW),
Ashur, i.e., Assyria (J^n^P'X); Arpachshad, i.e., Qaldea
(nx^ -i^p); Lud, i.e., Lydia (ni<n>S); and Aram, i.e., Syria
Cy^^). The children of Aram were 'Us, where Job was
born, Geter (nn^), Qarnani ('v^57i2), Menes (^T?;?). These
dwell from the Persian Gulf until the Ocean. (17) The
children of Ham were Cush, Misraim, Phut, and Canaan.
Cush is called Ethiopia (nt<>srns); Misraim, Egypta
(xtp?i^:!\s), Phut, Libia {^^'^'b); and Canaan the Land of
Israel. The children of Cush were Saba, Havilah, Sabta,
Ea'amah, and Sabtecha. The children of Eaamah were
Sheba and Dedan. Sheba comprises the Sabeans, Arabians,
and Indians (JS^rt^); Havilah, i.e., Getili {''^n';.); Sabta,
i.e., Astabari (nn^L^'S); Sabtecha and Ea'amah I have
not been able to find. From the children of Ea'amah
(came) the Queen of Sheba, and Dedan is a nation to the
east of Cush. (18) And Cush begat Nimrod. The begin-
ning of his kingdom was Babylon and Erekh, i.e., Edessa
(SLvnvs, -j-is); Accad, i.e., the city of Nisibis (^'^3>rj).
Kahiah, Selevqos gave to the city of Kahia the name of
Selevqia (S'-piv^D); from this land came Ashm% i.e., Bel, the
son of Nimrod. And Bel begat Ninus, who built the great
city of Nineveh; and Eehoboth, i.e., the wide city; and
Misraim begat Ludim, and 'Anamim, and Lehabim, and
the rest I do not know, for a war broke out between
Ethiopia and Egypt, and all these nations were ulti-
mately merged into one, so that they could no longer be
distinguished. [And I, Eliezer, the scribe, have heard
that the Lehabim are the Flaminga (^i'^^'^'')? and their
appearance is like blazing fire, as it is said, ' And their
faces are the faces of torches.'] And Canaan begat
Sidon, his firstborn, by whose name the city of Sidon is
called; it is in the land of Phenise {^T^^P). The Hittites,
Jebusites, Amorites, and Girgashites and Hivites were
destroyed by the Israelites. 'Arqi, the city of 'Arqes (^'i?"!^),
near Tripolis; Arvadi is the name of an island, Arvodios
(::ni^nnx); Semari, i.e., Edessa, in the land of Syria;
Hamathi built Hamath, i.e., Antochia. And the Canaanite
boundary extended from Sidon, reaching as far as 'Azzah,
and as far as Lesha, i.e., Qaliron (pi^bp). Its waters are
warm, and flow into the Salt Sea. These are the sons of
Ham, according to their families, their tongues, in their
countries and provinces. (20) And Cush, the son of Ham,
begat Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter in the land before the
Lord. He caught men through his strength, and forced them
to bow down to him, to make him a god, and to worship
him. He therefore counselled the people to erect the city
and the tower of Babel, where he established his kingdom,
in order to rebel against God; and therefore, according to
an ancient proverb, whosoever rebelled against the Lord
was compared to Nimrod, the mighty hunter before God.
