The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English, with introductions and critical and explanatory notes to the several books, edited in conjunction with many scholars by R. H. Charles, volume II: Pseudepigrapha. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913.

v. 41-55. The dialogue is continued. The seer suggests that it would be better to be alive with the final generation when the End comes. Or why could not God have made all generations of men to live at once upon the earth, so that

all might share under equal conditions in the great vindication? In answer he is shown by some striking analogies _

drawn from life that the succession of generations is according to the divine plan: ‘So have I disposed the world which I created’ (v. 41-49). The seer proceeds to ask whether our Mother Earth is still young. Are the last-born

42 And he said untc me: I will liken my judgement to a ring ; just as there is no retardation of them that are last, even so there is no hastening of those that are first.

43 Thereupon I answered and said: Couldst thou not have created them all at once—those who have been, those who (now) exist, and those who are to be—that thou mightst display th judgement the sooner ?

44 He answered me and said: The creation may not proceed faster than the Creator; nor could the world hold all at. once those created in it.

45 And Isaid: How then is it that thou hast (just now) said to thy servant that thou wilt verily quicken’ all at once the creation created by thee? *TIf, then, they (i.e. all of the created) shall indeed be alive all at once,» and ‘creation: shall be able to sustain them, it might even now support them (all) present at once.

46 And he said unto me: Ask the womb of a woman, and say unto it: If thou bringest forth ten children, why (dost thou bring them forth) each in its own time? Demand, therefore, that it produce ten all at once.

47 And I said: It cannot possibly, but (only each) in its own time.

48 Then said he unto me: J Thus have I also made the earth the womb for those J * who, in their own

49 time, are conceived by it*. For just as the young child does not bring forth, nor she that is aged any more, so have 'J also! disposed the world which I have created ™ by defined periods of time™.

(0) v. 50-55. The Earth has grown old and its offspring degenerate.

50 Thereupon I asked "him”™ and said: Seeing thou hast now showed me the way, I would fain speak (further) before thee. °Is our mother,° of whom thou hast told me, still young? Or does she now approach old age?

51,52 He answered me and said: Ask a woman who has borne (children), and let her tell thee; say to

her: Why are (the children) whom thou hast lately brought forth not like the first, but inferior ? in 53 stature?? And she also shall answer thee: Those that are born in vigorous youth are of one 54 fashion, and those born in old age, when the womb fails, are otherwise. Consider, therefore, thou 55 also that ye are inferior in stature in comparison with your predecessors ; and so, also, (will be) your posterity than yourselves: even as creation is already grown old, and is already past the strength of youth.

zo promittis 8-8 reading vivificans vivificabis (so 3 Ethiop. Ar.*): vivificans vivificabit S A hoh yestoring si ergo viventes vivent in unum 3: >S ACM (by homoioteleuton) ini so L: Ethiop. the world Ji so 3: % et ego dedi matricem terrae his k-k # qui seminati sunt super eam per tempus IT so 3 Ethiop. ( kayo) :

i ego mem so Z7hzop. (Ar.)s i so Orzental VSS.: & > °° veading num mater nostra (num for nam) % P-P so #: Ltfzof. in strength: Ar.! in stature and strength (so v. 54): S=H

generations inferior to those who were born in their mother’s youth? In reply he is told that the Earth is now grown old—‘ past the strength of youth’—and that there is a corresponding degeneracy in the latest-born generations (v. 49-55). The eagerness of the seer that the End of the present world should be hastened is a striking feature. 41. thou art ready to meet, viz. with blessing and salvation.

those who survive in the end. Cf. Ps. Sol. xviii. 7; Luke i1. 29f. The old view, which is reflected in the older literature of the Bible, that the ‘community’ as a whole was to be the subject of salvation would naturally give rise to such questions as this. With the rise of the doctrine of a future life, and the growing recognition of the religious claims and position of the individual, this view was modified. Not merely the generation that happened to live on into the Messianic (or, as here, the future) Age, but all the pious individuals of previous generations who had died should (by means of a resurrection) participate in the blessedness of the final age. A similar problem (viz. how the righteous dead could share in the felicity that comes to the final generation of the living) is dealt with in 1 Thess. iv. 13f. It is not clear, however, that the writer of S believed in a resurrection of dead bodies. See further ZA, p. 121, and

. xlviii f,

: 42. just as there is no retardation, &c., i.e. just as in the case of a ring or circle there is neither beginning nor end, so God’s judgement will reach all generations at one and the same time; cf. 2 Bar. li. 13.

45. How then is it that thou hast (just now) said, i.e. how is the statement in the previous verse (44) to be reconciled with that made earlier (in v. 42) to the effect that all generations will be quickened simultaneously to receive the judgement? Lat. guomodo dixvisti = ras reyes ;

46. unto it, sc. the womb.

49. disposed the world ... by defined periods of time. The earth in its earliest stage (as a child) brought forth no human inhabitants, neither will it do so in extreme old age ; but only in the vigour and decline of youth.

55. even as creation is already grown old. The thought of the world’s growing old is not uncommon in literature; cf. in this book, iv. 44f., xiv. 10, 16; also 2 Bar. lxxxv. 10; Lucretius ii. 1150f. The representation of the latest generation as inferior in ‘stature and strength’ to the ancients (cf. Gen. vi. 4) comes to expression in Philo (cf. de Mund. Opif., § 49). The feeling that they were standing at the end of the age is characteristic of the apocalyptists.

I

IV. THE END OF THE AGE SHALL COME BY THE AGENCY OF GOD.ALONE,

Then said I: O Lord, I beseech thee, if I have found favour in thy sight, show thy servant 4by whom ¢ thou wilt visit thy creation. And he said unto me: "In the beginning of the terrestrial world” before ever *the heavenward portals * t were standing *, or ever the " wind-blasts* blew ; before the rumblings of thunderings did sound, or ever the lightning-flashes did shine ; When the foundations of paradise were not yet laid, nor ‘the beauty of its flowers” yet seen ; Before ever “ the motive powers (of heaven) ¥ were established, or the numberless armies of angels were gathered ; Before ever the heights of the air were uplifted, ere the spaces of the firmaments were named ; ere the footstool of Sion * was appointed *. Before the years of the present ¥ were reckoned 9, 7ere the counsels of present-day sinners were spurned ”, or the gatherers of the treasures of faith were sealed—

. 44 so % (per quem) = 3 and Lthiop. (one reading): but Ethiop.(one reading) Ar onaccountofwhom ** X initium

(uv. 2. initio) terreni orbis: Oriental VSS. vary: % the beginning by the Son of Man, but the end by myself alone (for as before, Sc.) ; cf. Ethiop. Ars s-s # exitus saeculi tt © (SAC) starent Oriental VSS.; v. 2. statuerentur (M) u-u % conventiones (Gunkel emends to convectiones) ventorum V-V so $ Ethiop.: & decores flores w-w # motus virtutes (so B/ read); or motuum virtutes 3 Lthiop. (so Violet) x-x # (S A) aestimaretur (corrupt): % was established (= firmaretur): Azle. suggests aedificaretur, Gumkel destinaretur yy @ investigarentur 2-2 % et antequam abalienarentur eorum qui nunc peccant adinventiones: % before the follies of sinners

v. 56-vi. 6. In this section God is directly addressed, and God is the speaker. In response to the prophet’s question, Through whom shall the End come? the answer is given, Through the God of Israel alone. A polemical aim is clearly to be detected in the passage. The apocalyptist will not allow any of the essentially divine attributes or functions to be assumed by any intermediate agency, therein agreeing with the view of orthodox Rabbinic Judaism. The polemic is directed against views which were held by early Christians, but which were probably not confined to Christian circles. At the same time it is possible that what the apocalyptic writer has in mind here is the Christian doctrine of the return of Christ in glory to judge the world. The burden of the passage is that just as Creation was brought into being at the beginning by God alone (without any intermediate agency), so the End of Creation will be brought about by God alone. It may be described as a splendid development of the theme expressed in Ps. xc. 2. The description of the works of Creation is one of great power and imaginative force. The conceptions of Creation underlying it are traditional and of great antiquity (cf. especially the Babylonian Creation-myths and see Gunkel, Schipfung, p. 401 n. and especially p. 419). It should be compared with the parallel passage in Prov. viii. 24-9. [Cf. also the description of the Day of Judgement in vii. 39 ff.]

vi. 1. In the beginning of the terrestrial world. For the alterations introduced into the text of the Oriental Versions here under Christian influence see crit. note.

the heavenward portals, i.e. the portals open to heaven ; cf. 1 En. xxxiv. 3. the beauty of its flowers. The flowers are those of the heavenly Paradise (originally the stars). the motive powers (of heaven). The powers meant are probably the same as ‘ the powers of heaven’ of Matt. xxiv. 29, i.e. angelic powers who move the heavens and the stars. Others, however, prefer to adopt the reading motuum virtutes (see crit. note) = ‘ powers of movements ’, I. e. earthquakes.

4. the spaces of the firmaments, lit. ‘the measures (i.e. measured or defined spaces) of the firmaments’: the

divisions into which the heavens were separated (cf. 2 En. iii f. for a description of the different heavens). were named. The names of the seven heavens are enumerated in 7. B. Hag. 12 0,

5. or the gatherers of the treasures of faith were sealed. It should be noted that it is the persons of the faithful that are here ‘sealed’, exactly as in Rev. vii. 4 (the 144,000 ‘ who were sealed’); cf. Rev. ix. 4, Xiv. I, xxii. 4. (In Rev. xiii. 16, xiv. 9, xx. 4 a mark of the opposite kind is mentioned.) [Some of the best Lat. codices make the ‘sealing’ in our text apply to ‘ the merits’ of those ‘ who have gathered faith for a treasure’; thus C M have comsignarentur eorum merita qué (with partial support from S and A but against the versions). Thus ‘ merits’ here would balance ‘abominations’ (or ‘ machinations’) in the preceding clause.] ‘Faith’ in this passage seems to mean the righteousness which comes from fidelity to the Law (or ‘fidelity to the O. T. religion’). Soin v. 1, vi. 28. It plays a conspicuous réle in eschatological doctrine, and in such passages it is not always easy to be sure of the exact shade of meaning intended. Where the Law is valued and emphasized it will mean (as here prob.) the righteousness which results from fidelity to the Law (cf. 2 Bar. liv. 21). In vii. 34 it fidelity to the Law, just as its opposite incredulitas disloyalty in vii. 114. In ix. 7, 8, xiii. 23 ‘faith’ and ‘ works’ are combined (as complementary). But the Law as such is not always necessarily the object of ‘faith’ (cf. 2 Bar. lvii. 2, faith is prophecy of coming judgement). (Cf. Sanday-Headlam, Romans, pp. 31-4.)

Ss 6 Even then had I these things in mind ; and through me alone and none other were they created ; as also the End (shall come) through me alone and none other.

V. THE PARTING ASUNDER OF THE TIMES.

7 Then answered I and said: What shall mark the parting asunder of the times? When shall the End of the first (age) and the beginning of the second be? 8 And he said unto me: * From Abraham to Abraham.* ”For from him sprang Jacob and Esau,” 9 “but Jacob’s hand held the heel of Esau from the beginning. *¢ The heel of the first age is Esau ; 10 the hand of the second is Jacob.4 * The beginning of a man is his hand, and the end of a man is his heel. Between heel and hand seek naught else, Ezra!

VI. THE SIGNS OF THE LAST TIME AND THE END. (a) vi. 11-12. Redactional Introduction.

11,12 [I answered and said: O Lord my Lord, if I have found favour in thy sight, ‘(I beseech thee) that thou show‘ thy servant the last of thy signs of which thou didst show me a part in the night that is past. ]

(2) Description of the End (vi. 13-20, 23, 24) together with some misplaced verses describing the signs that precede the End (vi. 21-22).

were yet invented aa yeading ab Abraham usque ad Abraham (S A) 3 E¢hiog. (Ar.'): v. 2. usque ad Isaac (C M) Ar.? (also v. l. tn Ethiop.) b-b so & Ethiop. (cf. Ar.2): S from Abraham was born Isaac and from Isaac was born Jacob and Esau ( Ar.) ee so : but Ethiop. Ar > d-d so S$: & finis enim huius saeculi Esau, et principium sequentis lacob ( Av.' cf Ethiop.) 8 so S= Ar.) (ff Ethiop.): L defective f-t # ut demonstres

6. had I these things in mind. Creation, Gunkel remarks, regarded as predetermined by and the outcome of thought, is a loftier conception than that of creation through the Word. The truth of this statement depends upon the conceptual content of the Word.

as also the End... through me alone, &c. This clause is omitted by the Oriental Versions for dogmatic reasons.

vi. 7-10. In allegorical language, probably derived from current tradition, the apocalyptist indicates that the present corrupt age (symbolized by Esau) will be succeeded immediately, without a break, by the glorious future age of incorruption (symbolized by Jacob). The connexion in thought with what precedes.seems to be: just as there is no room in the divine acts of creation and judgement for a mediatorial Messiah, so in the transition from the present to the future age, there is no room for a Messianic interim—the temporary Messianic kingdom which precedes the dissolution of the present world. This interpretation harmonizes with the thought of S. See further £A, p. 68.

8. From Abraham to Abraham. For text see crit. note. The meaning is, the interval between the old age and the new is no longer than that between Abraham and his immediate descendants: i.e. ‘it will be a case of immediate succession’ (Ball). The new age will follow the old without a break. This answers the first question in v. 7; the answer to the second is given in vv. 8 d-I10.

10. Between heel and hand, &c., i.e. do not look for any interval between the two ages.

vi. 11-28. The passage as a whole is parallel to iv. 56-v. 13a, and embodies material taken from the same older source (E). The theme of the earlier passage is the signs that precede the End. Here, however, the description of these signs is interwoven with another which has for its subject the End of the world itself. The text appears to be in some confusion. The subject of vv. 13-20 and 23 is the End of the world; in vv. 21, 22 the description of the signs that precede the End is continued from iv. 56-v. 13 a, and probably belongs to that passage in its original form, while uv. 25-28 describe the felicity of those who survive the Messianic woes; vv. 11-12 and 29 appear to be redactional additions, designed to adapt the older material here embodied to its present context (so Kabisch).

The section will thus fall into the following divisions :— (a) Redactional introduction (vv. 11-12) ; (2) Announcement of the End of the world, the speaker being the Divine Voice [of God] (vv. 13-20, 23, 24), together with some inserted [misplaced] verses describing the signs preceding the End (vv. 21, 22) ; (c) Description of the felicity of those who survive the Messianic woes (vv. 25-28). See further A, p. 71.

(a) vi. 11-12. The redactional character of these introductory verses is evident. They show clearly that R intended all that follows (vv. 13-29) to be understood as descriptive of the signs preliminary to the End; v. 11 seems to have been imitated from v. 56a.

(2) vi. 13-20, 23-24 (vv. 20-21 belong to ch. v, between vv. 8 and 9; see ad Joc.). In its present form the eschatological are embodied in this passage is in a fragmentary condition. But it is all probably derived from one source (E).

13. And he answered. ‘He’, i.e. the angel.

Stand up upon thy feet. Cf. Ezek. ii. 1; Dan. vii. 4, vili. 18.

E 14,15 loud; and it shall be if the place whereon thou standest, % be greatly shaken 8, » when it (i.e. the voice) speaks * ‘with thee’ be not thou terrified; for the word is of the End, and the foundations of the 16 earth Jshall understand! that the speech is concerning themselves. They shall tremble and be shaken, for they know that their end is to be changed. 17 And it happened that when I had heard it I stood up upon my feet, and hearkened: and lo! a voice spake, and the sound of it was as the sound of mighty waters. 18 And it said: Behold the days come, and it shall be, When I am about to draw nigh to visit the dwellers upon earth, 19 And when I require from the doers of iniquity («the penalty of) their iniquity * ; [| And when the humiliation of Sion shall be complete, 20 And when the Age which is about to pass away shall be sealed then [zl Z show these signs|: the books shall be opened before the face of the firmament, and all see™ together. vv. 21-22 misplaced. 21 (And one-year-old children shall speak with their voices; pregnant women shall bring forth 22 untimely births at three or four months, and these shall live and dance. And suddenly shall the 23 sown places appear unsown, and the full storehouses shall suddenly be found empty;) And the (E)R trumpet shall sound aloud, at which all men, when they hear it, shall be struck with sudden fear. 24 And at that time [ frzends shall war against friends like enemies], the earth shall be stricken with fear | together with the dwellers thereon|, and the springs of the fountains shall stand still so that for three " hours” they shall not run.

25 And it shall be whosoever shall have survived all these things that I have foretold unto thee, he

26 shall be saved and shall see my salvation and the end of my world. And the men who have been taken up, who have not tasted death from their birth, shall appear. Then shall the heart of the inhabitants ° (of the world)° be changed, and be converted to a different spirit. j

8-8 reading commotione commovebitur (C M) h-b @ in eo cum loquitur ( ev tw Aadew) i-i so Oriental vss.: L> Si so 3 (ff. Ar): & intellegetur EK so Ethiop. ( thy adsxcay avrwy): & iniustitia sua (=n adikta avtwr) Yl this clause ts prob. due to R; of. EA, p. xxx. m 3+my judgement nn so Sc, Ar years 9-9 so % (cf. other Oriental VSS.): £ > PP so L, &c.: Ar.’ the evil heart a4 so (tantis

17. the sound of it . . . mighty waters. Cf. Ezek. i.24; Rev. i. 15, xiv. 2, xix. 6. The divine voice is meant.

18. Behold the days come. A common O.T. phrase, especially in the prophetic literature; cf. Amos viii. 11, ix. 12 ; often in Jeremiah.

19. [And when the humiliation of Sion shall be complete]. The fall of Jerusalem is regarded as marking a definite step towards the speedy advent of the divine judgement; cf. 2 Bar. xx. 2. The clause is probably due to R (see £4,

oxo)

20. wei I show these signs]. These words are probably due to R, who desired to invest the substance of the section (which is concerned with the final judgement) with the character of a description of the signs preceding the End.

the books shall be opened, i.e. the celestial books in which are recorded the deeds of the righteous and wicked. See 1 En. xlvii. 3 and notes.

23. the trumpet, i.e. the trumpet, the blowing of which ushers in the last Judgement. See further A, p. 75.

24. [friends shall war against friends like enemies]. This clause, which belongs logically to a description of the signs preceding the End (cf. v. 9), has probably been added by R. a!

and the springs of the fountains ...notrun. Cf. Ps. Sol. xvii. 21; Ass. Mos. x. 6. for three hours. The number ‘three’ in such connexions seems to be a favourite one in apocalyptic tradition.

oe the en oe have been taken up, who have not tasted death from their birth. Men who were removed from the earth without dying are meant. In this connexion figure especially Enoch and Elijah (cf. Wisd. iv. rof. [? Enoch], Jub. iv. 23, 1 En. xxxix. 3 f., lxx. 1-3, 2 En. xxxvi. 2, all of Enoch; 1 En. Ixxxix. 52 of Elijah). Such men were expected to return with the Messiah in order to inaugurate a period of felicity and salvation (cf. 4 Ezra vii. 28, xiii. 52). Elijah is especially prominent in this connexion in Rabbinic literature (his réle was, as high priest, to anoint the Messiah, to promote Israel’s repentance and reunion, and to bring about the resurrection of the dead) (cf. Volz, p. 192f.). Moses and Elijah sometimes appear together in their capacity of forerunners of the Messiah (cf. 177d. Ded. rab. x. 1; and in the Gospels the account of the Transfiguration, Mark ix. 2 f., Matt. xvii. 1-8, Luke ix. 28-36). The mysterious two witnesses of Rev. xi are also perhaps Elijah and Moses, though in the antichrist tradition they are Elijah and Enoch; cf. Bousset, Amtichrist, ch. xiv. In 4 Ezra xiv. 9 (‘thou shalt be taken away from men, and from

R 27 For P evil? shall be blotted out, and deceit extinguished ; 28 Faithfulness shall flourish,

and corruption be vanquished ; And truth, which ‘for so long a time 4 has been without fruit, shall be made manifest.

29 [And it came to pass while he spake to me, * behold, by little and little (?) the place whereon I stood rocked to and fro*.]

VII. CONCLUSION OF THE VISION.

30, 3t +=And he said unto me: These things came I to show thee ‘this night®. If therefore thou wilt petition yet again, and fast seven days more, I will tell thee yet again greater things than these *. 32 For thy voice has surely been heard before the Most High; for the Mighty One has seen thy rectitude, and marked also thy chastity which thou hast had ever since thy youth. 33 Therefore has he sent me to show thee all these things, and to say unto thee: Be of good cheer, and fear not!

34 "Be not over-solicitous" in the case of former times to indulge idle thoughts, ‘lest solicitude overtake thee’ in the last times.

THE THIRD VISION. I. INTRODUCTION.

35 And it came to pass after this that I wept again, and fasted seven days in like manner, that

temporibus): S for many years (so Lthiop. [some MSS.|; cf. Ar.\ Arm.) rt yveading ecce paulatim movebatur locus super quem stabam super eum = % L¢hzop. (cf. Ar. Arm.); Lat. MSS. corrupt Ss so S: &# et ventura nocte (see further EA, p. 80) t #+per diem: other VSS. (with possible exception of Ar.!) > uu # et noli festinare v-v # ut non properes

henceforth thou shalt remain with my Son’), Ezra is assigned a place among the immortal companions, as also is the case with Baruch (cf. 2 Bar. Ixxvi. 2). Jeremiah also appears in this réle in 2 Macc. ii. 1f., xv. 13; cf. Matt. xvi. 14, and see further ZA, p. 78. Then shall the heart . . . be changed, viz. by the preaching of the witnesses. This function was particularly associated with Elijah; cf. Mal. iv. 6 (= iil. 24 Hebr.). 29. And it came to pass, &c. On this verse see ZA, p. 79.

vi. 30-34 (S). Here the speaker is again the archangel Uriel, and vi. 30 forms the immediate continuation of vi. 10. The usual direction to fast seven days is given, together with a promise of yet greater disclosures. The seer is assured that his prayer for fuller revelation has been heard especially because of his ‘ righteous dealing’ and ‘ chastity’ practised since youth.

3h, Peater things than these. Lat. adds here fer diem. This is not represented in the Oriental Versions with the possible exception of the Arab.4. Hilg. emends to fridem and takes with the following verse (predem cam auditu audtta est vox tua; cf. with this Arab! xam nunc precatio tua audita est, &c.). In any case fer diem probably represents something which belongs to the opening words of v. 32.

32. thy chastity. Lat. pudicctiam =rhv cepvdrnta. Heb. JNiYIN (post-Biblical). Notice this ascetic touch. Chastity, like fasting (cf. 1 Mace. iii. 47, 2 Macc. xiii. 12), is here apparently regarded as intensifying the power of prayer: like fasting also a state of chastity was regarded in certain circles (especially Essene) as a necessary preliminary for the reception of higher revelation.

34. Be not over-solicitous, cc. The general sense is: ‘Do not by your over-curious questioning and speculation trifle with your chances of eternal happiness at the last.’

vi. 35-1x. 25. THE THIRD VISION. The long vision that follows forms the climax of the three visions with which the Apocalypse opens, and is preceded by a seven days’ fast (in preparation for the revelation) which completes a cycle of three weeks’ fasting. The general sequence of the thought will appear from the headings of the following divisions, into which the vision naturally falls. For a more detailed account of the argument reference must be made to the introductions to the several sections that follow :—

i. Introduction (vi. 35-37). ii. The problem propounded in its final form: If the world was created for Israels sake, why is Israel deprived of its inheritance ? (vi. 38-59) (S). iti. The debate renewed: The corruption of the present world makes the path to the future world of felicity narrow and difficult (vii, 1-25) (S). iv. The temporary Messianic Kingdom and the End of the world (vii. 26-44) (R). v. The debate continued (from vil. 25): Israel's election and the problem of righteousness (vii. 45-ix. 22) (with the exception of vili. 63-ix. 12, which belongs to R, all this section is to be assigned to S). vi. Conclusion of the viston (ix. 23-25) (S)s

S 361 might fulfil the three weeks that had been commanded me. And in the eighth night my heart 37 was troubled within me again, and I began to address the Most High. For my spirit was greatly inflamed, and my soul was in distress.

II. THE PROBLEM PROPOUNDED IN ITS FINAL FORM: IF THE WORLD WAS CREATED FOR JSRAEL’S SAKE WHY IS ISRAEL DEPRIVED OF ITS INHERITANCE?

38 And I said: O Lord, of a truth thou didst speak at the beginning of the creation upon the first

39 day, saying: Let heaven and earth be made! and thy word perfected the work. Then was the spirit hovering ; darkness and ™ silence * were on every side; the sound of man’s voice was not yet

40 before thee. Then thou didst command *a ray of light * to be brought forth out of thy treasuries, that then thy works might become visible.

41 Upon the second day again thou didst create the spirit of the firmament, and didst command it **to make a division between (the waters and) the waters ** that the one part might go up, the other remain beneath.

42 On the third day thou didst command the waters to be gathered together in the seventh part of the earth; six parts thou didst dry up and preserve, ¥ in order that (issuing) from them there might serve before thee those who both plough and sow’.

43 But as soon as thy word went forth the work was done.

w-w so ©: S=silentium soni xx X (best reading) lumen aliquod luminis: v. 7. lumen luminosum:

% radiance of light xx -xx so S$: HL = ut divideret et divisionem faceret inter aquas y-Y so

partly %: see further EA, p. 86 2-2 following 2: & et concupiscentia gustus multiformis RS ie

35. the three weeks that had been commanded me. So far only two fasts of seven days have been mentioned, viz. one before the second vision and another here before the third. The author evidently is thinking of another before Vision I, which in the present form of the text is not mentioned, but doubtless was there originally. The three successive weeks of fasting culminate in the most important and the longest of the three visions. Cf. Dan. x. 2, which has served as a model for this passage: ‘In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three weeks’ (then follows a description of the fasting). This long fast preceded the vision which was highest in the scale of importance

vi. won Salathiel first enumerates the works of Creation in their order, and then proceeds to ask how it is that the chosen race, for whose sake the world has been created, are dispossessed of their inheritance. The problem, which has already formed the theme of the first and second visions, is here propounded in its final form. In the first vision the question assumed the form: How will the Divine Name be vindicated when the only people that bears it (viz. Israel) is prostrate before the heathen? In the second vision the seer asks: Why, if the people that has been chosen above all others must be punished, has it been handed over to be oppressed and down-trodden by those who scorn the divine covenants? Why did not God Himself undertake the task of disciplining His elect? Here, in the third vision, the question is: If the present world is in such evil case (cf. iv. 26f.) why is it not subjected to Israel, for whose sake the world has been created? The discussion of the question is taken up at the point reached in the previous vision (vi. 8-10). Why is this world Esau’s, and only the future world Israel’s, if it is indeed the case that this world was created for Israel’s sake? In the account of Creation which is here given the original writer betrays his acquaintance with the haggadic exegesis of the Rabbis. See further “4, p.83. For the various works of Creation that follow on different days cf. Gen. i, Jub. ii, &c.

38. thy word perfected the work. Cf. 2 Bar. xiv. 17; also Ps. xxxiii. 6, 2 Pet. ili. 5, Heb. xi. 3.

40. that... thy works might become visible. According to Rabbinic tradition (cf. 7. &. Hag. 12 a), though the luminaries did not shine till the fourth day (cf. v. 45 of this chapter) light was created on the first day: ‘the light which the Holy One, blessed be he, created on the first day, Adam observed, and saw by its means from one end of the world to the other.’ This light was afterwards withdrawn and reserved by God for the righteous in the world to come (ibid.). The heavenly light from which the light that shone on the first day emanated was older than Creation, and belonged to God’s essence. The luminaries receive their light from the spark of this heavenly light, which is immeasurably more intense than the light visible on earth. This is the light which the righteous shall enjoy in the future world (cf. Hag. ibid. ; Isa. lx. 19; Rev. xxi.23). In 2 En. xxv. 1-3 there is a mystical account of the emergence of the heavenly light above God’s throne.

41. Upon the second day again thou didst create the spirit of the firmament. This passage is cited by Ambrose (De Spivitu Sancto, ii. 7): ‘Esdras nos docuit dicens in tertio (vulgo quarto) libro: Et in die secundo iterum creasti spiritum coelorum.’ As Gunkel remarks, ‘spirit’ here ‘ angel’ (as often in the Book of Enoch). This is apparently a midrashic amplification of the Biblical text inGen.i.6. The divine command, ‘ Let there bea firmament,’ must, it was assumed, have been addressed to an animated being, here ‘ the spirit of the firmament’ (cf. the pagan “God of heaven’ = Anu, Baal shamayim, &c.).

42. seventh part of the earth; six parts. This is clearly the reflex of old tradition: see the note ad Joc. in

"in order that... there might serve before thee those who both plough and sow. The sentiment that the Creator produced the land with the essential purpose of seeing its cultivation associated with the sanctions of religion is a natural one from the agricultural point of view, and is often implied or expressed in Jewish literature. See further EA, p. 86. Gunkel discovers a reference to the creation of Paradise here: see of. cé¢. ibid.

44 For immediately there came forth Fruits in endless abundance, “in pleasure of taste exquisitely varied *, Flowers of inimitable colour “(trees infinitely varied in form) ®, and odours of scent ? indefinable?. This was done the third day. 45 But on the fourth day thou didst command that there should come into being the brightness of 46 the sun, the light of the moon and the order of the stars ; and didst command them that they should 47 do service unto man, ° who was about to be formed*. Upon the fifth day thou didst bid the seventh part, where the water was gathered together, to bring forth living creatures, birds, and fishes; and 48 so it came to pass. The dumb and lifeless water produced living creatures that for this the nations 49 might declare thy wondrous works’. Then didst thou preserve °two living creatures®; the name of 50 fhe one thou didst call ePenemo® and the name of the other thou didst call Leviathan. And thou didst separate the one from the other; for the seventh part®, where the water was gathered 51 together, was unable to hold them (both). And thou didst give Behemoth one of the parts which 52 had been dried up on the third day to dwell in, (that namely) where are a thousand hills: but unto Leviathan thou gavest the seventh part, namely the moist: and thou hast reserved them to be devoured by whom thou wilt and when. 53 But upon the sixth day thou didst command the earth that it should bring forth before thee cattle, 54 beasts, and creeping things; and over these Adam, whom thou didst ordain lord over all the works that "thou didst create before him": of him we are all sprung, whom thou hast chosen (to be) (thy) people. 55 All this have I spoken before thee, O Lord, because thou hast said that for our sakes thou hast 56 created ‘this world‘. But as for the other nations, which are descended from Adam, thou hast said that they are nothing, and that they are like unto spittle; and thou hast likened the abundance of 57 them to a drop on a bucket. And now, O Lord, behold these nations which are reputed as nothing 58 Jlord it over usj and *crush* us. But we, thy people whom thou hast called thy first-born, thy 59 only-begotten, !thy beloved [most dear]!, are given up into their hands. If the world has indeed been created for our sakes ™ why do we not enter into possession of our world™? How long shall this endure?

(ff. Ethiop. Ar+): % Arm. > bb & investigabiles ce ¥ futuro plasmato 4 £+quod ei iubebatur: dz¢ all other VSS. > °° reading duo animalia (= 3, &c.): Lat. ASS. duo animas (S AC M) ff reading Behemoth (so 3 E¢hiop.): Enoch (S A) § S+the moist h-h sq 3 Ethiop.: & fecisti eat aya oe 2X primogenitum saeculum Ji veading dominantur nostri (S dominari: A quaerunt dominari) kK 50 Oriental VSS.: %& devorant 1-l % Aemulatorem carissimum (? a double rendering of tov ayamnrov cov): see further EA, p. 96 mm yeading quare non haereditatem possidemus nostrum saeculum

46. ...do service unto man. The apocalyptic writer here especially emphasizes the thought that the stars are man’s servants, because by all the rest of the world they were regarded as gods.

49. two living creatures, i.e. the two primaeval monsters, Behemoth and Leviathan. For the myth see £4,

51. where are a thousand hills. The haggadic interpretation of Ps. l. 10 made Behemoth (there rendered ‘cattle’ in PBV) identical with the primaeval monster of our text—Zehemoch being pictured as lying ‘ upon a thousand hills’ and feeding upon them.

52. to be devoured by whom thou wilt and when. By whom they are to be devoured is only vaguely indicated in our text. In the parallel passage in 2 Bar. xxix 4 it is explicitly stated that the monsters will provide food for all who survive into the Messianic time (the Messianic banquet). This is, doubtless, the original form of the haggada, which has been purposely modified here by S because the Messianic hope was to him no longer clear.

55. for our sakes thou hast created this world. For the doctrine that the world was created for the sake of

56. the other nations...are nothing. Cf. Isa. xl. 17.

like unto spittle. Cf. Isa. xl. 15 (LXX), as oteAos hoyioOnoovra. The Hebrew text has P17, ‘small dust’, which LXX misread P), sfztu. Apparently the Greek translator here made a similar mistake (perhaps under the influence of the LXX). The Syriac has ‘ thou hast likened’ here for ‘ they are like’.

58. thy first-born, thy only-begotten. The only direct parallel where the epithet ‘ only-begotten’ is applied to Israel appears to be Ps. Sol. xviii. 4 (cf. xiii. 8); but, as Volkmar points out, the application of povoyerns to God’s Son in Christian writings (cf. John i. 18; Justin Martyr, Dzad. c. Zrypho. c, cv) confirms the inference that Jewish exegesis had already deduced this epithet as applicable to the people of Israel. See further “A, p. 96. For the general idea

IV BZRAG We 12

Ill. THE DEBATE RENEWED: THE CORRUPTION OF THE PRESENT WORLD MAKES THE PATH TO THE FUTURE WORLD OF FELICITY NARROW AND DIFFICULT

s 7%: And when I had finished speaking these words, there was sent unto me the angel who had been 2 sent unto me “on the former nights". And he said unto me: Up, £zra, and hear the words that 3 I have come to speak unto thee. And I said: Speak on, my lord. And he said unto me: There 4is a sea lying in a wide expanse so that it is °broad’° and vast; but the entrance thereto ” lies” 5 in a narrow space so as to be like a river. He, then, that really desireth to go upon the sea to

behold it or to 4 navigate it 4, if he pass not through the narrow part, how shall he be able to come into 6the broad? Again, * another (illustration)*. There is a builded city which lies on level ground, 7 and it is full of all good things; but its entrance is narrow and lies *on a steep ’, having fire on the 8 right hand and deep water on the left; and there is one only path lying between them both, that is between the fire and the water, (and so small) is this path, that it can contain only one man’s

9 footstep at once. If, now, this city be given to a man for an inheritance, unless the heir pass 1o through the danger set before him, how shall he receive his inheritance? And I said: It is so, lord! 11 Then said he unto me: Even so, also, is Israel’s portion; for it was for their sakes I made the world; but when Adam transgressed my statutes, *then that which had been made was judgedt, 12 and then "the ways" of this world became narrow and sorrowful and painful *[ few and evil],”

n-n % primis noctibus S$: Ethiop. before on the night that was past: Ar.’ > °° yeading latum for altum P-P so S (cf. Ethiop.) © erit . . . positus ( eorae [for core] . . . Ketpevn) a-a & dominari eius $: (Ethzop. to attain it): prod., as Gunkel suggests, the original Hebr. nib to go down on, #.e. to navigate, was misread na; rr @ aliud (6 Hebr. phrase WS 127) s-s 7 in praecipiti: 3 in the height t-t & iudicatum est quod factum est u-u so Ethiop. (also in v. 13) ar oSor: & introitus (so 3) ar evaodor v-v prob. a gloss (see EA, p. 102)

vii. I-25. The archangel Uriel now intervenes for the third time, and in this and the following sections of the third vision, which belong to S, sets forth the definitive solution of the problem, the answer to which had only been given in a partial and incomplete form in the earlier part of the Apocalypse (cf. iv. 1-21, iv. 26f., v. 31 f.).

Uriel begins by comparing the present world to the narrow entrance which leads to a wide and open sea. Only through the narrow is it possible to come into the broad. Or, again, to a narrow and dangerous road, flanked by fire on one side and deep water on the other, which is the only means of entrance to a splendid city ‘full of good things’ and set in a spacious plain.

The present world is the narrow and difficult way along which the righteous must pass in order to gain the spacious freedom of the future world of happiness (cf. v. 14). The present world was originally created for Israel, but through Adam’s transgression has become the vale of misery and suffering for the righteous which they now endure. It will be seen that the following results are implicit in this answer: (1) Israel has no part or lot in the present world; its inheritance of light and felicity will only be attained after the thornful path of the present world has been traversed ; (2) the heathen enjoy and possess the present fleeting and corruptible world (so far as they actually do so) in accordance with God’s will; they at the same time are being used by God as instruments for the discipline of the chosen people (cf. v. 30); this will continue till the present world comes to its predestined end, and meanwhile Israel has necessarily to endure the present evil with its consequences of mortality and death ; (3) the future world is for Israel alone. The promises made to God’s people can only be fulfilled by the extinction of the present evil, i.e. by the destruction of the present world. When this has been accomplished the future world will zpso facto have come into view.

In v. 17f. a new question is propounded by the apocalyptist. Are ‘these things’ (i.e. the felicity of the future world) destined for Israel as such, or only for the righteous members of the nation? Salathiel’s question can only refer to Israel. And since, even in the case of Israel, the cor malignum militated against any personal claim to justifying righteousness, the answer to the question should be that Israel, the people which owes its choice by God purely to an act of divine grace, and not to any merit of its own, is destined to participate in the future blessings. ‘This, in fact, seems to be the significance of the answer given in v. I9f. Here the angel, it would appear, replies to Salathiel’s question only indirectly. He ignores the distinction between righteous and transgressors within Israel—all Israel, judged by the strict requirements of the divine Law, are transgressors—and proceeds to emphasize the heinous sin of the heathen world in openly despising and scorning the divine Law (v. 20f.). Israel, however imperfect in obedience and performance, had at least recognized the obligation of accepting the divine Law, and acknowledging the supremacy of the Divine giver of the Law; it had not been guilty of open blasphemy.

There is a well-defined break at v. 16, where the author, having demonstrated the reality and significance of the future world, turns to consider the theme: Who will be found worthy of inheriting it? —To mark this division the section

5. to navigate it, lit. ‘to go down upon it’ (see crit. note); for the phrase cf. Ps. cvii. 23.

7. having fire, &c. The simile of the city with one entrance occurs in the Shepherd of Hermas, Simil. ix. 12. 5 ; cf. also, for the figure of the difficult way, Matt. vil. 13, 14.

10. Even so... is Israel’s portion. It is clear from this verse that Israel’s portion is identified with the future world.

11. then that which had been made was judged. The thought of the apocalyptist is that the world, after Adam’s sin, was no longer the good world as it had been originally created by the hand of God.

12. the ways (so also v. 13). So the Ethiop. (rightly). The Latin and Syriac have ‘entrances’; but this confuses the representation. It is not so much the entrances of this world that are narrow and difficult, as this world itself considered as the way that has to be traversed in order to enter the next world.

13 and full of perils coupled with great toils. But the ways of the future world are broad and safe, 14 and yield the fruit of immortality. If, then, the living shall not have surely entered into these 15 narrow and vain things, they will not be able to receive what has been reserved for them. But now Why disquietest thou thyself that thou art corruptible ? Why art thou moved because thou art mortal ? 16 Why hast thou not considered what is to come, rather than what is now present ?

17 Then answered I and said: O Lord my Lord, lo, thou hast ordained in thy Law that the righteous 18 shall inherit these things, but that the ungodly shall perish. The righteous, therefore, can endure the narrow things because they hope for the wide ; those, however, who have done wickedly endure 19 the narrow things, but yet * shall not see* the wide. And he said unto me: Y Thou art notY a judge above God Nor wise above the Most High. 20 Yea, rather, “let the many that noware perish” than that the law of God which is set before them 21 be despised! For God did surely command them that came (into the world), when they came, what 22 they should do to live, and what they should observe to avoid punishment. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and spake against him ; They devised for themselves vain thoughts, they proposed to themselves * wicked treacheries ® ; 23 They even affirmed the Most High exists not, and Pignored? his ways ! 24 His law they did despise, and his covenants they denied ; In his statutes they have put no faith, “and have set at naught his commandments °: 35 Therefore, O Ezra, For the empty, empty things, And for the full, full things!

w-w so & (cf. Ethiop.): & maioris saeculi = yeading non videbunt (M) $ Ezhiop.: non viderunt (S A C) ¥-¥ reading non es (C*) Oriental VSS.: non est (A C** M) 2-2 yeading pereant .. . neglegatur (soS C): 3 shall perish a-a & circumventiones delictorum b-b % non cognoverunt ce so Ar; % have set at naught his works Z7hiop.: & et opera cius non perfecerunt

15. that thou art corruptible ?... because thou art mortal? The seer is bidden not to brood over death and mortality, because, though inevitable, they but mark a necessary stage in the transition to something higher and better. For different views regarding the connexion between death and sin see 2 Bar. xxiii. 4, notes.

16. what is to come, rather than what is now present. With these words, as Gunkel points out, the author passes from the consideration of the present age and its difficulties to a new problem. It has been made clear that a new age is destined to come, when a great transformation will be effected. Then present sorrow will be turned: to joy, all riddles be solved, all sin wiped out. But the question arises: Who shall be found worthy to participate in the new age? With the discussion of this question, and the problems that arise in connexion with it, the book is now mainly concerned.

17. in thy law. Cf. Deut. viii. 1.

20. Yea, rather, let the many that now are perish, &c. The angelic reply seems to contemplate, in its reference to sinners, the heathen world, or world outside the chosen people, exclusively (see introduction to the section above). The idea that the T6rah was not originally designed to be the exclusive possession of Israel, but was offered by God to the Gentiles and deliberately refused by them, is insisted upon in Rabbinic literature (cf. Schechter, Asfects, p. 131 f.,

23. They even affirmed the Most High exists not. Cf. 4 Ezra viii. 59; Ps. xiv. 1, lili. 2.

24. His law they did despise... set at naught his commandments. The heathen in these verses are charged with open and deliberate defiance of the divine requirements. This is expressed in unbelief and contempt of fundamental moral laws, which are openly spurned. It is a favourite theme in Rabbinical literature that Israel’s election was primarily due to faith in God and God’s Law; while the heathen spurned the Torah as unfit. (Cf. Schechter, A sects, p. 59 f.)

25. For the empty, empty things, &c. Those who are destitute of the elements of goodness shall lack the good things of eternity, &c.; cf. Matt. xiii. 12.

IV. THE TEMPORARY MESSIANIC KINGDOM AND THE END OF THE WORLD.

(a) vii. 26-30. The sudden revelation of the Messiah: his 400 years reign and death: the End of the Age (R).

For behold the days come, and it shall be when the signs which I have foretold unto thee shall come to pass,

[¢Then shall the city that now is invisible appear“, and the land ° which is now concealed ® be seen 5]

And whosoever is delivered from the predicted evils, the same shall see my wonders. For ‘ my

Son the Messiah‘ shall be revealed, together with those who are with him, and &shall rejoice ® the survivors "four hundred years». And it shall be, after these years, that ‘my Son‘ the Messiah shall die, and all Jin whom there is human breathj. Then shall the world be turned into the primaeval silence seven days, like as at the first beginnings; so that no man is left.

(5) vii. 31-44. The General Resurrection and Final F¥udgement; the Day of Fudgement described (R).

And it shall be after seven days that the Age which is not yet awake shall be roused, and * that which is corruptible * shall perish.

d-d so Arm.: Ar.‘ and the city which was not shall appear: Lthiop. (misplacing negative) and the city which now appears shall be hidden: & (misreading n vuv jn patvomern modus as n ven hatvopevn mods) et apparebit sponsa [et] apparens (so CM; S apparescens) civitas = $ e-e % quae nunc subducitur ff so $ Ars: Ethiop. my Messiah: Av.’ the Messiah; Avm. the Messiah of God; @ filius meus Jesus 8-8 reading iocundabit (S) = Oriental VSS.; iocundabuntur (ACMN) h-bh so © Ar’; S thirty; Av? one thousand; Lthiop. Arm. > Hi so © 3; Ethiop. my servant JI reading qui spiramentum habent hominis (S homines) k-k # corruptum (sc. saeculum) I! 50 3: Land other VSS. > m-m so 3 (of. Ethiop.): & >

vii. 26-44. The eschatological description which was broken off at vi. 28 is here resumed. The present section, however, seems to be partly the work of R, who has utilized older material. For a full discussion of the reasons for this view reference must be made to £A, pp. 108-112. The section falls into two subdivisions, (@) vii. 26-30 and

(a) vii. 26-30. This subsection, as we have seen, may be assigned to R, who, however, depends upon an independent Rabbinical tradition, which he here summarizes. But in v. 26d R has introduced a feature which is here incongruous—the appearance of the ‘heavenly’ Jerusalem and Paradise. These belong to the future age; whereas the temporary Messianic kingdom belongs to the present age and terminates with it. A similar confusion—probably also due to an interpolation by R—occurs in ch. xiii, where v. 36 does not harmonize with the context. The confusion might easily arise at a time when the earthly Jerusalem Jay in ruins and when it would be natural to seek consolation in directing the thoughts to the more glorious city in heaven. The purification of the ‘earthly’ city would be the natural preparation for a ‘temporary’ Messianic age; but as the city had been destroyed this had been made impossible. Hence the necessity of introducing the heavenly Jerusalem—for a Messianic age without Jerusalem as a centre would have been inconceivable. In face of conflicting views as to whether Jerusalem was to be restored or no, R takes a mediating view. The End is not yet—a temporary Messianic age is to dawn; but the earthly city is not to be restored; instead, the heavenly city is to appear. Primaeval chaos and the End will only follow after this interlude.

The redactor has thus woven together two sets of mutually irreconcilable ideas. This is equally true of his —

representation of the Messiah himself. The Messiah is to be ‘revealed’—suddenly, as it seems—‘ together with those who are with him’. As the latter must be the immortal companions ‘who have never tasted death’ it is clear that a heavenly pre-existence for the Messiah himself is implied, as in fact appears in other passages (cf. 4 Ezra xii. 32, xiv. 9; 2 Bar. xxx, &c.). At the close of his reign, therefore, the Messiah ought to return in glory to heaven, as he is made to do in 2 Bar. xxx. But according to R he and his immortal companions share the common fate with the righteous, and die with all men! See further £4, pp. 112-13. 26. the city that now is invisible, i.e. the heavenly Jerusalem (for text see crit. note). the land which is now concealed, i.e. the heavenly Paradise. For the juxtaposition cf. viii. 52. 28. those who are with him, i.e. the Messiah’s immortal companions ; cf. vi. 28 note. the survivors. Only the surviving righteous share in the joys of the Messianic reign ; cf. Ps. Sol. xvii. 50. four hundred years. The versions are not consistent as to this number (see crit. note). In Rabbinic tradition various numbers were deduced for the length of the temporary Messianic kingdom (see the passages cited in £A, p. 115 f.); the number 400 is associated in one passage with R. Dosa, but elsewhere with the name of R. Eliezer b. Hyrqanos. The number was deduced by combining Gen. xv.13 and Ps.xc.15. It should be noted that the conception of a temporary Messianic kingdom which belongs to the present age, and terminates with it, is also met with in 2 Baruch (cf. xl. 3); cf. also Rev. xx. 3. It is a compromise between the older prophetic view which looked for a final consummation of felicity on the present earth, and the later transcendental view which transferred it to a future age, after the destruction of the present order.

30. Then shall the world be turned into the primaeval silence seven days. Urzei¢ = Endzeit (Gunkel).

(2) vii. 31-44. Here again R is summarizing different traditions. These are not always easy to reconcile; thus, e. g., it is difficult to harmonize the ‘ week’ of years (seven years) in v. 43 with the seven ‘days’ of primaeval silence mentioned in v. 30. An important point to note is that the judgement, which is final and universal, and which, therefore, is preceded by a ‘general’ resurrection, is depicted as forensic in character. This is implied by the

ayes

the earth shall restore those that sleep in her, and: the dust those that are at rest therein, [and the chambers shall restore those that were committed unto them]. And the Most High shall be revealed upon the throne of judgement : 1(and then cometh the End)! and compassion shall pass away, ™(and pity be far off,)™ and longsuffering ® withdrawn ° ; But ° judgement ° alone shall remain, truth shall stand, and faithfulness triumph. And ? recompense? shall follow, and the reward be made manifest ; 4 Deeds of righteousness “ shall awake, and deeds of iniquity shall not sleep. And then shall ‘the pit of torment* appear, ‘and over against it the place of refreshment § ; The furnace of Gehenna shall be made manifest, and over against it the Paradise of delight. And then shall the Most High say to the nations that have been raised [from the dead]:

Look now and consider whom ye have denied, whom ye have not served, whose commandments ye have despised.

Look, now, before [you]t: here delight and refreshment, there fire and torments! Thus “shall he speak" unto them in the Day of Judgement, Y For thus shall the Day of Judgement be’: w[A day] whereon is neither sun“, nor moon, nor stars ; neither clouds, * nor thunder, nor lightning * ; neither wind, nor rain-storm, nor ¥ cloud-rack Y ; neither darkness, nor evening, nor morning ; n-n # congregabitur °° so & Ethiop.: S my judgement p-p & opus ( 8; cf. Ethiop.) Heb. mbps a-4 ®& iustitiae rT yeading Jacus tormenti $ (emended) Ethiop. (cf. Ar.) 8-8 reading et contra illum erit locus requietionis (or requisitionis) $ Ar. t-t — Bnerere ovy xatevavtiov (so Oriental VSS.+ you): & videte contra et in contra (dittography) uu so Oriental VSS.: & shalt thou speak v-v yeading dies enim iudicii talis

qui [neque solem habet]; cf. S (for that day of Judgement is thus; cf Ezhiop.): & haec talis quae (this is such a day as) WW cf. 3 there is no sun in it: # quae neque solem habet (? pouting to a text n ovk nos eotat ey auty =

12 wow mm Xd vx) = so © (cf. Ar2): but S Ethiop. invert the order y-y & aerem anp = pr

representation in v. 33, according to which the Most High is revealed ‘upon (i.e. seated upon) the throne of judgement’; cf. Dan. vii. 9, 1 En. xc. 20, xxv. 3; and in the similitudes (of the Elect One), 1 En. xlv. 3, lv. 4, Ixi. 8, Ixix. 27. In all these passages the Divine Judge is spoken of as seated on the judgement throne (sedes tudicii, 4 Ezra vii. 33), i. e. to judge in a forensic sense. When, on the other hand, the Heavenly One is said to ‘arise from his royal throne’ (Ass. Mos. x. 3), this is the formula for the execution of retributive judgement (cf. Volz, p. 261). According to 7: B. Pesah. 54a and Ned. 39 6, this throne was one of the seven things created before the world.

