most odoriferous drugge the halfe of the said waight and he caused all these to be beaten and infused in a Hin of oyle of oliue others write palme this Hin is one of our measures contayning two Choas of Athens all which he mixed boyled together according to the art of perfumers and he made thereof a most odoriferous oyntment which he tooke and annoynted the priest withall and all that which belonged to the Tabernacle to the intent to purifie them offering many and sundrie sorts of beasts of great price to sacrifice within the Temple vpon the Altar of gold whereof I forbeare to speake any further for feare I should grow offensiue and tedious to the readers Twice a day before the sunne rise and sunne set they were to burne incense and purifie the oyle and refresh the lampes whereof three ought to burne euerie day vpon the sacred Candlesticke in honour of God and the rest were lighted in the euening Amongst them that wrought and finished these things Beseleel and Eliab were the most excellent and expertest workemen for whatsoeuer had been enterprised by others they in their art polished and perfected and they of themselues found many new things of their owne inuention yet was Beseleel iudged the most excellent of them two All the time employed in this worke was seuen months and at that time was the yeare accomplished which began at their departure out of Egypt In the beginning of the second yeare in the month which the Macedonians call Xanthicus and the Hebrewes Nisan vpon the new moone they dedicated the Tabernacle with all things belonging thereunto according as I haue made mention And God presently testified that both their gifts were gratious in his eyes and the Hebrewes labors fruitfull and pleasant in his sight testifying his presence in that Temple after this manner Whereas the heauen was otherwaies cleere and faire ouer the Tabernacle only there was a cloud not wholy thicke like a winter storme nor obscure and yet not so thin as a man could see thorow the same from whence there descended a dewe that gaue testimonie of Gods presence vnto them that had will and beliefe Moses honoured the workemasters that made the worke with such rewards as appertained vnto them by desart and sacrificed according as God had commanded him in the doore or porch of the Tabernacle a Bull a Ramme and a Kid for their sinnes but with what ceremonie these things are done I will declare when I intreat of sacrifices as also what offerings are to be burned by fire and according to the law are allowed to be fed vpon and with the blood of the slaughtred beasts he besprinkled the vestment of Aaron and purified both him and his children with fountaine water and the pretious oyntâ—… 〈◊〉 to the end they might be sanctified to God And for seuen daies space he consecrated both themselues and their vestments and the Tabernacle with those things which appertained thereunto with that oyle whereof I haue before time foretold you with the bloud of Buls and Rammes slaine euery other day after their kind But on the eight day he proclaimed a holy day and festiuall to all the people and decreed that euery one of them should particularly sacrifice according to his abilitie and they with emulation striuing to exceed one another obeyed him and offered vp their sacrifices according as it was commaunded them Whilest thus the sacrifices were vpon the Altar sodainly there issued a fire from them which kindled of it selfe the flame whereof resembled the light or brightnes of lightning and consumed all that which vvas vpon the Altar At that time there happened an inconuenient to Aaron which although it somewhat moued and amated his fatherly patience yet digested he it with a constant and generous mind for he was a man of much constancie and such a one as knew that nothing could befal him without the prescience and prouidence of God For of those foure sons which I told you that he had the two elder brethren Nadab and Abihu bringing sacrifices vnto the Altar not such as were appointed by Moses but of that sort they were accustomed to offer before times were burned by the violent flame that issued from the Altar seasing both their breasts and faces in such a sort as by no meanes possible that might be extinguished so that at length they died Moses commaunded both their father and brothers to take their bodies and carry them out of the host and burie them sumptuously all the people wept and were amased verie much at this their death so straunge and vnsuspected But Moses ordained that neither the father nor his sonnes should lament but that they should rather make estimate of Gods honour then of their owne misfortune for Aaron was alreadie inuested in the sacred robe But as touching Moses he refused all honours which were offered him by the people neither applied he himselfe vnto any other thing but to the seruice of God neyther did hee ascend any more vp to the mountaine of Sinai but entred into the Tabernacle to take counsaile at Gods hands in those things whereof he had neede to be informed He demeaned himselfe like a priuate man not onely in his apparrell but in all other things and liued verie popularly perseuering in that familiar and ciuill course of life and challenging no priuiledge aboue anie man but onely in those things which pertayned to the administration of the common weale Besides these he reduced vnder writing both the lawes and