Letter of Aristeas

7/31/2019 Letter of Aristeas

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T H E L E T T E R O F

A R I S T E A SIN THE Le tter of Ar ist ea s, one of the mo st notewo rt hy and ancien t recoveri es in

this collection, we have come a long way from Adam and Eve, a long way from the

Flood. This writing presents a spectacle of the resiliency of the human race, whichhas repeopled the Earth, with po werful natio ns living in pomp and splendor.

You will read here of the first great bibliophile Ptolemy Philadelphus. He de-sires to collect into his library at Alexandria "all the books in the world." Finallyin his passion t o secure one great work the Jewish Laws he trades 100,000 cap-tives for that book. This is probably the highest price ever paid for a single work.

It prese nts an unusu al re aso n for the end of the Gre at Captivi ty.

The events of this narrative took place during the lifetime of the famous Queen Ars inoe, who died 270 B. C. Th e exa ct date of the wr iting is uncer tain.

The details of court life, the discussion of social problems of the day are of theutmost interest and vividness. It is an odd discovery in this day and age to see theking and his guests playing at questions and answers during their banqueting.

The structure of this absorbing work is as follows:

1. Dedication of the book to Philo-crates.

2. Preliminary action:

(a) The proposal of the Librarian to

liberate the Jewish captives in ex-change for a book.(b) The emancipation.(c) The letter of Philadelphus to

El eaza r.(d) The reply.(e) The names of the committee ap-

pointed to tra nsl ate the book.

3. Description of the royal presents:

(a) The table (probably the most ela-

borate piece of furniture ever pro-duced).(b) The other p resents.

4. Description of Jerusalem.

(a) The temple (and the water-workssystem).(b) The ceremony.

(c) The citadel.(d) The cit y.(e) The countryside.

5. Eleazar's farewell.

6. Eleazar's explanation of the law(this is profound wisdom).

7. The reception.

8. The banquet (72 questions and an-

swers).

9. The translation of the Book.

CHAP. I. At th e time of th e Jewish Ca ptiv ityin Egypt, Ptolemy Philadelphus re-veals himself as the first great bibli-

ophile. He desires to have all thebooks in the world in his library; inorder to get the Laws of Moses heoffers to trade 100,000 captives for


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L E T T E R O F A R I S T E A S

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that work exclaiming, "It is a smallboon indeed!"SINCE I have collected material for

a memorable history of my visit toEleazar the High Priest of the Jews,

and because you, Philocrates, as youlose no opportunity of reminding me,have set great store upon receivingan account of the motives and objectof my mission, I have attempted todraw up clear exposition of the mat-ter for you, for I perceive that youpossess a natural love of learning, aquality which is the highest posses-sion of man to be constantly at-tempting 'to add to his stock of

knowledge and acquirements' wheth-er through the study of history or byactually participating in the eventsthemselves.2 It is by this means, by taking up

into itself the noblest elements, thatthe soul is established in purity, andhaving fixed its aim on piety, thenoblest goal of all , i t u ses this as i tsinfallible guide and so acquires a de-finite purpose.3 It was my devotion to the pursuit

of religious knowledge that led meto undertake the embassy to the manI have mentioned, who was held inthe highest esteem by his own citi-zens and by others, both for his vir-tue and his majesty, and who had inhis possession documents of thehighest value to the Jews in his owncountry and in foreign lands for theinterpretation of the divine law, fortheir laws are written on leather par-chments in Jewish characters.4 This embassy then I undertook

with enthusiasm, having first of allfound an opportunity of pleadingwith the king on behalf of the Jewishcaptives who had been transportedfrom Judea to Egypt by the king's

father, when he first obtained pos-session of this city and conqueredthe land of Egypt.

5 It is worth while that I should tellyou this story, too, since I am con-

vinced that you, with your disposi-tion towards holiness and your sym-pathy with men who are l iving in ac-cordance with the holy law, will allthe more readily listen to the accountwhich I purpose to set forth, sinceyou yourself have lately come to usfrom the island and are anxious tohear everything that tends to buildup the soul.

6 On a former occasion too, I sent

you a record of the facts which Ithought worth relating about theJewish race, the record which I hadobtained from the most learned highpriests of the most learned land of Egypt.

7 As you are so eager to acquire theknowledge of those things which canbenefit the mind, I ' feel it incumbentupon me to impart to you all the in-formation in my power.

8 I should feel the same duty to-wards all who possessed the samedisposition but I feel it especiallytowards you since you have aspira-tions which are so noble, and sinceyou are not only my brother in cha-racter, no less than in blood, but areone with me as well in the pursuit of goodness.

9 For neither the pleasure derivedfrom gold nor any other of the pos-sessions which are prized by shallowminds confers the same benefit asthe pursuit of culture and the studywhich we expend in securing it.

10 But that I may not weary you bya too lengthy introduction, I willproceed at once to the substance of my narrative.


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39 It was pointed out to him that theransom money would exceed fourhundred talents.40 I think it will be useful to insert

a copy of the decree, for in this way

the magnanimity of the king, whowas empowered by God to save suchvast multitudes, will be made clearerand more manifest.41 The decree of the king ran as fol-

lows: 'All who served in the army of our father in the campaign againstSyria and Phoenicia and in the attack upon the country of the Jews and be-came possessed of Jewish captivesand brought them back to the city of

Alexandria and the land of Egypt orsold them to others and in the sameway any captives who were in ourland before that time or werebrought hither afterwards all whopossess such captives are required toset them at liberty at once, receivingtwenty drachmae per head as ransommoney.42 The soldiers will receive this

money as a gift added to their wages,the others from the ki ng's treasury.43 We think that it was against our

father's will and against all proprietythat they should have been madecaptives and that the devastation of their land and the transportation of the Jews to Egypt was an act of mili-tary wantonness.44 The spoil which fell to the sol-

diers on the field of battle was allthe booty which they should haveclaimed.45 To reduce the people to slavery

in addition was an act of absoluteinjustice.46 Wherefore, since it is acknowl-

edged that we are accustomed torender justice to all men and espe-cially to those who are unfairly in a

condition of servitude, and since westrive to deal fairly with all men ac-cording to the demands of justiceand piety, we have decreed, in refer-ence to the persons of the Jews who

are in any condition of bondage inany part of our dominion, that thosewho possess them shall receive thestipulated sum of money and setthem at liberty and that no man shallshow any tardiness in discharginghis obligations.

47 Within three days after the pub-lication of this decree, they mustmake lists of slaves for the officersappointed to carry out our will, and

immediately produce the persons of the captives.48 For we consider that it will be

advantageous to us an d to our affairsthat the matter should be brought toa conclusion.

49 Any one who likes may give in-formation about any who disobey thedecree, on condition that if the manis proved guilty he will become hisslave; his property, however, will behanded over to the r oyal treasury.'

50 When the decree was brought tobe read over to the king for his ap-proval, it contained all the otherprovisions except the phrase 'anycaptives who were in the land beforethat time or were brought hither af-terwards,' and in his magnanimityand the largeness of his heart theking inserted this clause and gaveorders that the grant of money re-quired for the redemption should bedeposited in full with the paymastersof the forces and the royal bankers,and so the matter was decided andthe decree ratified within sevendays.

51 The grant for the redemptionamounted to more than six hundred


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and sixty talents; for many infants atthe breast were emancipated togetherwith their mothers.52 When the question was raised

whether the sum of twenty talents

was to be paid for these, the king or-dered that it should be done, andthus he carried out his decision inthe most comprehensi ve way.

CHAP. II.Showing how the most careful

records were kept of affairs of state.Government Red Tape. A committeeof six is appointed to go to the HighPriest in Jerusalem and arrange for

the exchange. Aristeas is put incharge of the delegation.WHEN this had been done, he or-

dered Demetrius to draw up a me-morial with regard to the transcrip-tion of the Jewish books.2 For all affairs of state used to be

carried out by means of decrees andwith the most pains-taking accuracyby these Egyptian kings, and nothingwas done in a slipshod or haphazardfashion.3 And so I have inserted copies of

the memorial and the letters, thenumber of the presents sent and thenature of each, since every one of them excelled in magnificence andtechnical skill.4 The following is a copy of the

memorial. The Memory of Demetriusto the great king. 'Since you havegiven me instructions O king, thatthe books which are needed to com-plete your library should be col-lected together, and that those whichare defective should be repaired, Ihave devoted myself with the utmostcare to the fulfilment of your wishes,and I now have the following pro-posal to lay before you.

5 The books of the law of the Jews(with some few others) are absentfrom the li brary.

6 They are written in the Hebrewcharacters and language and have

been carelessly interpreted, and donot represent the original text as Iam informed by those who know; forthey have never had a king's care toprotect them.

7 It is necessary that these shouldbe made accurate for your librarysince the law which they contain, in-asmuch as it is of divine origin, isfull of wisdom and free from allblemish.

