the antiquities of the jews-1-第295节

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present　at　his　sacrifices　when　he　pleased；　and　when　he　pleased　to
be　absent；〃　see　the　note　on　B。　II。　against　Apion；　sect。　16。

（22）These　answers　by　the　oracle　of　Urim　and　Thummim；　which　words
signify；　light　and　perfection；　or；　as　the　Septuagint　render　them；
revelation　and　truth；　and　denote　nothing　further；　that　I　see；　but
the　shining　stones　themselves；　which　were　used；　in　this　method　of
illumination；　in　revealing　the　will　of　God；　after　a　perfect　and
true　manner；　to　his　people　Israel：　I　say；　these　answers　were　not
made　by　the　shining　of　the　precious　stones；　after　an　awkward
manner；　in　the　high　priest's　breastplate；　as　the　modern　Rabbins
vainly　suppose；　for　certainly　the　shining　of　the　stones　might
precede　or　accompany　the　oracle；　without　itself　delivering　that
oracle；　see　Antiq。　B。　VI。　ch。　6。　sect。　4；　but　rather　by　an
audible　voice　from　the　mercy…seat　between　the　cherubims。　See
Prideaux's　Connect。　at　the　year　534。　This　oracle　had　been　silent；
as　Josephus　here　informs　us；　two　hundred　years　before　he　wrote
his　Antiquities；　or　ever　since　the　days　of　the　last　good　high
priest　of　the　family　of　the　Maccabees；　John　Hyrcanus。　Now　it　is
here　very　well　worth　our　observation；　that　the　oracle　before　us
was　that　by　which　God　appeared　to　he　present　with；　and　gave
directions　to；　his　people　Israel　as　their　King；　all　the　while
they　submitted　to　him　in　that　capacity；　and　did　not　set　over　them
such　independent　kings　as　governed　according　to　their　own　wills
and　political　maxims；　instead　of　Divine　directions。　Accordingly
we　meet　with　this　oracle　（besides　angelic　and　prophetic
admonitions）　all　along　from　the　days　of　Moses　and　Joshua　to　the
anointing　of　Saul；　the　first　of　the　succession　of　the　kings；
Numbers　27：21；　Joshua　6：6；　etc。；　19：50；　Judges　1：1；　18：4…6；　30；
31；　20：18；　23；　26…28；　21：1；　etc。；　1　Samuel　1：17；　18；　3。　per　tot。；
4。　per　tot。；　nay；　till　Saul's　rejection　of　the　Divine　commands　in
the　war　with　Amalek；　when　he　took　upon　him　to　act　as　he　thought
fit；　1　Samuel　14：3；　18；　19；　36；　37；　then　this　oracle　left　Saul
entirely；　（which　indeed　he　had　seldom　consulted　before；　1　Samuel
14：35；　1　Chronicles　10：14；　13：3；　Antiq。　B。　7　ch。　4　sect　2。）　and
accompanied　David；　who　was　anointed　to　succeed　him；　and　who
consulted　God　by　it　frequently；　and　complied　with　its　directions
constantly　（1　Samuel　14：37；　41；　15：26；　22：13；　15；　23：9；　10；　30：7；
8；　18；　2　Samuel　2：1；　5：19；　23；　21：1；　23　：14；　1　Chronicles　14：10；
14；　Antiq。　B　IV　ch。　12　sect。　5）。　Saul；　indeed；　long　after　his
rejection　by　God；　and　when　God　had　given　him　up　to　destruction
for　his　disobedience；　did　once　afterwards　endeavor　to　consult　God
when　it　was　too　late；　but　God　would　not　then　answer　him；　neither
by　dreams；　nor　by　Urim；　nor　by　prophets；　1　Samuel　28：6。　Nor　did
any　of　David's　successors；　the　kings　of　Judah；　that　we　know　of；
consult　God　by　this　oracle；　till　the　very　Babylonish　captivity
itself；　when　those　kings　were　at　an　end；　they　taking　upon　them；　I
suppose；　too　much　of　despotic　power　and　royalty；　and　too　little
