福音的預備 第 8 章 第 1/4 段

PROEM. In the book prior to this one I went through the lives of the ancient Hebrews — men beloved of God who, indeed, truly earned that title even before Moses appeared, and who bound about themselves the prizes of every virtue — together with their godly doctrines and teachings, and moreover their wholly true and pious theologies, for which we have confessed to have come into love and longing. I now proceed, following the same order, to the polity according to Moses, which occupies the second degree of piety, after that first degree which had been legislated for the Jewish nation alone.

For that the things given through Moses were fitting for the Jews alone, and no longer likewise for the nations throughout the inhabited world, nor possible for all men to observe — I mean for those living far off from the land of Judea, both Greeks and barbarians — this we shall demonstrate at the proper time.

But now, concerning this — I mean the life according to Moses — I shall set forth its manner not in my own words, but again solely through the words of those men who have been approved in their ancestral education; for I consider it fitting for me, in the same way I began, to furnish the testimony of my demonstrations through what is proper and native to each nation.

Just as, then, I called upon the Phoenicians and Egyptians and Greeks — the writers well known among their own peoples in their own land — as witnesses, so also the present occasion seems to me fittingly to admit these men as well, rather than that we ourselves should be thought to be fabricating foreign matters on our own account.

But before coming to this point, I think it necessary to set forth clearly for my readers how their oracles came to the Greeks, and what manner of interpretation of the divine scriptures entrusted to them was established — by how many and what sort of men, and through how much royal zeal it obtained its transformation into the Greek tongue — since the exposition of these matters will not prove unhelpful to me for the demonstration of the Preparation that is to follow.

For since the life-giving preaching of our Savior was, under the rule of the Romans, about to shine forth upon all mankind, and no ordinary consideration required that the prophecies concerning him, together with the life of the ancient God-loving Hebrews and the lessons of their pious teaching — hidden for a long age in their ancestral tongue — should at last pass through to all the nations to whom some acquaintance with the knowledge of God was destined to be procured; God himself, the author of these blessings, foreseeing the future as God does by his foreknowledge, so arranged — by putting it into the mind of King Ptolemy to accomplish this — that the predictions concerning the Savior of all mankind, who was not long to appear, and teacher of the piety of the one God over all, who was to be established for all the nations under the sun, should be revealed to everyone and come to light, accurately translated and dedicated to public libraries; this being, as it seems, a preparation for the reception that was soon to come from all the nations.

For as to those things which we would not otherwise have obtained from the Jews — who would have hidden their oracles from us out of envy toward us — we were deemed worthy of them through the interpretation providentially arranged by God, since they were translated by men among them approved for both understanding and ancestral learning.

These things are recorded by Aristeas, a man learned in his own right, and moreover one who was present at the events under the second Ptolemy, surnamed Philadelphus, in whose reign the interpretation of the Jewish scriptures, having come about through the king's zeal, was deemed worthy of a place among the libraries at Alexandria. It is now time to listen to him, as he narrates, word for word, the manner of it thus.

Demetrius of Phalerum, having been appointed over the king's library, was granted large sums for various purposes toward gathering together all the books throughout the inhabited world; and by making purchases and having copies made, he brought the king's purpose, as far as lay in his power, to completion.

So, in our presence, when he was asked how many tens of thousands of books there happened to be, he said, 'More than twenty, O king; and I shall make it my endeavor, in a short time, to fill up the remainder to fifty. It has also been reported to me that the laws of the Jews are worthy of transcription and of a place in your library.'

'What, then,' he said, 'is preventing you from doing this? For everything needed for the purpose has been allotted to you.' Demetrius said, 'It requires translation; for in Judea they use their own characters, just as the Egyptians use their own arrangement of letters, inasmuch as they also have their own language. They are supposed to use Syriac; but that is not so — it is a different manner altogether.'

And when the king had learned all these particulars, he ordered a letter to be written to the high priest of the Jews, so that the aforesaid project might reach completion. And after other matters he adds:

When these matters had been accomplished, he ordered Demetrius to submit a report concerning the transcription of the Jewish books; for under these kings everything was administered by decrees and with great precision, and nothing carelessly or at random. For this reason I have recorded both the report and the copies of the letters, and the number of those who were sent, and the furnishings for each gift, since each of them was distinguished by its magnificence and craftsmanship. The copy of the report is this:

To the great king, from Demetrius. Since you, O king, gave orders concerning the books still lacking for the completion of the library, that they should be gathered together, and that those which had fallen into disrepair should receive proper restoration, I, having exercised diligence in these matters and not treated it as a secondary concern, now report to you as follows.

