against apion-第9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！


a　most　abusive　and　incredible　manner；　and　pretend　that　he　was　of　Heliopolis；　and　one　of　the　priests　of　that　place；　and　was　ejected　out　of　it　among　the　rest；　on　account　of　his　leprosy；　although　it　had　been　demonstrated　out　of　their　records　that　he　lived　five　hundred　and　eighteen　years　earlier；　and　then　brought　our　forefathers　out　of　Egypt　into　the　country　that　is　now　inhabited　by　us。　But　now　that　he　was　not　subject　in　his　body　to　any　such　calamity；　is　evident　from　what　he　himself　tells　us；　for　he　forbade　those　that　had　the　leprosy　either　to　continue　in　a　city；　or　to　inhabit　in　a　village；　but　commanded　that　they　should　go　about　by　themselves　with　their　clothes　rent；　and　declares　that　such　as　either　touch　them；　or　live　under　the　same　roof　with　them；　should　be　esteemed　unclean；　nay；　more；　if　any　one　of　their　disease　be　healed；　and　he　recover　his　natural　constitution　again；　he　appointed　them　certain　purifications；　and　washings　with　spring　water；　and　the　shaving　off　all　their　hair；　and　enjoins　that　they　shall　offer　many　sacrifices；　and　those　of　several　kinds；　and　then　at　length　to　be　admitted　into　the　holy　city；　although　it　were　to　be　expected　that；　on　the　contrary；　if　he　had　been　under　the　same　calamity；　he　should　have　taken　care　of　such　persons　beforehand；　and　have　had　them　treated　after　a　kinder　manner；　as　affected　with　a　concern　for　those　that　were　to　be　under　the　like　misfortunes　with　himself。　Nor　；was　it　only　those　leprous　people　for　whose　sake　he　made　these　laws；　but　also　for　such　as　should　be　maimed　in　the　smallest　part　of　their　body；　who　yet　are　not　permitted　by　him　to　officiate　as　priests；　nay；　although　any　priest；　already　initiated；　should　have　such　a　calamity　fall　upon　him　afterward；　he　ordered　him　to　be　deprived　of　his　honor　of　officiating。　How　can　it　then　be　supposed　that　Moses　should　ordain　such　laws　against　himself；　to　his　own　reproach　and　damage　who　so　ordained　them？　Nor　indeed　is　that　other　notion　of　Manetho　at　all　probable；　wherein　he　relates　the　change　of　his　name；　and　says　that　〃he　was　formerly　called　Osarsiph；〃　and　this　a　name　no　way　agreeable　to　the　other；　while　his　true　name　was　Mosses；　and　signifies　a　person　who　is　preserved　out　of　the　water；　for　the　Egyptians　call　water　Moil。　I　think；　therefore；　I　have　made　it　sufficiently　evident　that　Manetho；　while　he　followed　his　ancient　records；　did　not　much　mistake　the　truth　of　the　history；　but　that　when　he　had　recourse　to　fabulous　stories；　without　any　certain　author；　he　either　forged　them　himself；　without　any　probability；　or　else　gave　credit　to　some　men　who　spake　so　out　of　their　ill…will　to　us。

32。　And　now　I　have　done　with　Manetho；　I　will　inquire　into　what　Cheremon　says。　For　he　also；　when　he　pretended　to　write　the　Egyptian　history；　sets　down　the　same　name　for　this　king　that　Manetho　did；　Amenophis；　as　also　of　his　son　Ramesses；　and　then　goes　on　thus：　〃The　goddess　Isis　appeared　to　Amenophis　in　his　sleep；　and　blamed　him　that　her　temple　had　been　demolished　in　the　war。　But　that　Phritiphantes；　the　sacred　scribe；　said　to　him；　that　in　case　he　would　purge　Egypt　of　the　men　that　had　pollutions　upon　them；　he　should　be　no　longer　troubled。　with　such　frightful　apparitions。　That　Amenophis　accordingly　chose　out　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　of　those　that　were　thus　diseased；　and　cast　them　out　of　the　country：　that　Moses　and　Joseph　were　scribes；　and　Joseph　was　a　sacred　scribe；　that　their　names　were　Egyptian　originally；　that　of　Moses　had　been　Tisithen；　and　that　of　Joseph；　Peteseph：　that　these　two　came　to　Pelusium；　and　lighted　upon　three　hundred　and　eighty　thousand　that　had　been　left　there　by　Amenophis；　he　not　being　willing　to　carry　them　into　Egypt；　that　these　scribes　made　a　league　of　friendship　with　them；　and　made　with　them　an　expedition　against　Egypt：　that　Amenophis　could　not　sustain　their　attacks；　but　fled　into　Ethiopia；　and　left　his　wife　with　child　behind　him；　who　lay　concealed　in　certain　caverns；　and　there　brought　forth　a　son；　whose　name　was　Messene；　and　who；　when　he　was　grown　up　to　man's　estate；　pursued　the　Jews　into　Syria；　being　about　two　hundred　thousand；　and　then　received　his　father　Amenophis　out　of　Ethiopia。〃