ordinances as touching Policie in due performance whereof if they should liue they should bee both agreeable to God and liue without cause of controuersie the one against the other And all this established he following those directions which God had instructed him in But now will I returne and bend my stile to discourse vpon that which I haue omitted in the ornament of the high priest for this apparrell of theirs leaueth not any occasion to false prophets to execute their wicked impostures and if there be any such as dare intermeddle with that which appertaineth to Gods maiestie this habite maketh them know that it is in Gods power to be present with the sacrificers at such time as it pleaseth him and to be absent when him listeth which God would haue made knowne not onely to the Hebrewes but to all those straungers who by any occurrence might be eye witnesses of the same For of those stones which the high Priest bare or his shoulders which were Sardonixs whose nature is so notorious to all men that it were vnnecessarie to reueale it the one shined at such times as there was any offering that other which was fastened on his right shoulder shined verie cleerely at such time as God was present at the sacrifice and cast his raies a farre off that it might be perceiued by those that beheld the same both contrarie to his nature and custome which truly
and to the intent he might the better be beleeued he caused him to walke forth with him into the cleare and open ayre and there sware vnto him that he would not pretermit any thing that might tend to the conseruation of Dauid For said he that God that filleth and moderateth all things in this wide spred Vniuers and who before I speake knoweth my mind he I say shall beare witnesse of that accord which shall be ratified betweene thee and me that I will not cease to sound my father till such â—…ime as I know and haue conceiued his intention and that I haue entred into his secrets to know what sicknes his soule is seazed with and that when as I shall apprehend the same I will not conceale it from thee but giue thee notice thereof be it that he be appeased or displeased against thee The same God knoweth how incessantly I beseech him to be assistant vnto thee as also he is at this present and that he abandon thee neuer but make thee Lord ouer thine enemies yea though it were my father or my selfe Onely remember me in this point that after my death if I chance to die before thee thou take care of my children and be as fauourable towards them as I am affected to theeward at this present After he had sworne this oth he dismissed Dauid willing him to conceale himselfe in a certaine place of the plaine where he ordinarily exercised himselfe For that as soone as he vnderstood his fathers mind he would returne thither with his Page and if saith he hauing shot three shafts at the marke I shall commaund my Page to gather them and bring them backe againe to me for that they are right before him know thou that thou art to expect no euill from my father but if thou hearest me speake to the contrarie thinke thou that my father is incensed and misaffected towards thee yet howsoeuer it happen I will doe my best that nothing shall befall thee otherwaies then we expect and wish Be thou therefore mindfull of these things at such time as thou shalt obtaine thy happie daies and be thou fauourable vnto my children Dauid being confirmed by Ionathans promises retired himselfe to the appointed place The next day after which was the solemnitie of the new moone after the king was purified according to the custome he sate downe to take his repast Now when his sonne Ionathan was set on his right side and Abner the General of his Armie on the left Saul perceiued Dauids place was void and spake not a word supposing that hee was absent from that companie by reason he was not purified since he had the companie of his wife but seeing the second day of the new Moone that he was absent likewise he asked his sonne Ionathan why Iesses sonne both the day before and at that instant was not present at that fast who answered him that he was gone into his countrie prosecuting the storie according as it had beene concluded betweene them alleaging that his Tribe celebrated a feast and that he had permitted him to assist the same Further said he he inuited me to the banquet and if it stand with your pleasure I will assist the feast for you know how intirely I loue the man At this time knew Ionathan the displeasure his father had conceiued against Dauid and perceiued most apparantly how hainously he was affected for Saul could not conceale his choler but began to raile vpon his sonne calling him rebell and his enemie and companion and confederate with Dauid telling him that he shewed reuerence neither to him nor to his mother since he was so minded and that he would not beleeue but that as long as Dauid liued their royall estate should be alwayes in continual disturbance He commanded him therefore to bring him before him to the end that he might do iustice vpon him Ionathan replied What euill hath Dauid committed for which he should be punished Hereupon Saul not onely expressed his choler in words and disgraces but taking hold of a iauelin he assaulted him and would haue slaine him but he missed his purpose by reason he was retained by his friends At that time did Ionathan clearely discouer the