8For this reason literary men andpoets and the mass of historical

writers have held aloof from refer-ring to these books and the men whohave lived and are living in accor-dance with them, because their con-ception of life is so sacred and reli-gious, as Hecataeus of Abdera says.

9 If it please you, O king, a lettershall be written to the High Priest inJerusalem, asking him to send sixelders out of every tribe men whohave lived the noblest life and aremost skilled in their law that wemay find out the points in which themajority of them are in agreement,and so having obtained an accuratetranslation may place it in a conspi-cuous place in a manner worthy of the work itself and your purpose.

10 May continual prosperity beyours!'

11 When this memorial had beenpresented, the king ordered a letterto be written to Eleazar on the mat-ter, giving also an account of theemancipation of the Jewish captives.

12 And he gave fifty talents weightof gold and seventy talents of silverand a large quantity of precious


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stones to make bowls and vials and atable and libation cups.13 He also gave orders to those who

had the custody of his coffers to al-low the artificers to make a selection

of any materials they might requirefor the purpose, and that a hundredtalents in money should be sent toprovide sacrifices for the temple andfor other needs.14 I shall give you a full account of

the workmanship after I have set be-fore you copies of the letters. Theletter of the king ran as follows:15 'King Ptolemy sends greeting and

salutation to the Hi gh Priest Eleazar.16

Since there are many Jews set-tled in our realm who were carriedoff from Jerusalem by the Persians atthe time of their power and manymore who came with my father intoEgypt as captives large numbers of these he placed in the army and paidthem higher wages than usual, andwhen he had proved the loyalty of their leaders he built fortresses andplaced them in their charge that thenative Egyptians might be intimi-dated by them.17 And I, when I ascended the

throne, adopted a kindly attitude to-wards all my subjects, and more par-ticularly to those who were citizensof yours I have set at liberty morethan a hundred thousand captives,paying their owners the appropriatemarket price for them, and if everevil has been done to your peoplethrough the passions of the mob, Ihave made them reparation.18 The motive which prompted my

action has been the desire to actpiously and render unto the supremeGod a thank-offering for maintainingmy kingdom in peace and great gloryin all the world.

19 Moreover those of your peoplewho were in the prime of life I havedrafted into my army, and those whowere fit to be attached to my personand worthy of the confidence of the

court, I have established in officialpositions.20 Now since I am anxious to show

my gratitude to these men and to theJews throughout the world and to thegenerations yet to come, I have de-termined that your law shall betranslated from the Hebrew tonguewhich is in use amongst you into theGreek language, that these booksmay be added to the other royal

books in my li brary.21 It will be a kindness on your partand a reward for my zeal if you willselect six elders from each of yourtribes, men of noble life and skilledin your law and able to interpret it,that in questions of dispute we maybe able to discover the verdict inwhich the majority agree, for the in-vestigation is of the highest possibleimportance.

22 I hope to win great renown bythe accomplishment of this work.

23 I have sent Andreas, the chief of my bodyguard and Aristeas menwhom I hold in high esteem to laythe matter before you and presentyou with a hundred talents of silver,the first-fruits of my offering for thetemple and the sacrifices and otherreligious rites.

24 If you will write to me concern-ing your wishes in these matters, youwill confer a great favour upon meand afford me a new pledge of friendship, for all your wishes shallbe carried out as speedily as possi-ble. Farewell!

25 To this letter Eleazar replied ap-propriately as follows: 'Eleazar the


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High Priest sends greetings to KingPtolemy his true friend.26 My highest wishes are for your

welfare and the welfare of Queen Ar-sinoe, your sister, and your children.27

I also am well. I have receivedyour letter and am greatly rejoicedby your purpose and your noblecounsel.28 I summoned together the whole

people and read it to them that theymight know of your devotion to ourGod.29 I showed them too the cups

which you sent, twenty of gold andthirty of silver, the five bowls and

the table of dedication, and the hun-dred talents of silver for the offeringof the sacrifices and providing thethings of which the temple stands inneed.30 These gifts were brought to me

by Andreas, one of your most ho-noured servants, and by Aristeas,both good men and true, distin-guished by their learning, and wor-thy in every way to be the represent-atives of your high principles andrighteous purposes.31 These men imparted to me your

message and received from me ananswer in agreement with your letter.I will consent to everything which isadvantageous to you even thoughyour request is very unusual.32 For you have bestowed upon our

citizens great and never to be forgot-ten benefits in many ways.33 Immediately therefore I offered

sacrifices on behalf of you, your sis-ter, your children, and your friends,and all the people prayed that yourplans might prosper continually, andthat Almighty God might preserveyour kingdom in peace with honour,and that the translation of the holy

law might prove advantageous to youand be carried out successful ly.

34 In the presence of all the peopleI selected six elders from each tribe,good men and true, and I have sent

them to you with a copy of our la w.35 It will be a kindness, O righteousking, if you will give instruction thatas soon as the translation of the lawis completed, the men shall be res-tored again to us i n safety. Farewell!

36 The following are the names of the elders: Of the first tribe, Joseph,Ezekiah, Zachariah, John, Ezekiah,Elisha.

37 Of the second tribe, Judas, Si-

mon, Samuel, Adaeus, Mattathias,Eschlemias.38 Of the third tribe, Nehemia, Jo-

seph, Theodosius, Baseas, Ornias,Dakis.

39 Of the fourth tribe, Jonathan,Abraeus, Elisha, Ananias, Chabrias. ..

40 Of the fifth tribe, Isaac, Jacob,Jesus, Sabbataeus, Simon, Levi.

41 Of the sixth tribe, Judas, Joseph,Simon, Zacharias, Samuel, Selemas.

42 Of the seventh tribe, Sabbataeus,Zedekiah, Jacob, Isaac, Jesias, Nat-thaeus.

43 Of the eighth tribe, Theodosius,Jason, Jesus, Theodotus, John, Jona-than.

44 Of the ninth tribe, Theophilus,Abraham, Arsamos, Jason, Ende-mias, Daniel.

45 Of the tenth tribe, Jeremiah, [pa-ragraph continues] Eleazar, Zacha-riah, Baneas, Elisha, Dathaeus.

46 Of the eleventh tribe, Samuel,Joseph, Judas, Jonathes, Chabu, Do-sitheus.

47 Of the twelfth tribe, Isaelus,John, Theodosius, Arsamos, Abietes,Ezekiel.


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48 They were seventy-two in all.Such was the answer which Eleazarand his friends gave to the king's let-ter.

CHAP. III. In wh ic h is describ ed th e mo st e x-quisite and beautiful table ever pro-duced. Also other rich gifts, Interest-ing in the light of recent excavationsin Egypt.I WILL now Proceed to redeem my

promise and give a description of theworks of art.2 They were wrought with excep-

tional skill, for the king spared no

expense and personally superin-tended the workmen indivi dually.3 They could not therefore scamp

any part of the work or finish it off negligently.4 First of all I will give you a de-

scription of the table.5 The king was anxious that this

piece of work should be of excep-tionally large dimensions, and hecaused enquiries to be made of theJews in the locality with regard tothe size of the table already in thetemple at Jerusalem.6 And when they described the mea-

surements, he proceeded to ask whether he might make a largerstructure.7 And some of the priests and the

other Jews replied that there wasnothing to prevent him.8 And he said that he was anxious to

make it five times the size, but hehesitated lest it should prove uselessfor the temple services.9 He was desirous that his gift

should not merely be stationed in thetemple, for it would afford him muchgreater pleasure if the men whoseduty it was to offer the fitting sacri-

fices were able to do so appropriate-ly on the table which he had ma de.

10 He did not suppose that it wasowing to lack of gold that the formertable had been made of small size,

but there seems to have been, hesaid, some reason why it was madeof this dimension.

11 For had the order been given,there would have been no lack of means.

12 Wherefore we must not trans-gress or go beyond the proper meas-ure.

13 At the same time he orderedthem to press into service all the

manifold forms of art, for he was aman of the most lofty conceptionsand nature had endowed him with akeen imagination which enabled himto picture the appearance whichwould be presented by the finishedwork.

14 He gave orders too, that wherethere were no instructions laid downin the Jewish Scriptures, everythingshould be made as beautiful as poss-ible.

15 When such instructions were laiddown, they were to be carried out tothe lett er.

16 They made the table two cubits 1 long, one cubit broad, one and a half cubits high fashioning it of pure sol-id gold.

17 What I am describing was notthin gold laid over another founda-tion, but the whole structure was of massive gold wel ded together.

18 And they made a border of ahand's breadth round about it.

19 And there was a wreath of wave-work, engraved in relief in

the form of ropes marvellouslywrought on its three sides.

