"How it came to pass, that when this legislation was so won“derful, no one, either of the poets, or of the historians had "made mention of it." Demetrius made answer, that " no

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one durst be so bold as to touch upon the description of "these laws, because they were divine and venerable, and "because some that had attempted it were afflicted by God." He also told him, that "Theopompous was desirous of writ"ing somewhat about them,. but was thereupon disturbed in his mind for above thirty days time; and upon some inter"mission of his distemper, he appeased God [by prayer,] as

suspecting that his madness proceeded from that cause. Nay, indeed he further saw a dream, that his distemper befel him while he indulged too great a curiosity about divine matters, and was desirous of publishing them among common men; but when he left off that attempt, he recovered his understanding again. Moreover, he informed him of Theodectes, the tragic poet, concerning whom it was reported, that when in a certain dramatic representation, he was desirous to make mention of things that were contained in the sacred books, he was afflicted with a darkness in his eyes; and that upon his being conscious of the occasion of his distemper, and appeasing God [by prayer,] he was freed from that afflic

tion.

14. And when the king had received these books from Demetrius, as we have said already, he adored them; and gave order, that great care should be taken of them, that they might remain uncorrupted. He also desired that the interpreters would come often to him out of Judea, and that both on account of the respects that he would pay them, and on account of the presents he would make them: For he said, "It was now but just to send them away, although if, of their 66 own accord, they would come to him hereafter, they should "obtain all that their own wisdom might justly require, and "what his generosity was able to give them." So he then sent them away; and gave to every one of them three gar ments of the best sort, and two talents of gold, and a cup of the value of one talent, and the furniture of the room wherein they were feasted. And these were the things he presented to them. But by them he sent to Eleazar the high priest, ten beds, with feet of silver, and the furniture to them belonging, and a cup of the value of thirty talents; and besides these, ten garments, and purple, and a very beautiful crown, and an hundred pieces of the finest woven linen; as also vials and dishes, and vessels for pouring, and two golden cisterns, to be dedicated to God. He also desired him, by an epistle, that he would give these interpreters leave, if any of them

were desirous of coming to him, because he highly valued a conversation with men of such learning; and should be very willing to lay out his wealth upon such men. And this was what came to the Jews, and was much to their glory and honour, from Ptolemy Philadelphus.

CHAP. III.

How the kings of Asia honoured the nation of the Jews, and made them citizens of those cities which they built.

and gave

§ 1. THE Jews also obtained honours from the kings of Asia when they became their auxiliaries; for Seleucus Nicator made them citizens in those cities which he built in Asia, and in the lower Syria, and in the metropolis itself, Antioch; gave them privileges equal to those of the Macedonians and Greeks, who were the inhabitants, insomuch that these privileges continue to this very day: An argument for which you have in this, that whereas the Jews do make use of oil prepared by foreigners, they receive a certain sum of money from the proper officers belonging to their exercises as the value would have deprived them of, in the last war, Mucianus, who was then president of Syria, preserved it to them. And when the people of Alexandria and of Antioch did after that, at the time that Vespasian and Titus his son governed the habitable earth, pray that these privileges of citizens might be taken away, they did not obtain their request. In which behaviour any one may discern the† equity and generosity of the Romans, especially of Vespasian and Titus, who, although they had been at a great deal of pains in the war against the Jews, and were exasperated against them, because they did not deliver up their weapons to them, but continued the war to the very last, yet did not they take away any of their fore-mentioned privileges belonging to them as citi

*The use of oil was much greater, and the donatives of it much more valuable in Judea, and the neighbouring countries, than it is amongst us. It was also, in the days of Josephus, thought unlawful for Jews to make use of any oil that was prepared by heathens, perhaps on account of some superstitions intermixed with its preparation by those heathens. When therefore the heathens were to make them a donative of oil, they paid them money instead of it. See Of the War, B. II. ch. xxi. § 2. Vol. III. the Life of Josephus, sect. 13. Vol. III. and Hudson's note on the place before us.

+ This, and the like great and just characters of the justice and equity, and generosity of the old Romans, both to the Jews and other conquered nations, affords us a very good reason why Almighty God, upon the rejection of the Jews for their wickedness, chose them for his people, and first established Christianity in that empire. Of which matter, see Josephus here, § 2. as also Antiq. B. XIV. ch. x. 21, 23. B. XVI, ch. 2. sect. 4. Vol. II.

of

zens, but restrained their anger; and overcame the prayers the Álexandrians and Antiochians, who were a very powerful people, insomuch that they did not yield to them, neither out of their favour to these people, nor out of their old grudge at those whose wicked opposition they had subdued in the war: nor would they alter any of the ancient favours granted to the Jews, but said, that those who had borne arms against them, and fought them, had suffered punishment already, and that it was not just to deprive those that had not offended, of the privileges they enjoyed.

2. We also know that Marcus Agrippa was of the like disposition towards the Jews: For when the people of Ionia were very angry at them, and besought Agrippa, that they, and they only, might have those privileges of citizens which Antiochus, the grandson of Seleucus (who by the Greeks was called the God,) had bestowed on them; and desired, that if the Jews were to be joint partakers with them, they might be obliged to worship the gods they themselves worshipped: but when these matters were brought to the trial, the Jews prevailed, and obtained leave to make use of their own customs, and this under the patronage of Nicolaus of Damascus; for Agrippa gave sentence, that he could not innovate. And if any one hath a mind to know this matter accurately, let him peruse the hundred and twenty-third, and hundred and twenty-fourth book of the history of this Nicolaus. Now, as to this determination of Agrippa, it is not so much to be admired, for at that time our nation had not made war against the Romans. But one may well be astonished at the generosity of Vespasian and Titus, that after so great wars and contests which they had from us, they should use such moderation. But I will now return to that part of my history, whence I made the present digression.

