the antiquities of the jews-1-第310节

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never　to　have　been　seen　by　Josephus；　that　Cyrus　died　in　peace　in
his　own　country　of　Persia；　is　attested　to　by　the　writers　of　the
affairs　of　Alexander　the　Great；　when　they　agree　that　he　found
Cyrus's　sepulcher　at　Pasargadae；　near　Persepolis。　This　account　of
Xenophon　is　also　confirmed　by　the　circumstances　of　Cambyses；　upon
his　succession　to　Cyrus；　who；　instead　of　a　war　to　avenge　his
father's　death　upon　the　Scythians　and　Massagets；　and　to　prevent
those　nations　from　overrunning　his　northern　provinces；　which
would　have　been　the　natural　consequence　of　his　father's　ill
success　and　death　there；　went　immediately　to　an　Egyptian　war；
long　ago　begun　by　Cyrus；　according　to　Xenophon；　p。　644；　and
conquered　that　kingdom；　nor　is　there；　that　I　ever　heard　of；　the
least　mention　in　the　reign　of　Cambyses　of　any　war　against　the
Scythians　and　Massagets　that　he　was　ever　engaged　in　all　his　life。

（5）　The　reader　is　to　note；　that　although　the　speeches　or　papers
of　these　three　of　the　king's　guard　are　much　the　same；　in　our
Third　Book　of　Esdras；　ch。　3。　and　4。；　as　they　are　here　in
Josephus；　yet　that　the　introduction　of　them　is　entirely
different；　while　in　our　Esdras　the　whole　is　related　as　the
contrivance　of　the　three　of　the　king's　guards　themselves；　and
even　the　mighty　rewards　are　spoken　of　as　proposed　by　themselves；
and　the　speeches　are　related　to　have　been　delivered　by　themselves
to　the　king　in　writing；　while　all　is　contrary　in　Josephus。　I　need
not　say　whose　account　is　the　most　probable；　the　matters　speak　for
themselves；　and　there　can　be　no　doubt　but　Josephus's　history　is
here　to　be　very　much　preferred　before　the　other。　Nor　indeed　does
it　seem　to　me　at　all　unlikely　that　the　whole　was　a　contrivance　of
king　Darius's　own；　in　order　to　be　decently　and　inoffensively　put
in　mind　by　Zorobabel　of　fulfilling　his　old　vow　for　the　rebuilding
of　Jerusalem　and　the　temple；　and　the　restoration　of　the　worship
of　the　〃one　true　God〃　there。　Nor　does　the　full　meaning　of
Zorobabel；　when　he　cries　out；　3　Esd。　4。　41）；　〃Blessed　be　the　God
of　truth　；〃　and　here；　〃God　is　true　and　righteous；〃　or　even　of　all
the　people；　3　Esd。　4。　41；　〃Great　is　truth；　and　mighty　above　all
things　；〃　seem　to　me　much　different　from　this；　〃There　is　but　one
true　God；　the　God　of　Israel。〃　To　which　doctrine；　such　as　Cyrus
and　Darius；　etc。；　the　Jews'　great　patrons；　seem　not　to　have　been
very　averse；　though　the　entire　idolatry　of　their　kingdoms　made
them　generally　conceal　it。

