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第105章

the wars of the jews-第105章

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hat   remained unsubdued in Judea。 However; he himself made   haste to go to Rome; as the winter was now almost over; and soon set the affairs of Alexandria in order; but sent his son Titus; with a select part of his army; to destroy Jerusalem。 So Titus marched on foot as far as Nicopolis; which is distant twenty furlongs from Alexandria; there he put his army on board some long ships; and sailed upon the river along the Mendesian Nomus; as far as the city Tumuis; there he got out of the ships; and walked on foot; and lodged all night at a small city called Tanis。 His second station was   Heracleopolis; and his third Pelusium; he then refreshed his army at that place for two days; and on the third passed over the mouths of the Nile at Pelusium; he then proceeded one station over the desert; and pitched his camp at the temple of the Casian Jupiter; (27) and on the next day at Ostracine。 This station had no water; but the people of the country make use of water brought from other places。 After this he rested at Rhinocolura; and from thence he went to Raphia; which was his fourth station。 This city is the beginning of Syria。 For his fifth station he pitched his camp at Gaza; after which he came to Ascalon; and thence to Jamnia; and after that to Joppa; and from Joppa to Cesarea; having taken a resolution to gather all his other forces together at that place。 

WAR BOOK 4 FOOTNOTES

(1) Here we have the exact situation of of Jeroboam's 〃at the exit of Little Jordan into Great Jordan; near the place called Daphne; but of old Dan。 See the note in Antiq。 B。 VIII。 ch。 8。 sect。 4。 But Reland suspects flint here we should read Dan instead of there being no where else mention of a place called Daphne。

(2) These numbers in Josephus of thirty furlongs' ascent to the top of Mount Tabor; whether we estimate it by winding and gradual; or by the perpendicular altitude; and of twenty…six furlongs' circumference upon the top; as also fifteen furlongs for this ascent in Polybius; with Geminus's perpendicular altitude of almost fourteen furlongs; here noted by Dr。 Hudson; do none of' them agree with the authentic testimony of Mr。 Maundrell; an eye…witness; p。 112; who says he was not an hour in getting up to the top of this Mount Tabor; and that the area of the top is an oval of about two furlongs in length; and one in breadth。 So I rather suppose Josephus wrote three furlongs for the ascent or altitude; instead of thirty; and six furlongs for the circumference at the top; instead of twenty…six;since a mountain of only three furlongs perpendicular altitude may easily require near an hour's ascent; and the circumference of an oval of the foregoing quantity is near six furlongs。 Nor certainly could such a vast circumference as twenty…six furlongs; or three miles and a quarter; at that height be encompassed with a wall; including a trench and other fortifications; (perhaps those still remaining; ibid。) in the small interval of forty days; as Josephus here says they were by himself。

(3) This name Dorcas in Greek; was Tabitha in Hebrew or Syriac; as Acts 9:36。 Accordingly; some of the manuscripts set it down here Tabetha or Tabeta。 Nor can the context in Josephus be made out by supposing the reading to have been this: 〃The son of Tabitha; which; in the language of our country; denotes Dorcas〃 'or a doe'。

(4) Here we may discover the utter disgrace and ruin of the high priesthood among the Jews; when undeserving; ignoble; and vile persons were advanced to that holy office by the seditious; which sort of high priests; as Josephus well remarks here; were thereupon obliged to comply with and assist those that advanced them in their impious practices。 The names of these high priests; or rather ridiculous and profane persons; were Jesus the son of Damneus; Jesus the son of Gamaliel; Matthias the son of Theophilus; and that prodigious ignoramus Phannias; the son of Samuel; all whom we shall meet with in Josephus's future history of this war; nor do we meet with any other so much as pretended high priest after Phannias; till Jerusalem was taken and destroyed。

