the wars of the jews-第39节

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more　years；　and　if　he　appear　to　be　worthy；　they　then　admit　him　into　their　society。　And　before　he　is　allowed　to　touch　their　common　food；　he　is　obliged　to　take　tremendous　oaths；　that；　in　the　first　place；　he　will　exercise　piety　towards　God；　and　then　that　he　will　observe　justice　towards　men；　and　that　he　will　do　no　harm　to　any　one；　either　of　his　own　accord；　or　by　the　command　of　others；　that　he　will　always　hate　the　wicked；　and　be　assistant　to　the　righteous；　that　he　will　ever　show　fidelity　to　all　men；　and　especially　to　those　in　authority；　because　no　one　obtains　the　government　without　God's　assistance；　and　that　if　he　be　in　authority；　he　will　at　no　time　whatever　abuse　his　authority；　nor　endeavor　to　outshine　his　subjects　either　in　his　garments；　or　any　other　finery；　that　he　will　be　perpetually　a　lover　of　truth；　and　propose　to　himself　to　reprove　those　that　tell　lies；　that　he　will　keep　his　hands　clear　from　theft；　and　his　soul　from　unlawful　gains；　and　that　he　will　neither　conceal　any　thing　from　those　of　his　own　sect；　nor　discover　any　of　their　doctrines　to　others；　no；　not　though　anyone　should　compel　him　so　to　do　at　the　hazard　of　his　life。　Moreover；　he　swears　to　communicate　their　doctrines　to　no　one　any　otherwise　than　as　he　received　them　himself；　that　he　will　abstain　from　robbery；　and　will　equally　preserve　the　books　belonging　to　their　sect；　and　the　names　of　the　angels　（5）　＇or　messengers＇。　These　are　the　oaths　by　which　they　secure　their　proselytes　to　themselves。

8。　But　for　those　that　are　caught　in　any　heinous　sins；　they　cast　them　out　of　their　society；　and　he　who　is　thus　separated　from　them　does　often　die　after　a　miserable　manner；　for　as　he　is　bound　by　the　oath　he　hath　taken；　and　by　the　customs　he　hath　been　engaged　in；　he　is　not　at　liberty　to　partake　of　that　food　that　he　meets　with　elsewhere；　but　is　forced　to　eat　grass；　and　to　famish　his　body　with　hunger；　till　he　perish；　for　which　reason　they　receive　many　of　them　again　when　they　are　at　their　last　gasp；　out　of　compassion　to　them；　as　thinking　the　miseries　they　have　endured　till　they　came　to　the　very　brink　of　death　to　be　a　sufficient　punishment　for　the　sins　they　had　been　guilty　of。

9。　But　in　the　judgments　they　exercise　they　are　most　accurate　and　just；　nor　do　they　pass　sentence　by　the　votes　of　a　court　that　is　fewer　than　a　hundred。　And　as　to　what　is　once　determined　by　that　number；　it　is　unalterable。　What　they　most　of　all　honor；　after　God　himself；　is　the　name　of　their　legislator　＇Moses＇；　whom　if　any　one　blaspheme　he　is　punished　capitally。　They　also　think　it　a　good　thing　to　obey　their　elders；　and　the　major　part。　Accordingly；　if　ten　of　them　be　sitting　together；　no　one　of　them　will　speak　while　the　other　nine　are　against　it。　They　also　avoid　spitting　in　the　midst　of　them；　or　on　the　right　side。　Moreover；　they　are　stricter　than　any　other　of　the　Jews　in　resting　from　their　labors　on　the　seventh　day；　for　they　not　only　get　their　food　ready　the　day　before；　that　they　may　not　be　obliged　to　kindle　a　fire　on　that　day；　but　they　will　not　remove　any　vessel　out　of　its　place；　nor　go　to　stool　thereon。　Nay；　on　other　days　they　dig　a　small　pit；　a　foot　deep；　with　a　paddle　（which　kind　of　hatchet　is　given　them　when　they　are　first　admitted　among　them）；　and　covering　themselves　round　with　their　garment；　that　they　may　not　affront　the　Divine　rays　of　light；　they　ease　themselves　into　that　pit；　after　which　they　put　the　earth　that　was　dug　out　again　into　the　pit；　and　even　this　they　do　only　in　the　more　lonely　places；　which　they　choose　out　for　this　purpose；　and　although　this　easement　of　the　body　be　natural；　yet　it　is　a　rule　with　them　to　wash　themselves　after　it；　as　if　it　were　a　defilement　to　them。

10。　Now　after　the　time　of　their　preparatory　trial　is　over；　they　are　parted　into　four　classes；　and　so　far　are　the　juniors　inferior　to　the　seniors；　that　if　the　seniors　should　be　touched　by　the　juniors；　they　must　wash　themselves；　as　if　they　had　intermixed　themselves　with　the　company　of　a　foreigner。　They　are　long…lived　also；　insomuch　that　many　of　them　live　above　a　hundred　years；　by　means　of　the　simplicity　of　their　diet；　nay；　as　I　think；　by　means　of　the　regular　course　of　life　they　observe　also。　They　contemn　the　miseries　of　life；　and　are　above　pain；　by　the　generosity　of　their　mind。　And　as　for　death；　if　it　will　be　for　their　glory；　they　esteem　it　better　than　living　always；　and　indeed　our　war　with　the　Romans　gave　abundant　evidence　what　great　souls　they　had　in　their　trials；　wherein；　although　they　were　tortured　and　distorted；　burnt　and　torn　to　pieces；　and　went　through　all　kinds　of　instruments　of　torment；　that　they　might　be　forced　either　to　blaspheme　their　legislator；　or　to　eat　what　was　forbidden　them；　yet　could　they　not　be　made　to　do　either　of　them；　no；　nor　once　to　flatter　their　tormentors；　or　to　shed　a　tear；　but　they　smiled　in　their　very　pains；　and　laughed　those　to　scorn　who　inflicted　the　torments　upon　them；　and　resigned　up　their　souls　with　great　alacrity；　as　expecting　to　receive　them　again。