20 For it was triangular in shape


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and the style of the work was exactlythe same on each of the si des, so thatwhichever side they were turned,they presented the same appearance.21 Of the two sides under the bor-

der, the one which sloped down tothe table was a very beautiful pieceof work, but it was the outer sidewhich attracted the gaze of the spec-tator.22 Now the upper edge of the two

sides, being elevated, was sharpsince, as we have said, the rim wasthree-sided, from whatever point of view one approached it.23 And there were layers of pre-

cious stones on it in the midst of theembossed cord-work, and they wereinterwoven with one another by aninimitable artistic device.24 For the sake of security they

were all fixed by golden needleswhich were inserted in perforationsin the stones.25 At the sides they were clamped

together by fastenings to hold themfirm.26 On the part of the border round

the table which slanted upwards andmet the eyes, there was wrought apattern of eggs in precious stones,elaborately engraved by a continuouspiece of fluted relief-work, closelyconnected together round the wholetable.27 And under the stones which had

been arranged to represent eggs theartists made a crown containing allkinds of fruits, having at its top clus-ters of grapes and ears of corn, datesalso and apples, and pomegranatesand the like, conspicuously arranged.28 These fruits were wrought out of

precious stones, of the same colouras the fruits themselves and they fas-tened them edgeways round all the

sides of the table with a band of gold.

29 And after the crown of fruit hadbeen put on, underneath there wasinserted another pattern of eggs in

precious stones, and other flutingand embossed work, that both sidesof the table might be used, accordingto the wishes of the owners and forthis reason the wave-work and theborder were extended down to thefeet of the table.

30 They made and fastened underthe whole width of the table a mas-sive plate four fingers thick, that thefeet might be inserted into it, and

clamped fast with linch-pins whichfitted into sockets under the border,so that which ever side of the tablepeople preferred, might be used.

31 Thus it became manifestly clearthat the work was intended to beused either way.

32 On the table itself they engraveda 'maeander, ' having precious stonesstanding out in the middle of i t , ru-bies and emeralds and an onyx tooand many other kinds of stoneswhich excel in beauty.

33 And next to the 'maeander' therewas placed a wonderful piece of network, which made the centre of the table appear like a rhomboid inshape, and on it a crystal and amber,as it is called, had been wrought,which produced an incomparable im-pression on the beholders.

34 They made the feet of the tablewith heads like lilies, so that theyseemed to be like lilies bendingdown beneath the table, and the partswhich were visible representedleaves which stood upright.

35 The basis of the foot on theground consisted of a ruby andmeasured a hand's breadth high all


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round.36 It had the appearance of a shoe

and was eight fingers broad.37 Upon it the whole expanse of the

foot rested.38

And they made the foot appearlike ivy growing out of the stone, in-terwoven with akanthus and sur-rounded with a vine which encircledit with clusters of grapes, whichwere worked in stones, up to the topof the foot.39 All the four feet were made in

the same style, and everything waswrought and fitted so skilfully, andsuch remarkable skill and knowledge

were expended upon making it trueto nature, that when the air wasstirred by a breath of wind, move-ment was imparted to the leaves, andeverything was fashioned to corres-pond with the actual reality which itrepresented.40 And they made the top of the ta-

ble in three parts like a triptychon,and they were so fi t ted and dove-tailed together with spigots along thewhole breadth of the work, that themeeting of the joints could not beseen or even discovered.41 The thickness of the table was

not less than half a cubit, so that thewhole work must have cost manytalents.42 For since the king did not wish

to add to its size he expended on thedetails the same sum of money whichwould have been required if the tablecould have been of larger dimen-sions.43 And everything was completed in

accordance with his plan, in a mostwonderful and remarkable way, withinimitable art and incomparablebeauty.44 Of the mixing bowls, two were

wrought in gold, and from the baseto the middle were engraved with re-lief work in the pattern of scales,and between the scales Preciousstones were inserted with great artis-

tic skill.45 Then there was a 'maeander' acubit in height, with its surface.wrought out of precious stones of many colours, displaying great artis-tic effort an d beauty.

46 Upon this there was a mosaic,worked in the form of a rhombus,having a net-like appearance andreaching right up to the brim.

47 In the middle, small shields

which were made of different pre-cious stones, placed alternately, andvarying in kind, not less than fourfingers broad, enhanced the beautyof their appearance.

48 On the top of the brim there wasan ornament of lilies in bloom, andintertwining clusters of grapes wereengraven all round.

49 Such then was the constructionof the golden bowls, and they heldmore than two firkins each.

50 The silver bowls had a smoothsurface, and were wonderfully madeas if they were intended for looking-glasses, so that everything whichwas brought near to them was re-flected even more clearly than inmirrors.

51 But it is impossible to describethe real impression which theseworks of art produced upon the mindwhen they were finished.

52 For, when these vessels had beencompleted and placed side by side,first a silver bowl and then a golden,then another silver, and then anothergolden, the appearance they pre-sented is altogether indescribable,and those who came to see them


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were not able to tear themselvesfrom the brilliant sight and entranc-ing spectacle.53 The impressions produced by the

spectacle were various in kind.54

When men looked at the goldenvessels, and their minds made acomplete survey of each detail of workmanship, their souls werethrilled with wonder.55 Again when a man wished to di-

rect his gaze to the silver vessels, asthey stood before him, everythingseemed to flash with light roundabout the place where he was stand-ing, and afforded a still greater de-

light to the onlookers.56 So that it is really impossible todescribe the artistic beauty of theworks.57 The golden vials they engraved

in the centre with vine wreaths.58 And about the rims they wove a

wreath of ivy and myrtle and olive inrelief work and inserted preciousstones in it.59 The other parts of the relief work

they wrought in different patterns,since they made it a point of honourto complete everything in a way wor-thy of the majesty of the king.60 In a word it may be said that nei-

ther in the king's treasury nor in anyother, were there any works whichequalled these in costliness or in ar-tistic skill.61 For the king spent no li t t le

thought upon them, for he loved togain glory for the excellence of hisdesigns.62 For oftentimes he would neglect

his official business, and spend histime with the artists in his anxietythat they should complete everythingin a manner worthy of the place towhich the gifts were to be sent.

63 So everything was carried out ona grand scale, in a manner worthy of the king who sent the gifts and of thehigh priest who was the ruler of theland.

64There was no stint of preciousstones, for not less than five thou-

sand were used and they were all of large size.

65 The most exceptional artisticskill was employed, so that the costof the stones and the workmanshipwas five times as much as that of thegold.

CHAP IV.

Vivid details of the sacrifice. Theunerring accuracy of the priests isnotable. A savage orgy. A descriptionof the temple and its water-works.I HAVE given you this description

of the presents because I thought itwas necessary.

2 The next point in the narrative isan account of our journey to Eleazar,but I will first of all give you a de-scription of the whole country.

3 When we arrived in the land of the Jews we saw the city situated inthe middle of the whole of Judea onthe top of a mountain of considera-ble altitude.

4 On the summit the temple hadbeen built in all it s splendour.

5 It was surrounded by three wallsmore than seventy cubits high and inlength and breadth corresponding tothe structure of the edifice.

6 All the buildings were characte-rised by a magnificence and costli-ness quite unprecedented.

7 It was obvious that no expensehad been spared on the door and thefastenings, which connected it withthe door-posts, and the stability of the lintel.


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8 The style of the curtain too wasthoroughly in proportion to that of the entrance.9 Its fabric owing to the draught of

wind was in perpetual motion, and as

this motion was communicated fromthe bottom and the curtain bulgedout to its highest extent, it afforded apleasant spectacle from which a mancould scarcely tear himsel f away.10 The construction of the altar was

in keeping with the place itself andwith the burnt offerings which wereconsumed by fire upon it, and theapproach to it was on a similar scale.11 There was a gradual slope up to

it, conveniently arranged for thepurpose of decency, and the minis-tering priests were robed in linengarments, down to their ankles.12 The Temple faces the east and its

back is toward the west.13 The whole of the floor is paved

with stones and slopes down to theappointed places, that water may beconveyed to wash away the bloodfrom the sacrifices, for many thou-sand beasts are sacrificed there onthe feast days.14 And there is an inexhaustible

supply of water, because an abundantnatural spring gushes up from withinthe temple area.15 There are moreover wonderful

and indescribable cisterns under-ground, as they pointed out to me, ata distance of five furlongs all roundthe site of the temple, and each of them has countless pipes so that thedifferent streams converge together.16 And all these were fastened with

lead at the bottom and at the side-walls, and over them a great quantityof plaster had been spread, and everypart of the work had been most care-fully carried out.

17 There are many openings for wa-ter at the base of the altar which areinvisible to all except to those whoare engaged in the ministration, sothat all the blood of the sacrifices

which is collected in great quantitiesis washed away in the twinkling of an eye.

