I hope no-one ever tries to translate Agapius from Arabic by starting at the beginning. I started my translation from French at the time of Jesus, mid-way. That’s not too bad, and the material to the end is moderately interesting.
But the first quarter of it… yuk!
I expected it to be largely based on embellished versions of biblical narratives. But I had not expected it to go round and round, repeating calculations of the years from the creation to the time of Christ again and again. I’ve now seen the same material come round three times, and my patience is beginning to fray. And in each case, he attacks the Jews for forging their Old Testament, in comparison to the “genuine” Torah of the Septuagint.
Obviously it’s wrong in point of fact; but I could cope with that. However I’m currently wading through a long fictitious story, told with obvious glee, about how Constantine consulted with the bishops and the Jews and “discovered” the truth. It’s unbelievably tedious.
So advice for future translators; leave the first quarter until last, or you may never get further.