among the more fruitful soil, they flourish, and what is sown is indeed sown bare grain, but at the mighty sound of God the Creator, it will sprout up, and be raised in a clothed and glorious condition, though not before it has been dissolved and mixed [with the earth.] So that we have not rashly believed the resurrection of the body; for although it be dissolved for a time on account of the original transgression, it exists still and is cast into the earth as into a potter's furnace, in order to be formed again, not in order to rise again such as it was before, but in a state of purity, and so as never to be destroyed any more. And to every body shall its own soul be restored. And when it hath clothed itself with that body, it will not be subject to misery, but being itself pure, it will continue with its pure body and rejoice with it, with which it having walked righteously now in this world, and never having had it as a snare, it will receive it again with great gladness. But as for the unjust, they will receive their bodies not changed, not freed from diseases or distempers, nor made glorious, but with the same diseases wherein they died; and such as they were in their unbelief, the same shall they be when they shall be faithfully judged. 6. For all men, the just as well as the unjust, shall be brought before God the Word: for to him bath the Father committed all judgment, and he in order to fulfil the will of his Father, shall come as judge, whom we call Christ. For Minos and Rhadamanthus are not the judges, as you Greeks do suppose, but he whom God and the Father hath glorified; CONCERNING WHOM WE HAVE ELSEWHERE GIVEN A MORE PARTICULAR ACCOUNT, FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE WHO SEEK AFTER TRUTH. This person exercising the righteous judgment of the Father toward all men, hath prepared a just sentence for every one, according to his works; at whose judgmentseat when all men, and angels, and demons shall stand, they will send forth one voice, and say, JUST IS THY JUDGMENT: the rejoinder to which will bring a just sentence upon both parties, by giving justly to those that have done well, an everlasting fruition; but allotting to the lovers of wicked works eternal punishment. To these belong the unquenchable fire, and that without end, and a certain fiery worm never dying, and not destroying the body, but continuing its eruption out of the body with never-ceasing grief: neither will sleep give ease to these men, nor will the night afford them comfort; death will not free them from their punishment, nor will the interceding prayers of their kindred profit them; for the just are no longer seen by them, nor are they thought worthy of remembrance. But the just shall remember only their righteous actions, whereby they have attained the heavenly kingdom, in which there is no sleep, no sorrow, no corruption, no care, no night, no day measured by time; no sun driven in his course along the circle of heaven by necessity, and measuring out the bounds and conversions of the seasons, for the better illumination of the life of man; no moon decreasing and increasing, or introducing a variety of seasons, nor will she then moisten the earth; no burning sun, no Bear turning round [the pole,] no Orion to rise, no wandering of innumerable stars. The earth will not then be difficult to be passed over, nor will it be hard to find out the court of paradise, nor will there be any fearful roaring of the sea, forbidding the passengers to walk on it; even that will be made easily passable to the just, though it will not be void of moisture. Heaven will not then be uninhabitable by men, and it will not be impossible to discover the way of ascending thither. The earth will not be uncultivated, nor require too much labour of men, but will bring forth its fruits of its own accord, and will be well adorned with them. There will be no more generations of wild beasts, nor will the substance of the rest of the animals shoot out any more; for it will not produce men, but the number of the righteous will continue, and never fail, together with righteous angels, and spirits [of God.] and with his word, as a choir of righteous men and women that never grow old, and continue in an incorruptible state, singing hymns to God, who hath advanced them to that happiness, by the means of a regular institution of life; with whom the whole Creation also will lift up a perpetual hymn from corruption to incorruption, as glorified by a splendid and a pure spirit. It will not then be restrained by a boud of necessity, but with a lively freedom shall offer up a voluntary hymn, and shall praise him that made them together with the angels, and spirits, and men, now freed from all bondage. 7. And now, if you Gentiles will be persuaded by these motives, and leave your vain imaginations about your pedigrees, and gaining of riches, and philosophy, and will not spend your time about subtilties of words, and thereby lead your minds into error, and if you will apply your ears to the hearing of the inspired prophets, the interpreters both of God and of his word, and will believe in God, you shall both be partakers of these things, and obtain the good things that are to come; you shall see the ascent unto the immense heaven plainly, and that kingdom which is there. For what God hath now concealed in silence [will be then made manifest,] what neither eye hath seen, nor ear hath heard, nor hath it en tered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him. 8. In whatsoever ways I shall find you, in them shall I judge you entirely; so cries the END of all things. And he who hath at first lived a virtuous life, but towards the latter end falls into vice, these labours by him before endured shall be altogether vain and unprofitable even as in a play, brought to an ill catastrophe. Whosoever shall have lived wickedly and luxuriously may repeut; however, there will be need of much time to conquer an evil habit; and even after repentance, his whole life must be guarded with great care and diligence after the manner of a body, which after it hath been a long time afflicted with a distemper, requires a stricter diet and method of living; for though it may be possible, perhaps, to break off the chain of our irregular affections at once, yet our amendment cannot be secured without the grace of God, and the prayers of good men, the help of the brethren, and our own sincere repentance and constant care. It is a good thing not to sin at all; it is also good, having sinned, to repent; as it is best to have health always, but it is a good thing to recover from a distemper. To God be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. THE END OF THE WRITINGS OF JOSEPHUS. INDEX. N. B. The first number in order is that of the Book, the second AARON, Antiq. b. 2 ch. xiii § 1 vol. i. b. 20 ch. x. vol. iv. Abassar, or Sanabassar, Antiq. 11 iv 6 ii. Abbarus, king of the Tyrians, Against Apion, 1 xxi vi. Abdenago, or Abednego, Antiq. 10 x 1 ii. Abdon succeeds Elon as judge, Antiq. 5 vii 15 i. Abbenerig, king of Charax Spasini, Antiq. 20 ii 1 iv. Abia, king of the Arabians, Antiq. 20 iv. 1 iv. Abiathar, the son of Abimelech, Antiq. 6 xii 6 ii. saves his Abibalus, king of the Tyrians, Against Apion, i § 17 vi. Abihu, the son of Aaron, Antiq. 3 viii 1 i. Abilameradochus, or Evil-Merodach, Antiq. 10 xi 2 ii. Abimelech tyrannizes over the Shechemites, Antiq. 5 vii 1 i. Abinabab, Antiq. 6 i 4 ii. 8 ii 3 ii. |