11。　For　their　doctrine　is　this：　That　bodies　are　corruptible；　and　that　the　matter　they　are　made　of　is　not　permanent；　but　that　the　souls　are　immortal；　and　continue　for　ever；　and　that　they　come　out　of　the　most　subtile　air；　and　are　united　to　their　bodies　as　to　prisons；　into　which　they　are　drawn　by　a　certain　natural　enticement；　but　that　when　they　are　set　free　from　the　bonds　of　the　flesh；　they　then；　as　released　from　a　long　bondage；　rejoice　and　mount　upward。　And　this　is　like　the　opinions　of　the　Greeks；　that　good　souls　have　their　habitations　beyond　the　ocean；　in　a　region　that　is　neither　oppressed　with　storms　of　rain　or　snow；　or　with　intense　heat；　but　that　this　place　is　such　as　is　refreshed　by　the　gentle　breathing　of　a　west　wind；　that　is　perpetually　blowing　from　the　ocean；　while　they　allot　to　bad　souls　a　dark　and　tempestuous　den；　full　of　never…ceasing　punishments。　And　indeed　the　Greeks　seem　to　me　to　have　followed　the　same　notion；　when　they　allot　the　islands　of　the　blessed　to　their　brave　men；　whom　they　call　heroes　and　demi…gods；　and　to　the　souls　of　the　wicked；　the　region　of　the　ungodly；　in　Hades；　where　their　fables　relate　that　certain　persons；　such　as　Sisyphus；　and　Tantalus；　and　Ixion；　and　Tityus；　are　punished；　which　is　built　on　this　first　supposition；　that　souls　are　immortal；　and　thence　are　those　exhortations　to　virtue　and　dehortations　from　wickedness　collected；　whereby　good　men　are　bettered　in　the　conduct　of　their　life　by　the　hope　they　have　of　reward　after　their　death；　and　whereby　the　vehement　inclinations　of　bad　men　to　vice　are　restrained；　by　the　fear　and　expectation　they　are　in；　that　although　they　should　lie　concealed　in　this　life；　they　should　suffer　immortal　punishment　after　their　death。　These　are　the　Divine　doctrines　of　the　Essens　（6）　about　the　soul；　which　lay　an　unavoidable　bait　for　such　as　have　once　had　a　taste　of　their　philosophy。

12。　There　are　also　those　among　them　who　undertake　to　foretell　things　to　come；　（7）　by　reading　the　holy　books；　and　using　several　sorts　of　purifications；　and　being　perpetually　conversant　in　the　discourses　of　the　prophets；　and　it　is　but　seldom　that　they　miss　in　their　predictions。

13。　Moreover；　there　is　another　order　of　Essens；　（8）　who　agree　with　the　rest　as　to　their　way　of　living；　and　customs；　and　laws；　but　differ　from　them　in　the　point　of　marriage；　as　thinking　that　by　not　marrying　they　cut　off　the　principal　part　of　human　life；　which　is　the　prospect　of　succession；　nay；　rather；　that　if　all　men　should　be　of　the　same　opinion；　the　whole　race　of　mankind　would　fail。　However；　they　try　their　spouses　for　three　years；　and　if　they　find　that　they　have　their　natural　purgations　thrice；　as　trials　that　they　are　likely　to　be　fruitful；　they　then　actually　marry　them。　But　they　do　not　use　to　accompany　with　their　wives　when　they　are　with　child；　as　a　demonstration　that　they　do　not　many　out　of　regard　to　pleasure；　but　for　the　sake　of　posterity。　Now　the　women　go　into　the　baths　with　some　of　their　garments　on；　as　the　men　do　with　somewhat　girded　about　them。　And　these　are　the　customs　of　this　order　of　Essens。

14。　But　then　as　to　the　two　other　orders　at　first　mentioned；　the　Pharisees　are　those　who　are　esteemed　most　skillful　in　the　exact　explication　of　their　laws；　and　introduce　the　first　sect。　These　ascribe　all　to　fate　＇or　providence＇；　and　to　God；　and　yet　allow；　that　to　act　what　is　right；　or　the　contrary；　is　principally　in　the　power　of　men；　although　fate　does　co…operate　in　every　action。　They　say　that　all　souls　are　incorruptible；　but　that　the　souls　of　good　men　only　are　removed　into　other　bodies；　…　but　that　the　souls　of　bad　men　are　subject　to　eternal　punishment。　But　the　Sadducees　are　those　that　compose　the　second　order；　and　take　away　fate　entirely；　and　suppose　that　God　is　not　concerned　in　our　doing　or　not　doing　what　is　evil；　and　they　say；　that　to　act　what　is　good；　or　what　is　evil；　is　at　men's　own　choice；　and　that　the　one　or　the　other　belongs　so　to　every　one；　that　they　may　act　as　they　please。　They　also　take　away　the　belief　of　the　immortal　duration　of　the　soul；　and　the　punishments　and　rewards　in　Hades。　Moreover；　the　Pharisees　are　friendly　to　one　another；　and　are　for　the　exercise　of　concord；　and　regard　for　the　public；　but　the　behavior　of　the　Sadducees　one　towards　another　is　in　some　degree　wild；　and　their　conversation　with　those　that　are　of　their　own　party　is　as　barbarous　as　if