(5) This tribe or course of the high priests; or priests; here called Eniachim; seems to the learned Mr。 Lowth; one well versed in Josephus; to be that 1 Chronicles 24:12; 〃the course of Jakim;〃 where some copies have〃 the course of Eliakim;〃 and I think this to be by no means an improbable conjecture。

(6) This Symeon; the son of Gamaliel; is mentioned as the president of the Jewish sanhedrim; and one that perished in the destruction of Jerusalem; by the Jewish Rabbins; as Reland observes on this place。 He also tells us that those Rabbins mention one Jesus the son of Gamala; as once a high priest; but this long before the destruction of Jerusalem; so that if he were the same person with this Jesus the son of Gamala; Josephus; he must have lived to be very old; or they have been very bad chronologers。

(7) It is worth noting here; that this Ananus; the best of the Jews at this time; and the high priest; who was so very uneasy at the profanation of the Jewish courts of the temple by the zealots; did not however scruple the profanation of the 〃court of the Gentiles;〃 as in our Savior's days it was very much profaned by the Jews; and made a market…place; nay; a 〃den of thieves;〃 without scruple; Matthew 21:12; 13; Mark 11:15…17。 Accordingly Josephus himself; when he speaks of the two inner courts; calls them both hagia or holy places; but; so far as I remember; never gives that character of the court of the Gentiles。 See B。 V。 ch。 9。 sect。 2。

(8) This appellation of Jerusalem given it here by Simon; the general of the Idumeans; 〃the common city〃 of the Idumeans; who were proselytes of justice; as well as of the original native Jews; greatly confirms that maxim of the Rabbins; here set down by Reland; that 〃Jerusalem was not assigned; or appropriated; to the tribe of Benjamin or Judah; but every tribe had equal right to it 'at their coming to worship there at the several festivals'。〃 See a little before; ch。 3。 sect。 3; or 〃worldly worship;〃 as the author to the Hebrews calls the sanctuary; 〃a worldly sanctuary。〃

(9) Some commentators are ready to suppose that this〃 Zacharias; the son of Baruch;〃 here most unjustly slain by the Jews in the temple; was the very same person with 〃Zacharias; the son of Barachias;〃 whom our Savior says the Jews 〃slew between the temple and the altar;〃 Matthew 23:35。 This is a somewhat strange exposition; since Zechariah the prophet was really 〃the son of Barachiah;〃 and 〃grandson of Iddo; Zechariah 1:1; and how he died; we have no other account than that before us in St。 Matthew: while this 〃Zacharias〃 was 〃the son of Baruch。〃 Since the slaughter was past when our Savior spake these words; the Jews had then already slain him; whereas this slaughter of 〃Zacharias; the son of Baruch;〃 in Josephus; was then about thirty…four years future。 And since the slaughter was 〃between the temple and the altar;〃 in the court of the priests; one of the most sacred and remote parts of the whole temple; while this was; in Josephus's own words; in the middle of the temple; and much the most probably in the court of Israel only (for we have had no intimation that the zealots had at this time profaned the court of the priests。 See B。 V。 ch。 1。 sect。 2)。 Nor do I believe that our Josephus; who always insists on the peculiar sacredness of the inmost court; and of the holy house that was in it; would have omitted so material an aggravation of this barbarous murder; as perpetrated in。 a place so very holy; had that been the true place of it。 See Antiq。 B。 XI。 ch。 7。 sect。 1; and the note here on B。 V。 ch。 1。 sect。 2。

(10) This prediction; that the city (Jerusalem) should then 〃be taken; and the sanctuary burnt; by right of war; when a sedition should invade Jews; and their own hands should pollute that temple;〃 or; as it is B。 VI。 ch。 2。 sect。 1; 〃when any one should begin to slay his countrymen in the city;〃 is wanting in our present copies of the Old Testament。 See Essay on the Old Test。 p。 104112。 But this prediction; as Josephus well remarks here; though; with the other predictions of the prophets; it was now laughed at by the seditious; was by their very means soon exactly fulf

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