against apion-第8节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


on　concerning　our　march；　who　could　not　foresee　how　to　save　himself？　for　had　he　been　able　to　foreknow　what　was　future；　he　would　not　have　come　to　this　place；　but　would　have　been　afraid　lest　Mosollam　the　Jew　should　shoot　at　him；　and　kill　him。〃　But　of　Hecateus's　testimonies　we　have　said　enough；　for　as　to　such　as　desire　to　know　more　of　them；　they　may　easily　obtain　them　from　his　book　itself。　However；　I　shall　not　think　it　too　much　for　me　to　name　Agatharchides；　as　having　made　mention　of　us　Jews；　though　in　way　of　derision　at　our　simplicity；　as　he　supposes　it　to　be；　for　when　he　was　discoursing　of　the　affairs　of　Stratonice；　〃how　she　came　out　of　Macedonia　into　Syria；　and　left　her　husband　Demetrius；　while　yet　Seleueus　would　not　marry　her　as　she　expected；　but　during　the　time　of　his　raising　an　army　at　Babylon；　stirred　up　a　sedition　about　Antioch；　and　how；　after　that；　the　king　came　back；　and　upon　his　taking　of　Antioch；　she　fled　to　Seleucia；　and　had　it　in　her　power　to　sail　away　immediately　yet　did　she　comply　with　a　dream　which　forbade　her　so　to　do；　and　so　was　caught　and　put　to　death。〃　When　Agatharehides　had　premised　this　story；　and　had　jested　upon　Stratonice　for　her　superstition；　he　gives　a　like　example　of　what　was　reported　concerning　us；　and　writes　thus：　〃There　are　a　people　called　Jews；　and　dwell　in　a　city　the　strongest　of　all　other　cities；　which　the　inhabitants　call　Jerusalem；　and　are　accustomed　to　rest　on　every　seventh　day　（20）　on　which　times　they　make　no　use　of　their　arms；　nor　meddle　with　husbandry；　nor　take　care　of　any　affairs　of　life；　but　spread　out　their　hands　in　their　holy　places；　and　pray　till　the　evening。　Now　it　came　to　pass；　that　when　Ptolemy；　the　son　of　Lagus；　came　into　this　city　with　his　army；　that　these　men；　in　observing　this　mad　custom　of　theirs；　instead　of　guarding　the　city；　suffered　their　country　to　submit　itself　to　a　bitter　lord；　and　their　law　was　openly　proved　to　have　commanded　a　foolish　practice。　（21）　This　accident　taught　all　other　men　but　the　Jews　to　disregard　such　dreams　as　these　were；　and　not　to　follow　the　like　idle　suggestions　delivered　as　a　law；　when；　in　such　uncertainty　of　human　reasonings；　they　are　at　a　loss　what　they　should　do。〃　Now　this　our　procedure　seems　a　ridiculous　thing　to　Agatharehides；　but　will　appear　to　such　as　consider　it　without　prejudice　a　great　thing；　and　what　deserved　a　great　many　encomiums；　I　mean；　when　certain　men　constantly　prefer　the　observation　of　their　laws；　and　their　religion　towards　God；　before　the　preservation　of　themselves　and　their　country。

23。　Now　that　some　writers　have　omitted　to　mention　our　nation；　not　because　they　knew　nothing　of　us；　but　because　they　envied　us；　or　for　some　other　unjustifiable　reasons；　I　think　I　can　demonstrate　by　particular　instances；　for　Hieronymus；　who　wrote　the　History　of　＇Alexander's　Successors；　lived　at　the　same　time　with　Hecateus；　and　was　a　friend　of　king　Antigonus；　and　president　of　Syria。　Now　it　is　plain　that　Hecateus　wrote　an　entire　book　concerning　us；　while　Hieronymus　never　mentions　us　in　his　history；　although　he　was　bred　up　very　near　to　the　places　where　we　live。　Thus　different　from　one　another　are　the　inclinations　of　men；　while　the　one　thought　we　deserved　to　be　carefully　remembered；　as　some　ill…disposed　passion　blinded　the　other's　mind　so　entirely；　that　he　could　not　discern　the　truth。　And　now　certainly　the　foregoing　records　of　the　Egyptians；　and　Chaldeans；　and　Phoenicians；　together　with　so　many　of　the　Greek　writers；　will　be　sufficient　for　the　demonstration　of　our　antiquity。　Moreover；　besides　those　forementioned；　Theophilus；　and　Theodotus；　and　Mnaseas；　and　Aristophanes；　and　Hermogenes；　Euhemerus　also；　and　Conon；　and　Zopyrion；　and　perhaps　many　others；　（for　I　have　not　lighted　upon　all　the　Greek　books；）　have　made　distinct　mention　of　us。　It　is　true；　many　of　the　men　before　mentioned　have　made　great　mistakes　about　the　true　accounts　of　our　nation　in　the　earliest　times；　because　they　had　not　perused　our　sacred　books；　yet　have　they　all　of　them　afforded　their　testimony　to　our　antiquity；　concerning　which　I　am　now　treating。　However；　Demetrius　Phalereus；　and　the　elder　Philo；　with　Eupolemus；　have　not　greatly　missed　the　truth　about　our　affairs；　whose　lesser　mistakes　ought　therefore　to　be　forgiven　them；　for　it　was　not　in　their　power　to　understand　our　writings　with　the　utmost　accuracy。

