the antiquities of the jews-1-第293节

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ran　down　towards　the　Red　Sea。　He　thought　the　Israelites　had
proceeded　as　far　as　the　desert　of　Etham；　Exodus　13：20；　when　they
were　commanded　by　God　to　return　back；　Exodus　14：2；　and　to　pitch
their　camp　between　Migdol　and　the　sea；　and　that　when　they　were
not　able　to　fly；　unless　by　sea；　they　were　shut　in　on　each　side　by
mountains。　He　also　thought　we　might　evidently　learn　hence；　how　it
might　be　said　that　the　Israelites　were　in　Etham　before　they　went
over　the　sea；　and　yet　might　be　said　to　have　come　into　Etham　after
they　had　passed　over　the　sea　also。　Besides；　he　gave　me　an　account
how　he　passed　over　a　river　in　a　boat　near　the　city　Suez；　which　he
says　must　needs　be　the　Heroopolia　of　the　ancients；　since　that
city　could　not　be　situate　any　where　else　in　that　neighborhood。〃

As　to　the　famous　passage　produced　here　by　Dr。　Bernard；　out　of
Herodotus；　as　the　most　ancient　heathen　testimony　of　the
Israelites　coming　from　the　Red　Sea　into　Palestine；　Bishop
Cumberland　has　shown　that　it　belongs　to　the　old　Canaanite　or
Phoenician　shepherds；　and　their　retiring　out　of　Egypt　into　Canaan
or　Phoenicia；　long　before　the　days　of　Moses。　Sanchoniatho；　p。
374；　&c。

（30）　Of　these　storms　of　wind；　thunder；　and　lightning；　at　this
drowning　of　Pharaoh's　army；　almost　wanting　in　our　copies　of
Exodus；　but　fully　extant　in　that　of　David；　Psalm　77：16…18；　and　in
that　of　Josephus　here；　see　Essay　on　the　Old　Test。　Append。　p。
15；1；　155。

（31）　What　some　have　here　objected　against　this　passage　of　the
Israelites　over　the　Red　Sea；　in　this　one　night；　from　the　common
maps；　viz。　that　this　sea　being　here　about　thirty　miles　broad；　so
great　an　army　conld　not　pass　over　it　in　so　short　a　time；　is　a
great　mistake。　Mons。　Thevenot；　an　authentic　eye…witness；　informs
us；　that　this　sea；　for　about　five　days'　journey；　is　no　where　more
than　about　eight　or　nine　miles　over…cross；　and　in　one　place　but
four　or　five　miles；　according　to　De　Lisle's　map；　which　is　made
from　the　best　travelers　themselves；　and　not　copied　from　others。
What　has　been　further　objected　against　this　passage　of　the
Israelites；　and　drowning　of　the　Egyptians；　being　miraculous　also；
viz。　that　Moses　might　carry　the　Israelites　over　at　a　low　tide
without　any　miracle；　while　yet　the　Egyptians；　not　knowing　the
tide　so　well　as　he；　might　be　drowned　upon　the　return　of　the　tide；
is　a　strange　story　indeed　！　That　Moses；　who　never　had　lived　here；
should　know　the　quantity　and　time　of　the　flux　and　reflux　of　the
Red　Sea　better　than　the　Egyptians　themselves　in　its　neighborhood！
Yet　does　Artapanus；　an　ancient　heathen　historian；　inform　us；　that
this　was　what　the　more　ignorant　Memphites；　who　lived　at　a　great
distance；　pretended；　though　he　confesses；　that　the　more　learned
Heliopolitans；　who　lived　much　nearer；　owned　the　destruction　of
the　Egyptians；　and　the　deliverance　of　the　Israelites；　to　have
been　miraculous：　and　De　Castro；　a　mathematician；　who　surveyed
this　sea　with　great　exactness；　informs　us；　that　there　is　no　great
flux　or　reflux　in　this　part　of　the　Red　Sea；　to　give　a　color　to
this　hypothesis；　nay；　that　at　the　elevation　of　the　tide　there　is
little　above　half　the　height　of　a　man。　See　Essay　on　the　Old　Test。
Append。　p。　239；　240。　So　vain　and　groundless　are　these　and　the
like　evasions　and　subterfuges　of　our　modern　sceptics　and
unbelievers；　and　so　certainly　do　thorough　inquiries　and　authentic
evidence　disprove　and　confute　such　evasions　and　subterfuges　upon
all　occasions。

