the antiquities of the jews-1-第254章

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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　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　ob