the antiquities of the jews-1-第289节

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so　great　an　inclination　to　it；　could　so　accurately　deliver　these
accounts　to　the　Greeks　as　is　done　in　these　books。　For　those　of　my
own　nation　freely　acknowledge　that　I　far　exceed　them　in　the
learning　belonging　to　Jews；　I　have　also　taken　a　great　deal　of
pains　to　obtain　the　learning　of　the　Greeks；　and　understand　the
elements　of　the　Greek　language；　although　I　have　so　long
accustomed　myself　to　speak　our　own　tongue；　that　I　cannot
pronounce　Greek　with　sufficient　exactness；　for　our　nation　does
not　encourage　those　that　learn　the　languages　of　many　nations；　and
so　adorn　their　discourses　with　the　smoothness　of　their　periods；
because　they　look　upon　this　sort　of　accomplishment　as　common；　not
only　to　all　sorts　of　free…men；　but　to　as　many　of　the　servants　as
please　to　learn　them。　But　they　give　him　the　testimony　of　being　a
wise　man　who　is　fully　acquainted　with　our　laws；　and　is　able　to
interpret　their　meaning；　on　which　account；　as　there　have　been
many　who　have　done　their　endeavors　with　great　patience　to　obtain
this　learning；　there　have　yet　hardly　been　so　many　as　two　or　three
that　have　succeeded　therein；　who　were　immediately　well　rewarded
for　their　pains。

3。　And　now　it　will　not　be　perhaps　an　invidious　thing；　if　I　treat
briefly　of　my　own　family；　and　of　the　actions　of　my　own　life　（28）
while　there　are　still　living　such　as　can　either　prove　what　I　say
to　be　false；　or　can　attest　that　it　is　true；　with　which　accounts　I
shall　put　an　end　to　these　Antiquities；　which　are　contained　in
twenty　books；　and　sixty　thousand　verses。　And　if　God　permit　me；　I
will　briefly　run　over　this　war　（29）；　and　to　add　what　befell　them
further　to　that　very　day；　the　13th　of　Domitian；　or　A。D。　03；　is
not；　that　I　have　observed；　taken　distinct　notice　of　by　any　one；
nor　do　we　ever　again；　with　what　befell　us　therein　to　this　very
day；　which　is　the　thirteenth　year　of　the　reign　of　Caesar
Domitian；　and　the　fifty…sixth　year　of　my　own　life。　I　have　also　an
intention　to　write　three　books　concerning　our　Jewish　opinions
about　God　and　his　essence；　and　about　our　laws；　why；　according　to
them；　some　things　are　permitted　us　to　do；　and　others　are
prohibited。

ANT　PREFACE　FOOTNOTES

（1）　This　preface　of　Josephus　is　excellent　in　its　kind；　and　highly
worthy　the　repeated　perusal　of　the　reader；　before　he　set　about
the　perusal　of　the　work　itself。

（2）That　is；　all　the　Gentiles；　both　Greeks　and　Romans。

（3）　We　may　seasonably　note　here；　that　Josephus　wrote　his　Seven
Books　of　the　Jewish　War　long　before　he　wrote　these　his
Antiquities。　Those　books　of　the　War　were　published　about　A。D。　75；
and　these　Antiquities；　A。　D。　93；　about　eighteen　years　later。

（4）　This　Epaphroditus　was　certainly　alive　in　the　third　year　of
Trajan；　A。D。　100。　See　the　note　on　the　First　Book　Against　Apion；
sect。　1。　Who　he　was　we　do　not　know；　for　as　to　Epaphroditus；　the
freedman　of　Nero；　and　afterwards　Domitian's　secretary；　who　was
put　to　death　by　Domitian　in　the　14th　or　15th　year　of　his　reign；
he　could　not　be　alive　in　the　third　of　Trajan。

（5）　Josephus　here　plainly　alludes　to　the　famous　Greek　proverb；　If
God　be　with　us；　every　thing　that　is　impossible　becomes　possible。

