against apion-第2章

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！


l　be　so　written　hereafter；　…　I　shall　endeavor　briefly　to　inform　you。

7。　For　our　forefathers　did　not　only　appoint　the　best　of　these　priests；　and　those　that　attended　upon　the　Divine　worship；　for　that　design　from　the　beginning；　but　made　provision　that　the　stock　of　the　priests　should　continue　unmixed　and　pure；　for　he　who　is　partaker　of　the　priesthood　must　propagate　of　a　wife　of　the　same　nation；　without　having　any　regard　to　money；　or　any　other　dignities；　but　he　is　to　make　a　scrutiny；　and　take　his　wife's　genealogy　from　the　ancient　tables；　and　procure　many　witnesses　to　it。　（7）　And　this　is　our　practice　not　only　in　Judea；　but　wheresoever　any　body　of　men　of　our　nation　do　live；　and　even　there　an　exact　catalogue　of　our　priests'　marriages　is　kept；　I　mean　at　Egypt　and　at　Babylon；　or　in　any　other　place　of　the　rest　of　the　habitable　earth；　whithersoever　our　priests　are　scattered；　for　they　send　to　Jerusalem　the　ancient　names　of　their　parents　in　writing；　as　well　as　those　of　their　remoter　ancestors；　and　signify　who　are　the　witnesses　also。　But　if　any　war　falls　out；　such　as　have　fallen　out　a　great　many　of　them　already；　when　Antiochus　Epiphanes　made　an　invasion　upon　our　country；　as　also　when　Pompey　the　Great　and　Quintilius　Varus　did　so　also；　and　principally　in　the　wars　that　have　happened　in　our　own　times；　those　priests　that　survive　them　compose　new　tables　of　genealogy　out　of　the　old　records；　and　examine　the　circumstances　of　the　women　that　remain；　for　still　they　do　not　admit　of　those　that　have　been　captives；　as　suspecting　that　they　had　conversation　with　some　foreigners。　But　what　is　the　strongest　argument　of　our　exact　management　in　this　matter　is　what　I　am　now　going　to　say；　that　we　have　the　names　of　our　high　priests　from　father　to　son　set　down　in　our　records　for　the　interval　of　two　thousand　years；　and　if　any　of　these　have　been　transgressors　of　these　rules；　they　are　prohibited　to　present　themselves　at　the　altar；　or　to　be　partakers　of　any　other　of　our　purifications；　and　this　is　justly；　or　rather　necessarily　done；　because　every　one　is　not　permitted　of　his　own　accord　to　be　a　writer；　nor　is　there　any　disagreement　in　what　is　written；　they　being　only　prophets　that　have　written　the　original　and　earliest　accounts　of　things　as　they　learned　them　of　God　himself　by　inspiration；　and　others　have　written　what　hath　happened　in　their　own　times；　and　that　in　a　very　distinct　manner　also。

8。　For　we　have　not　an　innumerable　multitude　of　books　among　us；　disagreeing　from　and　contradicting　one　another；　＇as　the　Greeks　have；＇　but　only　twenty…two　books；　（8）　which　contain　the　records　of　all　the　past　times；　which　are　justly　believed　to　be　divine；　and　of　them　five　belong　to　Moses；　which　contain　his　laws　and　the　traditions　of　the　origin　of　mankind　till　his　death。　This　interval　of　time　was　little　short　of　three　thousand　years；　but　as　to　the　time　from　the　death　of　Moses　till　the　reign　of　Artaxerxes　king　of　Persia；　who　reigned　after　Xerxes；　the　prophets；　who　were　after　Moses；　wrote　down　what　was　done　in　their　times　in　thirteen　books。　The　remaining　four　books　contain　hymns　to　God；　and　precepts　for　the　conduct　of　human　life。　It　is　true；　our　history　hath　been　written　since　Artaxerxes　very　particularly；　but　hath　not　been　esteemed　of　the　like　authority　with　the　former　by　our　forefathers；　because　there　hath　not　been　an　exact　succession　of　prophets　since　that　time；　and　how　firmly　we　have　given　credit　to　these　books　of　our　own　nation　is　evident　by　what　we　do；　for　during　so　many　ages　as　have　already　passed；　no　one　has　been　so　bold　as　either　to　add　any　thing　to　them；　to　take　any　thing　from　them；　or　to　make　any　change　in　them；　but　it　is　become　natural　to　all　Jews　immediately；　and　from　their　very　birth；　to　esteem　these　books　to　contain　Divine　doctrines；　and　to　persist　in　them；　and；　if　occasion　be　willingly　to　die　for　them。　For　it　is　no　new　thing　for　our　captives；　many　of　them　in　number；　and　frequently　in　time；　to　be　seen　to　endure　racks　and　deaths　of　all　kinds　upon　the　theatres；　that　they　may　not　be　obliged　to　say　one　word　against　our　laws　and　the　records　that　contain　them；　whereas　there　are　none　at　all　among　the　Greeks　who　would　undergo　the　least　harm　on　that　account；　no；　nor　in　case　all　the　writings　that　are　among　them　were　to　be　destroyed；　for　they　take　them　to　be　such　discourses　as　are　framed　agreeably　to　the　inclinations　of　those　that　write　them；　and　they　have　justly　the　same　opinion　of　the　ancient　writers；　since　they　see　some　of　the　present　generation　bold　enough　to　write　about　such　affairs；　wherein　they　were　not　present；　nor　had　concern　enough　to　inform　themselves　about　them　from　those　that　knew　them；　examples　of　which　may　be　had　in　this　late　war　of　ours；　where　some　persons　have　written　histories；　and　published　them；　without　having　been　in　the　places　concerned；　or　having　been　near　them　when　the　actions　were　done；　but　these　men　put　a　few　things　together　by　hearsay；　and　insolently　abuse　the　world；　and　call　these　writings　by　the　name　of　Histories。