Now the books of the law of the Jews, along with a certain few others, are lacking; for they happen to be written in Hebrew characters and language, and they have been transcribed rather carelessly, and not as they truly are, as is reported by those who know — for they have not met with royal patronage.

It is fitting, however, that these too should be with you in an accurate form, because this legislation, being as it were divine, is both more philosophical and unblemished. For this reason the writers and poets and the multitude of historians have kept far from mentioning the aforesaid books and the men who conducted their lives according to them, because the contemplation contained in them is a certain pure and solemn thing, as Hecataeus of Abdera says.

If, then, it seems good, O king, a letter shall be written to the high priest in Jerusalem, to send men who have lived most excellently and are elders, experienced in their own law, six from each tribe, so that, having examined their agreement out of the majority, and having obtained accuracy in the translation, we may set it forth in a manner worthy both of the subject matter and of your own purpose, clearly and distinctly. May you fare well always.

When this report had been made, the king ordered a letter to be written to Eleazar concerning these matters, also making known the ransom of the captives that had taken place. He also gave, for the fashioning of mixing-bowls and bowls and a table and libation vessels, fifty talents' weight of gold and seventy talents of silver, and a considerable quantity of precious stones.

He also ordered the treasurers to give the craftsmen their choice of whatever materials they might prefer, and up to a hundred talents' worth of coin for sacrifices and other expenses. We shall inform you concerning the manufacture once we have gone through the copies of the letters. The king's letter had the following form.

King Ptolemy to the high priest Eleazar, greeting and good health. Since it happens that a great many of the Jews have settled in our country, having been carried off from Jerusalem by the Persians in the time when they held sway, and moreover having come with our father into Egypt as captives — of whom he enrolled a good many into the military corps at higher rates of pay, and likewise, judging those already present to be trustworthy, he built fortresses and entrusted them to these men, so that the nation of the Egyptians might stand in fear of them because of this — and we too, upon receiving the kingdom, deal more humanely with all men, and much more so with your fellow citizens: we have set free more than a hundred thousand captives, paying to their captors the appropriate price in silver; and we have also set right whatever wrong was done through the impulses of the mobs, having resolved to do this as an act of piety, and dedicating it as a thank-offering to the greatest God, who has preserved for us our kingdom in peace and with the highest glory throughout the whole inhabited world. Those in the prime of their age we have enlisted into the army; and those able also to be about our person and worthy of trust at court I have, after careful judgment, selected and appointed.

Since we wish to show favor to you, and to all the Jews throughout the inhabited world, and to those who shall come after, we have determined that your law should be translated into Greek letters out of the Hebrew letters, as they are called, current among you, so that these too may exist with us in the library along with the other royal books.

You will therefore do well, and act worthily of our zeal, if you select men who have lived excellently, elders, having experience of the law and capable of translating, six from each tribe, so that agreement may be found from the majority, since the matter under consideration concerns things of great importance. For we believe that, once this is accomplished, we shall win great renown.

For this purpose we have sent Andreas, one of the chief bodyguards, and Aristeas — men held in honor by us — to confer with you, and to bring, as first-fruits, offerings for the temple, and a hundred talents of silver for sacrifices and other needs. Write to us also concerning whatever you wish; for you will thereby earn our favor and do something worthy of friendship, since whatever you choose will be accomplished with the utmost speed. Farewell. To this, Eleazar wrote back fittingly as follows:

Eleazar the high priest to King Ptolemy, his true friend, greeting. If you yourself are well, and Queen Arsinoe your sister, and your children, it would be well, and as we wish; we ourselves are also in good health. Upon receiving your letter, we rejoiced greatly on account of your purpose and your good counsel; and having gathered the whole assembly together, we read it aloud to them, so that they might know the piety which you hold toward our God.

We also displayed the bowls which you sent — twenty of gold and thirty of silver — five mixing-bowls, and a table as a votive offering, and, for the offering of sacrifices and for repairs of whatever the temple may need, a hundred talents of silver, which were brought by Andreas, one of those honored at your court, and Aristeas, men noble and good and outstanding in learning, and in every way worthy of your character and your justice.

They also communicated to us what came from you, in reply to which they heard from us words fitting to your affairs. For whatever things are advantageous to you, even if they are contrary to what is customary for us, we shall comply; for this is a sign of friendship and love. For you have benefited our citizens greatly, and in ways not to be forgotten, in many respects.

