"THIS HISTORY is spoken of in the hignest cerms by men of the greatest learning and the soundest judgement, from its first publication to the present time.

"The fidelity, the veracity, and the probity of Josephus, are universally allowed: and Scaliger in particular declares, that not only in the affairs of the Jews, but even of foreign nations he deserves more credit than all the Greek and Roman writers put together. Certain at least it is, that he had that most essential qualification of an historian. —a perfect and accurate knowledge of all the transactions which he relates; that he had no prejudices to mislead him in the representation of them; and that, above all, he meant no favour to the Christian cause. For even allowing the so much controverted passage, in which he is supposed to bear testimony to Christ, to be genuine, it does not appear that he ever became a convert to his religion, but continued probably a zealous Jew to the end of his Life."- Vide Bishop Porteus's Lectures, Vol. II. p 234.

1. THE family from which I am derived is | Matthias Curtus, and that in the first year of not an ignoble one, but hath descended all the government of Hyrcanus: his son's name along from the priests; and as nobility among was Joseph, born in the ninth year of the several people is of a different origin, so with reign of Alexandra: his son Matthias was us to be of the sacerdotal dignity, is an indi- born in the tenth year of the reign of Archecation of the splendour of a family. Now, I laus; as was I born to Matthias in the first am not only sprung from a sacerdotal family year of the reign of Caius Cæsar. I have in general, but from the first of the twenty-three sons: Hyrcanus, the eldest, was born four courses; and as among us there is not in the fourth year of the reign of Vespasian, only a considerable difference between one as was Justus born in the seventh, and family of each course and another, I am of Agrippa in the ninth. Thus have I set down the chief family of that first course also; nay, the genealogy of my family as I have found farther, by my mother I am of the royal blood; it described in the public records, and so for the children of Asamoneus, from whom bid adieu to those who calumniate me [as of that family was derived, had both the office a lower original].

of the high priesthood, and the dignity of a 2. Now, my father Matthias was not only king, for a long time together. I will accord-eminent on account of his nobility, but had a ingly set down my progenitors in order. My higher commendation on account of his rightgrandfather's father was named Simon, with eousness; and was in great reputation in Jethe addition of Psellus: he lived at the same rusalem, the greatest city we have. I was time with that son of Simon the high priest, myself brought up with my brother, whose who first of all the high priests was named name was Matthias, for he was my own broHyrcanus. This Simon Psellus had nine ther, by both father and mother; and I made sons, one of whom was Matthias, called Eph- mighty proficiency in the improvements of my lias: he married the daughter of Jonathan learning, and appeared to have both a great the high priest; which Jonathan was the first of the sons of Asamoneus, who was high priest, and was the brother of Simon the high priest also. This Matthias had a son called

memory and understanding. Moreover, when I was a child, and about fourteen years of age, I was commended by all for the love I had to learning; on which account the high priests and principal men of the city came *We may hence correct the error of the Latin copy then frequently to me together, in order to of the second book Against Apion, sect. 8 (for the know my opinion about the accurate underGreek is there lost), which says, there were then only four tribes or courses of the priests, instead of twenty-standing of points of the law; and when I four. Nor is this testimony to be disregarded, as if was about sixteen years old, I had a mind to Josephus there contradicted what he had affirmed here;

because even the account there given better agrees to make trial of the several sects that were among twenty-four than to four courses, while he says that each us. These sects are three :-The first is that of those courses contained above 5000 men, which, multiplied by only four, will make not more than 20,000 of the Pharisees, the second that of the Sadpriests; whereas the number 120,000, as multiplied by ducees, and the third that of the Essens, as 24, seems much the most probable, they being about one tenth of the whole people, even after the captivity. we have frequently told you; for I thought See Ezra i. 36-39; Nehem. vii. 39-12; 1 Esd. v. that by this means I might choose the best, if 24, 25; with Ezra ii. 61; Nehem. vii. 66; 1 Esd. v. 41. I were once acquainted with them all; so I

Nor will this common reading or notion of but four courses of priests, agree with Josephus's own further 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 genealogies, especially as to the priests. See Against Apion, b. i. sect. 7.