9。　As　for　myself；　I　have　composed　a　true　history　of　that　whole　war；　and　of　all　the　particulars　that　occurred　therein；　as　having　been　concerned　in　all　its　transactions；　for　I　acted　as　general　of　those　among　us　that　are　named　Galileans；　as　long　as　it　was　possible　for　us　to　make　any　opposition。　I　was　then　seized　on　by　the　Romans；　and　became　a　captive。　Vespasian　also　and　Titus　had　me　kept　under　a　guard；　and　forced　me　to　attend　them　continually。　At　the　first　I　was　put　into　bonds；　but　was　set　at　liberty　afterward；　and　sent　to　accompany　Titus　when　he　came　from　Alexandria　to　the　siege　of　Jerusalem；　during　which　time　there　was　nothing　done　which　escaped　my　knowledge；　for　what　happened　in　the　Roman　camp　I　saw；　and　wrote　down　carefully；　and　what　informations　the　deserters　brought　＇out　of　the　city＇；　I　was　the　only　man　that　understood　them。　Afterward　I　got　leisure　at　Rome；　and　when　all　my　materials　were　prepared　for　that　work；　I　made　use　of　some　persons　to　assist　me　in　learning　the　Greek　tongue；　and　by　these　means　I　composed　the　history　of　those　transactions。　And　I　was　so　well　assured　of　the　truth　of　what　I　related；　that　I　first　of　all　appealed　to　those　that　had　the　supreme　command　in　that　war；　Vespasian　and　Titus；　as　witnesses　for　me；　for　to　them　I　presented　those　books　first　of　all；　and　after　them　to　many　of　the　Romans　who　had　been　in　the　war。　I　also　sold　them　to　many　of　our　own　men　who　understood　the　Greek　philosophy；　among　whom　were　Julius　Archelaus；　Herod　＇king　of　Chalcis＇；　a　person　of　great　gravity；　and　king　Agrippa　himself；　a　person　that　deserved　the　greatest　admiration。　Now　all　these　men　bore　their　testimony　to　me；　that　I　had　the　strictest　regard　to　truth；　who　yet　would　not　have　dissembled　the　matter；　nor　been　silent；　if　I；　out　of　ignorance；　or　out　of　favor　to　any　side；　either　had　given　false　colors　to　actions；　or　omitted　any　of　them。

10。　There　have　been　indeed　some　bad　men；　who　have　attempted　to　calumniate　my　history；　and　took　it　to　be　a　kind　of　scholastic　performance　for　the　exercise　of　young　men。　A　strange　sort　of　accusation　and　calumny　this！　since　every　one　that　undertakes　to　deliver　the　history　of　actions　truly　ought　to　know　them　accurately　himself　in　the　first　place；　as　either　having　been　concerned　in　them　himself；　or　been　informed　of　them　by　such　as　knew　them。　Now　both　these　methods　of　knowledge　I　may　very　properly　pretend　to　in　the　composition　of　both　my　works；　for；　as　I　said；　I　have　translated　the　Antiquities　out　of　our　sacred　books；　which　I　easily　could　do；　since　I　was　a　priest　by　my　birth；　and　have　studied　that　philosophy　which　is　contained　in　those　writings：　and　for　the　History　of　the　War；　I　wrote　it　as　having　been　an　actor　myself　in　many　of　its　transactions；　an　eye…witness　in　the　greatest　part　of　the　rest；　and　was　not　unacquainted　with　any　thing　whatsoever　that　was　either　said　or　done　in　it。　How　impudent　then　must　those　deserve　to　be　esteemed　that　undertake　to　contradict　me　about　the　true　state　of　those　affairs！　who；　although　they　pretend　to　have　made　use　of　both　the　emperors'　own　memoirs；　yet　could　not　they　he　acquainted　with　our　affairs　who　fought　against　them。