18 Such is my opinion with regardto the character of the reservoirs andI will now show you how it was con-firmed.

19 They led me more than four fur-longs outside the city and bade mepeer down towards a certain spot andlisten to the noise that was made by

the meeting of the waters, so that thegreat size of the reservoirs becamemanifest to me, as has already beenpointed out.

20 The ministration of the priests isin every way unsurpassed both forits physical endurance and for its or-derly and silent service.

21 For they all work spontaneously,though it entails much painful exer-tion, and each one has a special task allotted to him.

22 The service is carried on withoutinterruption some provide thewood, others the oil, others the finewheat flour, others the spices; othersagain bring the pieces of flesh forthe burnt offering, exhibiting a won-derful, degree of strength.

23 For they take up with both handsthe limbs of a calf, each of themweighing more than two talents, andthrow them with each hand in awonderful way on to the high placeof the altar and never miss placingthem on the proper spot.

24 In the same way the pieces of thesheep and also of the goats are won-derful both for their weight and theirfatness.


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25 For those, whose business it is,always select the beasts which arewithout blemish and specially fat,and thus the sacrifice which I havedescribed, is carried out.26

There is a special place set apartfor them to rest in, where those whoare relieved from duty sit.27 When this takes place, those who

have already rested and are ready toresume their duties rise up sponta-neously since there is no one to giveorders with regard to the arrange-ment of the sacrifices.28 The most complete silence reigns

so that one might imagine that there

was not a single person present,though there are actually seven hun-dred men engaged in the work, be-sides the vast number of those whoare occupied in bringing up the sa-crifices.29 Everything is carried out with

reverence and in a way worthy of thegreat God.30 We were greatly astonished,

when we saw Eleazar engaged in theministration, at the mode of hisdress, and the majesty of his appear-ance, which was revealed in the robewhich he wore and the preciousstones upon his person.31 There were golden bells upon the

garment which reached down to hisfeet, giving forth a peculiar kind of melody, and on both sides of themthere were pomegranates with varie-gated flowers of a wonderful hue.32 He was girded with a girdle of

conspicuous beauty, woven in themost beautiful colours.33 On his breast he wore the oracle

of God, as it is called, on whichtwelve stones, of different kinds,were inset, fastened together withgold, containing the names of the

leaders of the tribes, according totheir original order, each one flash-ing forth in an indescribable way itsown particular colour.

34 On his head he wore a tiara, as it

is called, and upon this in the middleof his forehead an inimitable turban,the royal diadem full of glory withthe name of God inscribed in sacredletters on a plate of gold . . . havingbeen judged worthy to wear theseemblems in the ministrations.

35 Their appearance created suchawe and confusion of mind as tomake one feel that one had come i ntothe presence of a man who belonged

to a different world.36 I am convinced that any one whotakes part in the spectacle which Ihave described will he filled withastonishment and indescribable won-der and be profoundly affected in hismind at the thought of the sanctitywhich is attached to each detail of the service.

37 But in order that we might gaincomplete information, we ascendedto the summit of the neighboring ci-tadel and looked around us.

38 It is situated in a very lofty spot,and is fortified with many towers,which have been built up to the verytop, of immense stones, with the ob-

ject, a s we were infor med, of gu ar d-ing the temple precincts, so that if there were an attack, or an insurrec-tion or an onslaught of the enemy, noone would be able to force an en-trance within the walls that surroundthe temple.

39 On the towers of the citadel en-gines of war were placed and differ-ent kinds of machines, and the posi-tion was much higher than the circleof walls which I have mentioned.

40 The towers were guarded too by


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most trusty men who had given theutmost proof of their loyalty to theircountry.41 these men were never allowed to

leave the citadel, except on feast

days and then only in detachments,nor did they permit any stranger toenter it.42 They were also very careful

when any command came from thechief officer to admit any visitors toinspect the place, as our own expe-rience taught us.43 They were very reluctant to ad-

mit us though we were but two un-armed men to view the offering of

the sacrifices.44 And they asserted that they werebound by an oath when the trust wascommitted to them, for they had allsworn and were bound to carry outthe oath sacredly to the letter, thatthough they were five hundred innumber they would not permit morethan five men to enter at one time.45 The citadel was the special pro-

tection of the temple and its founderhad fortified it so strongly that itmight efficiently protect it.

CH AP. V. A desc r ip tio n of th e city and th ecountryside. Compare Verse 11 withconditions of today. Verses 89 -41 re-veal how the ancients estimate ascholar and a gentleman.THE size of the city is of moderate

dimensions.2 It is about forty furlongs 1 in cir-

cumference, as far as one could con- je ctu re.

3 It has its towers arranged in theshape of a theatre, with thorough-fares leading between them now thecrossroads of the lower towers arevisible but those of the upper towers

are more frequented.4 For the ground ascends, since the

city is built upon a mountain.5 There are steps too which lead up

to the crossroads, and some people

are always going up, and othersdown and they keep as far apart fromeach other as possible on the roadbecause of those who are bound bythe rules of purity, lest they shouldtouch anything which is unlawful.

6 It was not without reason that theoriginal founders of the city built itin due proportions, for they pos-sessed clear insight with regard towhat was required.

7For the country is extensive andbeautiful.

8 Some parts of it are level, espe-cially the districts which belong toSamaria, as it is called, and whichborder on the land of the Idumeans,other parts are mountainous, espe-cially those which are contiguous tothe land of Judea.

9 The people therefore are bound todevote themselves to agriculture andthe cultivation of the soil that by thismeans they may have a plentifulsupply of crops.

10 In this way cultivation of everykind is carried on and an abundantharvest reaped in the whole of theaforesaid land.

11 The cities which are large andenjoy a corresponding prosperity arewell-populated, but they neglect thecountry districts, since all men areinclined to a life of enjoyment, forevery one has a natural tendency to-wards the pursuit of pleasure.

12 The same thing happened inAlexandria, which excels all cities insize and prosperity.

13 Country people by migratingfrom the rural districts and settling


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in the city brought agriculture intodisrepute: and so to prevent themfrom settling in the city, the king is-sued orders that they should not stayin it for more than twenty days. 2 14

And in the same way he gave the ju dges wri tt en inst ru ct ion s, tha t i f i twas necessary to issue a summonsagainst any one who lived in thecountry, the case must be settledwithin five days.15 And since he considered the mat-

ter one of great importance, he ap-pointed also legal officers for everydistrict with their assistants, that thefarmers and their advocates might

not in the interests of business emptythe granaries of the city, I mean, of the produce of husbandry.16 I have permitted this digression

because it was Eleazar who pointedout with great

clearness the points which havebeen mentioned.17 For great is the energy which

they expend on the tillage of thesoil.18 For the land is thickly planted

with multitudes of olive trees, withcrops of corn and pulse, with vinestoo, and there is abunda nce of honey.19 Other kinds of fruit trees and

dates do not count compared withthese.20 There are cattle of all kinds in

great quantities and a rich pasturagefor them.21 Wherefore they rightly recognise

that the country districts need a largepopulation, and the relations be-tween the city and the villages areproperly regulated.22 A great quantity of spices and

precious stones and gold is broughtinto the country by t he Arabs.23 For the country is well adapted

not only for agriculture but also forcommerce, and the city is rich in thearts and lacks none of the merchan-dise which is brought across the sea.

24 It possesses too suitable and

commodious harbours at Askalon,Joppa, and Gaza, as well m at Ptole-mais which was founded by the Kingand holds a central position com-pared with the other places named,being not far distant from any of them.

25 The country produces everythingin abundance, since it is well wa-tered in all directions and well pro-tected from storms.

26The river Jordan, as it is called,which never runs dry, flows through

the land.27 Originally the country contained

not less than 60 million acres though afterwards the neighbouringpeoples made incursions against it and 600,000 men were settled uponit in farms of a hundred acres each.

28 The river l ike the Nile rises inharvest-time and irrigates a largeportion of the land.

29 Near the district belonging to thepeople of Ptolemais it issues intoanother river and this flows out intothe sea.

30 Other mountain torrents, as theyare called, flow down into the plainand encompass the parts about Gazaand the district of Ashdod.

31 The country is encircled by anatural fence and is very difficult toattack and cannot be assailed bylarge forces, owing to the narrowpasses, with theft overhanging preci-pices and deep ravines, and therugged character of the mountainousregions which surround all the land.