Both in this section and the preceding, clauses which R seems to have derived directly from S have been enclosed in square brackets. The long fragment which is missing from most of the Latin codices, and which was recovered by Bensly, begins after v. 35 ; it finds its place between vv. 35 and 36 of the ordinary Vulgate text. These additional verses are numbered consecutively in the following translation (as in R.V.), and form vv. 36-105. The remaining

31. that which is corruptible, i.e. the present corruptible and mortal world; with the appearance of the new order this vanishes. Cf. 1 Cor. xv. 26.

32. the earth shall restore... and the chambers the souls, &c., i.e. the earth shall restore the bodies of the dead, and the chambers their souls. At the resurrection the soul would return to and revive the body. This is the orthodox Rabbinic doctrine. See further “A, p. 119f.

33. (and then cometh the End). See crit. note. Cf. 1 Cor? xv. 24.

compassion ... (pity) ... longsuffering, viz. of the Divine Judge (Ethiop. renders ‘his compassion’, &c.). The final judgement is pictured as conducted in accordance with the strict requirements of perfect equity and justice.

35. Deeds of righteousness. In Rabbinic language this term would denote definite acts of charity such as those enumerated in Matt. xxv. 35-46 (cf. James ii. 14f.), and more particularly almsgiving. Such acts, and the performance of religious duties generally, constituted ‘ the treasure of good works laid up with the Most High’ (cf. vil. 77).

36. the pit of torment. Cf. Rev. ix. 2.

37. the nations... raised [from the dead]. Cf. Matt. xxv. 31f. For the idea cf. ZA, p. 124.

Rea * neither summer, nor autumn, nor winter ; neither heat, nor frost, nor cold”; neither hail, nor rain, nor dew; 42 neither noon, nor night, nor *dawn®?; neither shining, nor brightness, nor light, save only the splendour of the brightness of the Most High, whereby all shall be destined to see 43, 44 what has been determined (for them). And its duration shall be as it were a week of years. Such is my Judgement and Pits prescribed order”: to thee only have I showed these things.

V. THE DEBATE CONTINUED (from vii. 25): ISRAEL’S ELECTION AND THE PROBLEM OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

(I) vii. 45-74. THE FEWNESS OF THE SAVED JUSTIFIED: THIS FOLLOWED BY A LAMENT OVER MAn’s EvIi CASE (S).

(2) vii. 45-61. The fewness of the saved.

S 45 And I answered and said: O Lord, I said even then and say now: Blessed are *they who come (into the world)* and keep *thy commandments *. \

2-2 so substantially 2; & neque aestatem neque verem neque aestum neque hiemem neque gelum neque frigus «a ¥ ante lucem (? for az original antelucium: so Lensly) b-b & constitutio eius (? 7 ovvtagéis avrov NPN): S its law c-e cf, % (all they who come): #% qui praesentes a-d # quae a te constituta sunt (?Ta cov Suare-

41. neither summer...cold. The order adopted in the text is substantially that of S$; the first line contains the names of three seasons, the second those of three temperatures. The verse is an expansion of Gen. viii. 22 dc. For the equivalents (Latin, Greek, Hebrew) of the terms used cf. A, p. 126.

42. whereby all shall be destined to see, &c. The meaning is that the uncreated light of the Divine Presence will serve to reveal what is prepared for the judgement. For the representation cf. Is. lx. 19 f., Rev. xxi. 23. Gunkel remarks that the verses breathe the spirit of the mystic before which all that hides the vision of God disappears.

43. a week of years. Cf. the seven days of silence in v. 30; but here each day one year.. For a week (or weeks) of years cf. Dan. ix. 24f. (the seventy weeks seventy weeks of years).

vii. 45-ix. 22. The rest of this long vision, which, with the exception of one section (viii. 63-ix. 12), belongs to S, is mainly occupied with the problem which has already been touched upon in vii. 17 f.: if, as the Law itself proclaims, piety—that is, the pious fulfilment of the duties and obligations entailed by the observance of the Law—is the necessary condition for enjoying the future blessedness, what of the godless who do not fulfil these conditions? The heathen, it is true, have not fulfilled the obligations of the divine Law, but who has? Who among mortals has not transgressed the divine precepts (vii. 46f., cf. vill. 35)? This feeling of human unworthiness, which leads the apocalyptist sometimes almost to doubt whether any can be saved at all, and, in the conviction of his own personal unworthiness, to identify himself with the transgressors, and even to give noble expression to pity for the fate of the multitudes of mankind who are doomed to final perdition, is only set at rest with the assurance that a real difference exists between Israel and the heathen world. The election of the chosen people is not for nothing. They at least are the guardians of the divine Law, and as a whole strive to observe it, whereas the other nations of the world have deliberately rejected and spurned it (cf. vii. 72 and vii. 23 f.). The sin that dooms is rejection of the Law—salvation consists in accepting it. Judged by this standard Israel, on the one side, is accepted, and the heathen world, on the other, is condemned. Individual doubts as to personal unworthiness are resolved by a feeling for the solidarity of the nation. From this point of view the merits of the righteous in Israel may be pleaded on behalf of those members of the chosen race who have not kept the Law and are sinners (cf. the prayer in vill. 26f., but note the answer, viii. 37-40). The whole of this part of the book forms a vivid and profoundly moving picture of the doubts and questions that must have agitated the minds of many pious Jews at the end of the first century. These doubts are calmed, perhaps, but hardly removed by the solution. The only consolation the apocalyptist receives is to be bidden to avert his gaze from the awful results of human frailty and sin, and contemplate rather the joys reserved for the righteous. The world to come is reserved for few. The whole section may be subdivided as follows :—

(1) vii. 45-74. The fewness of the saved justified: this followed by a lament over man’s evil case (S).

(2) vii. 75-101. Zhe state of the soul after death and before the judgement (S).

(3) vil. 102-115. Vo zntercession on the day of judgement (S).

(4) vii. 116-131. What avails the promise to man who is born to sin? Yet, though tragic, the sinners doom zs deserved (S).

(5) vii. 132-viii. 62. Doubts as to how the perdition of so many can be justified from the point of view of God’s character and attributes: the divine reply (S).

(6) viii. 63-ix. 12. Zhe sigus of the End reviewed and applied to the author's own times (R).

(7) ix. 13-22. The divine reply concluded: final justification of the fewness of the saved (S).

(1) vii. 45-74. The apocalyptist resumes the debate which was broken off at vii. 25. He had raised the question (vil. 17f.) regarding the justice of the punishment meted out to the ungodly. To this subject he now returns. The righteous indeed are to be blessed, but what is to be said of those who have transgressed the divine covenant? The doom of disobedience lies not upon a few only, but upon well nigh all who have been created! True, the angel replies : the just are comparatively few, and for them the future felicity is reserved. But this is only in accordance with the

But concerning those for whom my prayer (was offered): who is there of those who have come (into the world) that has not sinned? Or who of the earth-born is there that has not transgressed *thy covenant®? And now I see that the coming Age shall bring delight te few, but torment unto many. For the evil heart has grown up in us

which has estranged us ‘ from God f, and brought: us into destruction ;

And ‘has made known to us* the ways of death, and showed us the paths of perdition, and removed us far from life ;

and that not a few only, but well nigh all that have been created! And he answered me and said:

Hear me and I will instruct thee, and a second time will admonish thee :

For this cause the Most High has made not one Age but two. And whereas thou hast said that the righteous are not many but few, ’ while the ungodly abound *—' hear (the answer) to this?: Suppose thou have choice stones, in number exceeding few ; J wilt thou set (place) with them lead and clay J?

And I said: Lord, how should it be possible?

And he said unto me: Not only so, but

Ask the earth, and she shal! tell thee; k Speak to her*, and she shall declare it unto thee.

Say to her: Thou bringest forth gold and silver and brass—and also iron and lead and clay: but silver is more abundant than gold, and brass than silver, and iron than brass, lead than iron, and clay than lead. Do thou, then, consider which things are precious and to be desired: that which is abundant or that which is rare ?

And I said: O Lord my Lord, that which is plentiful is of less worth, but that which is more rare is precious.

And he answered me and said: ! Weigh within thyself! what thou hast thought! For he that has m™what is rare™ rejoices beyond him that has what is plentiful.

»So also shall be my promised judgement ;" I will rejoice over the few that shall be saved, inasmuch as they it is °that make my glory prevail now already® and through them my name is now already named (with praise).

And I will not grieve over the multitude of them that perish: for they it is who now are made like vapour, Taypeva) ee so © Ar’: ZS commandment; Lzhiop. statute (? diferent readings in Greek, diaOnknv, Svatayny)

ff # ab his (sc commandments) $ Ethiop.: perhaps, as Violet suggests, in original Hebrew “abynrip (Z. é. DON) was misunderstood '-fs9 3 Art: > & St¥Eza Wb sof (cf. Art Ar? Arm): S> %4 PHaudi ad haec $ Ji so Ar.‘ (cf. 8): & si habueris paucos valde, ad numerum compones eos tibi . . . plumbum autem et fictile habundat (rod. plumbum et fictile have fallen out in dotted space: then the last clause will be a gloss: see further EA, p.123) ** so % Ethiop.: Madulareei ‘1 so S (cf. Ethiop. Ar): & corrupt ™™ sod Ar. (ef. Ethiop. Ar”); & quod difficile est un so substantially Oriental VSS.; & sic et a me repromissa creatura (confusion of kpists with kriovs) 9° so B (of. Ethiop. Ar”): & qui gloriam meam nunc dominationem (7. dominatiorem) fecerunt

rule that the most precious things are the rarest. Therefore the few that are to be saved, inasmuch as they have made the divine glory to prevail, shall be a cause for rejoicing, and the multitude of the lost is not a subject for grief (vv. 45-61). If so, the apocalyptist replies, man’s lot is indeed a terrible one: it had been better for him to have been like the beasts that perish. ‘ For it is far better with them than with us; they look not for judgement, neither do they know of torments or of salvation promised to them after death.’ We perish conscious of the doom awaiting us ! The angel answers: Man brings the doom upon himself—he has deliberately transgressed the divine commandments ; and, moreover, the Most High has been very longsuffering (vv. 62-74). The section falls into two subdivisions, (@) vii. 45-61 and (6) vii. 62-74.

52. Suppose thou have choice stones ... wilt thou set (place) with them lead and clay. ‘The comparison implies that the number of the elect (to borrow the epithet used in the Latin) cannot be increased by the addition of baser elements’ (Bensly).

54. Not only so, but. The connexion is: one does not add inferior things to precious, in order to increase the number of the latter. There is a real distinction, which one recognizes between them. But further, the earth also teaches the same lesson that what is rare is precious. It would appear, as Gunkel remarks, that the author, from the emphasis he lays on the statement that what is rare is precious, 1s conscious that there is something novel in the idea to his readers.

55. Say toher. For the representation (asking the earth) cf. viii. 2, Job xvi. 18, &c.

56. but silver ...lead. This, according to Ewald, is to be regarded as the answer of the earth.

61. are made like vapour. For the figure cf. Ps. cxliv. 4, James iv. 14; also 2 Bar. lxxxii. 3 f.

P counted as smoke, are comparable unto the flame? : They are fired, burn hotly, are extinguished !

(0) vii. 62-74. The apocalyptist’s lament over man’s evil case.

62 And I answered and said: O thou Earth, what hast thou brought forth, if the mind is sprung

63 from the dust as every other created thing! It had been better if the dust itself had even been unborn, that the mind might not have come into being from it.

64 But, as it is, the mind grows with us, and on this account we are tormented, because we perish and know it.

65 Let the human race ‘lament 4,

but the beasts of the field be glad! Let all the earth-born 4 mourn 4, but let the cattle and flocks rejoice !

66 For it is far better with them than with us; for they have no judgement to look for, neither do they know of any torture or of any salvation promised to them after death.

67 For what doth it profit us that * we shall be preserved alive’, but yet suffer great torment ?

68 For all the earth-born

8 are defiled with iniquities §, full of sins, laden with offences.

69 : And if after death we were not to come into judgement, it might, perchance, t have been * far better

or us!

70- And he answered me and said: When the Most High made the world, and Adam, and all that came "of him", he first prepared the Judgement, and the things that pertain unto the Judgement.

7t But, now, from thine own words understand: for thou hast said that the mind grows with us.

72 For this reason, therefore, shall the sojourners in the earth suffer torture, because having understanding they yet wrought iniquity, and receiving precepts they yet kept them not, and having obtained the Law ‘they set at naught Y that which they received.

73 What, then, will they have to say in the Judgement, or how shall they answer in the last times?

7+ For how long a time hath the Most High been longsuffering with the inhabitants of the world— not for their sakes, indeed, but for the sake of the times which he has ordained !

rp so 3: DL et flammae ac fumo adaequati sunt ( E¢hiop.) 944-9) so % (using two different verbs) : @ lugeat ... lugeant rr X salvati salvabimur: S viventes vivimus ( Hedy. myn) AYN: see ZA, p. 138) s-8 so $: & commixti sunt iniquitatibus ( cvpmepvppevor crow avopsats) t-t so Oriental VSS. ( fuisset) : iL venisset u~t so Oriental VSS. and CMV (exeo): A cum eo V-V so S: Hfraudaverunt (A) fraudati sunt

are comparable unto the flame. The flame which, as it were, consumes itself, is here a figure, apparently for evanescence.

62. if the mind is sprung from the dust. This materialistic view, though evidently familiar to S, is not shared by him; it is contrary to his theology, according to which the soul (with the mind) is the higher immortal element which enters into the body (regarded as the lower element) at birth.

64. we perish and know it. The possession of mind and reasoning powers only intensifies human sufferings at the last, because they must be endured with full knowledge and consciousness of their terrible nature ; inevitable and unceasing.

65. the cattle and flocks. As Gunkel remarks, the statement expressed in this verse is, from the point of view of the ancients, startling and revolutionary. It represents a phase of doubt which threatened to subvert the whole outlook of the ancient world, which regarded man as lord of creation, and as raised to a pinnacle of superiority over all below him. Cf. Gen. i, Ps. viii.

70. he first prepared the Judgement, &c. It is a fundamental dogma of S that the whole course of the world’s history has been predestinated by God: the End, which includes the Day of Judgement, comes when the predetermined number of the elect shall have been fulfilled (cf. iv. 35f.). Paradise and Gehenna, the places essentially associated with the Judgement, were among the seven things created before the world, according to Rabbinic theology (cf. T. B. Pesah. 54 a, &c.) ; cf. also viii. 52, and Pirge Aboth iii. 16 (ed. Taylor). ; m

72. because having understanding they yet wrought iniquity. Cf. 2 Bar. xv. 5, 6, and xix. 3, xlviii. 40; cf. also Eg. Barn. y. 4: ‘A man shall utterly perish, who, having the knowledge of the way of righteousness, forceth himself into the way of darkness.’ For the idea that the Gentiles had been offered and had rejected the Law, cf. Weber, pp. 57 ff.

73. What, then, will they have to say, &c. The representation is forensic. The questions addressed by God to those who appear at the bar of judgement at the last great assize are referred to in several passages both in apocalyptic and Rabbinical literature (cf. 7. 2. Yoma 356; and see further Volz, p. 246f. “A, p. 140).

(2) vii. 75-101. THE STATE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH AND BEFORE THE JUDGEMENT (S).

75 And I answered and said: If I have found favour in thy sight, YO Lord, show this also to thy servant: whether after death, even now when every one of us must give back his soul, we shall be kept in rest until those times come in which thou shalt renew the creation, or shall we suffer torture * forthwith * ?

76 And he answered me, and said: I will show this also unto thee ; but do not thou mingle thyself with them that have scorned, nor number thyself with those that suffer torment.

77. For thou hast a treasure of works laid up with the Most High, but it shall not be showed thee until the last times.

78 And concerning death the teaching is: When ’ the decisive decree¥ has gone forth from the Most High that the man should die, as *the soul’ from the body departs *that it may return* to him who gave it, 79 to adore the glory of the Most High, first of all: if it be one of those that have scorned

(CMV): Z.? frustraverunt wow so HL, &c.: S O Lord my Lord x-x @ amodo am’ apru y-y & terminus sententiae ( DSWidN pn) z-z @ inspiratione a4 50 Ethiop. Ar: & ut dimittatur (f. $)

(2) vii. 75-101. The following section describes the state of the soul immediately after death. It is introduced between parts of the Apocalypse which have for their theme different aspects of the last Judgement. It is, therefore, in the nature of a digression: but the subject is one that logically arises from previous allusions, and comes in at this point quite naturally. f

In answer to the apocalyptist’s inquiry he is told that the spirit, after leaving the body, first of all adores the glory of the Most High and then enters into a state of misery or bliss, corresponding to its ultimate destiny, according as it belongs to the ungodly or righteous. The spirits of the wicked are destined to a wandering existence in torment, in seven degrees: (a) They shall be consumed with remorse ; (4) they will recognize that the past is irrevocable; (¢) they shall see the reward laid up for the righteous; (@) they shall catch a glimpse of the torment reserved for them after the last Judgement; (e) ‘they shall see the dwelling-places of the others guarded by angels with great quietness’ ; (/) they shall see the torment henceforth reserved for them; (g) in the light of the vision of God they shall be consumed with agonizing remorse, confusion, and shame (vii. 78-87).

On the other hand, the spirits of the righteous ‘shall be filled with joy (a) because they have striven to overcome the cogitamentum malum ; (6) because they see the perplexity and punishment of the ungodly ; (c) because they see the divine witness to their righteousness ; (¢) because they understand the rest and quiet of their intermediate state, and the glory that awaits them in the final Judgement ; (¢) because they realize the painful corruption from which they have been delivered, and cherish the hope of immortality; (/) because of the incorruptible radiance and glory that await them; (g) ‘‘ because they shall rejoice with confidence, and be bold without confusion, and shall be glad without fear, for they hasten to behold the face of him whom in their lifetime they served, and from whom they shall receive their reward in glory ”’ (vii. 88-98).

These descriptions, which are psychological in character, apparently portray the emotional experiences of the soul, through which it passes during the entire period of the intermediate state. In its subtle delineation of the soullife the whole section is remarkable, and by the elevation and refinement of its conceptions affords a striking contrast to similar descriptions in other parts of the apocalyptic literature (e.g. 1 En. xxii). No such detailed description of the state of the soul occurs in the Baruch-Apocalypse.

At the end of the section (vii. 100-101) one other detail is added. The souls shall be free for seven days immediately after death that they may realize the things which have been described, after which they enter into their habitations. Apparently this only applies to the souls of the righteous, as it is explicitly stated in v. 80 that the souls of the wicked do not enter into habitations at all, but wander to and fro in torment. How the souls pass from the states here described to the final Judgement is not told. In 2 Bar. xxx this is accomplished by means of the resurrection, which is there described in detail. See further Volz, p. 135 f.; Charles, Eschatology, p. 294f.

75. thou shalt renew the creation. For the expression cf. caw) kriows (= WIN M4), Gal. vi. 15, 2 Cor. vi. 17, and for the idea of the renovation of the world, Matt. xix. 28, ‘in the regeneration’ (év ry madvyyevecia) ; 2 Pet. ii. 13 ; Rey. xxi. 1. The same phrase occurs in 2 Bar. xxxii. 6, ‘when the Mighty One shall renew his creation’ (cf. xliv. 12, lvii. 2). The incorruptible world which is to succeed the present order at the final Judgement is meant. Cf. v. 45.

77. a treasure of works. The idea of works being stored up in treasuries (in heaven) occurs also in 2 Bar. xiv. 12. Cf. 4 Ezra viii. 33 (contrast viii. 36). But much greater stress is laid on good works in 2 Baruch than in 4 Ezra. According to the latter very few indeed have, by their strict performance of the requirements of the Law, been able to claim any such accumulation of merit. It is faith in the Law (i.e. open acknowledgement of its divine character and obligation) which will save most of those who are destined to be saved: cf. ix. 7, ‘ every one that shall be saved, and shall be able to escape on account of his works or his faith’), xili. 23 and vi. 5 (‘treasuries of faith’). The most esteemed way in which such treasure in heaven could be gathered, according to the accepted Jewish standard of ethics, was by the practice of benevolence (Hebr. géiluth haésadim), especially by almsgiving (cf. in the N.T. Matt. vi. 20, Luke xii. 33, 1 Tim. vi. 17f., and illustrate from Pe‘a i. 1, where it is said that gémélith hdsadim, the promotion of peace between man and man, and the study of the Law, are ‘the things whose fruits are enjoyed in this life, while their capital remains [invested] for the life to come’).

it shall not be showed thee until the last times. The treasuries would not be opened till the last Judgement. Cf. 2 Bar. xxiv. I.

78. that it may return to him who gaveit. Cf. Eccles. xii. 7.

to adore the glory of the Most High, &c. This sentence, as Gunkel points out, is epexegetical to the previous line (‘ that it may return to him who gave it’). The citation from Eccles. xii. 7 is understood by the author in the

1 The above excellent summary is derived from Maldwyn Hughes’s Ethics of Jewish Apocryphal Lit., p. 305 f.

and have not kept » the ways” of the Most High, °that have despised his law,° and that hate those who fear God— 80 Such souls shall not enter into habitations, but shall wander about henceforth in torture, ever grieving and sad, in seven ways. 82 The first way (is) that ¢ they have scorned ¢ the Law of the Most High; the second way, that they 83 are now unable °to make a good repentance for life®; the third way (is): they shall see the 84 reward laid up for those who have believed the covenants of the Most High’; the fourth way, 85 that they shall regard the torture laid up for themselves in the last days#; the fifth way, that they 86 shall see how the habitations " of the other souls® are guarded by angels in profound quietness ; the 87 sixth way, that they shall see ‘how from now henceforth they must pass over into torture’. The seventh way, which exceeds all the aforesaid ways, (is) : that they shall pine away for shame, and be consumed 3 with confusion J, and withered * with fear *, in that they see the glory of the Most High, before whom they have sinned in life, and before whom they are destined to be judged in the last times. 88 Of those, however, who have kept the ways of the Most High this is ! the order!, when they shall be separated from this vessel of mortality. 89 ™What time they dwelt therein™ they painfully served the Most High, and were in jeopardy every hour, that they might observe the Law of the lawgiver perfectly. 91 Wherefore the matter as it relates to them is as follows: First of all they shall see with great joy 92 the glory of him who receives them ; and they shall rest "in seven orders". The first order (is): that they have striven much and painfully to overcome ° the innate evil thought °, that it might not 93 lead them astray from life? unto death. The second order (is): that they see ¢*the round® in 94 Which the souls of the ungodly wander, and *the punishment that awaits them'. The third order (is): they see the witness which their Fashioner attests concerning them, that while they were alive 95 * they faithfully observed the Law which was given to them*. The fourth order (is): they understand the rest which they now, being gathered in their chambers, enjoy in profound quietness

Db so 3 Ethiop. Ar+: Lviam ¢°¢ so Ethio~p.: S> 44 so ( nOernoay): S they have resisted ( nrecOnoayr) : see EA,p.145 °° Wreversionem bonam facere ut vivant: 3 emorpepew kar ayabororew (Lensly adopis) * sot (Ethiop. Ar.): 2> 8 here 2 adds a verse which ts not original: see EA, p. 146 hh so 3 Ars (ff. Ethiop.) : % aliorum ii reading quam amodo pertransient in cruciamentum (see ZA, p. 146) Vi so 3 Ethiop. Ar+: Lin honoribus ( ev ripuas [ for atipuas|: read ev arysa) k-k so $ Lthiop.: & in timoribus Il #& ordo ( n rakis): 2S way m-m sg S: i in eo tempore commoratae u-n ¥% per septem ordines: 1 here and in following verses wses ordo consistently; so Ethiop. Ard: but 3 Ar? Arm. use way ( obos) throughout o-o # cum eis plasmatum cogitamentum PP so LS Ar.'; but Ethiop. in their present life a-a # complicationem (= cupmdokny: Hebr. NVI ; see LA, p. 149) rt yeading quae eis (for in eis) manet punitio s-s & servaverunt quae per fidem

sense that the soul of man after death appears before God for a certain limited time only, and for a certain purpose. This follows from his belief as to the intermediate state. 80. Such souls. For zuspirationes = here disembodied souls, cf. v. 78 above (vecedente inspiratione). t2¥1 is used

of the disembodied soul in Rabbinic Hebrew: cf. e.g. 7. B. Shab. 152 6 OPTS by jnit3, ‘the souls of the righteous’ (in reference to the souls being deposited beneath the throne of glory). For the theological controversies regarding inspiratio in this connexion cf. Bensly, JZF, p. 64.

but shall wander about henceforth in torture. In 7. 2. Shabd. 1526 the souls of the wicked are said to be given no place of rest until the Judgement, while the souls of the righteous are given their resting-place (MN) soon after death.

in seven ways, i.e. seven modes or kinds (= Hebr. derek). The arrangement of the sufferings and joys in seven kinds would appear somewhat artificial to us. According to Gunkel, it is derived from the old Babylonian tradition (which passed over to Judaism) of the existence of seven heavens and seven hells (this tradition appears in late

Jewish literature ; cf. Eisenmenger, ii, p. 328, for a description of the seven mido"n of Hell). Our passage may be a refinement of this idea. See further 2A, p. 145. : 81. The first way, i.e. the first kind (of torture) ; a Hebraism (deve, ‘ way’= kind, manner) : this meaning, rare in Biblical Hebrew, is common in PAH. 88. from this vessel of mortality, lit. ‘from this corruptible vessel’; Lat. a vaso corruptibili. The Greek

equivalent for ‘corruptible vessel’ would be 16 @aprov oxevos = Hebr. (?) rrd> SOoe Che POaprov rovro, ‘this corruptible’ (that which is liable to corruption), 1 Cor. xv. 53. Notice in our passage the implied view of the body as the prison-house of the soul. [On the form vaso cf. Bensly, 47/, p. 66f.]

gi. in seven orders, i.e. orders or dispositions of mind (or emotion)—here of joys ; for text see crit.note. A good Hebrew equivalent for rééts would be 772) or 4313, which is used (in late Hebrew) in the same way of a disposition of the mind.

92. The first order. Gunkel correctly interprets this as = ‘the first joy’.

93. the round (or circuit). The word might well be used of wild erratic motion (of the ungodly souls).

IOor

guarded by angels, and the glory which awaits them ‘at their latter end*. The fifth order (is): they rejoice that they have now escaped what is corruptible, and that they shall inherit that which is to come; and moreover that they see the straitness and " painfulness® ¥ from which ¥ they have been delivered, and the spacious liberty which they are destined “to receive with enjoyment and immortality ¥. The sixth order: *that* it is shown unto them how their face is destined to shine as the sun, and how they are destined to be made like the light of the stars, ¥ henceforth ¥ incorruptible. The seventh order; which exceeds all the aforesaid, (is): that They shall rejoice with boldness, be confident without confusion, be glad * without fear ”, for they are hastening to behold the face of him whom in life they served, and from whom they are destined to receive their reward in glory. This is the order of the souls of the righteous as from now henceforward * is announced *, (” and) the aforesaid ways of torture (are) those which they suffer henceforth who» * would not give heed °. And I answered and said: Shall time, therefore, be given unto the souls, after they are’separated from the bodies, that they may see what thou hast described to me? And he said to me: Seven days they have freedom, that during these seven days they may see4 the things aforesaid 4, afterwards they shall be gathered together in their habitations.

(3) vii. 102-115. NO INTERCESSION ON THE Day, OF JUDGEMENT (S).

And I answered and said: If I have found favour in thy sight, show me, thy servant, this also: whether in the Day of Judgement the righteous shall be able to intercede for the ungodly, or to

data est lex (per fidem may have been intended to qualify observed in original) ‘-t #@ in novissimis eorum ue yeading labore plenum (MSS. plenum only); cf. % (the much toil) E¢hzop. YY veading a quo (M)8: quoniam (A C V) w-w # recipere fruniscentes et immortales so Ethiop. ( ort): & quando (= ore); soS YY reading amodo (for quomodo) ; cf 3 Ethiop. 4% reading non reverentes (/ov revertentes): Oriental VSS. either omit or obscure the clause aa reading adnuntiatur (for annuntientur) b-»> yeading (et) praedictae viae (sunt) cruciatus quas (so A) patiuntur amodo qui (the bracketed words being supplied) c-e %& neglexerint d-d # qui praedicti sunt sermones

96. escaped what is corruptible. Gunkel points out that the implied idea is that what is mortal and corruptible is an alien element in man’s essential being.

97. their face...as the sun... like the light of the stars. The language is based on Dan. xii. 3, and is similarly applied to the righteous (in an eschatological connexion) in Matt. xiil. 43; cf. also 2 Bar. li. 3 (of the transformation of the righteous at the resurrection), li. 10; cf. 1 En. xxxix. 7 (‘resplendent as lights of fire’ =‘ shine as the stars’ [Charles]), li. 5, civ. 2 (‘soon ye shall shine as the stars of heaven’); cf. also 4 Ezra vii. 125. In 1 Cor. xv. 41 the spiritual body of the resurrection is compared to the stars (‘one star differeth from another star in glory ’) ; the righteous in the resurrection are compared with the angels in Matt. xxii. 30; cf. 1 En. li. 4 (‘ they shall become angels in heaven’), civ. 6, and 2 Bar. li. 10 (cited above). Gunkel points out that in the earlier circle of religious ideas from which the higher religion received the first impulse towards the development of the doctrine of the resurrection stars and angels are equivalent conceptions. In this earlier religion the stars were regarded as gods. ‘To be made like the stars,’ therefore, survived as a figure for immortality in the phraseology of spiritual religion.

98. with boldness. Cf. Wisd. v. 1, and see Volz, p. 264.

to behold the face, &c. Cf. Matt. v. 8.

100. the souls. Here and in the following verse the souls of the righteous only are, apparently, meant. These souls enter into the chambers reserved for them ; the souls of the wicked do not (cf. v. 80).

rol. Seven days...freedom. According to the dictum of R. Hisda, cited in 7. B. Shabd. 152 a, the soul of a man mourns for him the first seven days after death. It is also said in the same context (1524) that the souls of the righteous are given their resting-place soon. The origin of the idea of seven days’ freedom being given to the soul immediately after death is obscure. It probably depends upon some primitive tradition. See further “4, p. 153.

habitations, i.e. in the intermediate state.

(3) vii. 102-115. The previous section (vii. 75-101) opened with the question whether after death the soul was permitted to rest until the Judgement, or whether it entered immediately into torment. The seer was evidently thinking of the souls of the unrighteous, with whom he identified himself. The question was answered in the negative—no peace is allowed for the souls of the lost. Still full of pity for the awful fate that awaits lost souls, Ezra-Salathiel asks whether there is any possibility of escape for the wicked in the Day of Judgement. Will intercession by the righteous for the ungodly be permitted? Again the answer is, No. Father will not be permitted to intercede for son, or son for father, or brother for brother, or friend for friend. This will be just as impossible as for one to take the place of another in illness, or in sleeping or eating : ‘every one’ in that day ‘ must bear his own righteousness or unrighteousness ’.

The seer again pleads the many examples of intercession that are recorded in the Scriptures (Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, &c.), and is told that while the present (temporary) order endures such intercession is possible. But the Day of Judgement means the closing of all accounts. ‘So shall no man then be able to have mercy on him who is condemned in the Judgement, nor overwhelm him who is victorious.’

The view, met with in Rabbinical literature, that the merits of sons will avail to save the fathers in the Day of Judgement (cf. e.g. Lccles. rabb. on Qoh. iv. 1) is thus implicitly condemned : indeed, the whole doctrine of imputed righteousness seems to be emphatically repudiated, _ ie i : eat.

The apocalyptic writer thus here reaches the height of a pure and strenuous individualism. National limitations,

ise)

IWCEZRAY iP 103-155

103 intreat the Most High in their behalf: fathers for sons, sons for parents, brothers for brothers, kins- 104 folk for their nearest, friends for their dearest. And he answered me and said: Since thou hast found favour in my sight, I will show this alsounto thee. The Day of Judgement is “ decisive ™, and displays unto all the seal of truth. Even as now a father may not send a son, or a son his father, or a master his slave, or a friend his dearest, that in his stead *he may be ill®, or sleep, or eat, or be tox healed; so shall ‘none then’ pray for another on that Day, neither shall one lay a burden on 106 another ®; for then every one shall bear his own righteousness or unrighteousness. And I answered and said: How is it that we now find that first Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, and 107 Moses for our fathers who sinned in the wilderness ; and Joshua after him for Israel in the days » of 108 Achar"; and Samuel ‘in the days of Saul, and David Jfor the plague J, and Solomon * for those rog that (should worship) in the sanctuary*; and Elijah for those who received the rain, and for the r1o dead, that he might live; and Hezekiah for the people in the days of Sennacherib, and (others) many rit for many? If, therefore, now when corruption is grown up, and unrighteousness increased, the righteous have prayed for the ungodly, why shall it not be so then also ? 112. And he answered me and said: The present age ‘is not the End!; ™the glory of God abides not 113 therein continuously ™: therefore have the strong prayed for the weak. But the Day of Judgement shall be the end of this age and the beginning of the eternal age that is to come ; wherein 114 corruption is passed away, " weakness” is abolished, infidelity is cut off; while righteousness is grown, and faithfulness is sprung up.

115 So shall no man then be able to have mercy on him who is condemned in the Judgement, nor “overwhelm ° him who is victorious.

dd-dd s9 3 (?ovrtopos): LEthtop. suddenly (? cvvropws): H audax (=? evrohpos a corruption of ovvropos)

ee so 3 Ethiop. Arm. ( wa voon): B intellegat ( wa von) ff so 3 (of. Ar.') ovde tore: H nunquam Ethiop. Ar); £(SACM) > J-J & pro confractione k-k & pro eis qui in sanctificationem ( umep Tov ev To tepw): S&S Lthiop. for the sanctuary ( vmep tov tepou) I! so © (non est finis): cf Ethiop.; 3 has an end m-m s9 3 Ethiop.: & gloria in eo (supply non) frequens manet nn so Ethiop. (n acbevera): & intemperantia ?nacedyea: Cf. 3) o-o & demergere ( karamovri¢ewv) pp & coercere ( karexew) : & instructed ( karn-

distinctions between race and race, are left behind: the individual soul comes to view, and the personal responsibility of each individual soul is asserted with the utmost emphasis. Between God and the departing soul no mediatorial or mitigating agency is allowed to stand. Here we may detect the influence of Alexandrine theology which tended to lay all stress upon the present life as determining the eternal fate of every man (cf. Bousset, R/’, p. 337 f.).

It is apparently against some such conceptions as have been described above that our passage is directed. It definitely excludes the entire cycle of such ideas. Probably at the time when our Apocalypse was written these ideas had assumed an exaggerated form in certain circles. It is curious to note that this passage of 4 Ezra gave offence to Christian theologians. Its citation as scriptural proof against the efficacy of intercessions for the dead evoked a severe reproof from Jerome (Zz .. . proponis mihi librum apocryphum, gui sub nomine Esdrae a te et similibus tuts legitur; ubi scriptuim est, guod post mortem nullus pro alits audeat deprecart : quem ego librum nunguam leg? : |contra Vigélant. c. vii]). This objection doubtless accounts for the disappearance of the section from the Latin Cod. S, and nearly all later copies—the lacuna only being made good by the discovery of the missing Fragment by Bensly.

104. the seal of truth, i.e. the seal of the Judge which attests the truth and justice of the sentence (Gunkel). The representation is again forensic ; the sealing of the document recording the sentence being the final act of the Judge.

105. neither shall one lay a burden, &c. The whole passage is a development of Ezek. xviii. 20.

106. first. Of the following series.

Abraham. The reference is to Gen. xviii. 23.

Moses . . . in the wilderness. See Exod. xxxii. 11.

107. Achar. See Joshua vii.

for the plague. The reference is to 2 Sam. xxiv. 15f.

for those that (should worship) in the sanctuary. See 1 Kings vili. 22 f., 30f.

109. Elijah ... the rain. See 1 Kings xviii. 42.

for the dead ... live. See 1 Kings xvii. 2o0f,.

Ilo. Hezekiah ... Sennacherib. See 2 Kings xix. 15 f.

112. the glory of God abides not therein continuously. For the various causes (idolatry, blasphemy, pride) which cause the removal of the Shekinah (= the divine presence and glory) from the earth, according to Rabbinic theology, see Schechter, Asects, p. 223 e¢ al. Here the idea is that the divine glory cannot permanently remain with what is essentially transitory.

rahgs

(4) vii. 116-131. WHAT AVAILS THE PROMISE TO MAN WHO IS BORN TO SIN ? YET, THOUGH TRAGIC, THE SINNER’S DOOM IS DESERVED (S).

116 And I answered and said: This is my first and last word ; better had it been that the earth had not produced Adam, or else, having once produced him, (for thee) ? to have restrained? him from 117 sinning. _ For how does it profit us all that in the present we must live in grief and after death look 118 for punishment? O thou Adam, what hast thou done! For though it was thou that sinned, 4 the rrg fall was not thine alone, but ours also4 who are thy descendants! For how does it profit us that 120 the eternal age is promised to us, whereas we have done the works that bring death? And that there is foretold to us "an imperishable hope”, whereas we so miserably are brought to futility ? r22 And that there are reserved habitations of health and safety, whereas we have lived wickedly ?. And that the glory of the Most High is to defend them who have led a pure life, whereas we have walked 123 in ways most wicked? And that Paradise whose fruit endures incorruptible, wherein is delight and 124 healing, shall be made manifest, but we cannot enter it because we have passed our lives *in unseemly 125 Manners’? And that the faces of such as have practised abstinence shall shine above the stars, 126 whereas our faces shall be blacker than darkness? For, while we lived and committed iniquity we considered not what we were destined to suffer after death! 127 And he answered me and said: This is tthe condition* of the contest which (every) man who is 128 born upon earth must wage; that, if he be overcome, he shall suffer as thou hast said: but if he be 129 Victorious, he shall receive what I have said. For this is the way of which Moses, while he was 130 alive, spoke unto the people, saying: Choose thee life, that thou mayst live! Nevertheless they 131 believed not him, nor the prophets after him, no nor yet me who have spoken unto them. "Therefore ® shall there not be such grief at their perdition, as there shall be joy over the salvation of those who have believed.

(5) DouBTs AS TO HOW THE PERDITION OF SO MANY CAN BE JUSTIFIED FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF GOD'S CHARACTER AND ATTRIBUTES: THE DIVINE REPLY (S).

(a) vii. 132—viii. 3. Wall God—so merciful and compasstonate—suffer so many to perish ? (S.) 132 And I answered and said: I know, Lord, that the Most High is now called compassionate in that

xew) ( Ethiop.) 4-4 veading non est factum solius tuus casus sed et nostrum (cf 3) rr # perennis spes ss of, Ethiop.: & ingratis locis (confusing tpomos and rorots): so S tt # cogitamentum o diadoyopos = PN (law, condition) ua so 3: LH quoniam

(4) vii.116-131. Itthus having been demonstrated that no possibility of escape from eternal punishment exists for the doomed race of sinners, the seer now bursts forth into a passionate lamentation over the fate of the mass of humanity. It would have been better if Adam had not been created with freedom of will to sin, than that his descendants should be born only to be doomed. To promise them happiness and immortality on conditions which they must almost inevitably fail to keep is but to mock their misery. To this the archangel can only reply that such are the conditions of the fight; there will be more joy in heaven over those who attain salvation than sorrow over the many who perish.

116. that the earth had not produced. Cf. iii. 5.

orelse ... to have restrained him from sinning. Cf., for the thought, vii. 63.

118. the fall was not thine alone, but ours also. Adam is here charged with being the cause of the perdition of the human race; cf. vii. 20f., iv. 30-31, and contrast 2 Bar. liv. 19.

122. is to defend. For the idea of the divine glory (= the Shekinah) being a protection to the righteous, cf. the Rabbinic phrase ‘ to take refuge under the wings of the Shekinah’ (7. 2. Shabd. 31 a, &c., of one acknowledging God). .Moses when dead lay in its pinions (Sz/ve, 355).

123. Paradise, i.e. the heavenly Paradise.

wherein (i.e. in which fruit) is delight and healing. For the representation cf. Ezek. xlvii. 12 (Rev. xxii. 2).

125. of such as have practised abstinence. The ascetic note here is discernible. For ascetic tendencies in

Rabbinic theology cf. Schechter, Asfects, pp. 277-8.

shall shine above the stars. Cf. Dan. xii. 3 and Matt. xii. 43.

whereas our faces shall be blacker than darkness. The conception at the background of the clause is that of sinners being banished to night and darkness (cf. the phrase in the Gospels, ‘to be cast forth into the outer darkness,’ Matt. viii. 12, &c.), The conception of hell as a place of fire is a distinct and more developed one.

129. Choose thee life, that thou mayst live. Cf. Deut. xxx. 19. Such words are interpreted in later Judaism in a deeper sense: ‘life’ eternal life, the blessed life in heaven. In the original context ‘life’ natural life (regarded as the highest of boons). Cf. Gunkel, ad Zoc.

(5) vii. 132-viii. 62. The seer’s doubts still remain. Ina fine passage he acknowledges (and implicitly appeals to) the divine mercy and compassion, which are displayed in manifold ways in the present order. This suggests a question which is not directly expressed: Is it possible to reconcile the final perdition of so many with the divine mercy? In reply he is told that the present world is for the many, the future world for the few (vii. 132-viii. 3). Again he asks: Is it possible that God’s creature, who has been fashioned with such infinite care and skill, can have been created only to perish? With this question the seer gives up the problem of the race, and turns to his own people (viii. 4-19). For

S 133 he compassionates those who have not yet come into the world; and gracious, in that he is gracious 134 towards those Y who return to his law’: and longsuffering, because he shows longsuffering to sinners 135, 136 “as his creatures“; and * bountiful *, since he is ready to bestow favour rather than exact; and of

great mercy, because he multiplies mercies so greatly to those who are in existence, and who have

137 passed away, and who are to come:—for if he did not multiply » mercy’ the world with its

inhabitants could not attain unto life—* and good (?), for if in his goodness he were not gracious”, so that evil-doers might be eased of their iniquities, the ten thousandth part of mankind could not attain

139 unto life; and * forgiving, for if he did not pardon® those that were created by his word, and blot 140 out the multitude ” of their iniquities, there would, perchance, be very few left of an innumerable

multitude.

And he answered me and said: This age the Most High has made for many, but the age to come for few. I will tell thee, now, a similitude, Hzva: as, when thou askest the earth, it shall say unto thee that it produces much more mould from which earthen vessels are made, but little dust from

which gold comes; so also is ° the course® of the present age. Many have been created, but few shall be saved !

VY so & Ethiop. & [illis] qui faciunt conversionem in lege eius w-w % quasi suis operibus xX yeading munificus: % (cf. Ethiop.) giver IY so 3 (Gg. Ethiop.) L> 2% yeading et donator quoniam si non donaverit (see LA, p. 167 f.) a~a @& et iudex (quoniam) si non ignoverit : Szizonsen reads: and the righteous judge who hath no respect of persons, but who, if he did not pardon (see EA, p. 169) b-b & contemptionum rey abetnnatwv: S of their sins ( tev aducnpater) c-e & actus (= mpakis:

them and for himself he utters a beautiful prayer, appealing to God to have compassion on those who are destitute of good works (viii, 20-36). The angel briefly replies (viii. 37-40), and proceeds to compare man on the earth to seed. As the husbandman sows much seed, but only part comes up, so out of the multitude of created men only a part shall be saved. The seer answers that much seed perishes for lack or because of excess of rain, and once again appeals to the divine compassion (viii. 41-45). The divine reply that follows (viii. 46-62) constitutes a general answer to what precedes. The seer is told that his love falls far below God’s for God’s creature ; his (the seer’s) humility is, however, commended, and he is assured of felicity with the righteous. He is bidden to ask no more questions regarding the fate of the lost, who have brought their doom upon themselves.

(a) vii. 132-viii. 3. The seer, in his fine appeal to the divine attributes of compassion and forgiveness, obviously has in mind the passage of Scripture which has become classical in this connexion, Exod. xxxiv. 6-7 (‘Jahveh . . . a God compassionate and gracious, longsuffering and of great mercy and faithfulness ; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin’). This had already become a stereotyped formula of address to or description of God when the later books of the O. T. were written, and many reminiscences of the language used occur (cf. e.g. Neh. ix. 17, Joel ii. 13, Jonah iv. 2, Ps. Ixxxvi. 15, &c.; also Sirach ii. 11 and Wisd. xv.1). The passage is doubtless based upon, or interweaves, a Midrash on Exod. xxxiv. 6-7, as Prof. Simonsen holds ; see further ZA, pp. 164-165.

132. those who have not yet come into the world. God, in spite of His foreknowledge which enables Him to foresee man’s future sins before he is born, is yet tender and compassionate towards him, treating him as righteous and free from sin until he actually commits sin; cf. JZédr. rabb. to Gen. xxi. 17, where God says ‘I judge man’ (as to whether he is righteous or wicked) ‘according to his time’ (i.e. as he is at the time, without taking into account his future sins). In the passage Ishmael (not yet having sinned) is counted as pious.

133. who return to his law. God compassionates man both before he sins (v. 132), and also after he has sinned and made his repentance.

135. he is ready to bestow favour rather than exact. Cf. the following (from Seder Eliahu, p. 135): ‘God bestows gifts on those who know him and on those who know him not and do not deserve his gifts.’ Simonsen understands the clause to mean: God is ready to forgive guilt rather than exact punishment.

137. could not attain unto life, i.e. the future (eternal) ‘life’. This agrees with the doctrine of the school of Shammai, according to which the truly pious passed at once, after death, to bliss; the very wicked went at once to Gehenna; while the intermediate class (which comprised the vast majority) were only consigned to Gehenna for a time, God’s goodness and kindness being shown in allowing their release therefrom, so that they ultimately passed to eternal life (so Simonsen).

138. and good (?), for if in his goodness, &c. On the textual phenomena of this verse cf. ZA, p. 167.

139. forgiving. The Lat. has zwdex, judge ; so the other versions. This has usually been supposed to be based on an erroneous reading in the original Hebrew text (QW for 0D1w). For a brilliant alternative solution (by Simonsen) see crit. note.

140. very few. Simonsen’s suggestion is to read the text of vv. 139-140: ‘and the righteous Judge who hath no

respect of persons, but who, if he did not pardon,’ &c. (Heb. 1) DYE Nw xd WS APTS OH). This affords a fine paraphrase of Exod. xxxiv. 7 (‘forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin’). God’s attributes of mercy are pleaded all through the passage, and the conclusion reached is that if God did not possess these attributes nearly all created would be involved in perdition. ‘This accords with one of the traditional interpretations of the words which follow the

second clause of Exod. xxxiv. 7 cited above, viz. 1p3 xd p31; i.e. (according to the interpretation referred to) ‘He.

will not utterly extinguish’.

The seer thus, as Moses himself (Num. xiv. 17-18), pleads the revelation of God’s attributes made in Exod. xxxiv. 6-7 in mitigation of the severity of the divine judgement.. He does so, however, in a paraphrastic form which suggests a midrashic influence, .

viii. 3. Many ... created... few ...saved. Cf. Matt. xxi, 14. The illustration in vv. 1-3 is parallel both in thought and expression with vil. 49-61.

(0) viii. 4-19. Can God’s creature, who has been fashioned with such infinite skill and labour, perish finally ? (S.) S 4 And I answered and said: 4Q my soul, drink thy fill of understanding-4, And, ° O heart °, ‘ feed on wisdom?! 5 £Involuntarily thou camest (into the world), and when thou willest not departest §:

6 for »permission® has been given to thee only to live a brief time. 41O Lord above us‘, if thou wouldst but suffer thy servant to pray before thee; and wouldst give unto us the seed of a new heart and culture to our understanding, whence fruit may come, whereby every corruptible one may

7 be able to live, who bears the form of mani! For one art thou ‘and we are all one fashioning,

8 the work of thine hands*, as thou hast said. !And when! thou quickenest ™the body which thou fashionest in the womb™, and endowest it with members, thy creature is preserved in fire and water, and nine months does that which thou hast fashioned (i. e. the womb) bear thy creature " which thou

9 hast created within it". But °that which keeps and that which is kept® are both kept P by thy

10 keeping». And when the womb gives up again 4 what has been created in it 4, thou hast commanded that out of the members themselves, "that is out of the breasts’, milk, the fruit of the breasts, should 11 be provided, that what has been fashioned may be nourished for a time. 12 And afterwards thou sustainest it in thy mercy and nourishest it in thy righteousness ; Thou disciplinest it through thy law, and reprovest it in thy wisdom. 13 Thou wilt kill it—as (it is) thy creature, and quicken it—as (it is) thy work! 14 If, then, *with a light word® thou shalt destroy him who with such infinite labour has been 15 fashioned by thy command, ‘*to what purpose was he made*? But now I will say: Concerning man in general, "thou knowest best *, but concerning

ev nit) d-d sg $ absorbe anima mea sensum: Lat. MSS. absolve e-e cf. S my heart: E¢thzop. ro ovs

(? for rov vovvy): © > ff # devoret quod sapit (Greek ? karahaye to hpovovy) 8-§ so S: & (misreading axovea @ akoveat) convenisti enim obaudire et profecta es nolens hh & spatium ( ? cvyywpnors (cf. S power) 1 iO Domine super nos (so v. 45): % O Lord my Lord (so v. 45) Fi so 3: & locum hominis (confusing ronov and rumov) kk so S$: L et una plasmatio nos sumus manuum tuarum Il & et quoniam ( kat ott: for ore) m-m 7 nunc in matrice plasmatum corpus ( frvod. }OI2 ANY ANNY AWwWaAN—Lhe two middle words being misread 8 Tyr) nn s9 S$: & quae in eo creata est °-° reading ipsum [quod servat et] quod servatur (C)% A C >wordsin brackets P-P veading servatione tua 3 Ethiop. a4 veading quae in ea creata fuerint 1x Z& [membris] hoc est mamillis: 3 > [clause may be a gloss] s-s # facili ordine ( xovpyn rage: Hed. ? bp 4272 [Gunkel]) : S suddenly and quickly tt @ et ut quid (= wa m car: Hed, m195)) : so Oriental VSS. u-u 7 tu magis scis

(= ov paddXov o.das)

4. Omy soul... feed on wisdom. The sentiment expressed in this verse serves to reveal the seer’s despair of being able to solve the problem by intellectual means. As the discussion proceeds it seems to become ever more unfathomable.

5. Involuntarily thou camest ... departest. Cf. 2 Bar. xlviii. 14 f.5; also xiv. 11.

only to live a brief time. Cf. 2 Bar. xlviii. 12.