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3. Now it happened that in the reign of Antiochus the Great, who ruled over all Asia, that the Jews, as well as the inhabitants of Celesyria, suffered greatly, and their land was sorely harrassed: For while he was at war with Ptolemy Philopator, and with his son, who was called Epiphanes, it fell out, that these nations were equally sufferers, both when he was beaten, and when he beat the others: So that they were very like to a ship in a storm, which is tossed by the waves on both sides; and just thus were they in their situation in the middle between Antiochus's prosperity, and its change to adversity. But at length, when Antiochus had beaten Ptolemy, he seized upon Judea: And when Philopator was dead, his son sent out a great army under Scopas, the general of his forces, against the inhabitants of Celesyria, who took many of

their cities, and in particular our nation; which, when he fell upon them, went over to him. Yet was it not long afterward when Antiochus overcame Scopas, in a battle fought at the fountains of Jordan, and destroyed a great part of his army. But afterward, when Antiochus subdued those cities of Celesyria which Scopas had gotten into his possession, and Samaria with them, the Jews, of their own accord, went over to him, and received him into the city [Jerusalem,] and gave plentiful provision to all his army, and to his elephants, and readily assisted him when be besieged the garrison which was in the citadel of Jerusalem. Wherefore Antiochus thought it but just to requite the Jews' diligence and zeal in his service: So he wrote to the generals of his armies, and to his friends, and gave testimony to the good behaviour of the Jews towards him, and informed them what rewards he had resolved to bestow on them for that their behaviour. I will set down presently the epistles themselves, which he wrote to the generals concerning them, but will first produce the testimony of Polybius of Megalopolis; for thus does he speak, in the sixteenth book of his history: "Now Scopas, the general of

(6

Ptolemy's army, went in haste to the superior parts of the country, and in the winter time overthrew the nation of the "Jews. He also saith, in the same book, that when Scopas "was conquered by Antiochus, Antiochus received Batanea "and Samaria, and Abila and Gadara; and that, a while af"terwards, there came in to him those Jews that inhabited "near that temple which was called Jerusalem: concerning "which, although I have more to say, and particularly concerning the presence of God about that temple, yet do I put off that history till another opportunity." This it is which Polybius relates. But we will return to the series of the history, when we have first produced the epistles of king Antiochus:

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"KING ANTIOCHUS to PTOLEMY, sendeth greeting :

Since the Jews, upon our first entrance on their coun"try, demonstrated their friendship towards us; and when we came to their city [Jerusalem,] received us in a splen"did manner, and came to meet us with their senate, and gave abundance of provisions to our soldiers, and to the "elephants, and joined with us in ejecting the garrison of the Egyptians that were in the citadel, we have thought fit to reward them, and to retrieve the condition of their city, "which hath been greatly depopulated by such accidents as "have befallen its inhabitants, and to bring those that have

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"been scattered abroad, back to the city. And, in the first "place, we have determined, on account of their piety to"wards God, to bestow on them, as a pension, for their sa"crifices of animals that are fit for sacrifice, for wine and oil, " and frankincense, the value of twenty thousand pieces of "silver, and [six] sacred artabræ of fine flour, with one thou"sand four hundred and sixty medimni of wheat, and three "hundred and seventy-five medimni of salt. And these pay"ments I would have fully paid them, as I have sent orders << to you. I would also have the work about the temple fi"nished, and the cloisters, and if there be any thing else that "ought to be rebuilt. And for the materials of wood, let it "be brought them out of Judea itself, and out of the other "countries, and out of Libanus, tax free: and the same I "would have observed as to those other materials which will "be necessary, in order to render the temple more glorious. "And let all of that nation live according to the laws of their own country: and let the senate and the priests, and the "scribes of the temple, and the sacred singers, be discharg"ed from poll-money and the crown tax, and other taxes al66 So. And that the city may the sooner recover its inhabi"tants, I grant a discharge from taxes for three years to its present inhabitants; and to such as shall come to it, until "the month Hyperberetus. We also discharge them for "the future from a third part of their taxes, that the losses "they have sustained may be repaired. And all those citi66 zens that have been carried away, and are become slaves, 66 we grant them and their children their freedom; and give "order that their substance be restored to them."

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4. And these were the contents of this epistle. He also published a decree through all his kingdom, in honour of the temple, which contained what follows: "It shall be lawful for "no foreigner to come within the limits of the temple round "about; which thing is forbidden also to the Jews, unless to "those who, according to their own custom, have purified "themselves. Nor let any flesh of horses, or of mules, or of "asses, be brought into the city, whether they be wild, or "tame; nor that of leopards, or foxes, or hares; and, in ge"neral, that of any animal which is forbidden for the Jews "to eat. Nor let their skins be brought into it; nor let any "such animal be bred up in the city. Let them only be "permitted to use the sacrifices derived from their forefa"thers, with which they have been obliged to make accept"able atonements to God. And he that transgresseth any "of these orders, let him pay to the priests three thousand "drachmæ of silver." Moreover, this Antiochus bare testi