the antiquities of the jews-1-第329章

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beauty；　that　Moses　was　beautiful　in　the　sight　of　Acts　7：20。

（22）　This　history　of　Moses；　as　general　of　the　Egyptians　against
the　Ethiopians；　is　wholly　omitted　in　our　Bibles；　but　is　thus　by
Irenaeus；　from　Josephus；　and　that　soon　after　his　own　age：　…
〃Josephus　says；　that　when　Moses　was　nourished　in　the　palace；　he
was　appointed　general　of　the　army　against　the　Ethiopians；　and
conquered　them；　when　he　married　that　king's　daughter；　because；
out　of　her　affection　for　him；　she　delivered　the　city　up　to　him。〃
See　the　Fragments　of　Irenaeus。　ap。　edit。　Grab。　p。　472。　Nor
perhaps　did　St。　Stephen　refer　to　any　thing　else　when　he　said　of
Moses；　before　he　was　sent　by　God　to　the　Israelites；　that　he　was
not　only　learned　in　all　the　wisdom　of　the　Egyptians；　but　was　also
mighty　in　words　and　in　deeds；　Acts　7：22。

（23）　Pliny　speaks　of　these　birds　called　ibes；　and　says；　〃The
Egyptians　invoked　them　against　the　serpents；〃　Hist。　Nat。　B。　X。
ch。　28。　Strabo　speaks　of　this　island　Meroe；　and　these　rivers
Astapus　and　Astaboras；　B。　XVI。　p。　771；　786；　and　B　XVII。　p。　82＇。

（24）　This　superstitious　fear　of　discovering　the　name　with　four
letters；　which　of　late　we　have　been　used　falsely　to　pronounce
Jehovah；　but　seems　to　have　been　originally　pronounced　Jahoh；　or
Jao；　is　never；　I　think；　heard　of　till　this　passage　of　Josephus；
and　this　superstition；　in　not　pronouncing　that　name；　has
continued　among　the　Rabbinical　Jews　to　this　day　（though　whether
the　Samaritans　and　Caraites　observed　it　so　early；　does　not
appear）。　Josephus　also　durst　not　set　down　the　very　words　of　the
ten　commandments；　as　we　shall　see　hereafter；　Antiq。　B。　III。　ch。
5。　sect。　4；　which　superstitious　silence　I　think　has　yet　not　been
continued　even　by　the　Rabbins。　It　is；　however；　no　doubt　but　both
these　cautious　concealments　were　taught　Josephus　by　the
Pharisees；　a　body　of　men　at　once　very　wicked　and　very
superstitious。

（25）　Of　this　judicial　hardening　the　hearts　and　blinding　the　eyes
of　wicked　men；　or　infatuating　them；　as　a　just　punishment　for
their　other　willful　sins；　to　their　own　destruction；　see　the　note
on　Antiq。　B。　VII。　ch。　9。　sect。　6。

（26）　As　to　this　winter　or　spring　hail　near　Egypt　and　Judea；　see
the　like　on　thunder　and　lightning　there；　in　the　note　on　Antiq。　B。
VI。　ch。　5。　sect。　6。

（27）　These　large　presents　made　to　the　Israelites；　of　vessels　of
and　vessels　of　gold；　and　raiment；　were；　as　Josephus　truly　calls
them；　gifts　really　given　them；　not　lent　them；　as　our　English
falsely　renders　them。　They　were　spoils　required；　not　of　them；
Genesis　15：14；　Exodus　3：22；　11：2；　Psalm　105：37；）　as　the　same
version　falsely　renders　the　Hebrew　word　Exodus　12：35；　36。　God　had
ordered　the　Jews　to　demand　these　as　their　pay　and　reward；　during
their　long　and　bitter　slavery　in　Egypt；　as　atonements　for　the
lives　of　the　Egyptians；　and　as　the　condition　of　the　Jews'
departure；　and　of　the　Egyptians'　deliverance　from　these　terrible
judgments；　which；　had　they　not　now　ceased；　they　had　soon　been　all
dead　men；　as　they　themselves　confess；　ch。　12。　33。　Nor　was　there
any　sense　in　borrowing　or　lending；　when　the　Israelites　were
finally　departing　out　of　the　land　for　ever。

（28）　Why　our　Masorete　copy　so　groundlessly　abridges　this　account
in　Exodus　12：40；　as　to　ascribe　430　years　to　the　sole
peregrination　of　the　Israelites　in　Egypt；　when　it　is　clear　even
by　that　Masorete　chronology　elsewhere；　as　well　as　from　the
express　text　itself；　in　the　Samaritan；　Septuagint；　and　Josephus；
that　they　sojourned　in　Egypt　but　half　that　time；　…　and　that　by
consequence；　the　other　half　of　their　peregrination　was　in　the
land　of　Canaan；　before　they　came　into　Egypt；　…　is　hard　to　say。
See　Essay　on　the　Old　Testament；　p。　62；　63。

