St. Pachomius Library

Sextus Julius Africanus

II/III Centuries
The author of the first universal chronology by a Christian, Julius Sextus Africanus was born c. 160/180, probably at Jerusalem and had connections with the royal house of Edessa. He served as prefect for Emmaus, and he seems to have travelled widely in Italy, Asia, and Egypt. His Chronographia is a compilation of Judaic history (Old Testament), Chaldean chronologies, Oriental secular histories, and Greek mythology. Thought to have been composed c. 221, the work was a model for Eusebius, who rejected the millenianism of Julius, and a source for Sozomen and George the Synkellos. Fragments only are extant. The organizer of the public library at the Pantheon, Julius wrote the Kestoi ("Embroideries"), a 24-volume encyclopedia dedicated to his patron, Alexander Severus. The knowledge present derives from both pagan and Christian sources, and fragments only exist. Its articles on chemistry and explosives were used to develop Greek fire. Two letters (to Origen and to Aristedes) are extant and show solid critical ability. The work of Julius, who died c. 240/250, increased the prestige of Christianity.
Karen Rae Keck

ABOUT:
- William Adler: Sextus Julius Africanus and the Roman Near East in the Third Century , (2004). Journal of Theological Studies, (55/2): 520.
- Henry Chadwick: Julius Africanus, (2001). The Church in Ancient Society (1/9): 130. Notes that Julius was curiously not persecuted for being a Christian.
- Gudmund Björck: Apsyrtus, Julius Africanus et l'hippiatrique grecque, (1944). Leipzig: Otto Harrassowitz, 1944.
- Francis C. R. Thee: Julius Africanus and the Early Christian View of Magic, (1984). Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1984.
WORKS:
- Letters:
  - To Aristides. PG 11:51
    - The Epistle to Aristides, (fragments) Translated by S. D. F. Salmond. --- CCEL
  - To Origen (De historia Suzannæ). PG 11:41.
    - A Letter to Origen from Africanus About the History of Susanna. Translated by F. Crombie. --- CCEL
- Cesti (Embroideries). PG 11:45. The word cesti is very difficult to translate and has been variously rendered as "embroideries", "amulets", and even "puzzles". The book is a sort of encyclopædia of miscellaneous information, much of it concerned with technology, agriculture, and magic.
  - J. R. Viellefond: Les "Cestes" de Julius Africanus, (1970). Paris: Institut de Florence, 1970.
- Chronographia. PG 11:63.
  - The Chronography, (fragments). Translated by S. D. F. Salmond. --- CCEL
  - William Adler: Time Immemorial -- Archaic History and Its Sources in Christian Chronography from Julius Africanus to George Syncellus, (1989). Dumbarton Oaks Studies 26.
- Authorship Disputed:
  - Passio S. Symphorosæ et filiorum (Passion of St. Symphorosa and her sons). PG 11:95.
    - The Passion of St. Symphorosa and Her Seven Sons. Translated by S. D. F. Salmond. --- CCEL
  - De rebus persicis post Christum natum (On Persian Matters After the Birth of Christ). PG 11:97.
    - Narrative of Events Happening in Persia on the Birth of Christ, (fragments) Translated by S. D. F. Salmond. --- CCEL

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