6. the seed of a new heart and culture to our understanding. % renders: ‘the seed and culture of a new heart.’ Possibly ‘ seed of a new heart’ is right. In this case the seer asks for that ‘ transformation by the renewing of the mind’ (r7 dvaxawaoet Tod vods), of which St. Paul speaks (Rom. xii. 2; cf. Eph. iv. 23), and which amounts to dvayevynots, The cor malignum is to be replaced by a cor novum,and the granum seminis maid (iv. 30) by the semen cordis novi. The epithet ‘new’ is only found in the Syr.

whereby ...may... live, who bears the formof man. The meaning of the whole verse is well paraphrased by Volkmar: ‘O that thou wouldst grant unto thy human children not merely physical life, but also the seed of spiritual life and understanding to be cultivated (by them), so that thereby they might attain true life !

7. as thou hast said. Isa. xlv. 11, lx. 21; cf. xv. 14f. The combination of the assertion of God’s uniqueness and unity (so/us enim es) and of His Fatherhood as the one Creator of all is notable ; cf. vi. 1-6.

8. thy creature is preserved in fire and water. There is here a clear allusion to the Oriental doctrine that man’s living organism is compounded of the primal elements (‘ the things that have intermingled with thy growth’, iv. 10, cf. note there). Cf. Philo, de Mundi Op. 51, where the human body is spoken of as compounded from earth, water, air, and fire: for Rabbinic views on the same subject cf. Weber, p. 210 f.

and nine months ... bear thy creature which thou hast created within it, i.e. within the womb.

13. Thou wilt kill it ... quicken it ...thy work. Volkmar paraphrases: ‘Thou wilt indeed bring man to death, as he is a creature of thine: but thou wilt—such is my hope—summon him also to renewed life, because thou hast once given him (physical) life.’ Cf. for a somewhat similar sentiment 1 Sam. ii. 6 (‘ J. kills and makes alive: he brings down to Sheol and brings up’). The reference will then be to the future life: ‘ quicken’ may, however, mean only ‘ to preserve alive’ (God kills, or allows ‘ His creature’ to live, as He will, viz. in this life). Cf. also 2 Kings

14. him who with such infinite labour has been fashioned. Cf. Ps, cxxxix. 14f.

16 Thy people, on whose account I grieve,

and thine inheritance for which I mourn,

And Israel for whom I am sad,

and Jacob’s seed for whom I am dismayed— 17° Therefore I would fain pray before thee for myself and for them! For I see “the falls” of us 18 that dwell in the land, *and now also* have heard ¥ the decree of judgement’ that is to come! 19 Therefore hear my voice,

and * consider my words’,

and let me speak before thee !

19 *[The beginning ” of the words of the Prayer” of Ezra before he was taken up. And he said :|

20 O Lord ° that dwellest eternally °, 4 whose are the highest heavens 4, whose chambers are in the air, 21 Whose throne is beyond imagination, whose glory inconceivable ;

VY $ for behold w-w 9 lapsos ( lapsus: ? ra rrwpara) 50 3: ised yY so S: D& celeritatem iudicii ( amoromay kpicews: Heb. [11 Wi: cf partem iudicii, v. 34) 2-2 & intellege sermonum meorum (Greek construction): % accept the words of my prayer aa This superscription ts no part of the original text of the book; but tt must have come into the text very early, as it is attested by % and Ethiop. Its presence shows clearly that the passage was early singled out for separate use for liturgical or devotional purposes Wel ya ) (cf. Ethiop.): & (d) verbi orationis (2) verborum c-e so S$: & qui inhabitas (4 habitas) saeculum ad so hh (6) cuius altissimi celi (caeli) sunt: ci %S whose heights (= heavens) are exalted: £ (a) cuius oculi elati

16. thine inheritance. Cf. v. 45; Ps. xxviii. 9. Jacob’s seed. Cf. iii. 19.

(c) viii. (194) 20-40. The beautiful prayer which follows (viii. 20-36) opens with an invocation to God as the eternal, exalted, and omnipotent One, who is appealed to as the Creator to listen to the petition of one who is His creature (vv. 20-25) ; a prayer that God will have compassion on His people and regard those who have been loyal to His Law rather than its transgressors follows (wv. 26-30); finally an appeal is made to the fact that God has in the past been so longsuffering towards the sinners of His people (here the intermingling of appeal and confession is noticeable, vv. 31-36). Here as elsewhere in the Apocalypse the seer identifies himself with the sinners (cf. v. 32). The first part of the divine reply that follows (vv. 37-40), while apparently favourable to the seer’s petition, really ignores or even negatives it. God will indeed, says the angel, have regard rather to the righteous than to the sinners. He will rejoice over the salvation of the former rather than grieve over, or even think of, the destruction of the latter ! The issue is not squarely faced. For a similar indirect reply to the same issue expressed in another form cf. vii. 17 f. ; cf. also vii. 64 compared with vii. 71 f.

The apocalyptic writer is still baffled by the problem of the lost. He is still struggling to arrive at a satisfactory solution from the point of view of the Law. One motive of the prayer seems to be to suggest the possibility that the merits of the righteous might avail for the salvation of sinners in Israel—the sinners intended being, it would seem, those mainly who repudiate the divine Law with a high hand and live as the very heathen (cf. vv. 27-30). But the _ divine reply makes it clear that no such hope can be entertained. Thus the problem of the lost, even when restricted to Israel, remains unsolved, The beauty of the prayer itself has led to its being excerpted and used for liturgical and devotional purposes. As a consequence the Latin manuscript authorities for this particular passage are more numerous than for the text of the rest of the book. It occurs in a separate form in a number of MSS. of the Latin Bible, and also in MSS. of the Mozarabic Liturgy, some of which are earlier than Codices A and S (cf. Bensly, 177, p- 34). The title often prefixed to the passage is Con/fessto Esdrae.

Another curious and important fact to notice is that the Latin authorities yield two distinct recensions of the text : i.e. two distinct and more or less independent Latin translations of the Greek text of the passage appear to have been made at different times: but, strangely enough, neither recension seems to be represented in a pure form in any extant MS. The two recensions have been reconstructed (with the aid of fresh manuscript evidence) by Violet; and these are referred to below as text a ( the normal text of the liturgical MSS. and of SAC) and text 6 ( the divergent text especially represented in M). Both recensions attest good Greek readings, and it is impossible to say which is the older. See further the detailed discussion in B/ (‘ The Two Texts of the Confessio Esdrae ’), pp. Ixxx-Ixxxvi; also Violet, Introduction, § 13 (pp. xxvi-xxix). There is a prayer in 2 Baruch which similarly has a separate title (‘ Prayer of Baruch’), ch. xlviil. The prayer in Comstit. Afost?. viii. 7 should also be compared.

20. whose are the highest heavens. For the general thought cf. Ps. cili. 11; Deut. x. 14.

whose chambers are inthe air. The figure is derived from an older conception according to which the world was thought of as a house consisting of two stories, in the upper of which God had His dwelling, while the lower formed the world as we see it (Gunkel). Here, however, transcendental ideas are dominant. Perhaps the heavenly Paradise was in the writer’s mind.

21. throne is beyond imagination. The mystery of God’s throne is the theme of Ezek. i (‘ the chariot’).

whose glory inconceivable. God’s glory would suggest to the Jewish mind the ineffable light of the divine presence which pervades heaven; cf. Rev. xxi. 23, xxil. 5.

® before whom (heaven’s) hosts stand trembling °, fand at thy word change to wind and fire ‘ ; whose word is sure, and behest constant, whose commandment is strong and enactment terrible ; whose look drieth up the depths, whose indignation melteth the mountains ; whose faithfulness 8 standeth eternal $— Hear * the voice » of thy servant, give ear to ‘thy creature’s petition}, and attend to my words! For so long as I live must I speak, and while I possess understanding, answer— O look not on the sins of thy people, but on them that have served thee in truth; Regard not the deeds of the godless, but (rather) them that have kept thy covenants in tortures ; i Think notJ upon those that have walked in devious ways before thee, but remember them that have willingly recognized thy fear ; Will not to destroy those that have lived like cattle, but regard them that have gloriously taught thy Law; Be not wroth with those that are deemed worse than the beasts, but love them that have always put their trust in thy glory—

e-e & (a) cui adstat exercitus angelorum cum tremore: (4) cui adsunt (v. 7. assistunt) milicie (militiae) cum pavore ff @ (4) et dicto tuo in ventum et ignem convertuntur ( %; cf Ethiop~.): & (a) quorum servatio in vento et igni convertitur 8-8 so Ar? (rightly): & testificatur 3 (cf Ethiop.): The Greek translator wrongly rendered the

Heb. syd N1Dy (which standeth for ever) as standeth as a witness (smdsreading syd as “Y2) : apparently the mistake was corrected in the Codex used by Ar.” bh so & (6) 3 Ethiop. Ar}: & (a) and Ar? prayer 1 So & (a): & (4) deprecationi meae tui plasmati other VSS. Ji © neque cogites ( pide Aoyifov): so SB: Ethiop. be not angry (= py opyifov): so Ar.?

and at thy word change to wind and fire. The meaning is that the angelic watchers serve before God by changing at His word into wind and fire. Cf. for the representation Ps. ciii. (Heb. civ.) 4 in the LXX, which renders : ‘who makes his angels winds (zvevpara) and his ministers a flaming fire’. The Heb. text of the passage can be rendered in this way, though it is not usually so rendered (cf. Driver, Heb. Tenses”, p. 262 f.); our passage, therefore, is an interesting addition to the ancient authorities (LXX, Targ. substantially) for so understanding it. The reference here to angelic agency must not, however, be unduly pressed. One of the most remarkable features of 4 Ezra (and especially of S) is its practical ignoring of angelic and demonic agencies. Our present passage is in a poetical context and implies little more than that behind physical phenomena there is to be seen the activity of agents in the service of God. Of the crude popular angelology, with its distinct orders and personal names, there is here no trace.

22. constant. Lat. text a, perseverantia; text 6, permanens (?) diapévov, The Heb. equivalent would be 3°33: cf, Ps. cxix. (LXX, cxvill.) 89, where Jermanet (Vulg.) drapever (LXX) = Heb. A¥) and the subject is God’s ‘ word’ (‘ thy word is fixed in heaven’), There seems to be a clear allusion here to one of the oldest prayers in the synagogue liturgy, the benediction which follows the SZéma and is known as gé’u//a (Redemption). This piece begins with the two words used in our passage, viz. ‘sure (or ‘true’) and constant’ (Heb. 1S‘) NiD8), and is so referred to in the oldest Rabbinical sources (cf. e.g. Mishna, Zaid v. 1); and the subject of the opening part of the benediction is God’s word: ‘ True and constant, established and enduring . . . is this thy word (i.e. the preceding S/éma) unto us for ever,’ &c. (cf. Singer, Authorized Daily Prayer Book (Heb.-English), p. 42 f.).

23. whose look drieth up ... eternal. The whole of this clause appears in the Const. Afost. viii. 7 06 rd Bréupa Enpaiver 4Bvocoy kai 7 dred} THKEL Opn Kal 7) GANOera péver eis Tov ai@va. The seer here appeals to the wonders of creation (according to an older tradition) as attesting God’s power. Cf. in Deutero-Isaiah a similar passage (1. 2) introduced with a similar motive and reference (‘ Behold with my rebuke I parch the sea’); cf. also li. 10 and the introductions to the sections in the present writer’s /sazah.

melteth the mountains. An eschatological feature derived from the representation of the destruction of the world by fire; cf. Mic. i. 43 Sir. xvi. 18 f.

27. them that have kept thy covenants in tortures. Such witnesses for the faith as the famous seven

Maccabean martyrs are probably referred to. ( 28. thy fear, i.e. the fear of Thee. ‘The fear of Jahveh’ is a well-known term for religion, or the Law as revered 29. those that have lived like cattle. Probably Jews who live like heathen are in the author’s mind. See ZA, eESE. . that have gloriously taught thy Law, i.e. the orthodox scribes. For the expression cf. Dan. xii. 3, Matt. v. 14-15.

30. those that are deemed worse than the beasts, i.e. live worse than the heathen (a class of Jews even worse than those described in the previous verse). Is there an allusion here to Jewish informers who betray their own countrymen to heathen officials?

S 31 For we and our fathers * have passed our lives in ways that bring death*: but thou, because of

32 us sinners, art called compassionate. For if thou hast a desire to compassionate us who have no

33 works of righteousness, then shalt thou be called ‘the gracious One’. For the righteous, who have many works laid up with thee, shall out of their own deeds receive their reward—

34 But what is man that thou shouldst be wroth with him? Or what is a corruptible race that thou canst be so bitter towards it ? 35 For in truth

There is none of the earth-born who has not dealt wickedly, and !among those that exist! who has not sinned. 6 For in this, O Lord, shall thy righteousness and goodness be declared, if thou wilt compassionate them that have no wealth of good works.

The Divine Reply.

37 Then he answered me and said: Some things thou hast spoken aright, and according to thy

38 words so shall it come to pass. For indeed I will not concern myself about the creation of those

39 who have sinned, or their death, judgement, or perdition ; but I will rejoice (rather) ™ over the creation

40 of the righteous, (over) their pilgrimage also and their salvation and their reeompense™. ®As thou hast spoken”, then, so shall it be!

(d) viii. 41-45. Mankind ts like the seed sown by the husbandman (S). [The speaker here is still the angel.]

41 For just as the husbandman sows much seed °upon the ground ° and plants a multitude of plants, and yet not all which were sown shall be saved in due season, nor shall all that were planted take 42 root; so also they that are sown in the world shall not all be saved. And I answered and said: If 43 I have found favour before thee, let me speak?. 4%* The husbandman’s seed, if it come not up— because it has not received thy rain in due season*—or if it be ruined by too much rain, * perishes ; 44 but the son of man® who has been fashioned with thine own hands, tand is made like thine own image, for whose sake thou hast fashioned all things—" hast thou likened him to the seed of the husbandman"? 45 YNay, Lord God!” but spare thy people, compassionate thine inheritance, for thou compassionatest thine own creation!

k-k yeading (& text a) mortalibus moribus egimus (Z (4) corruptum locum egimus P@aprov rorov | for rporov] dunxOnuev): see further EA, p. 182 ll & (a) de confitentibus (read confientibus ovvecrnkotar): see further EA, p. 184) m-m 7 super iustorum figmentum peregrinationis quoque et salvationis et mercedis receptionis ( for explanation of wrong construction see EA, p. 185) nn s9 Ethiop.: & and other VSS. as 1 have-said 0-0 s9 L Ar.; % Ethiop. > P $+before thee (f£ Ethiop.) a & gr. quoniam ( or zxtroducing direct speech, and therefore not to be translated: R.V. wrongly forasmuch) r-r s9 H: S will then the husbandman’s - seed, if it does not receive thy rain in its season, live? 8-8 reading (with Gunkel) sic patitur ; et filius homo (L corrupt: M sic pat et filius: SA C hic pater et filius: see further EA, p. 187) tt & et tuae imagini [nominatus quoniam] similatus est: the bracketed words are to be omitted with & (ff. Ethiop. Ar-+): see further EA, p- 187 uu zo be taken as a question: so Oriental VSS. Vv-Y yeading non Domine super nos

33. shall... receive their reward. Cf. 2 Bar. xiv. 12.

34. that thou canst be so bitter towards it. The whole verse recalls the bitter parody in Job vii. 17 f.; cf. Ps. viii. 4.

37. according to thy words ... shall it come to pass. The angel refers to the form the seer’s petition had taken: that God would regard not the sinners but the righteous. This part of the petition shall be granted, but in a totally different sense from that intended in the prayer. God will ignore the destruction of the godless, and think only of the achievements of the righteous! For a similar turning of expressions in the dialogue cf. vii. 64, 71 f.

39. over the creation ... recompense. The three words, ‘ pilgrimage’, ‘salvation’, ‘recompense’, form contrasted expressions to ‘death’, ‘judgement’, and ‘perdition’ in the previous verse: so ‘ pilgrimage’ (= dwodnuia) must mean departure from this life to a better, a return home to God; cf. 2 Cor. v. 6f. for the idea. ‘Salvation’ here may mean the state of safety, security, and peace of the righteous dead in the intermediate state.

44. hast thou likened him... husbandman? To be taken as a question (against R.V.); so the Oriental Versions rightly. The seer warmly protests against the comparison of mankind to seed sown in the fields ; contrast the parable of the Sower in the Gospels. For the image cf. also 4 Ezra iv. 28 f.

4s. for thou compassionatest thine own creation, i.e. for (in doing so) thou compassionatest (or wilt compassionate) ; the creature appeals to the Creator. Note the passionate, almost despairing note of entreaty. The seer is all but overwhelmed with anguish in the face of the problem that confronts him.

(¢) viii. 46-62. The final divine reply: The seer ts assured that his lot is with the blessed, and is hidden to contemplate their felicity, and not to think of the fate of sinners (S).

S 46 And he answered me and said: Things present (match) them of the present, Things future them of the future! 47 For thou comest far short of being able to love my creation more than I! Thou, however, hast many times “ ranged thyself with” the ungodly. * This must not be!* 48, 49 But even on this account thou shalt be honourable before the Most High; because thou hast humbled thyself, as it becomes thee, ¥ and hast not assigned thyself a place’ among the righteous ; 5° and so thou shalt receive the greater glory. * For* with many afflictions shall they be afflicted that 51 inhabit the world in the last times, because they have walked in great pride. But do thou (rather) *think of thine own case*, and of them who are like thyself search out the glory. 52 For for you is opened Paradise, planted the Tree of life ; the future Age prepared, plenteousness made ready ;

w-w % te et ipsum proximasti [iniustis] -¥ 50 3 (pn ovras): ZH numquam ( pnrore) y-y #@ et non iudicasti te 2-2 so S (ort): LH propter quod (= dior) a-a @ pro te intellege

(é) viii. 46-62. In the reply that follows the angel lightly brushes aside the seer’s objection to the comparison of mankind to seed sown in the field, by reminding him that the simile suits the present corruptible order; with the future it will be different. Moreover, God’s love of His creatures far exceeds that of any other being. A remarkable passage follows in which the seer’s self-identification with sinners is partly rebuked and partly commended. He is told not to range himself with the ungodly, but his humility in doing so is commended. Many shall be brought to ruin in the last times by the sin of pride. But let the seer contemplate the glory that awaits him with other righteous—the delights of Paradise, and the abolition of evil, death, and corruption. Let no more questions be asked as to the lost, who have deserved their fate, because they have defied the Most High, and scorned the benefits prepared for them. The conclusion of this section, which follows in ix. 13-22, sets forth the almost total corruption of the world as due to man’s sin. Only a remnant of the sinful mass has been rescued with difficulty and by the grace of God.

Here we have the apologia of orthodox Judaism as S conceived it. It is the best answer that can be furnished, from the orthodox standpoint, to meet the objections and difficulties that have been raised ; and with it the seer has, perforce to be content. But, at the best, his doubts and perplexities can only have been stilled, they cannot have been really satisfied, by such a reply.

46. Things present ... future. Gunkel renders crisply: ‘ Heute den heutigen, einst den Einstigen!’ For the form of the sentence cf. vil. 25 (vacua vacuis et plena plenis). Hilg. renders: ra mapdvyra rois mapovor kal Ta peAAcvTa Tois péANover; i.e. present things are like present people, &c. The angel brushes aside the seer’s objection (raised in v. 44) to the comparison of mankind to seed sown in the fields, by reminding him that both the comparison and the thing compared belonged to the present order; the future (and all that belongs to it) has standards of its own. Here, again, the dualism of present and future is marked. Cf. vii. 16.

47. tolove my creation. Cf. v. 33, note.

50. in the last times. It should be remembered, however, that the conceptions of S and E regarding ‘ the last times’ are very different. While S thinks of this period as an evil time, when a generation lives that is distinguished by overweening arrogance and pride, and upon which judgement will descend suddenly, according to E the last period is to bea time of felicity for a righteous generation (cf. vi. 26-28), while according to R the final period is the (temporary) Messianic one of 400 years (vil. 28-29).

because they have walked in great pride. The emphasis laid by the author on the virtue of humility and the sin of pride is remarkable. The latter was a conspicuous and besetting fault of a section of the Pharisaic party in the first half of the first century (cf. Mark xii. 38f., Matt. xxiii. 5f.; cf. also for a more general reference Luke xiv. 7-11); and the present passage seems to be directed by the author against some of his contemporaries (end of first century A.D.).

51. of them who are like thyself, i.e. those whose destiny is like thine own—the righteous dead who in the intermediate state enjoy righteousness and peace, and who are to enjoy even greater glory after the Judgement. Here Salathiel is the subject. Contrast xiv. 9, where Ezra is the subject.

52. for you is opened Paradise. In wv. 52-54 the ‘ glory’ spoken of in v. 51 is unfolded in a series of explicit references detailing the happy accompaniments of the future life of the righteous in heaven. In accordance with a mode of representation common in apocalyptic literature these various sources of happiness and delight are declared to be already in existence, prepared beforehand and held in reserve for the future delectation of the righteous. The contemplation of these future joys is regarded as a source of perennial consolation to the faithful in their trials and tribulations on earth: cf. in the N.T. such passages as 1 Pet. i. 4 (‘an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,’ &c.); Heb. xi. 16, &c. See further Volz, p. 124f.

By ‘ Paradise’ here is meant the heavenly Paradise, which was shut up on account of Adam’s sin, and which will be opened after the last Judgement to receive the righteous and elect. See, further, the additional note in ZA, p. 195.

planted the Tree of life. The idealized ‘ Tree of Life’ is one of the striking features of the heavenly Paradise on which the apocalyptists love to dwell. Cf. vii. 123; Rev. ii. 7, xxii. 2; 1 En. xxivf.

S a City builded, a Rest appointed ; »’ Good works established », ° wisdom preconstituted ° ; 53 The (evil) root is sealed up from you, infirmity from your path extinguished ; And Death is hidden, 4 Hades fled away °; ® Corruption forgotten °, sorrows passed away ; 54 and in the end ‘the treasures of immortality * are made manifest. 55,56 Therefore ask no more concerning the multitude of them that perish; for having received liberty they despised the Most High; scorned his Law, and & forsook & his ways: 57,58 Moreover "his saints? they have trodden under foot; and have said in their heart that there 59 is no God—yea, though knowing full well that they must die. ‘Therefore asi the things aforesaid Jabide for you, so thirst and anguish ‘await them*. For the Most High willed not that men 60 should come to destruction; but they—his creatures—have themselves defiled the Name of him that made them, and have proved themselves ungrateful to him who prepared life for them 61, 62 Therefore my judgement is now nigh at hand; and this I have not made known unto all men, but only unto thee and to a few like thee.

(6) THE SIGNS OF THE END REVIEWED AND APPLIED TO THE AUTHOR’S OWN TIMES (R) (E).

R 63 Then I answered and said: Behold, O Lord, thou hast already shown me a great number of the signs which thou art about to do in the last times, but at what time thou hast not shown me.

b-» perfectaest bonitas °° & anteperfectasapientia 4-4 Hinfernum fugit °° soS: Let corruptio in oblivionem, which joined with the previous clause infernum fugit has led to the rendering ‘hell and corruption are fled into forgetfulness’(R.V.) £503: Dthesaurus immortalitatis 8-8 so Ethiop. ( xaredirov): S they made to cease ( kareAvoy) hh s9 3 ( rovs oovovs avrov): WL iustos eius ( tous Sixavovs avrov): so Ethiop. ii s0 3 (of. Ethiop.): & sicut enim i so S: LZ vos suscipient k-k % quae parata sunt which prod, disguises a verb (= ? pede Heb, ny)

a City builded, i.e. the heavenly Jerusalem which will more than compensate for the loss of the earthly city. Apparently S did not contemplate a restoration or rebuilding of the earthly Jerusalem. See further, ZA, p. 198f.

a Rest appointed. The ‘rest of God’ is the final sabbath-rest (ca8Baricpds, Heb. iv. 9) which awaits the people

Good works established (founded). Cf. Eph. ii. Io.

wisdom preconstituted. Cf. 1 Cor. ii. 7.

53. The (evil) root is sealed up from you. Cf. ili. 22.

Death is hidden. For the abolition of death cf. Isa. xxv. 8; 2 En. Ixv. 10; Rev. xxi. 14.

Hades fled away. Cf. 2 Bar. xxi. 3; notice the personification of Hades, as in Rev. vi.8. For the juxtaposition

54. and in the end the treasures of immortality are made manifest. The sequence of thought in vv. 53-54 is noticeable; first the sources of sin are abolished, then its consequences (death, Hades, corruption, sorrows), and lastly the positive boons of the future life are revealed (the treasures of immortality).

59. thirst and anguish. For the representation cf. Luke xvi. 24.

62. to a few like thee, i.e. prophets (apocalyptists) like Salathiel or Ezra.

(6) viii. 63-ix. 12. At this point the divine reply in the dialogue (of S) is interrupted by a section which has obvious affinities with the eschatological sections describing the signs of the approaching End, derived from the older source E (iv. 56-v. 13.@, vi. 11-28). It has been inserted in its present position by R, who, as in vil. 26-44, has embodied other material summarized partly from S. The composite character of the section as thus described will appear from an examination of its contents.

The seer begins by asking to be informed something as to the time of the End. He is told in reply to note carefully that when a certain number of the predicted signs are past, that is the very time when the Most High will visit the world (ix. 2). A short enumeration of the Messianic ‘ woes’ follows—describing a time of physical, social, and political convulsions (ix. 3). This is particularly interesting here as it seems clear that R intends this description to apply to the times in which he himself is living (ix. 4-6). All who are able to escape by works or by faith shall see God’s salvation (i.e. the Messianic Age that precedes the End of the world) within the borders of the Holy Land, which has been sanctified from the beginning (ix. 7, 8). The verses that follow (ix. 9-12) recall the tone of S, and have probably been derived in some way from that source by R. They describe the punishment and pains of those who have defied the Law and been unbelieving. Their punishment comes immediately after death, in accordance

R QO: And he answered me and said: Measure (the matter) carefully in thy mind, and when thou seest + 2 that ™a certain part ™ of the predicted signs are past, then shalt thou understand that it is the very 3 time when the Most High is about to visit the world which he has made. When in the world there shall appear E » quakings of places”, tumult of peoples, °schemings of nations °, P confusion of leaders ”, disquietude of princes, R (E) 4 then shalt thou understand that it is of these things the Most High has spoken since the days that 5 were aforetime from the beginning. For just as 4 with respect to all that has happened in the world 4 6 *the beginning is obscure (?), but the end (issue) manifest*, so also are the times of the Most High: the beginnings ‘are [visible]* tin portents and secret signs*, and the end "in effects and marvels". 7 And every one that shall (then) be saved, and shall be able to escape on account of his works or his 8 faith ¥ by which he has believed ¥, * such shall survive ¥ from the perils aforesaid, and shall see my 9 salvation in my land, and within my borders which I have sanctified for myself eternally. Then shall they be amazed that now have abused my ways; they shall abide in the torments which they ro have spurned and despised. For *all who* failed to recognize me in their lifetime, ’ although 11 I dealt bountifully with them’; and all who have defied my Law, while they yet had liberty, and, 12 while place of repentance was still open to them, gave no heed but scorned (it) ; these must. be brought to know after death by torment.

11 # eis nunc vitam mm yeading pars quaedam (so 3 Ethiop.) n-n % motio locorum ( kwyois trorwr) o-o # gentium cogitationes (? ead coagitationes) p-p # ducum inconstantia ( nyepovey akatacracta) aa omne quod factum est in saeculo (casus pendens) tr i corrupt: % the beginning is known and the end manifest : perhaps Greek had ev apave .. . ev ephaver: see further EA, p. 202 s-s #) manifesta: so S t-t X& in prodigiis

et virtutibus ev repaot kat Suvapece (Suvapis novdyn Job xt.6 LXX: see further EA, p. 203) uu so Ethiop.: & in actu et in signis (reading onnacios for Cavpaciois) Vv-Y yeading in qua credidit ww yeading is relinquetur xx XZ quotquot (= oor) y-Y so S: WD beneficia consecuti

with the theology of S, whereas the older view is that punishment only comes completely after the resurrection; while it is partly effected by the destruction of the ungodly in the wars and tumults which precede the Messianic Age, and which the righteous survive. The inconsistency of the section, as a whole, with S can easily be shown (see ZA, p. 200). The whole section is a compilation from the hand of R, who has drawn partly upon E (ix. 3, 7, 8), and partly upon S (ix. 9, 12). It thus exhibits phenomena essentially the same as vii. 26-44. 63. at what time. Contrast Acts i. 7.

ix. 3. tumult of peoples. Cf. Isa. xvii. 13.

4. then shalt thou understand ... these things...from the beginning. The author is conscious that the tradition he is citing is extremely old. The antiquity of one element in the eschatological tradition will, perhaps, account for its association with such names as Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah—the heroic figures of the primaeval age.

5-6. For just as...marvels. For text see crit. notes. The point of the saying seems to be that the portents of the last times can be detected and read beforehand by the initiated, though their true significance is missed by the world at large; just as the real significance of the obscure beginnings of things that develop into great events or issues in human life and history generally is only grasped at first by the discerning.

6. in effects and marvels. Gunkel renders v.6: ‘so also are the times of the Most High: their beginning is in word (i.e. the prophetic word revealed to the apocalyptists referred to in v. 4) and portents, but their end in deeds and marvels’ (ai dpyal év davais kai ev onuetors, kal ) ovvTedera ev evepyeia kal Ouvvduer). He compares Justin Martyr, Apol. i. 12, where it is remarked that it is God’s property to announce beforehand what is to occur, and then to bring it to pass. For the text adopted by Gunkel cf. ZA, p. 203.

7. on account of his works or his faith, &c. R here combines the statements of S regarding faith and works.

8. my salvation, i.e. the Messianic salvation.

which I have sanctified for myself eternally. The Holy Land as sacrosanct—chosen by God—will be the scene of the Messianic salvation. Cf. xii. 13, 34, xili. 48, 49; 2 Bar. xxix. 2, xl. 2. The idea of the specially privileged and sacrosanct character of the Holy Land lived on in various forms, even after the destruction of Jerusalem. Cf. Volz, p. 308 f., and see Charles’s note on 2 Bar. xxix. 2.

12. while place of repentance was still open to them. For the phrase ‘place of repentance’ cf. Wisd. vii. 10,

after death by torment. Verses 9-12 represent the point of view of S, and refer to the state of the wicked immediately after death ; this representation is essentially inconsistent with the previous verses, which refer to Messianic blessedness.

(7) THE DIVINE REPLY CONCLUDED: FINAL JUSTIFICATION OF THE FEWNESS OF THE SAVED (S).

13 So, then, be thou no longer curious as to how the ungodly shall be punished, but inquire (rather) how the righteous ” shall be saved 7—they to whom the world (belongs) and for whose sakes, also, the 15 world has come into existence®. And I answered and said: I have already said, and say now, and 16 shall say (it) again: There are more who perish than shall be saved, even as the flood is greater than a drop! 17 And he answered me and said: As is the ground, so the sowings ; as are the flowers, so are the colours ; As is ®the workman ?, so is the work ; as is the husbandmazn, so is the threshing-floor— 18 °For there was (a time) in the eternal ages when I prepared for those who now exist—before they had come into being—a world wherein they might dwell®; and then none gainsaid me—for none 19 existed. But now they that have been created in this world—(a world) made ready with both an unfailing table and an enexplorable pasture—have become corrupt in their manners. 20 Then I considered my world, and lo! it was destroyed ; and my earth, and lo! ‘it was in peril — on account of °the tumults ° ‘ of those who are (living) in it f. 2r And I saw, and spared (some) 8 with very great difficulty 8, and saved me a grape out of a cluster, 22 and a plant * out of a great forest*. Perish, then, the multitude which has been born in vain; but let my grape be preserved, and my plant, which with much labour I have perfected !

2-2 so Ard: but % Ethiop. live (as often elsewhere) aH+et quando: but other VSS. > b-b & opera ( epyacia: Heb. YD: the latter workman or work) ee so 3; cf. Ethiop.: & quoniam tempus erat saeculi et tunc cum essem parans eis qui nunc, antequam fieret illis saeculum in quo inhabitarent a-d # erat periculi ®-° yeading coagitationes (for cogitationes); cf % ff of. Ethiop.: & quae in eo advenerunt s-s & vix valde ( mavv poyis) bh so $ Lthiop. (of. Ar?) ah vdns woddns : & de tribu multa (pudys for adpvdAys)

(7) ix. 13-22. The first verse of this section forms the immediate continuation of vill.62. The seer had been assured that the Judgement was near at hand, and had been revealed only to him and a few like him. Now he is once again told not to concern himself with the fate of the ungodly, but to fix his attention, rather, on the salvation which the righteous attain (cf. viii. 55). This declaration is not, as Volkmar and, later, Gunkel have supposed, the enunciation of a new subject for discussion in the visions that follow, but merely a recapitulation of what has already been discussed in the former part of the present vision. The seer’s reply is also a repetition of former complaints about the large number of those who perish (ix. 15-16). The final form of the divine reply follows (vv. 17-22). The evil of the present world is due to man’s sin. There was a time—before the generation of men had been created—when none defied the Most High; but now those who have been placed in the world, which has been provided and furnished for their needs, have degenerated and become corrupt. In order that the purpose of Creation shall not be entirely frustrated a few have been spared—‘a grape out of a cluster, a plant out of a great forest’: ‘Perish, then, the multitude which has been born in vain; but let my grape be preserved, and my plant, which with much labour I have

erfected.’ 4 It should be noted that the preservation of a small remnant from the corrupt mass is due entirely to special efforts on God’s part. In other words, it must be attributed entirely to the divine grace.

13. be thou no longer curious ... the righteous shall be saved. Cf. 2 Bar. xlviii. 48.

15. more who perish than shall be saved. Cf. vii. 47.

16. as the flood is greater than adrop. Cf. iv. 48-50.

17. as are the flowers, so are the colours. Brilliant colouring betokens a beautiful flower.

18. For there was (a time) in the eternal ages ... they might dwell. So & (cf. crit. note). The Latin (apparently misreading the Greek, see ZA, p. 207) renders: guontam tempus erat saeculi et tunc cum essem parans eis gui nunc, anteguam fierel illis saeculum in quo inhabitarent =‘¥or there was a time in the world, even then when I was preparing for them that now live, before the world was made for them to dwell in; [and then,’ &c.]; R.V. The Latin misses and obscures the point. To say that there was a time in the history of the world—which had been created for man’s sake—when sin and rebellion did not exist, viz. before man had appeared on the scene, adds point to the divine indictment of the human race that follows: but to say (as the Latin text says) that before the world was made man did not exist, and therefore could not sin, is banal. The Ethiop. agrees essentially with the Syr. (cf. Violet); but the original Greek text appears to have been in some disorder in the MSS. used by the Latin and Ethiop.

19. (a world) made ready with both an unfailing table and an unexplorable pasture. The reference is to Paradise and its marvellous fruits (‘an unfailing table’) which its trees bear without cessation. The banquet which the righteous are to enjoy in the future world is often referred to (sometimes also in Messianic passages): cf. Rev. il. 7 (‘hidden manna’) and see Bousset, R/*, p. 327: the Greek of the phrase ‘an unexplorable ( mysterious) pasture’ (eis) voudv dvetiyvevroy (Volk.). The Versions read vépoy, ‘law’, for voudv, ‘pasture’ (or? vou7jy): hence ‘ unsearchable

VI. ix. 23-25. CONCLUSION OF THE VISION (S). But if ‘thou wilt separate thyself! yet seven more days—thou shalt not, however, fast in them,

24 but shalt go into a field of flowers, where no house has been built, and eat only jof the fruit of the 25 fieldi; and thou shalt taste no flesh and drink no wine, but (eat) only the fruit—and pray unto the

27 the flowers, and did eat of the herbs of the field; !'and the eating thereof satisfied me’ And it

Most High continually, then I will come and talk with thee.

THE FOURTH VISION. I. ix. 26-28. INTRODUCTION (S). So I went, as he commanded me, into the field which is called ¥ Ardat*, and there I sat among ii s0 S$: & [si] intermittas Ji so Ethiop. & de floribus campi KE 50 L (S**); = Ar? (2); v7 7. Adar,

Ardad, Ardas, Ardaf: 3 Ethiop. Arpad (cf. 2 Kings xvii. 34); Ar.’ Araab or Araat ; Arm. Ardab 1-l Jf, et facta est esca earum mihi in saturitatem

ix. 23-25. This short section formsthe conclusion of the long third vision and the transition to the fourth. The seer is bidden to wait another seven days, when a further revelation shall be vouchsafed to him. He is, however, expressly told not to fast—as he had done in preparation for former visions—but to go into a field of flowers, and eat only flowers (?) or herbs of the field; he is, moreover, to abstain from tasting flesh and wine, and is bidden to pray continually. The field is to be destitute of any building. As the following vision makes clear, this locality is to be the scene of a vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The direction as to eating only of the produce of the field is remarkable. What is its significance? It is clearly not to be regarded as on a par with the strict fast, from which it is expressly distinguished. Moreover, in the introduction to the third vision (vi. 35) the seer says that he fasted seven days in order to complete the three weeks of fasting that had been commanded him (i.e. a week of fasting before each of the first three visions). Thus this form of preparation had reached its climax at the beginning of the third vision, and it is curious to note that no further direct mention of fasting is met with in the remaining chapters of the book (x-xiv), though contexts occur in which such might have been expected (cf. xi. 1, xiii. 1, xiv. 1).

Is, then, the direction as to eating herbs or flowers here to be regarded as a substitute for fasting proper—as a form of half-fasting? This is possible, as abstinence from flesh and wine is decidedly in the direction of a mild asceticism. But it may be argued that more probably what is intended is rather in the nature of an antithesis to strict fasting. It should be remembered that the destruction of the Holy City—and, above all, of the Temple—in a. D. 70 gave rise to a widespread ascetic movement among the Jewish people who survived, especially in Palestine. Many gave expression to their grief in severe and regular forms of fasting. It is this situation which is contemplated here. The seer is about to receive a vision in which grief at the desolation—bitter as it is—of the earthly Sion is to be. transcended by a vision of the heavenly City. He is bidden, therefore, not to fast, but, in solitude, and far from human habitation and proximity, to prepare himself by partaking of the simplest food of nature, and by prayer, for the coming revelation. The food most appropriate in the circumstances would be that of the primaeval age and the age of man’s innocence. See further “A, p. 209 f.

24. thou shalt taste no flesh . . . no wine, but (eat) only the fruit, i.e. eat only what grows in the field. So Daniel and his companions ate only vegetable food, and drank water rather than suffer defilement; cf. 2 Macc. v. 27.

ix. 26-x. 59. THE FOURTH VISION. The following vision seems to have been preserved largely without interpolation, and as it was composed by the author of S, the pen of the Redactor (R) only coming into evidence in one or two places and in the transitional verses at the end (x. 58-59). The composition is even and flowing, and moves in an easy logical sequence. The seer proceeds, as he has been commanded, to a field which bears the mysterious name of ‘Ardat’, and there lives on herbs for seven days (ix. 26-28). Then he addresses God, giving utterance to the thoughts that have arisen within him. Israel had been entrusted with the divine Law—it had been sown in their hearts—but they had failed to keep it. The vessel that received it was doomed to perish because of sin, while the Law remained ‘in its honeur’, imperishable (ix. 29-37). This speech is interrupted by a vision of a woman in distress, who is mourning the death of an only son—a son who, born after thirty years of sterility, had died on the very morning of his wedding. The seer, therefore, by way of consolation, admonishes her that her loss is small compared with the disasters that have befallen the chosen people as a whole, and more especially the crowning disaster of the destruction of Sion (ix. 38-x. 24). Then suddenly the scene changes: the woman vanishes, and in her place appears a great and splendid city—the heavenly Sion (x. 25-28). The section closes with an account of the intervention of the angel (Uriel) and the explanation of the vision given by him to the seer (x. 29-57, followed by the conclusion x. 58-59).

The whole section thus falls into the following divisions :—

i. Lutroduction (ix. 26-28) ; ii. Zhe abiding glory of the Law and Israel: a contrast (1x. 29-37) ; iii. The vision of the Disconsolate Woman (ix. 38-x. 24).

With this vision, which transports him into the heavenly world, the Apocalypse of Salathiel doubtless ended. The visions that follow, as we shall see, belong to other sources. Some fragments of the work of S are embedded in these later visions (xii. 40-48 and xiv. 28-35) ; these will be discussed later in connexion with their present contexts.

ix. 26-28. The mysterious locality which is described as ‘ the field which is called Ardat’, whither the seer went, in accordance with the divine command, and meditated for seven days, living on ‘ the herbs of the field,’ has been the subject of much debate. The view that the name means ‘the wilderness of Judah’ (Liicke) or (as Avbah = DY,

1 This fact affords a strong confirmation of the correctness of the critical analysis which separates these chapters from the Salathiel-Apocalypse.

28 came to pass after seven days, as I lay upon the grass, that my heart was again troubled as before. Then ™I opened my mouth”, and began to address the Most High.

II, ix. 29-37. THE ABIDING GLORY OF THE LAW, AND ISRAEL: A CONTRAST (S).

29 And I said: "O Lord”, thou didst verily reveal thyself unto our fathers ° in the wilderness? when they went forth out of Egypt, and when they walked through the untrodden and unfruitful wilder- 30 ness; and thou didst say: O Israel, hear thou me ; O seed of Jacob, attend unto my words! 31 For, behold, I sow my Law in you, and it shall bring forth fruit in you, and ye shall be glorified in it for ever. 32 But our fathers, who received the Law, observed it not, and the statutes they did not keep, and yet 33 the fruit of the Law did not perish, nor could it—because it was thine; but they who received it 34 perished, because they kept not that which had been sown inthem. ‘Now, it is a general rule that, when the ground has received seed, or the sea a ship, or any other vessel food or drink, * and when it happens that what is sown’, or * what is launched °, or the things that have been taken in come to 35 an end,—these come to an end, while the receptacles remain: but with us it has not been so. 36 We who have received the Law and sinned must perish, together with our heart, which has taken 37 it in: the Law, however, perishes not, but abides in its glory.

m-m so Ethiop. Ar1: Lapertum estosmeum: soS Ar 4 sol: but 3 Ethiop. O Lord my Lord (= Acomora kupte)

°#+in nobis ( p70b. a gloss): other VSS.> ¥? S+of Sinai %4 = Sand this is the rule (Hed. Oban mn): Z et ecce consuetudo **soH: 3> *8H quod missumest tso S$ Ari Arm. & et respexi oculis meis %™ reading adii-

‘ desert’) is a symbolical name for the Holy Land generally, which might have been represented at the end of the first century A.D. as a veritable wilderness to the Jews (Volkmar), may be at once dismissed. More plausible is the suggestion put forward by Mr. Rendel Harris (Zhe Rest of the Words of Baruch |Cambridge, 1889], pp. 35-39) that the locality intended is the neighbourhood of Abraham’s oak, near Hebron. This would be a highly suitable place fora divine revelation ; and, moreover, Hebron is mentioned in 2 Baruch as one of the seats of prophetic inspiration (xlvii. 1). Prof. Harris concludes that the scene of the fifth vision in 4 Ezra (ch. xi) is Hebron, and that this is identical with the scene of the fourth vision, i. e. ‘the field of Ardat’. Butin this view no account has been taken of the different sources which appear in these chapters; the connexion of the scene of the two visions is a purely artificial one, and is due to the compiler. Nor is it at all certain that the ‘oak’ mentioned in 4 Ezra xiv. I as the place where Ezra received the revelation is ‘ Abraham’s oak’, as Prof. Harris supposes. It may have been some well-known tree in Jerusalem (see notes ad /oc.).

Thus the attempt to locate ‘the field of Ardat’ at Hebron cannot be regarded as successful. Whatever may be the true explanation of the name ‘ Ardat’, it seems clear that its significance must be mainly of a symbolical character. The repeated statement that the mysterious place was one ‘where no house has been built’ (ix. 24, x. 51) not only excludes the actual site of the ruined earthly Jerusalem, but also points to a place which was still untouched by human hand, and so fit to be the spot where the heavenly city could (temporarily) rest. Presumably the reader was expected to think of this locality as in the immediate neighbourhood of Babylon, where Salathiel is represented as residing at the beginning of the Apocalypse (4 Ezra iii. 1).

One slight indication (cf. x. 58) suggests that the time when this revelation took place was during the day, and not by night, as is the case with the dream-visions. See further ZA, p. 212f.

ix. 29-37. After seven days’ meditation in ‘ Ardat’ the seer gives characteristic expression once again to the thoughts which have agitated his heart. This takes the form of a soliloquy on the relation of Israel to the Law. At the Exodus from Egypt—when Israel became a nation—God had sown the Law in the heart of His people, with the promise: ‘It shall bring forth fruit in you, and ye shall be glorified in it for ever’ (ix. 31). But the fathers observed it not; yet ‘the fruit of the Law did not perish ’—it could not—because it was essentially divine. But ‘they who received it perished, because they kept not that which had been sown in them’. The law that obtains in the natural world is that the receptacles remain after that which they have received has passed away—for instance, the ground remains after the seed that has been sown in it has sprung up and been gathered, the sea remains after the ship that has been launched in it has come to an end, and so on. But with Israel it is different. For ‘we who have received the Law and sinned must perish, together with our heart, which has taken it in: the Law, however, perishes not, but abides in its glory’.

The application of the moral remains. The divine element is eternal—the corruptible vessel that receives it perishes. Even so the eternal reality which was partially and imperfectly expressed by the earthly Jerusalem remains ; but the vessel that mediated it has perished. The earthly vessel (i.e. the earthly Jerusalem) has been destroyed—it has perished: how foolish and perverse to look for its revival! Hope should rather be fixed on the eternal City which exists—and has always existed—in the incorruptible world, and which is to be enjoyed by those who pass into the blessed immortal life of the age that is tocome. The confirmation of the truth of these hopes—and the answer to any lingering doubts that may remain—is the burden of the vision that follows (ix. 38f.).

29. thoudidst verily reveal thyself. The reference is to such passages as Ex. xix. 9, xxiv. 10, &c.

when they went forth out of Egypt. Cf. Judges xi. 16.

31. For, behold, I sow my Law in you... in it for ever. Thisis the author’s paraphrase of the O.T. description of the relation set up between God and Israel by Israel’s acceptance of the Law, and entry into the covenant-relation with God. He reads into the naive O. T. promises of temporal reward his own transcendental views, and understands the glory promised to Israel to mean the unfading glory of the eternal and incorruptible heavenly world. For asimilar heightening of O. T. language cf. vii. 129, where Deut. xxx. 19 is cited (‘ Choose thee life’, &c., i. e. eternal life).

37. the Law, however, &c. The Law does not perish because it comes from heaven ; it is spiritual (mvevparikés,

fr III. ix. 38-x. 24. THE VISION OF THE DISCONSOLATE WOMAN (S).

S 38 And when I spake thus in my heart ‘I lifted up my eyes‘, and saw a woman upon the right ; and lo! she was mourning and weeping with a loud voice, and was much grieved in mind, and her clothes 39 were rent and there were ashes upon her head. Then I dismissed my thoughts in which I had been 40 preoccupied, and turned to her and said: Wherefore weepest thou? And why art thou grieved in 41 thy mind? And she said unto me: Suffer me, my lord, to indulge my sorrow and "continue my grief’, for I am embittered in soul and deeply afflicted. 42 . And I said unto her: What has befallen thee? tell me. 43. She said unto me: I, thy servant, was barren, and bore no child, though I had a husband thirty 44 years. Both hourly and daily during these thirty years I besought the Most High night and day. 45 And it came to pass after thirty years God heard thy handmaid and looked upon my affliction ; He considered my distress, and gave me a son. And I rejoiced in him greatly, I and my husband and Yall my fellow townsfolk ’, and we gave great 46, 47 glory unto “the Mighty One’. And I reared him with great travail. So when he was grown up, I came to take * him * a wife, and made a feast day’. 10 x And it came to pass when my son entered into his wedding chamber, he fell down and died. 2 Then *I removed the lights’, and all my fellow townsfolk rose up to comfort me; but I remained 3 quiet *until the night of the next day* And it came to pass when they were all quiet (and desisted) from consoling, as I remained quiet”, I rose up by night, and fled, and came to this field, 4 as thou seest. And I purpose ‘never again® to return to the city, but here to stay and neither eat 5 nor drink, but continually to mourn and to fast till I die. Then I left the thoughts in which I was 6 still occupied, and answered her in anger, and said: O thou above all other women most foolish! 7 Seest thou not our mourning, and what has befallen us? How Sion, the mother of us all, is in great 8 grief and deep affliction? ‘It is right now to mourn 4, seeing that we all mourn, and to grieve, seeing 9 that we are all grief-stricken ; thou, however, art grief-stricken for one son®. But ask the earth, and

ciamdolere YY so S (¢. all the sons of my town) Lthiof. Ar Ar?2: Lomnescivesmei -¥ ZH Fortem ( tov to Xxupoy bs7 in LXX) x-X reading ei y-y & diem epuli: S+and great rejoicing ZaBi Gf. Sou (Se aPesse sing.) : & evertimus omnes lumina (everti ? kaOevtov Hed. DN) aa so Ethiop. & usque in alium diem usque in noctem b-b & et factum est cum omnes quievissent ut me consolarentur ut quiescerem (o7¢ginal Heb. text perhaps was: WIND NW Sp) pm O23 DwWmND ON AY: see LA, p. 221) e-¢ sg & ( pnkers); of. Ar} Ar2; & iam non (? pn apr) dd 59 $ Ari = & (Veolet): lugere validissimum est nunc (2/ lugete validissime [end of v.7|. Et nunc) ® 3+ but we the whole world for our mother

Rom. vii. 14): cf. also 2 Cor. iii. 7f. [With vv. 36, 37 cf. 2 Bar. xiv. 19: ‘And now I see that as for the world which was made on account of us, lo! it abides, but we, on account of whom it was made, depart.’]

ix. 38—x. 24. We now reach the final sections of the Salathiel-Apocalypse. It is altogether fitting that the close of the (Salathiel) book should contain a revelation of the realities of the future world where, according to the theology of S, the felicity and blessedness of the righteous can alone be consummated; and it accords with what would be expected that this revelation should be concerned with that part of the heavenly realities (viz. the heavenly City) whose earthly counterpart (viz. Jerusalem), in its humiliation and ruin, had formed the starting-point of the debates of the Apocalypse (cf. iii. 27). It has already been declared (cf. viii. 52) that the heavenly Sion is one of the things which belong to the eternal order, and which should be made freely available for the enjoyment of the righteous after the final Judgement. It is this heavenly reality which is now manifested to the seer. An examination of this section and the following makes it clear that the disconsolate woman who appears to the seer, mourning the death of her only son, must be the heavenly Sion: she cannot be identified with the earthly Jerusalem, as Kabisch justly points out, without making the story meaningless. See further /A, p. 216f.

