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第359章

the antiquities of the jews-1-第359章

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power; the whole world might be at quiet; but their ambition;
their follies; and their humor; leading them constantly to
encroach upon and quarrel with each other; they involve all that
are under them in the mischiefs thereof; and many thousands are
they which yearly perish by it; so that it may almost raise a
doubt; whether the benefit which the world receives from
government be sufficient to make amends for the calamities which
it suffers from the follies; mistakes; and real…administrations
of those that manage it。〃

(18) Cesarea being here said to be rebuilt and adorned in twelve
years; and soon afterwards in ten years; Antiq。 B。 XVI。 ch。 5。
sect。 1; there must be a mistake in one of the places as to the
true number; but in which of them it is hard positively to
determine。

(19) This Pollio; with whom Herod's sons lived at Rome; was not
Pollio the Pharisee; already mentioned by Josephus; ch。 1。 sect。
1; and again presently after this; ch。 10。 sect。 4; but Asinine
Pollo; the Roman; as Spanheim here observes。

(20) The character of this Zenodorus is so like that of a famous
robber of the same name in Strabo; and that about this very
country; and about this very time also; that I think Dr。 Hudson
hardly needed to have put a overlaps to his determination that
they were the same。

(21) A tetrarchy properly and originally denoted the fourth part
of an entire kingdom or country; and a tetrarch one that was
ruler of such a fourth part; which always implies somewhat less
extent of dominion and power than belong to a kingdom and to a
king。

(22) We may here observe; that the fancy of the modern Jews; in
calling this temple; which was really the third of their temples;
the second temple; followed so long by later Christians; seems to
be without any solid foundation。 The reason why the Christians
here followed the Jews is; because of the prophecy of Haggai;
2:6…9; which they expound of the Messiah's coning to the second
or Zorobabel's temple; of which they suppose this of Herod to be
only a continuation; which is meant; I think; of his coming to
the fourth and last temple; of that future; largest; and most
glorious one; described by Ezekiel; whence I take the former
notion; how general soever; to be a great mistake。 See Lit。
Accorap。 of Proph。 p。 2。

(23) Some of our modem students in architecture have made a
strange blunder here; when they imagine that Josephus affirms the
entire foundations of the temple or holy house sunk down into the
rocky mountain on which it stood no less than twenty cubits;
whereas he is clear that they were the foundations of the
additional twenty cubits only above the hundred (made perhaps
weak on purpose; and only for show and grandeur) that sunk or
fell down; as Dr。 Hudson rightly understands him; nor is the
thing itself possible in the other sense。 Agrippa's preparation
for building the inner parts of the temple twenty cubits higher
(History of the War; B。 V。 ch。 1。 sect。 5) must in all
probability refer to this matter; since Josephus says here; that
this which had fallen down was designed to be raised up again
under Nero; under whom Agrippa made that preparation。 But what
Josephus says presently; that Solomon was the first king of the
Jews; appears by the parallel place; Antiq。 B。 XX。 ch。 9。 sect。
7; and other places; to be meant only the first of David's
posterity; and the first builder of the temple。

(24) 〃Into none Of these three did king Herod enter;〃 i。e。 1。 Not
into the court of the priests; 2。 Nor into the holy house itself;
3。 Nor into the separate place belonging to the altar; as the
words following imply; for none but priests; or their attendants
the Levites; might come into any of them。 See Antiq。 B。 XVI。 ch。
4。 sect。 6; when Herod goes into the temple; and makes a speech
in it to the people; but that could only be into the court of
Israel; whither the people could come to hear him。

(25) This tradition which Josephus here mentions; as delivered
down from fathers to their children; of this particular
remarkable circumstance relating to the building of Herod's
temple; is a demonstration that such its building was a known
thing in Judea at this time。 He was born about forty…six years
after it is related to have been finished; and might himself have
seen and spoken with some of the builders themselves; and with a
great number of those that had seen it building。 The doubt
therefore about the truth of this history of the pulling down and
rebuilding this temple by Herod; which some weak people have
indulged; was not then much greater than it soon may be; whether
or not our St。 Paul's church in London was burnt down in the fire
of London; A。D。 1666; and rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren a
little afterward。

BOOK 16 FOOTNOTES

(1) We may here observe the ancient practice of the Jews; of
dedicating the sabbath day; not to idleness; but to the learning
their sacred rites and religious customs; and to the meditation
on the law of Moses; the like to which we meet with elsewhere in
Josephus also against Apion; B。 I。 sect。 22。

(2) This interval of ten years for the duration of Marcus
Agrippa's government in Asia seems to be true; and agreeable to
the Roman history。 See Usher's Annals at A。M。 3392。

(3) Although Herod met Augustus at Aquilei; yet was this
accusation of his sons deferred till they came to Rome; as sect。
3 assures us; and as we are particularly informed in the History
of the War; B。 I。 ch。 23。 sect。 3; though what he here says
belonged distinctly to Alexander; the elder brother; I mean his
being brought to Rome; is here justly extended to both the
brothers; and that not only in our copies; but in that of Zonaras
also; nor is there reason to doubt but they were both at this
solemn hearing by Augustus; although the defense was made by
Alexander alone; who was the eldest brother; and one that could
speak very well。

(4) Since some prejudiced men have indulged a wild suspicion; as
we have supposed already; Antiq。 B。 XV。 ch。 11。 sect。 7; that
Josephus's history of Herod's rebuilding the temple is no better
than a fable; it may not be amiss to take notice of this
occasional clause in the speech of Alexander before his father
Herod; in his and his brother's vindication; which mentions the
temple as known by every body to have been built by Herod。

(5) See John 2:20。 See also another speech of Herod's own to the
young men that pulled down his golden eagle from the front of the
temple; where he takes notice how the building of the temple cost
him a vast sum; and that the Asamoneans; in those one hundred and
twenty…five years they held the government; were not able to
perform so great a work; to the honor of God; as this was; Antiq。
B。 XVII。 ch。 6。 sect。 3。

(6) Dr。 Hudson here gives us the words of Suetonius concerning
this Nicopolis; when Augustus rebuilt it: 〃And that the memory of
the victory at Actium might be celebrated the more afterward; he
built Nicopolis at Actium; and appointed public shows to be there
exhibited every fifth year。〃 In August; sect。 18。

(7) Augustus here calls Julius Caesar his father; though by birth
he was only his uncle; on account of his adoption by him。 See the
same Antiq。 B。 XIV。 ch。 14。 sect。 4。

(8) This is authentic evidence that the Jews; in the days of
Augustus; began to prepare for the celebration of the sabbath at
the ninth hour on Friday; as the tradition of the elders did; it
seems; then require of them。

(9) The remaining part of this chapter is remarkable; as justly
distinguishing natural justice; religion; and morality; from
positive institutions in all countries; and evidently preferring
the former before the latter; as did the true prophets of God
always under the Old Testament; and Christ and his New; whence
Josephus seems to have been at this time nearer Christianity than
were the Scribes and Pharisees of his age; who; as we know from
the New Testament; were entirely of a different opinion and
practice。

(10) It is here worth our observation; how careful Josephus was
as to the discovery of truth in Herod's history; since he would
not follow Nicolaus of Damascus himself; so great an historian;
where there was g

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