33。　This　is　the　account　Cheremon　gives　us。　Now　I　take　it　for　granted　that　what　I　have　said　already　hath　plainly　proved　the　falsity　of　both　these　narrations；　for　had　there　been　any　real　truth　at　the　bottom；　it　was　impossible　they　should　so　greatly　disagree　about　the　particulars。　But　for　those　that　invent　lies；　what　they　write　will　easily　give　us　very　different　accounts；　while　they　forge　what　they　please　out　of　their　own　heads。　Now　Manetho　says　that　the　king's　desire　of　seeing　the　gods　was　the　origin　of　the　ejection　of　the　polluted　people；　but　Cheremon　feigns　that　it　was　a　dream　of　his　own；　sent　upon　him　by　Isis；　that　was　the　occasion　of　it。　Manetho　says　that　the　person　who　foreshowed　this　purgation　of　Egypt　to　the　king　was　Amenophis；　but　this　man　says　it　was　Phritiphantes。　As　to　the　numbers　of　the　multitude　that　were　expelled；　they　agree　exceedingly　well　（24）　the　former　reckoning　them　eighty　thousand；　and　the　latter　about　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand！　Now；　for　Manetho；　he　describes　those　polluted　persons　as　sent　first　to　work　in　the　quarries；　and　says　that　the　city　Avaris　was　given　them　for　their　habitation。　As　also　he　relates　that　it　was　not　till　after　they　had　made　war　with　the　rest　of　the　Egyptians；　that　they　invited　the　people　of　Jerusalem　to　come　to　their　assistance；　while　Cheremon　says　only　that　they　were　gone　out　of　Egypt；　and　lighted　upon　three　hundred　and　eighty　thousand　men　about　Pelusium；　who　had　been　left　there　by　Amenophis；　and　so　they　invaded　Egypt　with　them　again；　that　thereupon　Amenophis　fled　into　Ethiopia。　But　then　this　Cheremon　commits　a　most　ridiculous　blunder　in　not　informing　us　who　this　army　of　so　many　ten　thousands　were；　or　whence　they　came；　whether　they　were　native　Egyptians；　or　whether　they　came　from　a　foreign　country。　Nor　indeed　has　this　man；　who　forged　a　dream　from　Isis　about　the　leprous　people；　assigned　the　reason　why　the　king　would　not　bring　them　into　Egypt。　Moreover；　Cheremon　sets　down　Joseph　as　driven　away　at　the　same　time　with　Moses；　who　yet　died　four　generations　（25）　before　Moses；　which　four　generations　make　almost　one　hundred　and　seventy　years。　Besides　all　this；　Ramesses；　the　son　of　Amenophis；　by　Manetho's　account；　was　a　young　man；　and　assisted　his　father　in　his　war；　and　left　the　country　at　the　same　time　with　him；　and　fled　into　Ethiopia。　But　Cheremon　makes　him　to　have　been　born　in　a　certain　cave；　after　his　father　was　dead；　and　that　he　then　overcame　the　Jews　in　battle；　and　drove　them　into　Syria；　being　in　number　about　two　hundred　thousand。　O　the　levity　of　the　man！　for　he　had　neither　told　us　who　these　three　hundred　and　eighty　thousand　were；　nor　how　the　four　hundred　and　thirty　thousand　perished；　whether　they　fell　in　war；　or　went　over　to　Ramesses。　And；　what　is　the　strangest　of　all；　it　is　not　possible　to　learn　out　of　him　who　they　were　whom　he　calls　Jews；　or　to　which　of　these　two　parties　he　applies　that　denomination；　whether　to　the　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　leprous　people；　or　to　the　three　hundred　and　eighty　thousand　that　were　about　Pelusium。　But　perhaps　it　will　be　looked　upon　as　a　silly　thing　in　me　to　make　any　larger　confutation　of　such　writers　as　sufficiently　confute　themselves；　for　had　they　been　only　confuted　by　other　men；　it　had　been　more　tolerable。

