Artapanus of Alexandria

Who is Artapanus of Alexandria?

Artapanus of Alexandria was a historian, of Jewish origin, who is believed to have lived in Alexandria, during the later half of the 3rd or 2nd century BCE. Although most scholars assume Artapanus lived in Alexandria, others argue he resided in the countryside. Regardless, Artapanus was of Egyptian origin.

Artapanus wrote Concerning The Jews, a history of the Jews, in Greek between 250 and 100 BCE, but this text has not survived to the present. Artapanus’s writings may be interpreted as a response to those such as Manetho writing as early as the 3rd century BCE; therefore, Artapanus most likely wrote no earlier than the middle of the 3rd century. It is arguable that Artapanus wrote in the second half of the 2nd century BCE under the influence of Ptolemy IV Philopator’s reign between 221-204 BCE; however, Alexander Polyhistor’s citation of Artapanus in the middle of the 1st century BCE makes it likely that Artapanus wrote no later than the end of the 2nd century BCE. Polyhistor’s writings have not survived to the present.

Parts of Polyhistor’s work have been preserved in the books of two later historians:

Eusebius of Caesarea in Præparatio Evangelica ix. 18, 23, 27