We therefore immediately offered sacrifices on your behalf, and on behalf of your sister and your children and your friends; and the whole assembly prayed that it might always come to pass for you according to your desire, and that God, who is Lord over all, might preserve for you your kingdom in peace and with glory.

And so that the transcription of the holy law might take place advantageously and with security, in the presence of all, I have selected noble and good elders, six from each tribe, whom we have also sent, bearing the law with them. You will therefore do well, O righteous king, if you give orders that, once the transcription of the books has been made, the men may safely be restored again to us. Farewell.

Next after this, having said much in between concerning the undertaking he had proposed, Aristeas adds, after the interpretation of the scriptures, in these very words: 'And when these scrolls had been read aloud, the priests stood up, along with the elders of the translators and the men from the body politic and the leaders of the people, and said: Since the translation has been made well and reverently, and is in every respect accurately and rightly done, it is fitting that it should remain as it is, and that no revision whatsoever should be made to it. And when all had acclaimed what had been said, they ordered — as is their custom — that a curse be pronounced upon anyone who should revise it, whether by adding, or by transposing anything at all of what had been written, or by making any deletion, doing this rightly so that it might be preserved forever, remaining unchanged for all time.'

And when these things also had been reported to the king, he rejoiced greatly; for the purpose which he held seemed to have been securely accomplished. The whole was also read aloud to him, and he marveled exceedingly at the intelligence of the lawgiver, and said to Demetrius, 'How is it that, when such great matters had been accomplished, none of the historians or poets undertook to make mention of them?' And he replied that it was because the legislation was sacred and had come about through God, and that some of those who had attempted it had been struck by God and had desisted from the attempt.

For he said he had heard from Theopompus that, when he was about to relate, somewhat too rashly, certain matters already translated out of the law, he suffered a disturbance of mind for more than thirty days; and upon his recovery, when he propitiated God, it became clear to him for what reason this thing had happened to him — for it was signified to him through a dream that, out of curiosity, he had wished to bring divine matters out into publication among common men — and having refrained, he was thus restored.

And I also learned concerning Theodectes, the tragic poet, that when he was about to introduce into a certain drama something recorded in the book, his eyesight became clouded with a film; and, suspecting that this had happened to him on this account, he propitiated God and, after many days, was restored.

And when the king had learned about these matters, as I said before, from Demetrius, he did obeisance and ordered that great care be taken of the books, and that they be preserved with reverence.

These things, then, are given to us in abridged form from the aforementioned writing. Come now, let us also examine the constitution of the legislation according to Moses, drawn from those distinguished among these men. First I will set down what Philo says concerning the journey of the Jews out of Egypt, which they made under the leadership of Moses, taken from the first of the treatises which he entitled the Hypothetica, where, making his argument on behalf of the Jews as against their accusers, he speaks as follows:

That their ancient forefather was from the Chaldeans, and that this people arose out of Egypt, having in ancient times migrated from Syria, being numerous beyond counting and the land not being sufficient for them; and moreover, having been reared from their youth in a great loftiness of spirit, and at the same time, God through visions and dreams making known to them their departure, and they, no less than by some divine impulse, having fallen into a longing for their ancestral and ancient land; whence indeed that forefather of theirs, after coming into Egypt — whether by God's good pleasure or by some providence — prospered above all men to the highest degree, so that from him down to the present the nation itself has both come into being and continues through him, and has grown to such an extraordinary degree in multitude of population.

And a little further on he says: 'The man, indeed, who led them in their departure and their journey was, if you will, in no way different from the common run of men; thus they used to revile him as an impostor and a babbler of words — yet it was a fine sort of imposture and cunning, by which he not only preserved the whole people utterly safe amid waterlessness and famine and ignorance of the roads and lack of all necessities — and that as though amid every kind of abundance and safe conduct from the nations lying along their way — but also kept them free from faction toward one another, and, above all, obedient toward himself.'

And this, indeed, not for a short time, but for as long as one would not even expect a single household to remain together in harmony amid every abundance. And neither thirst, nor famine, nor bodily destruction, nor fear about the future, nor ignorance of what was to come, stirred up the people — who were supposedly being deceived and utterly ruined — against that 'impostor.'