11。　This　digression　I　have　been　obliged　to　make　out　of　necessity；　as　being　desirous　to　expose　the　vanity　of　those　that　profess　to　write　histories；　and　I　suppose　I　have　sufficiently　declared　that　this　custom　of　transmitting　down　the　histories　of　ancient　times　hath　been　better　preserved　by　those　nations　which　are　called　Barbarians；　than　by　the　Greeks　themselves。　I　am　now　willing；　in　the　next　place；　to　say　a　few　things　to　those　that　endeavor　to　prove　that　our　constitution　is　but　of　late　time；　for　this　reason；　as　they　pretend；　that　the　Greek　writers　have　said　nothing　about　us；　after　which　I　shall　produce　testimonies　for　our　antiquity　out　of　the　writings　of　foreigners；　I　shall　also　demonstrate　that　such　as　cast　reproaches　upon　our　nation　do　it　very　unjustly。

12。　As　for　ourselves；　therefore；　we　neither　inhabit　a　maritime　country；　nor　do　we　delight　in　merchandise；　nor　in　such　a　mixture　with　other　men　as　arises　from　it；　but　the　cities　we　dwell　in　are　remote　from　the　sea；　and　having　a　fruitful　country　for　our　habitation；　we　take　pains　in　cultivating　that　only。　Our　principal　care　of　all　is　this；　to　educate　our　children　well；　and　we　think　it　to　be　the　most　necessary　business　of　our　whole　life　to　observe　the　laws　that　have　been　given　us；　and　to　keep　those　rules　of　piety　that　have　been　delivered　down　to　us。　Since；　therefore；　besides　what　we　have　already　taken　notice　of；　we　have　had　a　peculiar　way　of　living　of　our　own；　there　was　no　occasion　offered　us　in　ancient　ages　for　intermixing　among　the　Greeks；　as　they　had　for　mixing　among　the　Egyptians；　by　their　intercourse　of　exporting　and　importing　their　several　goods；　as　they　also　mixed　with　the　Phoenicians；　who　lived　by　the　sea…side；　by　means　of　their　love　of　lucre　in　trade　and　merchandise。　Nor　did　our　forefathers　betake　themselves；　as　did　some　others；　to　robbery；　nor　did　they；　in　order　to　gain　more　wealth；　fall　into　foreign　wars；　although　our　country　contained　many　ten　thousands　of　men　of　courage　sufficient　for　that　purpose。　For　this　reason　it　was　that　the　Phoenicians　themselves　came　soon　by　trading　and　navigation　to　be　known　to　the　Grecians；　and　by　their　means　the　Egyptians　became　known　to　the　Grecians　also；　as　did　all　those　people　whence　the　Phoenicians　in　long　voyages　over　the　seas　carried　wares　to　the　Grecians。　The　Medes　also　and　the　Persians；　when　they　were　lords　of　Asia；　became　well　known　to　them；　and　this　was　especially　true　of　the　Persians；　who　led　their　armies　as　far　as　the　other　continent　＇Europe＇。　The　Thracians　were　also　known　to　them　by　the　nearness　of　their　countries；　and　the　Scythians　by　the　means　of　those　that　sailed　to　Pontus；　for　it　was　so　in　general　that　all　maritime　nations；　and　those　that　inhabited　near　the　eastern　or　western　seas；　became　most　known　to　those　that　were　desirous　to　be　writers；　but　such　as　had　their　habitations　further　from　the　sea　were　for　the　most　part　unknown　to　them　which　things　appear　to　have　happened　as　to　Europe　also；　where　the　city　of　Rome；　that　hath　this　long　time　been　possessed　of　so　much　power；　and　hath　performed　such　great　actions　in　war；　is　yet　never　mentioned　by　Herodotus；　nor　by　Thucydides；　nor　by　any　one　of　their　contemporaries；　and　it　was　very　late；　and　with　great　difficulty；　that　the　Romans　became　known　t