（6）　As　to　this　intended　work　of　Josephus　concerning　the　reasons
of　many　of　the　Jewish　laws；　and　what　philosophical　or　allegorical
sense　they　would　bear；　the　loss　of　which　work　is　by　some　of　the
learned　not　much　regretted；　I　am　inclinable；　in　part；　to
Fabricius's　opinion；　ap。　Havercamp；　p。　63；　61；　That　〃we　need　not
doubt　but　that；　among　some　vain　and　frigid　conjectures　derived
from　Jewish　imaginations；　Josephus　would　have　taught　us　a　greater
number　of　excellent　and　useful　things；　which　perhaps　nobody；
neither　among　the　Jews；　nor　among　the　Christians；　can　now　inform
us　of；　so　that　I　would　give　a　great　deal　to　find　it　still
extant。〃

Ant。　Book　1

（1）　Since　Josephus；　in　his　Preface；　sect。　4；　says　that　Moses
wrote　some　things　enigmatically；　some　allegorically；　and　the　rest
in　plain　words；　since　in　his　account　of　the　first　chapter　of
Genesis；　and　the　first　three　verses　of　the　second；　he　gives　us　no
hints　of　any　mystery　at　all；　but　when　he　here　comes　to　ver。　4；
etc。　he　says　that　Moses；　after　the　seventh　day　was　over；　began　to
talk　philosophically；　it　is　not　very　improbable　that　he
understood　the　rest　of　the　second　and　the　third　chapters　in　some
enigmatical；　or　allegorical；　or　philosophical　sense。　The　change
of　the　name　of　God　just　at　this　place；　from　Elohim　to　Jehovah
Elohim；　from　God　to　Lord　God；　in　the　Hebrew；　Samaritan；　and
Septuagint；　does　also　not　a　little　favor　some　such　change　in　the
narration　or　construction。

（2）　We　may　observe　here；　that　Josephus　supposed　man　to　be
compounded　of　spirit；　soul；　and　body；　with　St。　Paul；　1
Thessalonians　5：23；　and　the　rest　of　the　ancients：　he　elsewhere
says　also；　that　the　blood　of　animals　was　forbidden　to　be　eaten；
as　having　in　it　soul　and　spirit；　Antiq。　B。　III。　ch。　11。　sect。　2。

（3）　Whence　this　strange　notion　came；　which　yet　is　not　peculiar　to
Joseph；；　but；　as　Dr。　Hudson　says　here；　is　derived　from　older
authors；　as　if　four　of　the　greatest　rivers　in　the　world；　running
two　of　them　at　vast　distances　from　the　other　two；　by　some　means
or　other　watered　paradise；　is　hard　to　say。　Only　since　Josephus
has　already　appeared　to　allegorize　this　history；　and　take　notice
that　these　four　names　had　a　particular　signification；　Phison　for
Ganges；　a　multitude；　Phrath　for　Euphrates；　either　a　dispersion　or
a　flower；　Diglath　for　Tigris；　what　is　swift；　with　narrowness；　and
Geon　for　Nile；　what　arises　from　the　east；we　perhaps　mistake　him
when　we　suppose　he　literally　means　those　four　rivers；　especially
as　to　Geon　or　Nile；　which　arises　from　the　east；　while　he　very
well　knew　the　literal　Nile　arises　from　the　south；　though　what
further　allegorical　sense　he　had　in　view；　is　now；　I　fear；
impossible　to　be　determined。

（4）　By　the　Red　Sea　is　not　here　meant　the　Arabian　Gulf；　which
alone　we　now　call　by　that　name；　but　all　that　South　Sea；　which
included　the　Red　Sea；　and　the　Persian　Gulf；　as　far　as　the　East
Indies；　as　Reland　and　Hudson　here　truly　note；　from　the　old
geographers。

