Elements.
CHAPTER 2. Concerning The Posterity Of Adam, And The Ten Generations
From Him To The Deluge.
CHAPTER 3. Concerning The Flood; And After What Manner Noah Was Saved In
An Ark, With His Kindred, And Afterwards Dwelt In The Plain Of Shinar.
CHAPTER 4. Concerning The Tower Of Babylon, And The Confusion Of
Tongues.
CHAPTER 5. After What Manner The Posterity Of Noah Sent Out Colonies,
And Inhabited The Whole Earth.
CHAPTER 6. How Every Nation Was Denominated From Their First
Inhabitants.
CHAPTER 7. How Abram Our Forefather Went Out Of The Land Of The
Chaldeans, And Lived In The Land Then Called Canaan But Now Judea.
CHAPTER 8. That When There Was A Famine In Canaan, Abram Went Thence
Into Egypt; And After He Had Continued There A While He Returned Back
Again.
CHAPTER 9. The Destruction Of The Sodomites By The Assyrian War.
CHAPTER 10. How Abram Fought With The Assyrians, And Overcame Them, And
Saved The Sodomite Prisoners, And Took From The Assyrians The Prey They
Had Gotten.
CHAPTER 11. How God Overthrew The Nation Of The Sodomites, Out Of His
Wrath Against Them For Their Sins.
CHAPTER 12. Concerning Abimelech; And Concerning Ismael The Son Of
Abraham; And Concerning The Arabians, Who Were His Posterity.
CHAPTER 13. Concerning Isaac The Legitimate Son Of Abraham.
CHAPTER 14. Concerning Sarah Abraham's Wife; And How She Ended Her Days.
CHAPTER 15. How The Nation Of The Troglodytes Were Derived From Abraham
By Keturah.
CHAPTER 16. How Isaac Took Rebeka To Wife.
CHAPTER 17. Concerning The Death Of Abraham.
CHAPTER 18. Concerning The Sons Of Isaac, Esau And Jacob; Of Their
Nativity And Education.
CHAPTER 19. Concerning Jacob's Flight Into Mesopotamia, By Reason Of The
Fear He Was In Of His Brother.
CHAPTER 20. Concerning The Meeting Of Jacob And Esau.
CHAPTER 21. Concerning The Violation Of Dina's Chastity.
CHAPTER 22. How Isaac Died, And Was Buried In Hebron.
FOOTNOTES:
BOOK II. Containing The Interval Of Two Hundred And Twenty Years.—From
The Death Of Isaac To The Exodus Out Of Egypt.
CHAPTER 1. How Esau And Jacob, Isaac's Sons Divided Their Habitation;
And Esau Possessed Idumea And Jacob Canaan.
CHAPTER 2. How Joseph, The Youngest Of Jacob's Sons, Was Envied By His
Brethren, When Certain Dreams Had Foreshown His Future Happiness.
CHAPTER 3. How Joseph Was Thus Sold By His Brethren Into Egypt, By
Reason Of Their Hatred To Him; And How He There Grew Famous And
Illustrious And Had His Brethren Under His Power.
CHAPTER 4. Concerning The Signal Chastity Of Joseph.
CHAPTER 5. What Things Befell Joseph In Prison.
CHAPTER 6. How Joseph When He Was Become Famous In Egypt, Had His
Brethren In Subjection.
CHAPTER 7. The Removal Of Joseph's Father With All His Family, To Him,
On Account Of The Famine.
CHAPTER 8. Of The Death Of Jacob And Joseph.
CHAPTER 9. Concerning The Afflictions That Befell The Hebrews In Egypt,
During Four Hundred Years. [16]
CHAPTER 10. How Moses Made War With The Ethiopians.
CHAPTER 11. How Moses Fled Out Of Egypt Into Midian.
CHAPTER 12. Concerning The Burning Bush And The Rod Of Moses.
CHAPTER 13. How Moses And Aaron Returned Into Egypt To Pharaoh.
CHAPTER 14. Concerning The Ten Plagues Which Came Upon The Egyptians.
CHAPTER 15. How The Hebrews Under The Conduct Of Moses Left Egypt.
CHAPTER 16. How The Sea Was Divided Asunder For The Hebrews, When They
Were Pursued By The Egyptians, And So Gave Them An Opportunity Of
Escaping From Them.
FOOTNOTES
BOOK III. Containing The Interval Of Two Years.—From The Exodus Out Of
Egypt, To The Rejection Of That Generation.
CHAPTER 1. How Moses When He Had Brought The People Out Of Egypt Led
Them To Mount Sinai; But Not Till They Had Suffered Much In Their
Journey.
CHAPTER 2. How The Amalekites And The Neighbouring Nations, Made War
With The Hebrews And Were Beaten And Lost A Great Part Of Their Army.
CHAPTER 3. That Moses Kindly Received-His Father-In-Law, Jethro, When He
Came To Him To Mount Sinai.
CHAPTER 4. How Raguel Suggested To Moses To Set His People In Order,
Under Their Rulers Of Thousands, And Rulers Of Hundreds, Who Lived
Without Order Before; And How Moses Complied In All Things With His
Father-In-Law's Admonition.
CHAPTER 5. How Moses Ascended Up To Mount Sinai, And Received Laws From
God, And Delivered Them To The Hebrews.
CHAPTER 6. Concerning The Tabernacle Which Moses Built In The Wilderness
For The Honor Of God And Which Seemed To Be A Temple.
CHAPTER 7. Concerning The Garments Of The Priests, And Of The High
Priest.
CHAPTER 8. Of The Priesthood Of Aaron.
CHAPTER 9. The Manner Of Our Offering Sacrifices.
CHAPTER 10. Concerning The Festivals; And How Each Day Of Such Festival
Is To Be Observed.
CHAPTER 11. Of The Purifications.
CHAPTER 12. Several Laws.
CHAPTER 13. Moses Removed From Mount Sinai, And Conducted The People To
The Borders Of The Canaanites.
CHAPTER 14. How Moses Sent Some Persons To Search Out The Land Of The
Canaanites, And The Largeness Of Their Cities; And Further That When
Those Who Were Sent Were Returned, After Forty Days And Reported That
They Should Not Be A Match For Them, And Extolled The Strength Of The
Canaanites The Multitude Were Disturbed And Fell Into Despair; And Were
Resolved To Stone Moses, And To Return Back Again Into Egypt, And Serve
The Egyptians.
CHAPTER 15. How Moses Was Displeased At This, And Foretold That God Was
Angry And That They Should Continue In The Wilderness For Forty Years
And Not, During That Time, Either Return Into Egypt Or Take Possession
Of Canaan.
FOOTNOTES:
BOOK IV. Containing The Interval Of Thirty-Eight Years.—From The
Rejection Of That Generation To The Death Of Moses.
CHAPTER 1. Fight Of The Hebrews With The Canaanites Without The Consent
Of Moses; And Their Defeat.
CHAPTER 2. The Sedition Of Corah And Of The Multitude Against Moses, And
Against His Brother, Concerning The Priesthood.
CHAPTER 3. How Those That Stirred Up This Sedition Were Destroyed,
According To The Will Of God; And How Aaron, Moses's Brother Both He And
His Posterity, Retained The Priesthood.
CHAPTER 4. What Happened To The Hebrews During Thirty-Eight Years In The
Wilderness.
CHAPTER 5. How Moses Conquered Sihon And Og Kings Of The Amorites, And
Destroyed Their Whole Army And Then Divided Their Land By Lot To Two
Tribes And A Half Of The Hebrews.
CHAPTER 6. Concerning Balaam The Prophet And What Kind Of Man He Was.
CHAPTER 7. How The Hebrews Fought With The Midianites, And Overcame
Them.
CHAPTER 8. The Polity Settled By Moses; And How He Disappeared From
Among Mankind.
FOOTNOTES:
BOOK V. Containing The Interval Of Four Hundred And Seventy-Six
Years.—From The Death Of Moses To The Death Of Eli.
CHAPTER 1. How Joshua, The Commander Of The Hebrews, Made War With The
Canaanites, And Overcame Them, And Destroyed Them, And Divided Their
Land By Lot To The Tribes Of Israel.