owning　the　God　of　Israel　for　the　supreme　King　of　Israel；　though　a
few　of　them　consulted　the　prophets　sometimes；　and　were　answered
by　them。　At　the　return　of　the　two　tribes；　without　the　return　of
the　kingly　government；　the　restoration　of　this　oracle　was
expected；　Nehemiah　7；63；　1　Esd。　5：40；　1　Macc。　4：46；　14：41。　And
indeed　it　may　seem　to　have　been　restored　for　some　time　after　the
Babylonish　captivity；　at　least　in　the　days　of　that　excellent　high
priest；　John　Hyrcanus；　whom　Josephus　esteemed　as　a　king；　a
priest；　and　a　prophet；　and　who；　he　says；　foretold　several　things
that　came　to　pass　accordingly；　but　about　the　time　of　his　death；
he　here　implies；　that　this　oracle　quite　ceased；　and　not　before。
The　following　high　priests　now　putting　diadems　on　their　heads；
and　ruling　according　to　their　own　will；　and　by　their　own
authority；　like　the　other　kings　of　the　pagan　countries　about
them；　so　that　while　the　God　of　Israel　was　allowed　to　be　the
supreme　King　of　Israel；　and　his　directions　to　be　their　authentic
guides；　God　gave　them　such　directions　as　their　supreme　King　and
Governor；　and　they　were　properly　under　a　theocracy；　by　this
oracle　of　Urim；　but　no　longer　（see　Dr。　Bernard's　notes　here）；
though　I　confess　I　cannot　but　esteem　the　high　priest　Jaddus's
divine　dream；　Antiq。　B。　XI。　ch。　8。　sect。　4；　and　the　high　priest
Caiaphas's　most　remarkable　prophecy；　John　11：47…52；　as　two　small
remains　or　specimens　of　this　ancient　oracle；　which　properly
belonged　to　the　Jewish　high　priests：　nor　perhaps　ought　we
entirely　to　forget　that　eminent　prophetic　dream　of　our　Josephus
himself；　（one　next　to　a　high　priest；　as　of　the　family　of　the
Asamoneans　or　Maccabees；）　as　to　the　succession　of　Vespasian　and
Titus　to　the　Roman　empire；　and　that　in　the　days　of　Nero；　and
before　either　Galba；　Otho；　or　Vitellius　were　thought　of　to
succeed　him。　Of　the　War；　B。　III。　ch。　8。　sect。　9。　This；　I　think；
may　well　be　looked　on　as　the　very　last　instance　of　any　thing　like
the　prophetic　Urim　among　the　Jewish　nation；　and　just　preceded
their　fatal　desolation：　but　how　it　could　possibly　come　to　pass
that　such　great　men　as　Sir　John　Marsham　and　Dr。　Spenser；　should
imagine　that　this　oracle　of　Urim　and　Thummim　with　other　practices
as　old　or　older　than　the　law　of　Moses；　should　have　been　ordained
in　imitation　of　somewhat　like　them　among　the　Egyptians；　which　we
never　hear　of　till　the　days　of　Diodorus　Siculus；　Aelian；　and
Maimonides；　or　little　earlier　than　the　Christian　era　at　the
highest；　is　almost　unaccountable；　while　the　main　business　of　the
law　of　Moses　was　evidently　to　preserve　the　Israelites　from　the
idolatrous　and　superstitious　practices　of　the　neighboring　pagan
nations；　and　while　it　is　so　undeniable；　that　the　evidence　for　the
great　antiquity　of　Moses's　law　is　incomparably　beyond　that　for
the　like　or　greater　antiquity　of　such　customs　in　Egypt　or　other
nations；　which　indeed　is　generally　none　at　all；　it　is　most　absurd
to　derive　any　of　Moses's　laws　from　the　imitation　of　those　heathen
practices；　Such　hypotheses　demonstrate　to　us　how　far　inclination
can　prevail　over　evidence；　in　even　some　of　the　most　learned　part
of　mankind。