32 We were told that from theneighbouring mountains of Arabia


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copper and iron were formerly ob-tained.33 This was stopped, however, at

the time of the Persian rule, sincethe authorities of the time spread

abroad a false report that the work-ing of the mines was useless and ex-pensive in order to prevent theircountry from being destroyed by themining in these districts and possiblytaken away from them owing to thePersian rule, since by the assistanceof this false report they found anexcuse for entering the district.34 I have now, my dear brother Phi-

locrates, given you all the essential

information upon this subject inbrief form.35 I shall describe the work of

translation in the sequel.36 The High Priest selected men of

the finest character and the highestculture, such as one would expectfrom their noble parentage.37 They were men who had not only

acquired proficiency in Jewish li te-rature but had studied most carefullythat of the Greeks as well.38 They were specially qualified

therefore for serving on embassiesand they undertook this duty when-ever it wa s necessary.39 They possessed a great facility

for conferences and the discussion of problems connected with t he law.40 They espoused the middle

course and this is always the bestcourse to pursue.41 They abjured the rough and un-

couth manner, but they were alto-gether above pride and never as-sumed an air of superiority over oth-ers, and in conversation they wereready to l isten and give an a ppropri-ate answer to every question.42 And all of them carefully ob-

served this rule and were anxiousabove everything else to excel eachother in its observance and they wereall of them worthy of their leaderand of his virtue.

43And one could observe how theyloved Eleazar by their unwillingness

to be torn away from him and how heloved them.

44 Far besides the letter which hewrote to the king concerning theirsafe return, he also earnestly be-sought Andreas to work for the sameend and urged me, too, to assist tothe best of my ability.

45 And although we promised to

give our best attention to the matter,he said that he was still greatly dis-tressed, for he knew that t he king outof the goodness of his nature consi-dered it his highest privilege, when-ever he heard of a man who was su-perior to his fellows in culture andwisdom, to summon him to his court.

46 For I have heard of a fine sayingof his to the effect that by securing

just and prudent men abou t his pe r -son he would secure the greatest pro-tection for his kingdom, since suchfriends would unreservedly give himthe most beneficial advice.

47 And the men who were now be-ing sent to him by Eleazar undoub-tedly possessed these qualities.

48 And he frequently asserted uponoath that he would never let the mengo if i t were merely some private in-terest of his own that constituted theimpelling motive-but it was for thecommon advantage of all the citizensthat he was sending them.

49 For, he explained, the good lifeconsists in the keeping of the enact-ments of the law, and this end isachieved much more by hearing thanby reading.


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50 From this and other similarstatements it was clear what his feel-ings towards them were.

CHAP. VI.

Ex pla natio ns of th e custo ms of th e people showing what is me ant by th eword, "Unclean." The essence and origin of the "God-Belief." Verses48-44 give a picturesque descriptionof the Divinity of phys iology.IT is worth while to mention briefly

the information which he gave in re-ply to our questions.2 For I suppose that most people

feel a curiosity with regard to some

of the enactments in the law, espe-cially those about meats and drinksand animals recognised as unclean.3 When we asked why, since there is

but one form of creation, some ani-mals are regarded as unclean for eat-ing, and others unclean even to thetouch (for though the law is scrupul-ous on most points, it is speciallyscrupulous on such matters as these)he began his reply as follows:4 'You observe,' he said, 'what an

effect our modes of life and our as-sociations produce upon us; by asso-ciating with the bad, men catch theirdepravities and become miserablethroughout their life; but if they livewith the wise and prudent, they findthe means of escaping from ignor-ance and amending their lives.5 Our lawgiver first of all laid down

the principles of piety and righ-teousness and inculcated them pointby point, not merely by prohibitionsbut by the use of examples as well,demonstrating the injurious effectsof sin and the punishments inflictedby God upon the guilty.6 For he proved first of all that

there is only one God and that his

power is manifested throughout theuniverse, since every place is filledwith his sovereignty and none of thethings which are wrought in secretby men upon the earth escapes His

knowledge.7 For all that a man does and allthat is to come to pass in the futureare manifest to Him.

8 Working out these truths carefullyand having made them plain, heshowed that even if a man shouldthink of doing evil to say nothingof actually effecting it, he wouldnot escape detection, for he made itclear that the power of God pervaded

the whole of the la w.9 Beginning from his starting point,he went on to show that all mankindexcept ourselves believe in the exis-tence of many gods, though theythemselves are much more powerfulthan the beings whom they vainlyworship.

10 For when they have made statuesof stone and wood, they say that theyare the images of those who have in-vented something useful for life andthey worship them, though they haveclear proof that they possess no feel-ing.

11 For it would be utterly foolish tosuppose that any one became a godin virtue of his inventions.

12 For the inventors simply took certain objects already created andby combining them together, showedthat they possessed a fresh utility:they did not themselves create thesubstance of the thing, and so it is avain and foolish thing for people tomake gods of men like themselves.

13 For in our t imes there are manywho are much more inventive andmuch more learned than the men of former days who have been deified,


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and yet they would never come toworship them.14 The makers and authors of these

myths think that they are the wisestof the Greeks.15

Why need we speak of other in-fatuated people, Egyptians and thelike, who place their reliance uponwild beasts and most kinds of creep-ing things and cattle, and worshipthem, and offer sacrifices to themboth while living and when dead?16 Now our Lawgiver being a wise

man and specially endowed by Godto understand all things, took a com-prehensive view of each particular

detail, and fenced us round with im-pregnable ramparts and walls of iron, that we might not mingle at allwith any of the other nations, butremain pure in body and soul, freefrom all vain imaginations, worship-ping the one Almighty God above thewhole creation.17 Hence the leading Egyptian

priests having looked carefully intomany matters, and being cognizantwith our affairs, call us "men of God."18 This is a t i t le which does not be-

long to the rest of mankind but onlyto those who worship the tru e God.19 The rest are men not of God but

of meats and drinks and clothing.20 For their whole disposition leads

them to find solace in these thingsare reckoned of no account, butthroughout their things.21 Among our people such whole

life their main consideration is thesovereignty of God.22 Therefore lest we should be cor-

rupted by any abomination, or ourlives be perverted by evil communi-cations, he hedged us round on allsides by rules of purity, affecting

alike what we eat, or drink, or touch,or hear, or see.

23 For though, speaking generally,all things are alike in their naturalconstitution, since they are all go-

verned by one and the same power,yet there is a deep reason in each i n-dividual case why we abstain fromthe use of certain things and enjoythe common use of others.

24 For the sake of illustration I willrun over one or two points and ex-plain them to you.

25 For you must not fall into thedegrading idea that it was out of re-gard to mice and weasels and other

such things that Moses drew up hislaws with such exceeding care.26 All these ordinances were made

for the sake of righteousness to aidthe quest for virtue and the perfect-ing of character.

27 For all the birds that we use aretame and distinguished by theircleanliness, feeding on various kindsof grain and pulse, such as for in-stance pigeons, turtle-doves, locusts,partridges, geese also, and all otherbirds of this class.

28 But the birds which are forbid-den you will find to be wild and car-nivorous, tyrannising over the othersby the strength which they possess,and cruelly obtaining food by prey-ing of the tame birds enumeratedabove.

29 And not only so, but they seizelambs and kids, and injure humanbeings too, whether dead or alive,and so by naming them unclean, hegave a sign by means of them thatthose, for whom the legislation wasordained, must practise righteous-ness in their hearts and not tyranniseover any one in reliance upon theirown strength nor rob them of any-


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thing, but steer their course of life inaccordance with justice, just as thetame birds, already mentioned, con-sume the different kinds of pulsethat grow upon the earth and do not

tyrannise to the destruction of theirown kindred.30 Our legislator taught us therefore

that it is by such methods as thesethat indications are given to thewise, that they must be just and ef-fect nothing by violence, and refrainfrom tyrannising over others in re-liance upon their own strength.31 For since it is considered un-

seemly even to touch such unclean

animals, as have been mentioned, onaccount of their particular habits,ought we not to take every precau-tion lest our own characters shouldbe destroyed to the same extent?32 Wherefore all the rules which he

has laid down with regard to what ispermitted in the case of these birdsand other animals, he has enactedwith the object of teaching us a mor-al lesson.33 For the division of the hoof and

the separation of the claws are in-tended to teach us that we must dis-criminate between our individual ac-tions with a view to the practice of virtue.34 For the strength of our whole

body and its activity depend uponour shoulders and limbs.35 Therefore he compels us to rec-

ognise that we must perform all ouractions with discrimination accord-ing to the standard of righteous-ness, more especially because wehave been distinctly separated fromthe rest of mankind.

36 For most other men defile them-selves by promiscuous intercourse,thereby working great iniquity, and

whole countries and cities pridethemselves upon such vices.

37 For they not only have inter-course with men but they defile theirown mothers and even their daugh-

ters.38 But we have been kept separatefrom such sins.

39 And the people who have beenseparated in the aforementioned wayare also characterised by the Law-giver as possessing the gift of mem-ory.

40 For all animals "which are clo-ven-footed and chew the cud"represent to the initiated the symbol

of memory.41 For the act of chewing the cud isnothing else than the reminiscence of life and existence.

42 For l ife is wont to be sustainedby means of food, wherefor he ex-horts us in the Scripture also in thesewords: "Thou shalt surely rememberthe Lord that wrought in thee thosegreat and wonderful things."