CHAPTER 2. How, After The Death Of Joshua Their Commander, The
Israelites Transgressed The Laws Of Their Country, And Experienced Great
Afflictions; And When There Was A Sedition Arisen, The Tribe Of Benjamin
Was Destroyed Excepting Only Six Hundred Men.
CHAPTER 3. How The Israelites After This Misfortune Grew Wicked And
Served The Assyrians; And How God Delivered Them By Othniel, Who Ruled
Over Them Forty Years.
CHAPTER 4. How Our People Served The Moabites Eighteen Years, And Were
Then Delivered From Slavery By One Ehud Who Retained The Dominion Eighty
Years.
CHAPTER 5. How The Canaanites Brought The Israelites Under Slavery For
Twenty Years; After Which They Were Delivered By Barak And Deborah, Who
Ruled Over Them For Forty Years.
CHAPTER 6. How The Midianites And Other Nations Fought Against The
Israelites And Beat Them, And Afflicted Their Country For Seven Years,
How They Were Delivered By Gideon, Who Ruled Over The Multitude For
Forty Years.
CHAPTER 7. That The Judges Who Succeeded Gideon Made War With The
Adjoining Nations For A Long Time.
CHAPTER 8. Concerning The Fortitude Of Samson, And What Mischiefs He
Brought Upon The Philistines.
CHAPTER 9. How Under Eli's Government Of The Israelites Booz Married
Ruth, From Whom Came Obed The Grandfather Of David.
CHAPTER 10. Concerning The Birth Of Samuel; And How He Foretold The
Calamity That Befell The Sons Of Eli.
CHAPTER 11. Herein Is Declared What Befell The Sons Of Eli, The Ark, And
The People And How Eli Himself Died Miserably.
FOOTNOTES
BOOK VI. Containing The Interval Of Thirty-Two Years.—From The Death Of
Eli To The Death Of Saul.
CHAPTER 1. The Destruction That Came Upon The Philistines, And Upon
Their Land, By The Wrath Of Go On Account Of Their Having Carried The
Ark Away Captive; And After What Manner They Sent It Back To The
Hebrews.
CHAPTER 2. The Expedition Of The Philistines Against The Hebrews And The
Hebrews' Victory Under The Conduct Of Samuel The Prophet, Who Was Their
General.
CHAPTER 3. How Samuel When He Was So Infirm With Old Age That He Could
Not Take Care Of The Public Affairs Intrusted Them To His Sons; And How
Upon The Evil Administration Of The Government By Them The Multitude
Were So Angry, That They Required To Have A King To Govern Them,
Although Samuel Was Much Displeased Thereat.
CHAPTER 4. The Appointment Of A King Over The Israelites, Whose Name Was
Saul; And This By The Command Of God.
CHAPTER 5. Saul's Expedition Against The Nation Of The Ammonites And
Victory Over Them And The Spoils He Took From Them.
CHAPTER 6. How The Philistines Made Another Expedition Against The
Hebrews And Were Beaten.
CHAPTER 7. Saul's War With The Amalekites, And Conquest Of Them.
CHAPTER 8. How, Upon Saul's Transgression Of The Prophet's Commands,
Samuel Ordained Another Person To Be King Privately, Whose Name Was
David, As God Commanded Him.
CHAPTER 9. How The Philistines Made Another Expedition Against The
Hebrews Under The Reign Of Saul; And How They Were Overcome By David's
Slaying Goliath In Single Combat.
CHAPTER 10. Saul Envies David For His Glorious Success, And Takes An
Occasion Of Entrapping Him, From The Promise He Made Him Of Giving Him
His Daughter In Marriage; But This Upon Condition Of His Bringing Him
Six Hundred Heads Of The Philistines.
CHAPTER 11. How David, Upon Saul's Laying Snares For Him, Did Yet Escape
The Dangers He Was In By The Affection And Care Of Jonathan And The
Contrivances Of His Wife Michal: And How He Came To Samuel The Prophet.
CHAPTER 12. How David Fled To Ahimelech And Afterwards To The Kings Of
The Philistines And Of The Moabites, And How Saul Slew Ahimelech And His
Family.
CHAPTER 13. How David, When He Had Twice The Opportunity Of Killing Saul
Did Not Kill Him. Also Concerning The Death Of Samuel And Nabal.
CHAPTER 14. Now Saul Upon God's Not Answering Him Concerning The Fight
With The Philistines Desired A Necromantic Woman To Raise Up The Soul Of
Samuel To Him; And How He Died, With His Sons Upon The Overthrow Of The
Hebrews In Battle.
FOOTNOTES:
BOOK VII. Containing The Interval Of Forty Years.—From The Death Of Saul
To The Death Of David.
CHAPTER 1. How David Reigned Over One Tribe At Hebron While The Son Of
Saul Reigned Over The Rest Of The Multitude; And How, In The Civil War
Which Then Arose Asahel And Abner Were Slain.
CHAPTER 2. That Upon The Slaughter Of Ishbosheth By The Treachery Of His
Friends, David Received The Whole Kingdom.
CHAPTER 3. How David Laid Siege To Jerusalem; And When He Had Taken The
City, He Cast The Canaanites Out Of It, And Brought In The Jews To
Inhabit Therein.
CHAPTER 4. That When David Had Conquered The Philistines Who Made War
Against Him At Jerusalem, He Removed The Ark To Jerusalem And Had A Mind
To Build A Temple.
CHAPTER 5. How David Brought Under The Philistines, And The Moabites,
And The Kings Of Sophene And Of Damascus, And Of The Syrians As Also The
Idumeans, In War; And How He Made A League With The King Of Hamath; And
Was Mindful Of The Friendship That Jonathan, The Son Of Saul, Had Borne
Him.
CHAPTER 6. How The War Was Waged Against The Ammonites And Happily
Concluded.
CHAPTER 7. How David Fell In Love With Bathsheba, And Slew Her Husband
Uriah, For Which He Is Reproved By Nathan.
CHAPTER 8. How Absalom Murdered Amnon, Who Had Forced His Own Sister;
And How He Was Banished And Afterwards Recalled By David.
CHAPTER 9. Concerning The Insurrection Of Absalom Against David And
Concerning Ahithophel And Hushai; And Concerning Ziba And Shimei; And
How Ahithophel Hanged Himself.
CHAPTER 10. How, When Absalom Was Beaten, He Was Caught In A Tree By His
Hair And Was Slain.
CHAPTER 11. How David, When He Had Recovered His Kingdom, Was Reconciled
To Shimei, And To Ziba; And Showed A Great Affection To Barzillai; And
How, Upon The Rise Of A Sedition, He Made Amasa Captain Of His Host, In
Order To Pursue Seba; Which Amasa Was Slain By Joab.
CHAPTER 12. How The Hebrews Were Delivered From A Famine When The
Gibeonites Had Caused Punishment To Be Inflicted For Those Of Them That
Had Been Slain: As Also, What Great Actions Were Performed Against The
Philistines By David, And The Men Of Valor About Him.
CHAPTER 13. That When David Had Numbered the People, They Were Punished;
and How the Divine Compassion Restrained That Punishment.
CHAPTER 14. That David Made Great Preparations For The House Of God; And
That, Upon Adonijah's Attempt To Gain The Kingdom, He Appointed Solomon
To Reign.
CHAPTER 15. What Charge David Gave Tohis Son Solomon At The Approach Of
His Death, And How Many Things He Left Him For The Building Of The
Temple.
FOOTNOTES
BOOK VIII. Containing The Interval Of One Hundred And Sixty-Three
Years.—From The Death Of David To The Death Of Ahab.
CHAPTER 1. How Solomon, When He Had Received The Kingdom Took Off His
Enemies.
CHAPTER 2. Concerning The Wife Of Solomon; Concerning His Wisdom And
Riches; And Concerning What He Obtained Of Hiram For The Building Of The
Temple.
CHAPTER 3. Of The Building Of This Temple
CHAPTER 4. How Solomon Removed The Ark Into The Temple How He Made
Supplication To God, And Offered Public Sacrifices To Him.
CHAPTER 5. How Solomon Built Himself A Royal Palace, Very Costly And
Splendid; And How He Solved The Riddles Which Were Sent Him By Hiram.
