Theodotus Shechem epic fragment behind Eusebius and Polyhistor
A lost Greek Shechem/Dinah epic inferred behind excerpts and summaries in Alexander Polyhistor and Eusebius.
L4 Draft articles and reviews
Theodotus Shechem epic fragment behind Eusebius and Polyhistor v1 ยท Draft
A lost Greek epic visible through excerpt and prose summary.
This article describes an entity that is not directly attested as a complete Theodotus epic; it is inferred from excerpts and summaries mediated by Alexander Polyhistor and Eusebius.
Epistemic status
Draft article. The excerpt surface is source-backed; the exact title, complete scope, and Jewish/Samaritan setting remain uncertain.
Summary
Early Jewish Writings reports that Eusebius, quoting Alexander Polyhistor, gives excerpts from an epic on Shechem and Dinah by Theodotus, while the exact title is not recorded. Posen Library describes the poem as surviving in part and interspersed with prose summary. Inferpedia treats the lost epic behind these traces as a draft lost-text entity.
What is being inferred
The inferred entity is a lost Greek Theodotus epic about Shechem and Dinah behind the preserved excerpt and summary tradition.
What is attested
The sources attest Eusebius and Polyhistor as mediators, excerpts from an epic, partial survival, an unrecorded title, Greek composition, and a contested Samaritan/Jewish setting.
Why infer this entity
A partial excerpt and prose-summary surface implies a larger source poem whose title and full contents are not preserved.
Evidence ledger
- E1, Early Jewish Writings: supporting trace for Eusebius and Polyhistor mediation.
- E2, Early Jewish Writings: supporting trace for excerpts from an epic.
- E3, Early Jewish Writings: complicating trace for missing exact title.
- E4, Early Jewish Writings: complicating trace that only a portion is extracted.
- E5, Early Jewish Writings: supporting trace for Greek composition.
- E6, Posen Library: supporting trace for partial survival.
- E7, Posen Library: supporting trace for excerpt plus prose-summary transmission.
Counterarguments
The surviving excerpt may not represent the whole epic. Theodotus' Jewish or Samaritan setting remains debated, and the exact title is unavailable.
Confidence scores
Direct attestation: 58. Existence warrant: 80. Specificity: 74. Reconstruction dependence: 84. Counterevidence: 28.
What would change the score
A critical treatment of Theodotus in Eusebius and Alexander Polyhistor, plus comparison with Hellenistic Jewish and Samaritan epic conventions, would change the score.
Why this candidate exists
Codex-native Judaism category traversal selected a fragmentary Hellenistic epic source with uncertain title and contested Jewish/Samaritan setting.
L3 Evidence packet
Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus - Indirect reference
Warrant role: Supporting evidence
Source authority: Sourcebook 72
Access level: Full text
Locator: Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus
Quote: "Eusebius in his work Praeparatio Evangelica"
Paraphrase: The source identifies Eusebius as the later preserving context.
Reliability: 72 - Relevance: 80
Cluster: theodotus-shechem
Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus - Indirect reference
Warrant role: Supporting evidence
Source authority: Sourcebook 72
Access level: Full text
Locator: Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus
Quote: "excerpts from an epic"
Paraphrase: The underlying work survives through excerpts rather than complete transmission.
Reliability: 72 - Relevance: 90
Cluster: theodotus-shechem
Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus - Negative evidence
Warrant role: Counterevidence
Source authority: Sourcebook 72
Access level: Full text
Locator: Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus
Quote: "exact title of the epic is not recorded"
Paraphrase: The original title is missing.
Reliability: 72 - Relevance: 86
Cluster: theodotus-shechem
Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus - Negative evidence
Warrant role: Counterevidence
Source authority: Sourcebook 72
Access level: Full text
Locator: Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus
Quote: "only a portion from the epic"
Paraphrase: The source warns that most of the epic's contents are unavailable.
Reliability: 72 - Relevance: 88
Cluster: theodotus-shechem
Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus - Direct attestation
Warrant role: Supporting evidence
Source authority: Sourcebook 72
Access level: Full text
Locator: Early Jewish Writings, Theodotus
Quote: "composed in Greek"
Paraphrase: The source identifies the language of the preserved epic tradition.
Reliability: 70 - Relevance: 72
Cluster: theodotus-shechem
Posen Library, Dinah and Shechem - Indirect reference
Warrant role: Supporting evidence
Source authority: Sourcebook 72
Access level: Full text
Locator: Posen Library, Dinah and Shechem
Quote: "survives in part"
Paraphrase: The entry confirms partial survival only.
Reliability: 72 - Relevance: 90
Cluster: theodotus-shechem
Posen Library, Dinah and Shechem - Indirect reference
Warrant role: Supporting evidence
Source authority: Sourcebook 72
Access level: Full text
Locator: Posen Library, Dinah and Shechem
Quote: "interspersed with prose"
Paraphrase: The source surface includes excerpt plus summary rather than a full continuous poem.
Reliability: 72 - Relevance: 82
Cluster: theodotus-shechem
Offline existing-inferon judge ledger control source - Network gap
Warrant role: Noetic interpretation
Source authority: Noetic model prior 50
Access level: No external text
Locator: existing_inferon_judge_promote:inferon:393
Paraphrase: Offline judge treated existing inferon 393 (source_dependence) as support for Theodotus Shechem epic fragment behind Eusebius and Polyhistor. Evidence strength: source-backed prior reading already isolated a bounded missing or reconstructed entity; suitable for L2 only. The accountable path is EvidencePath 1610.
Reliability: 80 - Relevance: 66
Cluster: existing_inferon_judge_promote:ff277dbfc07efde616b21da387945dae
Arguments
Existing inferon 393 supports an L2 inferred candidate for Theodotus Shechem epic fragment behind Eusebius and Polyhistor; this remains below publication and is not direct attestation.
AI-assessed L2 Quotient triage: AI judge warrant assessment for L2 Quotient triage; existing AI-created evidence remains below publication.
A Theodotus Shechem epic fragment behind Eusebius and Polyhistor is warranted as a source-backed draft lost-text entity.
The partial epic-source surface is well attested; title, full contents, and Jewish/Samaritan classification remain uncertain.