sontented myself with hard fare, and under- | I became acquainted with Aliturius, an acto. went great difficulties, and went through them of plays, and much beloved by Nero, but a all. Nor did I content myself with these Jew by birth; and through his interest becaine trials only; but when I was informed that known to Poppea, Cæsar's wife; and took one, whose name was Banus, lived in the care, as soon as possible, to entreat her to desert, and used no other clothing than grew procure that the priests might be set at liberupon trees, and had no other food than what ty; and when, besides, this favour, I had obgrew of its own accord, and bathed himself tained many presents from Poppea, 1 returnin cold water frequently, both by night and ed home again. by day, in order to preserve his chastity, I 4. And now I perceived innovations were imitated him in those things, and continued already begun, and that there were a great with him three years.* So when I had ac-many very much elevated, in hopes of a recomplished my desires, I returned back to the volt from the Romans. I therefore endeacity, being now nineteen years old, and began | voured to put a stop to these tumultuous perto conduct myself according to the rules of the sons, and persuaded them to change their sect of the Pharisees, which is of kin to the minds; and laid before their eyes against sect of the Stoics, as the Greeks call them.

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, though it were through a great number of hazards, by sea; for, as our ship was drowned in the Adriatic Sea, we that were in it, being about six hundred in number, swam for our lives all the night; when, upon the first appearance of the day, and upon our sight of a ship of Cyrene, I and some others, eighty in all, by God's providence, prevented the rest, and were taken up into the other ship: and when I had thus escaped, and was come to Dicearchia, which the Italians call Puteoli,

whom it was that they were going to fight, and told them that they were inferior to the Romans not only in martial skill, but also in good fortune; and desired them not rashly and after the most foolish manner, to bring on the dangers of the most terrible mischiefs upon their country, upon their families, and upon themselves. And this I said with vehement exhortation, because I foresaw that the end of such a war would be most unfortunate to us. But I could not persuade them; for the madness of desperate men was quite too hard for me.

5. I was then afraid, lest, by inculcating these things so often, I should incur their hatred and their suspicions, as if I were of our enemies' party, and should run into the danger of being seized by them and slain, since they were already possessed of Antonia, which was the citadel; so I retired into the inner court of the temple; yet did I go out of the temple again, after Manahem and the principal of the band of robbers were put to death, when I abode among the high priests and the chief of the Pharisees; but no small fear seized upon us when we saw the people in arms, while we ourselves knew not what we should do, and were not able to restrain When Josephus here says, that from sixteen to the seditious. However, as the danger was nineteen, or for three years, he made trial of the three directly upon us, we pretended that we were Jewish sects, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essens, and yet says presently, in all our copies, that he of the same opinion with them; but only ad. staid besides with one particular ascetic, called Banus, vised them to be quiet for the present, and to Tag airy, with him, and this still before he was nineteen, let the enemy go away, still hoping that sects. I suppose, therefore, that for rag auta, with him, Gessius [Florus] would not be long ere he the old reading might be rag auros, with them; which came, and that with great forces, and so put is a very small emendation, and takes away the diffi culty before us. Nor is Dr Hudson's conjecture hinted an end to these seditious proceedings. at by Mr. Hall in his preface to the Doctor's edition of Josephus at all improbable, that this Banus, by this his description, might well be a follower of John the Bap tist, and that from him Josephus might easily imbibe such notions, as afterwards prepared him to have a favourable opinion of Jesus Christ himself, who was attested to by John the Baptist.

there is little room left for his trial of the three other

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 Babylou (Dan. i. 8-16), ate no flesh, but figs and nuts, &c. only. This was like the gear, or austere diet of the Christian ascetics in Passion-Week. Constitut.

6. But, upon his coming and fighting, he was beaten, and a great many of those that were with him fell; and this disgrace which Gessius [with Cestius] received, became the calamity of our whole nation; for those that were fond of the war were so far elevated with this success, that they had hopes of finally con quering the Romans. Of which war another occasion was ministered; which was this:Those that dwelt in the neighbouring cities of Syria seized upon such Jews as dwelt among them, with their wives and children, and slew them, when they had not the least occasion or