CHAPTER 6. How Solomon Fortified The City Of Jerusalem, And Built Great
Cities; And How He Brought Some Of The Canaanites Into Subjection, And
Entertained The Queen Of Egypt And Of Ethiopia.
CHAPTER 7. How Solomon Grew Rich, And Fell Desperately In Love With
Women And How God, Being Incensed At It, Raised Up Ader And Jeroboam
Against Him. Concerning The Death Of Solomon.
CHAPTER 8. How, Upon The Death Of Solomon The People Forsook His Son
Rehoboam, And Ordained Jeroboam King Over The Ten Tribes.
CHAPTER 9. How Jadon The Prophet Was Persuaded By Another Lying Prophet
And Returned [To Bethel,] And Was Afterwards Slain By A Lion. As Also
What Words The Wicked Prophet Made Use Of To Persuade The King, And
Thereby Alienated His Mind From God.
CHAPTER 10. Concerning Rehoboam, And How God Inflicted Punishment Upon
Him For His Impiety By Shishak [King Of Egypt].
CHAPTER 11. Concerning The Death Of A Son Of Jeroboam. How Jeroboam Was
Beaten By Abijah Who Died A Little Afterward And Was Succeeded In His
Kingdom By Asa. And Also How, After The Death Of Jeroboam Baasha
Destroyed His Son Nadab And All The House Of Jeroboam.
CHAPTER 12. How Zerah, King Of The Ethiopians, Was Beaten By Asa; And
How Asa, Upon Baasha's Making War Against Him, Invited The King Of The
Damascens To Assist Him; And How, On The Destruction Of The House Of
Baasha Zimri Got The Kingdom As Did His Son Ahab After Him.
CHAPTER 13. How Ahab When He Had Taken Jezebel To Wife Became More
Wicked Than All The Kings That Had Been Before Him; Of The Actions Of
The Prophet Elijah, And What Befell Naboth.
CHAPTER 14. How Hadad King Of Damascus And Of Syria, Made Two
Expeditions Against Ahab And Was Beaten.
CHAPTER 15. Concerning Jehoshaphat The King Of Jerusalem And How Ahab
Made An Expedition Against The Syrians And Was Assisted Therein By
Jehoshaphat, But Was Himself Overcome In Battle And Perished Therein.
FOOTNOTES:
BOOK IX. Containing The Interval Of One Hundred And Fifty-Seven
Years.—From The Death Of Ahab To The Captivity Of The Ten Tribes.
CHAPTER 1. Concerning Jehoshaphat Again; How He Constituted Judges And,
By God's Assistance Overcame His Enemies.
CHAPTER 2. Concerning Ahaziah; The King Of Israel; And Again Concerning
The Prophet Elijah.
CHAPTER 3. How Joram And Jehoshaphat Made An Expedition Against The
Moabites; As Also Concerning The Wonders Of Elisha; And The Death Of
Jehoshaphat.
CHAPTER 4. Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat; How Joram, His Namesake, King
Of Israel, Fought With The Syrians; And What Wonders Were Done By The
Prophet Elisha.
CHAPTER 5. Concerning The Wickedness Of Jehoram King O Jerusalem; His
Defeat And Death.
CHAPTER 6. How Jehu Was Anointed King, And Slew Both Joram And Ahaziah;
As Also What He Did For The Punishment Of The Wicked.
CHAPTER 7. How Athaliah Reigned Over Jerusalem For Five [Six] Years When
Jehoiada The High Priest Slew Her And Made Jehoash, The Son Of Ahaziah,
King.
CHAPTER 8. Hazael Makes An Expedition Against The People Of Israel And
The Inhabitants Of Jerusalem. Jehu Dies, And Jehoahaz Succeeds In The
Government. Jehoash The King Of Jerusalem At First Is Careful About The
Worship Of God But Afterwards Becomes Impious And Commands Zechariah To
Be Stoned. When Jehoash [King Of Judah] Was Dead, Amaziah Succeeds Him
In The Kingdom.
CHAPTER 9. How Amaziah Made An Expedition Against The Edomites And
Amalekites And Conquered Them; But When He Afterwards Made War Against
Joash, He Was Beaten And Not Long After Was Slain, And Uzziah Succeeded
In The Government.
CHAPTER 10. Concerning Jeroboam King Of Israel And Jonah The Prophet;
And How After The Death Of Jeroboam His Son Zachariah Took The
Government. How Uzziah, King Of Jerusalem, Subdued The Nations That Were
Round About Him; And What Befell Him When He Attempted To Offer Incense
To God.
CHAPTER 11. How Zachariah Shallum, Menahem Pekahiah And Pekah Took The
Government Over The Israelites; And How Pul And Tiglath-Pileser Made An
Expedition Against The Israelites. How Jotham, The Son Of Uzziah Reigned
Over The Tribe Of Judah; And What Things Nahum Prophesied Against The
Assyrians.
CHAPTER 12. How Upon The Death Of Jotham, Ahaz Reigned In His Stead;
Against Whom Rezin, King Of Syria And Pekah King Of Israel, Made War;
And How Tiglath-Pileser, King Of Assyria Came To The Assistance Of Ahaz,
And Laid Syria Waste And Removing The Damascenes Into Media Placed Other
Nations In Their Room.
CHAPTER 13. How Pekah Died By The Treachery Of Hoshea Who Was A Little
After Subdued By Shalmaneser; And How Hezekiah Reigned Instead Of Ahaz;
And What Actions Of Piety And Justice He Did.
CHAPTER 14. How Shalmaneser Took Samaria By Force And How He
Transplanted The Ten Tribes Into Media, And Brought The Nation Of The
Cutheans Into Their Country [In Their Room].
FOOTNOTES
BOOK X. Containing The Interval Of One Hundred And Eighty-Two Years And
A Half.—From The Captivity Of The Ten Tribes To The First Year Of Cyrus.
CHAPTER 1. How Sennacherib Made An Expedition Against Hezekiah; What
Threatenings Rabshakeh Made To Hezekiah When Sennacherib Was Gone
Against The Egyptians; How Isaiah The Prophet Encouraged Him; How
Sennacherib Having Failed Of Success In Egypt, Returned Thence To
Jerusalem; And How Upon His Finding His Army Destroyed, He Returned
Home; And What Befell Him A Little Afterward.
CHAPTER 2. How Hezekiah Was Sick, And Ready To Die; And How God Bestowed
Upon Him Fifteen Years Longer Life, [And Secured That Promise] By The
Going Back Of The Shadow Ten Degrees.
CHAPTER 3. How Manasseh Reigned After Hezekiah; And How When He Was In
Captivity He Returned To God And Was Restored To His Kingdom And Left It
To [His Son] Amon.
CHAPTER 4. How Amon Reigned Instead Of Manasseh; And After Amon Reigned
Josiah; He Was Both Righteous And Religious. As Also Concerning Huldah
The Prophetess.
CHAPTER 5. How Josiah Fought With Neco [King Of Egypt.] And Was Wounded
And Died In A Little Time Afterward; As Also How Neco Carried Jehoahaz,
Who Had Been Made King Into Egypt And Delivered The Kingdom To
Jehoiakim; And [Lastly] Concerning Jeremiah And Ezekiel.
CHAPTER 6. How Nebuchadnezzar, When He Had Conquered The King Of Egypt
Made An Expedition Against The Jews, And Slew Jehoiakim, And Made
Jeholachin His Son King.
CHAPTER 7. That The King Of Babylon Repented Of Making Jehoiachin King,
And Took Him Away To Babylon And Delivered The Kingdom To Zedekiah. This
King Would Not Believe What Was Predicted By Jeremiah And Ezekiel But
Joined Himself To The Egyptians; Who When They Came Into Judea, Were
Vanquished By The King Of Babylon; As Also What Befell Jeremiah.
CHAPTER 8. How The King Of Babylon Took Jerusalem And Burnt The Temple
And Removed The People Of Jerusalem And Zedekiah To Babylon. As Also,
Who They Were That Had Succeeded In The High Priesthood Under The Kings.
CHAPTER 9. How Nebuzaradan Set Gedaliah Over The Jews That Were Left In
Judea Which Gedaliah Was A Little Afterward Slain By Ishmael; And How
Johanan After Ishmael Was Driven Away Went Down Into Egypt With The
People Which People Nebuchadnezzar When He Made An Expedition Against
The Egyptians Took Captive And Brought Them Away To Babylon.