hatred that Saul bare towards Dauid and how instantly furiously he sought his ruine since welny for Dauids sake he had slaine his owne eldest sonne Then did Ionathan withdraw himselfe from the banquet seeing with how little profit he had pleaded and so much was he grieued that he ceased not to weepe and the rather since welny his father had vnkindly slaine him And seeing that Dauid was adiudged to die he passed all the night long without sleepe and about the day spring he departed out of the Citie to the appointed field making a shew that he walked out to take his exercise but indeed it was to discouer vnto his friend the intent which his father had according as it was couenanted betweene them After that Ionathan had done that which he had promised sending backe his Page into the citie he came vnto Dauid both to see and speak with him in priuate who as soone as he perceiued him cast himselfe prostrate at Ionathans feet calling him the conseruer and maintainer of his life But Ionathan lifted him vp from the earth so that both of them embracing one another and intermixing their mutuall kisses for a long time lamented their yeares with warme teares and their vnfortunate friendshippe with bitter sighes they bewailed likewise their future separation no lesse grieuous vnto them then death it selfe Finally scarcely giuing any truce to their aboundant teares and exhorting one another to haue in perpetuall remembrance their plighted faiths and promises they departed the one from the other Dauid flying from the king and the war which he made against him retired himselfe to the city of Nob to Achimelech the priest who seeing Dauid come alone vnto him without either friend or seruant was amased and desired to know the cause why he thus wandred without any attendance Dauid told him that the king had sent him about some secret execution which might not be communicated vnto him although he were desirous to know it and as touching my seruants said he I haue commanded them to attend me in this place He further required him that he would giue him such things as were necessarie for his voyage that he had to make wherin he might performe the part of a friend in succouring him at such time as he had neede of him Which when he had condescended vnto he requested him to giue him some armes either sword or iauelin now in this place was there present one of Sauls seruants that was called Doeg a Syrian by nation and the pastor of the kings mulets The Priest answered him that he had no such thing by him except it were Goliahs sword which he himselfe had hanged in the Tabernacle and dedicated vnto
encountred with a vision in which he wrastled with an apparition and hee became victor Now this vision spake vnto him exhorting him to reioice at that which had hapned vnto him assuring him that he had not atchieued an easie matter but that he had surmuonted an Angell of God which was a signe of great good which should befortune him and that his posteritie should be inuincible and that neuer man whatsoeuer he were should ouercome him commanding him to call his name Israel that is to say according to the Hebrewes a resister of an Angell These things were foretold vnto Iacob vpon his request who perceiuing also that hee was an Angel of God prayed him to informe him of that which should happen vnto him which the vision did and afterwards vanished Iacob tooke great pleasure thereat and called the place Phanuel that is to say the face of God and for that in w◅astling he had hurt his broad nerue he afterwards abstained from eating of the same and by reason thereof our nation doe neuer feede thereon Now when he had intelligence that his brother neerely approched him he commanded his wiues that they should march forward euery one with their handmaidens to the end that they might from a farre behold the fight of the men if so be that his brother should assaile them But himselfe he hūbled in reuerencing his brother who drew neere vnto him without intent of circumuention and Esau saluted him and enquired of him as touching the companies of women and children and after he vnderstood how all went he was desirous to lead them to his father But Iacob excused himselfe by reason of the wearines of his cattell and Esau retired to Sa◅r where he made his aboade and had imposed that name on that countrey by reason of his thicke haire Iacob also retired himselfe to a place which at this day also is called the Tents and from thence into Sichem a citie of the Chanaanites Now at such time as the Sichemites celebrated their feast Dina which was Iacobs only daughter went into the Citie to see the brauerie of the women of that countrey But Sichem the sonne of king Emmor rauished her and deflowred her and being surprised with her loue he besought his father that he might take her to wife who listning there unto went vnto Iacob praying him to ioine Dina his daughter in lawfull marriage with his sonne Sichem Iacob nor daring to contradict him by reason of his authoritie and qualitie and on the other side not thinking it to be either a thing lawfull or conuenient to match his daughter with a stranger required at his hands a time of deliberation to consult thereupon Hereon the king departed hoping that Iacob would listen to the mariage But Iacob hauing discouered vnto his sonnes the rauishment of their sister and the request of Emmor desired them to deliberate