38. ashes upon her head. A sign of grief and humiliation. Cf. 2 Sam. xiii. 193 Isa. Ixi. 3.

45. we gave great glory. To ‘give God the glory’ (cf. Luke xvii. 18) for boons bestowed was an all-important religious duty. The fact that this duty was religiously performed seems to be emphasized here in order to exclude the possibility of a suggestion that the calamity which followed was a judgement of God (so Gunkel).

47. afeast day. Cf. Matt. xxii. 2; Luke xiv. 16.

x. I. and died. With the death of the bridegroom here cp. the story in Tobit (esp. ch. viii). Kabisch thinks this points to a knowledge of the Book of Tobit by S ; but this does not necessarily follow.

2. Iremoved the lights. For the wedding lights cf. Matt. xxv. 7. Note the violent contrast between the brilliant illumination of the wedding-feast and the sudden darkness following on the death of the bridegroom.

to comfort me. To condole with mourners as well as to assist in the burial of the dead is a part of the practice of benevolence.

I remained quiet. A mother’s grief would normally show itself in loud lamentation; but here she remains dumb.

7. Sion, the mother of us all. Cf. Gal. iv. 26 (but there of the heavenly Jerusalem).

8. It is right now to mourn, &c. The point of the passage is that the nation is now plunged into calamities, and therefore all may now properly mourn.

IV-EZRA WO) 9=22

she shall tell thee, that it is she who ought to mourn ‘the fall of so many that have sprung into ro being upon her. 4% Yea, from the beginning all who have been born, and others who are to come— tr lo! they go’ almost all into perdition, and the multitude of them comes to destruction. Who, then, should mourn the more? Ought not she that has lost so great a multitude? or thou who grievest 12 but for one? But if thou sayest to me: My lamentation is not like the earth’s, for I have lost the fruit of my womb which I bare with pains and brought forth with sorrows— 13 "but as regards the earth, (it is) according to the course of nature"; the multitude present in it is 14 gone as it came: then I say to thee: Just as thou hast borne (offspring) with sorrow, even so also the earth has borne (given) her fruit, namely man, from the beginning unto him that made her. 15 Now, therefore, keep thy sorrow within, and bear gallantly the misfortunes that have befalJen thee. 16 For if thou wilt acknowledge God’s decree to be just, thou shalt receive thy son again in (due) time, 18 and shalt be praised among women. Therefore go into the city to thy husband. And she said unto 19 me: *I will not do so?: I will not enter the city, but here will I die. So I proceeded to speak further 20 unto her, and said: J No, woman! no, woman! do not do so; but * suffer thyself to be prevailed upon by reason of Sion’s misfortunes *, be consoled by reason of Jerusalem’s sorrow. 21 For thou seest how our sanctuary is laid waste, lour altar! thrown down; our Temple destroyed, our harp laid low; 22 our song is silenced, our rejoicing ceased ; the light of our lamp is extinguished, the ark of our covenant spoiled ; our holy things are defiled, the name that is called upon us ™is profaned ™;

-f reading tantorum casum (JZSS. > casum): so Ethiop. Ar? s-s & (Violet) et ex ipso initio omnes nati et

alii venientes, ecce, S-c.; f. % h-h & terra autem secundum viam terrae i so 3 (of. Ethiop. Ar): % non faciam Ji so 3: other VSS. > k-E 59 S$ Arm.: & consenti persuaderi quid enim casus Sion i m-m so 3 (cf. Ethiop. Ar4): & paene profanatum est

14. even so also the earth. The idea is peculiar and the parallel intended not quite clear. Man is earth’s highest production; but this her choicest fruit is produced only to be gathered in by the Creator (i.e. ? by the death of man) ; and the constant loss of her best, in this way, involves the earth in ceaseless anguish. Such seems to be the general meaning intended.

16. thou wilt acknowledge ... tobe just. Cf. Ps. of Sol. viii. 7, 27, 31; ii. 16; Luke vii. 29, 35. To acknowledge the justice of God's decree is equivalent to pious submission to His will.

thou shalt receive thy son again in (due) time, i.e. either the dead son shall be restored to life, or another son shall be given to her in his stead, and so she shall win honour among women. It is possible that, as Gunkel suggests, the sequel of the original story set forth the restoration of the dead son to life ; but it is significant that the writer here says nothing of this. He stops short at relating the son’s death.

21. our Temple, i.e. the Temple-building proper, exclusive of the outer court.

our harp laid low: ‘harp’ here probably symbolizes the service of praise which has ceased in the ruined sanctuary.

22. our rejoicing ceased. Cf. Isa. xxiv. 8, 9.

the light of our lamp... extinguished. The extinction of the continual lamp marked the cessation of the functions of the Temple-services and sacrifices; cf. 1 Macc. iv. 36-59.

the ark of our covenant spoiled. This detail, of course, fits the position of the historical Salathiel (in the Exile), and can only be referred in strictness to the first Temple. The ark of the Covenant disappeared at the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, and nothing took its place in the later Temples. Two divergent traditions are met with as to its fate; according to the one (which our text follows) the ark was carried off with the other holy vessels into Babylonia (cf. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 10); according to the other, the ark was concealed within the Temple; cf. 2 Macc. ii. 5-8 and 2 Bar. vi. What is the significance of the mention of the spoiling of the ark in our passage? Perhaps the writer intended to suggest that it was vain to look for the restoration of the ark and other holy things in the Messianic Age in the last times. In other words, there would be no Messianic Age, and no restoration of the Temple on earth. The other form of the legend which makes the ark to be concealed within the Temple precincts seems to be governed by the idea that it would be brought to light again in the Messianic Age. It is significant that these two contradictory ideas are represented in 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch respectively. é

our holy things are defiled, i.e. the holy vessels which fell into the hands of the heathen. The writer, though the reference is directly to the first Temple, is thinking of the similar events connected with the destruction in A.D. 70 (e.g. the great candelabrum fell into the hands of Titus).

the name that is called upon us, i.e. the sacred name that has been bestowed upon us by God, the name of Israel; cf. Gen. xxxii. 28.

iW EZRA FLOP S92 30

our nobles are dishonoured, our priests burnt, our Levites gone into captivity ; our virgins are defiled, our wives ravished ; “our righteous are seized, [our saints scattered, ] our children are cast out ®, our youths are enslaved, our heroes made powerless: 23 and, what is more, than all— Sion’s seal °is now sealed up dishonoured °, and given up into the hands of them that hate us. 24 Do thou, then, shake off thy great grief, abandon thy much sorrow, That the Mighty One may again forgive thee, and the Most High give thee rest, a respite from thy troubles!

IV. x. 25-28. SION’S GLORY: THE VISION OF THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM (S).

25 And it came to pass, while I was talking to her, lo! her countenance on a sudden shone exceedingly, and P her aspect became brilliant as lightning ?, so that I was too much afraid 4(to approach her, and my heart was terrified exceedingly) 4: and 26 while I was debating what this might mean, she suddenly uttered a loud and fearful cry, so that the 27 earth shook at the noise. And when I looked, lo! the woman was no longer visible to me, * but there was a City builded *, and a place showed itself of large foundations. Then I was afraid, and 28 cried with a loud voice, and said: Where is Uriel, the angel who came unto me at the first? For he it is who has caused me to fall into this great bewilderment ; and so * my prayer ® is made futile, and my request disappointed !

V. x. 29-57. INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION (S). 29 And while I was speaking thus, lo! the angel came to me, who had come to me at the first ; and nn 4// VSS. give only two clauses here, except Ar.” which has three ; clauses 1 and 3 are attested by & Ethiop. Ar}:

&% (in an emended form) supports clause 2 and omits clause 3; see for details EA, p. 228f. o-o & resignata est de gloria sua nunc p-p 4 species coruscus fiebat vultus eius 9-4 so 3 Ethiop. Ar: but © ad eam rr s9 Oriental VSS.: & sed civitas aedificabatur ss % finis meus= 3 Lthiop. Ar} (of R.V. mine end):

prob., as Violet suggests, there was a corruption in the Hebr. text here, yndan being misread ‘NIA

our priests burnt. An allusion to the destruction of the Temple by fire. Josephus (Wars, vi. 5. 1) specially mentions two priests of eminence, who threw themselves into the fire ‘and were burnt together with the holy house’.

23. Sion’s seal is now sealed up dishonoured, lit. ‘is sealed up away from its honour’, i.e. is robbed of its honour. The ‘seal of Sion’ is doubtless a symbolical representation of Sion’s independence. A more specific allusion to the issue of a national coinage may be intended; see ZA, p. 229. In vv. 22-23 the utter ruin of Israel is set forth in detail.

24. may again forgive thee. The death of the son manifested God’s wrath; therefore divine forgiveness was necessary.

25. her aspect became brilliant as lightning. This recalls the representation of the heavenly bride (= the heavenly Jerusalem) of Rey. xxi. 9; cf. Rev. xii. 1.

27. of large foundations. Cf. Rev. xxi. 19 f.

28. my prayer is made futile, &c. The seer hastily concludes that the revelation regarding Israel’s future glory— how it was to be attained (cf. ix. 29-37)—which he had been expecting and for which he was longing so ardently, has been denied him, because the vision he has seen has simply left him in a state of bewilderment and terror, while in fact it is but the prelude to a revelation all the more complete. This, as Gunkel remarks, is a fine touch.

The state of terror into which the seer falls at the marvellous transfiguration of the woman is a feature derived, doubtless, from the actual experience of such ecstatics; cf. similar features in Hermas.

x. 29-57. The interpretation of the vision by the angel follows. The seer is told that the transfigured woman is Sion. Which Sion? the heavenly or the earthly? The most natural interpretation is that the heavenly Sion is represented by the woman. In this case her son must stand for the earthly Jerusalem, and the son’s death for the downfall and ruin of the earthly city. It is difficult on any other interpretation to understand the significance of the son in the allegorical interpretation. If the woman stands for the earthly Sion, whom does her son represent? According to Wellhausen (S#zzzen, vi, p. 219 n.), the Messiah! But how can the Messiah have been pictured as being born when the Temple was founded by Solomon, and dying when the Temple was destroyed? The true explanation seems to be

when he saw that I lay on the ground as one dead, ‘my understanding being confused ', he grasped my right hand and strengthened me, and set me on my feet, and said to me: What aileth thee? Why art thou so disquieted ? Wherefore is thy understanding confused, and the thoughts of thy heart? And I said: Because thou hast forsaken me! Yet I did as thou commandedst, and went into the field, and lo! I have seen—"and yet see"—that which I am unable to express. And he said unto me: Stand up like a man, and I will advise thee. Then said I: Speak on, my lord; only forsake me not, lest I die to no purpose. For I have seen what I did not know “and heard’ what I do not understand. Or is my mind deceived, and my soul in a dream? Now, therefore, I beseech thee to show thy servant concerning this perplexity! And he answered me, and said: Hear me, and I will teach thee, and tell thee concerning the things thou art afraid of; for the Most High hath revealed many secrets unto thee. For he hath seen “ thy righteous conduct ¥, how thou hast sorrowed continually for thy people, and mourned greatly on account of Sion— * The matter, therefore, is as follows.* The woman who appeared to thee a little while ago, whom Y¥thou sawest¥ mourning and begannest to comfort: whereas now thou seest no likeness of a woman any more, but %a builded City * hath appeared unto thee: and whereas she told thee of the misfortune

44 of her son—this is the interpretation: This woman, whom thou sawest, is Sion, whom thou now

beholdest as a builded City ; And whereas she said unto thee that she was barren thirty years: the reason is that there were *three thousand years* in the world before any offering was offered ° in (it)

t-t H et intellectus meus alienatus erat (? kav 0 vous pov nXotpiobn) %" Het video; so 3: but Ethiop. Ar) Arm.> v-v yveading audivi (C M) E¢hiop. Ar.’ Ar? Arm.: % 1 hear audio (S A) w-w # rectam viam tuam: S(of Ethiop.) tnv evOurnta cov x 59 S$ (ovros ovy eotw o Noyos: III MN): of Ethiop. Arm.: & hic ergo intellectus visionis yy S> z-% so Oriental VSS.: & civitas aedificari (2. V. a city in building) aa so all the Versions except the Arm. (which has many years) and & (best MSS.) anni... tres b-b yeading in eo (for in

that the mother represents the heavenly, and the son the earthly Sion. For a full discussion of alternative views see

The original meaning of the vision has been obscured by two slight alterations in the text from the pen of R; in v.45, ‘in it’ ( &y avr, i.e. in the world) has been changed to ‘in her’ ( év atry, i.e. in Sion), thus producing the meaning that for 3,000 years no oblation was offered in Sion, i.e. the earthly Sion; and in wv. 46 ‘ David’ has been altered into ‘Solomon’. In this way R secures the interpretation that the woman the earthly Sion; the son the Temple (the son’s birth = the founding of the Temple by Solomon), &c.; while the transfiguration of the woman is a prophecy of the future glory of the earthly Sion. But this destroys the original significance of the vision, and cannot be harmonized with the theology of S. See further ZA, Joc. cit.

29-30. and when he saw that I lay on the ground as one dead. For the representation cf. Dan. viii. 17, 18; 5, Oy UO UB INES 1 Batizin (oder

32. and yet see. The vision of the City is still before the seer’s eyes.

that which I am unable to express. Cf. 2 Cor. xii. 4 (also of an ecstatic experience).

45. three thousand years. For text see crit. note. Gunkel adopts the Latin ‘three years’, and (with Wellhausen) explains thus: the three years the three years that elapsed after Solomon became king and before he began to build the Temple (cf. 1 Kings vi. 1 with vi. 38) ; and these three years mystically three millennial years, i.e. 3,000 years. But according to v.45 in the Latin the three years thirty years, i.e. thirty generations (?); thus it would have a mystical meaning (3,000), a literal (three), and again a literal ( thirty generations) meaning, all in juxtaposition. It is better to adopt the reading of the Versions (3,coo), and to regard this as an actual reckoning (see next verse).

before any offering was offered in it (i.e. in the world). The Lat. has guando non erat in ea adhuc oblatio oblata = ‘when as yet there was no offering offered in her’ (i.e. in Sion; so all the other Versions). By the slight emendation suggested by Kabisch (viz. to read zz eo [év atr@] for zu ea) the difficulty of the text-reading can be removed. J hey can only mean in the c¢vétas aedificata, which for 3,000 years was without a son, i.e. the heavenly Sion; but the statement that no offering was as yet offered in the heavenly Sion is meaningless. The unfruitfulness of the heavenly Sion consisted rather in the fact that for 3,000 years there was on the earth—in this aeon—no corresponding reality, no aedificata civitas where the cultus of the sacrificial worship was established. (So Kabisch.)

It is true altars had been erected and sacrifices offered before the time of David (e.g. by Abraham, Gen. xxii. 9, and others) ; but no ‘regular system of sacrifice’ had been established in one spot which was sufficient to make this the earthly dwelling-place of Jahveh. At any rate such seems to have been the view of S, who in his survey of the

S - 46 (ze. in the world)’. And it came to pass after °three thousand years that ° 4 (David) ¢ built the City, 47 and offered offerings: then it was that the barren bare a son. And whereas she told thee that she 48 reared him with travail: °that was the (divine) dwelling in Jerusalem®. And whereas she said unto thee: ‘My son entering into his marriage-chamber died,’ and that misfortune befell her ‘—this was 49 the fall of Jerusalem that has come to pass. And lo! thou hast seen £ the (heavenly) pattern of her, how she mourned her son, and thou didst begin to comfort her for what had befallen * so Now, the Most High seeing that thou art grieved ‘deeply? and art distressed whole-heartedly on account of her ; hath showed thee the brilliance of her glory, and Jher majestic beauty J. 51,52 Therefore I bade thee remain in the field where no house has been builded ; for I knew that the 53 Most High was about to reveal all these things unto thee. *[Therefore I bade thee come into the 54 field where no foundation of any building is, for in the place where the City of the Most High was about to be revealed no building-work of man could endure *. | 55 Lherefore be not thou afraid, and let not thy heart be terrified; but go in and see the brightness ‘and! vastness of the building, as far as it is possible for thee with the sight of thine eyes to see!

ea) ce see note a above a4 all the VSS. read Solomon ;. see exegetical note e-e ® haec erat habitatio Hierusalem f-f so © Ar): Ethiop. has direct speech (this grief befell me): 3 > s-s similitudinem eius h #+haec erant tibi aperienda = Ar,’ : other VSS. > (doubtless a gloss) ini @ ex animo J-i © pulchritudinem decoris eius (Hebr. ? 7770 NNN) Kk yy, 51-52 and 53-54 are doublets: perhaps 53-4 are more original ll s0 all VSS. except & which has vel

world’s history in ch. iii ignores all previous sacrifices and offerings till he reaches the name of David. The earthly Jerusalem became the holy city—the czvztas Det—when David offered sacrifices in it. Cf. ili. 24.

46. after three thousand years. According to the LXX at least 4,227 years elapsed from the Creation to the founding of the Temple; thus S here follows the Hebrew text against the LXX. The period between the Creation of the world and the foundation of the Temple is estimated by Gutschmidt to be 3,043 years. Allowing 430 years for the oppression which ended in the Exodus (cf. Exod. xii. 40), and deducting from this the first three years of Solomon’s reign and the forty years of David’s, we reach 3,000 as the sum of the years from Creation to the beginning of David’s reign, which may be the point of time fixed on by the apocalyptic writer as that of the founding of the earthly Sion, though, as a matter of fact, it was seven years later. This presupposes the emendation of ‘Solomon’ in the next clause to ‘ David’ (see following note).

[It is true that in vii. 28 the reckoning 400 for the years of the oppression, in accordance with Gen. xv. 13, is implied ; but that passage belongs to a different source. ]

David built the City. All the Versions read ‘Solomon’; but this is inconsistent with iii. 24 (‘ David; and thou commandedst him to build the City (which is called) after thy name, and to offer thee oblations therein of thine own’). There is, therefore, a strong presumption that the emendation adopted above (proposed by Kabisch) is right. If the reading of the Versions is retained ‘City’ must be understood to mean ‘ Temple’; so Ar. and Arm. add ‘ Temple’ here (‘the City and the Temple’). Volkmar is obliged to explain that in the apocalyptic writer’s thought Temple and City are identical, so that he can speak indifferently now of one, now of the other, and similarly interchange David and Solomon. From the language of S, however, it seems clear that it was the inauguration of the regular ‘ offering of oblations’ to God in the earthly Sion that constituted it as the cZvitas Dez. The altar erected to the Lord (cf. 2 Sam. xxiv. 18 f.; 1 Chron. xxi. 28, xxii. 1) by David marked the turning-point ; this was the most sacred spot in the Holy City—the Temple, erected later, being regarded merely as the shelter or covering which contained it. To the apocalyptic writer (S) David was the founder and builder of Jerusalem, regarded as the one holy city of God (cf. iii. 24).

a son, i.e. the earthly Jerusalem (the heavenly Jerusalem being the mother). The representation of Jerusalem as a son, and not as a daughter, is certainly peculiar. It is probably due to the fact that the writer is adapting a popular tale to the purposes of his allegory; see further /A, p. 239.

47. reared him with travail. The difficulty referred to (‘with travail’) lay in the fact that during the existence of the first Temple the sins of the people (especially lapses into idolatrous worship) constantly threatened to interrupt the continuance of the divine dwelling (see next note) in the Holy City.

that was the divine dwelling in Jerusalem. The (divine) dwelling = the ‘Shekinah’ or visible manifestation of the divine presence in Jerusalem. It was the presence of the Shekinah in Jerusalem and the Temple, which sanctified the Holy City. According to one current view the visible Shekinah was one of the five things lacking in the second Temple (cf. Targ. to’ Hag. i. 8 and parallels in Talmud)—its throne being between the cherubim on the ark, which was absent after the destruction of the First Temple. But so long as a Temple existed in Jerusalem, and the sacrificial cultus was maintained, these, in a sense, were pledges and symbols of the divine presence. With these all visible tokens of the divine presence disappeared (in A.D. 70).

48. the fall of Jerusalem that has come to pass. The death of the son, according to this verse the fall of the earthly Jerusalem, which confirms the interpretation that the son the earthly Jerusalem.

49. the (heavenly) pattern (or ‘model’) of her. The ‘heavenly pattern’ or model of the earthly city is the heavenly Sion. The conception is similar to that which is met with in the Ep. to the Hebrews (xi. 10, 16 [‘ The City which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God’], xii. 22, xiii. 14), according to which the heavenly Sion is the heavenly counterpart of the earthly City, ‘the eternal reality of which the literal City is but a shadow.’ For the idea of the heavenly counterpart or model cf. Heb. viii. 5; Exod. xxv. 9 and 40. The vision of the heavenly reality is the culminating point in the disclosures made to the seer.

how she mourned her son, i. e. how she (the heavenly City) mourned her son (the ruined earthly Jerusalem).

55. as far as itis possible for thee...to see. The permission given to the seer implies that he saw and heard

S 56 Then shalt thou hear as much as the hearing of thine ears can hear. 57. For thou art blessed above many, and art named before the Most High as but few !

(The true sequel should be xii. 39 6, xiii. 57-58, and xii. 40-48 (xiv. 29-35); sce introductions to the two latter sections. The sequence ts shown by the following verses :)

[(xii. 39 4) And he departed from me. (xiii. 57) And I went forth and walked in the field greatly magnifying and praising the Most High on account of the marvellous acts which he performs in due season ; (xiii. 58) and because he governs the times, and the things which come to pass in due time. (xii. 40 f.) And it came to pass when all the people heard, &c.]

VI. x. 58-59. REDACTIONAL TRANSITION TO THE FIFTH VISION (R).

R 58,59 But ™on the night of to-morrow™ thou shalt remain here ; so will the Most High reveal to thee 59 "in dream-visions™ what the Most High will do unto the dwellers upon earth in the last days.

THE FIFTH (EAGLE) VISION. I. THE VISION. A 60 SoI slept that night and the following as he had commanded me.

m-m nocte ... quae in crastinum futura est n-n 9, eas visiones somniorum (= ravta ta opayata toy evurmer: ? ravta a corruption of kata: so Volk.)

(see next verse) much more than is told in the vision. As Gunkel remarks, this statement (obviously natural and unforced) makes it clear that the vision is the record of an actual experience. In the end what the seer saw and heard was so overpowering and marvellous that his powers of describing it all failed. Cf. 2 Cor. xii. 4. With vv. 55-56 cf. 1 Cor. ii. 9 and Isa. Ixiv. g. It should be noted that the City is conceived as still standing before the seer’s eyes. 58-59. The seer is bidden to remain where he is (i.e. in the field of Ardat) for another two nights, in order that he may receive in dream-visions a revelation of what shall happen to the dwellers upon earth in the last days. It is obvious that these verses, which form the transition to the visions that follow, are the work of R. The situation presupposed is hardly a possible one for S. The seer had been bidden to resort to Ardat—the field untouched by any work of human hand—in order to receive a vision of the heavenly City. This has been accomplished, and to represent him as still remaining there in order to receive further revelations in dream-visions is in the nature of an anti-climax. Moreover the burden of the dream-visions, the revelation of what is to happen in the last days, has already formed the subject of long debates in the former visions of S. The dream-visions that follow, as we shall see, belong to other sources; and the transitional verses have been inserted by R in order to fit in and link together these other elements with the Salathiel-Apocalypse. ; 58. on the night of to-morrow, i.e. the night that follows to-morrow. Thus the words would be spoken during the day. The vision in the field of Ardat, accordingly, was not a nightbut a day-vision. The chapters that follow are drawn from three main independent sources, viz. : A ( Adlergesicht), the Eagle-Vision, ch. xi-xii; M ( Menschensohn), the Son of Man Vision, ch. xiii ; E? = the Ezra-legend, ch. xiv. x. 60-xii. 35. THE EAGLE-VISION. The famous Eagle-Vision—the last, apparently, of a series of dream-visions— follows. The seer in his dream sees an eagle, furnished with twelve wings and three heads, ascending out of the sea. It stretched its wings over all the earth, and all the winds of heaven blew upon it. From its wings eight other smaller

wings developed ; the three heads, of which the middle one was larger than the others, remained at rest. The Eagle flew with its wings, and reigned with undisputed sway over the whole earth. It stood up upon its claws, and told its wings that they should not all waken together, but each should sleep in its place, and awaken and keep watch in its own proper time ; the heads were to be kept to the End. The voice announcing this proceeded not from the Eagle’s head, but from the midst of his body. Presently a wing arose on the right side, reigned over the earth, and disappeared. The second arose and reigned a long time—a voice announced that none after it should reign even half as long—and this also disappeared. So it happened to the third and following wings. The seer now saw that the little wings were set up, on the right side, in order to rule; and of these some held it, but disappeared at once, while others rose up, but did not exercise rule. After this it was seen that the twelve wings had disappeared, and also two of the little wings—nothing remained in the Eagle’s body but the three heads at rest and six little wings. Two of these latter were seen to detach themselves, and remained under the head at the right-hand side, while four remained in their place. These thought to set themselves up and reign. One did so and forthwith disappeared ; and the second vanished even more quickly than the first. Two were now left in their original place, and while these were thinking to reign the middle head awoke and, uniting with itself the other two heads, devoured them. This head exercised rule over the earth with much oppression ; but it, too, suddenly disappeared even as the wings. The two remaining heads reigned over the earth; but that on the right side devoured the one on the left. At this point the seer hears a voice telling him to look carefully and note what he should see. He saw a roaring lion come out from the wood,

tl: And it came to pass the second night that I saw a dream: and lo! there came up from the sea 2 an eagle which had twelve (?) feathered wings, and three heads. And I beheld, and lo! he spread

his wings ° over ° the whole earth, and all the winds of heaven blew on him, and ” (the clouds) were ggathered together (unto him)”. And I beheld, (and lo !) out of his wings there grew ‘anti-wings 4 ;

4 and they became wings petty and small. But his heads were at rest ; the middle head was greater

5 than the other heads, yet it rested with them. And I beheld, and lo! the eagle flew with his wings

00 59 Ar? Arm.: & in 4 Ethiop. PP so Oriental VSS, (except Arm.) & colligebantur (> nubes ad eum) a-4 & contrariae pennae ( ? avrumrepvyta) : other VSS. = mrepvyta

which, with a man’s voice, upbraided the Eagle for his tyranny and cruel oppression, and announces his coming destruction : ‘Therefore shalt thou disappear, O thou Eagle,

and thy horrible wings,

and thy little wings most evil,

thy harm-dealing heads,

thy hurtful talons, :

and all thy worthless body !

And so the whole earth, freed from thy violence, shall be refreshed again, and hope for the judgement and mercy ot him that made her’ (xi. 45-6). :

While the Lion spoke, the last head disappeared; the two little wings which had detached themselves and gone over to it rose up to reign, but their reign was short and full of uproar. Then ‘they, too, vanished, the whole body of the Eagle was consumed in flames, and the earth was greatly terrified.

On awaking from his dream-vision the seer, much perturbed by what he has seen, prays that the interpretation of it may be granted him. He is told that the Eagle is the fourth kingdom which appeared to Daniel. The twelve wings represent twelve kings who shall reign in it one after the other. The second reign shall be longer than any of the other twelve. The voice proceeding from the midst of the body signifies that in the middle period (xii. 18, ‘in the midst of the time of that kingdom,’ according to the true text) great commotions shall arise, and it shall stand in peril of falling ; but it shall recover, and regain its stability. The interpretation of the eight under (little) wings is: there shall arise in this kingdom eight kings ‘ whose times shall be transient and years swift’; two of these shall perish when the middle time of the kingdom approaches ; four are to be kept for the time ‘ when its time for dissolution shall approach’; but two are to be reserved for the End. The interpretation of the three heads is: in the last days of the kingdom the Most High will raise up three kings who shall renew many things in the kingdom, and shall rule over the earth with much oppression above all that were before them. They are called the heads of the Eagle, because they shall bring its wickedness to a head and consummate its end. The disappearance of the largest (i.e. the middle) head signifies that the first of these three kings shall die upon his bed, but yet with torment. The other two are destined for the sword—one is to fall by the sword of the other, and the latter shall perish himself by the sword in the last days. The two wings that passed over to the right-hand head are reserved for the End. They shall reign for a brief time after the disappearance of the last head; but their reign shall be full of trouble and uproar. _ The Lion is the Messiah whom the Most High has reserved for the End.

Such is the vision and its interpretation as they lie before us in our present text. At first sight all seems clear; but a closer examination of the details reveals, as will appear, many grave difficulties. For a discussion of these see the introduction to the interpretation of the vision (xii. 3 6-39) below.

The vision must thus be regarded as an independent writing. It apparently belongs to a series of dream-visions, of which it forms the last, and which already existed in written form in a book when our vision was excerpted by R (cf. xii. 37). As in similar cases elsewhere R has inserted harmonistic additions designed to bring the matter into accord with other elements in our Apocalypse. Such are clearly xii.g and 34. But further, there seems to have been a revision of a more far-reaching character, as will appear when the details of the interpretation come to be examined.

The whole vision is clearly much influenced by, if it is not actually based upon, Dan, vii. The identification of the Eagle with the fourth kingdom of Dan. vii is an interesting case of the reinterpretation of prophecy.

With the Eagle-Vision should be compared the fountain and forest vision of 2 Baruch (xxxvi=xl), which remarkably enough is a dream-vision of the fall of the Roman power. As in our vision, this is effected by the Messiah; the last leader of the hostile host is taken captive to Mount Sion, where the Messiah, after upbraiding him with his wickedness, destroys him. i

For a fuller discussion cf. ZA, pp. 244-9. The vision in its original form appears to have been composed some time in the reign of Vespasian (A.D. 69-79) or possibly later (A. D. 96-97).

xi. I. [saw adream. Cf. Dan. vii.1. A dream-vision (not merely a dream) is meant. from the sea. Cf. Dan. vii. 3; Rev. xiii, 1. In the latter passage, as here, the monster that ascends out of the sea the Roman Empire. The latter, for the Orientals, came up, as a matter of historical fact, from the sea (i.e. the Mediterranean), and it is this fact that is doubtless present in the apocalyptist’s thought here. [It is clear that the (perhaps contemporary) apocalyptic writers of Rev. xiii and our chapter both identified the fourth beast of Dan. vii with Rome: cf. esp. 4 Ezra xii. 10 f.] aneagle. The eagle ofthe following vision undoubtedly represents the Roman Empire. The symbolism was particularly appropriate to Rome, whose military emblem was the eagle. three heads, i.e. according to the probable original meaning of the vision the three Flavian Emperors (Vespasian and his two sons, Titus and Domitian). Cf. the four wings and four heads of the leopard in Dan. vil. 6. 2. all the winds of heaven blew on him. Cf. xiii. 2, and Dan. vii. 2. ae 3. out of his wings there grew anti-wings. As mrépv§ Bacihed’s, so avturreptyiov would. = dytiBaordevs (so Volk.). Usurpers or military commanders who might prove to be dangerous rivals to the Emperors are apparently meant.

6 to reign over the earth and over them that dwell therein. And I beheld how all things under heaven were subject unto him, and no one spake against him—not even one of the creatures upon 7 earth. And I beheld, and lo! the eagle rose upon his talons, and uttered his voice to his wings, 8, 9 saying*, Watch not all at once: sleep every one in his place, and watch by course: but let the heads 10 be preserved for the last. And I beheld, and lo! the voice proceeded not from his heads, but from 11 the midst of his body. And I numbered his anti-wings, and lo! there were eight. 12 And I beheld, and lo! [ox the right side| there arose one wing, and reigned over the whole earth. 13 And it came to pass that, after it had reigned, it came to its end and § disappeared 8, so that the place 14 of it was not visible. Then arose the second and reigned, and this bare rule for a long time. And it came to pass that, after it had reigned, it also came to its end, so that it disappeared even as the

5, 16 first. And lo! a voice sounded which said to it: Hear, thou that hast borne rule over the earth so

17 long a time: *this I proclaim * unto thee before thou shalt disappear—After thee shall none bear 18 rule (the length of) thy time, nay not even the half of it! Then the third lifted itself up and held 19 the rule even as the former, and it also disappeared. And so it fell to all the wings ["in turn®] to zo rule and then disappear. And I beheld, and lo! in process of time Y the little wings ’ also were set up [" upon the right side“| that they also might hold the rule; and some of them bare rule but

, 22 disappeared suddenly : and some of them were set up but did not hold the rule. After this I beheld, 23 and lo! the twelve wings disappeared, and two little wings ; and nothing was left in the eagle’s body 24 save only the three heads that were at rest, and six little wings. And I beheld, and lo! from the six little wings two detached themselves, and remained under the head that was upon the right side:

25 but four remained in their place. And I beheld, and lo! these under-wings thought to set themselves 26 up and to hold the rule. And I beheld, and lo! one was set up, but immediately disappeared ;

27, 28 a second also, and this disappeared more quickly than the first. And I beheld, and lo! the two

29 that remained thought also in themselves to reign ; and * while they were thinking thus*, lo! ¥ one

3 (against all the other VSS.)+Go, rule over the whole earth: but remain quiet now (?az explan. gloss) s-s # non apparuit tt yeading hoc (v. /. haec) adnuntio u-u ® singulatim V-v so S Ar.*: & sequentes pennae W-W so 3 Ethiop. Arm.: but Ara Ar? > xx ZL in eo cum cogitarent (= ev rw AoyiCeoOat avta) y-y © unum de quiescentium capitum (tating Greek construction)

8. Watch not all at once:... watch by course. Each wing (or pair of wings) is to be awake and watch (i.e. reign) for a certain season, its allotted time (fer tempus = kata xaipdy) and in succession; all are not to be awake at once.

12. [on the right side]. This certainly looks like an addition. If it were an original feature in the vision there would be a corresponding mention of the wings ‘on the left side’, and we should expect some comment upon the symbolical significance of right and left in the interpretation. But nothing of the kind occurs there. Consequently we are justified in regarding the words here as an interpolation: if by R, or some other reviser, then it would seem he is dividing the wings into two sets, right and left, and this might imply that previously they had been reckoned by pairs. But the words may be a gloss.

one wing. Lat. wa penna = év mrepdv: if pairs of wings were in the original writer’s thought here we should expect ‘the first wing’ (Hebr.? O°S33N77 NNN). Possibly something like this originally stood here, and has been modified by R; in this case ‘the first of the wings’ would have meant the first pair of wings.

17. shall none bear rule (the length of) thy time, nay not even the half of it. The reference is clearly to the long reign of Augustus (over fifty years).

19. it fell to all the wings. ‘The expression ‘all the wings’ is noticeable ; it refers, apparently, to all the twelve wings : therefore what follows in v. 20 must refer to the other set of ‘ little’ wings.

20. the little wings. The verse describes the general character and fate of the eight little wings. Some such introductory statement is required before v. 22, where it is said that the twelve great wings and two of the little wings had disappeared (so Drummond, /JZ/, p. 102 f.).

[upon the right side]. Ifthe wings referred to were the twelve greater wings this clause could have no meaning ; the left side would be required by the context (and so Hilg. renders here amo rhs apiorepas : but against all the textual evidence, though five MSS. of the Ethiopic have ‘ on the left side’). In reference to the little wings it may be meant to suggest their elevation to actual power. The clause may possibly be an incorrect gloss.

22. the twelve wings disappeared, and two little wings, i.e. (according to the original significance of the vision) the six Julian Emperors came to an end, and, about the end of the reign of the last emperor, Nero, ‘ two little wings’ rose and disappeared : perhaps the fate of the conspirators Vindex (March, A. D..68) and Nymphidius (a few months later) is referred to. Both were active in the last months of Nero’s reign.

24. under the head that was upon the right side. This, according to the original meaning of the vision, must mean Domitian. Who the two ‘little wings’ represent in this case it is difficult to say—two Roman governors or generals probably who were expected to claim the imperial throne. Gunkel suggests Mucianus, proconsul of Syria, and Tiberius Alexander, prefect of Egypt (A.D. 69). But these leaders attached themselves to the cause of Vespasian (the middle head) ; it does not appear that either played any prominent part in the reign of Domitian (‘the head on the right side’). Gfrérer suggests Agrippa II and Berenice, who went over to the Romans and were in favour with the Flavian family.

27. a second... disappeared more quickly than the first. Perhaps Galba’s colleague (for a short time) is meant, viz. Piso. But more probably Galba and Otho are intended. ici

28. the two that remained. Perhaps Civilis (died June, 69) and Vitellius (died December, 69). ae

610 sald

of the heads that were at rest Y-—it, namely, that was in the midst —awoke ; for this one was greater

30, 31 than the two [other] heads. And I beheld how it allied with itself the two other heads; and lo!

the head was turned with them that were with it, and did eat up the two under-wings that thought 32 to have reigned. This head “bare rule over the whole earth’, and exercised lordship over the dwellers therein with much oppression ; [and it wielded more power over the inhabited world than 33 all the wings that had been.] And after this I beheld, and lo! the middle head * suddenly * 34 disappeared, ® even as the wings”. But there remained the two heads which also reigned over the 35 earth, and over the inhabitants therein. And I beheld, and lo! the head upon the right side 36 devoured that which was upon the left. Then I heard a voice, which said unto me: Look before 37 thee, and consider what thou seest. And I beheld, and lo! as it were a lion, roused out of the wood, roaring ; and I heard how he uttered a man’s voice against the eagle; and he spake, saying : 39 Hear, “thou Eagle ‘“—I will talk with thee; the Most High saith to thee: Art thou not it that remainest of the four beasts which I made to reign in my world, that the end of “my times? might 40 come through them? ° Thou, however, the fourth, who art come, hast overcome ° all the beasts that are past ; * Thou hast wielded power over the world’ with great terror, and over all the inhabited earth with grievous oppression ; % Thou hast dwelt * so long in the civilized world with fraud, 41 and hast judged the earth, (but) not with faithfulness : 42 For thou hast afflicted the meek, and oppressed the peaceable ; Thou hast hated "the upright ", and loved liars; Thou hast destroyed ‘the strongholds! j of the fruitful j, and laid low the walls of such as did thee no harm— 43 And so thine insolence hath ascended to the Most High, and thy pride to the Mighty One. 44 Then the Most High regarded his times— And lo! they were ended ; And his ages— (and) they were fulfilled. 45 Therefore * shalt thou disappear *, O thou Eagle, and thy horrible wings, and thy little wings most evil, ‘thy harm-dealing heads}, ™thy hurtful talons™, and all thy worthless body!

4-2 yeading percontenuit omnem terram Semsguyo OLner, VSS. > b-b © et hoc sicut alae (= kau rovro kabws ar mrepvyes) ce so 3: but other VSS. (including %) > d-d so ©: other VSS. of the (Ar. all) times &-° yeading et quartus veniens devicisti: cf 3 Ar! Ar2 Arm.: Ethiop. Lat. MSS. have 3rd person PDT SONON Gf

Ar} Ar? Arm.) 8-8 so 3 (of. Ar Ar? Arm.): & inhabitabant 0 be emended to inhabitabas (Violet) nh sa (f. Ar.': Ar the pious): % verum dicentes (cf. Ethiop. Ari.) ii so Oriental VSS. ( ta oxvpopara) : © habitationes (? dependent upon variant Hebr. readings: NY and NY) J-i X& qui fructificabant: 3 of the prosperous ( rev evOnvovvtev: evdnvovga 7°19 Ps. cxxviii. [cxxvii] 3) k-k % non apparens non appareas ( adario bers agave non) ll et capita tua maligna m-m ¥% ungues tui pessimi

32. [and it wielded ... that had been]. This clause is somewhat tautologous after the two preceding, and is probably an addition of R, who identified the middle head with Trajan. The statement, as applied to Trajan, would have special point in view of his conquests and vast additions to the Roman empire. Volkmar supposes that in the first clause ominem terram (‘over the whole earth’) should be rendered ‘ over all the land’, i.e. the land of Palestine, and that orbem terrarum in the last clause stands in contrast with this.

35. the head upon the right side devoured that which was upon the left. In the original form of the vision this doubtless referred to Domitian (the right head) and Titus (the left head), whose death was at the time supposed to have been brought about by Domitian. But R probably identified the right head with Hadrian, who recalled and executed Lusius Quietus (the left head). See introduction to the next chapter.

39. the four beasts. Cf. Dan. vii. 3. The eagle is here identified with the fourth beast of Dan. vii, as in the interpretation below (xil. II).

44. And his ages—(and) they were fulfilled. The meaning is: the predetermined time is fulfilled. The conviction was common to all the apocalyptists that they were standing at the end of the age. It should be remembered, however, that in the eschatology of A the end of the present age coincides with the downfall of Rome; the future age is the Rule of God that is to succeed the heathen empire on the present earth.

45. thy hurtful talons. It should be noted that this detail receives no explanation in the interpretation that follows in chap. xii. Probably the Roman armies are meant.

3 that remained disappeared. And the two wings, which went over “unto it, set themselves up to

IVSEZ Ree Piao ae

And so the whole earth, freed from thy violence, "shall be refreshed again", and hope for the’

judgement and mercy of him that made her. And it came to pass, while the lion spake these words unto the eagle, I beheld, and lo! the head

reign ; and their rule was short and full of uproar. And I béheld, and lo! these also disappeared, and the whole body of the eagle was burnt ; and the earth was terrified greatly.

II. xii. 3 6-39. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION (A) (R).

Then I awoke °by reason of great perplexity of mind°® and from great fear, and said unto

my spirit: Lo! this hast thou brought unto me because thou searchest out the ways of the Most High.

n-n % refrigeret et revertetur (Hedr. WDIN Iw Nn) °-0 reading a multo (for tumultu) excessu mentis

46. and hope for the judgement and mercy of him that made her, i.e. after the world-empire has been destroyed the Rule (or Sovereignty) of God follows. ‘Judgement’ here cannot have the same sense as in S, where it means the judgement of the last day: it here =the Hebr. spat and means the judicial process by which the Roman Empire is condemned and destroyed.

xii. 30-39. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION. It has already been pointed out that a close examination of the details of the vision and its interpretation reveals many grave difficulties, and it has been suggested that these are probably due to later revision and readjustment. No solution known to the present writer has so far been proposed that entirely meets these difficulties. A most illuminating review and critical discussion of the more important of the suggestions and hypotheses that have been made is given in Dr. Drummond’s Jewish Messiah, pp. 99-114. For a full discussion of later views reference must be made to ZA, pp. 262 ff.

A NEw SOLUTION.

Is it possible to frame a hypothesis which will meet the objections that have been adduced and satisfy the daza of the text? The following seems to the present writer to be a possible solution. It may be taken for granted that whatever revision or readjustment has taken place in the text of the chapters must have been the work either of the editor who compiled our book, or of some redaction previous to his use of the special source. As there is no trace of specifically Christian influence in the text of the vision the possibility of later redaction is ruled out. It becomes important, therefore, to fix approximately the date of the editor (R), and to determine the meaning of the vision for him. Kabisch fixes the date of R at about A.D. 120, and this—or possibly even a later year—may be accepted as correct. It may be assumed that in the original form of the vision the three heads represent the three Flavian Emperors ; the twelve wings represent the six Julian Emperors from Caesar to Nero, reckoning the wings by pairs. The present writer suggests that the reckoning by pairs in the original vision was intended only to apply to the twelve wings, and had a symbolical significance. The pairs served to emphasize the greater dignity and power of the real Emperors as contrasted with the ephemeral rulers symbolized by the little wings. In order to exaggerate the contrast the latter were intended to be reckoned singly. The eight little wings represent, in the original form of the vision, Vindex (March, 68), Nymphidius (a few months later)—these disappeared about the same time as the last of the twelve wings (end of Nero’s reign), as represented in our text (xl. 22). The middle four represent Galba, Otho, Civilis (died June, 69), and Vitellius (died Dec., 69). Ay

The two little wings that were to survive the last head probably signify Roman governors or generals who were expected to claim the imperial throne at the last, or possibly the two last members of the Herodian family, Agrippa II] and Berenice. In its original form, then, the vision may date from the closing years of Domitian’s reign (circa A.D. 95).1 But if the editor did not incorporate it into his book—our Ezra-Apocalypse—till A.D. 120 or later (some time certainly in the reign of Hadrian), what, it may well be asked, was the significance he himself attached to the vision? He can no longer have identified the three heads with the Flavian Emperors, seeing that the reigns of these had already long ended and the predicted deliverance had not yet come. { ‘ :

It seems to the present writer that the requirements of the situation will be met by the hypothesis that R identified the three heads with Trajan, Hadrian, and Lusius Quietus. The last mentioned was a favourite of Trajan, of princely birth, who was generally expected to succeed to the Empire. His memory is deeply impressed upon the Jews owing to the stern part he took in suppressing Jewish rebellions first in Mesopotamia, and later in Palestine (A.D. 116-117). In the Rabbinical sources he is sometimes spoken of as if he were actual emperor. As a matter of fact he was recalled by Hadrian, soon after the latter’s accession to the throne, and executed. : : :

Having identified the three heads in this way, the editor reinterpreted the twelve wings to be the ‘twelve Caesars —a numeration which is found in Suetonius—i.e. the six Julian Emperors, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, and the three Flavian Emperors. In accordance with this view the present text of the vision has been redacted. Thus in xl. 12 the words ‘on the right side’, if not a gloss, are probably due to R, so also in xi. 19 ‘in turn’ (s¢agudatim). In xi. 20 the words ‘on the right side’ (they are omitted in the Arabic Version) may be a gloss; and in Xl. 32 the clause ‘and it wielded more power over the inhabited world than all the wings that had been’ would apply with special force tq Trajan, whose conquests were remarkable, though the possibility of their application to Vespasian is not excluded. They may be due to later revision, ay nA ; ‘

In the interpretation of the vision in ch. xii the marks of revision are naturally more in evidence. Thus v. 14 (‘In it twelve kings shall reign, one after the other’) we have the later interpretation clearly expressed. Coming to the

1 Or possibly in some part of Vespasian’s reign.

5 Lo! I am yet weary in my soul, and very weak in my spirit,

nor is there (left) the least strength in me on account of the great fear wherewith I have been 6 affrighted this night. Therefore will I now beseech the Most High, that he will strengthen me unto 7the end. And I said: O Lord my Lord, if I have found favour in thy sight, if I am justified with 8 thee above many, if my supplication in truth be come up before thy countenance—Strengthen me,

and show me, thy servant, the interpretation and ” distinct explanation” of this fearful vision, that 9 thou mayst completely comfort my soul! [/or thou hast judged me worthy to show me % the end of the

times and the last of the periods 4.|

to,11 And he said unto me: This is the interpretation of the vision which thou hast seen. The eagle

which thou sawest come up from the sea is the fourth kingdom which appeared in vision to thy

¥2, 13 brother Daniel; [but it was not interpreted unto him as I now interpret it unto thee or have interpreted

it]. Behold, the days come when there shall arise a kingdom upon the earth, and it shall be* more

14, 15 terrible* than all the kingdoms that were before it. [Zz zt twelve kings shall reign, one after the other ;|

16 And the second that shall reign, he shall bear rule a longer time * than (any of) [ke ¢welve]*. This is the 17 interpretation of the twelve wings which thou didst see. And whereas ‘ thou didst hear * a voice which 18 spake, going out not from his heads, but from the midst of his body, "this is the interpretation". Y In

the midst Y of the time of that kingdom there shall arise no small contentions, and it shall stand in peril 19 of falling ; nevertheless it shall not then fall, but shall be restored again“ to rule¥. And whereas thou 20 didst see eight under-wings grow up with his wings, this is the interpretation: In it there shall arise eight 2 kings, whose times shall be transient and years swift: and two of them shall perish when the middle

time (of the kingdom) approaches; and four shall be kept for the time when its time for dissolution

p-p & distinctionem ( tnv cadnvesav) a-a # temporum finem et temporum novissima: other VSS. trav ypoveyv To TEAOS Kal TOY KalpoY Ta ETXaTA rr yeading timoratior s-s & prae xii (prae umep) tt so Arm.: but S Ethiop. Ar+ thou didst see u-u # haec est interpretatio: du¢ 3 Ethiop. Ar) ovros cor o Noyos (Hebr. 377 77) vv so 3 (of. Ethiop.) and Arm. ( pera&v): & post ( pera: a mistake) Wow soll thzops (Gf Ar}) Arm.: &% in suum initium.(mesunderstanding es apyny avrns)

heads we read: ‘And whereas thou didst see that the great head disappeared—[one of them shall die upon his bed, but yet with pain. But as for the two who remain the sword shall devour them. For the sword of the one shall devour him that was with him; nevertheless this one also shall fall by the sword in the last days’].

This description would suit admirably the circumstances of Trajan’s end. He died in Cilicia in the year 117, upon his bed, it is true, but mortified by his half-successes and by the unrest in the East. It need hardly be added that ‘the sword of the one shall devour him that was with him’ suits the identification of right and left heads with Hadrian and Lusius Quietus admirably. Further, if, as is suggested in the note on xii. 21, the four wings (or antiwings) that are kept for the time when the dissolution of the Empire approaches can be identified with the four senators who were executed by Hadrian at the beginning of his reign, we have a further confirmation of the correctness of the hypothesis of reinterpretation already set forth.

7. if Lam justified with thee above many. Cf. vi. 32, vil. 26, ix. 49, x. 39, XVill. 14.

8. completely. This implies that the seer had already been partially consoled (by the vision of the heavenly Sion)—a mark of R’s hand.

g. the end of the times, &c. The whole verse reveals the hand of R. The Eagle Vision is not concerned with, and is not a revelation of, the ‘last things’—these are treated in the preceding work of S and E—A is concerned only with the downfall of the Roman Empire. The reference here, therefore, to the end of the world is out of place, and is due to R (so Kabisch).

il. is the fourth kingdom which appeared in vision to thy brother Daniel. Cf. Dan. vii. 7f. This is a particularly clear and interesting case of the way in which apocalyptic prediction was reinterpreted and reapplied. It is interesting to note that in the Talmud (7. &. Abéda Zara 1 6), Dan. vii. 23 (i.e. the fourth kingdom) is interpreted of Rome.

14. In it twelve kings shall reign, one after the other. This sentence is evidently the work of R, who understood the twelve kings to be the ‘ twelve Caesars’. It cannot be explained as an interpretation of the original form of the vision, as it is impossible to enumerate twelve rulers, beginning with Julius Caesar and excluding the three heads (Vespasian, Titus and Domitian), who ruled consecutively. KR may have altered a number merely, or may have recast the entire sentence.

