the life of flavius josephus-第18章

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reading　might　be；　with　them；　which　is　a　very　small　emendation；
and　takes　away　the　difficulty　before　us。　Nor　is　Dr。　Hudson's
conjecture；　hinted　at　by　Mr。　Hall　in　his　preface　to　the　Doctor's
edition　of　Josephus；　at　all　improbable；　that　this　Banus；　by　this
his　description；　might　well　be　a　follower　of　John　the　Baptist；
and　that　from　him　Josephus　might　easily　imbibe　such　notions；　as
afterwards　prepared　him　to　have　a　favorable　opinion　of　Jesus
Christ　himself；　who　was　attested　to　by　John　the　Baptist。

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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