Bossuet's History of the World: The Second Age

We continue with Bossuet's twelve epochs of ancient history: the second age.

Building Babel Tower. J-J Tissot

Near the deluge are to be ranged the decrease of man's life, the alteration of diet, and a new food substituted in place of the fruits of the earth; some or all precepts delivered to Noah; the confusion of languages of the tower of Babel, which was the first monument of the pride and weakness of men; the portion of the three sons of Noah, and the first distribution of lands.



Prés du deluge se rangent le décroissement de la vie humaine, le changement dans le vivre, et une nouvelle nourriture substituée aux fruits de la terre, quelques préceptes donnez à Noé de vive voix seulement, la confusion des langues arrivée à la tour de babel premier monument de l’orgueïl et de la foiblesse des hommes, le partage des trois enfans de Noé, et la premiere distribution des terres.

Shem, Ham and Japheth. J-J Tissot

2348 BC The memory of those three first fathers of nations has still been preserved amongst men.  Japetus,[1] who peopled the greatest part of the western world, has continued famous there under the celebrated name of Japheth.  Ham, and his son Canaan, have been no less noted among the Egyptians and Phœnicians; and the memory of Shem has ever lasted with the Hebrew people, who are descended from him.
[1] Indo-European or Indo-Aryan links: Iapetos or Iapetus, a Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia; the son of heaven and earth and the father of Prometheus, ancestor of many nations. Later on the Greeks & Romans have Iupater then Jupiter. Hindu 'myth': Pra-Japati, the sun and perceived Lord of Creation.Thought to have the meaning, “Father Japheth”. Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́ (Vedic Sanskrit: Dyáuṣpitṛ́, literally 'Sky Father') is the chief father deity of the Vedic pantheon derived from the Proto-Indo-European god Dyeus Pater. The ancient Irish Celts and Britons and the Saxons have their Sceaf, a corruption of Pheth.

La memoire de ces trois premiers auteurs des nations et des peuples s’est conservée parmi les hommes. Japhet qui a peuplé la plus grande partie de l’Occident y est demeuré célebre sous le nom fameux d’Iapet. Cham et son fils Chanaan n’ont pas esté
moins connus parmi [p. 11] les egyptiens et les pheniciens; et la memoire de Sem a toûjours duré dans le peuple hebreu, qui en est sorti.

A little after this first division of mankind, Nimrod, a man of fierce and violent disposition, becomes the first conqueror; he set up the throne of his kingdom at Babylon, in the same place where the tower had been begun, and already raised to a great height, but not so high as men's vanity wished it.  About the same time Nineveh was built, and some ancient kingdoms established.  They were but petty in those early times, for in Egypt alone we find four dynasties or principalities, those of Thebes, Thin,[1]  Memphis, and Tanis; this last was the capital of the lower Egypt.  To this time we may also refer the commencement of the laws and polity of the Egyptians, that of their pyramids which stand to this day, and that of the astronomical observations, as well of that people as of
2233 BC the Chaldeans.  So we may trace up to this time, and no higher, the observations which the Chaldeans, who were, without dispute, the first observers of the stars, gave in Babylon to Calisthenes[2] for Aristotle.
[1] Thinis or This (Egyptian: Tjenu; Coptic: Ⲧⲓⲛ) was the capital city of the first dynasties of ancient Egypt. Thinis is, as yet, undiscovered but well attested by ancient writers, including the classical historian Manetho (3rd century BC)
[2] Callisthenes, c. 360 – 327 BC); Greek historian in Macedon who accompanied Alexander the Great during the Asiatic expedition. The philosopher Aristotle was Callisthenes' great uncle.

Un peu aprés ce premier partage du genre humain, Nemrod homme farouche, devient par son humeur violente le premier des conquerans; et telle est l’origine des conquestes. Il établit son royaume à Babylone, au mesme lieu où la tour avoit esté commencée, et déja élevée fort haut, mais non pas autant que le souhaitoit la vanité humaine. Environ dans le mesme temps Ninive fut bastie, et quelques anciens royaumes établis. Ils estoient petits dans ces premiers temps, et on trouve dans la seule Egypte quatre dynasties ou principautez, celle de Thebes, celle de Thin, celle de Memphis, et celle de Tanis: c’estoit la capitale de la basse Egypte. On peut aussi rapporter à ce temps le commencement des loix et de la police des egyptiens, celuy de leurs pyramides qui durent encore, et celuy des observations astronomiques tant de ces peuples, que des chaldéens. Aussi
voit-on remonter jusqu’à ce temps, et pas plus haut, les observations que les chaldéens, c’est à dire sans contestation les premiers observateurs des astres, donnerent dans Babylone à Callisthene pour Aristote.

