the antiquities of the jews-1-第308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！


asserts；　viz。　that　he　made　use　of　the　Hebrew　original　and　not　of
the　Greek　version＇；　as　also　we　learn；　that　his　Hebrew　copy
considerably　differed　from　ours。　See　all　three　texts　particularly
set　down　and　compared　together　in　the　Essay　on　the　Old　Testament；
page　187。

（24）　This　siege　of　Samaria；　though　not　given　a　particular　account
of；　either　in　our　Hebrew　or　Greek　Bibles；　or　in　Josephus；　was　so
very　long；　no　less　than　three　years；　that　it　was　no　way
improbable　but　that　parents；　and　particularly　mothers；　might
therein　be　reduced　to　eat　their　own　children；　as　the　law　of　Moses
had　threatened　upon　their　disobedience；　Leviticus　26；29；
Deuteronomy　28：53…57；　and　as　was　accomplished　in　the　other
shorter　sieges　of　both　the　capital　cities；　Jerusalem　and　Samaria；
the　former　mentioned　Jeremiah　19：9；　Antiq。　B。　IX。　ch。　4。　sect。　4；
and　the　latter；　2　Kings　6：26…29。

BOOK　10　FOOTNOTES

（1）　This　title　of　great　king；　both　in　our　Bibles；　2　Kings　18：19；
Isaiah　36：4；　and　here　in　Josephus；　is　the　very　same　that
Herodotus　gives　this　Sennacherib；　as　Spanheim　takes　notice　on
this　place。

（2）　What　Josephus　says　here；　how　Isaiah　the　prophet　assured
Hezekiah　that　〃at　this　time　he　should　not　be　besieged　by　the　king
of　Assyria；　that　for　the　future　he　might　be　secure　of　being　not
at　all　disturbed　by　him；　and　that　＇afterward＇　the　people　might　go
on　peaceably；　and　without　fear；　with　their　husbandry　and　other
affairs；〃　is　more　distinct　in　our　other　copies；　both　of　the　Kings
and　of　Isaiah；　and　deserves　very　great　consideration。　The　words
are　these：　〃This　shall　be　a　sign　unto　thee；　Ye　shall　eat　this
year　such　as　groweth　of　itself；　and　the　second　year　that　which
springeth　of　the　same；　and　in　the　third　year　sow　ye；　and　reap；
and　plant　vineyards；　and　eat　the　fruit　thereof；〃　2　Kings　19：29；
Isaiah　37：30；　which　seem　to　me　plainly　to　design　a　Sabbatic　year；
a　year　of　jubilee　next　after　it；　and　the　succeeding　usual　labors
and　fruits　of　them　on　the　third　and　following　years。

（3）　That　this　terrible　calamity　of　the　slaughter　of　the　185；000
Assyrians　is　here　delivered　in　the　words　of　Berosus　the　Chaldean；
and　that　it　was　certainly　and　frequently　foretold　by　the　Jewish
prophets；　and　that　it　was　certainly　and　undeniably　accomplished；
see　Authent。　Rec。　part　II。　p。　858。

（3）　We　are　here　to　take　notice；　that　these　two　sons　of
Sennacherib；　that　ran　away　into　Armenia；　became　the　heads　of　two
famous　families　there；　the　Arzerunii　and　the　Genunii；　of　which
see　the　particular　histories　in　Moses　Chorenensis；　p。　60。

（4）　Josephus；　and　all　our　copies；　place　the　sickness　of　Hezekiah
after　the　destruction　of　Sennacherib's　army；　because　it　appears
to　have　been　after　his　first　assault；　as　he　was　going　into　Arabia
and　Egypt；　where　he　pushed　his　conquests　as　far　as　they　would　go；
and　in　order　to　despatch　his　story　altogether；　yet　does　no　copy
but　this　of　Josephus　say　it　was　after　that　destruction；　but　only
that　it　happened　in　those　days；　or　about　that　time　of　Hezekiah's
life。　Nor　will　the　fifteen　years'　prolongation　of　his　life　after
his　sickness；　allow　that　sickness　to　have　been　later　than　the
former　part　of　the　fifteenth　year　of　his　reign；　since　chronology
does　not　allow　him　in　all　above　twenty…nine　years　and　a　few
months；　whereas　the　first　assault　of　Sennacherib　was　on　the
fourteenth　year　of　Hezekiah；　but　the　destruction　of　Sennacherib's
army　was　not　till　his　eighteenth　year。