43 For when they are properly con-ceived, they are manifestly great andglorious; first the construction of thebody and the disposition of the foodand the separation of each individuallimb and, for more, the organisationof the senses, the operation and in-visible movement of the mind, therapidity of its particular actions andits discovery of the arts, display aninfinite resourcefulness.

44 Wherefore he exhorts us to re-member that the aforesaid parts arekept together by the divine powerwith consummate skill.

45 For he has marked out every timeand place that we may continuallyremember the God who rules andpreserves us.

46 For in the matter of meats and


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drinks he bids us first of all offerpart as a sacrifice and then forthwithenjoy our meal.47 Moreover, upon our garments he

has given us a symbol of remem-

brance, and in like manner he hasordered us to put the divine oraclesupon our gates and doors as a re-membrance of God.48 And upon our hands, too, he ex-

pressly orders the symbol to be fas-tened, clearly showing that we oughtto perform every act in righteous-ness, remembering our own creation,and above all the fear of God.49 He bids men also, when lying

down to sleep and rising tip again, tomeditate upon the works of God, notonly in word, but by observing dis-tinctly the change and impressionproduced upon them, when they aregoing to sleep, and also their wak-ing, how divine and incomprehensi-ble the change from one of thesestates to the other is.50 The excellency of the analogy in

regard to discrimination and memoryhas now been pointed out to you, ac-cording to our interpretation of "thecloven hoof and the chewing of thecud."51 For our laws have not been

drawn up at random or in accordancewith the first casual thought that oc-curred to the mind, but with a viewto truth and the indication of rightreason.52 For by means of the directions

which he gives with regard to meatsand drinks and particular cases of touching, he bids us neither to donor listen to anything thoughtlesslynor to resort to injustice by theabuse of the power of reason.53 In the case of the wild animals,

too, the same principle may be dis-

covered.54 For the character of the weasel

and of mice and such animals asthese, which are expressly men-tioned, is destructive.

55Mice defile and damage every-thing, not only for their own food

but even to the extent of renderingabsolutely useless to man whatever itfalls in their way to damage.

56 The weasel class, too, is pecu-liar: for besides what has been said,it has a characteristic which is defil-ing: It conceives through the earsand brings forth through the mouth.

57 And it is for this reason that a

like practice is declared unclean inmen.58 For by embodying in speech all

that they receive through the ears,they involve others in evils a nd work no ordinary impurity, being them-selves altogether defiled by the pol-lution of i mpiety.

59 And your king, as we are in-formed, does quite right in destroy-ing such men.'

60 Then I said 'I suppose you meanthe informers, for he constantly ex-poses them to tortures and to painfulforms of death.'

61 'Yes,' he replied, 'these are themen I mean; for to watch for men'sdestruction is an unholy thing.

62 And our law forbids us to injureany one either by word or deed.

63 My brief account of these mat-ters ought to have convinced you,that all our regulations have beendrawn up with a view to righteous-ness, and that nothing has beenenacted in the Scripture thoughtless-ly or without due reason, but its pur-pose is to enable us throughout ourwhole l ife and in all our actions topractise righteousness before all


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men, being mindful of AlmightyGod.64 And so concerning meats and

things unclean, creeping things, andwild beasts, the whole system aims

at righteousness and righteous rela-tionships between man and man.'65 He seemed to me to have made a

good defence on all the points; for inreference also to the calves and ramsand goats which are offered, he saidthat it was necessary to take themfrom the herds and flocks, and sacri-fice tame animals and offer nothingwild, that the offerers of the sacri-fices might understand the symbolic

meaning of the lawgiver and not beunder the influence of an arrogantself-consciousness.66 For he, who offers a sacrifice,

makes an offering also of his ownsoul in all its moods.67 I think that these particulars with

regard to our discussion are worthnarrating, and on account of thesanctity and natural meaning of thelaw, I have been induced to explainthem to you clearly, Philocrates, be-cause of your own devotion to learn-ing.

CHAP. VII.The arrival of the envoys with the

manuscript of the precious book and gifts. Preparations for a royal ban-quet. The host immediately upon be-ing seated at table entertains hisguests with questions and answers.Some sage comments on soc iology.AND Eleazar, after offering the sa-

crifice, and selecting the envoys, andpreparing many gifts for the king,despatched us on our journey ingreat securi ty.2 And when we reached Alexandria,

the king was at once informed of our

arrival.3 On our admission to the palace,

Andreas and I warmly greeted theking and handed over to him the let-ter written b y Eleazar.

4The king was very anxious tomeet the envoys, and gave orders

that all the other officials should bedismissed and the envoys summonedto his presence at once. 5 Now thisexcited general surprise, for it iscustomary for those who come toseek an audience with the king onmatters of importance to be admittedto his presence on the fifth day,while envoys from kings or very im-

portant cities with difficulty secureadmission to the Court in thirtydays but these men he countedworthy of greater honour, since heheld their master in such high es-teem, and so he immediately dis-missed those whose presence he re-garded as superfluous and continuedwalking about until they came in andhe was able to welcome them.

6 When they entered with the giftswhich had been sent with them andthe valuable parchments, on whichthe law was inscribed in gold in Jew-ish characters, for the parchment waswonderfully prepared and the con-nexion between the pages had beenso effected as to be invisible, theking as soon as he saw them began toask them about the books.

7 And when they had taken the rollsout of their coverings and unfoldedthe pages, the king stood still for along time and then making obeisanceabout seven times, he said:

8 'I thank you, my friends, and Ithank him that sent you still more,and most of all God, whose oraclesthese are.'

9 And when all , the envoys and the


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others who were present as well,shouted out at one time and with onevoice: 'God save the King!' he burstinto tears o f joy.10 For his exaltation of soul and the

sense of the overwhelming honourwhich had been paid him compelledhim to weep over his good fortune.11 He commanded them to put the

rolls back in their places and thenafter saluting the men, said: 'It wasright, men of God, that I should firstof all pay my reverence to the booksfor the sake of which I summonedyou here and then when I had donethat, to extend the right-hand of

friendship to you.12 It was for this reason that I didthis first.13 I have enacted that this day, on

which you arrived, shall be kept as agreat day and it will be celebratedannually throughout my life time.14 It happens also that it is the an-

niversary of my naval victory overAntigonus. Therefore I shall be gladto feast with you t o-day.15 Everything that you may have

occasion to use,' he said, 'shall beprepared for you in a befitting man-ner and for me also with you.'16 After they had expressed their

delight, he gave orders that the bestquarters near the citadel should beassigned to them, and that prepara-tions should be made for the ban-quet.17 And Nicanor summoned the lord

high steward, Dorotheus, who wasthe special officer appointed to look after the Jews, and commanded himto make the necessary preparationfor each one.18 For this arrangement had been

made by the king and it is an ar-rangement which you see maintained

to-day.19 For as many cities as have spe-

cial customs in the matter of drink-ing, eating, and reclining, have spe-cial officers appointed to look after

their requirements.20 And whenever they come to visitthe kings, preparations are made inaccordance with their own customs,in order that there may be no dis-comfort to disturb the enjoyment of their visit.

21 The. same precaution was takenin the case of the Jewish envoy s.

22 Now Dorotheus who was the pa-tron appointed to look after Jewish

guests was a very conscientious man.23 All the stores which were underhis control and set apart for the re-ception of such guests, he broughtout for the feast.

24 He arranged the seats in tworows in accordance with the king'sinstructions.

25 For he had ordered him to makehalf the men sit at his right hand andthe rest behind him, in order that hemight not withhold from them thehighest possible honour.

26 When they had taken their seatshe instructed Dorotheus to carry outeverything in accordance with thecustoms which were in use amongsthis Jewish guests.

27 Therefore he dispensed with theservices of the sacred heralds andthe sacrificing priests and the otherswho were accustomed to offer theprayers, and called upon one of ournumber, Eleazar, the oldest of theJewish priests, to offer prayer in-stead.

28 And he rose up and made a re-markable prayer. 'May Almighty Godenrich you, O king, with all the goodthings which He has made and may


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He grant you and your wife and yourchildren and your comrades the con-tinual possession of them as long asyou live!'29 At these words a loud and joyous

applause broke out which lasted fora considerable time, and then theyturned to the enjoyment of the ban-quet which had been prepared.30 All the arrangements for service

at table were carried out in accor-dance with the injunction of Doro-theus.31 Among the attendants were the

royal pages and others who heldplaces of honour at the king's court.32

Taking an opportunity affordedby a pause in the banquet the kingasked the envoy who sat in the seatof honour (for they were arrangedaccording to seniority), how hecould keep his kingdom unimpairedto the end?33 After pondering for a moment he

replied, 'You could best establish itssecurity if you were to imitate theunceasing benignity of God. For if you exhibit clemency and inflictmild punishments upon those whodeserve them in accordance withtheir deserts, you will turn themfrom evil and lead them to repen-tance.' 1 34 The king praised the answer and

then asked the next man, how hecould do everything for the best inall his actions?35 And he replied, 'If a man main-

tains a just bearing towards all, hewill always act rightly on every oc-casion, remembering that everythought is known to God. If you takethe fear of God as your starting-point, you will never miss the goal. '36 The king complimented this man,

too, upon his answer and asked

another, how he could have friendslike-minded with himself?