15. than (any of) [the twelve]. The number ‘ twelve’ here reflects ex hyfothesz the later interpretation.

18. In the midst of the time of that kingdom. The time referred to is the period of anarchy that ensued at the close of Nero’s reign, and was put an end to by Vespasian (A. D. 68-70).

21. and four shall be kept for the time when its time for dissolution shall approach. Apparently four usurpers or possible candidates for the imperial dignity are meant, who are to rise and fall as the time for the dissolution of the Empire approaches, i.e. presumably in the reign of one of the three heads (probably either Trajan or Hadrian). Now it is worth noting that at the beginning of his reign Hadrian found it necessary to put to death four ‘ consular senators, his personal enemies, and men who had been judged worthy of empire’ (Gibbon, Decline and Fall, vol. i, ch. iii). If the rise and fall of these four anti-wings is to be placed in the reign of Hadrian, unless the revision of the interpretation be credited to R at this point, it must already have reached an advanced stage before he incorporated A into our present book. In the original vision these four anti-wings apparently represent Galba, Otho, Civilis, and Vitellius (cf. xi. 27). In the reinterpretation Galba, Otho, and Vitellius are included in the twelve large wings (Civilis could be omitted as unimportant), thus involving the reinterpretation of the four anti-wings.

A(R) 22 shall approach: but two shall be kept for the end. And whereas thou didst see three heads resting,

23 this is the interpretation: In the last days thereof the Most High will raise up * three kings*; and

Ythey shall renew’ many things therein, and shall exercise lordship over the earth and over the 24 dwellers therein with much oppression, above all those that were before them. Therefore are they 25 called the heads of the eagle: for these are they that shall bring to a head his wickedness, * and 26 consummate his last end’. And whereas thou didst see that the great head disappeared— one of 27 them shall die upon his bed, but yet with pain. But as for the two who remain the sword shall devour 28 them. For the sword of the one shall devour him that was with him; nevertheless this one also 29 Shall fall by the sword in the last days. And whereas thou didst see two under-wings * passing over 30 to the head * that is upon the right side; this is the interpretation: These are they whom the Most

High hath kept for his (i.e, the eagle’s) end ; and their rule shall be short and full of uproar, as thou 3t hast seen. And as for the lion whom thou didst see roused from the wood and roaring, and speaking 32 to the eagle and reproving him for his unrighteousness and all his deeds, as thou hast heard: This

is the Messiah whom the Most High hath kept unto the end ( of the days, who shall spring from the

seed of David, and shall come and speak ») unto them ;

he shall reprove them for their ungodliness, “rebuke them ° for their unrighteousness, “reproach them to their faces with their treacheries 4.

33 For at the first he shall set them alive for judgement ; and when he hath rebuked them he shall 34 destroy them’. [But my people who survive he shall deliver with mercy, even those who have been saved throughout my borders, and he shall make them joyful until the End come, even the Day of Fudgement, of which I have spoken unto thee from the beginning.| This is the dream that thou didst see, and this is its interpretation. Thou alone hast been found worthy to learn ‘this mystery‘ of the Most High—Therefore write all these things that thou hast seen in a book, and put them in

HN ut

XX tpes Baoes: so all the VSS. except L, which has tria regna ( tpes Bactdecas) YY so S Ethiop. Arm.: & renovabit 22 ¥ et qui perficient novissima eius aa so S: ( peraBavra eis ryv Kearny) : i traicientes super caput b-b so S (and the other Oriental VSS. substantially): & > C (50'S) (CAH): > a-d % et infulciet coram ipsis spretiones eorum ( ? Kat emumAnéer evwmtoy avrwv ra Katadpovnpata avTey) * S set in order ( ?emrafe) before them, &c.: A¢hzop. heap up (? emumdnoer) before them, &c. &-8 xeading corrumpet eos: so 3 Ethiop. Arm. (inferior reading corripiet eos A.V. correct them) ft Z% secretum hoc

two shall be kept for the end, i.e. till after the disappearance of the third head ; cf. xi. 24.

23. in the last days thereof, i.e. of the kingdom.

they shall renew many things therein. The statement would apply equally well to the new period inaugurated by Vespasian or Trajan; in both cases the new régime consolidated and strengthened the Empire generally.

° with much oppression. This would apply with special point to Trajan and Lusius Quietus, who suppressed with great severity the Jewish rebellions of a. D. 116 and later ; and also to Hadrian later.

26. shail die upon his bed, but yet with pain. This description would certainly better suit the circumstances of Trajan’s end than Vespasian’s (see introduction to this section).

28. the sword of the one shall devour him that was with him, i.e. the sword of Hadrian shall devour Lusius Quietus; the latter was deposed and executed by Hadrian. On the other hand, the terms do not suit the case of Domitian and Titus.

32. This is the Messiah. Cf. Rev. v. 5, where ‘ the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah’ is identified with the ‘ Root of David’ and = the Messiah.

whom the Most High hath kept unto the end (of the days), i.e. the Messiah is already pre-existent in heaven. This representation suits the idea of the heavenly Messiah, but is inconsistent with the next clause, which applies to the earthly Messiah: probably the clause is due to Rk, and is a harmonizing interpolation.

reproach them, &c. Cf. xili. 37.

33. For at the first, &c. One of the principal tasks of the Messiah is to overthrow hostile wicked powers. Here it is the power of Rome that is first rebuked and then destroyed ; cf. xiii. 37 f.; 2 Bar. xl. rf.

34. [But my people who survive, &c.| This whole verse is an insertion of R, according with his view that before the End of the world a temporary Messianic kingdom was to be set up (cf. vil. 25f. and notes). In its present context the verse is out of harmony with the representation. The End of the age in ch. xii=the end of the heathen domination of the world, and is followed by the rule of the righteous embodied in Israel.

[even those who have been saved throughout my borders], i.e. those who shall have survived the Messianic woes in Palestine; but the writer of the Eagle Vision contemplated a world-wide deliverance in which all earth’s inhabitants should participate, after the overthrow of the Roman Empire; cf. xi. 46. The clause is meaningless in its present connexion (cf. xii. 48).

[he shall make them joyful]. Cf. vii. 28.

37. Therefore write all these things that thou hast seen in a book. The secret revelation is to be written down in a book and preserved in a secret place for the future till the time for publishing it arrives. This representation is common in apocalyptic literature. It partly serves to reflect the originally esoteric character of the teaching which was treasured in apocalyptic circles—‘ apocrypha’ in its original connotation {amdé«kpugos) = ‘esoteric’, ‘secret’, and carried with it no disparaging meaning—and partly serves to explain why, when the books were made known, their existence for so long a time previously had been unsuspected. Cf. Dan. vili. 26, xii. 4 (cp. xii. 9) ; 1 En, Ixxxii. 1,

a secret place ; and thou shalt teach them to the wise of the people, whose hearts thou knowest are able to comprehend and keep these mysteries. [Dut do thou remain here yet seven days more, that there may be shown unto thee whatsoever it may please the Most High to show thee.|

Ill. xii. 39 6-48. CONCLUSION OF THE VISION (S).

And he departed from me.

And it came to pass when all the people heard that the seven days were past and I not returned to the city, they assembled themselves together, *all* from the least unto the greatest; and they came unto me and said:

How have we sinned against thee,

or how have we dealt iniquitously with thee that thou hast forsaken us and sittest in this place ?

For of all the prophets thou *alone ® art left to us,

as a Cluster out of the vintage, as a lamp in a dark place, ‘as a haven of safety for a ship in a storm’.

Are not the evils that have befallen us sufficient j(that thou shouldst forsake us also)i? If thou shalt forsake us, how much better had it been for us if we also had been consumed in the burning of Sion! For we are not better than they who died there. And * they wept * with a loud voice.

And I answered them and said:

Take courage, O Israel ; ~ be not sorrowful, O House of Jacob! For you are remembered before the Most High, the Mighty One hath not forgotten you 'for ever’. But as for me, I have not forsaken you, neither will I depart from you; but I have come to this place to pray for the desolation of Sion and to supplicate mercy for ™ our™ sanctuary’s humiliation.

| Originally it 2s probable that xiv. 29-35 immediately followed xii. 48 (see introductory section to

IV. xii. 49-51. REDACTIONAL TRANSITION TO THE SIXTH VISION (R).

And now go every one of you to his own house, and after these days I will come unto you. So the people went into the city as I had told them. But I sat in the field seven days, as he had commanded me: and I did eat only "of the flowers of the field"; my food was of the herbs in those days.

8-8 so & (omnis): S Ethiop. Ar. Arm. all the people hh so Ethiop. Arm.: & (best MSS.) > iS Ar which kaos Atpny c@rnptas vye ev xetpove (Cf. Arm.): 3 as a haven of life to a ship that is set in the tempest: ¥ sicut portus navis (v. /. navi) salvatae a tempestate J-i of. S$ (Ar?): & Ethiop. Ar Arm. > Kk 50 XL Ethiop. Ar? Arm.: but & Ar. I wept Il s9 % ( evs atwva): in contentione (= es aywva) mm so % Ethiop. (of. Arm.): % vestrae on so i S: Lthiop. of the fruit of the field

[vv. 36-38 clearly form the conclusion of the original vision. | ; ]

xii. 39 6-48. The section that now forms the conclusion of the fifth vision is plainly a fragment of S, and has been transposed to its present position by R. It forms the true conclusion to the former vision, that of the heavenly Sion. For a discussion of the reasons for this analysis reference must be made to LA, p.276f. The passage is parallel to y. 14-16, which is also a misplaced fragment of S. 4 , j ;

39. And he departed from me. ‘He’, sc. the angel Uriel: the verse forms the immediate continuation of x. 57.

40, the seven days, i.e. the seven days mentioned in ix. 23 f.

42. a cluster out of the vintage. For the figure cf. ix. 21, Isa. x. 6.

a lamp ina dark place. Cf. 2 Pet. i. 19.

45. they wept. For the representation cf. 2 Bar. xxxil. 8. :

xil. 49-51. The verses that follow are clearly the work of R. The latter has introduced another seven days’ stay in the field of Ardat as a preparation for the vision that follows (ch. xiii), which, however, is a dream-vision. We have already seen that the seven days’ preparation in Ardat was for the final and crowning vision of the heavenly Sion, which concluded the Salathiel-Apocalypse (S). It cannot, therefore, have been repeated. In v. 49 (see note below) the expression ‘ after these days’ must be due to R. :

49. after these days, viz. those mentioned in xii. 39: but R has forgotten that this command to the seer had not been communicated to the people ; to the latter ‘ these days’ would be unintelligible.

THE! SIXTH VISION: (THE MAN FROM THE SEA.)

I. xiii. 1-13 a. THE VISION (M).

M1831,2 And it came to pass after seven days that I dreamed a dream by night: °(and I beheld,)° and lo! 3 there arose Pa violent wind? from the sea, and stirred all its waves. And I beheld, and lo! (the

wind caused to come up out of the heart of the seas as it were the form of aman. And I beheld,

and lo!)* this Man * flew* with the clouds of heaven. And wherever he turned his countenance to

4 look everything seen by him trembled ; and whithersoever the voice went out of his mouth, all *that

5 heard his voice* *melted away‘, as the wax melts when it feels the fire. And after this I beheld,

and lo! there was gathered together from the four winds of heaven an innumerable multitude of men

9-9 so (of. Arm.): but & Ethiop. Ar Ar? > PP so S ( peyas avenos) Ethiop. Ar Arm.: & a wind 94 50 3 (of. Ethiop. Ar) Ar? Arm.): & > (by homoioteleuton) tr veading convolabat (for convalescebat) : so Oriental VSS. S$ yeading qui audiebant vocis (4ZS.S. voces, vocem) eius ot nkovoay trys davns avrov

tt so 3 (cf. Ar} Arm.) eraxnoav: & ardescebant exanoav

xill. 1-58. THE SIXTH [SON OF MAN] VISION. A fresh dream-vision reveals a storm-tossed ‘sea, a violent wind having arisen. The wind brings up from the midst of the sea the figure of a Man, who flies with the clouds of heaven. Everything trembles at his look; whoever hears his voice is consumed with fire. From the four quarters of the world a multitude of men presently gather to wage war against him. He carves out—whence, it is not stated—an immense rock, which he mounts and from which he annihilates the hostile host with a stream of fire and tempest which proceeds out of his mouth. His weapons, it is to be noticed, are not sword and spear, but fire and storm. When the hostile multitude has been consumed the Man descends from the mountain, and summons to his side a peaceable host, all who—whether from friendliness or fear—had not attacked him.

The seer, awaking from his dream, prays that the vision may be interpreted to him. The interpretation follows. The Man from the Sea is the Messiah ; his enemies are the nations of the world; the graven rock, whose origin was so mysterious, is the heavenly Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven. The annihilation of the hostile powers is effected by the fire of the Law. Then the Messiah gathers the ten tribes out of alien lands, and with the joint aid of these and of the others who are already in Palestine, he establishes a kingdom of peace and glory.

A careful examination of the vision proper and the interpretation that follows it reveals certain incongruities between what is explained and the explanation. This is a common phenomenon in apocalyptic, and shows that the apocalyptic writers were handling traditional material which was already extremely old when they wrote. Thus the first point to be noted is that when the vision first assumed a written form (i.e. probably some considerable time before the redactor (R) compiled our present book) the real significance of many features in the original vision was already lost, and was obscured by a more or less artificially adjusted interpretation. In other words religious thought and outlook had long outgrown those of the fixed tradition. It had become necessary to reinterpret the latter to suit later conditions.

For a full discussion of ‘the original significance’ of the vision reference must be made to ZA, pp. 282-4. Here it can only be noted that the term ‘the Man’ (or ‘one like unto a son of Man’ in Dan. vii) apparently denoted, in the earlier stages of the tradition, an angelic being who was invested with attributes, proper only to Jahveh Himself, and ultimately developed into the heavenly Messiah. In the earliest stage of all this ‘Man’ was the Cosmic Man—the ‘Urmensch’— who, endowed with supernatural gifts, fights and overcomes the monster of chaos (see further, Volz,

THE INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION. As has already been pointed out, the written source used by R included not only the Vision proper (vv. I-13 a), but also its interpretation (vv. 25-53). Here the details of the Vision have been forced to adjust themselves to a later eschatological scheme. The Man from the Sea the pre-existent Messiah, who shall deliver creation (vv. 25-26); he will first of all destroy with wind, fire, and storm the hostile powers that assemble against him (vv. 27-28 and 33-35 [vv. 29-32 may be an interpolation by R]), after rebuking them for their offences (vv. 37-38) ; the fire with which he destroys them 1s the fire of the Law (v. 38). The assembly of the hostile nations and their destruction thus described correspond to the ‘ wars of Gog and Magog’, which is a regular feature in the eschatological scheme. After the destruction of his enemies the Messiah gathers his subjects—the peaceable multitude of v. 12. These, it is significant to notice, are identified (v. 40 f.) with the Ten Tribes (Israel’s exiles), who now are led back and, together with the two tribes already in Palestine (v. 48), enjoy the Messianic kingdom of peace. Nothing is said in the interpretation of the vision of any heathen nations being included in the peaceable multitude, though such were certainly included in the representation of the vision itself (v.12). Possibly, however, proselytes were intended to be included.

A number of considerations, which cannot be discussed here, show that the vision and its interpretation (i.e. M) form an independent source ; and the historical situation presupposed clearly points to a date anterior to A.D. 70 (see

THE REDACTION OF M. The redactional readjustments made by R are mainly by way of supplement from the other sources of the book. The most considerable of his additions is in the section xill. 13 6-24 (see introduction to this); his hand is also apparent in xiii. 260, xiii. 29-32, xiii. 36, xill, 48 (see notes on these passages). The vision and its interpretation fall naturally into the following divisions: i. Ze Viszom (xili. 1-13@) ; ii. The ApocalyPtist’s reflections on the Vision (xiii. 13 6-24) ; iti. The interpretation of the Vision (xiii. 25-53 @).

2. from the sea. Cf, xi. I. 4. as the wax melts when it feels the fire. A standing figure in the O. T., especially in theophanic descriptions ; cf, Ps. xevii. 5, Micah i. 4; also Judith xvi. 15, 1 En. 1, yee I

6 to make war against the Man that came up out of the sea. And I beheld, and lo! he cut out for 7 himself a great mountain and flew up upon it. But I sought to see the region or place from whence the 8 mountain had been cut out; and I couldnot. And after this I beheld, and lo! all who were gathered together against him to wage war with him were seized with great fear ; yet they dared to fight. g And lo! when he saw the assault of the multitude as they came he neither lifted his hand, nor held Io spear nor any warlike weapon; but I saw only how he sent out of his mouth as it were "a fiery stream ", and out of his lips Ya flaming breath’, and out of his tongue he shot forth “a storm of 11 sparks“. And these were all mingled together—the fiery stream, the flaming breath, and * the ... storm *, and fell upon ¥ the assault of the multitude” * which” was prepared to fight, and burned them all up, so that suddenly nothing more was to be seen of the innumerable multitude save only 12 dust of ashes and smell of smoke. When I saw this I was amazed. Afterwards I beheld the same Man come down from the mountain, and call unto him another multitude which was peaceable. 13 Then drew nigh unto him the faces of many men, *some of whom were glad, some sorrowful *; while some were in bonds, some brought others who should be offered.

Il. xiii. 120-24. THE APOCALYPTIST’S REFLECTIONS ON THE VISION (mainly R).

Then through great fear I awoke. And I supplicated the Most High and said: 14 Thou from the beginning hast shown thy servant these wonders, and hast counted me worthy to

_ 15, 16 receive my prayer: oh show me now moreover the interpretation of this dream! For as I conceive

in my mind, woe unto them that shall survive in those days! but much more woe unto them that

17. 18 do not survive! For they that do not survive must be sorrowful, knowing as they do what things are

1g reserved in the last days, but not attaining unto them. But woe unto them also that survive, for 20 this reason—they must see great perils, and many distresses, even as these dreams do show. Yet bit is better” to come into “these things®° incurring peril, than to pass away as a cloud out of the 21 world and not to see what shall happen in the last time. And he answered me, and said: The interpretation of the Vision I will tell thee, and I will also explain unto thee the things of which

u-u % fluctum (v. /. flatum) ignis Y-Y & spiritum flammae ~~ reading scintillas tempestatis ** & multitudo tempestatis (we should expect scintillae tempestatis Zo be repeated) YY veading multitudinis impetum az , quod (sc. multitudo m\nOos—vretaining the Greek gender) aa # quorundam gaudentium quorundam tristantium av pev ndopeveay, oy Sehurovpevav > so 8 Ethiop. (cf. Arm.) : & facilius (? vead felicius: so Azlg.) °° veading haec = 3 Lthiop. 6. he cut out for himself a great mountain. Cf. Dan. li. 45 (‘the stone cut out without hands’). 10. a storm of sparks. The whole representation is based on Isa. xi. 4; cf. Ps. Sol. xvii. 27, 1 En. Ixii. 2. It is a striking feature that the Messiah, without the aid of weapons or allies, destroys the opposed nations by supernatural means. See further Volz, p. 224f. 11. the ... storm. ‘The description is a threefold delineation of the fiery stormy emission from the Messiah's mouth—fire like a stream, flame like wind, a sea of sparks like a snowstorm, all forming a mingled mass (Volkmar). 12. and call unto him another multitude which was peaceable. The Messiah first destroys his enemies and then gathers his subjects, as in Ps. of Sol. xvii (cf. especially verses 27, 28); cf. Isa. xi. 12. 13. the faces of many men. The faces betray the moods (joy, sorrow, &c.) described in the following clause. some... glad, some sorrowful. Jews and heathen, pious and godless, are meant (Gunkel). some were in bonds, i.e. Jews in captivity. some brought others who should be offered, i.e. the heathen bring in Jews as an oblation to the Messiah ;

xiii. 13 6-24. As would be expected, R has not allowed the old source (M) from which he excerpted this vision to remain without revision and interpolation. In the section that follows (vv. 13 6-24) his hand is much in evidence; practically the whole of it is his work. Thus vv. 16-20, beginning, ‘Woe unto them that shall survive in those days! but much more woe unto them that do not survive !’ is plainly out of place in the midst of a prayer for enlightenment as to the meaning of the vision. Such language is the work of one who knows that the vision describes the advent of the Messiah, though this has yet to be explained in the interpretation (vv. 25-52). R, in fact, has borrowed the language and ideas of this passage from the interpretation that follows, which begins with wv. 25, as the form of that verse clearly indicates. The whole passage exhibits essentially similar features to those of viii. 63-ix. 12. It is a compilation made by R. Its reflective tone also accords with this view of its general character.

Possibly some of the language of the earlier source lies behind vv. 13 d-14, but if so it has apparently been revised

13. And I supplicated the Most High. The prayer is addressed directly to God. [What here followed originally has, it seems, been worked over by R.]

14. from the beginning hast shown thy servant these wonders. Cf. viii. 63. R here alludes to the disclosures which have been made in the former Visions.

hast counted me worthy to receive my prayer. Cf. ix. 24, 25.

18. what things are reserved in the last days. ‘The last days’ here = the temporary Messianic kingdom that precedes the End. This view harmonizes with the eschatology of KE and R. Cf. vii. 26-44 and viii. 63-ix. 12.

19. even as these dreams do show. By ‘these dreams’ RK here means the whole series of preceding visicns.

2 thou hast spoken. Whereas thou hast spoken of those who survive ‘(and of those who do not 3 survive) "—this is the interpretation: He that shall bring the peril in that time ° will himself keep ° them that fall into the peril, even such as have works and faith toward ‘(the Most High and)‘ the

24 Mighty One. Know, therefore, that those who survive (to that time) are more blessed than those that have died.

III. xiii. 25-52, 53@. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION (M) (R).

These are the interpretations of the vision: Whereas thou didst see a Man coming up from 26 the heart of the Sea: this is he whom the Most High is keeping & many ages 8 [(and) * through whom 27 he will deliver his creation™,| and the same shall order the survivors. And whereas thou didst see 28 that out of his mouth there came wind, and fire, and storm ; and whereas he held neither spear, nor

any warlike weapon, but destroyed the assault of that multitude which had come ‘to fight against 2) him‘'—this is the interpretation: [Behold, the days come when the Most High is about to deliver them 31 that are upon earth. And there shall come astonishment of mind upon the dwellers on earth: and

they shall plan to war one against another, icity against citys, place against place, people against 32 people, and kingdom against kingdom. And it shall be when these things shall come to pass, and the

signs Shall happen which I showed thee before, then shall my Son be revealed whom thou didst see as 33 a Man ascending.| It shall be, when all the nations hear his voice, every man shall leave his own 34 land and the warfare which they have one against another ; and an innumerable multitude shall be 35 gathered together, as thou didst see, desiring to come and to fight against him. But he shall stand 36 upon the summit of Mount Sion. [Ad Szon shall come and shall be made manifest to all men, 37 prepared and builded, even as thou didst see the mountain cut out without hands.| But he, my Son,

shall reprove the nations that are come for their ungodliness—which things (i.e., the rebukes) are 38 like unto a storm—; and shall reproach them to their face with their evil thoughts and with the

tortures with which they are destined to be tortured—which are compared unto a flame—; and then 39 shall he destroy them without labour * by the Law* which is compared unto fire. And whereas thou didst see 'that he summoned and gathered to himself! another multitude which was peaceable—

9-41 so © Ar.) (of. Ethiop.): & > e-e yeading ipse custodibit ff so 3 (f. Ethiop. Ar}): > s-s & multistemporibus ( roddos ypovors) — b-h HL qui per semetipsum (a wcsunderstanding of \A-WWS os 8: avrov) : the correct translation ts given by Ar (cf. 3 Ethiop. Arm.) *+ Lad (so S, &c.) expugnare eum ( mpos To exmoheuew avrov) Jj & civitatis (a false nom. civitas) civitatem ** soS: Letlegem 371 so 3 (cf Ars): LH eum colli-

23. even such as have works and faith. A reminiscence of the theology of S; so inasimilar composite passage, 1X7 (Chava Sus)

26. many ages. The pre-existent heavenly Messiah (= ‘the Son of Man’ of 1 En. xxxvii-lxx) is meant. His being hidden with God is referred to in v. 52 below. This heavenly pre-existence must be carefully distinguished from the earthly pre-existence which is attributed in various forms to the earthly Messiah in Rabbinic literature.

(through whom he will deliver his creation]. This clause*does not accord with the rest of the interpretation; it has probably been interpolated by R from the former vision (A); cf. xi. 46. So, again, v. 29 in this chapter (the deliverance of creation).

and the same shall order the survivors. This is probably due to R (cf. v. 48).

29-32. [Behold, the days come, &c.] ‘These verses appear to be an interpolation by R intended to explain how the nations had previously been engaged in internecine strife. The contents are in the style of E; cf. iv. 52-v.12. The verses really interrupt the sequence of the interpretation, which is restored by their elimination.

31. [people against people, and kingdom against kingdom]. Cf. Isa. xix. 2, Matt. xxiv. 7.

34. [and an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together]. An important point in the eschatological drama is assigned to the final conflict of the assembled heathen nations against the people of God (the ‘wars of Gog and Magog’). The annihilation of these hosts forms an indispensable preliminary to the inauguration of the Messianic era. Cf. Ezek. xxxviii-xxxix; Joel iii (Hebr. iv) 12; Zech. xiv. 2 ; Isa. xxv. 2; and see further ZA, p. 294f. ;

35. But he shall stand upon the summit of Mount Sion. The identification of the mysterious mountain (which the Man cut out for himself and upon which he flew) with Mount Sion is implied. This is natural from a later point of view; cf. Ps. ii. 6. For the original significance of this feature cf. LA, p. 295.

36. [And Sion shall come, &c.] Another interpolation by R. Here Sion = the heavenly City which descends from heaven at the end of the Messianic age (cf. vii. 26). Cf. also Rev. xxi. 2, of.

[without hands]. Cf. Dan. ii. 34, 35.

37. shall reprove the nations. Cf. xii. 32.

shall reproach them, &c. Cf. xii. 32. ;

38. shall he destroy them. Apparently the hostile multitude here destroyed includes a// the heathen nations, as ‘the peaceable’ multitude which is preserved is identified with the Ten Tribes. Contrast the original vision (v. 13 @), which contemplates the submission of some of the heathen to the triumphant Messiah (so 2 Bar. Ixxii. 2, 3; Ps. of Sol. xvii. 32). For the older view see Ps. Ixxii. 11; Isa. Ixvi; Zech. xiv; Dan. vii. 14. Possibly in our passage, however, proselytes are intended to be included in the ‘ peaceable’ multitude. For the conflict of opinion on the ultimate fate of the heathen see Volz, p. 322-325; RWS?, ch. xi. 20.

40 These are ™the ten tribes™ which were led away captive out of their own land in the days "of

Josiah® the king, °which (tribes)® Salmanassar the king of the Assyri@ns led away captive; he 41 carried them across the River, and (thus) they were transported into another land. ” But they took

this counsel among themselves », that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth 42 into a land fovthes distant, here the human race had never dwelt, there at least to keep their 43 statutes which they had not kept in their own land. And they entered by the narrow passages 44 of the river Euphrates. For the Most High then wrought ‘wonders? for them, and stayed the

M(R) 45 springs of the River until they were passed over. And through that country there was a great way

46 to go, (a journey) of a year and a half; and that region was called Arzareth. There they have dwelt 47 until the last times ; and now, when they are about to come again, the Most High will again stay

the springs of the River, that they may be able to pass over. Therefore thou didst see a multitude 48 gathered together in peace. [But the survivors of thy people, even those who are found within my holy

_ 49 border, * (shall be saved)*.| It shall be, therefore, when he shall destroy the multitude of the nations

5° that are gathered together, he shall defend the people that remain. And then shall he show them

51 *very many wonders’. And I said: O Lord my Lord, show me this: wherefore I have seen the

52 Man coming up from the heart of the sea. And he said unto me: Just as one can neither seek out nor know what is in the deep of the sea, even so can no one upon earth see my Son [or those that

53 are with him], but in the time tof his day*. Such is the interpretation of the dream which thou hast seen.

IV. xiii. 53 0-58.:- EPILOGUE AND TRANSITION TO THE SEVENTH VISION (partly E?, partly S R).

530 +... Therefore "has this been revealed to thee", and to thee alone, 54 because thou hast forsaken ¥ the things of thyself’, and hast applied thy diligence unto mine and searched out my Law ;

gentemadse ™-™so i: Sthenineand a half tribes Ethiop. (some MSS.: but others nine) Ar.’ Arm.: Ar? the remnant oftheninetribes ™™ H (dest ASS.) Josiae; sod Ar?: H(M)Oseae °° so 5 Lthiop. Ar: Lquem (due to misunderstanding the reference of VO) p-p @ ipsi autem ‘sibi dederunt consilium hoc 4-4 so Oriental VSS.: zx signa tt 50 8: other VSS. (including £) > s-s % multa plurima portenta ( ? mdv) ma4 moxdpa) : S many wonders (Violet regards multa ia & as an uncorrected mistake for plurima) tt 50% (of. other pee VSS.) : & diei only ‘a inluminatus es haec ehwricOns ravra v-v # tua ru oa

40. the ten tribes. This is a purely ideal designation of the Northern Kingdom here. For the legends concerning

the Ten Tribes cf. HA, p. 300f.; and tor the explanation of the variant ‘nine and a half’ cf. HA, p. 296.

in the days of Josiah the King. This is the true reading of # and the other versions. An historical error is involved, Hosea being the name of the king in whose reign the Captivity took place (cf. 2 Kings xvii). The error may be due to the original writer (cf. Dan. i. 1, 2 Bar. i. 1), or to textual corruption in the original Hebrew.

the River, 1. e. the Euphrates.

41. where the human race had never dwelt. As Gunkel remarks, the fact that the Ten Tribes were not known to exist in any definite land made it necessary to suppose that they had removed to a locality not otherwise accessible, and out of contact with the rest of the world.

44. and stayed the springs of the River until they were passed over. Cf. Josh. ili. 15f. This will explain why it is that the country in which the Ten Tribes are supposed to be dwelling is inaccessible (Gunkel).

45. Arzareth, i.e. as Dr. Schiller-Szinessy (/Journal of Philology, iii [187 1], p. 114) correctly pointed out, the *eres achereth (=‘ another land’) of Deut. xxix. 25-28 (Hebr. 24-27). The words of this passage are applied to the Ten Tribes in the Mishnah (Sazf. x. 3). See further A, p. 298.

48. [But the survivors... who are found within my holy border, &c.| This verse must be an interpolation of R ; it represents the point of view of E (cf. vi. 25), which R is fond of insisting upon (cf. vil. 28). The logical connexion is much improved by its omission. For the idea that Palestine is, in a special sense, the land of salvation (cf. ix. 8), and that to dwell there is in itself a source of protection and happiness, cf. 2 Bar. xl. 2 (also xxxix. 2) and notes there. See also Volz, p. 308. Bet

49. defend the people that remain, i.e. those®prestimably, who do not come under the destructive fire that proceeds out of the Messiah’s mouth, viz. Israel, which includes the people in Palestine and the Ten Tribes. The latter may be intended to embrace the Dispersion generally, together with proselytes.

51. show me this. The meaning of the coming up of the Man from the Sea was already obscure to the apocalyptist. The explanation that follows is clearly an artificial « one, the product of later reflection.

52. [or those that are with him]. There is no hint in the vision itself, or elsewhere in the interpretation, that the Messiah is accompanied by other beings; probably the words are an insertion by R (cf. vii. 23—also R). The Messiah’s immortal companions may be meant (cf. vi. 26), or, possibly, angels.

xiii. 534-58. The verses that follow form, in their present position, a short epilogue to the sixth, and a transition to the seventh vision. Probably vv. 53 6-55 (which are vigorous and distinctive both in thought and diction) were derived by R from E’, while vv. 57-58 are a misplaced fragment of S, which should follow x. 57. See A, p. 301f. In order to adjust these verses to their present context R has added the redactional link ‘and there I sat three days’. This finds its explanation in the opening words of the next vision.

S(R)

55 Thy life thou hast ordered unto wisdom and hast called understanding thy mother. 56 Therefore have I showed thee this ; for there is a reward (laid up) with the Most High. And it

shall be after three more days I will speak other things unto thee, and will declare to thee things difficult and marvellous.

REDACTIONAL TRANSITION TO THE SEVENTH VISION [vv. 57-58 (S) misplaced: proper position after x. 57].

57 [** Then I went forth and walked in the field, greatly magnifying and praising the Most High on 58 account of the marvellous acts which he performs in due season ; and because he governs the times and the things which come to passin due season.] And there I abode three days.

THE SEVENTH VISION. (THE EZRA-LEGEND.) I. xiv. 1-17. EZRaA’S COMMISSION (E*) (R). 2 And it came to pass “after the third day“, while I sat under the oak, lo! there came a voice out

wow so 3 Ethiop. (cf. Arm. Ar): & et profectus sum et transii in campum wow so Ar? Arm. (Gf. © alter this): # tertio die

55. hast called understanding thy mother. Cf. Prov. vii. 4.

57. Then I went forth and walked in the field, i.e. the field of Ardat, the scene of the Vision of the heavenly City. The proper position of this and the following verse is, therefore, after x. 57. In its original context the clause means that the seer avails himself of the permission given him in x. 55 to go inand look more carefully at the wonders of the heavenly City, still conceived as being visible to his eyes in the field. So he passes from the spot, where he has received the revelation, further into the field to gaze upon the City.

xiv. THE SEVENTH VISION. The so-called ‘Seventh Vision’ begins with a narrative description of Ezra sitting ‘under the oak’, and ‘on the third day’ (i.e. at the end of the three-day period prescribed in xiii. 56) hearing a voice from a bush (as to Moses), which commanded him to recall carefully the things (of Scripture and tradition) that he had learnt, because his departure from the world is at hand—he is assured that he is to be translated to the heavenly regions to be with the Messiah and his companions. The age is hastening to its close. Of the twelve periods which the world had to run nine and a half have elapsed already, and only two and a half remain. Therefore the prophet is bidden to prepare to take his departure. On his asking who is to take his place after he himself has gone, and praying that he may be inspired, while he remains on earth, to write down again all the Scriptures that have been burnt, he is told to withdraw from the people forty days: during this interval, with the aid of five specially equipped scribes, he is to write down all that he has seen and heard. Part of the writings is to be published openly; part to be kept secret. The seer, after delivering a farewell address to the people (vv. 27-36), does as he is commanded. A cup is given him ‘which was full as it were with water. but the colour of it was like fire’, after drinking which he is specially inspired and strengthened to remember all the sacred writings. For forty days he dictates to the five scribes, with the result that in all ninety-four books are written down, twenty-four of which (= the Old Testament Books) are to be published, while seventy are to be treasured in secret among the wise of the people. In the Oriental Versions a short postscript gives the year, according to the Era of. Creation, when these events took place, and ends with the announcement of Ezra’s assumption.

For a full discussion of the significance of the Ezra-legend for the interpretation of the book reference must be made to LA, pp. 304 ff. It should be noted that the legend represents Ezra as the restorer not only of the lost canonical but also of the dispersed apocalyptic books.

This amounts to a claim that the apocalyptic tradition occupies an essential place in genuine Judaism. It claims for itself the great names of Moses and Ezra, ‘ the second Moses.’ When the date of the formation of our book is taken into consideration (? A.D. 120 or somewhat later) it seems impossible to dissociate its appearance with the controversies regarding the Canon. The motive of R in compiling his Apocalypse and associating with it the name of Ezra seems to have been a desire to reassert the claim of apocalyptic tradition to secure (or maintain) for itself an officially recognized place within Judaism as part of the oral tradition.

While there was, at this time, a party among the Rabbis more or less favourable to apocalyptic, a larger number took up a hostile attitude. Our book seems to be due to an attempt to win over opponents by publishing one of the secret books (or a collection of selections from them) associated with the great name of Ezra, in Which the cruder elements of apocalyptic are refined away.

A number of considerations go to show that E? is an independent source. For a full discussion of these reference must be made to ZA, p. 306f. The fitting in of ch. xiv to its present context by R was not accomplished without some adjustment and adaptation. This can be seen clearly in vv. 84, 170, 28, and v. 37 (‘into the field’): in wv. 29-35 we have, apparently, a misplaced section of S; while wv. 49-50 are obviously the work of R. The chapter falls

We rie the oak. Evidently some well-known oak is meant which had been fixed upon by tradition as a place where revelations were given. Such an oak is mentioned in several passages in 2 Baruch (vi. 1, Ixxvii. 18, cf. lv. i); and is there located in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Doubtless the same oak (in or near Jerusalem) is meant here ; it cannot be identical with ‘ Abraham’s oak’ at Hebron,

2. there came a voice out of a bush. Cf. Exod. iii. .

TVOEZRA TED 2-17

of a bush over against me; and it said, Ezra, Ezra! And I said: Here am I, Lord. And I rose 3 upon my feet. Thensaid he unto me: I did manifestly reveal myself * in the bush *, and talked with 4 Moses when my people were in bondage in Egypt: and I sent him, ¥and led’ my people out of Egypt, and brought them to Mount Sinai; and I held him by me for many days. 5 I told him many wondrous things, showed him the secrets of the times, 2 declared to him” the end of the seasons : Then I commanded him saying : 6,7 These words shalt thou publish openly, but these keep secret. And now I do say to thee: 8 The signs which I have shewed * thee *, The dreams which thou hast seen, and the interpretations which thou hast heard— 9 lay them up in thy heart! For thou shalt be taken up from (among) men, and henceforth thou shalt remain with my Son, and with such as are like thee, until the times be ended. 10 ~©6F or the world has lost its youth, The times begin to wax old. tt For the world-age is divided into »twelve” parts; °nine (parts) of it are passed already °, and the 12 half of the tenth part; and there remain of it two (parts), besides “the half4 of the tenth part. 13 Now, therefore, set in order thy house, and reprove thy people ; Comfort the lowly among them, ®and instruct those that are wise °. Now do thou renounce the life that is corruptible, 14 let go from thee ‘the cares of mortality; cast from thee the burdens of man, put off now the weak nature ; lay aside thy burdensome cares, and hasten to remove from these times! 16 For still worse evils than those which thou hast seen happen “shall yet take place’. For the weaker the world grows through age, so much the more shall evils increase upon the dwellers on earth. 17 Truth shall withdraw further off, and falsehood be nigh at hand: for already the Eagle is hastening to come whom thou sawest tn vision.

x @ super rubum ( em trys Barov): Av? in Mount Sinai (confusion of 11D [ Aram. 81D] bush azd %3'D) YY readimg eduxi (SA): the v. l. eduxit 7s supported by S Ar Ar.? 2-2 so % (of. other Oriental VSS.) : & > ABTS OOD Ethiop. Ar3: but & (best MSS.) > bb so L Ar2: Ethiop. ten [vv. 11-12 are not attested in % and Arm.)

‘-e yeading et transierunt elus ix iam (JZSS. of & have x [decem| Az.?) a4 yeading dimidium OS G0) Oriental VSS.: 1 > ft # mortales cogitationes ( rovs Oavacmpous Aoyurpous) 8-$ reading iterum.. .

facientur (J7.SS. facient)

4. Iheld him by me, i.e. ‘I held’ Moses (viz. on Mount Sinai); cf. Exod. xxxiv. 28.

5. the secrets of the times .. . the end of the seasons, i.e. the secret tradition regarding the crises of the world’s history (measured by certain periods of time) which was associated with the name of Moses: a specimen of this exists in the Assumption of Moses; see i. 16 f., x. 12, xi. 1. There are traces of a larger apocryphal literature which circulated under the name of Moses, but which is no longer extant.

6. These words . . . publish openly, but these keep secret. Cf. the narrative in Deut. vy. What was published openly by Moses was the Torah ; what was kept secret was, according to our author, the apocalyptic tradition.’ So Gunkel. The terms of v. 5 certainly suggest an apocalyptic rather than an oral legal tradition, such as the oral Law which was treasured in Rabbinic circles, and which was largely traced back (in theory, at any rate) to Moses.

8. The dreams . . . interpretations ... heard. These lines have probably been added by R to connect what follows with the contents of the previous visions.

9. with my Son, and with such as are like thee. The Messiah is here conceived as pre-existing in heaven, and (as in the Parables of 1 Enoch) as surrounded by a community of elect ones (cf. 1 En. xxxix. 7). So, too, in the Parables Enoch is removed to heaven to dwell with the Son of Man (1 En. Ixx. 1 f.), just as Ezra is here. See further £4,

until the times be ended. The heavenly Messiah does not appear till the End; cf. 1 En. xlv. 3 f. 1o. the world has lost its youth, the times begin to wax old. Cf. 2 Bar. Ixxxv. 10; see the idea worked out

12. the half. For vv. 11-12 the Ethiop. has: ‘ For the world is divided into ten parts and is come to the tenth; and there remains the half of the tenth’ (cf. the half-week in Dan. ix. 27 = the last 34 years of tribulation). So in Sibyll. Oracles, iv. 47 f., and in the apocalypse of ten weeks, 1 En. xciii (xci). The twelve-period division appears in

2 Bar. liiif. .In our passage it is probable that the time-definition is intended to apply to the historical Ezra. See further ZA, p. 310.

13. thy house, i.e. the house of Israel.

14. cast from thee the burdens of man. Cf. 2 Cor. v. 4. sf

17. for already the Eagle, &c. This is obviously a redactional link to bring in ch, xi.

II. xiv. 18-26. EZRA’S PRAYER FOR INSPIRATION TO RESTORE THE SCRIPTURES (E2).

KE’ 18,19 And I answered and said: " Let me speak” before thee,O Lord! Lo, I will depart, as thou hast

wd te

commanded me, and will warn the people who (now) exist: but they that shall be born later, who shall admonish them ? 20 For the world lies in darkness, and the dwellers therein are without light. 21 For thy Law is burnt; and so no man knows the things which have been done by thee, or the 22 works that shall be done. If, then, I have found favour before thee, send into me the Holy Spirit, that I may write all that has happened in the world since the beginning, even the things which were written in thy Law, in order that men may be able to find ‘the path+, and that they who would live at the last, may live. 3 And he answered me and said: Go thy way, assemble the people and tell them not to seek thee 4 for forty days. But do thou prepare for thyself many j writing-tabletsi; and take with thee Saraia, Dabria, Selemia, * Elkanah*, and Osiel, these five, because they are equipped for writings wiftly ; 25 and (then) come hither, and I will light the lamp of understanding in thy heart, which shall not be 26 extinguished until what thou art about to write shall be completed. And when thou shalt have finished, some things thou shalt publish, and some thou shalt deliver in secret to the wise. To-morrow, at this hour, thou shalt begin to write.

to ob

27. Then I went forth as he commanded me, and assembled all the people and said : 28 |Hear, O Israel, these words !\ 29 |Our fathers were at the beginning strangers in Egypt, and they were delivered from thence. 30 And (then) they received the Law of life, which they kept not, ‘even as! you also after them have 31 transgressed (it), Then was a land given you for an inheritance ™in the land of Sion™, but ye and

h-h yeading loquar (Lat. ZS.S. mostly >) = Oriental VSS. Ii s0 2, 8: Ethiop.+ of life Siw

buxos (= mvéia: Hedr. nim) kK 50 3 and Arm. (of. Ethiop.): & Ethanus rl ®@ quem (so 8):

prob. an original Hebr. WORD was misread VOX (so Violet) m-m so, S (cf. Ethiop.): Ar.’ >: Ar? on Mount

20. the dwellers therein are without light, i.e. without the light of God’s Law. For the idea of the Law = light of divine revelation cf. Ps. xix, especially v. 8 4. Often, in apocalyptic, light and darkness correspond to piety and godlessness.

Wait thy Law is burnt. The reference here is primarily to the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar when, with other things, the Law is presumed to have been burnt.

the things which have been done by thee, i.e. the narrative of the sacred (historical) books of the Old Testament.

the works that shall be done, i.e. according to Gunkel, the eschatological passages of the Old Testament. The Old Testament thus consists primarily of sacred history and eschatology.

22. Law. ‘Law’ here, apparently, has the wide sense of Scriptures of the Old Testament generally ; cf. John x. 24, KV. 25/5 tp Gorexive2 ie

that they who would live at the last, may live. Cf. 2 Bar. xli. 1 and notes, and Ixxvi. 5.

23. for forty days. As at the first giving of the Law (to Moses) and its writing down; cf. Exod. xxiv. 18, xxxiv. 28; Deut. ix. 9,18. The precedent is followed in the case of the second Moses here.

24. these five. In Ezra and his five companions there may be a covert allusion to Johanan b. Zakkai—the re-founder of Judaism in A. D. 66-70—and his five famous disciples, Eliezer b. Hyrqanos, Joshua b. Hananya, Jose the Priest, Simeon b. Nathanael, and Eleazar b Araq. (so Rosenthal).

26. some thou shalt deliver in secret to the wise. Just as Moses, according to Rabbinic tradition, had delivered the substance of the oral law to the teachers and wise of his people to be handed down to future ages.

xiv. 27-36. The section that follows is apparently of composite origin. In v. 23 God had said to Ezra: ‘Go thy way, assemble the people and tell them not to seek thee for forty days.’ Instead of simply carrying out this command Ezra, according to the present form of the section, assembles the people and delivers an address in which he reminds them that their fathers, though they were delivered from Egypt and received the Law of life, were unfaithful to their trust, and had not kept the behest of the Most High. In this unfaithfulness the assembled people had themselves shared. Therefore their land had been taken from them. If they will rule their understanding and instruct their hearts they shall be preserved alive, and after death obtain mercy. For after death there is the judgement, when the names of the righteous shall be made manifest, and the works of the ungodly declared. Ezra concludes by requesting that no one shall seek after him for forty days.

It seems probable that the passage as a whole formed no original part of E’, and has been compiled by R, who has detached the original conclusion of S, and placed it here (it forms the true sequel to xii. 48). See further £4, p. 315. In its original form E” here simply had, it is probable, vv. 27 and 36.

28. [Hear, O Israel, these words!] This clause may have been added by R.

30. the Law of life, i.e. the Law which, if it was observed, would confer life and immortality—a characteristic thought of S.

veh)

your fathers have done unrighteousness, and have not kept the ways which "the Most High™ commanded you. °And° forasmuch as he is a righteous judge he took from you in due time that which he had bestowed. And now ye are here [? axd your brethren are .. *|. If ye, then, will rule over your own understanding and will discipline your heart, Ye shall be preserved alive and after death obtain mercy. For after death shall the Judgement come, [when we shall once more live again :] And then shall the names of the righteous be made manifest, and the works of the godless declared. ] Let no man, then, come unto me now, nor seek me for forty days.

IV. xiv. 37-48. THE RESTORATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES (E’).

So I took the five men as he had commanded me, and we went forth [z7to the field | and remained there. And it came to pass on the morrow that, lo! a voice called me, saying : Ezra, open thy mouth and drink what I give thee to drink! Then I opened my mouth, and lo! there was reached unto me a full cup, which was full as it were with water, but the colour of it was like fire. And I took it and drank; and when I[ had drunk My heart poured forth understanding, wisdom grew in my breast, and my spirit retained its memory : and my mouth opened, and was no more shut. And the Most High gave understanding unto the five men, and they wrote what was dictated ‘in order “, in characters which they knew not”. s And so they sat § forty days: They wrote in the day-time and at night did eat bread ;

Sinai on so, Arm. (cf. Ethiop.): 5 Moses the servant of the Lord: Ar) > 9-9 59 Oriental VSS.: & > p-p & et fratres vestri introrsus vestrum sunt (cf Ar.'): 3 and your brethren are further inland than you in another land (cf. Ethiop. Arm.): Ar.’ your brethren are in the furthest East a-a & ex successione (= xabeéns; cf: Luke in 3) rr yeading [ex successione] notis (AZS.S. noctis) quae non sciebant (so S: cf Lthiop.) (corrupt text ts [quae dicebantur] excessiones noctis ; the wonderful visions of the night that were told A.V.) s-s so L Ethiop.: but S (cf. Ar. Arm.) I sat

33. ye are here, i.e. in Babylon (if the passage belongs to S). In its present context ‘here’ ought to mean in Jerusalem.

{and your brethren are....| The text is very uncertain (see crit. notes). If ‘your brethren’ = the Ten Tribes the verse is clearly a harmonistic addition based on xiii. 41.

34. Ye shall be preserved alive, i.e. spiritually alive.

35. [when we shall once more live again]. This clause seems certainly to refer to the bodily resurrection (preceding the last Judgement). But such a reference would not harmonize with the theology of S. Kabisch thinks the clause may have been originally a marginal gloss, which was added by a pious reader who believed in a general resurrection, and which afterwards got into the text.

37. [into the field]. This is probably due to R, who identified the spot to which Ezra and his five companions retired with the field of Ardat. Some other expression may have stood in the text originally.

39. was full as it were with water .. . fire. The cup is the cup of inspiration full of the holy spirit, which, clear as water, is like fire. Ezra after drinking it is inspired. The representation that is given in our passage of the inspired state is very interesting. It may be compared with Philo’s conception which was influenced by the Platonic idea of se ecstatic or God-intoxicated seer. For an extended reference to this cf. Philo, Quzs rerum divinarum heres stt,

The representation of the cup here as being the medium by which the prophet receives inspiration is peculiar. It certainly suggests Essene affinities ; the idea of divine power being sacramentally mediated was familiar to the members of this sect. See further £4, p. 318 f.

40. and my spirit retained its memory. The effect of ecstasy was often such that the subject of it lost consciousness and memory. In Ezra’s case, however, the natural faculties are immensely strengthened and intensified. This is inspiration, so our passage seems to imply, in its highest form. The apocalyptic writer here is obviously well acquainted with the experiences and phenomena of the ecstatic state.

42. in characters which they knew not, i.e. in a new Hebrew script, the square or ‘ Assyrian’ character used in our printed Hebrew Bibles. Ezra was traditionally regarded as the inventor of this form of Hebrew writing ; cf. Jerome in his Preface to the Books of Kings (the so-called Jrologus galeatus): certuim est Esdram scribam legisgue doctorem post captam Hierosolymam et instaurationem templi sub Zorobabel alias litteras repperisse guibus nunc utimur, cum ad illud usgue tempus tidem Samaritanorum et Ebraeorum, characteres fucrint.

but as for me, I spake in the day, and at night was not silent.

44,45 Soin forty days were written * ninety-four books*. And it came to pass when the forty days were

fulfilled, that the Most High spake unto me saying: "The twenty-four books" that thou hast 46 written publish, that the worthy and unworthy may read (therein): but the seventy last thou shalt keep, to deliver them to the wise among thy people. 47 For in them is the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.