And yet, whichever way you wish it, shall we say that he possessed such skill, or such power of speech, or such intelligence, as to prevail over so many and such difficulties, all leading everyone toward destruction? Either we must say that the natures of the men under him were disposed, not ignorantly nor stubbornly, but obediently, and not without foresight of the future; or that these men were indeed exceedingly bad, but that God softened their harshness, and, as it were, presided over both the present and the future. For whichever of these seems to you most true, it appears to hold good, with regard to the whole matter, for praise and honor and emulation.

Such, then, are the matters concerning the exodus. But since they came into this land, how indeed they were established and obtained possession of the country is made clear in the sacred records; I myself, however, do not think it right to go through what is probable concerning these matters according to history rather than according to some rational reckoning.

For which do you wish [to suppose]: that they, though still surviving in the multitude of their bodies, though utterly worn down, yet strong, and holding weapons in their hands, then took the country by force, defeating the Syrians and Phoenicians together who fought in their own land; or shall we suppose that they were unwarlike and unmanly and altogether few, and lacking in preparations for war, but obtained respect from these people and received the land from those willing to give it, and then immediately, not long after, built the temple, and established everything else for piety and holy worship?

For this shows, as it seems, that they were acknowledged as most beloved of God even by their enemies. For they were necessarily enemies of those upon whose land they suddenly came as if to take it away.

So, obtaining respect and honor from these people, how do they not appear to surpass others in good fortune? What shall we say next, or third in addition to these? Whether the matter of their good order and obedience to law, or of their holiness and justice and piety? But that man, whoever he was who established the laws for them, they admired so exceedingly that whatever seemed right to him, seemed right to them as well.

Whether he himself had reasoned it out or, hearing it from a divine spirit, declared it, he referred all this to God; and though more years have passed - I cannot say exactly how many, but at any rate more than two thousand years - not even a single word of what was written by him has been altered, but they would endure to die ten thousand times over sooner than be persuaded to anything contrary to his laws and customs.

Having said these things, he [Hecataeus] summarizes the constitution laid down for the Jewish nation from the laws of Moses, writing as follows:

Is there among them anything of this sort, or resembling it - seeming mild and tame, having introductions of lawsuits, pretexts, postponements, assessments, and again counter-assessments? Nothing of the sort; rather everything is simple and clear: if you commit pederasty, if you commit adultery, if you violate a child - let us not even speak of a male child - but even a female one; likewise if you prostitute yourself, or if, contrary to your age, you suffer something shameful, or seem to, or are about to, death is the penalty.

If you commit outrage against the body of a slave, or against a free person; if you hold someone bound in chains; if you lead someone away and sell him; if you steal profane or sacred things; if you act impiously - not only in deed, but even by a chance word - against God himself (may God be gracious to us even for the very thought of these things; it is not even fit to mention), or against father or mother, or one's own benefactor, death is likewise the penalty, and this not an ordinary or common one, but the one who merely spoke it must be stoned to death alone, as having done no less than an act of impiety.

Other things again, of what sort: that women should be subject to their husbands, not for the sake of any outrage, but for obedience in all things; that parents should rule, for the safety and careful management of their own possessions, so that each should be master of his property - provided he has not designated it as sacred to God, nor released it as belonging to God; but if it should happen that he has only promised it by word, it is not permitted to touch or handle it, but he is immediately excluded from all of it.

Let there be no plundering of what belongs to the gods, nor stripping of what others have dedicated; but also, as I said, even concerning one's own property, if a chance word escapes someone concerning a dedication, the one who spoke it is deprived of all of it; and if he changes his mind or tries to correct what was said, his very life is taken away besides.

And the same rule applies concerning other things over which a person has authority: if a husband declares his wife's food to be sacred, she must abstain from that food; likewise if a father does so to his son, or a ruler to his subject. And release from things thus declared sacred: the most complete and greatest release is when the priest pronounces it, for it is he who is authorized by God to receive such vows; and next to this is the sacred dispensation given by those who properly hold ongoing authority, declaring God propitious, so that acceptance of the dedication is not even obligatory.

And countless other things besides these, as many as pertain to unwritten customs and lawful practices, and even within the written laws themselves: what one hates to suffer, let him not do to another; what he has not deposited, let him not take away, neither from a garden-plot, nor from a wine-press, nor from a threshing-floor; let him take nothing at all, great or small, from a grain-heap; let him not begrudge fire to one who needs it; let him not vainly shut off water; but let him also, in reverent devotion to God, readily give aid to poor and maimed persons begging for food.

