De politia judaica, tam civili quam ecclesiastica, jam inde a suis primordiis, hoc est ab orbe condito, repetita

been visited in this way among His people and within each of its families.

Noah instructed his own people in such a way that he taught them the divine worship handed down to him by his ancestors and confirmed by God with the addition of a certain new sacrament, the rainbow; but not all of them retained it in its purity. For the Chaldeans, with the added idolomania obsession with idols of their kings, corrupted it most shamefully; but the Canaanites were even more foul, for they added magic and all manner of most wicked customs to their idolomania.

Certainly, until the times of Abraham, not only did some fear of God persist in Egypt (where, however, it is evident from all histories that true wisdom was soon corrupted and religion was contaminated by foul superstitions), but also in Palestine. Indeed, even in the middle of Canaan at Salem, there was Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God, who was himself also a King. I will even add that in the time of Moses, there shone forth some traces of true religion elsewhere than in the descendants of Jacob, namely in the city of Pethor, located either by the Euphrates in Mesopotamia, as some hold, or among the Midianites. It is said that Balaam stayed there, who was illustrious with the gift of prophecy, but who, after being enticed by profit, attempted to turn his prophecy to the ruin of the people of God, and for the sake of that matter had often tempted God, and