37 He replied, 'If they see you stud-ying the interests of the multitudesover whom you rule; you will do

well to observe how God bestows hisbenefits on the human race, provid-ing for them health and food and all other things in due season.'

38 After expressing his agreementwith the reply, the king asked thenext guest, how in giving audiencesand passing judgments he could gainthe praise even of those who failedto win their suit?

39 And he said, 'If you are fair in

speech to all alike and never act in-solently nor tyrannically in yourtreatment of offenders. And you willdo this if you watch the method bywhich God acts. The petitions of theworthy are always fulfi l led, whilethose who fail to obtain an answer totheir prayers are informed by meansof dreams or events of what washarmful in their requests and thatGod does not smite them accordingto their sins or the greatness of Hisstrength, but acts with forbearancetowards them.'

40 The king praised the man warmlyfor his answer and asked the next inorder, how he could be invincible inmilitary affairs?

41 And he replied, 'If he did nottrust entirely to his multitudes or hiswarlike forces, but called upon Godcontinually to bring his enterprisesto a successful issue, while he him-self. discharged all his duties in thespirit of justice.'

42 Welcoming this answer, he askedanother how he might become an ob-

ject of dread to hi s enemies.43 And he replied, 'If while main-

taining a vast supply of arms and


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forces he remembered that thesethings were powerless to achieve apermanent and conclusive result. Foreven God instils fear into the mindsof men by granting reprieves and

making merely a display of thegreatness of his power.'44 This man the king praised and

then said to the next, 'What is thehighest good in life?'45 And he answered, 'To know that

God is Lord of the Universe, andthat in our finest achievements it isnot we who attain success but Godwho by his power brings all things tofulfilment and leads us to the goal. '46

The king exclaimed that the manhad answered well and then askedthe next how he could keep all hispossessions intact and finally handthem down to his successors in thesame condition?47 And he answered, 'By praying

constantly to God that you may beinspired with high motives in allyour undertakings and by warningyour descendants not to be dazzledby fame or wealth, for it is God whobestows all these gifts and men nev-er by themselves win the supr emacy.'48 The king expressed his agree-

ment with the answer and inquired of the next guest, how he could bearwith equanimity whatever befellhim?49 And he said, 'If you have a firm

grasp of the thought that all men areappointed by God to share the great-est evil as well as the greatest good,since it is impossible for one who isa man to be exempt from these. ButGod to whom we ought always topray, inspires us with courage to en-dure.'50 Delighted with the man's reply,

the king said that all their answers

had been good. 'I will put a questionto one other, ' he added, 'and then Iwill stop for the present: that wemay turn our attention to the enjoy-ment of the feast and spend a plea-

sant time.'51 Thereupon he asked the man,'What is the true aim of courage?'

52 And he answered, 'If a right planis carried out in the hour of dangerin accordance with the original in-tention. For all things are accom-plished by God to your advantage, Oking, since your purpose is good.'

53 When all had signified by theirapplause their agreement with the

answer, the king said to the philoso-phers (for not a few of them werepresent), 'It is my opinion that thesemen excel in virtue and possess ex-traordinary knowledge, since on thespur of the moment they have givenfitting answers to these questionswhich I have put to them, and haveall made God the starting-point of their words.'

54 And Menedemus, the philosopherof Eretria, said, 'True, O King fo rsince the universe is managed byprovidence and since we rightlyperceive that man is the creation of God, it follows that all power andbeauty of speech proceed from God.'

55 When the king had nodded hisassent to this sentiment, the speakingceased and they proceeded to enjoythemselves. When evening came on,the banquet ended.

CHAP. VIII. Mo re questions and answe rs . No teVerse 20 with its reference to flyingthrough the air written in 150 B. C .ON the following day they sat down

to table again and continued thebanquet according to the same ar-


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rangements.2 When the king thought that a fit-

ting opportunity had arrived to putinquiries to his guests, he proceededto ask further questions of the men

who sat next in order to those whohad given answers on the previousday.3 He began to open the conversation

with the eleventh man, for therewere ten who had been asked ques-tions on the former occasio n.4 When silence was established, he

asked how he could continue to berich?5 After a brief reflection, the man

who had been asked the questionreplied 'If he did nothing unworthyof his position, never acted licen-tiously, never lavished expense onempty and vain pursuits, but by actsof benevolence made all his subjectswell disposed towards himself. For itis God who is the author of all goodthings and Him man must needsobey.'6 The king bestowed praise upon

him and then asked another how hecould maintain the truth?7 In reply to the question he said,

'By recognizing that a lie bringsgreat disgrace upon all men, andmore especially upon kings. Forsince they have the power to dowhatever they wish, why should theyresort to lies? In addition to this youmust always remember, O King, thatGod is a lover of the truth.8 The king received the answer with

great delight and looking at anothersaid, 'What is the teaching of wis-dom?'9 And the other replied, 'As you

wish that no evil should befall you,but to be a partaker of all goodthings, so you should act on the

same principle towards your subjectsand offenders, and you should mildlyadmonish the noble and good. ForGod draws all men to Himself by hisbenignity.'

10The king praised him and askedthe next in order how he could be the

friend of men?11 And he replied, 'By observing

that the human race increases and isborn with much trouble and greatsuffering: wherefore you must notlightly punish or inflict tormentsupon them, since you know that thelife of men is made up of pains andpenalties. For if you understood eve-

rything you would be filled withpity, for God al so it pitiful!12 The king received the answer

with approbation and inquired of thenext, 'What is the most essentialqualification for ruling?'

13 'To keep oneself, ' he answered,'free from bribery and to practise so-briety during the greater part of one's life, to honour rightousnessabove all things, and to make friendsof men of this type. For God, too, isa lover of justice!

13 Having signified his approval,the king said to another, 'What is thetrue mark of piety?'

14 And he replied, 'To perceive thatGod constantly works in the Un-iverse and knows all things, and noman who acts unjustly and workswickedness can escape His notice.As God is the benefactor of thewhole world, so you, too, must im-itate Him and be void of offence!

15 The king signified his agreementand said to another, 'What is the es-sence of kingship?'

16 And he replied, 'To rule oneself well and not to be led astray bywealth or fame to immoderate or un-


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seemly desires, this is the true wayof ruling if you reason the matterwell out. For all that you really needis yours, and God is free from needand benignant withal. Let your

thoughts be such as become a man,and desire not many things but onlysuch as are necessary for ruling!17 The king praised him and asked

another man, how his deliberationsmight be for the best?18 And he replied, 'If he constantly

set justice before him in everythingand thought that injustice was equiv-alent to deprivation of life. For Godalways promises the highest bless-

ings to the just!'19 Having praised him, the kingasked the next, how he could be freefrom disturbing thoughts in hissleep?20 And he replied, 'You have asked

me a. question which is very diffi-cult to answer, for we cannot bringour true selves into play during thehours for sleep, but are held fast inthese by imaginations that cannot becontrolled by reason. For our soulspossess the feeling that they actuallysee the things that enter into ourconsciousness during sleep. But wemake a mistake if we suppose thatwe are actually sailing on the sea inboats or flying through the air 1 ortravelling to other regions or any-thing else of the kind. And yet weactually do imagine such things to betaking place.21 So far as it is possible for me to

decide, I have reached the followingconclusion. You must in every possi-ble way, O King, govern your wordsand actions by the rule of piety thatyou may have the consciousness thatyou are maintaining virtue and thatyou never choose to gratify yourself

at the expense of reason and neverby abusing your power do despite torighteousness.

22 For the mind mostly busies i tself in sleep with the same things with,

which it occupies itself when awake.And he who has all his thoughts andactions set towards the noblest endsestablishes himself in righteousnessboth when he is awake and when heis asleep. Wherefore. you must besteadfast in the constant disciplineof self.

23 The king bestowed praise on theman and said to another 'Since youare the tenth to answer, when you

have spoken, we will devote our-selves to the banquet. ' And then heput the question, how can I avoiddoing anything unworthy of myself?

24 And he replied, 'Look always toyour own fame and your own su-preme position, that you may speak and think only such things as areconsistent therewith, knowing thatall your subjects think and talk a boutyou. For you must not appear to beworse than the actors, who studycarefully the rl e, which it is neces-sary for them to play, and shape alltheir actions in accordance with it.You are not acting a part, but are re-ally a king, since God has bestowedupon you a royal authority in keep-ing with your charact er. '

25 When the king had applaudedloud and long in the most, graciousway, the guests were urged to seek repose. So when the conversationceased, they devoted themselves tothe next course of the feast.

