the antiquities of the jews-1-第318节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


of　Herod　during　the　same　interval；　as　fairly　imply　that　interval；
before　Herod　went　to　Samosata；　to　have　been　very　considerable。
However；　what　is　wanting　in　Josephus；　is　fully　supplied　by　Moses
Chorenensis；　the　Arme　nian　historian；　in　his　history　of　that
interval；　B。　II　ch。　18。；　where　he　directly　assures　us　that
Tigranes；　then　king　of　Armenia；　and　the　principal　manager　of　this
Parthian　war；　reigned　two　years　after　Herod　was　made　king　at
Rome；　and　yet　Antony　did　not　hear　of　his　death；　in　that　very
neighborhood；　at　Samosata；　till　he　was　come　thither　to　besiege
it；　after　which　Herod　brought　him　an　army；　which　was　three
hundred　and　forty　miles'　march；　and　through　a　difficult　country；
full　of　enemies　also；　and　joined　with　him　in　the　siege　of
Samosata　till　that　city　was　taken；　then　Herod　and　Sosins　marched
back　with　their　large　armies　the　same　number　of　three　hundred　and
forty　miles；　and　when；　in　a　little　time；　they　sat　down　to　besiege
Jerusalem；　they　were　not　able　to　take　it　but　by　a　siege　of　five
months。　All　which　put　together；　fully　supplies　what　is　wanting　in
Josephus；　and　secures　the　entire　chronology　of　these　times　beyond
contradiction。

BOOK　15　FOOTNOTES

（1）　The　city　here　called　〃Babylon〃　by　Josephus；　seems　to　be　one
which　was　built　by　some　of　the　Seleucidae　upon　the　Tigris；　which
long　after　the　utter　desolation　of　old　Babylon　was　commonly　so
called；　and　I　suppose　not　far　from　Seleueia；　just　as　the　latter
adjoining　city　Bagdat　has　been　and　is　often　called　by　the　same
old　name　of　Babylon　till　this　very　day。

（2）　Here　we　have　an　eminent　example　of　Herod's　worldly　and
profane　politics；　when　by　the　abuse　of　his　unlawful　and　usurped
power；　to　make　whom　he　pleased　high　priest；　in　the　person　of
Ananelus；　he　occasioned　such　disturbances　in　his　kingdom；　and　in
his　own　family；　as　suffered　him　to　enjoy　no　lasting　peace　or
tranquillity　ever　afterward；　and　such　is　frequently　the　effect　of
profane　court　politics　about　matters　of　religion　in　other　ages
and　nations。　The　Old　Testament　is　full　of　the　miseries　of　the
people　of　the　Jews　derived　from　such　court　politics；　especially
in　and　after　the　days　of　Jeroboam　the　son　of　Nebat；　〃who　made
Israel　to　sin；〃　who　gave　the　most　pernicious　example　of　it；　who
brought　on　the　grossest　corruption　of　religion　by　it；　and　the
punishment　of　whose　family　for　it　was　most　remarkable。　The　case
is　too　well　known　to　stand　in　need　of　particular　citations。

（3）　Of　this　wicked　Dellius；　see　the　note　on　the　War；　B。　I。　ch。
15。　sect。　3。

（4）　When　Josephus　says　here　that　this　Ananelus；　the　new　high
priest；　was　〃of　the　stock　of　the　high　priests；〃　and　since　he　had
been　just　telling　us　that　he　was　a　priest　of　an　obscure　family　or
character；　ch。　2。　sect。　4；　it　is　not　at　all　probable　that　he
could　so　soon　say　that　he　was　〃of　the　stock　of　the　high　priests。〃
However；　Josephus　here　makes　a　remarkable　observation；　that　this
Ananelus　was　the　third　that　was　ever　unjustly　and　wickedly　turned
out　of　the　high　priesthood　by　the　civil　power；　no　king　or
governor　having　ventured　to　do　so；　that　Josephus　knew　of；　but
that　heathen　tyrant　and　persecutor　Antiochus　Epiphanes；　that
barbarous　parricide　Aristobulus；　the　first　that　took　royal
authority　among　the　Maccabees；　and　this　tyrant　king　Herod　the
Great；　although　afterward　that　infamous　practice　became　frequent；
till　the　very　destruction　of　Jerusalem；　when　the　office　of　high
priesthood　was　at　an　end。