（5）　As　to　this　regress　of　the　shadow；　either　upon　a　sun…dial；　or
the　steps　of　the　royal　palace　built　by　Ahaz；　whether　it　were
physically　done　by　the　real　miraculous　revolution　of　the　earth　in
its　diurnal　motion　backward　from　east　to　west　for　a　while；　and
its　return　again　to　its　old　natural　revolution　from　west　to　east；
or　whether　it　were　not　apparent　only；　and　performed　by　an　aerial
phosphorus；　which　imitated　the　sun's　motion　backward；　while　a
cloud　hid　the　real　sun；　cannot　now　be　determined。　Philosophers
and　astronomers　will　naturally　incline　to　the　latter　hypothesis。
However；　it　must　be　noted；　that　Josephus　seems　to　have　understood
it　otherwise　than　we　generally　do；　that　the　shadow　was
accelerated　as　much　at　first　forward　as　it　was　made　to　go
backward　afterward；　and　so　the　day　was　neither　longer　nor　shorter
than　usual；　which；　it　must　be　confessed　agrees　best　of　all　to
astronomy；　whose　eclipses；　older　than　the　time　were　observed　at
the　same　times　of　the　day　as　if　this　miracle　had　never　happened。
After　all；　this　wonderful　signal　was　not；　it　seems；　peculiar　to
Judea；　but　either　seen；　or　at　least　heard　of；　at　Babylon　also；　as
appears　by　2　Chronicles　32：31；　where　we　learn　that　the　Babylonian
ambassadors　were　sent　to　Hezekiah；　among　other　things；　to　inquire
of　the　wonder　that　was　done　in　the　land。

（6）　This　expression　of　Josephus；　that　the　Medes；　upon　this
destruction　of　the　Assyrian　army；　〃overthrew〃　the　Assyrian
empire；　seems　to　be　too　strong；　for　although　they　immediately
cast　off　the　Assrian　yoke；　and　set　up　Deioces；　a　king　of　their
own；　yet　it　was　some　time　before　the　Medes　and　Babylonians
overthrew　Nineveh；　and　some　generations　ere　the　Medes　and
Persians　under　Cyaxares　and　Cyrus　overthrew　the　Assyrian　or
Babylonian　empire；　and　took　Babylon。

（7）　It　is　hard　to　reconcile　the　account　in　the　Second　Book　of
Kings　（ch。　23：11）　with　this　account　in　Josephus；　and　to　translate
this　passage　truly　in　Josephus；　whose　copies　are　supposed　to　be
here　imperfect。　However；　the　general　sense　of　both　seems　to　be
this：　That　there　were　certain　chariots；　with　their　horses；
dedicated　to　the　idol　of　the　sun；　or　to　Moloch；　which　idol　might
be　carried　about　in　procession；　and　worshipped　by　the　people；
which　chariots　were　now　〃taken　away；〃　as　Josephus　says；　or；　as
the　Book　of　Kings　says；　〃burnt　with　fire；　by　Josiah。〃

（8）　This　is　a　remarkable　passage　of　chronology　in　Josephus；　that
about　the　latter　end　of　the　reign　of　Josiah；　the　Medes　and
Babylonians　overthrew　the　empire　of　the　Assyrians；　or；　in　the
words　of　Tobit's　continuator；　that　〃before　Tobias　died；　he　heard
of　the　destruction　of　Nineveh；　which　was　taken　by　Nebuchodonosor
the　Babylonian；　and　Assuerus　the　Mede；〃　Tob。　14：15。　See　Dean
Prideaux's　Connexion；　at　the　year　612。