（29）　Take　the　main　part　of　Reland's　excellent　note　here；　which
greatly　illustrates　Josephus；　and　the　Scripture；　in　this　history；
as　follows：　〃＇A　traveller；　says　Reland；　whose　name　was＇　Eneman；
when　he　returned　out　of　Egypt；　told　me　that　he　went　the　same　way
from　Egypt　to　Mount　Sinai；　which　he　supposed　the　Israelites　of
old　traveled；　and　that　he　found　several　mountainous　tracts；　that
ran　down　towards　the　Red　Sea。　He　thought　the　Israelites　had
proceeded　as　far　as　the　desert　of　Etham；　Exodus　13：20；　when　they
were　commanded　by　God　to　return　back；　Exodus　14：2；　and　to　pitch
their　camp　between　Migdol　and　the　sea；　and　that　when　they　were
not　able　to　fly；　unless　by　sea；　they　were　shut　in　on　each　side　by
mountains。　He　also　thought　we　might　evidently　learn　hence；　how　it
might　be　said　that　the　Israelites　were　in　Etham　before　they　went
over　the　sea；　and　yet　might　be　said　to　have　come　into　Etham　after
they　had　passed　over　the　sea　also。　Besides；　he　gave　me　an　account
how　he　passed　over　a　river　in　a　boat　near　the　city　Suez；　which　he
says　must　needs　be　the　Heroopolia　of　the　ancients；　since　that
city　could　not　be　situate　any　where　else　in　that　neighborhood。〃

As　to　the　famous　passage　produced　here　by　Dr。　Bernard；　out　of
Herodotus；　as　the　most　ancient　heathen　testimony　of　the
Israelites　coming　from　the　Red　Sea　into　Palestine；　Bishop
Cumberland　has　shown　that　it　belongs　to　the　old　Canaanite　or
Phoenician　shepherds；　and　their　retiring　out　of　Egypt　into　Canaan
or　Phoenicia；　long　before　the　days　of　Moses。　Sanchoniatho；　p。
374；　&c。

（30）　Of　these　storms　of　wind；　thunder；　and　lightning；　at　this
drowning　of　Pharaoh's　army；　almost　wanting　in　our　copies　of
Exodus；　but　fully　extant　in　that　of　David；　Psalm　77：16…18；　and　in
that　of　Josephus　here；　see　Essay　on　the　Old　Test。　Append。　p。
15；1；　155。

（31）　What　some　have　here　objected　against　this　passage　of　the
Israelites　over　the　Red　Sea；　in　this　one　night；　from　the　common
maps；　viz。　that　this　sea　being　here　about　thirty　miles　broad；　so
great　an　army　conld　not　pass　over　it　in　so　short　a　time；　is　a
great　mistake。　Mons。　Thevenot；　an　authentic　eye…witness；　informs
us；　that　this　sea；　for　about　five　days'　journey；　is　no　where　more
than　about　eight　or　nine　miles　over…cross；　and　in　one　place　but
four　or　five　miles；　according　to　De　Lisle's　map；　which　is　made
from　the　best　travelers　themselves；　and　not　copied　from　others。
What　has　been　further　objected　against　this　passage　of　the
Israelites；　and　drowning　of　the　Egyptians；　being　miraculous　also；
viz。　that　Moses　might　carry　the　Israelites　over　at　a　low　tide
without　any　miracle；　while　yet　the　Egyptians；　not　knowing　the
tide　so　well　as　he；　might　be　drowned　upon　the　return　of　the　tide；
is　a　strange　story　indeed　！　That　Moses；　who　never　had　lived　here；
should　know　the　quantity　and　time　of　the　flux　and　reflux　of　the
Red　Sea　better　than　the　Egyptians　themselves　in　its　neighborhood！
Yet　does　Artapanus；　an　ancient　heathen　historian；　inform　us；　that
this　was　what　the　more　ignorant　Memphites；　who　lived　at　a　great
distance；　pretended；　though　he　confesses；　that　the　more　learned
Heliopolitans；　who　lived　much　nearer；　owned　the　destruction　of
the　Egyptians；　and　the　deliverance　of　the　Israelites；　to　have
been　miraculous：　and　De　Castro；　a　mathematician；　who　surveyed
this　sea　with　great　exactness；　informs　us；　that　there　is　no　great
flux　or　reflux　in　this　part　of　the　Red　Sea；　to　give　a　color　to
this　hypothesis；　nay；　that　at　the　elevation　of　the　tide　there　is
little　above　half　the　height　of　a　man。　See　Essay　on　the　Old　Test。
Append。　p。　239；　240。　So　vain　and　groundless　are　these　and　the
like　evasions　and　subterfuges　of　our　modern　sceptics　and
unbelievers；　and　so　certainly　do　thorough　inquiries　and　authentic
evidence　disprove　and　confute　such　evasions　and　subterfuges　upon
all　occasions。

（32）　What　that　hexameter　verse；　in　which　Moses's　triumphant　song
is　here　said　to　be　written；　distinctly　means；　our　present
ignorance　of　the　old　Hebrew　metre　or　measure　will　not　let　us
determine。　Nor　does　it　appear　to　me　certain　that　even　Josephus
himself　had　a　distinct　notion　of　it；　though　he　speaks　of　several
sort　of　that　metre　or　measure；　both　here　and　elsewhere。　Antiq。　B。
IV。　ch。　8。　sect。　44；　and　B。　VII。　ch。　12。　sect。　3。

（33）　Take　here　the　original　passages　of　the　four　old　authors　that
still　remain；　as　to　this　transit　of　Alexander　the　Great　over　the
Pamphylian　Sea：　I　mean；　of　Callisthenes；　Strabu；　Arrian；　and
Appian。　As　to　Callisthenes；　who　himself　accompanied　Alexander　in
this　expedition；　Eustathius