amongst themselues what thing was to be done ◅n the matter whereupon some held their peace not knowing what to say but Simeon and Leui the brothers of the same wombe with their sister complotted togither this practise In as much as it was a festiuall and that the Sichemites intended nought but pleasure and banquetting they issued by night vpon their first guards and killed them that were a bed and from thence entring into the Citie they killed all the males and with them the king and his son but to the women they offered no violence Which being executed without the knowledge of their father they brought their sister backe againe Iacob was verie much astonished at this accident so strangely executed and was wroth with his children but God appeared vnto him and comforted him and commanded him that he should purifie his tents and accomplish those sacrifices which he had vowed to performe at such time when first he went into Mesopotamia and the vision appeared vnto him Whilest then he cleansed those which followed him he found the Gods of Laban which beside his knowledge Rachel had stolne and hid them in Sichem in the earth vnder an Oake Afterwards departing from thence he sacrificed in Bethel where he had seene the vision at such time as he first of all tooke his iourney into Mesopotamia and as he trauailed in the land of Ephrata Rachel died in child-bed and was buried there and she onely hath not enioyed the honour which is done in Hebron to those of her parentage After he had made great lamentation he named the child which she bare at that time Beniamin by reason of the dolours which hapned vnto his mother These are all the children of Iacob twelue males and one daughter of whom eight were begotten on his lawfull wiues sixe of Lea and two of Rachel and on their chamber-maides foure two of each of them whose names I haue heretofore recorded From thence went Iacob to Hebron a Citie of Chanaan where Isaac made his aboade and they liued but a small time together because Rachel was dead and departed from him CHAP. XX. Isaac dieth and is buried in Hebron ISaac died a little time after the arriuall of his sonne and was buried with his wife by his sonne in Hebron among their fathers This Isaac was a man beloued of God and guided by his especiall prouidence After the decease of Abraham he liued a long time and after he had passed his life in all vertue for the space of 185. yeares he deceased THE SECOND BOOKE OF THE ANTIQVITIES OF THE IEWES WRITTEN BY FLAVIVS IOSEPHVS The Contents of the Chapters of the 2. booke 1 How Esau and Iacob Isaacs sonnes deuided their habitations and how Idumaea fell to Esaus lot and Chanaan to Iacobs 2 How Ioseph the yongest of Iacobs sonnes by reason of his dreames which foretold his future felicitie incurred his brothers enuie 3 How Ioseph was sould by his brethren into Egypt and grew in great authoritie in that countrey and how at length he had his brothers vnder his power 4 How Iacob with all his progenie came vnto his sonne 5 Of the affliction of the Hebrewes in Egypt for the space of 400. yeares 6 How vnder the conduct of Moses they forsooke Egypt 7 How the redde sea diuided it selfe and gaue the Hebrewes a passage at such time as they fled out of Egypt CHAP. I. How Esau and Iacob Isaacs sonnes deuided their inheritance and how Idumaea fell to Esaues lot and Chanaan to Iacobs BVT when Isaac was dead the sonnes deuided their habitations among themselues and were neither of them content with that which they inherited by their father but Esau leauing the Citie of Hebron to his brother went and dwelt in Seir and was Lord of the countrey of Idumaea which he named by his name for it was surnamed Edom for the occasion which followeth He being verie yong returned one day sore wearied trauailed and hungrie from hunting and finding his brother dressing for himselfe a messe of lentill pottage which were verie red in colour and
were taken by him To the performance whereof Ananias perswaded Albinus by manifest reason and by obtaining his demaund encreased and begat a number of miseries For the theeues vsed all the wilie meanes they could deuise in apprehending some one of Ananias house and when they had taken any one of them aliue they would not deliuer him except before they might haue one of their owne deliuered So that increasing both in courage and number they waxed more more insolent to afflict the countrey At the same time king Agrippa enlarged the citie of Caesarea surnamed Philippi and in honour of Nero called it Neronias He builded also to his great charge a Theater in fauour of the Berytians wherein euerie yeere he spent diuers thousands of siluer in sports He distributed oyle and corne to euery one of the people and garnished all the citie with most anticke and goodly counterfaited portraitures vpon the porches Briefely he welny transported into the citie all the ornamnts of the rest of his kingdom for which cause his subiects began to hate him seeing he depriued thē of their rare ornaments to adorn one strange citie Iesus the sonne of Gamaliel succeeded in the priesthood which the king had giuen him and taken away from Iesus the sonne of Damneus who resigned him his place against his will Whereupon there arose a discord betweene them For hauing assembled their resolutest followers they grew from bitter words to fatall blowes and stones But amongst all the rest Ananias