（9）　This　battle　is　justly　esteemed　the　very　same　that　Herodotus
（B。　II。　sect。　156）　mentions；　when　he　says；　that　〃Necao　joined
battle　with　the　Syrians　＇or　Jews＇　at　Magdolum；　＇Megiddo；＇　and
beat　them；〃　as　Dr。　Hudson　here　observes。

（10）　Whether　Josephus；　from　2　Chronicles　35：25；　here　means　the
book　of　the　Lamentations　of　Jeremiah；　still　extant；　which　chiefly
belongs　to　the　destruction　of　Jerusalem　under　Nebuchadnezzar；　or
to　any　other　like　melancholy　poem　now　lost；　but　extant　in　the
days　of　Josephus；　belonging　peculiarly　to　Josiah；　cannot　now　be
determined。

（11）　This　ancient　city　Hamath；　which　is　joined　with　Arpad；　or
Aradus；　and　with　Damascus；　2　Kings　18：34；　Isaiah　36：19；　Jeremiah
49：23；　cities　of　Syria　and　Phoenicia；　near　the　borders　of　Judea；
was　also　itself　evidently　near　the　same　borders；　though　long　ago
utterly　destroyed。

（12）　Josephus　says　here　that　Jeremiah　prophesied　not　only　of　the
return　of　the　Jews　from　the　Babylonian　captivity；　and　this　under
the　Persians　and　Medes；　as　in　our　other　copies；　but　of　cause　they
did　not　both　say　the　same　thing　as　to　this　circumstance；　he
disbelieved　what　they　both　appeared　to　agree　in；　and　condemned
them　as　not　speaking　truth　therein；　although　all　the　things
foretold　him　did　come　to　pass　according　to　their　prophecies；　as
we　shall　show　upon　a　fitter　opportunity　their　rebuilding　the
temple；　and　even　the　city　Jerusalem；　which　do　not　appear　in　our
copies　under　his　name。　See　the　note　on　Antiq。　B。　XI。　ch。　1。　sect。
3。

（13）　This　observation　of　Josephus　about　the　seeming　disagreement
of　Jeremiah；　ch。　32：4；　and　34：3；　and　Ezekiel　12：13；　but　real
agreement　at　last；　concerning　the　fate　of　Zedekiah；　is　very　true
and　very　remarkable。　See　ch。　7。　sect。　2。　Nor　is　it　at　all
unlikely　that　the　courtiers　and　false　prophets　might　make　use　of
this　seeming　contradiction　to　dissuade　Zedekiah　from　believing
either　of　those　prophets；　as　Josephus　here　intimates　he　was
dissuaded　thereby。

（14）　I　have　here　inserted　in　brackets　this　high　priest　Azarias；
though　he　be　omitted　in　all　Josephus's　copies；　out　of　the　Jewish
chronicle；　Seder　Olam；　of　how　little　authority　soever　I　generally
esteem　such　late　Rabbinical　historians；　because　we　know　from
Josephus　himself；　that　the　number　of　the　high　priests　belonging
to　this　interval　was　eighteen；　Antiq。　B。　XX。　ch。　10。；　whereas　his
copies　have　here　but　seventeen。　Of　this　character　of　Baruch；　the
son　of　Neriah；　and　the　genuineness　of　his　book；　that　stands　now
in　our　Apocrypha；　and　that　it　is　really　a　canonical　book；　and　an
appendix　to　Jeremiah；　see　Authent。　Rec。　Part　I。　p。　111。

（15）　Herodotus　says；　this　king　of　Egypt　＇Pharaoh　Hophra；　or
Apries＇　was　slain　by　the　Egyptians；　as　Jeremiah　foretold　his
slaughter　by　his　enemies；　Jeremiah　44：29；　30；　and　that　as　a　sign
of　the　destruction　of　Egypt　＇by　Nebuchadnezzar＇。　Josephus　says；
this　king　was　slain　by　Nebuchadnezzar　himself。

（16）　We　see　here　that　Judea　was　left　in　a　manner　desolate　after
the　captivity　of　the　two　tribes　and　was　not　I　with　foreign
colonies；　perhaps　as　an　in