Abraham's caravan. J-J Tissot

Every thing begins: there is no ancient history wherein there do not appear, not only in those early ages, but long after, manifest vestiges of the newness of the world.  We see laws establishing, manners polishing, and empires forming.  Mankind by degrees get out of their ignorance, experience instructs them, and arts are invented or perfected.  According as men multiply, the earth is closer and closer peopled; they pass mountains and precipices; they cross rivers, and at length seas, and establish new habitations. The earth, which at the beginning was but an immense forest, takes now another form, the woods cut down make room for fields, for pastures, for hamlets, for towns, and at length for cities.  Men learn to catch certain animals, to tame others, and to inure them to service.  They were obliged at first to encounter wild beasts.  The first heroes signalized themselves in those wars.  These occasioned the invention of arms, which men turned afterwards against their fellow-creatures.  Nimrod, the first warrior, and the first conqueror, is called in scripture a mighty hunter.  Together with animals, man acquired also the art of managing fruits and plants; he bended the very metals to his use, and gradually made all nature become subservient to it.  As it was natural that time should cause many things to be invented, it must also cause others to be forgot, at least by the greater part of mankind.  Those first parts, which Noah had preserved, and which we also find always flourishing in the countries where mankind was first established, were lost according as men removed from them.  These behooved others either to learn them anew in process of time, or those who would preserve them, must have carried them again to the rest.  Therefore do we see every thing come from those lands that were always inhabited, where the principles of the arts remained entire, and even there were daily made many important discoveries.  The knowledge of God, and the memory of the creation were preserved there, but began to decay by degrees.  The ancient traditions were now falling into oblivion and obscurity; the fables, which succeeded them, retained but gross ideas of them; false deities multiplied; and this gave occasion to the calling of Abraham.

Tout commence : il n’y a point d’histoire ancienne où il ne paroisse non seulement dans ces premiers temps, mais long-temps aprés, des [p. 12] vestiges manifestes de la nouveauté du monde. On voit les loix s’établir, les moeurs se polir, et les empires se former. Le genre humain sort peu à peu de l’ignorance ; l’experience l’instruit, et les arts sont inventez ou perfectionnez. à mesure que les hommes se multiplient, la terre se peuple de proche en proche : on passe les montagnes et les précipices; on traverse les fleuves, et enfin les mers; et on établit de nouvelles habitations. La terre qui n’estoit au commencement qu’une
forest immense, prend une autre forme ; les bois abbatus font place aux champs, aux pasturages, aux hameaux, aux bourgades, et enfin aux villes. On s’instruit à prendre certains animaux, à apprivoiser les autres, et à les accoustumer au service. On eût d’abord à combatre les bestes farouches. Les premiers heros se signalerent dans ces guerres. Elles firent inventer les armes, que les hommes tournerent aprés contre leurs semblables: Nemrod le premier guerrier et le premier conquerant est appellé dans l’ecriture un fort chasseur. Avec les animaux, l’homme sceût encore adoucir les fruits et les plantes; il plia jusqu’aux metaux à son usage, et peu à peu il y fit servir toute la nature. Comme il estoit naturel que le temps fist inventer beaucoup de choses, il devoit aussi en faire oublier d’autres, du moins à la pluspart des hommes. Ces premiers arts que Noé avoit conservez, et qu’on [p. 13] voit aussi toûjours en vigueur dans les contrées où se fit le premier établissement du genre humain, se perdirent à mesure qu’on s’éloigna de ce païs. Il fallut, ou les rapprendre avec le temps, ou que ceux qui les avoient conservez, les reportassent aux autres. C’est pourquoy on voit tout venir de ces terres toûjours habitées, où les fondemens des arts demeurerent en leur entier, et là mesme on apprenoit tous les jours beaucoup de choses importantes. La connoissance de Dieu et la memoire de la création s’y conserva, mais elle alloit s’affoiblissant peu à peu. Les anciennes traditions s’oublioient et s’obscurcissoient; les fables qui leur succederent, n’en retenoient plus que de
grossieres idées; les fausses divinitez se multiplioient: et c’est ce qui donna lieu à la vocation d’Abraham.