（5）　Hence　it　appears；　that　Josephus　thought　several；　at　least；　of
the　brute　animals；　particularly　the　serpent；　could　speak　before
the　fall。　And　I　think　few　of　the　more　perfect　kinds　of　those
animals　want　the　organs　of　speech　at　this　day。　Many　inducements
there　are　also　to　a　notion；　that　the　present　state　they　are　in；
is　not　their　original　state；　and　that　their　capacities　have　been
once　much　greater　than　we　now　see　them；　and　are　capable　of　being
restored　to　their　former　condition。　But　as　to　this　most　ancient；
and　authentic；　and　probably　allegorical　account　of　that　grand
affair　of　the　fall　of　our　first　parents；　I　have　somewhat　more　to
say　in　way　of　conjecture；　but　being　only　a　conjecture；　I　omit　it：
only　thus　far；　that　the　imputation　of　the　sin　of　our　first
parents　to　their　posterity；　any　further　than　as　some　way　the
cause　or　occasion　of　man's　mortality；　seems　almost　entirely
groundless；　and　that　both　man；　and　the　other　subordinate
creatures；　are　hereafter　to　be　delivered　from　the　curse　then
brought　upon　them；　and　at　last　to　be　delivered　from　that　bondage
of　corruption；　Romans　8：19…22。

（6）　St。　John's　account　of　the　reason　why　God　accepted　the
sacrifice　of　Abel；　and　rejected　that　of　Cain；　as　also　why　Cain
slew　Abel；　on　account　of　that　his　acceptance　with　God；　is　much
better　than　this　of　Josephus：　I　mean；　because　〃Cain　was　of　the
evil　one；　and　slew　his　brother。　And　wherefore　slew　he　him？
Because　his　own　works　were　evil；　and　his　brother's　righteous；〃　1
John　3：12。　Josephus's　reason　seems　to　be　no　better　than　a
pharisaical　notion　or　tradition。

（7）　From　this　Jubal；　not　improbably；　came　Jobel；　the　trumpet　of
jobel　or　jubilee；　that　large　and　loud　musical　instrument；　used　in
proclaiming　the　liberty　at　the　year　of　jubilee。

（8）　The　number　of　Adam's　children；　as　says　the　old　tradition　was
thirty…three　sons；　and　twenty…three　daughters。

（9）　What　is　here　said　of　Seth　and　his　posterity；　that　they　were
very　good　and　virtuous；　and　at　the　same　time　very　happy；　without
any　considerable　misfortunes；　for　seven　generations；　＇see　ch。　2。
sect。　1；　before；　and　ch。　3。　sect。　1；　hereafter；＇　is　exactly
agreeable　to　the　state　of　the　world　and　the　conduct　of　Providence
in　all　the　first　ages。

（10）　Of　Josephus's　mistake　here；　when　he　took　Seth　the　son　of
Adam；　for　Seth　or　Sesostris；　king　of　Egypt；　the　erector　of　this
pillar　in　the　land　of　Siriad；　see　Essay　on　the　Old　Testament；
Appendix；　p。　159；　160。　Although　the　main　of　this　relation　might
be　true；　and　Adam　might　foretell　a　conflagration　and　a　deluge；
which　all　antiquity　witnesses　to　be　an　ancient　tradition；　nay；
Seth's　posterity　might　engrave　their　inventions　in　astronomy　on
two　such　pillars；　yet　it　is　no　way　credible　that　they　could
survive　the　deluge；　which　has　buried　all　such　pillars　and
edifices　far　under　ground　in　the　sediment　of　its　waters；
especially　since　the　like　pillars　of　the　Egyptian　Seth　or
Sesostris　were　extant　after　the　flood；　in　the　land　of　Siriad；　and
perhaps　in　the　days　of　Josephus　also；　as　is　shown　in　the　place
here　referred　to。

（11）　This　notion；　that　the　fallen　angels　were；　in　some　sense；　the
fathers　of　the　old　giants；　w