（32）　What　that　hexameter　verse；　in　which　Moses's　triumphant　song
is　here　said　to　be　written；　distinctly　means；　our　present
ignorance　of　the　old　Hebrew　metre　or　measure　will　not　let　us
determine。　Nor　does　it　appear　to　me　certain　that　even　Josephus
himself　had　a　distinct　notion　of　it；　though　he　speaks　of　several
sort　of　that　metre　or　measure；　both　here　and　elsewhere。　Antiq。　B。
IV。　ch。　8。　sect。　44；　and　B。　VII。　ch。　12。　sect。　3。

（33）　Take　here　the　original　passages　of　the　four　old　authors　that
still　remain；　as　to　this　transit　of　Alexander　the　Great　over　the
Pamphylian　Sea：　I　mean；　of　Callisthenes；　Strabu；　Arrian；　and
Appian。　As　to　Callisthenes；　who　himself　accompanied　Alexander　in
this　expedition；　Eustathius；　in　his　Notes　on　the　third　Iliad　of
Homer；　（as　Dr。　Bernard　here　informs　us；）　says；　That　〃this
Callisthenes　wrote　how　the　Pamphylian　Sea　did　not　only　open　a
passage　for　Alexander；　but；　by　rising　and　did　pay　him　homage　as
its　king。〃　Strabo's　is　this　（Geog。　B。　XIV。　p。　666）：　〃Now　about
Phaselis　is　that　narrow　passage；　by　the　sea…side；　through　which
his　army。　There　is　a　mountain　called　Climax；　adjoins　to　the　Sea
of　Pamphylia；　leaving　a　narrow　passage　on　the　shore；　which；　in
calm　weather；　is　bare；　so　as　to　be　passable　by　travelers；　but
when　the　sea　overflows；　it　is　covered　to　a　great　degree　by　the
waves。　Now　then；　the　ascent　by　the　mountains　being　round　about
and　steep；　in　still　weather　they　make　use　of　the　road　along　the
coast。　But　Alexander　fell　into　the　winter　season；　and　committing
himself　chiefly　to　fortune；　he　marched　on　before　the　waves
retired；　and　so　it　happened　that　were　a　whole　day　in　journeying
over　it；　and　were　under　water　up　to　the　navel。〃　Arrian's　account
is　this　（B。　I。　p。　72；　73）：　Alexander　removed　from　Phaselis；　he
sent　some　part　his　army　over　the　mountains　to　Perga；　which　road
the　Thracians　showed　him。　A　difficult　way　it　was；　but　short。　he
himself　conducted　those　that　were　with　him　by　the　sea…shore。　This
road　is　impassable　at　any　other　time　than　when　the　north　wind
blows；　but　if　the　south　wind　prevail；　there　is　no　passing　by　the
shore。　Now　at　this　time；　after　strong　south　winds；　a　north　wind
blew；　and　that　not　without　the　Divine　Providence；　（as　both　he　and
they　that　were　with　him　supposed；）　and　afforded　him　an　easy　and
quick　passage。〃　Appian；　when　he　compares　Caesar　and　Alexander
together；　（De　Bel。　Civil。　B。　II。　p。　522；）　says；　〃That　they　both
depended　on　their　boldness　and　fortune；　as　much　as　on　their　skill
in　war。　As　an　instance　of　which；　Alexander　journeyed　over　a
country　without　water；　in　the　heat　of　summer；　to　the　oracle　of
＇Jupiter＇　Hammon；　and　quickly　passed　over　the　Bay　of　Pamphylia；
when；　by　Divine　Providence；　the　sea　was　cut　off　…　thus　Providence
restraining　the　sea　on　his　account；　as　it　had　sent　him　rain　when
he　traveled　＇over　the　desert＇。〃