26 On the following day, the samearrangement was observed, and whenthe king found an opportunity of putting questions to the men, hequestioned the first of those who had


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been left over for the next interroga-tion, What is the highest form of government?27 And he replied, 'To rule oneself

and not to be carried away by im-

pulses. For all men possess a certainnatural bent of mind. It is probablethat most men have an inclinationtowards food and drink and pleasure,and kings a bent towards the acquisi-tion of territory and great renown.But it is good that there should bemoderation in all things.28 What God gives, that you must

take and keep, but never yearn forthings that are beyond your reach.'29

Pleased with these words, theking asked the next, how he could befree from envy?30 And he after a brief pause rep-

lied, 'If you consider first of all thatit is God who bestows on all kingsglory and great wealth and no one isking by his own power. All men wishto share this glory but cannot, sinceit is the gift of God!31 The king praised the man in a

long speech and then asked another,how he could despise his enemies?32 And he replied, 'if you show

kindness to all men and win theirfriendship, you need fear no one. Tobe popular with all men is the best of good gifts to receive from God!33 Having praised this answer the

king ordered the next man to reply tothe question, how he could maintainhis great renown?34 And he replied that 'If you are

generous and large-hearted in bes-towing kindness and acts of graceupon others, you will never lose yourrenown, but if you wish the aforesaidgraces to continue yours, you mustcall upon God continually.'35 The king expressed his approval

and asked the next, To whom ought aman to show liberality?

36 And he replied, 'All men ac-knowledge that we ought to show li-berality to those who are well dis-

posed towards us, but I think that weought to show the same keen spiritof generosity to those who are op-posed to us that by this means wemay win them over to the right andto what is advantageous to ourselves.But we must pray to God that thismay be accomplished, for he rulesthe minds of all men.'

37 Having expressed his agreementwith the answer, the king asked the

sixth to reply to the question, towhom ought we to exhibit gratitude?38 And he replied, 'To our parents

continually, for God has given us amost important commandment withregard to the honour due to parents.In the next place He reckons the atti-tude of friend towards friend for Hespeaks of "a friend which is as thineown soul." You do well in trying tobring all men into friendship withyourself. '

39 The king spoke kindly to himand then asked the next, What is itthat resembles beauty in value?

40 And he said, 'Piety, for it is thepre-eminent form of beauty, and itspower lies in love, which is the giftof God. This you have already ac-quired and with it all the blessingsof l ife. '

41 The king in the most graciousway applauded the answer and askedanother, how, if he were to fail, hecould regain his reputation again inthe same degree?

42 And he said, 'It is not possiblefor you to fail, for you have sown inall men the seeds of gratitude whichproduce a harvest of goodwill, and


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this is mightier than the strongestweapons and guarantees the greatestsecurity. But if any man does fail, hemust never again do those thingswhich caused his failure, but he must

form friendships and act justly. Forit is the gift of God to be able to dogood actions and not th e contrary.'43 Delighted with these words, the

king asked another, how he could befree from grief?44 And he replied, 'If he never in-

ju red any on e, bu t did good to ev e-rybody and followed the pathway of righteousness, for its fruits bringfreedom from grief. But we must

pray to God that unexpected evilssuch as death or disease or pain oranything of this kind may not comeupon us and injure us. But since youare devoted to piety, no such misfor-tune will ever come upon you.'45 The king bestowed great praise

upon him and asked the tenth, Whatis the highest form of glory?46 And he said, 'To honour God, and

this is done not with gifts and sacri-fices but with purity of soul and holyconviction, since all things are fa-shioned and governed by God in ac-cordance with His will. Of this pur-pose you are in constant possessionas all men can she from yourachievements in the past and in thepresent. '47 With loud voice the king greeted

them all and spoke kindly to them,and all those who were present ex-pressed their approval, especially thephilosophers. For they were far su-perior to them [i . e. the philoso-phers] both in conduct and in argu-ment, since they always made Godtheir starting-point.48 After this the king to show his

good feeling proceeded to drink the

health of his guests.

CHAP. IXVerse 8 epitomizes the value of

knowledge. Verse 28, parental affec-

tion. Note especially the question inVerse 26 and the answer. Also notethe question in Verse 47 and the an-swer. This is sage advice for busi-ness men.ON the following day the same ar-

rangements were e for the banquet,and the king, as soon as an opportu-nity occurred, began to put questionsto the men who sat next to those whohad already responded, and he said

to the first 'Is wisdom capable of be-ing taught?'2 And he said, 'The soul is so con-

stituted that it is able by the divinepower to receive all the good and re-

ject the contr ary. '3 The king expressed approval and

asked the next man, What is it that ismost beneficial to health?

4 And he said, 'Temperance, and itis not possible to acquire this unlessGod create a disposition towards it. '

5 The king spoke kindly to the manand said to another, 'How can a manworthily pay the debt of gratitude tohis parents?'

6 And he said, 'By never causingthem pain, and this is not possibleunless God dispose the mind to thepursuit of the noblest ends.'

7 The king expressed agreement andasked the next, how he could becomean eager listener?

8 And he said, 'By remembering thatall knowledge is useful, because itenables you by the help of God in atime of emergency to select some of the things which you have learnedand apply them to the crisis whichconfronts you. And so the efforts of


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men are fulfilled by the assistance of God.'9 The king praised him and asked

the next How he could avoid doinganything contrary to law?10

And he said, 'If you recognizethat i t is God who has put thethoughts into the hearts of the law-givers that the lives of men might bepreserved, you will follow them.'11 The king acknowledged the

man's answer and said to another,'What is the advantage of kinship?'12 And he replied, 'If we consider

that we ourselves are afflicted by themisfortunes which fall upon our rela-

tives and if their sufferings becomeour own then the strength of kin-ship is apparent at once, for it is on-ly when such feeling is shown thatwe shall win honour and esteem intheir eyes. For help, when it islinked with kindliness, is of itself abond which is altogether indisso-luble. And in the day of their pros-perity we must not crave their pos-sessions, but must pray God to bes-tow all manner of good upon them.'13 And having accorded to him the

same praise as to the rest, the kingasked another, how he could attainfreedom from fear?14 And he said, 'When the mind is

conscious that it has wrought noevil, and when God directs it to allnoble counsels. '15 The king expressed his approval

and asked another, how he could al-ways maintain a right judgement?16 And he replied, 'If he constantly

set before his eyes the misfortuneswhich befall men and recognizedthat i t is God who takes away pros-perity from some and brings othersto great honour and glory.'17 The king gave a kindly reception

to the man and asked the next to a n-swer the question, how he couldavoid a life of ease and pleasure?

18 And he replied, 'If he continuallyremembered that he was the ruler of

a great empire and the lord of vastmultitudes, and that his mind oughtnot to be occupied with other things,but, he ought always to be consider-ing how he could best promote theirwelfare. He must pray, too, to Godthat no duty might be neglected.'

19 Having bestowed praise uponhim, the king asked the tenth, howhe could recognize those who weredealing treacherously with him?

20And he replied to the question,'If he observed whether the bearing

of those about him was natural andwhether they maintained the properrule of precedence at receptions andcouncils, and in their general inter-course, never going beyond thebounds of propriety in congratula-tions or in other matters of deport-ment. But God will incline yourmind, O King, to all that is noble. '

21 When the king had expressed hisloud approval and praised them allindividually (amid the plaudits of allwho were present), they turned to theenjoyment of the feast.

22 And on the next day, when theopportunity offered, the king askedthe next man, What is the grossestform of neglect?

23 And he replied, 'If a man doesnot care for his children and devoteevery effort to their education. Forwe always pray to God not so muchfor ourselves as for our children thatevery blessing may be theirs. Ourdesire that our children may possessself-control is only realized by thepower of God.'

24 The king said that he had spoken


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well and then asked another, how hecould be patriotic?25 'By keeping before your mind,'

he replied, 'the thought that it isgood to live and die in one's own

country. Residence abroad1

bringscontempt upon the poor and shameupon the rich as though they hadbeen banished for a crime. If youbestow benefits upon all, as you con-tinually do, God will giv e you favourwith all and you will be accountedpatriotic."26 After listening to this man, the

king asked the next in order, how hecould live amicably with his wife?27

And he answered, 'By recogniz-ing that womankind are by natureheadstrong and energetic in the pur-suit of their own desires, and subjectto sudden changes of opinionthrough fallacious reasoning, andtheir nature is essentially weak. It isnecessary to deal wisely with themand not to provoke strife. For thesuccessful conduct of life. thesteersman must know the goal to-ward which he ought to direct hiscourse. It is only by calling upon thehelp of God that men can steer a truecourse of life at all times.'28 The king expressed his agree-

men

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Letter of Aristeas