Cleodemus Malchus

What we know about Cleodemus comes to us from Josephus, who is quoting Alexander Polyhistor, who in turn quotes Cleodemus, apparently sometimes called "the prophet." The passage which follows is from Josephus' Antiquities 1.239-241. It was quoted and there are variations on the names in Eusebius' Praeparatio Evangelica 9.20.2-4. There are parallels to the legend regarding Heracles in Plutarch Sertorius 9, Sallust Jugurtha 16f, and Strabo 17.3.7 (Doran). [AH]

Josephus, Antiquities 1.239-241

It is further said that Eōfrēn led an expedition against Libya and that his grandson, having settled there gave to it his name, "Africa." I have confirmation in Alexander Polyhistor, who wrote,

Cleoldemus the prophet, also known as Malchus, tells in his history of the Jews, following Moses their lawgiver, that Abraham had various sons through Keturah. He names three: Aferas, Souras, and Yafras [1]. Souras gave his name to Assyria. After the other two, Yafras and Afras, were named the city of Aphra and the country of Africa. He also adds that these two helped Heracles campaigning against Libya and Antaeus. Heracles married Aferas' daughter, and they had a son, Didorus, who's son was Sofron [Sophax], from whom the barbarians get the name Sophakes."

[1] Αφεραν, Σουραν, & Ιαφραν. According to Genesis, Keturah's children were Zimran, Yokshan, Medan, Midian, Isbak, and Shuah (LXX: Ζεμραν, Ιεξαν, Μαδαν, Μαδιαμ, Ιεσβοκ, & Μαδαν). Asshurim (Ασσουριιμ), the probable intended eponymous ancestor of Assyria inGenesis, is actually her great-grandson through Yokshan. Thomas Franzman (1979), Genesis and the Jewish Antiquities of Josephus, p. 165, supposes that Yafras may be Eōfrēn (‘Εωφρην) whom the Hebrew names Epher (Keturah's grandson through Midian), and who also had a brother, Ephah (from whom perhaps the sound-alike brothers). Actually the names are not so sound-alike in the LXX: (Γαιφα & Αφερ) and I would be more likely to identify the LXX's Epher (Αφερ) with Aferas (Αφεραν) with than with Yafras (Ιαφραν), although Franzman undoubtedly knows more about Josephus’ customary name uses than do I.
Against this, we are told that Abraham resettled Keturah's children "eastward" in the land of "Kedem," which, at any rate, does not sound like Africa. At this point, relating who is who in the two accounts certainly creates some difficulty. The attempt to have Africa settled by descendents of Abraham is used by R. Doran in Charlesworth's OTP to argue that Cleodemus was a Jew living in Africa.