湊徨勵弌傍利 > 哂囂窮徨慕 > against apion >

及17准

against apion-及17准

弌傍 against apion 忖方 耽匈4000忖

梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響



terly   incredible拭For we Jews are always governed by the same   laws察in which we constantly persevere察and although many   misfortunes have befallen our city察as the like have befallen   others察and although Theos EpiphanesВ察and Pompey the   Great察and Licinius Crassus察and last of all Titus Caesar察have   conquered us in war察and gotten possession of our temple察  yet have they none of them found any such thing there察nor   indeed any thing but what was agreeable to the strictest piety察  although what they found we are not at liberty to reveal to   other nations。 But for Antiochus EpiphanesВ察he had no just   cause for that ravage in our temple that he made察he only   came to it when he wanted money察without declaring himself   our enemy察and attacked us while we were his associates and   his friends察nor did he find any thing there that was   ridiculous。 This is attested by many worthy writers察Polybius   of Megalopolis察Strabo of Cappadocia察Nicolaus of Damascus察  Timagenes察Castor the chronotoger察and Apollodorus察。10   who all say that it was out of Antiochus's want of money that   he broke his league with the Jews察and despoiled their temple   when it was full of gold and silver。 Apion ought to have had   a regard to these facts察unless he had himself had either an   ass's heart or a dog's impudence察of such a dog I mean as   they worship察for he had no other external reason for the lies   he tells of us。 As for us Jews察we ascribe no honor or power   to asses察as do the Egyptians to crocodiles and asps察when   they esteem such as are seized upon by the former察or bitten   by the latter察to be happy persons察and persons worthy of   God。 Asses are the same with us which they are with other   wise men察viz。 creatures that bear the burdens that we lay   upon them察but if they come to our thrashing´floors and eat   our corn察or do not perform what we impose upon them察we   beat them with a great many stripes察because it is their   business to minister to us in our husbandry affairs。 But this   Apion of ours was either perfectly unskillful in the   composition of such fallacious discourses察or however察when   he begun somewhat betterВ察he was not able to persevere in   what he had undertaken察since he hath no manner of success   in those reproaches he casts upon us。      8。 He adds another Grecian fable察in order to reproach us。 In   reply to which察it would be enough to say察that they who   presume to speak about Divine worship ought not to be   ignorant of this plain truth察that it is a degree of less impurity   to pass through temples察than to forge wicked calumnies of   its priests。 Now such men as he are more zealous to justify a   sacrilegious king察than to write what is just and what is true   about us察and about our temple察for when they are desirous   of gratifying Antiochus察and of concealing that perfidiousness   and sacrilege which he was guilty of察with regard to our   nation察when he wanted money察they endeavor to disgrace us察  and tell lies even relating to futurities。 Apion becomes other   men's prophet upon this occasion察and says that ;Antiochus   found in our temple a bed察and a man lying upon it察with a   small table before him察full of dainties察from the fishes of   theАsea察and the fowls of the dry land察that this man was   amazed at these dainties thus set before him察that he   immediately adored the king察upon his coming in察as hoping   that he would afford him all possible assistance察that he fell   down upon his knees察and stretched out to him his right   hand察and begged to be released察and that when the king bid   him sit down察and tell him who he was察and why he dwelt   there察and what was the meaning of those various sorts of   food that were set before him the man made a lamentable   complaint察and with sighs察and tears in his eyes察gave him this   account of the distress he was in察and said that he was a   Greek and that as he went over this province察in order to get   his living察he was seized upon by foreigners察on a sudden察and   brought to this temple察and shut up therein察and was seen by   nobody察but was fattened by these curious provisions thus set   before him察and that truly at the first such unexpected   advantages seemed to him matter of great joy察that after a   while察they brought a suspicion him察and at length   astonishment察what their meaning should be察that at last he   inquired of the servants that came to him and was by them   informed that it was in order to the fulfilling a law of the   Jews察which they must not tell him察that he was thus fed察and   that they did the same at a set time every year此that they used   to catch a Greek foreigner察and fat him thus up every year察  and then lead him to a certain wood察and kill him察and   sacrifice with their accustomed solemnities察and taste of his   entrails察and take an oath upon this sacrificing a Greek察that   they would ever be at enmity with the Greeks察and that then   they threw the remaining parts of the miserable wretch into a   certain pit。; Apion adds further察that; the man said there   were but a few days to come ere he was to be slain察and   implored of Antiochus that察out of the reverence he bore to   the Grecian gods察he would disappoint the snares the Jews   laid for his blood察and would deliver him from the miseries   with which he was encompassed。; Now this is such a most   tragical fable as is full of nothing but cruelty and impudence察  yet does it not excuse Antiochus of his sacrilegious attempt察  as those who write it in his vindication are willing to suppose察  for he could not presume beforehand that he should meet   with any such thing in coming to the temple察but must have   found it unexpectedly。 He was therefore still an impious   person察that was given to unlawful pleasures察and had no   regard to God in his actions。 But as for ApionВ察he hath   done whatever his extravagant love of lying hath dictated to   him察as it is most easy to discover by a consideration of his   writings察for the difference of our laws is known not to regard   the Grecians only察but they are principally opposite to the   Egyptians察and to some other nations also for while it so falls   out that men of all countries come sometimes and sojourn   among us察how comes it about that we take an oath察and   conspire only against the Grecians察and that by the effusion   of their blood also拭Or how is it possible that all the Jews   should get together to these sacrifices察and the entrails of one   man should be sufficient for so many thousands to taste of   them察as Apion pretends拭Or why did not the king carry this   man察whosoever he was察and whatsoever was his name察  。which is not set down in Apion's book撮 with great pomp   back into his own country拭when he might thereby have been   esteemed a religious person himself察and a mighty lover of   the Greeks察and might thereby have procured himself great   assistance from all men against that hatred the Jews bore to   him。 But I leave this matter察for the proper way of confuting   fools is not to use bare words察but to appeal to the things   themselves that make against them。 Now察then察all such as   ever saw the construction of our temple察of what nature it   was察know well enough how the purity of it was never to be   profaned察for it had four several courts 12 encompassed   with cloisters round about察every one of which had by our law   a peculiar degree of separation from the rest。 Into the first   court every body was allowed to go察even foreigners察and   none but women察during their courses察were prohibited to   pass through it察all the Jews went into the second court察as   well as their wives察when they were free from all uncleanness察  into the third court went in the Jewish men察when they were   clean and purified察into the fourth went the priests察having on   their sacerdotal garments察but for the most sacred place察  none went in but the high priests察clothed in their peculiar   garments。 Now there is so great caution used about these   offices of religion察that the priests are appointed to go into   the temple but at certain hours察for in the morning察at the   opening of the inner temple察those that are to officiate   receive the sacrifices察as they do again at noon察till the doors   are shut。 Lastly察it is not so much as lawful to carry any vessel   into the holy house察nor is there any thing therein察but the   altar of incenseВ察the table of shew´breadВ察the censer察and   the candlestick察which are all written in the law察for there is   nothing further there察nor are there any mysteries performed   that may not be spoken of察nor is there any feasting within   the place。 For what I have now said is publicly known察and   supported by the testimony of the whole people察and their   operations are very manifest察for although there be four   courses of the priests察and every one of them have above five   thousand men in them察yet do they officiate on certain days   only察and when those days are over察other priests succeed in   the performance of their sacrifices察and assemble together at   mid´day察and receive the keys of the temple察and the vessels   by tale察without any thing relating to food or drink being   carried into the temple察nay察we are not allowed to offer su

卦指朕村 貧匯匈 和匯匈 指欺競何 0 0

低辛嬬浪散議