CHAPTER 10. Concerning Daniel And What Befell Him At Babylon.
CHAPTER 11. Concerning Nebuchadnezzar And His Successors And How Their
Government Was Dissolved By The Persians; And What Things Befell Daniel
In Media; And What Prophecies He Delivered There.
FOOTNOTES
BOOK XI. Containing The Interval Of Two Hundred And Fifty-Three Years
And Five Months.—From The First Of Cyrus To The Death Of Alexander The
Great.
CHAPTER 1. How Cyrus, King Of The Persians, Delivered The Jews Out Of
Babylon And Suffered Them To Return To Their Own Country And To Build
Their Temple, For Which Work He Gave Them Money.
CHAPTER 2. How Upon The Death Of Cyrus The Jews Were Hindered In
Building Of The Temple By The Cutheans, And The Neighboring Governors;
And How Cambyses Entirely Forbade The Jews To Do Any Such Thing.
CHAPTER 3. How After The Death Of Cambyses And The Slaughter Of The Magi
But Under The Reign Of Darius, Zorobabel Was Superior To The Rest In The
Solution Of Problems And Thereby Obtained This Favor Of The King, That
The Temple Should Be Built.
CHAPTER 4. How The Temple Was Built While The Cutheans Endeavored In
Vain To Obstruct The Work.
CHAPTER 5. How Xerxes The Son Of Darius Was Well Disposed To The Jews;
As Also Concerning Esdras And Nehemiah.
CHAPTER 6. Concerning Esther And Mordecai And Haman; And How In The
Reign Of Artaxerxes The Whole Nation Of The Jews Was In Danger Of
Perishing.
CHAPTER 7. How John Slew His Brother Jesus In The Temple; And How
Bagoses Offered Many Injuries To The Jews; And What Sanballat Did.
CHAPTER 8. Concerning Sanballat And Manasseh, And The Temple Which They
Built On Mount Gerizzim; As Also How Alexander Made His Entry Into The
City Jerusalem, And What Benefits He Bestowed On The Jews.
FOOTNOTES:
BOOK XII. Containing The Interval Of A Hundred And Seventy Years.—From
The Death Of Alexander The Great To The Death Of Judas Maccabeus.
CHAPTER 1. How Ptolemy The Son Of Lagus Took Jerusalem And Judea By
Deceit And Treachery, And Carried Many Thence, And Planted Them In
Egypt.
CHAPTER 2. How Ptolemy Philadelphus Procured The Laws Of The Jews To Be
Translated Into The Greek Tongue And Set Many Captives Free, And
Dedicated Many Gifts To God.
CHAPTER 3. How The Kings Of Asia Honored The Nation Of The Jews And Made
Them Citizens Of Those Cities Which They Built.
CHAPTER 4. How Antiochus Made A League With Ptolemy And How Onias
Provoked Ptolemy Euergetes To Anger; And How Joseph Brought All Things
Right Again, And Entered Into Friendship With Him; And What Other Things
Were Done By Joseph, And His Son Hyrcanus.
CHAPTER 5. How, Upon The Quarrels One Against Another About The High
Priesthood Antiochus Made An Expedition Against Jerusalem, Took The City
And Pillaged The Temples. And Distressed The Jews' As Also How Many Of
The Jews Forsook The Laws Of Their Country; And How The Samaritans
Followed The Customs Of The Greeks And Named Their Temple At Mount
Gerizzim The Temple Of Jupiter Hellenius.
CHAPTER 6. How, Upon Antiochus's Prohibition To The Jews To Make Use Of
The Laws Of Their Country Mattathias, The Son Of Asamoneus, Alone
Despised The King, And Overcame The Generals Of Antiochus's Army; As
Also Concerning The Death Of Mattathias, And The Succession Of Judas.
CHAPTER 7. How Judas Overthrew The Forces Of Apollonius And Seron And
Killed The Generals Of Their Armies Themselves; And How When, A Little
While Afterwards Lysias And Gorgias Were Beaten He Went Up To Jerusalem
And Purified The Temple.
CHAPTER 8. How Judas Subdued The Nations Round About; And How Simon Beat
The People Of Tyre And Ptolemais; And How Judas Overcame Timotheus, And
Forced Him To Fly Away, And Did Many Other Things After Joseph And
Azarias Had Been Beaten.
CHAPTER 9. Concerning The Death Of Antiochus Epiphane. How Antiochus
Eupator Fought Against Juda And Besieged Him In The Temple And
Afterwards Made Peace With Him And Departed; Of Alcimus And Onias.
CHAPTER 10. How Bacchides, The General Of Demetrius's Army, Made An
Expedition Against Judea, And Returned Without Success; And How Nicanor
Was Sent A Little Afterward Against Judas And Perished, Together With
His Army; As Also Concerning The Death Of Alcimus And The Succession Of
Judas.
CHAPTER 11. That Bacchides Was Again Sent Out Against Judas; And How
Judas Fell As He Was Courageously Fighting.
FOOTNOTES
BOOK XIII. Containing The Interval Of Eighty-Two Years.—From The Death
Of Judas Maccabeus To The Death Of Queen Alexandra.
CHAPTER 1. How Jonathan Took The Government After His Brother Judas; And
How He, Together With His Brother Simon, Waged War Against Bacchides.
CHAPTER 2. How Alexander [Bala] In His War With Demetrius, Granted
Jonathan Many Advantages And Appointed Him To Be High Priest And
Persuaded Him To Assist Him Although Demetrius Promised Him Greater
Advantages On The Other Side. Concerning The Death
CHAPTER 3. The Friendship That Was Between Onias And Ptolemy Philometor;
And How Onias Built A Temple In Egypt Like To That At Jerusalem.
CHAPTER 4. How Alexander Honored Jonathan After An Extraordinary Manner;
And How Demetrius, The Son Of Demetrius, Overcame Alexander And Made A
League Of Friendship With Jonathan.
CHAPTER 5. How Trypho After He Had Beaten Demetrius Delivered The
Kingdom To Antiochus The Son Of Alexander, And Gained Jonathan For His
Assistant; And Concerning The Actions And Embassies Of Jonathan.
CHAPTER 6. How Jonathan Was Slain By Treachery; And How Thereupon The
Jews Made Simon Their General And High Priest: What Courageous Actions
He Also Performed Especially Against Trypho.
CHAPTER 7. How Simon Confederated Himself With Antiochus Pius, And Made
War Against Trypho, And A Little Afterward, Against Cendebeus, The
General Of Antiochus's Army; As Also How Simon Was Murdered By His Son-
In-Law Ptolemy, And That By Treachery.
CHAPTER 8. Hyrcanus Receives The High Priesthood, And Ejects Ptolemy Out
Of The Country. Antiochus Makes War Against Hyrcanus And Afterwards
Makes A League With Him.
CHAPTER 9. How, After The Death Of Antiochus, Hyrcanus Made An
Expedition Against Syria, And Made A League With The Romans. Concerning
The Death Of King Demetrius And Alexander.
CHAPTER 10. How Upon The Quarrel Between Antiochus Grypus And Antiochus
Cyzicenus About The Kingdom Hyrcanus Tooksamaria, And Utterly Demolished
It; And How Hyrcaus Joined Himself To The Sect Of The Sadducees, And
Left That Of The Pharisees.
CHAPTER 11. How Aristobulus, When He Had Taken The Government First Of
All Put A Diadem On His Head, And Was Most Barbarously Cruel To His
Mother And His Brethren; And How, After He Had Slain Antigonus, He
Himself Died.
CHAPTER 12. How Alexander When He Had Taken The Government Made An
Expedition Against Ptolemais, And Then Raised The Siege Out Of Fear Of
Ptolemy Lathyrus; And How Ptolemy Made War Against Him, Because He Had
Sent To Cleopatra To Persuade Her To Make War Against Ptolemy, And Yet
Pretended To Be In Friendship With Him, When He Beat The Jews In The
Battle.
CHAPTER 13. How Alexander, upon the League of Mutual Defense Which
Cleopatra Had Agreed with Him, Made an Expedition Against Coelesyria,
and Utterly Overthrew the City of Gaza; and How He Slew Many Ten
Thousands of Jews That Rebelled Against Him.