（5）　This　entirely　confutes　the　Talmudists；　who　pretend　that　no
one　under　twenty　years　of　age　could　officiate　as　high　priest
among　the　Jews。

（6）　A　Hebrew　chronicle；　cited　by　Reland；　says　this　drowning　was
at　Jordan；　not　at　Jericho；　and　this　even　when　he　quote　Josephus。
I　suspect　the　transcriber　of　the　Hebrew　chronicle　mistook　the
name；　and　wrote　Jordan　for　Jericho。

（7）　The　reading　of　one　of　Josephus's　Greek　MSS。　seems　here　to　be
right；　that　Aristobulus　was　〃not　eighteen　years　old〃　when　he　was
drowned；　for　he　was　not　seventeen　when　he　was　made　high　priest；
ch。　2。　sect。　6；　ch。　3。　sect。　3；　and　he　continued　in　that　office
but　one　year；　as　in　the　place　before　us。

（8）　The　reader　is　here　to　take　notice；　that　this　seventh　year　of
the　reign　of　Herod；　and　all　the　other　years　of　his　reign；　in
Josephus；　are　dated　from　the　death　of　Antigonus；　or　at　the
soonest　from　the　conclusion　of　Antigonus；　and　the　taking　of
Jerusalem　a　few　months　before；　and　never　from　his　first　obtaining
the　kingdom　at　Rome；　above　three　years　before；　as　some　have　very
weakly　and　injudiciously　done。

（9）　Herod　says　here；　that　as　ambassadors　were　sacred　when　they
carried　messages　to　others；　so　did　the　laws　of　the　Jews　derive　a
sacred　authority　by　being　delivered　from　God　by　angels；　＇or
Divine　ambassadors；＇　which　is　St。　Paul's　expression　about　the
same　laws；　Galatians　3：19；　Hebrews　2；2。

（10）　This　piece　of　religion；　the　supplicating　God　with
sacrifices；　by　Herod；　before　he　went　to　this　fight　with　the
Arabians；　taken　notice　of　also　in　the　first　book　of　the　War；　ch。
19。　sect。　5；　is　worth　remarking；　because　it　is　the　only　example
of　this　nature；　so　far　as　I　remember；　that　Josephus　ever　mentions
in　all　his　large　and　particular　accounts　of　this　Herod；　and　it
was　when　he　had　been　in　mighty　distress；　and　discouraged　by　a
great　defeat　of　his　former　army；　and　by　a　very　great　earthquake
in　Judea；　such　times　of　affliction　making　men　most　religious；　nor
was　he　disappointed　of　his　hopes　here；　but　immediately　gained　a
most　signal　victory　over　the　Arabians；　while　they　who　just　before
had　been　so　great　victors；　and　so　much　elevated　upon　the
earthquake　in　Judea　as　to　venture　to　slay　the　Jewish　ambassadors；
were　now　under　a　strange　consternation；　and　hardly　able　to　fight
at　all。

（11）　Whereas　Mariamne　is　here　represented　as　reproaching：　Herod
with　the　murder　of　her　father　＇Alexander＇；　as　well　as　her　brother
＇Aristobulus＇；　while　it　was　her　grandfather　Hyrcanus；　and　not　her
father　Alexander；　whom　he　caused　to　be　slain；　（as　Josephus
himself　informs　us；　ch。　6。　sect。　2；）　we　must　either　take
Zonaras's　reading；　which　is　here　grandfather；　rightly；　or　else　we
must；　as　before；　ch。　1。　sect。　1；　allow　a　slip　of　Josephus's　pen
or　memory　in　the　place　before　us。

