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the life of flavius josephus-第16章

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being about one…tenth of the whole people; even after the
captivity。 See Ezra 2:36…39; Nehemiah 7:39…42; 1 Esdras 5:24; 25;
with Ezra 2;64; Nehemiah 7:66; 1 Esdras 5:41。 Nor will this
common reading or notion of but four courses of priests; agree
with Josephus's own further assertion elsewhere; Antiq。 B。 VII。
ch。 14。 sect。 7; that David's partition of the priests into
twenty…four courses had continued to that day。

(2) An eminent example of the care of the Jews about their
genealogies; especially as to the priests。 See Against Ap。 B。 1
sect。 7。

(3) When Josephus here says; that from sixteen to nineteen; or
for three years; he made trial of the three Jewish sects; the
Pharisees; the Sadducees; and the Essens; and yet says presently;
in all our copies; that he stayed besides with one particular
ascetic; called Banus; with him; and this still before he was
nineteen; there is little room left for his trial of the three
other sects。 I suppose; therefore; that for; with him; the old
reading might be; with them; which is a very small emendation;
and takes away the difficulty before us。 Nor is Dr。 Hudson's
conjecture; hinted at by Mr。 Hall in his preface to the Doctor's
edition of Josephus; at all improbable; that this Banus; by this
his description; might well be a follower of John the Baptist;
and that from him Josephus might easily imbibe such notions; as
afterwards prepared him to have a favorable opinion of Jesus
Christ himself; who was attested to by John the Baptist。

(4) We may note here; that religious men among the Jews; or at
least those that were priests; were sometimes ascetics also; and;
like Daniel and his companions in Babylon; Daniel 1:8…16; ate no
flesh; but figs and nuts; etc。 only。 This was like the; or
austere diet of the Christian ascetics in Passion…week。
Constitut。 V。 18。

(5) It has been thought the number of Paul and his companions on
ship…board; Acts 27:38; which are 276 in our copies; are too
many; whereas we find here; that Josephus and his companions; a
very few years after the other; were about 600。

(6) See Jewish War; B。 II。 ch。 18。 sect。 3。

(7) The Jews might collect this unlawfulness of fighting against
their brethren from that law of Moses; Leviticus 19:16; 〃Thou
shalt not stand against the blood of thy neighbor;〃 and that;
ver。 17; 〃Thou shalt not avenge; nor bear any grudge against the
children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself;〃 as well as from many other places in the Pentateuch and
Prophets。 See Antiq。 B。 VIII。 ch。 8。 sect。 3。

(8) That this Herod Agrippa; the father; was of old called a
Great King; as here; appears by his coins still remaining; to
which Havercamp refers us。

(9) The famous Jewish numbers of twelve and seventy are here
remarkable。

(10) Our Josephus shows; both here and every where; that he was a
most religious person; and one that had a deep sense of God and
his providence upon his mind; and ascribed all his numerous and
wonderful escapes and preservations; in times of danger; to God's
blessing him; and taking care of him; and this on account of his
acts of piety; justice; humanity; and charity; to the Jews his
brethren。

(11) Josephus's opinion is here well worth noting: … That every
one is to be permitted to worship God according to his own
conscience; and is not to be compelled in matters of religion: as
one may here observe; on the contrary; that the rest of the Jews
were still for obliging all those who married Jewesses to be
circumcised; and become Jews; and were ready to destroy all that
would not submit to do so。 See sect。 31; and Luke 11:54。

(12) How Josephus could say here that the Jewish laws forbade
them to 〃spoil even their enemies; while yet; a little before his
time; our Savior had mentioned it as then a current maxim with
them; 〃Thou shalt love thy neighbor; and hate thine enemy;〃
Matthew 5:43; is worth our inquiry。 I take it that Josephus;
having been now for many years an Ebionite Christian; had learned
this interpretation of the law of Moses from Christ; whom he
owned for the true Melah; as it follows in the succeeding verses;
which; though he might not read in St。 Matthew's Gospel; yet
might he have read much the same exposition in their own Ebionite
or Nazarene Gospel itself; of which improvements made by
Josephus; after he was become a Christian; we have already had
several examples in this his life; sect。 3; 13; 15; 19; 21; 23;
and shall have many more therein before its conclusion; as well
as we have them elsewhere in all his later writings。