CHAPTER 14. How Demetrius Eucerus Overcame Alexander And Yet In A Little
Time Retired Out Of The Country For Fear; As Also How Alexander Slew
Many Of The Jews And Thereby Got Clear Of His Troubles. Concerning The
Death Of Demetrius.
CHAPTER 15. How Antiochus, Who Was Called Dionysus, And After Him Aretas
Made Expeditions Into Judea; As Also How Alexander Took Many Cities And
Then Returned To Jerusalem, And After A Sickness Of Three Years Died;
And What Counsel He Gave To Alexandra.
CHAPTER 16. How Alexandra By Gaining The Good-Will Of The Pharisees,
Retained The Kingdom Nine Years, And Then, Having Done Many Glorious
Actions Died.
FOOTNOTES
BOOK XIV. Containing The Interval Of Thirty-Two Years.—From The Death Of
Queen Alexandra To The Death Of Antigonus.
CHAPTER 1. The War Between Aristobulus And Hyrcanus About The Kingdom;
And How They Made Anagreement That Aristobulus Should Be King, And
Hyrcanus Live A Private Life; As Also How Hyrcanus A Little Afterward
Was Persuaded By Antipater To Fly To Aretas.
CHAPTER 2. How Aretas And Hyrcanus Made An Expedition Against
Aristobulus And Besieged Jerusalem; And How Scaurus The Roman General
Raised The Siege. Concerning The Death Of Onias.
CHAPTER 3. How Aristobulus And Hyrcanus Came To Pompey In Order To Argue
Who Ought To Have The Kingdom; And How Upon The Plight Of Aristobulus To
The Fortress Alexandrium Pompey Led His Army Against Him And Ordered Him
To Deliver Up The Fortresses Whereof He Was Possessed.
CHAPTER 4. How Pompey When The Citizens Of Jerusalem Shut Their Gates
Against Him Besieged The City And Took It By Force; As Also What Other
Things He Did In Judea.
CHAPTER 5. How Scaurus Made A League Of Mutual Assistance With Aretas;
And What Gabinius Did In Judea, After He Had Conquered Alexander, The
Son Of Aristobulus.
CHAPTER 6. How Gabinius Caught Aristobulus After He Had Fled From Rome,
And Sent Him Back To Rome Again; And Now The Same Gabinius As He
Returned Out Of Egypt Overcame Alexander And The Nabateans In Battle.
CHAPTER 7. How Crassus Came Into Judea, And Pillaged The Temple; And
Then Marched Against The Parthians And Perished, With His Army. Also How
Cassius Obtained Syria, And Put A Stop To The Parthians And Then Went Up
To Judea.
CHAPTER 8. The Jews Become Confederates With Cæsar When He Fought
Against Egypt. The Glorious Actions Of Antipater, And His Friendship
With Cæsar. The Honors Which The Jews Received From The Romans And
Athenians.
CHAPTER 9. How Antipater Committed The Care Of Galilee To Herod, And
That Of Jerusalem To Phasaelus; As Also How Herod Upon The Jews' Envy At
Antipater Was Accused Before Hyrcanus.
CHAPTER 10. The Honors That Were Paid The Jews; And The Leagues That
Were Made By The Romans And Other Nations, With Them.
CHAPTER 11. How Marcus, Succeeded Sextus When He Had Been Slain By
Bassus's Treachery; And How, After The Death Of Cæsar, Cassius Came Into
Syria, And Distressed Judea; As Also How Malichus Slew Antipater And Was
Himself Slain By Herod.
CHAPTER 12. Herod Ejects Antigonus, The Son Of Aristobulus Out Of Judea,
And Gains The Friendship Of Antony, Who Was Now Come Into Syria, By
Sending Him Much Money; On Which Account He Would Not Admit Of Those
That Would Have Accused Herod: And What It Was That Antony Wrote To The
Tyrians In Behalf.
CHAPTER 13. How Antony Made Herod And Phasaelus Tetrarchs, After They
Had Been Accused To No Purpose; And How The Parthians When They Brought
Antigonus Into Judea Took Hyrcanus And Phasaelus Captives. Herod's
Flight; And What Afflictions Hyrcanus And Phasaelus Endured.
CHAPTER 14. How Herod Got Away From The King Of Arabia And Made Haste To
Go Into Egypt And Thence Went Away In Haste Also To Rome; And How, By
Promising A Great Deal Of Money To Antony He Obtained Of The Senate And
Of Cæsar To Be Made King Of The Jews.
CHAPTER 15. How Herod Sailed Out Of Italy To Judea, And Fought With
Antigonus And What Other Things Happened In Judea About That Time.
CHAPTER 16. How Herod, When He Had Married Mariamne Took Jerusalem With
The Assistance Of Sosius By Force; And How The Government Of The
Asamoneans Was Put An End To.
FOOTNOTES:
BOOK XV. Containing The Interval Of Eighteen Years.—From The Death Of
Antigonus To The Finishing Of The Temple By Herod.
CHAPTER 1. Concerning Pollio And Sameas. Herod Slays The Principal Of
Antigonus's Friends, And Spoils The City Of Its Wealth. Antony Beheads
Antigonus.
CHAPTER 2. How Hyrcanus Was Set At Liberty By The Parthians, And
Returned To Herod; And What Alexandra Did When She Heard That Ananelus
Was Made High Priest.
CHAPTER 3. How Herod Upon His Making Aristobulus High Priest Took Care
That He Should Be Murdered In A Little Time; And What Apology He Made To
Antony About Aristobulus; As Also Concerning Joseph And Mariamne.
CHAPTER 4. How Cleopatra, When She Had Gotten From Antony Some Parts Of
Judea And Arabia Came Into Judea; And How Herod Gave Her Many Presents
And Conducted Her On Her Way Back To Egypt.
CHAPTER 5. How Herod Made War With The King Of Arabia, And After They
Had Fought Many Battles, At Length Conquered Him, And Was Chosen By The
Arabs To Be Governor Of That Nation; As Also Concerning A Great
Earthquake.
CHAPTER 6. How Herod Slew Hyrcanus And Then Hasted Away To Cæsar, And
Obtained The Kingdom From Him Also; And How A Little Time Afterward, He
Entertained Cæsar In A Most Honorable Manner.
CHAPTER 7. How Herod Slew Sohemus And Mariamne And Afterward Alexandra
And Costobarus, And His Most Intimate Friends, And At Last The Sons Of
Babbas Also.
CHAPTER 8. How Ten Men Of The Citizens [Of Jerusalem] Made A Conspiracy
Against Herod, For The Foreign Practices He Had Introduced, Which Was A
Transgression Of The Laws Of Their Country. Concerning The Building Of
Sebaste And Cæsarea, And Other Edifices Of Herod.
CHAPTER 9. Concerning The Famine That Happened In Judea And Syria; And
How Herod, After He Had Married Another Wife, Rebuilt Cæsarea, And Other
Grecian Cities.
CHAPTER 10. How Herod Sent His Sons To Rome; How Also He Was Accused By
Zenodorus And The Gadarens, But Was Cleared Of What They Accused Him Of
And Withal Gained To Himself The Good-Will Of Cæsar. Concerning The
Pharisees, The Essens And Manahem.
CHAPTER 11. How Herod Rebuilt The Temple And Raised It Higher And Made
It More Magnificent Than It Was Before; As Also Concerning That Tower
Which He Called Antonia.
FOOTNOTES:
BOOK XVI. Containing The Interval Of Twelve Years.—From The Finishing Of
The Temple By Herod To The Death Of Alexander And Aristobulus.
CHAPTER 1. A Law Of Herod's About, Thieves. Salome And Pheroras
Calumniate Alexander And Aristobulus, Upon Their Return From Rome For
Whom Yet Herod Provides Wives.
CHAPTER 2. How Herod Twice Sailed To Agrippa; And How Upon The Complaint
In Ionia Against The Greeks Agrippa Confirmed The Laws To Them.
CHAPTER 3. How Great Disturbances Arose In Herods Family On His
Preferring Antipater His Eldest Son Before The Rest, Till Alexander Took
That Injury Very Heinously.