48 vAndI did so’, “22 the seventh year, of the sixth week, after five thousand years of the creation and three months and twelve days ™.

V. xiv. 49-50. CONCLUSION OF THE BOOK (R).

49 And then was Ezra caught away, and taken up* into the place of such as were like him * after

50 having written all these things. And he 1s called the Scribe of the knowledge of the Most High for ever and ever’.

tt so S Ethiop. Ar. Arm.: the number given in the Lat. MSS. varies between 904, 970, and 974 u-u so S- (Ar): & priora (cf Ethiop. Arm. )—omitting the number v-v here the Latin text breaks off SW OY (= 5,042 years) see exeget. notes xx so S Ethiop. (cf. Arm.): Ar.’ to the land of the living of such as were

43. butas for me, &c. (Gia Env xxi, ait

45. The twenty-four books. The twenty-four books are, of course, the books of the O.T., which were read openly in the synagogue, and were open for all to read. The number 24 is the ordinary reckoning of the O. T. books (5+8+11). In the Talmud and Midrash the O.T. is regularly termed ‘the twenty-four holy Scriptures’. Another reckoning was 22 (cf. Joseph. c. Afzon, i. 8) in accordance with the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet (so also Origen, Epiphanius, Jerome). This total seems to have been obtained by combining Ruth with Judges, and Lamentations with Jeremiah.

46. the seventy last, i.e. the apocalypses which were secret books.

47. the spring of understanding. The high estimation in which the apocalyptic literature was held within certain circles in Judaism comes here to clear expression.

48. And I did so. Here the Latin text breaks off. The last verses of the Apocalypse are preserved in the Oriental Versions. They were eliminated from the Latin text when the additional chapters that conclude the book in its Latin form (15 and 16) were appended by a Christian editor.

in the seventh year, &c. So Syr. = 5,042 years after the creation of the world (Ethiop. and Arm., 5,co4; Ar.}, 5,025). The Versions also vary as to the month: Syr., 3 months 12 days; Ethiop., 3 months 22 days; so Ar.'; Arm., 2 months. Kabisch has shown that it is impossible to bring this date into chronological relation with any known system of reckoning the years of Creation. The verse is probably the work of R, and may possibly refer, as Kabisch suggests, to the time at which R himself wrote. But the minute specification of 3 months 12 (or 22) days is strange. Gunkel remarks that it recalls the 34 months of the Book of Revelation.

xiv. 49-50. CONCLUSION OF THE Book. These verses, which are in the third person, are obviously the work of R. 49. such as were like him, i.e. the Messiah and his immortal companions; cf. vi. 26, vii. 28, xiil. 52, xiv. 9.

50. the Scribe of the Fuowledse of the Most High. This is otherwise the title of Enoch; cf. 1 En. xii. 3f., xv. 1; also (?) of the archangel Vretil, 2 En. xxii. 11.

THES PoAbMSsOReSOLOM@N

THE Psalms of Solomon are a collection of eighteen Psalms which were written, according to the theory (see below) now generally accepted, in the middle of the first century B.C.

These Psalms passed with many other Jewish writings into Christian use, being classed sometimes with the ‘apocrypha’, sometimes with the ‘antilegomena’;? but their influence on Christian literature was neither very extensive nor intense, and they had passed out of sight and almost out of memory when at the beginning of the seventeenth century they again received attention. The editio princeps was published. in 1626 by John Louis de la Cerda. This edition was based, as subsequent investigation and discovery have proved,” on a faulty copy of one (H) of the eight now known Greek MSS. which contain, together with other canonical and apocryphal books, the Psalms of Solomon. Before proceeding to the question of the origin and character of these Psalms it will be convenient to consider the material available for determining the text.

It may be regarded as practically certain (see below, § 4) that the Psalms were originally written in Hebrew: but this Hebrew original has perished and no testimony to it even survives. Till recently only Greek MSS. were known: nowa Syriac text of the Psalms is known: but the Syriac is not the Semitic original itself, nor a direct version of the original: it is a translation from the Greek. The hypothetical Hebrew original will be denominated #, the Greek text &, and the Syriac 3.

Symbol. C H (=K, Ryle and James)

L M

V

The determination of the relation of the existing Greek MSS. to one another is due to Oscar von Gebhardt,* on whose discussion the following account is based. All editions previous to * von Gebhardt’s rest on inadequate textual material. The following is a list of the MSS. of &, with the symbols by which they are cited, the century in which they were written, and brief description :

Century. IO-II

Description.

Codex Casanatensis 1908 (Rome).

Ps. i, 1-1. 26 and xvi. 8 to the end of the Psalter is missing or illegible.

Codex Havniensis 6: purchased at Venice in 1699, but since 1732 in the Royal Library at Copenhagen.

Codex Iberiticus: in the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos.

A Codex of the Laura Monastery on Mount Athos.

Codex Mosquensis 147: in the Library of the Holy Synod at Moscow: formerly in the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos, whence it was removed to Moscow in 1653.

Codex Parisinus Gr. 2991 A: in the National Library, Paris.

Codex (Romanus) Vaticanus Gr. 336: in the Vatican Library at Rome.

Codex Vindobonensis Theol. Gr. 11: now in the Royal Imperial Library in Vienna.

The authority cited by Ryle and James (Wadpol Yodroudvtos, Psalms of the Pharisees, Cambridge, 1891) as A is the faulty seventeenth-century copy of H, which was used for the cdztro

princeps.

1 Swete, Jntroduction to the O.T. in Greek, p. 282; O. von Gebhardt (as cited below), pp. 14 ff.

2 Von Gebhardt, pp. 1 ff.

3 O. von Gebhardt, Vadpol Sodropayros: die Psalmen Salomo’s zum ersten Male mit Benutzung der Athoshanaschriften u. des Codex Casanatensis herausgegeben, Leipzig, 1895.

The genealogy of these MSS., as established by von Gebhardt’s investigations, is as follows:

where the small letters represent lost MSS. and capitals the existing MSS.: in particular z is the archetype of the Greek MSS., y is an (uncial) MS. from which R and x an (uncial) MS. were copied. MS. w was also probably uncial; v and w, on the other hand, probably minuscule. As between R and + (i.e. practically J LC H in agreement) von Gebhardt finds it difficult to determine which is the better MS. The variations between them amount to over 200 (von Gebhardt, p. 71), though by no means all of these affect the sense even of the Greek, and still less that of the Hebrew text lying behind the Greek. For some of the more important of these variations see ii. 6, 24.

§ 3. THE Syriac (8): A VERSION FROM THE GREEK.

The Syriac Version is incompletely preserved: the MS., which also contained the really distinct work known as the Odes of Solomon, first published by Rendel Harris! in 1909, is defective at the close; xvii. 38 4 to the end of xviii (the last Psalm) is missing. A small fragment of another MS. (containing xvi. 6-13) was subsequently discovered by Dr. Barnes in the Cambridge University MS. Add. 2012 (see Harris, p. 16), and Dr. Burkitt has still more recently drawn attention to yet another MS.?_ Harris (pp. 38 ff.) has argued (1) that the Syriac is a version of the Greek, not of the Semitic original of the Psalms: (2) that the place of the Greek text lying behind 3 is with RJ L, perhaps being intermediate between J and L: (3) that in some passages % implies a reading of & preferable to that of all existing MSS. of & (eg. in ii. 41 id rév 8, evdmioy &).* From these conclusions the present writer sees no sufficient reasons for dissenting: there are, here and there, renderings of $ which might well rest on a Hebrew original rather than on &, or which are not entirely explained by the text of any of the existing MSS. of &; but these renderings could scarcely establish a Hebrew original, and certainly should not outweigh the substantial evidence that % is a version of &. For this evidence see Harris, pp. 38 ff-: he rightly declines to allow this evidence

to be outweighed by the curious paronomasia in xi. 6 f., where w.3? might more readily have been suggested by an original Hebrew than by the dvereiev of &. So again we might more readily

1, 3); yet see v. 7, xv. 1. For another example of passages which might in themselves be well explained as resting on ® rather than G&, see xvii. 21. Apart from the general agreement of S with &, even where there is ground for suspecting that the latter rests on corruption in the transmission of &&, or is the result of original faulty translation from ®, there is evidence which may be illustrated by two or three examples: (1) in v.16 KkKaSo must be due to a confusion of od and of; (2) in

ii, 24 (vi, 7) 5efOnv 100 tpoodmov Kov, a euphemistic rendering of % 12 5nyy (cp. 2 Kings xiii. 4), is literally rendered from the Greek luzx%9 402? Mass; ct. 2 Kings xiii. 4, where ® is, indeed, paraphrased, but differently, Lis Pro oe N05 (3) in xiii. 3 the ambiguous clause éy rats pvAats is

rendered by 3%, not as the context requires w7zth molar teeth (= mybnna), but wth millstones (which in ® would have been entirely dissimilar—nonn2). See further notes on passages where 3 agrees

1 The Odes and Psalms of Solomon published from the Syriac Version, by J. Rendel Harris, Cambridge, 1909 ;

2 This MS., now in the British Museum (B. M. Add. 14538), was described in Wright’s Catalogue, pp. 1003-1008, and assigned by him to the tenth century A.D. For a description of that part of the MS. which contains the Odes and Psalms of Solomon, and for a collation of the variants as compared with Harris’s MS., see Dr. Burkitt’s note in the Journal of Theological Studtes, April, 1912, pp. 372-378.

5 See also ii. 20, where all MSS. of & read koréorace(v), but 3 = kareomaaOn; xvi. 9 €v tTé7@ (so all MSS. but J), a scribal emendation of ev rw (so J), which is itself a corruption of évamuov (so 3).

THE PSALMS OR SOLOMON

§ 4. THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE OF THE PSALMS: HEBREW (%). The Hebrew the basis of the following translation.

That the Psalms were originally written in Hebrew is now generally admitted: this conclusion was indeed disputed by Hilgenfeld (Messcas [udaeorum, Prolegg. xvi, xvii), but his arguments are criticized by Wellhausen (Die Pharisder u. die Sadduciéer (1874) and Ryle and James (p. 1xxxiv. f.).

Briefly stated, the argument that the Greek is not the original work, but a translation from an original, and now lost, Hebrew text, is this: Not only (1) does the Greek throughout show many features in common with Greek versions of existing Hebrew originals, but (2) it contains a certain number of strange expressions which are more or less obviously due to blunders in translating from Hebrew. As to(1), which might, if necessary, be largely, though not easily altogether, explained as not due to translation, but as a Hellenistic style specially influenced by the LXX, it must suffice to refer to the illustrations collected by Ryle and James (pp. Ixxx ff.) of peculiar uses of the infin. and the aorist, of prepositions, of the negative od... as = 53, , xb, of nouns anarthrous because equivalent to Hebrew nouns in the status constructus, of substantives in the genitive used in lieu of adjectives, and many other phenomena. For illustrations of (2) reference may be made to the

A third line of argument might be urged: in not a few places the Hebrew rhythm can be still heard through the Greek version; as for example the so-called £zzahk rhythm (3:2) in Ps. viii.

But if the conclusion is right that behind the Greek lies a Hebrew original, the task of translation and interpretation must be constantly governed by it. Passages which might only be translated in one way, and so translated might receive some explanation, if the Greek were original, must often be translated otherwise, if the Hebrew, lying behind the Greek, would admit, or demands, an alternative translation that can receive a more satisfactory explanation. And in every case in which the Greek can only be explained in a strained and artificial manner, it is important to bear in mind the probability that the meaning of the Hebrew may have been different and simpler, even though the exact form and meaning of the Hebrew can no longer be discerned. In the notes that accompany the following translation it has been impossible to draw attention to all such alternatives; and in particular the tenses of the verbs have been represented by an equivalent in English which seemed most likely to express the force of the term in the original Hebrew, but only comparatively seldom have alternative possibilities been suggested. For a future tense the reader can always, if the context seems to him to render it more suitable, substitute a present and often a past.

§ 5. DATE, CHARACTER, AND ORIGIN OF THE PSALMS.

The earliest direct testimony to the Psalms of Solomon is in the catalogue at the beginning of the Codex Alexandrinus (A: fifth century A.D.). Here it stands after the final summary of the books of the Old and New Testaments.

Other references to the Psalms by name are later: the Pseudo-Athanasian Synopsis Sanctae Scripturae (2? sixth century A.D.) ($ 74) places Wadpol kcal @37) LoAouGvros among the antilegomena after Maccabees (four books) and Ptolemaica, and before Susanna; Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople (A. D. 806-814), places them between Eccles. and Esther. In the text attached to the Quaestiones et Responstones of Anastasius Sinaita (¢c. 640-700) Badwol Soroudytos are classed among twenty-five apocryphal books between the Assumption of Moses and the Apocalypse of Elijah.

The provision of the fifty-ninth canon of the Council of Laodicea (¢. 360 A. D.), dru ob det iduwriKods Wadpovs A€yeoOar ev TH ExkAnola, may be directed against church use of the Psalms of Solomon; but neither this reference nor a similar one in Ambrose, Praef. 7x L1b. Psalmorum, is free from ambiguity. So also the references in the Pzstzs Sophia (c. 250 A.D.) and Lactantius (fourth century A.D.) to the Odes of Solomon have a bearing on the date and history of the Psalms of Solomon only in so far as it can be shown that these two entirely distinct works were accustomed at an early date to be united as they are in the newly-recovered Syriac MS. On this see Harris, pp. 9 ff.

These references are of more importance as casting light on the circulation and position of the Psalms in the early Church than for closely determining the date at which the Psalms were written. For this we must turn to the internal evidence.

No argument can be based on language of the lost original, for. though the Hebrew text can be to a large extent recovered, it cannot be so re-established in its minutiae as to admit of a linguistic argument of any weight.

It is different with the language of the Greek version, and attempts have been made to determine the date of that version, and consequently a terminus ad quem for the original work, by

means of the style and affinities of the Greek in which it is written. From the Greek style and the relation of Pss. of Sol. xi to the Greek of Baruch iv. 36—-v. 9 Ryle and James (pp. lxxii ff.) have argued that the Psalms of Solomon had been turned into Greek before A.D. 70. In so far as this argument turns on the assumption that Baruch iv. 36—v. 9 was originally written in Greek and is not a translation from the Hebrew, it may require reconsideration : for, to mention but a single point, in Baruch v. 6 aipopévovs . . as Opdvov seems to be due to a thoughtless disregard of a well-known use of the Hebrew particle 31 (BD&. 458 a): the sense requires borne as on a throne; this the Hebrew xo22 would admit, but the Greek yields only the unsuitable meaning dorne as a throne. However, the affinities of the Greek have convinced Viteau (pp. 140 ff.) who rejects, as well as Ryle and James who accept, the dependence of Baruch iv. 36—v.g on Pss. of Sol. xi, that the translation was made prior to A.D. 70.

But the main argument for the date of the Psalms must be based on the subject-matter of these. Now the state of society reflected in these Psalms and the ideas that dominate them are entirely compatible with all that is known of the middle of the first century B.c., while the definite historical allusions, if these are rightly explained of Pompey’s actions in Palestine and his death in Egypt (48 B.C.), show that it is the middle of the first century B.C., and not any other period at which the state of society and the ruling ideas may have been similar, that is the actual age in which the Psalms of Solomon were written.

Not all the Psalms taken separately, it is true, point with equal clearness to the circumstances under, or the age in, which they arose: but there is a general similarity of tone and character about them which, failing direct evidence to the contrary, justifies the generally accepted theory that they are the work, if not of a single hand, yet of a single generation.

These Psalms are the work of a writer or writers who, in common with the authors of many of the canonical Psalms, held firmly by the belief in the relative righteousness of Israel as compared with the nations of the world; alien nations are as such ‘sinners’ (i. I, ii. 1 f., 24 ff.)

Yet actually Israel is not righteous as it should be, and as it had thought itself (e.g. i. 2 f): On the other hand, there is within Israel a class, a dominating class so influential and powerful as to give in some measure its character to the entire people (cp. e.g. i. 4, xvii. 22), of ‘sinners’. Thus throughoutthe Psalms Israel appears divided into sections or parties; the one section, or party, consists of the righteous,” or pious,® or those that fear the Lord,* or the poor,’ or the guileless ; ® the other section consists of the unrighteous,’ or sinners,® or transgressors,’ or profane,!” or, as they are termed in the fourth Psalm, the men-pleasers (dvO@pw7apeckou).

In this division of the people into two different parties, regarded as morally or religiously opposed, and even in the use of the terms employed to describe them, the Psalms of Solomon do not differ essentially from a large group of the canonical Psalms. As in those so in these, the writers naturally identify themselves with the section of the righteous or the pious. The more closely we can determine the actual character of the two parties thus described, the more closely shall we be able to determine the nature of the circles from which the Psalms sprang and the conditions under which they were written. In attempting to gather from the Psalms this closer determination of the characteristics of each party it must of course be remembered, and allowed for, that we are dealing with a strongly partisan work. Neither the righteousness of the righteous, nor the sinfulness of the sinful, must be accepted too literally.

The‘ sinners’ had recently passed through a period of prosperity, and they had acquired wealth ; but to ease and prosperity had succeeded the distress of war, which, of course, affected the whole nation, ‘sinners’ and ‘righteous’ alike (i), though in some ways more particularly the ‘sinners’; it was members of that party, if not exclusively yet predominantly, who were led away captive by

Prosperity had produced in the ‘sinners’ insolence and self-reliance (i) and disregard of God (iv. 14,24). They are charged, in particular, (1) with gross sensual sins (ii. 13-15, iv. 4 ff., viii. 9 ff., 24), (2) with profanation of the sanctuary, or the sacred objects (i. 8, ii. 3 a, viii. 12, 26),and of the sacrificial

1 Cf. Judges xx. 39, where nondps, “as in the war’, is rendered in the LXX xaOas 6 wédepos. See also my note at end of § 6 in Introd. to 1 Baruch, vol. i—Gen. Editor.

> wf PD

offerings (ii. 3 4, viii. 12 ff.). More than once they are said to have exceeded the nations in transgression (i. 8, ii. 11, viii. 14). Yet they are, or at least attempt to be, outwardly extremely respectable (iv. 2, 11, 25); they are hypocrites—imoxpwomevor (iv. 22), ot év troKpicer Cdvtes (iv. 7). As a class they are, especially as contrasted with the righteous poor, wealthy (cf. xii. 4, xv. 7); as a set-off against this they will, in the judgement of their opponents, have no portion in the life of blessedness to come: all that awaits them after death is destruction in Sheol (xiv. 4 ff., xv. 11-14). The charges of .profanation of the sacred offerings seem to imply that the wicked, or the nucleus of the party, were intimately connected with the Temple-service: another charge, viz. that they had set up a non-Davidic monarchy (xvii. 7, 8), points to their being the adherents of the later Hasmonaeans who from Aristobulus I (104 B. C.) and onwards claimed the title of king till the time (63 B.C.) when Pompey deposed Aristobulus II, and, while leaving Hyrcanus high-priest, deprived him of the title of king.

Over against this wealthy governmental party of ‘sinners’ stand the ‘righteous’, who are also called éo101, a term which doubtless here, as in the LX X version of the canonical Psalms, represents the Hebrew hastdim, godly or pious. In x. 7 the poor stands in parallelism, and probably in synonymous parallelism, with ¢e pious: and there are other indications, besides the further occurrence of the term ‘ poor’, that the party of the righteous consisted largely of persons of restricted means (cp. xv. I, xvi. 12 ff.). The ‘righteous’, moreover, were political quietists (xii. 6), accepting the present distress as a discipline from God, which it was their duty to endure patiently (xiv. 1, xvi. 11), and assured that such patience would find its reward, if not in this age or life, yet in the life to come (xiii. Q—-11, xiv. 3, xv. 15, xvi. ¥-3). They waited for the fulfilment of the promises (xii. 7), especially for the coming of the promised Messianic king (xvii. 23 ff., xviii. 6 ff.), who would fulfil the prophetic ideal of rule based, not on material resources, but on the power of God (xvii. 37).

Conspicuous elements in the righteousness of the righteous were abstention (xvi. 7 f.) from the sexual sins which so offended them in their opponents, and scrupulous anxiety about sins done in ignorance (xiii. 4 ff.) : their righteousness was pre-eminently ‘a righteousness according to the Law’ (xiv. 2). Here,again, we are face to face with a circle not remote, in character at least, and probably not very remote in time, from circles whence some of the canonical Psalms proceeded (e. g. xix, cxix).

Thus apart from xvii. 7, 8, which if it is to be interpreted strictly must point to a date after 104 B.C., none of the passages so far cited are decisive as between the two periods c. 165 and c. 63 B. C., which have chiefly been claimed as the period of origin of these Psalms. More decisive, in the opinion of the majority of recent scholars, are the allusions to external events. These Psalms bring before us not only Jewish society divided into two parties, but also a foreign conqueror. The references to this conqueror are, again, in part general and applicable to almost any foreign foe: for example, we may compare ii. 25-28 with what is said in Isa. x. 5-15, and even the striking use of the term ‘dragon’ in ii. 2g has its parallel in the comparison of Nebuchadnezzar to a épdkoy=n in Jer. li. (xxviii.) 34. But others are more specific ; this conqueror comes from the West, for thence he carries his captives (xvii. 14): though at first welcomed by (a party of) the nation, who left the way open for him to approach Jerusalem (viii. 18 f.), he later found resistance and was compelled to use battering-rams to destroy the fortifications of Zion (ii. 1 f.) ; having captured Zion he defiled the altar by letting his soldiers contemptuously trample it (ii. 2, cp, vil. 2): ultimately he is slain dishonourably in Egypt and his body lay exposed for lack of burial (ii. 30 f.). Nowall these somewhat particular characteristics of the conqueror agree pretty closely with what is known of Pompey, and in their entirety they do not agree with any other known historical character: as a Roman, Pompey came from the West, and thither he carried back captive Aristobulus and his children ; at first he was not merely not resisted by the princes Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II, but on his way from Damascus southwards ambassadors met him bearing a rich present, and the fortresses on the way to Jerusalem were delivered up to Pompey ; later, however, the party of Aristobulus entrenched themselves in Zion, and then Pompey brought up battering-rams and therewith demolished the walls that protected the Temple area ; it is true the profanation of the altar to which allusion is made in ii. 2 is not dzvectly mentioned in the accounts of Pompey’s capture of Jerusalem, while his intrusion into the Holy of Holies is not alluded to in the Psalms ; yet the alternative identification with Antiochus Epiphanes is in this respect not preferable, for the ‘abomination of desolation’ is just as little covered by the terms used in these Psalms. Finally, like the conqueror in the Psalms, Pompey is slain in Egypt, and his body, after being exposed on the beach, was hastily burned on an improvised pyre.

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that these similarities between the conqueror of the Psalms and Pompey can only be due to the fact that the conqueror in the Psalms and Pompey are one and

1 For references to the sources for these or other details see notes on the passages cited above and others (il. 1, 2,

the same person. Frankenberg, who has most elaborately in recent times argued for identification with Antiochus Epiphanes, is compelled, not very satisfactorily, to treat the description of the death of the conqueror in ii. 30 ff., not as reference to fact, but as wxrealized prophecy. So also, on his interpretation, xvii. 7-10 is prophetic not historic, and ‘the man alien to our race’ (dvOpwros aANOrptos yévous Hyov) is not Pompey, nor even Antiochus, but the Messiah !

If we are right in identifying the person slain in ii. 30 f. with Pompey, that Psalm in particular was written after, and probably soon after, 48 B.C., the date of Pompey’s death. None of the other Psalms refer to Pompey’s death, and the majority of them may well be somewhat earlier than the second, and have been written soon after Pompey’s invasion of Palestine (63 B.C.). Wellhausen suggested that iv might refer to, and also have been written in, the reign of Alexander Jannaeus (103-78), but this is uncertain. On the other hand, Ryle and James argue with some probability that Psalms iv and xii, in which the ‘sinners’ are denounced but not yet punished, and the intervention of the Gentiles was apparently as yet unforeseen, may be the earliest of the collection. These may have been written before Pompey’s invasion.

If, now, the date of these Psalms is correctly determined, we need not hesitate to see in the ‘righteous’ of the Psalms the Pharisees, and in the ‘ sinners’ the Sadducees (cf. iv. 2 ff.) ; and in the Psalms themselves the work of one or more of the Pharisees. It is the Pharisaic piety that breathes through the Psalms; it is their opposition to the worldly, non-Davidic monarchy, and to the illegitimate high-priesthood, of the ruling Hasmonaean king, Aristobulus, that finds expression here; the Messianic hope (esp. xvii. 23 ff.), the firm belief in a future life which characterizes them later (N.T., Jos.), and renders them naturally political quietists and indifferent to political schemes, are already conspicuous here. And, again, the later attitude of the Pharisees in the matter of free-will as described by Josephus (4. /. ii. 8. 14)—these ascribe all to fate and to God, and yet allow that to act as is right, or the contrary, is principally in the power of men: although fate does co-operate in every action—is almost exactly paralleled by two passages in these Psalms, v. 4, ix. 6.

A considerable literature has grown up around the Psalms: an account of what had appeared down to 1891 is given by Ryle and James, and the more recent, as well as the earlier literature, will be found in the extensive bibliography in J. Viteau, Les Psaumes de Salomon (Paris, 1911), pp. 240— 251. The most important works are: for the Greek text, von Gebhardt’s edition (cited above, p. 658) ; for the Syriac versions, Harris’s edition, cited above (p. 659), in the second edition (pp. ix-xii) of which a full bibliography of discussions of the Syriac are given; for interpretation and the consideration of the original Hebrew, Wellhausen (cited above, p. 659), and Ryle and James (cited above, p. 658). Seealso Viteau, of. cit.; Kittel, in Kautzsch’s Die Apokryphen u. Pseudepigraphen zum A.T. ii. 127-48 (a German translation arranged in distichs and strophes, with brief introduction and

1 Note also Cheyne’s rejection of the identification of Pompey with the dragon of 1 (A7bbert Journal, Oct. 1910,

1 I cried unto the Lord when I was in distress [ ], Unto God when sinners assailed. 2 Suddenly the alarm of war was heard before me; (I said), He will hearken to me, for I am full of righteousness. 3 I thought in my heart that I was full of righteousness, Because I was well off and had become rich in children. 4 Their wealth spread to the whole earth, And their glory unto the end of the earth. 5 They were exalted unto the stars ; They said they would never fall. 6 But they became insolent in their prosperity, And. 7 Their sins were in secret, And even I had no knowledge (of them). 8 Their transgressions (went) beyond those of the heathen before them ; They utterly polluted the holy things of the Lord.

Il. A Psalm. Of Solomon. Concerning Ferusalem.

2 x: When the sinner waxed proud, with a battering-ram he cast down fortified walls, And Thou didst not restrain (him). 2 Alien nations ascended Thine altar, They trampled (it) proudly with their sandals ; 3 Because the sons of Jerusalem had defiled the holy things of the Lord, Had profaned with iniquities the offerings of God.

I. 1. when I was in distress. So perhaps # (cf. e. g. Ps. Ixvi. 14). @& adds eis réXos, which may be (1) a misoe ited and misplaced title = ‘ To the chief musician tee Ps. liv (Iv)); the rhythm of # (3: 3) would have been complete without anything corresponding to this clause; or (2) an intensification: ‘When I was in sore distress’ ;

2. the alarm. & ‘the voice’.

(I said). Not expressed in the MSS. of G, nor in 3, but possibly lost in the course of the transmission of &. full of righteousness. Cf. Isa.i.21. ‘Am full’; & ‘was full’.

4. The fame of the wealth and glory of the Jews, the children (v. 3) of Zion, passed from mouth to mouth till it filled the whole world. For d.edd6y (cf. 2 Macc. iv. 39), the reading of RJ LS, H has, erroneously, dvéAOo1, ‘may their wealth go forth’. The exact force of # cannot be inferred.

5. they would ... fall. wécwow (RH), réoor (J), réeowor pev (L). Perhaps, originally, réc@pev, ‘ we shall never

6. And... & ok ijveyxay, ‘they brought not’. Fabricius suggested that ‘sacrifices’ was to be understood as the object of the verb: very improbable. Ryle and James, relying on Jer. xx. 9, Job. xxxi, 23, Jer. il. 13, x. 10, Joel

ii. II, suggest that the meaning may be that they did not keep their ambition under control. 5 Q4—s INo may point to an original Greek reading kal ovk éyvwxay, and they are without knowledge’ (cp. Isa. i. 2). Won Gebhardt

suggests that #veyxay arose from misreading as INI xd an original 13°37 xs, ‘and they were without understanding’. 8. the holy things. & may also, and 3 can only, mean ‘ the sanctuary’, i.e. the Temple.

IJ. 1. Addressed to God. The 3rd pers. sing. in this verse and below may refer in particular to Pompey, or, being

used collectively, to the Roman army (cp. v. 2). pee the sinner waxed proud (ni8}2) . . - he cast down, or, ‘ proudly (MN13) the sinner . . . cast down.’ Games.) X.

re Shettaiing: ram. Pompey brought up battering-rams from Tyre and therewith broke down the fortified wall that enclosed the Temple. See Jos. Ans. xiv. 4. 2; Bhi. 7.3:

z. The writer singles out for mention not Pompey’ s personal intrusion into the Holy of Holies (Jos. Amz. xiv. 4. 4, We .17.0); Dut the irreverent treatment of the altar in front of the Temple by the Roman soldiers. To this Josephus does not specifically refer ; though cp., ‘ Many of the priests, even when they saw their enemies assailing them with their swords in their hands... went on with their divine worship, and were slain while they were offering their drinkofferings and burning their incense’ (ZL. Z. i. 7. 5).

with their sandals. They not only trampled the altar, but that even without removing their sandals (cp. Exod. iii. 5). 3. the holy things. Seei. $n.

4 Therefore He said: Cast them far from Me;

5 It was set at naught before God, It was utterly dishonoured ; 6 The sons and the daughters were in grievous captivity, Sealed (?) (was) their neck, branded (?) (was it) among the nations.

» According to their sins hath He done unto them, For He hath left them in the hands of them that prevailed. 8 He hath turned away His face from pitying them, Young and old and their children together ; 9 For they had done evil one and all, in not hearkening. ro (9) And the heavens were angry, And the earth abhorred them ; tr For no man upon it had done what they did, x2 (10) And the earth recognized all Thy righteous judgements, O God. 13 (11) They set the sons of Jerusalem to be mocked at in return for (the) harlots in her ; Every wayfarer entered in in the full light of day. 14 (12) They made mock with their transgressions, as they themselves were wont to do ; In the full light of day they revealed their iniquities. (13) And the daughters of Jerusalem were defiled in accordance with Thy judgement, 15 Because they had defiled themselves with unnatural] intercourse. (14) I am pained in my bowels and my inward parts for these things.

4. Cast them, viz. the offerings (and holy things) of v. 3. This is clearly the meaning of the unambiguous neuter

pronoun in &, but in #) the pronoun may have been masculine, and therefore ambiguous ; in that case the real antecedent of the pronoun may have been ‘the sons of Jerusalem’.

4, 5. The sense of the original in vv. 4 4, 5 a, cannot be determined; it may have differed considerably from that of the MSS. of & and 8, or of the conjectural emendations of &. Following the MSS. of &, and the punctuation found in them, we may render 4 0 :—

His (i. e. God’s) glorious beauty prospered them not. Of this 3 is perhaps merely a loose rendering :— And He did not establish with them His glorious beauty. Hilgenfeld conjectured eidox«d ev avrois for edddoxey (RJ L: edmdaxev H) airois; and this is adopted by von Gebhardt, who also adopts airjs (M) for a’rod (RJ LH 3). Then 44, 5 may be rendered :— I have no pleasure in them (cp. Jer. xiv. 12). Her (Jerusalem’s, cp. vv. 20, 22, 23) glorious beauty was set at naught before God. The conjecture gives a rather more attractive phraseology than the text of &, but v. 44 would in that case have balanced v. 4a very badly in the original Hebrew; and the position of rd xdddos ris dd€ys adr. more naturally corresponds to that of the obj. of the verb in 4 4 than to that of the subj. of the verb in v. 5.

5. utterly. Cp.'i, rn.

6. The sons and the daughters of Jerusalem (cp. v. 3). So J LH; but R ‘sons and daughters’, 5 ‘her sons and her daughters’. ,

6 4. The line in some way, doubtless, expressed the ignominy of the captive (v. 6a) Jews; but the meaning of && (of which & ‘and on their neck is set the sealed yoke of the peoples’, is probably a free rendering), and still more that of ®, is far from clear. Most probably the allusion is to the branding of slaves with the tokens of their masters. It is true that the branding of the wech in particular is not elsewhere mentioned, but ‘ many slave collars have been found in Roman cities, inscribed with the master’s name and some such addition as Zee me, guia fugio’ (Ryle and James). Kit. thinks the allusion may be to the custom of sealing or stamping the collar or clothing of a slave (Talmud Babli Shabb. 28 a), For more or less different explanations see Viteau’s n. ad doc., and Biichler in /QR, xv (1903), pp. 115 ff.

Sealed. Gk. ‘with (in) a seal’, This can scarcely mean ‘ (surrounded) with a fetter’ (Wellh.). e branded. Gk. ‘with a slave-brand’ (cp. Hesychius, s.v. éxionyoy). But another meaning is possible, viz. ‘in the sight of’ (Kit. ? = pd M23). But év éemonu@ scarcely means ‘in a public place’ (cp. xvii. 32), viz. Rome.

7 MNet) Psach. LO.—7.0. Cts Ps.xoxccvile 33.

12. recognized. G& S ‘will recognize’ (VIN for YIM). Cp. viii. 8.

13. Difficult and uncertain, but cp. viii. 9-14.

They, viz. the heathen; soRJL3%. ‘He’ (viz. God) H.

in return for (the) harlotsin her, sopyév ev airy should correspond to 73 myr(7), or Mn. In either case % probably intended ‘in return for her whoredoms’ (Ezek. xxiii. 14, 18) (abstract M32} /AWNI} rather than mnt, ‘her harlots’).

13a, 14a. ‘ According as the Jews were wont to do, even so, by way of retribution, the Gentiles exposed to the world the iniquities of the Jews.’ This may correctly interpret the passage, but the punctuation of the MSS. of & and parallelism favour the above division into lines rather than taking ‘as they themselves were wont to do’ with what follows.

14 4, In the full light of day, lit. ‘before the sun’. Cp. 2 Sam. xii. 11 f. E

15. with unnatural intercourse, lit. ‘with confusion of mingling’ (év puppe dvapi~ews). The reference is probably

to incest (viii. 10) and other foul unions. ;

16 (15) (And yet) 1 will justify Thee, O God, in uprightness of heart, For in Thy judgements is Thy righteousness (displayed), O God.

17 (16) For Thou, hast rendered to the sinners according to their deeds, Yea according to their sins, which were very wicked.

18 (17) Thou hast uncovered their sins, that Thy judgement might be manifest ;

tg Thou hast wiped out their memorial from the earth. (18) God is a righteous judge,

And He is no respecter of persons.

20 (19) For the nations reproached Jerusalem, trampling it down; Her beauty was dragged down from the throne of glory. 21 (20) She girded on sackcloth instead of comely raiment, A rope (was) about her head instead of a crown. 22 (21) She put off the glorious diadem which God had set upon her, 23 In dishonour was her beauty cast upon the ground.

24 (22) And I saw and entreated the Lord and said, Long enough, O Lord, has Thine hand been heavy on Israel, in bringing the nations upon (them). 25 (23) For they have made sport unsparingly in wrath and fierce anger ; 26 And they will make an utter end, unless Thou, O Lord, rebuke them in Thy wrath. 27 (24) For they have done it not in zeal, but in lust of soul, 28 Pouring out their wrath upon us with a view to rapine. 29 (25) Delay not, O God, to recompense them on (their) heads, To turn the pride of the dragon into dishonour.

30 (26) And I had not long to wait before God showed me the insolent one Slain on the mountains of Egypt,

16. I: emphatic.

19. is no respecter of. ‘ will be no respecter of’, treating the Hebr. impf. as fut. instead of frequentative. For the phrase see e. g. Deut. x. 17.

20a. These lines are incorrectly given in the order a in the ed. princeps and subsequent editions, including that of Ryle and James.

For. ‘The ydp, perhaps, as often in parts of the O. T. (e.g. Isaiah), had nothing corresponding to it in #. was dragged down. MSS. of && ‘he dragged down’; but S has a passive verb and, so far, supports as the true Greek reading von Gebhardt’s conjecture, xateomdoOn for karéomacev (R), xaréorrace (J LH).

24. entreated. ¢& S ‘entreated the face of’, which is probably the same half-euphemistic, half-literal rendering of ®H (‘ oo sweet, or pleasant, the face of’) that occurs in 2 Kings xiil. 4, Jer. xxvi. 19; cf. Exod. xxxii. 11 (€de76n €vavTt).

Long enough . . . has Thine hand been. (G lit. ‘ makes sufficient that Thy hand should be’: but the idiom in #7 was probably the same as in Deut. i. 6, ii. 3.

O Lord. J.om.

Israel. So R (i7\) S: other MSS. of & ‘ Jerusalem ’.

in bringing the nations upon (them), or, as in Ecclus. iil. 28 (cp. x. 13, xxv. 13 f.), €v émaywyy (H erroneously imaywy)) may = N23,‘ with smiting of the nations’, i.e. God has smitten Israel by means of the nations; cp. Isa. 5G Sin PAO oe

25. they. The nations.

fierce anger: Ouy@ pera pnviceas.

26. And they, i.e. the nations, will make an utter end of Israel. So probably ® (39) ; & ‘And they’, i.e. Israel, ‘ will be made an utter end of? (cuvreheoOnoovrar = 1539).

27. they. The nations. ;

not in zeal to fulfil God’s punitive purposes concerning Israel; cp. Isa. x. 7

28. with a view to rapine. Against Pompey personally this particular charge would be unfair; when he entered he refrained from plundering the Temple (Jos. Avz. xiv. 4. 4); but against the nations, i.e. the Romans, it might well lie (see Ryle and James ad Joc.).

29. Toturn. S$ ‘To cast down’, & ‘Tosay’. The rod cimeiy of & is unintelligible and probably due to a translator’s misunderstanding; probably 0), meant to be read 19> ( 71299) and construed as in Hos. iv. 7, was mistakenly read aap) 7rd (Wellh.); for another suggestion, see Ryle and James. If assozmaX is the original text of S$ and not a subsequent correction of a literal rendering (ssehaS) of rod eiweiv, S cannot be explained either by & or by such emendations as iSeiv (Fabricius), or etkery or rpéwey (Hilgenfeld) ; but Viteau proposes pirrecv.

the dragon. Seems clearly to be ‘ the insolent one slain on the mountains of Egypt’ (v. 30), i.e. Pompey; cp. the comparison of Nebuchadnezzar with a dragon in Jer. li, 34, yet see above (p. 630, n. 2). 30. I had not long to wait before. Lit. ‘I delayed not until God’: 3 ‘the Lord’. the insolent one. & ‘his insolence’ (rj U8pw aitod = 12181 or INNA, which was perhaps a corruption in ® of an original reading N17), on the mountains of Egypt. According to Dio Cassius xlii. 3-5 Pompey was slain mpés r@ Karoiw ope; Mons Cassius was near Pelusium. Possibly # had ‘N° (not 9), ‘beside the streams of Egypt’ (Ryle and James).

Esteemed of less account than the least, on Jand and sea ; 31 (27) His body (, too,) borne hither and thither on the billows with much insolence, With none to bury (him), because He had rejected him with dishonour.

(28) He reflected not that he was man, 32 And reflected not on the latter end;

33 (29) He said: I will be lord of land and sea; And he recognized not that it is God who is great, Mighty in His great strength.

34 (30) He is king over the heavens, And judgeth kings and kingdoms.

35 (31) (It is He) who setteth me up in glory, And bringeth down the proud to eternal destruction in dishonour, Because they knew Him not.

36 (32) And now behold, ye princes of the earth, the judgement of the Lord, For a great king and righteous (is He), judging (all) that is under heaven. 37 (33) Bless God, ye that fear the Lord with wisdom, For the mercy of the Lord will be upon them that fear Him, in the Judgement ; 38 (34) So that He will distinguish between the righteous and the sinner, (And) recompense the sinners for ever according to their deeds ; 39 (35) And have mercy on the righteous, (delivering him) from the affliction of the sinner, And recompensing the sinner for what he hath done to the righteous. 40 (36) For the Lord is good to them that call upon Him in patience, Doing according to His mercy to His pious ones, Establishing (them) at all times before Him in strength.

41 (37) Blessed be the Lord for ever before His servants.

Ill. A Psalm. Of Solomon. Concerning the righteous.

3 1 Why sleepest thou, O my soul, And blessest not the Lord? 2 Sing a new song, Unto God who is worthy to be praised.

Esteemed of less account than the least. Held in less account than a person of the least position : so clearly 3 ; on && wep éeAaxiorov (or conjecturally éAdyiorov), see Ryle and James.

31. borne hither and thither, Siapepdpevov. So RJ L(S); H ‘destroyed’ (SvehOappevov). The correct text of RJ L(S) is further from the literal truth of Pompey’s end, as described by Plutarch (see Ryle and James), than the reading of H.

31 4. After lying for some time decapitated and unburied on the shore, Pompey’s body was burnt on a pile of spars gathered from the beach (Plutarch).

33. it is God who is great. God, not Pompey, is‘ Magnus’. 3% ‘the Lord is God’.

34. heavens. 3+ ‘and over the earth’.

kings and kingdoms. 3% ‘kingdoms and princes’.

35. bringeth down. Unless & xoipifwoy translated 1°12 (the verb which would have been the simplest antithesis to v. 35 @; cp. I Sam. ii. 6-8), the sense is: God causes the proud to lie down and sleep the sleep eternal (Ps. Ixxvi. 6 (5); Job xiv. 12) of dishonour and destruction. ;

destruction. #) perhaps (cp. Ezek. xxviii. 7 f.) had NNW, in which case the rendering should be ‘ the pit’.

37. in the Judgement. On the day of judgement and discrimination those that fear God will, unlike the wicked (Ps. i. 5), stand through the mercy of God. Such was probably the meaning of #), and perhaps of 3 (\us.> here as in Ps. i. 5, Pesch.). @& ‘with judgement’ (BWIA for DBW1D2): the mercy of God will be shown by introducing a principle of judgement or discrimination between the righteous and the unrighteous.

40. to His pious ones. So RJ LC S rois dato ; H ‘to them that are His’ (rots per’ avrod).

III. vv. 1-2, Exordium; 3-10, the character and conduct of the righteous ; 11-15, the conduct and fate of the sinner ; 16, the contrasted fate of the righteous—resurrection and life eternal.

I. Omysoul. So 3; G om. ‘my’.

2. & & probably fail to preserve the exact form and sense of 9. Note in 2a@ that Wadare, ‘sing’, is not the normal rendering of the verb 1'W’, stands abnormally after its object and is A/wrad (ct. sing. in v. I, 2c); in 2c, ‘be wakeful against his awaking’, a safer rendering of @& than ‘keep watch at his watch’, is not very obviously in place between 26 and 2d, _ Ryle and James, assuming a confusion between the Hebrew roots Y17 and “Ny, render 2¢ ‘ shout unto Him with a joyful noise’. Another possibility, suggested by the General Editor, may be considered : ypyyopeiy in the LXX = 1D; so here ypnydpnoov emi riv ypnydpnow (cp. xvi. 4) adrod may represent a clause used by the translator as containing OY and a derivative from the same root; but 79 might easily arise (through the familiar confusion of

Sing and }+be wakeful against His awakingyf, For good is a psalm (sung) to God from a glad heart.

3 The righteous remember the Lord at all times, With thanksgiving and declaration of the righteousness of the Lord’s judgements. 4 The righteous despiseth not the chastening of the Lord ; His will is always before the Lord. 5 The righteous stumbleth and holdeth the Lord righteous: He falleth and looketh out for what God will do to him; 6 Heseeketh out whence his deliverance will come. 7 (6) The steadfastness of the righteous is from God their deliverer ; There lodgeth not in the house of the righteous sin upon sin. 8 (7) The righteous continually searcheth his house, To remove utterly (all) iniquity (done) by him in error. 9 (8) He maketh atonement for (sins of) ignorance by fasting and afflicting his soul, to And the Lord counteth guiltless every pious man and his house.

tt (9g) The sinner stumbleth and curseth his life, The day when he was begotten, and his mother’s travail. 12 (10) He addeth sins to sins, while he liveth (?) ; 13. He falleth—verily grievous is his fall—and riseth no more. (11) The destruction of the sinner is for ever, 14 And he shall not be remembered, when the righteous is visited. (12) 15 This is the portion of sinners for ever.

16 But they that fear the Lord shall rise to life eternal, And their life (shall be) in the light of the Lord, and shall come to an end no more.

IV. <A Conversation of Solomon with the Men-pleasers.

4 : Wherefore sittest thou, O profane (man), in the council of the pious, Seeing that thy heart is far removed from the Lord,

1 and 3) from 73); the original text of # may, therefore, have meant ‘and perform His service’. Perchance ‘good’ in v. 2d was accidentally repeated in # from the end of the line, and 2d originally ran, ‘For a psalm (is due) to God from a glad heart.’

anew song. SoJ HS; RLC (erroneously) ‘song and praise’.

a glad heart. So, rather than ‘a pious heart’, should ayaOjs (R J 3) xapdias be rendered; # 10 a5 means the glad or merry heart ; see e.g. Isa. xv. 14, Judges xvi. 25, Ruth iii. 7, Eccles. ix. 7; and cp. ‘Is any merry? Let him sing psalms’, James v. 13. The less well-supported reading, ‘the whole heart’ (L C H), is not to be preferred.

3. remember. So, and probably rightly, & 3; % (05!) might also mean ‘make mention of’. 3%. Cp. iv. 9. @ is difficult; but the translation above may represent, at least approximately, the meaning of W. By means of bold conjecture Ryle and James obtain better parallelism : The righteous ever make mention of the Lord with praise,

And justify the judgements of the Lord (with thanksgiving).

4. the chastening of. So (4D1) probably # ; G 3 (= 1b") ‘being chastened by’. His will. Apparently the meaning is: the righteous places his will at the service of God.

5. the Lord ... God. Stransposes. The first three verbs in the verse are aorists in &. 7. steadfastness. Lit. ‘truth’.

lodgeth. % doubtless ny: the house of the righteous is not a khan open to all passing sins; on the contrary

(v. 8), sins, that in spite of all his care, and unknown to him, have gained entrance, are discovered by means of constant and diligent search and turned out.

8. The righteous . . . searcheth his house. 5S ‘ He (i.e. God) searcheth the house of the righteous’.

8-9. iniquity (done) by himinerror. He maketh atonement. Less probably ‘Iniquity. With his trespassoffering he maketh atonement’ (Ryle and James). ;

g. MSS. read ramewdoe: Woxnv, which von Gebhardt emends into raz. Woyis.

10. pious. # doubtless TDN.

II. begotten, or ‘born’. ‘Stumbleth’; & aor.

12. sins to sins. So Isa. xxx. 1 (&); in # perhaps ‘sin to sin’, as in v. 7 (cp. Isa. xxx. 1, 9). In other respects uv. 12 was perhaps a more exact antithesis to v. 7: ‘while he liveth’ (t7 ¢@y av’rov) is doubtful.

12-13. addeth ... falleth. & aor., but ‘riseth’ in G@ is fut. In # probably all were imperfects.

13. verily. & ‘for’; % ‘and because’.

14. # probably as above; & ‘And He’ (i.e. God) ‘will not remember (him’, viz. the sinner), ‘when He visits the righteous’, with His favour.

IV. TITLE. Conversation, RJ LC; ‘psalm’, H.

1. O profane (man). Here and throughout the Psalm the sing. may refer collectively to the party opposed to

Provoking with transgressions the God of Israel ? 2 Extravagant in speech, extravagant in outward seeming beyond all (men), Is he that is severe of speech in condemning sinners in judgement. 3 And his hand is first upon him as (though he acted) in zeal, And (yet) he is himself guilty in respect of manifold sins and of wantonness. 4 His eyes are upon every woman without distinction ; His tongue lieth when he maketh contract with an oath. 5 By night and in secret he sinneth as though unseen, With his eyes he talketh to every woman of evil compacts. 6 He is swift to enter every house with cheerfulness as though guileless.

7 (6) Let God remove those that live in hypocrisy in the company of the pious, (Even) the life of such an one with corruption of his flesh and penury. 8 (7) Let God reveal the deeds of the men-pleasers, The deeds of such an one with laughter and derision ; 9 (8) That the pious may count righteous the judgement of their God, When sinners are removed from before the righteous, ro (Even the) man-pleaser who uttereth law guilefully. 11 (g) And their eyes (are fixed) upon any man’s house that is (still) secure, That they may, like (the) Serpent, destroy the wisdom of . . . with words of transgressors, 12 (10) His words are deceitful that (he) may accomplish (his) wicked desire. 13 He never ceaseth from scattering (families) as though (they were) orphans, (rr) Yea, he layeth waste a house on account of (his) lawless desire. 14 He deceiveth with words, (saying,) There is none that seeth, or judgeth. 15 (12) He fills one (house) with lawlessness, And (then) his eyes (are fixed) upon the next house,

the psalmist, or to the leader of that party; adopting the latter view some have identified the profane man with Alexander Jannaeus (Wellh.), others with Aristobulus (Ryle and James).

the council of the pious. So J $; ‘the pious council’ RLC; ‘in council’ H. The fuller and correcter phrase need not necessarily refer to the Sanhedrin ; cuvédpioy may also stand for 11D; cp.e.g. Jer.xv.17. ‘Pious’ = DDR ;

16. Cp. Isa. xxix. 13 (also Matt. xv. 8) ‘seeing that’; & ‘and’. 26, Cp. ‘the Sadducees . . . savage in judging (offenders) beyond all the Jews’, Jos. Azz, xx. 9. 1.

3. upon him. In carrying out the sentence on the condemned sinner ; cp. Deut. xiil. Io,

wantonness. Cp. Matt. xxiii. 25 (R. V. ‘excess’). 4. without distinction. 5 ‘immodestly’, 5. of evil compacts. Or, perhaps (#9), ‘of assignations for evil’. . the life of such an one. Lit. ‘his life’; & is difficult in this verse and scarcely represents #) exactly; 3% ‘God shall remove those who judge with respect of persons; but He lives with the upright in the corruption of his body and in the poverty (read J}asaoaso for J)asm-rs) of his life’.

8. The deeds of such an one. Lit. ‘his deeds’; cp. v. 7, also the sing. in vz. 3a (him) after the plur. ‘sinners’ iN eCoaes 5

84. May mean either that God will deride the wicked (cp. Ps. ii. 4), or expose them to the derision of men (cp. Ps. xliv. (xliii) 14).