34。　I　shall　now　add　to　these　accounts　about　Manethoand　Cheremon　somewhat　about　Lysimachus；　who　hath　taken　the　same　topic　of　falsehood　with　those　forementioned；　but　hath　gone　far　beyond　them　in　the　incredible　nature　of　his　forgeries；　which　plainly　demonstrates　that　he　contrived　them　out　of　his　virulent　hatred　of　our　nation。　His　words　are　these：　〃The　people　of　the　Jews　being　leprous　and　scabby；　and　subject　to　certain　other　kinds　of　distempers；　in　the　days　of　Bocchoris；　king　of　Egypt；　they　fled　to　the　temples；　and　got　their　food　there　by　begging：　and　as　the　numbers　were　very　great　that　were　fallen　under　these　diseases；　there　arose　a　scarcity　in　Egypt。　Hereupon　Bocehoris；　the　king　of　Egypt；　sent　some　to　consult　the　oracle　of　＇Jupiter＇　Hammon　about　his　scarcity。　The　god's　answer　was　this；　that　he　must　purge　his　temples　of　impure　and　impious　men；　by　expelling　them　out　of　those　temples　into　desert　places；　but　as　to　the　scabby　and　leprous　people；　he　must　drown　them；　and　purge　his　temples；　the　sun　having　an　indignation　at　these　men　being　suffered　to　live；　and　by　this　means　the　land　will　bring　forth　its　fruits。　Upon　Bocchoris's　having　received　these　oracles；　he　called　for　their　priests；　and　the　attendants　upon　their　altars；　and　ordered　them　to　make　a　collection　of　the　impure　people；　and　to　deliver　them　to　the　soldiers；　to　carry　them　away　into　the　desert；　but　to　take　the　leprous　people；　and　wrap　them　in　sheets　of　lead；　and　let　them　down　into　the　sea。　Hereupon　the　scabby　and　leprous　people　were　drowned；　and　the　rest　were　gotten　together；　and　sent　into　desert　places；　in　order　to　be　exposed　to　destruction。　In　this　case　they　assembled　themselves　together；　and　took　counsel　what　they　should　do；　and　determined　that；　as　the　night　was　coming　on；　they　should　kindle　fires　and　lamps；　and　keep　watch；　that　they　also　should　fast　the　next　night；　and　propitiate　the　gods；　in　order　to　obtain　deliverance　from　them。　That　on　the　next　day　there　was　one　Moses；　who　advised　them　that　they　should　venture　upon　a　journey；　and　go　along　one　road　till　they　should　come　to　places　fit　for　habitation：　that　he　charged　them　to　have　no　kind　regards　for　any　man；　nor　give　good　counsel　to　any；　but　always　to　advise　them　for　the　worst；　and　to　overturn　all　those　temples　and　altars　of　the　gods　they　should　meet　with：　that　the　rest　commended　what　he　had　said　with　one　consent；　and　did　what　they　had　resolved　on；　and　so　traveled　over　the　desert。　But　that　the　difficulties　of　the　journey　being　over；　they　came　to　a　country　inhabited；　and　that　there　they　abused　the　men；　and　plundered　and　burnt　their　temples；　and　then　came　into　that　land　which　is　called　Judea；　and　there　they　built　a　city；　and　dwelt　therein；　and　that　their　city　was　named　Hierosyla；　from　this　their　robbing　of　the　temples；　but　that　still；　upon　the　success　they　had　afterwards；　they　in　time　changed　its　denomination；　that　it　might　not　be　a　reproach　to　them；　and　called　the　city　Hierosolyma；　and　themselves　Hierosolymites。〃

35。　Now　this　man　did　not　discover　and　mention　the　same　king　with　the　others；　but　feigned　a　newer　name；　and　passing　by　the　dream　and　the　Egyptian　prophet；　he　brings　him　to　＇Jupiter＇　Hammon；　in　order　to　gain　oracles　about　the　scabby　and　leprous　people；　for　he　says　that　the　multitude　of　Jews　were　gathered　together　at　the　temples。　Now　it　is　uncertain　whether　he　ascribes　this　name　to　these　lepers；　or　to　those　that　were　subject　to　such　diseases　among　the　Jews　only；　for　he　describes　them　as　a　people　of　the　Jews。　What　people　does　he　mean？　foreigners；　or　those　of　that　country？　Why　then'　dost　thou　call　them　Jews；　if　they　were　Egyptians？　But　if　they　were　foreigners；　why　dost　thou　not　tell　us　whence　they　came？　And　how　could　it　be　that；　after　the　king　had　drowned　many　of　them　in　the　sea；　and　ejected　the　rest　into　desert　places；　there　should　be　still　so　great　a　multitude　remaining？　Or　after　what　manner　did　they　pass　over　the　desert；　and　get　the　land　which　we　now　dwell　in；　and　build　our　city；　and　that　temp