CHAPTER 4. How During Antipater's Abode At Rome, Herod Brought Alexander
And Aristobulus Before Cæsar And Accused Them. Alexander's Defense Of
Himself Before Cæsar And Reconciliation To His Father.
CHAPTER 5. How Herod Celebrated The Games That Were To Return Every
Fifth Year Upon The Building Of Cæsarea; And How He Built And Adorned
Many Other Places After A Magnificent Manner; And Did Many Other Actions
Gloriously
CHAPTER 6. An Embassage In Cyrene And Asia To Cæsar, Concerning The
Complaints They Had To Make Against The Greeks; With Copies Of The
Epistles Which Cæsar And Agrippa Wrote To The Cities For Them.
CHAPTER 7. How, Upon Herod's Going Down Into David's Sepulcher, The
Sedition In His Family Greatly Increased.
CHAPTER 8. How Herod Took Up Alexander And Bound Him; Whom Yet Archelaus
King Of Cappadocia Reconciled To His Father Herod Again.
CHAPTER 9. Concerning The Revolt Of The Trachonites; How Sylleus Accused
Herod Before Cæsar; And How Herod, When Cæsar Was Angry At Him, Resolved
To Send Nicolaus To Rome.
CHAPTER 10. How Eurycles Falsely Accused Herod's Sons; And How Their
Father Bound Them, And Wrote To Cæsar About Them. Of Sylleus And How He
Was Accused By Nicolaus.
CHAPTER 11. How Herod, By Permission From Cæsar Accused His Sons Before
An Assembly Of Judges At Berytus; And What Tero Suffered For Using A
Boundless And Military Liberty Of Speech. Concerning Also The Death Of
The Young Men And Their Burial At
FOOTNOTES
BOOK XVII. Containing The Interval Of Fourteen Years.—From The Death Of
Alexander And Aristobulus To The Banishment Of Archelaus.
CHAPTER 1. How Antipater Was Hated By All The Nation [Of The Jews] For
The Slaughter Of His Brethren; And How, For That Reason He Got Into
Peculiar Favor With His Friends At Rome, By Giving Them Many Presents;
As He Did Also With Saturninus, The President Of Syria And The Governors
Who Were Under Him; And Concerning Herod's Wives And Children.
CHAPTER 2. Concerning Zamaris, The Babylonian Jew; Concerning The Plots
Laid By Antipater Against His Father; And Somewhat About The Pharisees.
CHAPTER 3. Concerning The Enmity Between Herod And Pheroras; How Herod
Sent Antipater To Cæsar; And Of The Death Of Pheroras.
CHAPTER 4. Pheroras's Wife Is Accused By His Freedmen, As Guilty Of
Poisoning Him; And How Herod, Upon Examining; Of The Matter By Torture
Found The Poison; But So That It Had Been Prepared For Himself By His
Son Antipater; And Upon An Inquiry By Torture He Discovered The
Dangerous Designs Of Antipater.
CHAPTER 5. Antipater's Navigation From Rome To His Father; And How He
Was Accused By Nicolaus Of Damascus And Condemned To Die By His Father,
And By Quintilius Varus, Who Was Then President Of Syria; And How He Was
Then Bound Till Cæsar Should Be Informed Of His Cause.
CHAPTER 6. Concerning The Disease That Herod Fell Into And The Sedition
Which The Jews Raised Thereupon; With The Punishment Of The Seditious.
CHAPTER 7. Herod Has Thoughts Of Killing Himself With His Own Hand; And
A Little Afterwards He Orders Antipater To Be Slain.
CHAPTER 8. Concerning Herod's Death, And Testament, And Burial.
CHAPTER 9. How The People Raised A Sedition Against Archelaus, And How
He Sailed To Rome.
CHAPTER 10. A Sedition Against Sabinus; And How Varus Brought The
Authors Of It To Punishment.
CHAPTER 11. An Embassage To Cæsar; And How Cæsar Confirmed Herod's
Testament.
CHAPTER 12. Concerning A Spurious Alexander.
CHAPTER 13. How Archelaus Upon A Second Accusation, Was Banished To
Vienna.
FOOTNOTES:
BOOK XVIII. Containing The Interval Of Thirty-Two Years.—From The
Banishment Of Archelus To The Departure From Babylon.
CHAPTER 1. How Cyrenius Was Sent By Cæsar To Make A Taxation Of Syria
And Judea; And How Coponius Was Sent To Be Procurator Of Judea;
Concerning Judas Of Galilee And Concerning The Sects That Were Among The
Jews.
CHAPTER 2. Now Herod And Philip Built Several Cities In Honor Of Cæsar.
Concerning The Succession Of Priests And Procurators; As Also What
Befell Phraates And The Parthians.
CHAPTER 3. Sedition Of The Jews Against Pontius Pilate. Concerning
Christ, And What Befell Paulina And The Jews At Rome.
CHAPTER 4. How The Samaritans Made A Tumult And Pilate Destroyed Many Of
Them; How Pilate Was Accused And What Things Were Done By Vitellius
Relating To The Jews And The Parthians.
CHAPTER 5. Herod The Tetrarch Makes War With Aretas, The King Of Arabia,
And Is Beaten By Him As Also Concerning The Death Of John The Baptist.
How Vitellius Went Up To Jerusalem; Together With Some Account Of
Agrippa And Of The Posterity Of Herod The Great.
CHAPTER 6. Of The Navigation Of King Agrippa To Rome, To Tiberius Cæsar;
And Now Upon His Being Accused By His Own Freed-Man, He Was Bound; How
Also He, Was Set At Liberty By Caius, After Tiberius's Death And Was
Made King Of The Tetrarchy Of Philip.
CHAPTER 7. How Herod The Tetrarch Was Banished.
CHAPTER 8. Concerning The Embassage Of The Jews To Caius; [28] And How
Caius Sent Petronius Into Syria To Make War Against The Jews, Unless
They Would Receive His Statue.
CHAPTER 9. What Befell The Jews That Were In Babylon On Occasion Of
Asineus And Anileus, Two Brethren.
FOOTNOTES
BOOK XIX. Containing The Interval Of Three Years And A Half.—From The
Departure Out Of Babylon To Fadus, The Roman Procurator.
CHAPTER 1. How Caius [1] Was Slain By Cherea.
CHAPTER 2. How The Senators Determined To Restore The Democracy; But The
Soldiers Were For Preserving The Monarchy, Concerning The Slaughter Of
Caius's Wife And Daughter. A Character Of Caius's Morals.
CHAPTER 3. How Claudius Was Seized Upon And Brought Out Of His House And
Brought To The Camp; And How The Senate Sent An Embassage To Him.
CHAPTER 4. What Things King Agrippa Did For Claudius; And How Claudius
When He Had Taken The Government Commanded The Murderers Of Caius To Be
Slain.
CHAPTER 5. How Claudius Restored To Agrippa His Grandfathers Kingdoms
And Augmented His Dominions; And How He Published An Edict In Behalf.
CHAPTER 6. What Things Were Done By Agrippa At Jerusalem When He Was
Returned Back Into Judea; And What It Was That Petronius Wrote To The
Inhabitants Of Doris, In Behalf.
CHAPTER 7. Concerning Silas And On What Account It Was That King Agrippa
Was Angry At Him. How Agrippa Began To Encompass Jerusalem With A Wall;
And What Benefits He Bestowed On The Inhabitants Of Berytus.
CHAPTER 8. What Other Acts Were Done By Agrippa Until His Death; And
After What Manner He Died.
CHAPTER 9. What Things Were Done After The Death Of Agrippa; And How
Claudius, On Account Of The Youth And Unskilfulness Of Agrippa, Junior,
Sent Cuspius Fadus To Be Procurator Of Judea, And Of The Entire Kingdom.
FOOTNOTES
BOOK XX. Containing The Interval Of Twenty-Two Years.—From Fadus The
Procurator To Florus.
CHAPTER 1. A Sedition Of The Philadelphians Against The Jews; And Also
Concerning The Vestments Of The High Priest.
CHAPTER 2. How Helena The Queen Of Adiabene And Her Son Izates, Embraced
The Jewish Religion; And How Helena Supplied The Poor With Corn, When
There Was A Great Famine At Jerusalem.
