Chaldæans

CHALDÆANS. This name is taken either for the people of Chaldæa, and the subjects¹ subjects belonging to the Empire of Chaldæa, or for a sort of Philosophers or Soothsayers, who were called Chaldæans, and in Hebrew, Casdim. The principal employment of these Philosophers was the study of Mathematicks and Astrology : they pretended by an inspection of the Stars to know the good or bad destiny² of men, who were born under certain constellations.³ Chaldæ⁴ non ex artis sed ex gentis vocabulo nominati, diuturnâ observatione siderum, scientiam putantur effecisse, ut prædici posset quid cuique eventurum, a quo quisque fato natus esset. They gloried in having astronomical observations among them for four hundred and seventy two thousand years⁵ ; Cicero says⁶, for four hundred and seventy thousand ; Epigenes, as he is cited in Pliny⁷, for seven hundred and twenty thousand ; lastly, they who are lowest in their computation of their Antiquity, make their observations to be of four hundred and fourscore thousand years standing.⁸ But this Antiquity has always been suspected to be false. Aristotle, who was curious to know the truth of it, wrote to Callisthenes, who was at Babylon with Alexander, desiring him to give him the most certain account of this matter, that he could procure in the Country. Hereupon Callisthenes sent him celestial Observations for nineteen hundred and three years ;⁹ from the beginning of the Chaldee Monarchy to the reign of Alexander the Great. Now if we go back from Alexander, that is to say, from his Victory over Darius in 3674, we find the year of the world 1771, which comes very near the time, wherein the Tower of Babel was founded.

As to the Empire of the Chaldæans, we know it began under Nimrod, but the sequel Gen. xiv. About the year of the World 2092.of it is what we are not particularly acquainted with. In the time of Abraham, we find a King of Shinar, who in all probability was King likewise of Chaldæa¹⁰. Julius Africanus says Evechoüs reigned in Chaldæa two hundred and twenty four years before the Arabians, that is to say, in the year of the world 2242, when Isaac was living. The Arabians conquered the Empire of Chaldæa in 2466, and kept possession of it for two hundred and sixteen years till 2682. Belus the Assyrian succeeded the Arabians. He reigned five and fifty years before the Foundation of the Assyrian Empire laid by Ninus.

The Chaldæans continued under the dominion of the Assyrian Kings till the Isai. xxxix. 1.time of Sardanapalus. In the year of the world 3254, before J. C. 750, Arbaces Governor of Media, and Belesis Governor of Babylon, rebell’d against Sardanapalus, compell’d him to shut himself up in Nineveh, and there burn himself. Belesis freed the Chaldæans from the dominion of the Assyrians, and was acknowledged King of Babylon¹¹. He is the same person, who in Scripture is called Baladan and Nabonassar in Hipparchus, Censorinus and Ptolemy. He was succeeded in the Kingdom of Chaldæa by Berodach-Baladan, or Merodach-Baladan, who is mentioned in 2 Kings xx. 12.the second book of Kings, and sent Ambassadors to Hezekiah King of Judah.

It appears that the Babylonians soon fell again under the power of the Assyrians, since in the year of the world 3378 under the reign of Josiah King of Judah, Nabopolassar having been established Governor of Babylon by Chinaladanus or Sarack King of Assyria, rebell’d against his King, and having entred into a confederacy with Cyaxares Governor of Media, they laid siege to Nineveh, took it, killed King Chinaladanus, and divided the Assyrian Empire between them¹². Cyaxares had Media and Armenia; and Nabopolassar Assyria and Chaldæa. It was properly under Nabopolassar that the great and famous Monarchy of Chaldæa began, which subsisted under the several Kings Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar, Evilmerodach, and Belshazzar, till the reign of Darius the Mede, who was succeeded at Babylon by Cyrus.

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