THe Antiquity of the Chaldaick Learning, though such as other Nations cannot equal, comes far short of that to which they d••d pretend. When Alexander, by his Victories a∣gainst Darius, was possess'd of Babylon, (in the 4383d. year of the Iulian Period) Aristotle, a curious promotor of Arts, requested his Nephew Calisthenes, who accompani'd Alexander in the expedition, to inform him of what Antiquity the Learning of the Chaldaeans might with reason be esteemed. The Chaldaeans themselves pretended, that, from the time they had first begun to observe the Stars until this Expedition of Alexander into Asia, were 4••0000 years. But far beneath this number were the Observations which (as Porphyrius cited bya 1.1 Simplicius relates) Calisthenes sent to Aristotle, being but of 1903 years, preserved to that time, which from the 4••83d. year of the Iulian Period upward, falls upon the 2480th. And even this may with good reason be questioned, for there is not any thing extant in the Chaldaick Astrology more antient than the Aera of Nabo••assar, which began but on the 3967th of the Iulian Period. By this Aera they compute their Astronomical Ob∣servations, of which if there had been any more ancient, Ptolemy would not have omitted them.b 1.2 The first of these is in the first year of Merodach (c 1.3 that King of Babylon who sent the message to Ahaz concerning the miracle of the Dial,) which was about the
The history of the Chaldaick philosophy by Thomas Stanley.
About this Item
- Title
- The history of the Chaldaick philosophy by Thomas Stanley.
- Author
- Stanley, Thomas, 1625-1678.
- Publication
- London :: Printed for Thomas Dring ...,
- 1662.
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- Subject terms
- Philosophy, Ancient -- Early works to 1800.
- Zoroastrianism -- Early works to 1800.
- Link to this Item
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http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A61291.0001.001
- Cite this Item
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"The history of the Chaldaick philosophy by Thomas Stanley." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A61291.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 28, 2025.
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Page 3
27th of Nabonassar. The next was in the 28th of Nabonassar.d 1.4 The third Observation is in the 127th of Nabonassar, which is the 5th year of Nabopolassur. This indeed is beyond all exception; for we have them confirm'd by the Authority of Ptolemy, who shewes the Reasons and Rules for the Observations. What is more then this, seems to have been onely hypothetical. And if we shall imagine a canicular Cycle which consists of 1461 years (and are 1460 natural years) to have been supposed by Porp••yrius to make up his Hypo∣thesis, then there will want but 18 years of this number.
Notes
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a 1.1
in lib. 2. de coelo, p. 123. lin. 18.
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b 1.2
Prol. lib. 4. cap. 6, 7.
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c 1.3
Ezek.
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d 1.4
lib. 5. p. 125