N。　B。　…　Since；　in　the　days　of　Josephus；　as　he　assures　us；　all　the
more　numerous　original　historians　of　Alexander　gave　the　account
he　has　here　set　down；　as　to　the　providential　going　back　of　the
waters　of　the　Pamphylian　Sea；　when　he　was　going　with　his　army　to
destroy　the　Persian　monarchy；　which　the　fore…named　authors　now
remaining　fully　confirm；　it　is　without　all　just　foundation　that
Josephus　is　here　blamed　by　some　late　writers　for　quoting　those
ancient　authors　upon　the　present　occasion；　nor　can　the
reflections　of　Plutarch；　or　any　other　author　later　than　Josephus；
be　in　the　least　here　alleged　to　contradict　him。　Josephus　went　by
all　the　evidence　he　then　had；　and　that　evidence　of　the　most
authentic　sort　also。　So　that　whatever　the　moderns　may　think　of
the　thing　itself；　there　is　hence　not　the　least　color　for　finding
fault　with　Josephus：　he　would　rather　have　been　much　to　blame　had
he　omitted　these　quotations。

BOOK　3　FOOTNOTES

（1）　Dr。　Bernard　takes　notice　here；　that　this　place　Mar；　where　the
waters　were　bitter；　is　called　by　the　Syrians　and　Arabians　Mariri；
and　by　the　Syrians　sometimes　Morath；　all　derived　from　the　Hebrew
Mar。　He　also　takes　notice；　that　it　is　called　The　Bitter　Fountain
by　Pliny　himself；　which　waters　remain　there　to　this　day；　and　are
still　bitter；　as　Thevenot　assures　us　and　that　there　are　also
abundance　of　palm…trees。　See　his　Travels；　Part　I。　ch。　26。　p。　166。

（2）The　additions　here　to　Moses's　account　of　the　sweetening　of　the
waters　at　Marah；　seem　derived　from　some　ancient　profane　author；
and　he　such　an　author　also　as　looks　less　authentic　than　are
usually　followed　by　Josephus。　Philo　has　not　a　syllable　of　these
additions；　nor　any　other　ancienter　writer　that　we　know　of。　Had
Josephus　written　these　his　Antiquities　for　the　use　of　Jews；　he
would　hardly　have　given　them　these　very　improbable　circumstances；
but　writing　to　Gentiles；　that　they　might　not　complain　of　his
omission　of　any　accounts　of　such　miracles　derived　from　Gentiles；
he　did　not　think　proper　to　conceal　what　he　had　met　with　there
about　this　matter。　Which　procedure　is　perfectly　agreeable　to　the
character　and　usage　of　Josephus　upon　many　occasions。　This　note
is；　I　confess；　barely　conjectural；　and　since　Josephus　never　tells
us　when　his　own　copy；　taken　out　of　the　temple；　had　such
additions；　or　when　any　ancient　notes　supplied　them；　or　indeed
when　they　are　derived　from　Jewish；　and　when　from　Gentile
antiquity；　…　we　can　go　no　further　than　bare　conjectures　in　such
cases；　only　the　notions　of　Jews　were　generally　so　different　from
those　of　Gentiles；　that　we　may　sometimes　make　no　improbable
conjectures　to　which　sort　such　additions　belong。　See　also
somewhat　like　these　additions　in　Josephus's　account　of　Elisha's
making　sweet　the　bitter　and　barren　spring　near　Jericho；　War；　B。
IV。　ch。　8。　sect。　3。

（3）　It　seems　to　me；　from　what　Moses；　Exodus　16：18；　St。　Paul；　2
Corinthians　8：15；　and　Josephus　here　say；　compared　together；　that
the　quantity　of　manna　t