against apion-第26节

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（21）　These　excellent　accounts　of　the　Divine　attributes；　and　that　God　is　not　to　be　at　all　known　in　his　essence；　as　also　some　other　clear　expressions　about　the　resurrection　of　the　dead；　and　the　state　of　departed　souls；　etc。；　in　this　late　work　of　Josephus；　look　more　like　the　exalted　notions　of　the　Essens；　or　rather　Ebionite　Christians；　than　those　of　a　mere　Jew　or　Pharisee。　The　following　large　accounts　also　of　the　laws　of　Moses；　seem　to　me　to　show　a　regard　to　the　higher　interpretations　and　improvements　of　Moses's　laws；　derived　from　Jesus　Christ；　than　to　the　bare　letter　of　them　in　the　Old　Testament；　whence　alone　Josephus　took　them　when　he　wrote　his　Antiquities；　nor；　as　I　think；　can　some　of　these　laws；　though　generally　excellent　in　their　kind；　be　properly　now　found　either　in　the　copies　of　the　Jewish　Pentateuch；　or　in　Philo；　or　in　Josephus　himself；　before　he　became　a　Nazarene　or　Ebionite　Christian；　nor　even　all　of　them　among　the　laws　of　catholic　Christianity　themselves。　I　desire；　therefore；　the　learned　reader　to　consider；　whether　some　of　these　improvements　or　interpretations　might　not　be　peculiar　to　the　Essens　among　the　Jews；　or　rather　to　the　Nazarenes　or　Ebionites　among　the　Christians；　though　we　have　indeed　but　imperfect　accounts　of　those　Nazarenes　or　Ebionite　Christians　transmitted　down　to　us　at　this　day。

（22）　We　may　here　observe　how　known　a　thing　it　was　among　the　Jews　and　heathens；　in　this　and　many　other　instances；　that　sacrifices　were　still　accompanied　with　prayers；　whence　most　probably　came　those　phrases　of　〃the　sacrifice　of　prayer；　the　sacrifice　of　praise；　the　sacrifice　of　thanksgiving。〃　However；　those　ancient　forms　used　at　sacrifices　are　now　generally　lost；　to　the　no　small　damage　of　true　religion。　It　is　here　also　exceeding　remarkable；　that　although　the　temple　at　Jerusalem　was　built　as　the　only　place　where　the　whole　nation　of　the　Jews　were　to　offer　their　sacrifices；　yet　is　there　no　mention　of　the　〃sacrifices〃　themselves；　but　of　〃prayers〃　only；　in　Solomon's　long　and　famous　form　of　devotion　at　its　dedication；　1　Kings　8。；　2　Chronicles　6。　See　also　many　passages　cited　in　the　Apostolical　Constitutions；　VII。　37；　and　Of　the　War；　above；　B。　VII。　ch。　5。　sect。　6。

（23）　This　text　is　no　where　in　our　present　copies　of　the　Old　Testament。

（24）　It　may　not　be　amiss　to　set　down　here　a　very　remarkable　testimony　of　the　great　philosopher　Cicero；　as　to　the　preference　of　〃laws　to　philosophy：　…　I　will；〃　says　he；　〃boldly　declare　my　opinion；　though　the　whole　world　be　offended　at　it。　I　prefer　this　little　book　of　the　Twelve　Tables　alone　to　all　the　volumes　of　the　philosophers。　I　find　it　to　be　not　only　of　more　weight；'　but　also　much　more　useful。〃　…　Oratore。

（25）　we　have　observed　our　times　of　rest；　and　sorts　of　food　allowed　us　＇during　our　distresses＇。

（26）　See　what　those　novel　oaths　were　in　Dr。　Hudson's　note；　viz。　to　swear　by　an　oak；　by　a　goat；　and　by　a　dog；　as　also　by　a　gander；　as　say　Philostratus　and　others。　This　swearing　strange　oaths　was　also　forbidden　by　the　Tyrians；　B。　I。　sect。　22；　as　Spanheim　here　notes。

（27）　Why　Josephus　here　should　blame　some　heathen　legislators；　when　they　allowed　so　easy　a　composition　for　simple　fornication；　as　an　obligation　to　marry　the　virgin　that　was　corrupted；　is　hard　to　say；　seeing　he　had　himself　truly　informed　us　that　it　was　a　law　of　the　Jews；　Antiq。　B。　IV。　ch。　8。　sect。　23；　as　it　is　the　law　of　Christianity　also：　see　Horeb　Covenant；　p。　61。　I　am　almost　ready　to　suspect　that；　for；　we　should　here　read；　and　that　corrupting　wedlock；　or　other　men's　wives；　is　the　crime　for　which　these　heathens　wickedly　allowed　this　composition　in　money。

（28）　Or　〃for　corrupting　other　men's　wives　the　same　allowance。〃







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