THE (1)
ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS
PREFACE.
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.
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