10. uttereth. #9, perhaps, 12) ‘transgresseth’ (von Gebh.).

11. The meaning seems to be: if any house still survives secure against their licentious conduct, their set purpose is, like the Serpent (Gen. iii), to gain their way by working on the wife with seductive speech. But the text is uncertain. Wellh. differently: their eyes are directed to the house of a man (= Alexander Jannaeus) who understands how to

pervert the wisdom of God (reading dyyédov ods for aAnov). the wisdom of . .. The genitive in & is ‘one another’, but this yields no sense. For ad\Aj\ov Ryle and James conjecture AadGy, ‘ to pervert wisdom, speaking with words,’ &c. ; the sing. part. in v. 11 4 then resumes the plur. (‘their’) of v. 11a; cp. vv. 7, 8. Von Gebhardt conjectures kaéy DY, a corruption in #) for DVN, ‘the wisdom of the flawless’. For other suggestions see preceding note and Ryle and James. 13. He never ceaseth from. So probably #; & has ‘ He ceased not, till he prevailed (in)’. 134-14. The aorists of & are rendered by English present tenses. : : 14. Possibly once followed by v. 12, to which it would forma parallel. Verse 15 (if correctly interpreted) would follow 7. 13 better than v.14. Rearranged the passage would read thus :-— 14 He deceiveth with words, (saying,) There is none that seeth or judgeth ; 12 His words are deceitful that (he) may accomplish (his) wicked desire. 13 He never ceaseth from scattering (families) as though (they were) orphans, Yea, he layeth waste a house on account of (his) lawless desire. 15 He is sated with lawlessness therewith : And (then) his eyes are directed to the next house. j / 15f. Obscure; but the general idea probably is that he has no sooner ruined one house than he turns his attention to the next, seducing its inmates to become the victims of his insatiable lust. 15a. && ‘he is filled with (ev) lawlessness in this’ (€v ravry).

‘ To destroy it with words that give wing to (desire). (13) (Yet) with all these his soul, like Sheol, is not sated.

16 Let his portion, O Lord, be dishonoured before thee ; Let him go forth groaning, and come home cursed. 17 (15) Let his life be (spent) in anguish, and penury, and want, O Lord; Let his sleep be (beset) with pains and his awaking with perplexities. 18 (16) Let sleep be withdrawn from his eyelids at night ; Let him fail dishonourably in every work of his hands. tg (17) Let him come home empty-handed to his house, And his house be void of everything wherewith he could sate his appetite. 20 (18) (Let) his old age (be spent) in childless loneliness until his removal (by death).

21 (19) Let the flesh of the men-pleasers be rent by wild beasts, And (let) the bones of the lawless (lie) dishonoured in the sight of the sun. 22 (20) Let ravens peck out the eyes of the hypocrites. 23 For they have laid waste many houses of men, in dishonour, And scattered (them) in (their) lust ; 24 (21) And they have not remembered God, Nor feared God in all these things ; 25 But they have provoked God’s anger and vexed Him, (22) May He remove them from off.the earth, Because with deceit they beguiled the souls of the flawless.

26 (23) Blessed are they that fear the Lord in their flawlessness ; 27 The Lord shall deliver them from guileful men and sinners, And deliver us from every stumbling-block of the lawless (men). 28 (24) Let God destroy them that insolently work all unrighteousness, For a great and mighty judge is the Lord our God in righteousness.

29 (28) Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon all them that love Thee.

V. A Psalm. Of Solomon.

5 tO Lord God, I will praise Thy name with joy, In the midst of them that know Thy righteous judgements. 2 For Thou art good and merciful, the refuge of the poor ; 3 When I cry to Thee, do not silently disregard me. 4 (3) For no man taketh spoil from a mighty man; 5 Who, then, can take aught of all that Thou hast made, except Thou Thyself givest ? 6 (4) For man and his portion (lie) before Thee in the balance ; He cannot add to, so as to enlarge, what has been prescribed by Thee.

O God, 7 (5) when we are in distress we call upon Thee for help, And Thou dost not turn back our petition, for Thou art our God. 8 (6) Cause not Thy hand to be heavy upon us, Lest through necessity we sin.

15d. like Sheol. SoRLJCS; Hom. Cp. Prov. xxvii. 20, Isa. v. 14.

20. until his removal. Or, perhaps, ‘ that (his family) may be taken away (from the earth)’, i.e. let his old age be at once lonely and hopeless. % renders the entire verse by what is a free and inaccurate paraphrase of @t, ‘ And of

his children let not one draw near him.’ 21. rent. Lit. ‘be scattered’; # different ?

23. many houses of men. So RJ HS; ‘houses of many men’, LC. The latter rendering may more correctly

represent #. Yet perhaps the original text of # ran rather as follows : ; For they have laid waste houses in dishonour, And by their lust scattered (i.e. made homeless) many men. taketh. G ‘shall take’. 5. Who, then, can take. ‘And who shall take’.

6. what has been prescribed by Thee. ( 10 kpiua cov, where xpiva is probably = Pn, intended in the sense which it has in Gen. xlvii. 22, Prov. xxx. 8, xxxi. 15. For the thought of the verse cp. Matt. vi. 27; for the phraseology,

7. OGod. In & this goes with v. 6; in Hit probably opened v. 7. call... dost not turn back. In & the tenses are future.

9 (7) Even though Thou restore us not, we will not keep away ; But unto Thee will we come.

ro (8) For if I hunger, unto Thee will I cry, O God; And 7hou wilt give to me.

11 (9) Birds and fish dost Thou nourish, In that Thou givest rain to the steppes that green grass may spring up, (to) (So) to prepare fodder in the steppe for every living thing ; 12 And if they hunger, unto Thee do they lift up their face. 13 (11) Kings and rulers and peoples Zou dost nourish, O God ; And who is the help of the poor and needy, if not Thou, O Lord? 14 (12) And Thou wilt hearken—for who is good and gentle but Thou ?— Making glad the soul of the humble by opening Thine hand in mercy.

15 (13) Man’s goodness is (bestowed) grudgingly and .. .;

And if he repeat (it) without murmuring, even that is marvellous. 16 (14) But Thy gift is great in goodness and wealth,

And he whose hope is (set) on Thee shall have no lack of gifts. 17 (15) Upon the whole earth is Thy mercy, O Lord, in goodness.

18 (16) Happy is he whom God remembereth in (granting to him) a due sufficiency ; 1g If a man abound overmuch, he sinneth. 20 (17) Sufficient are moderate means with righteousness, And hereby the blessing of the Lord (becomes) abundance with righteousness. 21 (18) They that fear the Lord rejoice in good (gifts), And Thy goodness is upon Israel in Thy kingdom.

Blessed is the glory of the Lord, for He is our king.

VI. Ln Hope. Of Solomon.

6 x Happy is the man whose heart is fixed to call upon the name of the Lord ; 2 When he remembereth the name of the Lord, he will be saved. 3 (2) His ways are made even by the Lord, And the works of his hands are preserved by the Lord his God. 4 (3) At what he sees in his bad dreams, his soul shall not be troubled ;

ga. Cp. Ps. lxxx. 7. 3%‘ And turn not Thy face from us, lest we go far from Thee ’.

11. To relieve the present awkwardness, von Gebhardt conjectured yroipacas, ‘thou preparest’, in place of érowsacat (Gx S), ‘so to prepare’; perhaps rightly. 79 possibly suffered some misplacement and contamination, and read originally somewhat as follows:

When Thou givest rain, the green grass springs up ; Thou preparest provender in the steppe for every beast. Birds and fish 7Zoz dost nourish, And if they hunger, they lift up their face to Thee. At present the fresh grass of the steppes, which is not the food of fish and birds, is brought into unnaturally close relation to them.

12. The tenses, in @& future, were doubtless in # imperfects with frequentative force ; cp. vv. I1 a, 13 a

14. Making glad the soul of the humble, or ‘make glad’, &c. 3% ‘ And his soul shall be satisfied’.

15. grudgingly. So J (év padoi; RLC év heads) 3; the reading of H, ev ida, ‘on a friend’, arose from this by error. A synonymous clause followed, but has been obscured by the mistranslation of &&, and subsequent mutilation (?). & reads, ungrammatically, kai 7) avpvov, which is expanded by 3, and, independently, by Ryle and James, into ‘ to-day and to-morrow’. Possibly # read 71023 (whence, by confusion with 1M, G's avpiov), ‘and for a price’ (cp. Frankenberg).

16. is great, &c. Lit. ‘great, with (uerd) kindness, andrich’. God’s gift is given with a free, ungrudging (cp. 15 a) kindness, and is also in itself rich and costly.

shall have no lack of gifts. So, probably, the original text of #9; but, if so, \DN’ was miscopied Din (Frankenberg). @ (cp. 3) may be best rendered ‘ will not be sparing with his gifts’. See Ryle and James.

in (granting to him) a due sufficiency. Cp. e.g. Prov. xxx. 8. 5S ‘in poverty’, perhaps a paraphrase of &, for note ‘ poverty’ also renders 70 pérpuov in v. 20.

206. Not very clear. Perhaps the meaning is: the moderate means given by God is equivalent to abundance, but an abundance that does not lead to sin (v. 19). Ryle and James render: ‘and herein is the blessing of the Lord, that (a man) be satisfied in righteousness.’

VI. 3. made even. Cp. Ps. v. 8; or, ‘established’, cp. Ps. xxxvii. 23. 36. the Lord. Som.

5 When he passes through rivers and the tossing of the seas, he shall not be dismayed.

6 (4) He ariseth from his sleep, and blesseth the name of the Lord: ' 4 When his heart is at peace, he singeth to the name of his God, (5) And he entreateth the Lord for all his house. g And the Lord heareth the prayer of every one that feareth God, (6) And every request of the soul that hopes for Him doth the Lord accomplish.

9 Blessed is the Lord, who showeth mercy to those who love Him in sincerity.

VII. Of Solomon. Of turning.

7 « Make not Thy dwelling afar from us, O God; Lest they assail us that hate us without cause. 2 For Thou hast rejected them, O God ; Let not their foot trample upon Thy holy inheritance. 3 Chasten us Thyself in Thy good pleasure ; But give (us) not up to the nations; 4 For, if Thou sendest pestilence, Thou Thyself givest it charge concerning us ; (5) For Thou art merciful, And wilt not be angry to the point of consuming us.

5 (6) While Thy name dwelleth in our midst, we shall find mercy ; 6 And the nations shall not prevail against us. (7) For Thou art our shield,

7 And when we call upon Thee, Thou hearkenest to us; 8 For Thou wilt pity the seed of Israel for ever And Thou wilt not reject (them) :

(9) But we (shall be) under Thy yoke for ever,

And (under) the rod of Thy chastening.

9 (10) Thou wilt establish us in the time that Thou helpest us,

Showing mercy to the house of Jacob on the day wherein Thou didst promise (to help them).

7. When his heart is at peace, lit. ‘in the stability (or ‘ prosperity’, cp. iv. 17) of his heart’. %, perhaps, his God. 3% ‘the Lord’. 7 6. This line was perhaps originally preceded by a parallel line. he entreateth. Cp. il. 24. 8, 9. The lines of v. 8 are obvious parallels, and should not be placed in separate distichs (as by Kit.). Verse 9 is an isolated stichos, such as occurs at the end of other Psalms; see ii. 41, iv. 29, V. 22, ix. 20, x. 9, xi. 9 ¢, xvii. 51¢.

Cp. the rather different conclusions in the canonical Psalms, xli. 13, Ixxxix. 52, cxxv. 5 ¢, cxxviii. 6 4, and the moabba that concludes several Psalms.

VII. Tittz. Of turning. The title may indicate that the subject of the Psalm is the restoration of the people by God pe penty (cp. v. 9). Less probably the word expresses the turning of the people in repentance to God.

1%, they ... that hate us without cause. In view of line a, and vv. 30,64, it is probable that foreigners are intended (cp. Lam. iii. 52). In another connexion the words might denote a Jewish party, as they perhaps do in Rasxkys 10, Ux1X. 5.

2. For. The force of was, perhaps ‘nay, but’.

Let not their foot. 5% ‘in order that their foot might not ’. trample upon. Used of the profane intrusion of foreign soldiery in ii. 2; of the irreverent approach of Jewish worshippers in Isa. i. 12.

3, 4. The argument‘is: We have sinned and deserve chastisement (cp. v. 8@); but let us be chastised directly by God, who even in wrath remembers mercy (v. 5, cp. ii. 24-7), not by pitiless men. Cp. 2 Sam. xxiv. 13-15, also

4. pestilence. & S ‘death’; but @avaros here, as in 2 Sam. xxiv. 13-15, probably rendered "4, ‘pestilence’.

6. the nations. So S$; G& ‘nation’.

our shield. & lit. ‘he who holds a shield over us’ ; but in O.T. irepacmorns is generally = j32 ‘shield’, or NYD ‘refuge’. & here ‘ our strength’ (cp. Ps. xxvii. 1, Pesch.). 7. And when we call ... Thou hearkenest. & ‘And we shall call . . . and Thou wilt hearken’. 8c, da. The prayer of v. 3 will have been granted.

THE-PSALBMS*OF SOLOMON Siar;

VIII. Of Solomon. Of the chief Musician.

8 x Distress and the sound of war hath my ear heard, The sound of a trumpet announcing slaughter and calamity, 2 The sound of much people as of an exceeding high wind, As a tempest with mighty fire sweeping through the Negeb. 3 And I said in my heart, Surely (?) God judgeth us ; 4 A sound I hear (moving) towards Jerusalem, the holy city. 5 My loins were broken at what I heard, (5) my knees tottered ; 6 My heart was afraid, my bones were dismayed like flax. 7 (6) I said: They establish their ways in righteousness.

(7) I thought upon the judgements of God since the creation of heaven and earth; I held God righteous in His judgements which have been from of old. 8 God laid bare their sins in the full light of day ; All the earth came to know the righteous judgements of God. 9 In secret places underground their iniquities (were committed) to provoke (Him) to anger ; 10 They wrought confusion, son with mother and father with daughter ; 11 (10) They committed adultery, every man with his neighbour's wife. They concluded covenants with one another with an oath touching these things ; 12 (11) They plundered the sanctuary of God, as though there was no avenger. 13 (12) They trode the altar of the Lord, (coming straight) from all manner of uncleanness ; And with menstrual blood they defiled the sacrifices, as (though these were) common flesh. 14 (13) They left no sin undone, wherein they surpassed not the heathen.

VIII. TiTLe. Of the chief Musician. & cis vixos, ‘unto victory’; but in Theodotion’s version of Ps, xii. 1,

Xlll. I, efs vikos is the rendering of nyb, ‘ Of (or to) the chief Musician.’

Wi, Glow ty 2

14, announcing. nxovons = Yow. Cp. Sir. xlv. 9.

2. the Negeb, i. e. the wilderness to the south of Judah. So probably # here, as in Isa. xxi. 1; & in both passages has the more general ‘ (the) wilderness ’.

3. in my heart. (3 ‘to my heart’. ;

Surely. @& 3 ‘where, then’ (will God, &c.) ; wod should imply in # 458 or 138, but neither of these words in

such a context would mean ‘surely’. Possibly # was already corrupt. An assertive particle would be suitable; but, since the dominant rhythm of the Hebrew poem seems to have been 3: 2, rod apa should rather correspond to the

corruption of some word that belonged to the first half of the verse, perchance to 5 125 “NS, ‘Woe to us! for.’ Gpnevous||Ctanvierds

judgeth. G& ‘will judge’. : ;

us. G@S‘him’. ® would have been ambiguous, permitting the different vocalizations, VDEW" and 13DBYW?,

(moving) towards. <is (‘Iepovoadjp wodAw), RL C3; ev (‘lepovaadnp rod) H; 5 ‘in (Jerusalem) ’.

If the text of G& in v. 3 f. represents the meaning of the original, the point of the verse is that the poet is convinced that God will judge the hostile people (v. 1 f), but is at first uncertain where: ‘I said in my heart, Where then will God judge him?’ (v. 3). He then hears the sound of judgement upon ‘him’, i.e. the enemy, in Jerusalem. But in this case the distress at the news described in v. 4 is difficult to account for, though it is natural enough, if the poet sees in the hosts (v. 1 f.) advancing on (v. 4) Jerusalem the instruments of God’s judgement on ‘us’, i. e. Jerusalem.

a sound, or ‘a voice’ (and so in v. If.).

5. at what I heard, lit. ‘at hearing’; but cp. Ezek. xxi. 11 (6), Isa. xxi. 3.

tottered. Isa. xxxv. 3.

6. Rhythm suggests that the simile may have stood in the first part of the verse ; perchance ¢0870y is paraphrastic, and the verse originally ran somewhat as follows: ‘My heart trembled (cp. Isa. vii. 2) like flax, my bones were

7. The psalmist’s first thought that Jerusalem is righteous (cp. i. 3), which created his astonishment and distress (vv. 5, 6) at the approach of disaster (v. 1 f.), is corrected by God’s laying bare the secret sins of the people (vv. 8 ff.). Perhaps the thought has been obscured by the loss of more than half a distich. According to the punctuation and accentuation of the MSS. of &, we should render: ‘And I said to those that establish,’ &c. % as above.

8. in the full light of day. ii. 13n.

10. They wrought confusion. Cp. il. 15 n.

12. the sanctuary. i. 8n.

as though there was no avenger. 4 lit. ‘there not being an inheritor delivering’. S ‘as if there were none to inherit and deliver’. % probably as above. The apparent dominance of the 3:2 rhythm favours Ryle and

James’ conjecture that #) read bs psi.

134. Having come in contact with women at a time when they are ritually unclean, and thereby themselves contracted uncleanness, they do not wait to undergo the necessary purification, but eat the sacrificial flesh as though it were not sacred, but mere common flesh that could be eaten whether one was clean or unclean. See Ley. xii. 1-8,

Therefore God mingled for them a spirit of wandering ; And gave them to drink a cup of undiluted wine, that they might become drunken. He brought him that is from the end of the earth, that smiteth mightily ; He decreed (?) war against Jerusalem, and against her land. The princes of the land went to meet him with joy: they said unto him: Blessed be thy way! Come ye, enter ye in with peace. They made the rough ways even, before his entering in ; They opened the gates to Jerusalem, they crowned its walls.

As a father (entereth) the house of his sons, (so) he entered (Jerusalem) in peace ; He established his feet (there) in great safety. He captured her fortresses and the wall of Jerusalem ; For God Himself led him in safety, while they wandered. He destroyed their princes and every one wise in counsel ; He poured out the blood. of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, like the water of uncleanness. He led away their sons and daughters, whom they had begotten in defilement.

They did according to their uncleanness, even as their fathers (had done): They defiled Jerusalem and the things that had been hallowed to the name of God. (But) God hath shown Himself righteous in His judgements upon the nations of the earth ; And the pious (servants) of-God are like innocent lambs in their midst. Worthy to be praised is the Lord that judgeth the whole earth in His righteousness.

Behold, now, O God, Thou hast shown us Thy judgement in Thy righteousness ; Our eyes have seen Thy judgements, O God.

We have justified Thy name that is honoured for ever ; For Thou art the God of righteousness, judging Israel with chastening.

Turn, O God, Thy mercy upon us, and have pity upon us ; Gather together the dispersed of Israel, with mercy and goodness ; For Thy faithfulness is with us. And (though) we have stiffened our neck, yet Thou art our chastener ; Overlook us not, O our God, lest the nations swallow us up, as though there were none to deliver.

But Thou art our God from the beginning, And upon Thee is our hope (set), O Lord ;

15. God, by way of punishment, deprived the people of all sense and capability. Cp. Isa. xix. 14.

17. decreed. #, perhaps, ‘he prepared’ (j°39); @& S =j1’. See Ryle and James.

and against. So 3; & omits ‘against’.

18 ff. Cp. Jos. Azz. xiv. 3 (Pompey on his way from Damascus met by ambassadors of Aristobulus, bearing a rich present). Others have compared Avz. xii. 5. 3 (Antiochus Epiphanes captures Jerusalem without fighting, his party within the city opening the gates to him).

18. blessed, lit..‘desired’; Jer. xx. 14, and G.

19. The rough tracks of Judah are made easy before Jewish territory is entered by the great foreigner; so, too, ‘the gates to (emi) Jerusalem’, i. e. the passes, &c., commanding the approaches to the capital, rather than the city gates of Jerusalem, are flung open to give him an unimpeded approach. This may be a poetical account of the circumstances described by Jos. Az. xiv. 3. 4: Pompey came to Coreae, which is the first place in Judaea (apy) tis lovdaias), on the journey from the north to Jerusalem ; subsequently Aristobulus complied with Pompey’s demand that the fortresses (on the way to Jerusalem) should be delivered up to him.

his entering in. SoRJLS; H ‘their entering in’.

21. her, i.e. Jerusalem’s. This may have been a mere anticipative suffix in # (cp. 3), in which case substitute ‘ the’ in English. Or the line may have suffered some corruption.

22. while they wandered incapable of planning or achieving anything for their safety ; cp. v.15. The allusion in v. 21 seems to be to Pompey’s forcible occupation of the Temple (cp. ii. 1); the ‘wandering’ may include a reference to the divided counsels of the Jews. The party opposed to Aristobulus admitted Pompey to the city and the king’s palace, but the party of Aristobulus entrenched themselves in the Temple, from which they had to be expelled by force (Jos. Azz. xiv. 4. 2).

23. After the capture of the Temple Pompey executed the ringleaders (rovs airious rod wodéuov). Jos. Ant. xiv. 4. 4.

236. Twelve thousand Jews fell during the assault on and capture of the city (¢d.), many, however, not at the hands of the Romans, but of their fellow countrymen (Jos. 4. Z. 1. 7. 5).

water of uncleanness. Cp. Num. xix.

24. Josephus (Azzé. xiv. 4. 5) alludes in particular to the sons and daughters of Aristobulus being taken captive to Rome.

30. Behold, now. So probably ® ; see 2 Sam. vii. 2, # and G.

metas Oy LL Gey. El “their ’:

38 (32) And we will not depart from Thee, For good are Thy judgements upon us,

39 (33) Ours and our children’s be Thy good pleasure for ever; O Lord our Saviour, we shall never more be moved.

40 (34) The Lord is worthy to be praised for His judgements with the mouth of His pious ones; And blessed be Israel of the Lord for ever.

IX. Of Solomon. For rebukce

Q ; When Israel was led away captive into a strange land, When they fell away from the Lord who redeemed them, 2 They were cast away from the inheritance, which the Lord had given them. (2) Among every nation (were) the dispersed of Israel according to the word of God, 3 hat Thou mightest be justified, O God, in Thy righteousness by reason of our transgressions: 4 For Thou art a just judge over all the peoples of the earth. 5 (3) For from Thy knowledge none that doeth unjustly is hidden, 6 And the righteous deeds of Thy pious ones (are) before Thee, O Lord; Where, then, can a man hide himself from Thy knowledge, O God ? ~ (4) Our works are subject to our own choice and power To do right or wrong in the works of our hands ; g And in Thy righteousness Thou visitest the sons of men. 9 (5) He that doeth righteousness layeth up life for himself with the Lord ; : And he that doeth wrongly forfeits his life to destruction ; ro For the judgements of the Lord are (given) in righteousness to (every) man and (his) house. r1 (6) Unto whom art Thou good, O God, except to them that call upon the Lord ? 12 He cleanseth from sins a soul when it maketh confession, when it maketh acknowledgement ; 13 For shame is upon us and upon our faces on account of all these things. 14 (7) And to whom doth He forgive sins, except to them that have sinned? 1; Thou blessest the righteous, and dost not reprove them for the sins that they have committed ; And Thy goodness is upon them that sin, when they repent. 16 (8) And, now, Thou art our God, and we the people whom Thou hast loved : Behold and show pity, O God of Israel, for we are Thine ; And remove not Thy mercy from us, lest they assail us. 14 (9) For Thou didst choose the seed of Abraham before all the nations,

IX. 1. Israel. J ‘ Jerusalem’.

2. the Lord. 3S ‘God’.

Among every nation. Taken by Ryle and James with ‘they were cast away’ in the previous line. Cp. the dispersed. @& ‘the dispersion’ ; cp. viil. 34.

5. is. G ‘shall be’. The tenses of vv. 4-6 must be the same. God is a just judge because He knows and takes, account of all.

6. (are) before Thee. A synonym for ‘Thou knowest’. Cp. Ps. li. 5 (3).

can. & ‘shall’.

7. subject to our own choice and power, lit. ‘in the choice and power of our soul’. Ryle and James (p. 96) discuss at length an alternative rendering and interpretation : Our deeds are by the choice (of God), and (at the same time) we have power to do rightly or wrongly ; but apparently the rhythmical structure of the original would not have admitted this alternative.

8. God impartially judges the way in which men exercise their free-will (v. 7), and by His law of life (v. 9) rewards them accordingly.

10. (every), (his). These words are expressed in 4, but not in &.

II, 12. The exact line of thought and some of the details are uncertain. God is kind only to those who call upon Him ; to those who call upon Him in prayer for forgiveness He shows His kindness (cp. Ps. li. 3 f. (1 f.) ) by forgiving their sins; those who here speak may rely on forgiveness, for the shame of which they speak is a form of confession

iI. art Thee (& ‘wilt Thou be’) good, O God. % ‘is God good’ (ohso). Originally, it is probable, vv. 10-15 were either in their entirety addressed to God, or a statement about Him. Von Gebhardt conjecturally restores the 2nd person in vv. 12 and 14.

12. cleanseth. & ‘will cleanse’.

from sins. Cp. x. 1; @& ‘in sins’; perhaps in consequence of reading a Hebr. 9 as 1 (a frequent error). & ‘the sins of’. when it maketh acknowledgement. S% omit; perhaps a doublet in &.

15. reprove. So S certainly, and apparently the «d6vveis of G must be interpreted similarly. See Ryle and James.

16. they. 3% ‘the peoples’.

And didst set Thy name upon us, O Lord, And, Thou wilt not reject (us) for ever. Thou madest a covenant with our fathers concerning us ; And we hope in Thee, when our soul turneth (unto Thee). The mercy of the Lord be upon the house of Israel for ever and ever.

xX. A Hymn. Of Solomon.

Happy is the man whom the Lord remembereth with reproving, And whom He restraineth from the way of evil with strokes, That he may be cleansed from sin, that it may not be multiplied.

He that maketh ready his back for strokes shall be cleansed,

For the Lord is good to them that endure chastening.

For He maketh straight the ways of the righteous,

And doth not pervert (them) by His chastening.

4 And the mercy of the Lord (is) upon them that love Him in truth,

And the Lord remembereth His servants in mercy.

5 For the testimony (is) in the law of the eternal covenant,

The testimony of the Lord (is) on the ways of men in (His) visitation. Just and kind is our Lord in His judgements for ever,

And Israel shall praise the name of the Lord in gladness. And the pious shall give thanks in the assembly of the people ;

And on the poor shall God have mercy in the gladness (?) of Israel ;

8 (7) For good and merciful is God for ever,

ll x

And the assemblies of Israel shall glorify the name of the Lord.

The salvation of the Lord be upon the house of Israel unto everlasting gladness !

XI. Of Solomon. Unto expectation.

Blow ye in Zion on the trumpet to summon (the) saints, Cause ye to be heard in Jerusalem the voice of him that bringeth good tidings ; For God hath had pity on Israel in visiting them.

3 (2) Stand on the height, O Jerusalem, and behold thy children,

From the East and the West, gathered together by the Lord ;

18. Thou wilt not reject. So, by conjecture, von Gebhardt ; cp. vii. 8. Ryle and James, by conjecture, ‘ Thou wilt abide (among us) for ever.’ & ‘ Thou wilt not cease’.

X. Tirte. A Hymn JLCH; ‘In hymns’ R.

1. whom He restraineth. So %, and so, perhaps, #7, though S may be merely a free rendering of ékwAv6n, which Fritzsche tentatively suggested was the original text of &&; all codices of @& read éxveko6n, which Ryle and James render, on the authority of Exod. xiii. 18, Deut. xxxii. 12. @& ‘and he is fenced about’,

That he may be cleansed. #, perhaps, ‘and whom He cleanseth’; cp. ix. 12.

3. 3% ‘ For the way of the righteous is straight, and His chastening doth not pervert it’.

maketh. & ‘will make’. doth not pervert. & ‘will not pervert’.

4. remembereth. 4 ‘ will remember’.

5. The witness to God’s mercy is to be found written in the Law, and constantly in His visitations of men in their daily lives (or, ways) ; such may be the meaning of the verse.

6. kind. dotos; but this probably rendered T'DN, as in Ps, cxlv. (cxliv.) 17. % ‘upright’.

our Lord. 3% ‘our God’

in His judgements. 5% ‘in all His judgements’.

forever. 3S omits.

the Lord. J + ‘for ever’.

7. God. %*the Lord’.

the gladness (?) of Israel. A term for the Messianic age? Cp. Ryle and James. Or does ‘gladness’ conceal some term more parallel to ‘assembly’ in the previous line? and was ‘ the poor’ originally the subject, and ‘ God’ the object of a verb concealed by éAejoer? Kit. renders the line, ‘ Because God has pity on the poor, to the joy of Israel.’

8. The salvation of the Lord be upon, or, rather, in view of the position of rod kvpiov, ‘ Unto the Lord belongeth the salvation (to be wrought for).’

XI. For the relation of this Psalm to Baruch iv. 36-v. 9, and of both passages to Isa. xl-Ixvi, see Ryle and James, pp. lxxii ff.; but also above, p. 628.

1. Based on Joel ii. 1. The exact form of # here cannot be determined ; Zosszbly the last half of the line ran, ‘the holy trumpet of Jubilee’ (Ryle and James).

2. Cause ye to be heard. (& % ‘proclaim’.

4 (3) From the North they come in the gladness of their God, From the isles afar off God hath gathered them. 5 (4) High mountains hath He abased into a plain for them ; 6 The hills fled at their entrance. (5) The woods gave them shelter as they passed by ; 7 Every sweet-smelling tree God caused to spring up for them, (6) That Israel might pass by in the visitation of the glory of their God. 8 (7) Put on, O Jerusalem, thy glorious garments ; Make ready thy holy robe ; For God hath spoken good concerning Israel, for ever and ever. 9 (8) Let the Lord do what He hath spoken concerning Israel and Jerusalem ; Let the Lord raise up Israel by His glorious name.

(9) The mercy of the Lord be upon Israel for ever and ever.

XII. Of Solomon. Against the tongue of transgressors.

12:10 Lord, deliver my soul from (the) lawless and wicked man, From the tongue that is lawless and slanderous, and speaketh lies and deceit. 2 Manifoldly twisted (?) are the words of the tongue of the wicked man, Even as » > . a. fire that burneth pe 3... to fill houses with a lying tongue, To cut down the trees of gladness . . . 4 ‘To involve households in warfare by means of slanderous lips.

(4) May God remove far from the innocent the lips of transgressors by (bringing them to) want And may the bones of slanderers be scattered (far) away from them that fear the Lord! 5 In flaming fire perish the slanderous tongue (far) away from the pious ! 6 (5) May the Lord preserve the quiet soul that hateth the unrighteous; And may the Lord establish the man that followeth peace at home. 7 (6) The salvation of the Lord be upon Israel His servant for ever ;

6. The woods. & ‘the cedar’.

XII. TirLe. Against: @& ev. Perchance we have here another case of the Gk. ey representing an original 1, misread 2; in that case the title of this psalm was doubtless taken from the opening words of the second line.

2. Text and meaning of & are uncertain and obscure, and it is impossible to determine the original form of ®.

Manifoldly twisted (?), lit. ‘in manifoldness (cf. iv. 3) of turning’, or ‘twisting’. So RJ (€ motkiAia orpopys) and virtually LC (ev w. rpopis). H ev race: Suacrpodpis (‘for the accomplishment of frowardness’) is obviously a corruption of this.

Even as...afire. Insofar at least as the words omitted in the translation above are concerned, it is very questionable whether any of the readings or conjectures preserve or recover the sense of the original. The text of RJ LC, which is substantially supported by &, reads, éomep ev had wip dvdmrov Kaddovny aitov. This may be literally rendered, ‘Even as among a people a fire that burneth up its beauty.’ H reads éomep ev dw mip avdmrov Kaddpny advtod, ‘ Even as ona threshing-floor a fire that burneth up its stubble.’ See, further, von Gebhardt’s discussion and suggestions, pp. 78 ff. Ifthe ‘twisting’ of v. 2 a can be relied on, the point of the comparison should be that the guileful speech of the wicked is as full of twists and incalculable turns (cf. Isa. ix. 17 (18), with n. in Zt. Crit. Comm.) as the volume of smoke with which fire ascends when it is blown about by the wind.

3. This verse also must have suffered from corruption of the Greek text or of the Hebrew text, or mistranslation, or both; but, in general, cf. iv. 11-15. The verbs in the three lines are ambiguous in & ; apart from the accentuation they may be either optatives or infinitives ; the position of the verb in the first line rather suggests that in they were infinitives. In that case the opening clause of the verse should lead up to an infinitive ; in the original text these may have stood something like ‘ His (or, ‘ the transgressor’s’) delight is’, or ‘ His heart is set’. G, literally rendered, is, ‘ His dwelling-place’ or ‘ sojourning’ (is, &c.), which yields no sense. It is a clever suggestion that 7 mapockia avrod is an unfortunate rendering, in itself perfectly possible, but in this passage impossible, of 1719; yet it is questionable whether ‘ His terror (consists in filling)’, &c., would be very naturally expressed in #) by 1. Ryle and James connect the first clause of v. 3 with v. 2, and render the last part of v. 2, “Even as fire in a threshingfloor that burneth up the straw thereof, (so is) his sojourning (among men) that he may set fire to houses,’ &c.; but this rests on the improbable text of H in v. 2, and implies an improbable rhythmical structure of #9.

to fill. SoS. Hilgenfeld al., by conjecture, ‘to set fire to’.

the trees of gladness. Figurative for the saints? Cf. xiv.2. The clause omitted above is very obscure ; the entire line may be literally rendered, ‘to cut off the trees of gladness which setteth on fire transgressors’ (R LC), or ‘the trees of wicked inflammatory joy’ (J H). S renders, ‘For He hath cut down the trees of His delight with’ the flame of the transgressor’. By conjectural emendation of & Ryle and James obtain for the last clause (omitted in the translation above), ‘with the flame of (his) wicked tongue’.

4. households. ¢k S ‘lawless households’; but the position of the adjective differs in different MSS., and it is probably a dittograph from the previous line. If the adjective belongs to the original text the meaning is that ‘the slanderer will not scruple to set those of his own party by the ears’.

2 And let the sinners perish together at the presence of the Lord ; But let the Lord’s pious ones inherit the promises of the Lord.

XIII. Of Solomon. A Psalm. Comfort for the righteous.

13 1 The right hand of the Lord hath covered me; The right hand of the Lord hath spared us. 2 The arm of the Lord hath saved us from the sword that passed through, From famine and the death of sinners. 3 Noisome beasts ran upon them: With their teeth they tore their flesh, And with their molars crushed their bones. (4) But from all these things the Lord delivered us. 4 (5) The righteous was troubled on account of his errors, Lest he should be taken away along with the sinners ; s (6) For terrible is the overthrow of the sinner ; But not one of all these things toucheth the righteous. (7) For not alike are the chastening of the righteous (for sins done) in ignorance, And the overthrow of the sinners. 7 (8) Secretly (?) is the righteous chastened, Lest the sinner rejoice over the righteous. 8 (9) For He correcteth the righteous as a beloved son, And his chastisement is as that of a firstborn. g 10) For the Lord spareth His pious ones, And blotteth out their errors by His chastening. (11) For the life of the righteous shall be for ever ; 1o ©But sinners shall be taken away into destruction, And their memorial shall be found no more. 11 (12) But upon the pious is the mercy of the Lord, And upon them that fear Him His mercy.

XIV. A Hymn. Of Solomon.

14 x Faithful is the Lord to them that love Him in truth, To them that endure His chastening, (2) To them that walk in the righteousness of His commandments, In the law which He commanded us that we might live. 2 (5) The pious of the Lord shall live by it for ever ; The Paradise of the Lord, the trees of life, are His pious ones. 3 (4) Their planting is rooted for ever ; They shall not be plucked up all the days of heaven: (5) For the portion and the inheritance of God is Israel.

that passed through: sc. the land. Cp. Ezek. xiv. 17, Lev. xxvi. 6. ) 4 the death of sinners. From premature (Ps. lv. 24 (23) or violent death, or death beyond which lies no eternal life (cf. ix), i.e. from such deaths as sinners die. Cp. ‘the death of the righteous’, Num. xxiii. 10. Or, possibly, & is due to a wrong division of #, which may have run, ‘from famine and pestilence (see vii. 4.) ; as for sinners, noisome beasts’, &c. In that case the passage refers to the four plagues of Ezek. xiv. 21. Sau 4. The righteous. A conjectural substitute, which the context demands (Wellh., von Gebh., Kit.) for ‘the impious’, which is the reading of all MSS. of & and S. For a defence of the text of & see Ryle and James. SELOKs Cia d, Os ile Os PS. Six. 03 (12), 5. toucheth. & ‘shall touch’. 7. Secretly, or ‘Sparingly’. The meaning is uncertain; see Ryle and James.

8. correcteth. & ‘will correct’. God corrects the righteous as a father corrects his beloved and first-born son. g. The tenses in & are future.

Il. upon them... His mercy. 5% ‘ He will cherish’.

XIV. 1d. which JLC; ‘as’ H; omit R. Cp. S$‘ He has given us the law for our life’. | that we might live, lit. ‘ unto our life’. : 2. by it, viz. the law; or, ‘in Him’. 3. all the days of heaven. A synonym for ‘for ever’.

Cp. Ps. Ixxxix. 30, Job xiv. 12.

4 (6) But not so are the sinners and transgressors, Who love (the brief) day (spent) in companionship with their sin ; (7) Their delight is in fleeting corruption, 5 And they remember not God. (8) For the ways of men are known before Him at all times, And He knoweth the secrets of the heart before they come to pass. 6 (9) Therefore their inheritance is Sheol and darkness and destruction, And they shall not be found in the day when the righteous obtain mercy ; 7 10) But the pious of the Lord shall inherit life in gladness.

XV. A Psalm, Of Solomon. With a Song.

15 1 When I was in distress I called upon the name of the Lord, I hoped for the help of the God of Jacob and was saved ; 2 For the hope and refuge of the poor art Thou, O God. 3 (2) For who, O God, is strong except to give thanks unto Thee in truth? 4 And wherein is a man powerful except in giving thanks to Thy name? 5 (3) A new psalm with song in gladness of heart, The fruit of the lips with the well-tuned instrument of the tongue, The firstfruits of the lips from a pious and righteous heart— 6 (4) He that offereth these things shall never be shaken by evil ; The flame of fire and the wrath against the unrighteous shall not touch him, 7 (5) When it goeth forth from the face of the Lord against sinners, To destroy all the substance of sinners, 8 (6) For the mark of God is upon the righteous that they may be saved.

(7) Famine and sword and pestilence (shall be) far from the righteous, 9 For they shall flee away from the pious as men pursued in war ; (8) But they shall pursue sinners and overtake (them), And they that do lawlessness shall not escape the judgement of God ; (9) As by enemies experienced (in war) shall they be overtaken, 10 ©6For the mark of destruction is upon their forehead. 11 (10) And the inheritance of sinners is destruction and darkness, And their iniquities shall pursue them unto Sheol beneath. 12 (11) Their inheritance shall not be found of their children, 13 For sins shall lay waste the houses of sinners. (12) And sinners shall perish for ever in the day of the Lord’s judgement, 14 When God visiteth the earth with His judgement. 15 (13) But they that fear the Lord shall find mercy therein, And shall live by the compassion of their God ; But sinners shall perish for ever.

XVI. A Hymn. Of Solomon. For Help to the Pious.

16 1 When my soul slumbered (being afar) from the Lord, I had all but slipped down to the pit, When (I was) far from God, 2 my soul had been wellnigh poured out unto death,

4. fleeting, lit. ‘littleness of’.

XV. TITLE. Witha Song. Cp. v. 3, and see xii, title. 1d. S‘And for my help I called to the God of Jacob’. 5. Anew psalm. SoJRL&%; H ‘apsalm and praise’. Cp. ili. 1n. 6. offereth, lit. ‘ doeth’. these things. Resumptive of v. 5. 8. pestilence. @& ‘death’; see vii. 4 note. ga. they. The plagues of v. 84; and so inv. 9d. as men pursued in war. Such (cp. 9d) was probably the meaning of the original. The actual readings of & are Owoxdpevor (J ; -ov RL CH) aro dipod (RJ : Aysod LC H); but they yield no tolerable sense. For different forms of the conjecture here adopted see Ryle and James and von Gebhardt. 3, curiously, ‘as death flees from life.’

9 4. they, i.e. the plagues mentioned in v. 86; soR S; but inJ LC H ‘it’, anticipating the summarizing singular sense of the next line.

13. sins. 5% ‘their sins’. 14. H + ‘to recompense sinners unto everlasting’ ; cp. ii. 38.

XVI. TITLE. to the Pious. H omit. 1-3. The text is not improbably over-full, and the punctuation is uncertain. to the pit. The translation rests on the supposition that (1) xarapOopa J CH S was the original text of &;

(I had been) nigh unto the gates of Sheol with the sinner, 3 when my soul departed from the Lord God of Israel— Had not the Lord helped me with His everlasting mercy.

4 He pricked me, as a horse is pricked, that I might serve Him, My saviour and helper at all times saved me. 5 I will give thanks unto Thee, O God, for Thou hast helped me to (my) salvation ; And hast not counted me with sinners to (my) destruction. 6 Remove not Thy mercy from me, O God, Nor Thy memorial from my heart until I die. 7 Rule me, O God, (keeping me back) from wicked sin, And from every wicked woman that causeth the simple to stumble. g And let not the beauty of a lawless woman beguile me, Nor any one that is subject to (?) unprofitable sin.

g Establish the works of my hands before Thee, And preserve my goings in the remembrance of Thee.

10 Protect my tongue and my lips with words of truth;

Anger and unreasoning wrath put far from me.

11 Murmuring, and impatience in affliction, remove far from me,

When, if I sin, Thou chastenest me that I may return (unto Thee).

12 But with goodwill and cheerfulness support my soul;

When Thou strengthenest my soul, what is given (to me) will be sufficient for me.

13 For if Zou givest not strength,

Who can endure chastisement with poverty ?

14 When a man is rebuked by means of his corruption,

Thy testing (of him) is in his flesh and in the affliction of poverty.

15 If the righteous endureth in all these (trials), he shall receive mercy from the Lord.

XVII. A Psalm. Of Solomon. With Song. Of the King.

17 x O Lord, Thou art our King for ever and ever,

For in Thee, O God, doth our soul glory.

2 How long are the days of man’s life upon the earth? As are his days, so is the hope (set) upon him.

3 But we hope in God, our deliverer ;

(2) that dvov is due to a misplaced gloss or a corrupt dittograph in # (NNW Niwas for NNW); and (3) that carapbopa, as in Ps. xlix. 9, and as more frequently dcapOopa, was a misrendering of NNW, ‘pit’. The actual readings of the MSS. are ‘in corruption of sleep’ (J C H), (in) ‘sleep of corruption’ (3, which perchance represents the order of the two words in the original text of &), and ‘in heaviness (karapopa) of sleep’ (R L).

When (I was) far, ro paxpay. @& lacks the év and the pronoun which should normally be present, if the sense implied by the translation was intended. $ +>; but this is inconclusive as to the reading of &. Von Gebhardt for ivov To conjectures invotra = imvotvrwv ; then render ‘ (sunk) in the heaviness of them that sleep afar from God’,

3. Lord God. & om. ‘Lord’.

4. asahorse is pricked. Lit. ‘like the goad of a horse’; ws xévrpov immov, perhaps in # simply 72773 ‘as with a goad’,

that-I might serve Him. & éni rv ypnydpnow airod, which Ryle and James render ‘that I might watch unto him’, # perhaps yayd 3 oP iii. 2 note.

8. Nor any one. & ‘nor of any thing’ (or ‘of any one’). The translation ‘ subject to’ presupposes a very questionable construction in &. Ryle and James conjecture may TO ovykeipevoy for mayros Umoketpevov,and render ‘ Nor aught that consisteth in sinful vanity’. 3% ‘ Nor any sin that is’, which seems to be a paraphrase of &.

9g. before Thee. % = evemtov cov, which is probably the original whence the readings ev tw cov (J) and ev rér@ cov (all other MSS. of G&) arose. Renderings of conjectural emendations that have been suggested are, ‘in thy fear’, ‘in thy word’.

14. The sense is obscure. ‘A man’; & ‘a soul’. ‘Corruption’; cp. xiv. 4.

15. Or, ‘If the righteous endureth, in the midst of these trials he shall receive,’ &c.

VT LITLE. (Cp. xv. 1. 1. and ever, For in Thee ... doth. Or, perhaps, reading kat ére for kal ere dre, And yet (cp. Ps. xlii. 6, 11) in siheer. = . shall,’ 2. How long are the days. & ‘and what is the time’. the hope. && ‘his hope’. Transitory as is man’s life, so transitory is the hope which one man places in another ; but (v. 3) the hope placed in God is eternal. 3. Mercy for Israel; judgement for the nations. hope. So J; al. ‘ will hope’.

THE: PSALMS (OFY SOLOMON, P743-16

For the might of our God is for ever with mercy, 4 And the kingdom of our God is for ever over the nations in judgement.

5 (4) Thou, O Lord, didst choose David (to be) king over Israel, And swaredst to him touching his seed that never should his kingdom fail before Thee. 6 (5) But, for our sins, sinners rose up against us; They assailed us and thrust us out ; What Thou hadst not promised to them, they took away (from us) with violence. 7 They in no wise glorified Thy honourable name ; (6) They set a (worldly) monarchy in place of (that which was) their excellency ; 8 They laid waste the throne of David in tumultuous arrogance.

(7) But Thou, O God, didst cast them down, and remove their seed from the earth, 9 In that there rose up against them a_man that was alien to our race.

ro (8) According to their sins didst Thou recompense them, O God; So that it befell them according to their deeds.

rr (9) God showed them no pity ; He sought out their seed and let not one of them go free.

12 (10) Faithful is the Lord in all His judgements

Which He doeth upon the earth.

13 (11) The lawless one laid waste our land so that none inhabited it, They destroyed young and old and their children together. 14 (12) In the heat of His anger He sent them away even unto the west, And (He exposed) the rulers of the land unsparingly to derision. 15 (13) Being an alien the enemy acted proudly, And his heart was alien from our God. As also the nations . .

6. sinners. Jews, not foreigners (cp. v. 9). The Hasmonaeans are probably intended ; the first pers. plur. then refers to the Pharisees, or (Ryle and James) the priests. Frankenberg explains the verse of the Babylonian assault on Jerusalem, &c., treating ‘us’ as equivalent to ‘our fathers’. p

What... tothem. &‘towhom’. ® (ond + +.» WRN) would admit of either rendering. The allusion appears to be to the assumption of the royal dignity by the non-Davidic Aristobulus I and later Hasmonaeans, and of the high-priestly dignity by these same persons, though they did not belong to the high-priesily lines.

7. in no wise glorified. Lit. ‘they glorified not with (ev) glory’; for the construction representing probably the Hebrew infin. abs., cp. i. 8. In spite of the punctuation of the Greek MSS., ‘in glory’ is better taken with v. 7a@ (so clearly %) than with v. 7 0.

7b. They preferred to use the title, and enjoy the position, of kings, than to recognize the sovereignty of God which was the true ‘excellency’ of the Jews. But this meaning is by no means certain; assuming that dyri may = 1 or }2, others render ‘they set up a monarchy’, i.e. made themselves kings, ‘in their pride.’

8 6-12. In vv. 84, 1oa, 11a, the verbs in Greek are in the future tense; they represent Hebrew imperfects referring to the past.

8. ia teimaleabns arrogance. So H and perhaps #. RJ L (cp. S$) ‘in pride of price’, which seems senseless.

8%. from the earth, or, YN being ambiguous, ‘from the land’ (cp. v. 30), a specific allusion to Pompey’s carrying captive to Rome Aristobulus and his children (see v. 14, note).

g. aman that was alien. Pompey.

Io. Sothat. 3? ‘And’.

11. Obviously through dittography, there stand in J L H at the beginning of this verse, as well as at the end of v. Io, the words ‘according to their deeds’. In SR the words are absent from v. II.

The verbs throughout the verse are in S$ 2nd pers. sing. imperative (or imperfect with imperative force). In H the negative in v. 11 @ has been lost.

13. The lawless one. So RJ LS; H ‘the tempest’. The sing. (ct. v. 20) throughout vv. 13-16 (except in 13 9) is used collectively of the enemy (cp. v. 15) or specifically of their leader (Pompey). Whether the change to the plur. (of the enemies distributively) in v. 13 6 (S$ and all MSS. of &) is original may be doubted.

14. the heat of His anger. ¢k ‘the wrath of His beauty’; % ‘the beauty of His wrath’. An original 15N, or (Ryle and James) DN, was probably misread 5’. The pronouns probably refer to God. ’

unto the west. Pompey carried Aristobulus and his children captive to Rome (Jos. Azz. xiv. 4. 5, 5. 4, 6.1; BSc TAT somos

15. Being an alien, ¢v d\dXorpidrnrt perhaps = "1322, which might be an error for 11332 ‘like an alien’.

acted proudly. Cp. Ps. xxxi. 24 (23).

And his heart, or, rather, ‘seeing that his heart’, if, as Ryle and James suggest, v. 15 6 is not a simple parallel to-15 a, but an explanation that proud doing was due to the excusable ignorance (in a foreigner) of the true God.

16. Very uncertain. According to the text of & the verse continues the description of what the enemy did (émoingev) in Jerusalem : ‘ all things whatsoever he did in Jerusalem, (he did) as also the nations (do).’ According to 3 it rather opens the description continued in v. 17 of the evil conduct of the Jews : ‘And every thing did Jerusalem, as also the peoples do

17 (15) And the children of the covenant in the midst of the mingled peoples . . . e There was not among them one that wrought in the midst of Jerusalem mercy and truth. 18 (16) They that loved the synagogues of the pious fled from them,

As sparrows that fly from their nest. 19 (17) They wandered in deserts that their lives might be saved from harm,

And precious in the eyes of them that lived abroad was any that escaped alive from them. 20(18) Over the whole earth were they scattered by lawless (men).