（23）　What　Reland　well　observes　here；　out　of　Josephus；　as　compared
with　the　law　of　Moses；　Leviticus　7：15；　（that　the　eating　of　the
sacrifice　the　same　day　it　was　offered；　seems　to　mean　only　before
the　morning　of　the　next；　although　the　latter　part；　i。e。　the
night；　be　in　strictness　part　of　the　next　day；　according　to　the
Jewish　reckoning；）　is　greatly　to　be　observed　upon　other　occasions
also。　The　Jewish　maxim　in　such　cases；　it　seems；　is　this：　That　the
day　goes　before　the　night；　and　this　appears　to　me　to　be　the
language　both　of　the　Old　and　New　Testament。　See　also　the　note　on
Antiq。　B。　IV。　ch。　4。　sect。　4；　and　Reland's　note　on　B。　IV。　ch。　8。
sect。　28。

（24）　We　may　here　note；　that　Josephus　frequently　calls　the　camp
the　city；　and　the　court　of　the　Mosaic　tabernacle　a　temple；　and
the　tabernacle　itself　a　holy　house；　with　allusion　to　the　latter
city；　temple；　and　holy　house；　which　he　knew　so　well　long
afterwards。

（25）　These　words　of　Josephus　are　remarkable；　that　the　lawgiver　of
the　Jews　required　of　the　priests　a　double　degree　of　parity；　in
comparison　of　that　required　of　the　people；　of　which　he　gives
several　instances　immediately。　It　was　for　certain　the　case　also
among　the　first　Christians；　of　the　clergy；　in　comparison　of　the
laity；　as　the　Apostolical　Constitutions　and　Canons　every　where
inform　us；

（26）　We　must　here　note　with　Reland；　that　the　precept　given　to　the
priests　of　not　drinking　wine　while　they　wore　the　sacred　garments；
is　equivalent；　to　their　abstinence　from　it　all　the　while　they
ministered　in　the　temple；　because　they　then　always；　and　then
only；　wore　those　sacred　garments；　which　were　laid　up　there　from
one　time　of　ministration　to　another。

（27）　See　Antiq；　B。　XX。　ch。　2。　sect；　6。　and　Acts　11：28。

BOOK　4　FOOTNOTES

（1）　Reland　here　takes　notice；　that　although　our　Bibles　say　little
or　nothing　of　these　riches　of　Corah；　yet　that　both　the　Jews　and
Mahommedans；　as　well　as　Josephus；　are　full　of　it。

（2）　It　appears　here；　and　from　the　Samaritan　Pentateuch；　and；　in
effect；　from　the　psalmist；　as　also　from　the　Apostolical
Constitutions；　from　Clement's　First　Epistle　to　the　Corinthians；
from　Ignatius's　Epistle　to　the　Magnesians；　and　from　Eusebius；
that　Corah　was　not　swallowed　up　with　the　Reubenites；　but　burned
with　the　Levites　of　his　own　tribe。　See　Essay　on　the　Old
Testament；　p。　64；　65。

（3）　Concerning　these　twelve　rods　of　the　twelve　tribes　of　Israel；
see　St。　Clement's　account；　much　larger　than　that　in　our　Bibles；　1
Epist。　sect。　45；　as　is　Josephus's　present　account　in　measure
larger　also。

（4）　Grotius；　on　Numbers　6：18；　takes　notice　that　the　Greeks　also；
aswell　as　the　Jews；　sometimes　consecrated　the　hair　of　their　heads
to　the　gods。

（5）　Josephus　here　uses　this　phrase；　〃when　the　fortieth　year　was
completed；〃　for　when　it　was　begun；　as　does　St。　Luke　when　the　day
of　Pentecost　was　completed；〃　Acts　2：1。

（6）　Whether　Miriam　died；　as　Josephus's。　Greek　copies　imply；　on
the　first　day　of　the　month；　may　be　doubted；　because　the　Latin
copies　say　it　was　on　the　tenth；　and　so　say　the　Jewish　calendars
also；　as　Dr。　Bernard　assures　us。　It　is　said