Let him not exclude a corpse from burial, but even cast on the earth as much as is needed for proper burial; let no one at all disturb the graves or memorials of the departed; let him not impose fetters, nor any further harm, upon one already in distress; let no one castrate the seed of men, nor cause women to miscarry by contraceptive drugs or other devices; let no one treat animals contrary to what God, or indeed some lawgiver, has prescribed; let no one destroy seed; let no one enslave offspring.

Let no one substitute an unjust weight, nor a false measure, nor false coinage; let no one reveal the secrets of friends in enmity. Where, by God, do those famous Buzygian curses stand beside these? Consider other things besides these: let no one separate children from parents, even if you hold them as captives; let no one separate a wife from her husband, even if you have lawfully bought her and are her master.

Perhaps these are more solemn and greater matters, but others are small and ordinary: let no one, he says, lay waste a household nest of birds; let no one kill animals that come as suppliants, as sometimes happens when they flee for refuge; nor do anything of such lesser sort. You might say these things are worth nothing, yet the law set over them is great, and is the cause of all diligent care, and its pronouncements concerning them are great, and there are curses of utter destruction, and God is the overseer of such things, and the avenger everywhere.

And after a few words he says: do you not marvel that it should happen for a whole day - or rather not one day only, but many, and these not immediately in succession one after another, but at intervals (and these at intervals of seven, since, as is always fitting, the custom that differs from profane days prevails) - that they transgress none of the things commanded?

Is this then merely for the sake of training them in self-control, so that they might equally be able both to labor at some task and to abstain from work if need be? Not at all. Rather, the lawgiver thought it necessary, for the sake of some great and wonderful work, that they should not only be capable of both doing and likewise not doing other things, but also be thoroughly experienced in their ancestral laws and customs.

What then did he ordain for these seventh days? He required them to gather together in the same place, and sitting together with one another in reverence and good order, to hear the laws read, so that none might be ignorant of them.

And indeed they always come together and sit in assembly with one another, the majority in silence, except when it is customary to add some remark to what is being read; and one of the priests present, or one of the elders, reads the sacred laws to them and expounds them point by point until nearly evening; and from this they depart, having become well versed in the sacred laws and having made great progress in piety.

Does this not seem to you more necessary for them than any other pursuit? Therefore they do not go to lawgivers to ask about what must be done, nor do they act carelessly among themselves out of ignorance of the laws, but whichever of them you approach and question about their ancestral customs has it ready and can easily tell you; and a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a master to his slaves, each seems capable of handing down the laws.

And indeed, concerning the seventh year, it is likewise easy to speak, though perhaps not in quite the same way. For they themselves do not abstain from work as on those seventh days, but rather let the land lie idle for the sake of future abundance. For it makes a great difference for the land to receive rest and then be cultivated again the following year, rather than be worn out by continuous labor.

You would see the same thing happening with regard to bodies and their vigor; for physicians prescribe intervals and certain periods of rest from labors not only for the sake of health, since what is continuous and always the same, especially in labors, seems to be harmful.

Here is a proof: if someone were to promise to cultivate the land for them in this seventh year far better than before, and to yield up all the fruits entirely, they would not accept it at all. For they do not think it is only their own labors that must be endured (though even if they did think this, it would not be surprising), but that the land itself should receive some relief and ease, as the beginning of another cycle of future care and cultivation.

For, by God, what would have prevented them from leasing it out beforehand in the preceding year, and collecting from those who worked it their tribute for that year? But, as I said, in no way do they accept any such arrangement, out of concern, it seems to me, for the land.

And this too is truly a great sign of their humanity. For since they themselves refrain from labor in that year, they do not think it right to gather or store up the fruits that grow, since these do not come to them from their own labor; but, since God has provided them, the land yielding of its own accord, they consider it right that whoever wishes or is in need - both travelers and others - should freely make use of them without fear.

Concerning these matters, then, let this suffice for you. As for why the lawgiver established this law for them concerning the seventh year in the first place, you would not require this of me, since you have probably often heard many physicians, natural philosophers, and philosophers speak previously about this - what power the number seven has with respect to the nature of all things, and indeed with respect to human nature. This is the account concerning the seventh.

So much for Philo. Josephus too relates similar things in the second book of the work he composed, 'On the Antiquity of the Jews,' writing likewise in this manner:

Who then was the one who most successfully established the laws and attained the most righteous faith concerning God - this is possible to discern from the laws themselves by comparison; for now we must speak concerning these things.

Now the particular differences of customs and laws among all mankind are countless, but one might survey them summarily as follows: