the antiquities of the jews-1-第311节

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bear；　no　more　than　the　common　laws　of　modesty。　And　that　the　king
had　some　such　design　seems　not　improbable；　for　otherwise　the
principal　of　these　royal　guests　could　be　no　strangers　to　the
queen；　nor　unapprized　of　her　beauty；　so　far　as　decency　admitted。
However；　since　Providence　was　now　paving　the　way　for　the
introduction　of　a　Jewess　into　the　king's　affections；　in　order　to
bring　about　one　of　the　most　wonderful　deliverances　which　the
Jewish　or　any　other　nation　ever　had；　we　need　not　be　further
solicitous　about　the　motives　by　which　the　king　was　induced　to
divorce　Vashti；　and　marry　Esther。

（17）　Herodotus　says　that　this　law　＇against　any　one's　coming
uncalled　to　the　kings　of　Persia　when　they　were　sitting　on　their
thrones＇　was　first　enacted　by　Deioces　＇i。e。　by　him　who　first
withdrew　the　Medes　from　the　dominion　of　the　Assyrians；　and
himself　first　reigned　over　them＇。　Thus　also；　lays　Spanheim；　stood
guards；　with　their　axes；　about　the　throne　of　Tenus；　or　Tenudus；
that　the　offender　might　by　them　be　punished　immediately。

（18）　Whether　this　adoration　required　of　Mordecai　to　Haman　were　by
him　deemed　too　like　the　adoration　due　only　to　God；　as　Josephus
seems　here　to　think；　as　well　as　the　Septuagint　interpreters　also；
by　their　translation　of　Esther　13：12…14；　or　whether　he　thought　he
ought　to　pay　no　sort　of　adoration　to　an　Amalekite；　which　nation
had　been　such　great　sinners　as　to　have　been　universally　devoted
to　destruction　by　God　himself；　Exodus　17：14…16；　1　Samuel　15：18；
or　whether　both　causes　concurred；　cannot　now；　I　doubt；　be
certainly　determined。

（19）　The　true　reason　why　king　Artaxerxes　did　not　here　properly
revoke　his　former　barbarous　decree　for　the　universal　slaughter　of
the　Jews；　but　only　empowered　and　encouraged　the　Jews　to　fight　for
their　lives；　and　to　kill　their　enemies；　if　they　attempted　their
destruction；　seems　to　have　been　that　old　law　of　the　Medes　and
Persians；　not　yet　laid　aside；　that　whatever　decree　was　signed
both　by　the　king　and　his　lords　could　not　be　changed；　but　remained
unalterable；　Daniel　6：7…9；　12；　15；　17；　Esther　1：19；　8：8。　And
Haman　having　engrossed　the　royal　favor　might　perhaps　have　himself
signed　this　decree　for　the　Jews'　slaughter　instead　of　the　ancient
lords；　and　so　might　have　rendered　it　by　their　rules　irrevocable。

（21）　These　words　give　an　intimation　as　if　Artaxerxes　suspected　a
deeper　design　in　Haman　than　openly　appeared；　viz。　that　knowing
the　Jews　would　be　faithful　to　him；　and　that　he　could　never
transfer　the　crown　to　his　own　family；　who　was　an　Agagite；　Esther
3：1；　10；　or　of　the　posterity　of　Agag；　the　old　king　of　the
Amalekites；　1　Samuel　15：8；　32；　33；　while　they　were　alive；　and
spread　over　all　his　dominions；　he　therefore　endeavored　to　destroy
them。　Nor　is　it　to　me　improbable　that　those　seventy…five　thousand
eight　hundred　of　the　Jews'　enemies　which　were　soon　destroyed　by
the　Jews；　on　the　permission　of　the　king；　which　must　be　on　some
great　occasion；　were　Amalekites；　their　old　and　hereditary
enemies；　Exodus　17：14；　15；　and　that　thereby　was　fulfilled
Balaam's　prophecy；　〃Amalek　was　the　first　of　the　nations；　but　his
latter　end　shall　be；　that　he　perish　for　ever〃　Numbers　24：20。

（21）　Take　here　part　of　Reland's　note　on　this　disputed　passage：
〃In　Josephus's　copies　these　Hebrew　words；　'days　of　Purim；'　or　'
lots；'　as　in　the　Greek　copies　of　Esther；　ch。　9：26；　28…32；　is　read
'days　of　Phurim；'　or　'days　of　protection；'　but　ought　to　be　read'
days　of　Parira；'　as　in　the　Hebrew；　than　which　creation；〃　says　he；
〃nothing　is　more　certain。〃　And　had　we　any　assurance　that
Josephus's　copy　mentioned　the　〃casting　of　lots；〃　as　our　other
copies　do；　Esther　3：7；　I　should　fully　agree　with　Reland；　but；　as
it　now　stands；　it　seems　to　me　by　no　means　certain。　As　to　this
whole　Book　of　Esther　in　the　present　Hebrew　copy；　it　is　so　very
imperfect；　in　a　case　where　the　providence　of　God　was　so　very
remarkable；　and　the　Septuagint　and　Josephus　have　so　much　of
religion；　that　it　has　not　so　much　as　the　name　of　God　once　in　it；
and　it　is　hard　to　say　who　made　that　epitome　which　the　Masorites
have　given　us　for　the　genuine　book　itself；　no　religious　Jews
could　well　be　the　authors　of　it；　whose　education　obliged　them　to
have　a　constant　regard　to　God；　and　whatsoever　related　to　his
worship；　nor　do　we　know　that　there　ever　was　so　imperfect　a　copy
of　it　in　the　world　till　after　the　days　of　Barchochab；　in　the
second　century。

（22）　Concerning　this　other　Artaxerxes；　called　Muemon；　and　the
Persian　affliction　and　captivity　of　the　Jews　under　him；
occasioned　by　the　murder　of　the　high　priest's　brother　in　the　holy
house　itself；　see　Authent。　Rec。　at　large；　p。　49。　And　if　any
wonder　why　Josephus　wholly　omits　the　rest　of　the　kings　of　Persia
after　Artaxerxes　Mnemon；　till　he　came　to　their　last　king　Darius；
who　was　conquered　by　Alexander　the　Great；　I　shall　give　them
Vossius's　and　Dr。　Hudson's　answer；　though　in　my　own　words；　viz。
that　Josephus　did　not　do　ill　in　admitting　those　kings　of　Persia
with　whom　the　Jews　had　no　concern；　because　he　was　giving　the
history　of　the　Jews；　and　not　of　the　Persians　＇which　is　a
sufficient　reason　also　why　he　entirely　omits　the　history　and　the
Book　of　Job；　as　not　particularly　relating　to　that　nation＇。　He
justly　therefore　returns　to　the　Jewish　affairs　after　the　death　of
Longimanus；　without　any　intention　of　Darius　II。　before　Artaxerxes
Mnemon；　or　of　Ochus　or　Arogus；　as　the　Canon　of　Ptolemy　names
them；　after　him。　Nor　had　he　probably　mentioned　this　other
Artaxerxes；　unless　Bagoses；　one　of　the　governors　and　commanders
under　him；　had　occasioned　the　pollution　of　the　Jewish　temple；　and
had　greatly　distressed　the　Jews　upon　that　pollution。

（23）　The　place　showed　Alexander　might　be　Daniel　7：6；　8：3…8；
2022；　11：3；　some　or　all　of　them　very　plain　predictions　of
Alexander's　conquests　and　successors。

BOOK　12　FOOTNOTES

（1）　Here　Josephus　uses　the　very　word　koinopltagia；　〃eating　things
common；〃　for　〃eating　things　unclean；〃　as　does　our　New　Testament；
Acts　10：14；　15；　28；　11：8；　9；　Romans　14：14；

（2）　The　great　number　of　these　Jews　and　Samaritans　that　were
formerly　carried　into　Egypt　by　Alexander；　and　now　by　Ptolemy　the
son　of　Lagus；　appear　afterwards　in　the　vast　multitude　who　as　we
shall　see　presently；　were　soon　ransomed　by　Philadelphus；　and　by
him　made　free；　before　he　sent　for　the　seventy…two　interpreters；
in　the　many　garrisons　and　other　soldiers　of　that　nation　in　Egypt；
in　the　famous　settlement　of　Jews；　and　the　number　of　their
synagogues　at　Alexandria；　long　afterward；　and　in　the　vehement
contention　between　the　Jews　and　Samatitans　under　Philometer；
about　the　place　appointed　for　public　worship　in　the　law　of　Moses；
whether　at　the　Jewish　temple　of　Jerusalem；　or　at　the　Samaritan
temple　of　Gerizzim；　of　all　which　our　author　treats　hereafter。　And
as　to　the　Samaritans　carried　into　Egypt　under　the　same　princes；
Scaliger　supposes　that　those　who　have　a　great　synagogue　at　Cairo；
as　also　those　whom　the　Arabic　geographer　speaks　of　as　having
seized　on　an　island　in　the　Red　Sea；　are　remains　of　them　at　this
very　day；　as　the　notes　here　inform　us。

（3）　Of　the　translation　of　the　other　parts　of　the　Old　Testament　by
seventy　Egyptian　Jews；　in　the　reigns　of　Ptolemy　the　son　of　Lagus；
and　Philadelphus；　as　also　of　the　translation　of　the　Pentateuch　by
seventy…two　Jerusalem　Jews；　in　the　seventh　year　of　Philadelphus
at　Alexandria；　as　given　us　an　account　of　by　Aristeus；　and　thence
by　Philo　and　Josephus；　with　a　vindication　of　Aristeus's　history；
see　the　Appendix　to　Lit。　Accorap。　of　Proph。　at　large；　p。
117152。

（4）　Although　this　number　one　hundred　and　twenty　drachmee　＇of
Alexandria；　or　sixty　Jewish　shekels＇　be　here　three　times
repeated；　and　that　in　all　Josephus's　copies；　Greek　and　Latin；　yet
since　all　the　copies　of　Aristeus；　whence　Josephus　took　his
relation；　have　this　sum　several　times；　and　still　as　no　more　than
twenty　drachmae；　or　ten　Jewish　shekels；　and　since　the　sum　of　the
talents；　to　be　set　down　presently；　which　is　little　above　four
hundred　and　sixty；　for　somewhat　more　than　one　hundred　thousand
slaves；　and　is　nearly　the　same　in　Josephus　and　Aristeus；　does
better　agree　to　twenty　than　to　one　hundred　and　twenty　drachmae；
and　since　the　value　of　a　slave　of　old　was　at　the　utmost　but
thirty　shekels；　or　sixty　drachmae；　see　Exodus　21：32；　while　in　the
present　circumstances　of　these　Jewish　slaves；　and　those　so　very
numerous；　Philadelphus　would　rather　redeem　them　at　a　cheaper　than
at　a　dearer　rate；　…　there　is　great　reason　to　prefer　here
Aristeus's　copies　before　Josephus's。

（5）　We　have　a　very　great　encomium　of　this　Simon　the　Just；　the　son
of　Onias；　in　the　fiftieth　chapter　of　the　Ecclesiasticus；　through
the　whole　chapter。　Nor　is　it　improper　to　consult　that　chapter
itself　upon　this　occasion。

（6）　When　we　have　here　and　presently　mention　made　of
Philadelphus's　queen　and　sister　Arsinoe；　we　are　to　remember；　with
Spanheim；　that　Arsinoe　was　both　his　sister　and　his　wife；
according　to　the　old　custom　of　Persia；　and　of　Egypt　at　this　very
time；　nay；　of　the　Assyrians　long　afterwards。　See　Antiq。　B。　XX。
ch。　2。　sect。　1。　Whence　we　have；　upon　the　coins　of　Philadelphus；
this　known　inscription；　〃The　divine　brother　and　sister。〃

（7）　The　Talmudists　say；　that　it　is　not　lawful　to　write　the　law　in
letter