（6）　This　strange　reading　in　Josephus's　present　copies　of　four
millions　instead　of　forty　thousand；　is　one　of　the　grossest　errors
that　is　in　them；　and　ought　to　be　corrected　from　Ezra　2：61；　1　Esd。
5：40；　and　Nehemiah　7：66；　who　all　agree　the　general　sum　was　but
about　forty…two　thousand　three　hundred　and　sixty。　It　is　also　very
plain　that　Josephus　thought；　that　when　Esdras　afterwards　brought
up　another　company　out　of　Babylon　and　Persia；　in　the　days　of
Xerxes；　they　were　also；　as　well　as　these；　out　of　the　two　tribes；
and　out　of　them　only；　and　were　in　all　no　more　than　〃a　seed〃　and
〃a　remnant；〃　while　an　〃immense　number〃　of　the　ten　tribes　never
returned；　but；　as　he　believed；　continued　then　beyond　Euphrates；
ch。　5。　sect。　2；　3；　of　which　multitude；　the　Jews　beyond　Euphrates；
he　speaks　frequently　elsewhere；　though；　by　the　way；　he　never
takes　them　to　be　idolaters；　but　looks　on　them　still　as　observers
of　the　laws　of　Moses。　The　〃certain　part〃　of　the　people　that　now
came　up　from　Babylon；　at　the　end　of　this　chapter；　imply　the　same
smaller　number　of　Jews　that　now　came　up；　and　will　no　way　agree
with　the　four　millions。

（7）　The　history　contained　in　this　section　is　entirely　wanting　in
all　our　other　copies；　both　of　Ezra　and　Esdras。

（8）　Dr。　Hudson　takes　notice　here；　that　this　kind　of　brass　or
copper；　or　rather　mixture　of　gold　and　brass　or　copper；　was　called
aurichalcum；　and　that　this　was　of　old　esteemed　the　most　precious
of　all　metals。

（9）　This　procedure　of　Esdras；　and　of　the　best　part　of　the　Jewish
nation；　after　their　return　from　the　Babylonish　captivity；　of
reducing　the　Jewish　marriages；　once　for　all；　to　the　strictness　of
the　law　of　Moses；　without　any　regard　to　the　greatness　of　those
who　had　broken　it；　and　without　regard　to　that　natural　affection
or　compassion　for　their　heathen　wives；　and　their　children　by
them；　which　made　it　so　hard　for　Esdras　to　correct　it；　deserves
greatly　to　be　observed　and　imitated　in　all　attempts　for
reformation　among　Christians；　the　contrary　conduct　having　ever
been　the　bane　of　true　religion；　both　among　Jews　and　Christians；
while　political　views；　or　human　passions；　or　prudential　motives；
are　suffered　to　take　place　instead　of　the　Divine　laws；　and　so　the
blessing　of　God　is　forfeited；　and　the　church　still　suffered　to
continue　corrupt　from　one　generation　to　another。　See　ch。　8。　sect。
2。

（10）　This　Jewish　feast　of　tabernacles　was　imitated　in　several
heathen　solemnities；　as　Spanheim　here　observes　and　proves。　He
also　further　observes　presently；　what　great　regard　many　heathens
had　to　the　monuments　of　their　forefathers；　as　Nehemiah　had　here；
sect。　6。

（11）　This　rule　of　Esdras；　not　to　fast　on　a　festival　day；　is
quoted　in　the　Apostolical　Constitutions；　B。　V。；　as　obtaining
among　Christians　also。

（12）　This　miserable　condition　of　the　Jews；　and　their　capital；
must　have　been　after　the　death　of　Esdras；　their　former　governor；
and　before　Nehemiah　came　with　his　commission　to　build　the　walls
of　Jerusalem。　Nor　is　that　at　all　disagreeable　to　these　histories
in　Josephus；　since　Esdras　came　on　the　seventh；　and　Nehemiah　not
till　the　twenty…fifth　of　Xerxes；　at　the　interval　of　eighteen
years。

（13）　This　showing　king　Xerxes's　epistles　to　God；　or　laying　them
open　before　God　in　the　temple；　is　very　like　the　laying　open　the
epistles　of　Sennacherib　before　him　also　by　Hezekiah；　2　Kings
19：14；　Isaiah　37：14；　although　this　last　was　for　a　memorial；　to
put　him　in　mind　of　the　enemies；　in　order　to　move　the　Divine
compassion；　and　the　present　as　a　token　of　gratitude　for　mercies
already　received；　as　Hayercamp　well　observes　on　this　place。