CHAPTER 3. How Artabanus, the King of Parthia out of Fear of the Secret
Contrivances of His Subjects Against Him, Went to Izates, and Was By Him
Reinstated in His Government; as Also How Bardanes His Son Denounced War
Against Izates.
CHAPTER 4. How Izates Was Betrayed By His Own Subjects, And Fought
Against By The Arabians And How Izates, By The Providence Of God, Was
Delivered Out Of Their Hands.
CHAPTER 5. Concerning Theudas And The Sons Of Judas The Galilean; As
Also What Calamity Fell Upon The Jews On The Day Of The Passover.
CHAPTER 6. How There Happened A Quarrel Between The Jews And The
Samaritans; And How Claudius Put An End To Their Differences.
CHAPTER 7. Felix Is Made Procurator Of Judea; As Also Concerning
Agrippa, Junior And His Sisters.
CHAPTER 8. After What Manner Upon The Death Of Claudius, Nero Succeeded
In The Government; As Also What Barbarous Things He Did. Concerning The
Robbers, Murderers And Impostors, That Arose While Felix And Festus Were
Procurators Of Judea.
CHAPTER 9. Concerning Albinus Under Whose Procuratorship James Was
Slain; As Also What Edifices Were Built By Agrippa.
CHAPTER 10. An Enumeration Of The High Priests.
CHAPTER 11. Concerning Florus The Procurator, Who Necessitated The Jews
To Take Up Arms Against The Romans. The Conclusion.
FOOTNOTES
PREFACE.1
1. Those who undertake to write histories, do not, I perceive, take that
trouble on one and the same account, but for many reasons, and those
such as are very different one from another. For some of them apply
themselves to this part of learning to show their skill in composition,
and that they may therein acquire a reputation for speaking finely:
others of them there are, who write histories in order to gratify those
that happen to be concerned in them, and on that account have spared no
pains, but rather gone beyond their own abilities in the performance:
but others there are, who, of necessity and by force, are driven to
write history, because they are concerned in the facts, and so cannot
excuse themselves from committing them to writing, for the advantage of
posterity; nay, there are not a few who are induced to draw their
historical facts out of darkness into light, and to produce them for the
benefit of the public, on account of the great importance of the facts
themselves with which they have been concerned. Now of these several
reasons for writing history, I must profess the two last were my own
reasons also; for since I was myself interested in that war which we
Jews had with the Romans, and knew myself its particular actions, and
what conclusion it had, I was forced to give the history of it, because
I saw that others perverted the truth of those actions in their
writings.
2. Now I have undertaken the present work, as thinking it will appear to
all the Greeks 2 worthy of their study; for it will contain all our
antiquities, and the constitution of our government, as interpreted out
of the Hebrew Scriptures. And indeed I did formerly intend, when I wrote
of the war, 3 to explain who the Jews originally were,—what fortunes
they had been subject to,—and by what legislature they had been
instructed in piety, and the exercise of other virtues,—what wars also
they had made in remote ages, till they were unwillingly engaged in this
last with the Romans: but because this work would take up a great
compass, I separated it into a set treatise by itself, with a beginning
of its own, and its own conclusion; but in process of time, as usually
happens to such as undertake great things, I grew weary and went on
slowly, it being a large subject, and a difficult thing to translate our
history into a foreign, and to us unaccustomed language. However, some
persons there were who desired to know our history, and so exhorted me
to go on with it; and, above all the rest, Epaphroditus, 4 a man who is
a lover of all kind of learning, but is principally delighted with the
knowledge of history, and this on account of his having been himself
concerned in great affairs, and many turns of fortune, and having shown
a wonderful rigor of an excellent nature, and an immovable virtuous
resolution in them all. I yielded to this man's persuasions, who always
excites such as have abilities in what is useful and acceptable, to join
their endeavors with his. I was also ashamed myself to permit any
laziness of disposition to have a greater influence upon me, than the
delight of taking pains in such studies as were very useful: I thereupon
stirred up myself, and went on with my work more cheerfully. Besides the
foregoing motives, I had others which I greatly reflected on; and these
were, that our forefathers were willing to communicate such things to
others; and that some of the Greeks took considerable pains to know the
affairs of our nation.
3. I found, therefore, that the second of the Ptolemies was a king who
was extraordinarily diligent in what concerned learning, and the
collection of books; that he was also peculiarly ambitious to procure a
translation of our law, and of the constitution of our government
therein contained, into the Greek tongue. Now Eleazar the high priest,
one not inferior to any other of that dignity among us, did not envy the
forenamed king the participation of that advantage, which otherwise he
would for certain have denied him, but that he knew the custom of our
nation was, to hinder nothing of what we esteemed ourselves from being
communicated to others. Accordingly, I thought it became me both to
imitate the generosity of our high priest, and to suppose there might
even now be many lovers of learning like the king; for he did not obtain
all our writings at that time; but those who were sent to Alexandria as
interpreters, gave him only the books of the law, while there were a
vast number of other matters in our sacred books. They, indeed, contain
in them the history of five thousand years; in which time happened many
strange accidents, many chances of war, and great actions of the
commanders, and mutations of the form of our government. Upon the whole,
a man that will peruse this history, may principally learn from it, that
all events succeed well, even to an incredible degree, and the reward of
felicity is proposed by God; but then it is to those that follow his
will, and do not venture to break his excellent laws: and that so far as
men any way apostatize from the accurate observation of them, what was
practical before becomes impracticable 5 and whatsoever they set about
as a good thing, is converted into an incurable calamity. And now I
exhort all those that peruse these books, to apply their minds to God;
and to examine the mind of our legislator, whether he hath not
understood his nature in a manner worthy of him; and hath not ever
ascribed to him such operations as become his power, and hath not
preserved his writings from those indecent fables which others have
framed, although, by the great distance of time when he lived, he might
have securely forged such lies; for he lived two thousand years ago; at
which vast distance of ages the poets themselves have not been so hardy
as to fix even the generations of their gods, much less the actions of
their men, or their own laws. As I proceed, therefore, I shall
accurately describe what is contained in our records, in the order of
time that belongs to them; for I have already promised so to do
throughout this undertaking; and this without adding any thing to what
is therein contained, or taking away any thing therefrom.
4. But because almost all our constitution depends on the wisdom of
Moses, our legislator, I cannot avoid saying somewhat concerning him
beforehand, though I shall do it briefly; I mean, because otherwise
those that read my book may wonder how it comes to pass, that my
discourse, which promises an account of laws and historical facts,
contains so much of philosophy. The reader is therefore to know, that
Moses deemed it exceeding necessary, that he who would conduct his own
life well, and give laws to others, in the first place should consider
the Divine nature; and, upon the contemplation of God's operations,
should thereby imitate the best of all patterns, so far as it is
possible for human nature to do, and to endeavor to follow after it:
neither could the legislator himself have a right mind without such a
contemplation; nor would any thing he should write tend to the promotion
of virtue in his readers; I mean, unless they be taught first of all,
that God is the Father and Lord of all things, and sees all things, and
that thence he bestows a happy life upon those that follow him; but
plunges such as do not walk in the paths of virtue into inevitable
miseries. Now when Moses was desirous to teach this lesson to his
countrymen, he did not begin the establishment of his laws after the
same manner that other legislators did; I mean, upon contracts and other
rights between one man and another, but by raising their minds upwards
to regard God, and his creation of the world; and by persuading them,
that we men are the most excellent of the creatures of God upon earth.
Now when once he had brought them to submit to religion, he easily
persuaded them to submit in all other things: for as to other
legislators, they followed fables, and by their discourses transferred
the most reproachful of human vices unto the gods, and afforded wicked
men the most plausible excuses for their crimes; but as for our
legislator, when he had once demonstrated that God was possessed of
perfect virtue, he supposed that men also ought to strive after the
participation of it; and on those who did not so think, and so believe,
he inflicted the severest punishments. I exhort, therefore, my readers
to examine this whole undertaking in that view; for thereby it will
appear to them, that there is nothing therein disagreeable either to the
majesty of God, or to his love to mankind; for all things have here a
reference to the nature of the universe; while our legislator speaks
some things wisely, but enigmatically, and others under a decent
allegory, but still explains such things as required a direct
explication plainly and expressly. However, those that have a mind to
know the reasons of every thing, may find here a very curious
philosophical theory, which I now indeed shall wave the explication of;
but if God afford me time for it, I will set about writing it 6 after I
have finished the present work. I shall now betake myself to the history
before me, after I have first mentioned what Moses says of the creation
of the world, which I find described in the sacred books after the
manner following.
