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Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church (The Complete Eight Volumes in One). Amazon Kindle Edition, 2014.
Volume 2, Ante-Nicene Christianity A.D. 100-325, “Chapter 13. Ecclesiastical Literature of the Ante-Nicene Age, and Biographical Sketches of the Church Fathers.” sec. 159-204.
§ 191. Julius Africanus.
Schaff identifies Julius Africanus as “the first Christian chronograph and universal historian” (Schaff 2014, loc. 22747). He lived in Emmaus, but traveled widely before his death about A.D. 240. Eusebius draws on his work extensively, particularly his “chronography, in five books,” which provides a chronological history from creation to the year 221 (Schaff 2014, loc. 22752). Using the accession of Cyrus as a known historical date, Africanus computed both backward and forward, dating creation in B.C. 5499. He takes the life of Jesus to be 31 years (Schaff 2014, loc. 22761). Weveral works are referred to or exist in fragmentary form. Africanus harmonized the genealogies in Matthew and Luke, assuming Matthew to give the natural descent of Jesus and Luke to give his legal descent (Schaff 2014, loc. 22777).