（12）　Here　is　a　plain　example　of　a　Jewish　lady　giving　a　bill　of
divorce　to　her　husband；　though　in　the　days　of　Josephus　it　was　not
esteemed　lawful　for　a　woman　so　to　do。　See　the　like　among　the
Parthians；　Antiq。　B。　XVIII。　ch。　9。　sect。　6。　However；　the
Christian　law；　when　it　allowed　divorce　for　adultery；　Matthew
5：32；　allowed　the　innocent　wife　to　divorce　her　guilty　husband；　as
well　as　the　innocent　husband　to　divorce　his　guilty　wife；　as　we
learn　from　the　shepherd　of　Hermas；　Mand。　B。　IV。；　and　from：　the
second　apology　of　Justin　Martyr；　where　a　persecution　was　brought
upon　the　Christians　upon　such　a　divorce；　and　I　think　the　Roman
laws　permitted　it　at　that　time；　as　well　as　the　laws　of
Christianity。　Now　this　Babas；　who　was　one　of　the　race　of　the
Asamoneans　or　Maccabees；　as　the　latter　end　of　this　section
informs　us；　is　related　by　the　Jews；　as　Dr。　Hudson　here　remarks；
to　have　been　so　eminently　religious　in　the　Jewish　way；　that；
except　the　day　following　the　tenth　of　Tisri；　the　great　day　of
atonement；　when　he　seems　to　have　supposed　all　his　sins　entirely
forgiven；　he　used　every　day　of　the　whole　year　to　offer　a
sacrifice　for　his　sins　of　ignorance；　or　such　as　he　supposed　he
had　been　guilty　of；　but　did　not　distinctly　remember。　See　somewhat
like　it　of　Agrippa　the　Great；　Antiq。　B。　XIX。　ch。　3。　sect。　3；　and
Job　1：4；　5。

（13）　These　grand　plays；　and　shows；　and　Thymelici；　or　music
meetings；　and　chariot　races；　when　the　chariots　were　drawn　by　two；
three；　or　four　pair　of　horses；　etc。；　instituted　by　Herod　in　his
theatres；　were　still；　as　we　see　here；　looked　on　by　the　sober　Jews
as　heathenish　sports；　and　tending　to　corrupt　the　manners　of　the
Jewish　nation；　and　to　bring　them　in　love　with　paganish　idolatry；
and　paganish　conduct　of　life；　but　to　the　dissolution　of　the　law
of　Moses；　and　accordingly　were　greatly　and　justly　condemned　by
them；　as　appears　here　and　every　where　else　in　Josephus。　Nor　is
the　case　of　our　modern　masquerades；　plays；　operas；　and　the　like
〃pomps　and　vanities　of　this　wicked　world；〃　of　any　better　tendency
under　Christianity。

（14）　Here　we　have　an　eminent　example　of　the　language　of　Josephus
in　his　writing　to　Gentiles；　different　from　that　when　he　wrote　to
Jews；　in　his　writing　to　whom　he　still　derives　all　such　judgments
from　the　anger　of　God；　but　because　he　knew　many　of　the　Gentiles
thought　they　might　naturally　come　in　certain　periods；　he　complies
with　them　in　the　following　sentence。　See　the　note　on　the　War。　B。
I。　ch。　33。　sect。　2。

（15）　This　famine　for　two　years　that　affected　Judea　and　Syria；　the
thirteenth　mid　fourteenth　years　of　Herod；　which　are　the
twenty…third　and　twenty…fourth　years　before　the　Christian　era；
seems　to　have　been　more　terrible　during　this　time　than　was　that
in　the　days　of　Jacob；　Genesis　41。；　42。　And　what　makes　the
comparison　the　more　remarkable　is　this；　that　now；　as　well　as
then；　the　relief　they　had　was　from　Egypt　also；　then　from　Joseph
the　governor　of　Egypt；　under　Pharaoh　king　of　Egypt；　and　now　from
Petronius　the　prefect　of　Egypt；　under　Augustus　the　Roman　emp