24。　One　particular　there　is　still　remaining　behind　of　what　I　at　first　proposed　to　speak　to；　and　that　is；　to　demonstrate　that　those　calumnies　and　reproaches　which　some　have　thrown　upon　our　nation；　are　lies；　and　to　make　use　of　those　writers'　own　testimonies　against　themselves；　and　that　in　general　this　self…contradiction　hath　happened　to　many　other　authors　by　reason　of　their　ill…will　to　some　people；　I　conclude；　is　not　unknown　to　such　as　have　read　histories　with　sufficient　care；for　some　of　them　have　endeavored　to　disgrace　the　nobility　of　certain　nations；　and　of　some　of　the　most　glorious　cities；　and　have　cast　reproaches　upon　certain　forms　of　government。　Thus　hath　Theopompus　abused　the　city　of　Athens；　Polycrates　that　of　Lacedemon；　as　hath　he　hat　wrote　the　Tripoliticus　（for　he　is　not　Theopompus；　as　is　supposed　bys　ome）　done　by　the　city　of　Thebes。　Timeils　also　hath　greatly　abused　the　foregoing　people　and　others　also；　and　this　ill…treatment　they　use　chiefly　when　they　have　a　contest　with　men　of　the　greatest　reputation；　some　out　of　envy　and　malice；　and　others　as　supposing　that　by　this　foolish　talking　of　theirs　they　may　be　thought　worthy　of　being　remembered　themselves；　and　indeed　they　do　by　no　means　fail　of　their　hopes；　with　regard　to　the　foolish　part　of　mankind；　but　men　of　sober　judgment　still　condemn　them　of　great　malignity。

25。　Now　the　Egyptians　were　the　first　that　cast　reproaches　upon　us；　in　order　to　please　which　nation；　some　others　undertook　to　pervert　the　truth；　while　they　would　neither　own　that　our　forefathers　came　into　Egypt　from　another　country；　as　the　fact　was；　nor　give　a　true　account　of　our　departure　thence。　And　indeed　the　Egyptians　took　many　occasions　to　hate　us　and　envy　us：　in　the　first　place；　because　our　ancestors　had　had　the　dominion　over　their　country？　and　when　they　were　delivered　from　them；　and　gone　to　their　own　country　again；　they　lived　there　in　prosperity。　In　the　next　place；　the　difference　of　our　religion　from　theirs　hath　occasioned　great　enmity　between　us；　while　our　way　of　Divine　worship　did　as　much　exceed　that　which　their　laws　appointed；　as　does　the　nature　of　God　exceed　that　of　brute　beasts；　for　so　far　they　all　agree　through　the　whole　country；　to　esteem　such　animals　as　gods；　although　they　differ　one　from　another　in　the　peculiar　worship　they　severally　pay　to　them。　And　certainly　men　they　are　entirely　of　vain　and　foolish　minds；　who　have　thus　accustomed　themselves　from　the　beginning　to　have　such　bad　notions　concerning　their　gods；　and　could　not　think　of　imitating　that　decent　form　of　Divine　worship　which　we　made　use　of；　though；　when　they　saw　our　institutions　approved　of　by　many　others；　they　could　not　but　envy　us　on　that　account；　for　some　of　them　have　proceeded　to　that　degree　of　folly　and　meanness　in　their　conduct；　as　not　to　scruple　to　contradict　their　own　ancient　records；　nay；　to　contradict　themselves　also　in　their　writings；　and　yet　were　so　blinded　by　their　passions　as　not　to　discern　it。

26。　And　now　I　will　turn　my　discourse　to　one　of　their　principal　writers；　whom　I　have　a　little　before　made　use　of　as　a　witness　to　our　antiquity；　I　mean　Manetho。　（22）　He　promised　to　interpret　the　Egyptian　history　out　of　their　sacred　writings；　and　premised　this：　that　〃our　people　had　come　into　Egypt；　many　ten　thousands　in　number；　and　subdued　its　inhabitants；〃　and　when　he　had　further　confessed　that　〃we　went　out　of　that　country　afterward；　and　settled　in　that　country　which　is　now　called　Judea；　and　there　built　Jerusalem　and　its　temple。〃　Now　thus　far　he　followed　his　ancient　records；　but　after　this　he　permits　himself；　in　order　to　appear　to　have　written　what　rumors　and　reports　passed　abroad　about　the　Jews；　and　introduces　incredible　narrations；　as　if　he　would　have　the　Egyptian　multitude；　that　had　the　leprosy　and　other　distempers；　to　have　been　mixed　with　us；　as　he　says　they　were；　and　that　they　were　condemned　to　fly　out　of　Egypt　together；　for　he　mentions　Amenophis；　a　fictitious　king's　name；　though　on　that　account　he　durst　not　set　down　the　number　of　years　of　his　reign；　which　yet　he　had　accurately　done　as　to　the　other　kings　he　mentions；　he　then　ascribes　certain　fabulous　stories　to　this　king；　as　having　in　a　manner　forgotten　how　he　had　already　related　that　the　departure　of　the　shepherds　for　Jerusalem　had　been　five　hundred　and　eighteen　years　before；　for　Tethmosis　was　king　when　they　went　away。　Now；　from　his　days；　the　reigns　of　the　intermediate　kings；　according　to　Manethe；　amounted　to　three　hundred　and　ninety…three　years；　as　he　says　himself；　till　the　two　brothers　Sethos　and　Hermeus；　the　one　of　whom；　Sethos；　was　called　by　that　other　name　of　Egyptus；　and　the　other；　Hermeus；　by　that　of　Danaus。　He　also　says　that　Sethos　east　the　other　out　of　Egypt；　and　reigned　fifty…nine　years；　as　did　his　eldest　son　Rhampses　reign　after　him　sixty…six　years。　When　Manethe　therefore　had　acknowledged　that　our　forefathers　were　gone　out　of　Egypt　so　many　years　ago；　he　introduces　his　fictitious　king　Amenophis；　and　says　thus：　〃This　king　was　desirous　to　become　a　sp