（14）　It　may　not　be　very　improper　to　remark　here；　with　what　an
unusual　accuracy　Josephus　determines　these　years　of　Xerxes；　in
which　the　walls　of　Jerusalem　were　built；　viz。　that　Nehemiah　came
with　his　commission　in　the　twenty…fifth　of　Xerxes；　that　the　walls
were　two　years　and　four　months　in　building；　and　that　they　were
finished　on　the　twenty…eighth　of　Xerxes；　sect。　7；　8。　It　may　also
be　remarked　further；　that　Josephus　hardly　ever　mentions　more　than
one　infallible　astronomical　character；　I　mean　an　eclipse　of　the
moon；　and　this　a　little　before　the　death　of　Herod　the　Great；
Antiq。　B。　XVII。　ch。　6。　sect。　4。　Now　on　these　two　chronological
characters　in　great　measure　depend　some　of　the　most　important
points　belonging　to　Christianity；　viz。　the　explication　of
Daniel's　seventy　weeks；　and　the　duration　of　our　Savior's
ministry；　and　the　time　of　his　death；　in　correspondence　to　those
seventy　weeks。　See　the　Supplement　to　the　Lit。　Accorap。　of　Proph。
p。　72。

（15）　Since　some　skeptical　persons　are　willing　to　discard　this
Book　of　Esther　as　no　true　history；　and　even　our　learned　and
judicious　Dr。　Wall；　in　his　late　posthumous　Critical　Notes　upon
all　the　other　Hebrew　books　of　the　Old　Testament；　gives　none　upon
the　Canticles；　or　upon　Esther；　and　seems　thereby　to　give　up　this
book；　as　well　as　he　gives　up　the　Canticles；　as　indefensible；　I
shall　venture　to　say；　that　almost　all　the　objections　against　this
Book　of　Esther　are　gone　at　once；　if；　as　we　certainly　ought　to　do；
and　as　Dean　Prideaux　has　justly　done；　we　place　this　history　under
Artsxerxes　Longimanus；　as　do　both　the　Septuagint　interpretation
and　Josephus。　The　learned　Dr。　Lee；　in　his　posthumous　Dissertation
on　the　Second　Book　of　Esdras；　p。　25；　also　says；　that　〃the　truth
of　this　history　is　demonstrated　by　the　feast　of　Purlin；　kept　up
from　that　time　to　this　very　day。　And　this　surprising　providential
revolution　in　favor　of　a　captive　people；　thereby　constantly
commemorated；　standeth　even　upon　a　firmer　basis　than　that　there
ever　was　such　a　man　as　king　Alexander　＇the　Great＇　in　the　world；
of　whose　reign　there　is　no　such　abiding　monument　at　this　day　to
be　found　any　where。　Nor　will　they；　I　dare　say；　who　quarrel　at
this　or　any　other　of　the　sacred　histories；　find　it　a　very　easy
matter　to　reconcile　the　different　accounts　which　were　given　by
historians　of　the　affairs　of　this　king；　or　to　confirm　any　one
fact　of　his　whatever　with　the　same　evidence　which　is　here　given
for　the　principal　fact　in　this　sacred　book；　or　even　so　much　as　to
prove　the　existence　of　such　a　person；　of　whom　so　great　things　are
related；　but。　upon　granting　this　Book　of　Esther；　or　sixth　of
Esdras；　（as　it　is　placed　in　some　of　the　most　ancient　copies　of
the　Vulgate；）　to　be　a　most　true　and　certain　history；〃　etc。

（16）　If　the　Chaldee　paraphrast　be　in　the　right；　that　Artaxerxes
intended　to　show　Vashti　to　his　guests　naked；　it　is　no　wonder　at
all　that　she　would　not　submit　to　such　an　indignity；　but　still　if
it　were　not　so　gross　as　that；　yet　it　might；　in　the　king's　cups；
be　done　in　a　way　so　indecent；　as　the　Persian　laws　would　not　then
bear；　no　more　than　the　common　laws　of　modesty。　And　that　the　king
had　some　such　design　seems　not　improbabl