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WORKS

OF

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS,

=

THE

LEARNED AND AUTHENTIC JEWISH HISTORIAN

AND CELEBRATED WARRIOR.

WITH

THREE DISSERTATIONS,

CONCERNING

JESUS CHRIST, JOHN THE BAPTIST, JAMES THE JUST, GOD'S COMMAND
TO ABRAHAM, &c.

AND

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.

TRANSLATED BY

WILLIAM WHISTON, A. M.

PROFESS OF MATHEMATICS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.

COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME:

WITH PORTRAIT AND ENGRAVINGS.

STEREOTYPE EDITION.

BALTIMORE:

PUBLISHED BY ARMSTRONG AND PLASKITT, 134, AND
PLASKITT & Co. 218 MARKET-STREET.

1835.

TEROLOGICAL LIBRA
AMBALL MASS

H51,791
October 1925

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1. THE family from which I am derived is not [] ther; and I made mighty proficiency in the im an ignoble one, but hath descended all along from provements of my learning, and appeared to the priests; and as nobility among several people have both a great memory and understanding. is of a different origin, so, with us, to be of the Moreover, when I was a child, and about foursacerdotal dignity, is an indication of the splen- teen years of age, I was commended by all for dour of a family. Now, I am not only sprung the love I had to learning; on which account the from a sacerdotal family in general, but from the high priests and principal men of the city came first of the twenty-four courses; and as among then frequently to me together, in order to know us there is not only a considerable difference be- my opinion about the accurate understanding of tween one family of each course and another, I points of the law. And when I was about sixam of the chief family of that first course also; teen years old, I had a mind to make trial of the nay, farther, by my mother I am of the royal several sects that were among us. These sects blood; for the children of Asamoneus, from whom are three; the first is that of the Pharisees, the that family was derived, had both the office of the second that of the Sadducees, and the third that Irigh priesthood, and the dignity of a king, for a of the Essens, as we have frequently told you; long time together. I will accordingly set down for I thought that by this means I might choose my progenitors in order. My grandfather's father the best, if I were once acquainted with them was named Simon, with the addition of Psellas: all; so I contented myself with hard fare, and he lived at the same time with that son of Simon underwent great difficulties, and went through the high priest, who, first of all the high priests, them all. Nor did I content myself with these was named Hyrcanus. This Simon Psellus had trials only; but when I was informed that one uine sons, one of whom was Matthias, called whose name was Banus, lived in the desert, who Ephlias; he married the daughter of Jonathan used no other clothing than grew upon trees, and the high priest, which Jonathan was the first of had no other food than what grew of its own acthe sons of Asamoneus, who was high priest, and cord, and bathed himself in cold water frequentwas the brother of Simon the high priest also.-ly, both by night and by day, in order to preserve This Matthias had a son called Matthias Curtus, his chastity, I imitated him in those things, and and that in the first year of the government of continued with him for three years. So when I Hyrcanus; his son's name was Joseph, born in had accomplished my desires, I returned back to the ninth year of the reign of Alexandra; his son the city, being now nineteen years old, and beMatthias was born in the tenth year of the reign gan to conduct myself according to the rules of of Archelaus; as was I born to Matthias on the the sect of the Pharisees, which is of kin to the first year of the reign of Caius Cæsar. I have sect of the Stoics, as the Greeks call them. three sons: Hyrcanus, the eldest, was born on the fourth year of the reign of Vespasian; as was Justus born on the seventh, and Agrippa on the ninth. Thus have I set down the genealogy of my family, as I have found it described in the public records, and so bid adieu to those who calumniate me, [as of a lower original.]

2. Now my father Matthias was not only eminent on account of his nobility, but had a higher commendation on account of his righteousness, and was in great reputation in Jerusalem, the greatest city we have. I was myself brought up with my brother, whose name was Matthias, for he was my own brother, by both father and mo

* We may hence correct the error of the Latin copy of the second book against Apion, sect. 7, 8. (for the Greck is there lost) which says there were then only four tribes or courses of the priests, instead of twenty-four.Nor is this testimony to be disregarded, as if Josephus there contradicted what he had affirmed here, because even the account there given better agrees to twenty-four than to four courses, while he says that each of these courses contained above 5000 men, which multiplied by only four, will make not more than 20,000 priests; whereas the number 120,000, as multiplied by 24, seems much the most probable, they being about one-tenth of the whole people, even after the captivity. See Ezra ii. 3639. Neh. vii. 39--12. i Esd. v. 24, 25, with Ezra ii. 64. Neh. vii. 66. 1 Esd. v. 41. Nor will this common reading or notion of but four courses of priests, agree with Joseplus's own farther assertion elsewhere. Antiq. b. vii. ch. xiv. sect. 7. that David's partition of the priests into twenty-four courses had continued to that day.

An eminent example of the care of the Jews about their genealogics, especially as to the priests. See Cont. Ap. b. i. ch. 7.

When Josephus here says, that from sixteen to nine

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3. But when I was in the twenty-sixth year of my age, it happened that I took a voyage to Rome, and this on the occasion which I shall now describe. At the time when Felix was procurator of Judea, there were certain priests of my acquaintance, and very excellent persons they were, whom on a small and trifling occasion he had put into bonds, and sent to Rome to plead their cause before Cæsar. These I was desirous to procure deliverance for, and that especially because I was informed that they were not unmindful of piety towards God even under their afflictions, but supported themselves with figs and nuts. Accordingly I came to Rome, teen, or for three years, he made trial of the three Jewish sects, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essens, and yet says presently, in all our copies, that he stayed be sides with one particular ascetic, called Banus, nap úvrw, with him, and this still before he was nineteen, there is little room left for his trial of three other sects. I suppose, therefore, that for rap durw, with him, the old reading might be rap aurais, with them: which is a very small emendation, and takes away the difficulty before us. Nor is Dr. Hudson's conjecture, hinted at by Mr. Hall in his preface to the doctor's edition of Josephus, at all improbable, that this Banns, by this his description, might well be a follower of Jolin the Baptist, and that from him Josephus might easily imbibe such notions, as afterward prepared him to have a favourable opinion about Jesus Christ himself, who was attested to by John the Baptist.

We may note here, that religious men among the Jews, or at least those that were priests, were sometimes ascetics also, and, like Daniel and his companions in Ba ||bylon, Dan. i. 8-16. ate no flesh, but figs and nuts, &c. only. This was like the Epoquyia, or austere diets, of the Christian ascetics in Passion week. Coustit. v. 18.

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