(13) Here we may observe the vulgar Jewish notion of witchcraft;
but that our Josephus was too wise to give any countenance to it。

(14) In this section; as well as in the 18 and 33。 those small
vessels that sailed on the sea of Galilee; are called by
Josephus; i。e。 plainly ships; so that we need not wander at our
evangelists; who still call them ships; nor ought we to render
them boats; as some do; Their number was in all 230; as we learn
from our author elsewhere。 Jewish War。 B。 II。 ch。 21。 sect。 8。

(15) Part of these fortifications on Mount Tabor may be those
still remaining; and which were seen lately by Mr。 Maundrel。 See
his Travels; p。 112。

(16) This Gamaliel may be the very same that is mentioned by the
rabbins in the Mishna; in Juchasin; and in Porta Mosis; as is
observed in the Latin notes。 He might be also that Gamaliel II。;
whose grandfather was Gamaliel I。; who is mentioned in Acts 5:34;
and at whose feet St。 Paul was brought up; Acts 22:3。 See Prid。
at the year 449。

(17) This Jonathan is also taken notice of in the Latin notes; as
the same that is mentioned by the rabbins in Porta Mosis。

(18) This I take to be the first of Josephus's remarkable or
divine dreams; which were predictive of the great things that
afterwards came to pass; of which see more in the note on Antiq。
B。 III。 ch。 8。 sect。 9。 The other is in the War; B。 III。 ch。 8。
sect。 3; 9。

(19) Josephus's directions to his soldiers here are much the same
that John the Baptist gave; Luke 3:14; 〃Do violence to no man;
neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages。〃
Whence Dr。 Hudson confirms this conjecture; that Josephus; in
some things; was; even now; a follower of John the Baptist; which
is no way improbable。 See the note on sect。 2。

(20) We here learn the practice of the Jews; in the days of
Josephus; to inquire into the characters of witnesses before they
were admitted; and that their number ought to be three; or two at
the least; also exactly as in the law of Moses; and in the
Apostolical Constitutions; B。 II。 ch。 37。 See Horeb Covenant
Revived; page 97; 98。

(21) This appeal to the whole body of the Galileans by Josephus;
and the testimony they gave him of integrity in his conduct as
their governor; is very like that appeal and testimony in the
case of the prophet Samuel; 1 Samuel 12:1…5; and perhaps was done
by Josephus in imitation of him。

(22) It is worth noting here; that there was now a great
Proseucha; or place of prayer; in the city of Tiberias itself;
though such Proseucha used to be out of cities; as the synagogues
were within them。 Of them; see Le Moyne on Polycarp's Epistle;
page 76。 It is also worth our remark; that the Jews; in the days
of Josephus; used to dine at the sixth hour; or noon; and that in
obedience to their notions of the law of Moses also。

(23) One may observe here; that this lay Pharisee; Ananias; is we
have seen he was; sect。 39; took upon him to appoint a fast at
Tiberias; and was obeyed; though indeed it was not out of
religion; but knavish policy。

(24) The character of this history of Justus of Tiberias; the
rival of our Josephus; which is now lost; with its only remaining
fragment; are given us by a very able critic; Photius; who read
that history。 It is in the 33rd code of his Bibliotheea; and runs
thus: 〃I have read (says Photius) the chronology of Justus of
Tiberias; whose title is this; 'The Chronology of' the Kings of
Judah which succeeded one another。 This 'Justus' came out of the
city of Tiberias in Galilee。 He begins his history from Moses;
and ends it not till the death of Agrippa; the seventh 'ruler' of
the family of Herod; and the last king of the Jews; who took the
government under Claudius; had it augmented under Nero; and still
more augmented by Vespasian。 He died in the third year of Trajan;
where also his history ends。 He is very concise in his language;
and slightly passes over those affairs that were most necessary
to be insisted on; and being under the Jewish prejudices; as
indeed he was himself also a Jew by birth; he makes not the least
mention of the appearance of Christ; or what things happened to
him; or of the wonderful works that he did。 He was the son of a
certain Jew; whose name was Pistus。 He was a man; as he is
described by Josephus; of a most profligate character; a slave
both to money and to pleasures。 In public affairs he was opposite
to Josephus; and it is related; that he laid many plots against
him; but that Josephus; though he had his enemy frequently under
his power; did only reproach him in words; and so let him go
without further punishment。 He says also; tha
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