was the richest in wealth and by his bountie reconciled the more vnto him Costobarus also and Saul gathered each of them a band of rascall and desperate men These two were of the bloud royall and by reason of their affinitie and alliance with Agrippa they were well beloued ◅or which cause they were outragious and violent in spoiling and rauishing the fortunes of the weaker sort From this time forward the estate of our Citie grewe desperate encrcasing daily more and more in wickednesse When Albinas vnderstood that Gessius Florus came to succeed him desirous that they of Ierusalem should acknowledge some good turne at his hands he called before him all those prisoners that were notoriously guiltie of murther and caused them to be executed As for those that were imprisoned vpon any small or sleight cause vpon paiment of their fines he deliuered them and in so doing the prison was cleansed of malefactors and from that time the countrey remained full of theeues and Robbers The Leuites who were ordained to sing the hymnes vnto God sollicited the king to assemble the councell and thereby to permi◅ them to weare the linnen Robe which the priests were accustomed to vse telling him that such an ordinance would dignifie his estate verie much in that he would be alwaies famous in memory of this new establishment This suit of theirs was easily respected and admitted For the king after he had consulted with those who were his assistants suffered the Leuites that sung the hymnes to lay aside their ordinarie Robe and to apparrell themselues in linnen as best liked them He permitted also that another part of the Leuites who intended the seruice of the temple should learne to sing the hymnes and psalmes according ◅s they had required All which he did contrarie to the ordinances of the countrey which being broken there was nought else to be expected but punishment At that time was the building of the temple finished And the people perceiuing that more then eighteene thousand workmen should be idle and depriued of wages whereupon they were accustomed to liue in trauailing in the building of the temple on the other side being Ioath to reserue their money thorow the feare they had of the Romanes to prouide that these workmen in the intertainment of whom they resolued to employ their treasure for if any one of them trauailed but one howre in the day he was sodainly paide his wages they requested the king that it might please him to repaire the Easterne gate on the outward part of the temple scituate in a descent the wals whereof were in height foure hundreth cubits made of square stones of white marble from the top to the bottome and euery stone twentie foot long and six foot thicke This worke was first builded by king Salomon who was the first that builded our temple But the king to whom Claudius Caesar had giuen the commission of building the temple thinking with himselfe that it was verie easie to breake it downe but very hard to build it vp and that to reedifie the porch it would cost much time and expence he denied their request permitting them neuerthelesse to paue their citie with broad stone Hee tooke the priesthoode from Iesus the sonne of Gamaliel and gaue it to Matthias the sonne of Theophilus In whose time the warre betwixt the Romanes and Iewes grew to the first head But I thinke it not amisse but verie answerable to the course of this present historie to speake of the priests and to shew how they had their beginning and to whom this honour may be lawfully communicated and how many they were in number vntill the end of the warre The first of them was Aaron Moses brother after whose death his children succeeded him and from that time forward the honour hath continued with their successors For it is a law obserued by our auncestors that no man shall be admitted to the priesthood except he be of Aarons posteritie for albeit he were a king if so be that he were of an other line it was impossible for him to obtaine the priesthood All the priests after Aaron who as we haue said was the first vntill Phanasus whom the seditious created priest in the time of the warre haue been in number 83. whereof 13 haue executed the office from the time that Moses erected Gods tabernacle in the desart vntil such time as arriuing in Iudaea king Salomon builded a temple to God For in the beginning the hie priesthood continued with the possessors for terme of life but afterwards although the priests were yet aliue yet were there other successors planted in their roomes These thirteene were of Aarons posteritie and obtained this degree in succession the one after the other Their first gouernment was Aristocratia which is the gouernment of the nobilitie afterwards a monarchy and finally a royall gouernment The number of yeers wherein these thirteene flourished were sixe hundreth and twelue yeeres from the day that our fathers departed out of Aegypt vnder the conduct of Moses vntill the edification of the temple that was builded in Ierusalem by king Salomon After these thirteene high priests there were eighteene others who after Salomons time succeeded one after another vntill the time that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon hauing encamped before the Citie tooke the same and burned the temple and transported our nation into Babylon and led away the high priest Iosedech prisoner The time of the priesthood