FOOTNOTES
1 (return) [ This preface of Josephus is excellent in its kind, and
highly worthy the repeated perusal of the reader, before he set about
the perusal of the work itself.]
2 (return) [ That is, all the Gentiles, both Greeks and Romans.]
3 (return) [ We may seasonably note here, that Josephus wrote his Seven
Books of the Jewish War long before he wrote these his Antiquities.
Those books of the War were published about A.D. 75, and these
Antiquities, A. D. 93, about eighteen years later.]
4 (return) [ This Epaphroditus was certainly alive in the third year of
Trajan, A.D. 100. See the note on the First Book Against Apion, sect. 1.
Who he was we do not know; for as to Epaphroditus, the freedman of Nero,
and afterwards Domitian's secretary, who was put to death by Domitian in
the 14th or 15th year of his reign, he could not be alive in the third
of Trajan.]
5 (return) [ Josephus here plainly alludes to the famous Greek proverb,
If God be with us, every thing that is impossible becomes possible.]
6 (return) [ As to this intended work of Josephus concerning the reasons
of many of the Jewish laws, and what philosophical or allegorical sense
they would bear, the loss of which work is by some of the learned not
much regretted, I am inclinable, in part, to Fabricius's opinion, ap.
Havercamp, p. 63, 61, That "we need not doubt but that, among some vain
and frigid conjectures derived from Jewish imaginations, Josephus would
have taught us a greater number of excellent and useful things, which
perhaps nobody, neither among the Jews, nor among the Christians, can
now inform us of; so that I would give a great deal to find it still
extant."]
BOOK I. Containing The Interval Of Three Thousand Eight Hundred And
Thirty-Three Years. — From The Creation To The Death Of Isaac.
CHAPTER 1. The Constitution Of The World And The Disposition Of The
Elements.
1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. But when the
earth did not come into sight, but was covered with thick darkness, and
a wind moved upon its surface, God commanded that there should be light:
and when that was made, he considered the whole mass, and separated the
light and the darkness; and the name he gave to one was Night, and the
other he called Day: and he named the beginning of light, and the time
of rest, The Evening and The Morning, and this was indeed the first day.
But Moses said it was one day; the cause of which I am able to give even
now; but because I have promised to give such reasons for all things in
a treatise by itself, I shall put off its exposition till that time.
After this, on the second day, he placed the heaven over the whole
world, and separated it from the other parts, and he determined it
should stand by itself. He also placed a crystalline [firmament] round
it, and put it together in a manner agreeable to the earth, and fitted
it for giving moisture and rain, and for affording the advantage of
dews. On the third day he appointed the dry land to appear, with the sea
itself round about it; and on the very same day he made the plants and
the seeds to spring out of the earth. On the fourth day he adorned the
heaven with the sun, the moon, and the other stars, and appointed them
their motions and courses, that the vicissitudes of the seasons might be
clearly signified. And on the fifth day he produced the living
creatures, both those that swim, and those that fly; the former in the
sea, the latter in the air: he also sorted them as to society and
mixture, for procreation, and that their kinds might increase and
multiply. On the sixth day he created the four-footed beasts, and made
them male and female: on the same day he also formed man. Accordingly
Moses says, That in just six days the world, and all that is therein,
was made. And that the seventh day was a rest, and a release from the
labor of such operations; whence it is that we Celebrate a rest from our
labors on that day, and call it the Sabbath, which word denotes rest in
the Hebrew tongue.
2. Moreover, Moses, after the seventh day was over1 begins to talk
philosophically; and concerning the formation of man, says thus: That
God took dust from the ground, and formed man, and inserted in him a
spirit and a soul.2 This man was called Adam, which in the Hebrew tongue
signifies one that is red, because he was formed out of red earth,
compounded together; for of that kind is virgin and true earth. God also
presented the living creatures, when he had made them, according to
their kinds, both male and female, to Adam, who gave them those names by
which they are still called. But when he saw that Adam had no female
companion, no society, for there was no such created, and that he
wondered at the other animals which were male and female, he laid him
asleep, and took away one of his ribs, and out of it formed the woman;
whereupon Adam knew her when she was brought to him, and acknowledged
that she was made out of himself. Now a woman is called in the Hebrew
tongue Issa; but the name of this woman was Eve, which signifies the
mother of all living.
3. Moses says further, that God planted a paradise in the east,
flourishing with all sorts of trees; and that among them was the tree of
life, and another of knowledge, whereby was to be known what was good
and evil; and that when he brought Adam and his wife into this garden,
he commanded them to take care of the plants. Now the garden was watered
by one river,3 which ran round about the whole earth, and was parted
into four parts. And Phison, which denotes a multitude, running into
India, makes its exit into the sea, and is by the Greeks called Ganges.
Euphrates also, as well as Tigris, goes down into the Red Sea.4 Now the
name Euphrates, or Phrath, denotes either a dispersion, or a flower: by
Tiris, or Diglath, is signified what is swift, with narrowness; and Geon
runs through Egypt, and denotes what arises from the east, which the
Greeks call Nile.
4. God therefore commanded that Adam and his wife should eat of all the
rest of the plants, but to abstain from the tree of knowledge; and
foretold to them, that if they touched it, it would prove their
destruction. But while all the living creatures had one language, 5 at
that time the serpent, which then lived together with Adam and his wife,
shewed an envious disposition, at his supposal of their living happily,
and in obedience to the commands of God; and imagining, that when they
disobeyed them, they would fall into calamities, he persuaded the woman,
out of a malicious intention, to taste of the tree of knowledge, telling
them, that in that tree was the knowledge of good and evil; which
knowledge, when they should obtain, they would lead a happy life; nay, a
life not inferior to that of a god: by which means he overcame the
woman, and persuaded her to despise the command of God. Now when she had
tasted of that tree, and was pleased with its fruit, she persuaded Adam
to make use of it also. Upon this they perceived that they were become
naked to one another; and being ashamed thus to appear abroad, they
invented somewhat to cover them; for the tree sharpened their
understanding; and they covered themselves with fig-leaves; and tying
these before them, out of modesty, they thought they were happier than
they were before, as they had discovered what they were in want of. But
when God came into the garden, Adam, who was wont before to come and
converse with him, being conscious of his wicked behavior, went out of
the way. This behavior surprised God; and he asked what was the cause of
this his procedure; and why he, that before delighted in that
conversation, did now fly from it, and avoid it. When he made no reply,
as conscious to himself that he had transgressed the command of God, God
said, "I had before determined about you both, how you might lead a
happy life, without any affliction, and care, and vexation of soul; and
that all things which might contribute to your enjoyment and pleasure
should grow up by my providence, of their own accord, without your own
labor and pains-taking; which state of labor and pains-taking would soon
bring on old age, and death would not be at any remote distance: but now
thou hast abused this my good-will, and hast disobeyed my commands; for
thy silence is not the sign of thy virtue, but of thy evil conscience."
However, Adam excused his sin, and entreated God not to be angry at him,
and laid the blame of what was done upon his wife; and said that he was
deceived by her, and thence became an offender; while she again accused
the serpent. But God allotted him punishment, because he weakly
submitted to the counsel of his wife; and said the ground should not
henceforth yield its fruits of its own accord, but that when it should
be harassed by their labor, it should bring forth some of its fruits,
and refuse to bring forth others. He also made Eve liable to the
inconveniency of breeding, and the sharp pains of bringing forth
children; and this because she persuaded Adam with the same arguments
wherewith the serpent had persuaded her, and had thereby brought him
into a calamitous condition. He also deprived the serpent of speech, out
of indignation at his malicious disposition towards Adam. Besides this,
he inserted poison under his tongue, and made him an enemy to men; and
suggested to them, that they should direct their strokes against his
head, that being the place wherein lay his mischievous designs towards
men, and it being easiest to take vengeance on him, that way. And when
he had deprived him of the use of his feet, he made him to go rolling
all along, and dragging himself upon the ground. And when God had
appointed these penalties for them, he removed Adam and Eve out of the
garden into another place.