21 (19) For the heavens withheld the rain from dropping upon the earth,

Springs were stopped (that sprang) perennial(ly) out of the deeps, (that ran down) from lofty mountains. For there was none among them that wrought righteousness and justice ; (20) From the chief of them to the least (of them) all were sinful ; 22 The king was a transgressor, and the judge disobedient, and the people sinful.

23 (21) Behold, O Lord, and raise up unto them their king, the son of David, At the time in the which Thou seest, O God, that he may reign over Israel Thy servant. 24 (22) And gird him with strength, that he may shatter unrighteous rulers, 2; And that he may purge Jerusalem from nations that trample (her) down to destruction. (23) Wisely, righteously 26 he shall thrust out sinners from (the) inheritance, He shall destroy the pride of the sinner as a potter’s vessel. (24) With a rod of iron he shall break in pieces all their substance, 27 He shall destroy the godless nations with the word of his mouth ; (25) At his rebuke nations shall flee before him, And he shall reprove sinners for the thoughts of their heart.

28 (26) And he shall gather together a holy people, whom he shall lead in righteousness, And, he shall judge the tribes of the people that has been sanctified by the Lord his God. 29 (27) And he shall not suffer unrighteousness to lodge any more in their midst, Nor shall there dwell with them any man that knoweth wickedness, 30.~30- For he shall know them, that they are all sons of their God.

in their cities to their gods.’ Literally rendered the text of J LH runs, ‘ And all things whatsoever he did in Jerusalem, ' as also the nations in the cities to their gods’; from this 3 seems to be derived through haplography of év (émoinoev for emoinoev év). The alternative that 3 represents the original text of & and that J L H is due to dittography of éy might be considered, if it was not probable that the rois Ocois of J LH 3 was a mere substitute for the unintelligible, but probably earlier, reading of R—rovs eovs. Similarly, ‘ their cities’ (S) is probably a mere amplification of ‘the cities’ (Gr). For ev rais méXeot rovs Oeovs von Gebhardt conjectures as the original reading of & éy rats wédeot 100 obEvous, understanding ‘in the cities of their might’ to mean in the other cities besides Jerusalem which they had conquered. But this, if it were in other respects more acceptable, would still leave v. 164 suspiciously elliptical. This ellipsis, and the probability that the reading ‘ the cities’ (G&) is prior to ‘their cities’ (S), and rovs Geovs to trois Oeots, deprives Frankenberg’s argument that the allusion is not to Pompey but to Antiochus Epiphanes (1 Macc. i. 44 ff., 54 ff. ; 2 Macc. vi. 102) of much of its plausibility. What may have been meant, or alluded to, by # remains very uncertain.

17a. the children of the covenant, i.e. the Jews (cp. Ezek. xxx. 5, Acts iii. 25). ‘The mingled peoples,’ apparently here the Gentiles; for F1Y implied by cuppixrwy see Neh. xiii. 3, Jer. xxv. 20, 1. 37, Ezek. xxx.5. What was meant by éemexpatotvoay airéy (not translated above), or the Hebrew underlying it, is uncertain; is it that the Jews ‘surpassed’ (12 11M) the heathen in wickedness (cp. i. 8), or ‘attached themselves (1 3PM) to them’? & would most naturally mean ‘ruled them’ (cp. xvi. 7), or ‘ gained the mastery over them’.

19. To the sympathetic eyes of the Jews of the Dispersion, who are here termed wapoxia as temporary residents (abroad), it seemed a rare thing for one of “aszdzm to escape alive from the faithless and merciless Jews of Jerusalem.

21. For. If the conjunction is correct—we might rather expect ‘therefore’ (3)—-the argument implied rather than expressed is: The disloyal sons of the covenant by their sins brought about a drought (cp. ii. 10), and this in turn caused the pious to wander far and wide.

21 6. Probably enough, the exact form of the original is not preserved here.

21d. to the least of them. So 3; & ‘and of the least people’ (4) misread OY).

all were sinful. (& ‘in every sin’ (NON bs (cp. Ps. xiv. 3) misread SON baa ?). 23. seest. So RJ LS; ‘knowest’, H V. Von Gebhardt conjectures ‘ chosest’. 25. And that he may purge. SoS; cp.v.33. (& ‘purge’, as though addressed to God. trample (her) down. Cp. ii. 2. Wisely, righteously. According to the punctuation of J these words should go with v. 25. 3S omits them.

26, 27. In & the verbs are either certainly infinitive (v. 27 4) or ambiguous, i.e. optative or infinitive (according to the accentuation). It is possible that in # these verses were entirely dependent on v. 24: ‘Gird him .. . that he may thrust out. . . destroy . . . break in pieces,’ &c. More probably the tenses of #] were, as in vv. 29 ff. (cp. &), imperfects intended in a simple indicative future sense. S continues the subordination of the tenses into v. 28, though, on the other hand, ‘shall flee’, clearly infinitive in @&, is clearly imperfect in 3.

28. whom he shall lead in. S ‘who shall make their boast of’.

30. their. Som. In J LH airév precedes, in R it follows etow.

(28) And he shall divide them according to their tribes upon the land, 31 And neither sojourner nor alien shall sojourn with them any more. (29) He shall judge peoples and nations in the wisdom of his righteousness. Se/ah.

32 (30) And he shall have the heathen nations to serve him under his yoke ; And he shall glorify the Lord in a place to be seen of (?) all the earth ; 33. And he shall purge Jerusalem, making it holy as of old: 34 (31) So that nations shall come from the ends of the earth to see his glory, Bringing as gifts her sons who had fainted, 35 And to see the glory of the Lord, wherewith God hath glorified her. (32) And he (shall be) a righteous king, taught of God, over them, 36 And there shall be no unrighteousness in his days in their midst, ~—— For all shall be holy and their king the anointed of the Lord. 37 (33) For he shall not put his trust in horse and rider and bow, Nor shall he multiply for himself gold and silver for war, Nor shall he gather confidence from (?) a multitude (?) for the day of battle. 38 (34) The Lord Himself is his king, the hope of him that is mighty through (his) hope in God.

( ) All nations (shall be) in fear before him, 39 (35) For he will smite the earth with the word of his mouth for ever. 40 He will bless the people of the Lord with wisdom and gladness, 41 (36) And he himself (will be) pure from sin, so that he may rule a great people. He will rebuke rulers, and remove sinners by the might of his word ; 42 (37) And (relying) upon his God, throughout his days he will not stumble ; For God will make him mighty by means of (His) holy spirit, And wise by means of the spirit of understanding, with strength and righteousness. 43 (38) And the blessing of the Lord (will be) with him: he will be strong and stumble not; 44 (39) His hope (will be) in the Lord: who then can prevail against him ? (40) (He will be) mighty in his works, and strong in the fear of God, 45 (He will be) shepherding the flock of the Lord faithfully and righteously, And will suffer none among them to stumble in their pasture. 46 (41) He will lead them all aright, And there will be no pride among them that any among them should be oppressed.

324. in a place to be seen of. So Ryle and James render ev emionpe (cp. ii. 6 n.), seeing in the lines an allusion to the miraculously exalted and consequently conspicuous Zion of the Messianic age (Isa. ii. 2). Kit. here, as in ii.°6,

takes év em. to be a rendering of - N33, and renders ‘openly before’. In $ v. 324 reads ‘and they (i.e. the nations)

shall praise (= glorify) the Lord openly in all the earth’. 34, 35a. Very probably the original form of this tristich (originally a distich?) is not correctly preserved. ‘His glory’, i.e. the glory of the Messianic king; ‘her sons’, i.e. the exiled inhabitants of Jerusalem. 34. So that nations shall come. So RH 3; J L ‘Come, ye nations’; 1? ‘nations shall come’. fainted. 3% ‘been scattered from her’.

35. Perhaps read simply, ‘ And he (shall be) a righteous king taught of God’, ods being dittographed and then

read incorrectly om>x = on Y, ‘over them.’

36. the anointed of the Lord (cp. xviii. 6). %@& ‘the anointed, the Lord’ ( Christ the Lord, Luke ii. 11), Gk Xpirrds xvpios ANT NW (or jIN Mv), the normal rendering of which would be Xprords xupiov; for the

37. Obscure. % employs the same verbal phrase here as in 37a; if by accident S so far returns to the original, it is difficult to account for the variation in &, Further, if roAAois is the objective of the verbal phrase, we might expect it to be preceded by a preposition, and if instrumental by ev. Ryle and James conjecture mAotos for roddois, and render ‘nor by ships shall he gather confidence’, &c.

38 a. Doubtless this line, together perhaps with vw. 37 ¢ in an earlier uncorrupted form, contained the antithesis to vv. 37 a,6: Not in weapons and material resources, but in God does he put his trust. Whether the strangely expressed Greek text atall closely reproduces the original, or whether the Lord was here described as the king’s King, must remain very doubtful.

38 6. The words kai edenoe, left untranslated above, are probably due to some corruption, whether in # or &@. ‘He shall have mercy upon all the nations (that come) before him in fear’ (Ryle and James) is a bad introduction to v. 39. kai eheyoet . . . ev Pd8@ may represent some such phrase as ‘he shall set trembling’; or kai ¢Aejoes may belong to the preceding corrupt line, and ev @é8@ = IN".

39. Cp. Isa. xi. 4. Note also the influence of Isa. xi. 3 f. on the following lines.

41. He will rebuke ... andremove. & ‘that he may’, &c.

will make. & ‘made’.

43. he will be strong. & éy ioywW, ‘in strength’ (= TY. erroneously read for TY").

46. aright, Lit. ‘in equalness’; so R J L marg.; ‘in holiness’, L (text) H.

47 (42) This (will be) the majesty of the king of Israel whom God knoweth ; Fe He will raise him up over the house of Israel to correct him. 48 (43) His words (shall be) more refined than costly gold, the choicest ; In the assemblies he will judge the peoples, the tribes of the sanctified. 49 His words (shall be) like the words of the holy ones in the midst of sanctified peoples. .50 Blessed be they that shall be in those days, In that they shall see the good fortune of Israel which God shall bring to pass in the gathering together of the tribes. 51 May the Lord hasten His mercy upon Israel! May He deliver us from the uncleanness of unholy enemies !

The Lord Himself is our king for ever and ever.

XVIII. A Psalm. Of Solomon. Again of the Anointed of the Lord.

18 1x Lord, Thy mercy is over the works of Thy hands for ever ; Thy goodness is over Israel with a rich gift. 2 Thine eyes look upon them, so that none of them suffers want ; 3. Thine ears listen to the hopeful prayer of the poor. (3) Thy judgements (are executed) upon the whole earth in mercy ; 4 And Thy love (is) toward the seed of Abraham, the children of Israel. (4) Thy chastisement is upon us as (upon) a first-born, only-begotten son, 5 To turn back the obedient soul from folly (that is wrought) in ignorance. 6 (5) May God cleanse Israel against the day of mercy and blessing, Against the day of choice when He bringeth back His anointed.

.7 (6) Blessed shall they be that shall be in those days, In that they shall see the goodness of the Lord which He shall perform for the generation that is to come, 8 (7) Under the rod of chastening of the Lord’s anointed in the fear of his God, In the spirit of wisdom and righteousness and strength ; 9 (8) That he may direct (every) man in the works of righteousness by the fear of God, That he may establish them all before the Lord, Io (9) A good generation (living) in the fear of God in the days of mercy. Selah.

11 (10) Great is our God and glorious, dwelling in the highest.

47. whom. (& ‘which’, wrongly referring the relative (WW) to ‘majesty’ and not to ‘king’. knoweth. & ‘knew’. 48. costly gold, the choicest. # probably read ‘fine gold’ simply. In the assemblies. “Evy cvvaywyais, possibly an error (MII for NITY3) for ‘by means of the Testimony’, i.e. the Law. 49. the holy ones. The angels; cp. Ps. Ixxxix. 6, Job v. I. 50. Cp. xviii. 6. ‘ The good fortune of Israel,’ cp. Ps. cxxvili. 5. Instead of ‘Israel’ J reads ‘ Jerusalem’. 51. May He deliver. &‘ He will deliver’; but in # the tenses in the parallel lines doubtless had the same force.

XVIII. TITLE. Again of. SoRJ; LH read ‘upon’. 2. upon them, i.e. ‘the works of Thy hands’. so that ... suffers. Gr‘and.. . will suffer’. suffers want, or ‘is lacking’. the hopeful prayer of the poor, or ‘the prayer of the poor who hopeth (in Thee)’.

6. the day of mercy and (lit. ‘in’) blessing is the day when God shows mercy to and blesses Israel ; it is also the day of His choosing or determining upon the appearance of the Messiah (cp. xvii. 23). The term dvaéis here used, if we might press the force of the Greek, would imply a ‘ bringing again’ or ‘bringing up’ of a pre-existing Messiah (cp. Ryle and James) ; yet it must remain very doubtful whether the original really expressed this idea here.

8. Loose and awkward ; but apparently the meaning is the generation that is to come and will live under the discipline (cp. vii. 8) of the Messiah. We., assuming that id is a rendering of a misunderstood NNN which should have been rendered dvri, understands the line to mean ‘ Instead of the rod of chastening (there shall be) the Lord's Anointed’.

the spirit of wisdom and. & ‘wisdom of spirit and of’.

11-14. A marked change of subject, and perhaps originally a distinct Psalm (Ryle and James). The abruptness of the conclusion, the incompleteness of the treatment, and the absence of any doxology suggest that the conclusion of the Psalm has been lost.

12 (It is He) who hath established in (their) courses the lights (of pie for determining year to year, frit

And they have not turned aside from the way which He appointed them.

3 (11) In the fear of God (they pursue) their path every day, * From the day God created them and for evermore.

14 (12) And they have erred not since the day He created them.

Since the generations of old they have not withdrawn from their path, Unless God commanded them (so to do) by the command of US. servants. — thes;

12. for determining seasons, &c. Lit. ‘ for times of hours nan days to ees 14. by the command of His servants. Cp. Jer. x. Le Isa. xxxviil. I- 10.

fee FOUR FH BOOK OF MACGABEES

§ 1. SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE BCOK.

THE Fourth Book of Maccabees is couched in the form of a discourse or treatise, taking for its subject the power of 6 ciceBijs Aoytopds, the Inspired Reason, to control the passions. It has been suggested by Freudenthal that the work may be a specimen of synagogue preaching, and Ewald appears to agree with him in this, but other commentators reply that in the Diaspora the regular synagogue practice was always to take a passage from the Bible as a text for the sermon. Now Fourth Maccabees has no text, and the rules of Jewish services are seldom departed from, so it is probable that this work was given as a lecture rather than a sermon. But the best authorities doubt whether we know enough about Judaeo-Hellenistic practice nearly two thousand years ago to justify a positive conclusion about the matter. At all events the author of this work, be it lecture or sermon, is unquestionably an orthodox Jew, and his object is to fire the hearts of his co-religionists with such an enthusiastic devotion to their faith that they will be ready to face the last extremity of suffering in its behalf. A student of Greek philosophy himself, speaking to people who were evidently familiar with its terminology, he enlists the Stoic virtues in the cause of Jewish orthodoxy. Adopting the Stoic definition of the four cardinal virtues, judgement and justice, and courage and temperance, he insists that these are best attained by men being born and brought up under the Law of Moses. He leaves on one side the discussion of the methods by which Greek philosophy proposed to attain virtue. He has naturally no inspired anticipation of the Christian doctrine of God’s grace whereby sinners may be led into the way of truth ; for we shall find reason to think that he wrote before any such thing as a Christian document had even come into existence. But he not only adopts the Stoic virtues, he also takes the Stoic view of sin, that to offend in one point is to be guilty of all, when he makes his protomartyr, Eleazar, say, ‘ Think it not then a small sin for us to eat the unclean thing ; for the transgression of the Law, be it in small things or in great, is equally heinous.’ Yet his acceptance of the Stoic position is not indiscriminating, as, although he uses their philosophical definition of the virtues, he refrains from specifically adopting their classification of the primary passions under the four heads of delight, grief, pain, and fear. The Stoics held that the passions were not grounded in nature but were due to wrong thinking, and could and should be extirpated. The author, on thecontrary, holds that the passions were implanted in man by God and are not to be extirpated but controlled. ‘Reason’, he says, ‘is not the extirpator of the passions, but their antagonist.’ And this power of Reason he illustrates, not, as his Stoic friends would have done, from Greek sources, but from the Jews’ own Bible story, from the lives of Joseph and Jacob, of Moses and David. Then he passes to the subject of the terrible tyrant of Syria, Antiochus, whom some styled Epiphanes, The Brilliant, and some Epimanes, The Madman, and describes his odious oppressions: and so comes presently to the martyrs, Eleazar, and the Seven Brethren, and the Mother. He relates their defiance of the tyrant and enlarges on their sufferings with an even greater wealth of dreadful detail than the writer of Second Maccabees, whether the additions are due to his own invention or are drawn from a common original, the lost work of Jason of Cyrene. He recounts insistently the martyrs’ triumphant victory over their sufferings, won by the aid of their Reason, their unconquerable fidelity to the Law of Moses, and their assured hope of a blessed immortality in the company of the patriarchs. That immortality is their reward in heaven, while they enjoy on earth the honour of being held the saviours of their country, which noble title he would inscribe as their epitaph. His impassioned eulogy is intended to rouse the patriotic and religious feelings of his audience to the highest pitch and harden them to the point of following so glorious an example. If I were asked to suggest the most probable reason why this book was written I should incline to the opinion that it was in consequence of the deification of the Roman Emperors. It is true that that deification (which involved nothing particularly startling to the pagan world) was not taken very seriously by Augustus and Tiberius, and in consequence did not become a really crucial question with the Jews until the accession of Caligula, whom we might well call the Second Brilliant Madman. Mad he was and did verily take himself for a god and demand to be

worshipped as such, and then all the horrors of the persecution of Epiphanes were repeated in Egypt on the bodies of the wretched Jews, the defiling and torture of their persons, the plunder of their holy things, and the erection of statues of the deified Emperor in their desecrated Synagogues. But though this persecution did not take place till A. D. 38-39, the future instrument through which Caligula’s madness was to work, namely the base passions of the dregs of the Egyptian, and especially the Alexandrian, populace, had become plainly visible long before. Every far-sighted man, such as the author of this book must have been, could not but recognize, even during the more clement days of Augustus and Tiberius, that as soon as ever Jews were required to offer public sacrifice at the imperial altars an impossible test would be imposed. Every true Jew knew that he must refuse, and it was not hard to foresee what would happen then, when once the passions of the vilest mob in the world were let loose. To meet and endure the coming persecution the sons of Israel would need all their courage, and how better could the Jewish-Hellenic philosopher steel the hearts of his brethren than by holding up to them the self-abnegating virtues of Stoicism and the sublime heroism of the Maccabean martyrs?

eee eB OM

The oldest form of title is simply MaxxaBaiwy 6’, under which it is found in three of the great uncial MSS., the Alexandrinus, the Sinaiticus, and the Venetus. But the book having been attributed to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, it also appears among his works with a title derived from the subject-matter, wep! adroxpdropos oy.ouod, On the Supremacy of Reason, and it is thus cited by Eusebius and Jerome. Another form of this title is wept cddpovos Aédyov, which appears in some editions of Josephus; and the former of the two is generally rendered in the Latin versions by de tmperatrice ratione, or else by de dominatu or de imperio rationis. Lastly, there is a third form of title, lwoimrov ets robs MaxxaBatovs Bi8dréov, or eis tovs MaxxaSatovs deyos.

§§ 3-4. THE MSS. AND THE ANCIENT VERSIONS.

The book is found, as already mentioned, in three great uncials, A, 8, and V, but is unfortunately absent from the Codex Vaticanus. It was early translated into Syriac, and in 1895 Dr. Barnes brought out through the Cambridge Press a Syriac text prepared by the late Professor R. L. Bensly from a collation of nine MSS., of which he gives a description. The Syriac version was faithful enough to be of value for textual criticism, and Bensly found that as a rule it supports N rather than A. Dr. Barnes, who edited Bensly’s notes, gives a list of some two hundred passages where the readings in the Syriac and the Greek MSS. are compared. As regards other ancient versions, ‘Nothing is known’, says Dr. Torrey, writing in the Axcyclopaedia Biblica, ‘of any old Latin version of Fourth Maccabees, or even of the sources used by Erasmus in making his Latin “paraphrase” which differs so widely from the Greek text.’ The book is not in the Vulgate, and accordingly is absent from the Apocrypha of the Roman Bible and from our own.

The date of the original text is uncertain, but the author could never have spoken as he does of - the Temple service had he been writing after the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Also, if the date of the book had been as late as the close of the first century A.D., its orthodox Judaism would probably have interfered with its acceptance among Christians, an acceptance which nevertheless it obtained. And if it was addressed, as it probably was, to an Alexandrian audience we must look at least thirty years further back than A.D. 70, for the author could not have spoken as he does to Alexandrian Jews after the occurrence of the Caligulan persecution, which took place in A.D. 38-39. This last date then becomes the inferior limit. Perhaps the superior limit may be taken as 63 B.C., when the High Priesthood passed from the Hasmonean House. For the author is at pains to explain that in the days of King Seleucus IV (175 B.c.) the High Priest, Onias, held that office for life, a tenure which ceased after the fall of the Hasmonean dynasty (Grimm). The date then probably falls between B.C. 63 and A.D. 38 or, roughly speaking, within two generations before or one generation after the Christian era.

§ 6. INTEGRITY.

The book is of the nature of a sermon, whether actually delivered in a synagogue or not, and as a moral discourse it is thoroughly homogeneous. It opens with the philosophical discussion of the supremacy of Reason, and then illustrates the subject with a series of examples drawn from the constancy of the nine martyrs under their tortures. The point sought to be proved is repeated with an insistence that becomes rather tedious to modern ears, a matter in which, perhaps, we are less

tolerant than the ancients. The details, too, of the successive tortures are elaborated in a way that shocks modern taste. We must consider, however, that very few among us to-day have either seen torture inflicted with our own eyes or dreaded to feel it in our own persons. We only know of it by reading of such horrors in other parts of the globe or in the history of the past. The author of Fourth Maccabees was addressing an audience to whom the sight of tortured men was as much a matter of course as the butcher’s shambles to us, and accordingly his treatment of this part of the subject is quite in keeping with his time and place. Though a Jew, and a highly orthodox Jew, he is completely master of the Greek language, which he writes with ease; his vocabulary is large, and he handles the idioms with variety and flexibility ; his style is so ornate and copious that I am tempted to call it over-decorated. There is no sign of the Midrash method of treatment in his work, no reciting of scattered texts with disconnected expositions attached thereto. He keeps his main point before him, in good Greek form, illustrating it freely and well not only from the story of the martyrs but also from the heroes of old. The nearest he comes to writing in a Hebrew style is at the end, where he puts into the mouth of the Mother what may be described as a roll-call of Old Testament worthies. But as a Jew speaking to Jews nothing could be more natural or more effective than this Hebraic finale. Accordingly I see no reason why we should look in this last chapter for traces of another hand, though certain commentators have thought that the book originally ended at xviii. 2 with the words ‘O Israelites, children born of the seed of Abraham, obey this Law, and be righteous in all ways, recognizing that Inspired Reason is lord over the passions’. It is true that this close makes a neat Euclidean Q.E.D. to the demonstration of his proposition as enunciated at the beginning, namely that the Inspired Reason is supreme ruler over the passions. But considered as a peroration, from the rhetorical point of view, it is nothing less than an absolute bathos after the striking passage just before where he gives the epitaph that he would like to write for the martyrs. The main argument for the conjectural placing of the original conclusion at this point is that the Mother’s account of her early life, which occupies fourteen verses immediately after it, is of the nature of a digression. So it is, but the reason is not far to seek. The author, through the main part of the book, has dealt chiefly with men and the manly virtues, courage in particular. He gives the heroine of his story, the Mother, due praise for this virtue, but he also desires to insert in his work a fit encomium on the domestic virtues which as a Jew he considers to be most important for the women of his race. Courage he has already praised ; now he lays stress on the woman’s more commonplace duty of stopping at home and attending to the house, of her father first and later of her husband. Above all, she must be very careful to run no risk of contamination by any deceiver, be he man or be he devil, inside or outside the house. So he makes the Mother say with pride in this last chapter, ‘I kept guard over the rib that was builded into Eve.’ Like Eve she was to be a helpmeet for man, but she was not, like Eve, to dally with the false beguiling serpent. Clearly the writer was determined to get in his point about female virtue, and he does it. Of course it is a digression even here, but if we look back to where he has the Mother in the front of the scene during the previous chapters there is no place where these verses would not have been ten times more out of keeping. He had far too much literary skill to spoil his effect by putting the passage in the wrong place, and he reserved this piece about her early days till he could use it as a relief to the tension of the tortures, and so lead up to the final roll-call of the heroes. He throws a true and honourable light on the religious influence of the Jewess in her home when he depicts her as recalling to her sons’ minds the words of their dead father and his manner of holding up the great men of old to their admiration. His setting of the passage in her mouth is far more effective than if the author himself called the roll in his own person. For myself I am inclined to distrust those confident critics who on the evidence of style say dogmatically ‘the author wrote this, the author did not write that’. Even the great Bentley himself, a critic whose shield (were he alive) few knights of the pen would dare to touch by way of challenge, succeeded in persuading himself that Milton never closed the last book of Paradise Lost with such a distich as : ‘ They hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow, Through Eden took their solitary way.’ No, these lines had been corrupted by the ‘editor’ whom Bentley's own imagination invented to account for the faults he discovered in Milton. And this is what he offered as a substitute: ‘ Then, hand in hand, with social steps their way Through Eden took with heavenly comfort cheer’d.’

Where Bentley could so stumble which of us shall stand upright? The style of Fourth Maccabees shows no more variation than naturally follows on the changes from one branch of the subject to another. All through the author writes the vigorous, free, idiomatic Greek of one to whom it was a native language, so that we might say of him, as of the Jew whom Aristotle is represented as meeting in Asia, that he was “EAAnvixds ob TH Stad€xtw@ pdvov GAAG kal tH Woyx7. He likes to coin

new words of the right Greek stamp. For instance, in the first sentence of his treatise he states that the question he will discuss is whether Inspired Reason is really adrodécmoros tév zadGv, autocratic over the passions, where the word avrodéemoros is apparently a daaé deyduevoy of his own minting, Later on he uses in the same sense the much commoner word ad’roxpdrwp, and we can even find his very phrase avroxpdtwp Aoyionds in Thucydides, though the historian uses it in quite another sense, to mean ‘an arbitrary decision’. The author of Fourth Maccabees chooses atrodéaaoros not in order to avoid confusion with Thucydides’ phrase but to strike the key-note of originality and intensity: he would have you note from the outset that he is an undoubted autocrat of language. So Ruskin in the first sentence of Zhe Seven Lamps of Architecture uses the rare Miltonic ‘resplendence’ where another man would have chosen some more ordinary term. But Ruskin meant his work to be resplendent, and strikes the note of brilliancy at once. Not a few more of

these vigorous compounds does the author coin: é@vdémAnOos ‘the nation-mass’, érrayzjtwp ‘the mother of seven children’, koopomAn6xjs ‘ world-whelming ’, coopopopsv ‘ world-freighted ’, wadakowoxety ‘to be weak-spirited ’, ta8oxpareic@ar ‘to be mastered by the passions’. These words are

neither obscure nor far-fetched; their meaning is obvious enough, but they are fresh. We have but to turn over a few pages of Carlyle’s Prench Revolution at haphazard to find parallels; Danton is ‘the Minister of Moloch-Justice’, the while ‘France is dancing its desert-waltz’; ‘Louis Capet was only called Inviolable by a figure of rhetoric; but at bottom was perfectly violable, triable’; or again, when the King’s sentence is being settled, constitution-monger Sieyes votes ‘ La mort sans phrase, Death without phrases, and fares onward and downward. Most spectral, pandemonial’. A good word ‘ pandemonial’ (which I have not found in Dr. Murray’s dictionary) for horrors whether of the French Revolution or of torture under the Brilliant Madman. Some of the author’s new coinage passed into circulation; he speaks of Eleazar’s Reason as a pilot, rydadvovydv, ‘ rudderhandling’ or ‘rudder-ruling’ the ship of godliness, where the common expression would have been oiaxiCwv, ‘steering’; and we find this new word of his, mydaAvovyeiv, used by later writers. not of handling the helm of a real ship, but in the very same metaphorical sense we have here. We may note the author’s love of double-barrelled prepositional compounds, as where he speaks of parents as evarooppayiCovres, stamping their seal on the child; and of prepositions used intensively in composition, as in émppwyodoyovpevos, another of his coinages, to express the skinflint’s extra-gleaning of his grapes. Indeed his love of the ornate is such that he will invent a three-barrelled prepositional compound, if the fancy strikes him ; as when, in the case of the torture of the first of the seven brethren, in order to describe the horrid ingenuity of the torturers, he says, rév tpoxdv mpooemkarérewvov, ‘ they extra-overstrained against him the wheel’, or as the Syriac version has it, ‘they made the wheel more cruel by artifice against him.’ I find no cause to suspect that this book is not the work of a single hand.

§ 7. AUTHORSHIP.

The authorship of Fourth Maccabees must be considered doubtful. It was attributed to Flavius Josephus by Eusebius, the learned bishop of Caesarea, who lived more than two centuries later than Josephus, or between A.D. 270 and 340. The words of Eusebius are (ist. Eccl. iii. 10, see page 76 in E. Burton’s Oxford Ed., 1856): memdynrar d& Kat dAAo odk dyevves omovdacpa TO avipl epi avroxpdropos Noywomod, 6 twes MakxaBaixdy evéypayrav, TH Tods dyGvas Tov év Tots obrw Kadovpevots MaxkaBaixots ovyypdupaow inép tis els 70 Oeiov eboeBelas avdproauevwv “EBpaiwy mepiexey. ‘The man (Josephus) has also produced another work of a lofty character on the Supremacy of Reason, to which some have given the title of Maccabean, because it includes the struggles of the Hebrews who in the books known as Maccabean strove valiantly for the sake of righteousness before God.’ Jerome, writing in A.D. 492, follows Eusebius in naming Josephus as the author, and in consequence of this attribution, which was generally accepted in ancient times, we find the book frequently printed among Josephus’s works. Internal evidence, however, points strongly the other way. For example, the statement made in Fourth Maccabees xvii. 24, that Antiochus publicly held up the example of the martyrs to his men to inspire them with courage, ‘so that he conquered all his enemies and laid waste their cities, is a singular one to have been made by Josephus, who himself has chronicled the notorious failure of Antiochus before Elymais and discusses the question whether that failure was not the immediate cause of his death. Again, Josephus (Awd. xii. 4) correctly states that Antiochus Epiphanes was the brother of SeleucusIV. But in Fourth Maccabees iv. 15 the writer makes the blunder of calling him his son. Also the writer says in Fourth Maccabees xiv. 7, ‘we now shudder when we hear of the sufferings of those youths, thus presupposing that his hearers enjoy peace and safety. Such words would be hardly natural in the mouth of Josephus, who was actually present at the fall of Jerusalem and wrote the history of the fatal Jewish War. It is also worth noting that Josephus in his historical works uses the Greek equivalents of Biblical names,

whereas the author of Fourth Maccabees uses the Hebrew indeclinable forms except in the cases of ‘fepoodAvpa and ’EXea¢apos. Indeed the whole form and style of Fourth Maccabees are so unlike any of Josephus’s other works that, if he did write it, he must have done so when very young, and then have completely changed his style later. He would seem to have changed his views also, for the ideal purpose of Fourth Maccabees is to glorify the heroes who sacrifice everything for the sake of religion. But the personal ideals of Josephus were of a very different nature, for we learn from his own pen that his heroism took quite another shape. After fighting against Rome on behalf of his country till victory declared for Rome, he then surrendered and fought against his brethren ; he took the Roman name of Flavius in compliment to the Flavian Caesar, and married a Gentile wife, contrary to Moses’ Law, to oblige Vespasian. As every single one of these acts would have been anathema to the author of Fourth Maccabees, we may fairly conclude that the writer was not Flavius Josephus. It has indeed been suggested, by Ewald among others, that the ascription may have arisen from the author’s actual name having been Josephus, and that he thus became confused later on with the more famous historian, which of course is possible but does seem somewhat futile. Whatever his name was, it is more likely that he lived in Alexandria than in Palestine. The implication, noticed above, that he and his hearers are living in the enjoyment of peace and safety suits Jerusalem less well than Alexandria, at least for any period prior to the Caligulan persecution. And not only is the writer’s style but his sentiment more Alexandrian than Palestinian. He shows indeed a proper orthodox horror of the Hellenizing Jason’s action in setting up a gymnasium on the Holy Mount, but so far from condemning the Greek games in themselves, he does not shrink from comparing the struggle between the martyrs and the tyrant to an athletic contest. Indeed, he elaborates the likeness ; the competitors are Antiochus and the martyrs ; the spectators are the whole world; and the prize of victory is immortality. He showsa similar tolerance towards Greek art, when he suggests that ‘if it were allowable for us’ the art of painting would best bring before the mind the idea of the martyrdoms. Surely some Niobe or Medea or other heroine of Greek tragedy was familiar to the sight of his hearers and of himself when he said this; and when he added ‘as might some artist’ (if that be the correct reading) he was alluding to some painter whom they all knew. In cosmopolitan Alexandria such an allusion could hardly hurt his reputation for orthodoxy, but it would have been a hazardous thing to publish such a phrase in Jerusalem, where the very sight of Pilate’s eagles raised a fury that was only quenched in blood. Moreover, the main object of his discourse, which is to show how Greek philosophy can help an orthodox Jew to keep the Law, is one more likely to be addressed to Jews living in the great Greek city of Alexandria than to those at the sacred centre of Judaism itself. The general conclusion is that the author was not Flavius Josephus, and that there is evidence to show that he was a Jew, living in Egypt, most probably in Alexandria, within a few years of the Christian era. § 8. INFLUENCE.

The direct influence of this book on Jewish literature does not seem to have been great; there is, however, a mediaeval work, written in Biblical Hebrew, by Joseph ben Gorion, commonly known as Yosippon, which shows traces of Fourth Maccabees. Yosippon’s work is a history of his people from the destruction of Babylon to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. He is sometimes called the ‘Hebrew’ Josephus to distinguish him from his namesake, the well-known historian of the Antiquities and the Jewish War, who wrote in Greek. Yosippon, indeed, in the text of his book now current, claims to be the great historian himself, but this is certainly false. It is now generally held that his writings have absolutely no historical value, and that, so far from being the real Flavius Josephus, he was a Jew of Southern Italy who lived as late as the ninth or tenth century. But his work became exceedingly popular among the Jews of the Middle Ages and it was translated into many languages and widely circulated. One modern authority, Trieber, would assign him a date as early as the fourth century, and thinks he had the original work of Jason of Cyrene before him, but this question is still debated. At any rate Yosippon recounts the story of the martyrdoms much as we have it in Fourth Maccabees, but with additions and variations of his own. The first martyr, Eleazar, is represented as having formerly been the guest of Ptolemy in Egypt, where he acted as one of the LXX, and as having won at Jerusalem the favour of Philippus, by which name is intended the general to whom Antiochus entrusted the business of persecuting the Jews. This Philip takes Eleazar apart and begs him to eat, before all the people, some of the meat of a Jewish sacrifice, but to do so in such a way that he may be supposed to be eating meat sacrificed to the king’s image. For the rest of the story of Eleazar the author does little more than expand Maccabees. He then brings the Mother, whom he calls Hannah, with her seven sons, before Antiochus himself, ‘who had not gone far from Jerusalem’; and their several martyrdoms follow. I note a few points differing from Maccabees. While the first martyr is suffering the others quote the Song of Moses, ‘The Lord will judge his people and have mercy on his servants, &c. The fifth brother tells the king that it is vain

THE FOURTEP BOOK Of pwn CCAGEES

for him to hope to establish the worship of his own image by their torture. The Mother makes a long speech to the youngest son, who promises her that ‘ he will keep the Law which Moses our teacher, may he rest in peace! gave to the Holy People of Israel’. And the boy calls Antiochus an insane dotard of seventy, and tells him ‘it had been better for thee never to have been born from the impure womb of the foolish mother who bore thee, thou fatuous fool that hast brought woe upon thyself’. There is no mention either of the seventh son or the Mother casting themselves into the fire; but Hannah begins her dying speech, ‘ My heart has rejoiced in the Lord and my horn is exalted in my God.’ After the martyrdoms Antiochus goes off to Macedonia (?) and the Maccabean rising follows. As we might expect, the Stoic philosophy of Fourth Maccabees finds no place here.

Neither can I discover any trace of this Stoicism surviving in the Chanukah services which to this day commemorate the Maccabean purification. If one may imitate St. Paul’s simile of the wild olive tree, Stoicism was a graft that throve but ill when set in the stem of the ‘good’ olive of Judaism. The Chanukah festival lasts for eight days, beginning on the famous twenty-fifth of Chisleu (December), when it was instituted by Judas Maccabaeus, his brothers, and the elders, to be celebrated annually in memory of the dedication of the restored altar on the occasion of the purification of the Sanctuary at Jerusalem. The popular name, according to Josephus (the true Josephus, not Yosippon). was ¢éra, ‘Lights’, because it was and is still celebrated by a grand general illumination. The eight-day continuance of it is said to come from the story that the priests found one single cruse of holy oil that had remained unpolluted all through the desecration under Antiochus, and by a miracle this was made to last for eight days until the priests could prepare new oil for the lamps of the holy candlestick.

In later times the Pharisaic party haggled over the legitimacy of the claims of the family of Mattathias to the hereditary High-priesthood which was assumed by the Maccabees in 153 B.C. Strict Jews held that the Maccabeans, though they had proved themselves national heroes, were in a sense irregular as occupants of the sacred office. As an explanation of this it is stated by Morris J. Raphall, Rabbi-preacher of the Greene Street synagogue, New York, who published in 1854 a Post-Biblical History of the Fews, that the Chasidim condemned Judas Maccabaeus because he allied himself with the Parthians and sent an embassy to Rome. He quotes from a Midrash Chanukah, which he describes as an ancient Codex in the City Library of Leipzig, these words as personally directed against Judas by the leader of the Chasidim: ‘Cursed be the man who placeth his dependence on flesh while from the Lord his heart departeth.’ But Rabbi Raphall thinks that Mattathias was probably regarded as High-Priest, or Cohen-Gadol, by his own followers, and describes him as a priest of the order of Joarib, the first of the twenty-four appointed by David by lot, and descended from the elder branch of the family of Aaron. The father of Mattathias was Johanan, and his father Asmoneus. In the service for Chanukah, in the official Jewish prayer-book, there is a special prayer set out in the morning service for the day which runs thus: ‘In the days of the Hasmonean, Mattathias, son of Johanan the High-Priest, and his sons, when’ the iniquitous power of Greece rose up against thy people Israel, to make them forgetful of thy Law and to force them to transgress the statutes of thy will, then didst thou in thine abundant mercy rise up for them in the time of their trouble .. . and for thy people Israel thou didst work a great deliverance and redemption as at this day. And thereupon thy children came into the oracle of thy house, cleansed thy temple, purified thy Sanctuary, kindled light in thy holy courts, and appointed these eight days of Chanukah in order to give thanks and praises unto thy great name. But I can find nothing that specially recalls Fourth Maccabees in the whole service.

If the Jews themselves have somewhat neglected the book, the Christian Fathers have not done so. The Maccabeans are lauded by the Western as well as by the Eastern Church; they are commemorated in panegyrics by St. Augustine and Leo the Great, and they find a place in the calendars of Carthage as well as in those of the Syrians and Arabians. But the Eastern Church naturally glorified them first, and I can find no better specimen of the influence of Fourth Maccabees on Christian literature than the oration of Gregory Nazianzen on the Martyrs. ‘What of the Maccabeans ?’ he begins, ‘for to-day (Aug. 1) is their anniversary; though by many they be not honoured because their &@Anovs, their “contest”, was not after Christ, yet are they worthy to be honoured by all, in that their endurance was in behalf of the Law of their fathers. And what would men who were martyred before Christ’s passion have achieved if they had been persecuted after Christ and had His death on our behalf to imitate? For would not they who without His great example showed such virtue have appeared nobler still in hazarding themselves after that example? Mystical and ineffable is the saying, and one very persuasive to me and to all that love God, that none of those who were made perfect! before Christ reached that point outside of the Christian

1 Compare Heb. xi. 40.

faith. Weare reminded of that noble benediction ‘abi in pacem anima naturaliter Christiana’. It has been finely said that if Judaism as a religion had perished under Antiochus, the seed-bed of Christianity would have been lacking; and thus the blood of the Maccabean martyrs, who saved Judaism, ultimately became the seed of the Church. Therefore as not only Christendom but also Islam derive their monotheism from a Jewish source, it may well be that the world to-day owes the very existence of monotheism both in the East and in the West to the Maccabees.

This then is the key-note of Gregory’s paean in their honour, delivered in the latter half of the fourth century, and he strikes the note again further on where he repeats that ‘the Maccabeans are not to be despised because they were before the Cross, but they are to be praised and held in honour for having lived according to the Cross’. His oration is really a paraphrase of Fourth Maccabees, to which he clearly alludes in the following sentence: ‘For who they were and whence, these men, and from what fount of education and training they advanced to such a pitch of virtue and glory that they are honoured by these yearly feasts and celebrations, and beyond these visible things have enshrined themselves in the hearts of all men, all this those who love labour and learning will find made clear in the book, which philosophizes about the Reason being supreme over the passions and holding the balance between two, that is to say, between virtue and vice.’ A great sentence in more senses than one. Gregory, then, describes Eleazar as the first-fruits of those who suffered before Christ, as Stephen was the first-fruits of those after him. He takes not a few phrases straight from Eleazar’s mouth, as where the martyr prays that he and his fellow martyrs may be accepted as a purification for the whole people; but when Gregory makes Eleazar speak of the youths as his sons, he clearly must do so ina spiritual sense, for in Fourth Maccabees it is very distinctly stated that Eleazar was not their father, and what they owed him was not their birth but their teaching; and Gregory knows his original perfectly. Gregory, however, likes playing such variations on his theme. Thus he makes the youths boldly demand the torture for themselves, their only fear being lest any should be denied the crown of martyrdom; but when he comes to describe the sufferings of the Mother, the Christian introduces a touch unknown to the Jewish writer. Like him he dwells at length on her agony over her sons’ agonies, but the Christian recognizes there a true foretype of the Mother of Sorrows at the crucifixion of Christ, and he gives her the palm for courage and devotion. Like the author of Fourth Maccabees he delights in his own eloquence. If, as some think, two chapters of Second Maccabees have been expanded into the Fourth, Gregory in his turn now expands the Fourth by introducing numerous variations of his own, as where he makes the youths whet one another’s spirits, os cvdv dddvres GAAjAOvS On€avres, ‘like boar’s tusks whetting each other.’ He takes the Maccabean author’s simile of the mother-bird fluttering round her young ones, threatened by the snake, and applying it more directly to the Mother represents her as gathering up their broken bodies and—a curious touch this— adoring their relics; mpocextve: rad Aeiava he says; unless indeed we simply render zpocektver ‘ she kissed them’. He fills her mouth with phrases clearly befitting the Mother of God. ‘Yet a little while, she proclaims, ‘and blessed shall I be among women.’ When she has done speaking he makes her run to the pyre as to her bride-bed, os éml vupéva thy mupxaidy dpayotoa, not waiting for her executioners ‘in order that no impure person should touch her pure and honourable body’. Gregory makes the tyrant rejoice within himself that she had not borne more sons, for then he must have come off even more defeated and worse disgraced. Antiochus plays the part of the devil in this drama, and the fate of the Hebrew race is ws én! vpod, on a razor’s edge, and the martyrs are the conquerors. ‘So, says Gregory to his flock, ‘imitate these noble sufferers and do battle bravely with our daily Antiochus, apds tov kal? nuépav *Avtioxov yevvaiws avdpi¢devor; and so dismisses them with his blessing in the name of Christ, ‘to whom be the glory for ever. Amen.’

Commenting on this oration, Nicetas declares that Gregory opens by maintaining that the Maccabeans were truly pre-Christian martyrs ‘ because some averred that these martyrs suffered not for Christ but in defence of the Law and of abstinence from swine’s flesh’, and quotes other Fathers in defence of Gregory’s position. Further on there is a highly exalted passage where Gregory makes the youths say to Antiochus, ‘Our country is the heavenly Jerusalem which no Antiochus can besiege, and our kinship is the spirit with which we are inspired by having been born unto virtue.’ Gregory’s word for ‘the spirit with which we are inspired’ is €umvevois, and Nicetas finely illustrates this from the passage in Genesis where God breathes into man’s nostrils the breath of life.

In a strain of equal exaltation Gregory’s great contemporary, Chrysostom, the golden-mouthed, begins his panegyric on the Holy Maccabeans and their Mother. ‘How bright and joyous is our city, and sunnier this day than all the year! Not that to-day the sun pours his beams more splendid than of wont upon the earth, but that the light of the holy martyrs flashes brighter than lightning over all our city.’ He follows the author of Fourth Maccabees in choosing to compare the martyrs’ struggle to the athletic contests of the games, and the martyr’s crown to that of the victor

THE FOURTE BOOK OP AIACCABEES

in the contest. He appeals to Christ in the character of one who ‘produces the games ’, as the phrase went. r( more roto dpa, d¢o70ra ; ‘What in the world is this, Master? Bringest thou feeble age into the contests on the arena? Who ever heard of a worfan being entered for a.contest at such an age? None ever heard of it” And Christ answers that it is not bodily strength on which they rely, but that He lends His strength to His athletes. Further on Chrysostom sets forth eloquently the force of maternal devotion, quite in the vein of Fourth Maccabees but with instances of his own. ‘Often,’ he says, ‘a mother seeing her child burning with fever—ndvra dv €Ao.to tabeiv—would choose to take all the pain to herself so as to transfer the fire of the distemper from the child’s body to hers.’ It is interesting to observe how Chrysostom can always find something new to say. Fourth Maccabees has a beautiful simile of birds defending their young. He alters it by introducing the idea of their love of offspring being turned into a snare for themselves. ‘Many wild animals hard to catch are thus taken, when, disregarding their own safety in their affection for their young, they fall into the hands of the hunters.’ He is very ingenious in these variations, and doubtless intended them to remind those among his hearers who, in Gregory’s words, loved labour and learning, of a book so well worth knowing, and he contrives to freshen their interest by novel applications. Finally, in his stirring close he, like Gregory, lends his powerful support to the claim that these were true martyrs before Christ. ‘Who is there, man or woman, old or young, who would not contend for the martyr’s crown, when a woman did so—zpé ris xdputos &yorirapevn—contending before the days ofgrace?’ And, lastly, we find him using a phrase that seems to me a probable allusion to Fourth Maccabees xvii. 7, where the author suggests the art of painting as well fitted to commemorate the martyrdoms. ‘You should all,’ says Chrysostom to his hearers, ‘ engrave their contests and their struggles on your hearts as it were on a tablet,’ rods dyGvas kal ta Tadatopata dorep enh slvaxds trios Ths kapdias twov amoypawartes. This may primarily refer to St. Paul’s ‘not on tables of stone but on fleshly tables of the heart’, but it also seems distinctly to point to the conjectural reading éomep éml sivaxds twos in the passage in Maccabees. In this connexion we have to consider that the early Church by no means favoured the representation of the agonies of martyrdom by the graphic arts. On the contrary, the Church then desired to see the martyrs depicted only as blessed and glorified. The physical details of their cruel sufferings were not a popular subject until the Dark Ages, and it is quite possible that Chrysostom may be deprecating here the outward representation of such sufferings when he tells his hearers to engrave them on their hearts.

There is yet another speech of his, lauding the Maccabean martyrs, in which he selects the last and youngest of the sons for his special panegyric. Here, too, he introduces quaint touches of his own, as that the tyrant was looking at the braziers, but the youth was looking at the hell into which the tyrant was going to cast himself. Also that the youth leapt into the braziers ‘as they had been fountains of cool waters, reckoning them a divine font and baptism’. Then the preacher once more lauds the Mother, recounting her many sorrows, and borrowing from Fourth Maccabees the comparison of her to the Three Children in the burning fiery furnace, which he embellishes thus: ‘The fuel of their furnace was naphtha and pitch, tow and brushwood ; the fuel of hers was nature and birth-pangs and maternal love and the sweet voice of her children.’ The words vets kal odives Kal pidocropyla kai raldwv cvupevia seem to flow from his mouth as fresh as if he had just prepared himself by reading over the story. He borrows direct the simile of the brave Eleazar, like a beetling

sea-cliff standing fast against the tempest of the passions, and applies it to the Mother, who, like a ~

sea-cliff taking the assaults of the waves, remains unmoved while they spend themselves in spume. And lastly, ‘She saw in the flames not a form of torment but a nuptial torch, yaujAvoy Aaurdda, a fancy which he shares with Gregory.

There is yet a third discourse on the subject by Chrysostom, but space forbids me to enlarge further. The orations are all well worth looking at. They may be found in T. B. Prunaeuss Gregory Nazianzen, Paris, 1609, page 397, and in Fronto Ducaeus’s Fohkn Chrysostom, Paris, 1609, pages 581 and 622 ff., as well as in later editions.

To come down to more modern times, I can find nothing so interesting as the book of Erasmus on the Maccabean martyrs. He felt a personal interest in the matter, for in the early sixteenth century which saw the beginnings of the Reformation a man who had the courage of his opinions had also a right good chance of martyrdom. It was in 1517 that Luther nailed his denunciation of Indulgences to the doors of the church at Wittenberg, and in that same year Erasmus seems to have compiled his little work for the benefit of his friend Elias Marcaeus, ‘ moderator of the most honourable college of the Maccabeans’ at Cologne. Martyrdom was a thing of which the great leader of the humanists had a very real dread. ‘We have not all strength for martyrdom, and I fear if trouble comes I shall do like Peter, he wrote in 1521, and he had reason to quake when his works were actually submitted to the Spanish Inquisition six years later. Martyrdoms have a cruel interest for a man who dreads the torture, and it is no wonder that he made a book for his friends at Cologne

out of all that antiquity had said about their martyr-saints. The earliest edition of his work that I can hear of was printed by E. Cervicornus at Cologne, Feb. 1, 1524, fol., with the title—‘ Opera Iosephi interprete Ruffino presbytero. De insigni machabacorum martyrio, castigatus ab Erasmo : nunquam ante praedictis additus,’ &c., &c. The book was several times reprinted in the sixteenth century, e.g. at Basle, 1524, 1534, and 1540, and the Bodleian has a copy of another edition from the Cologne press, which is undated but was probably printed in 1534 or later, and has the title really preferred by Erasmus, ‘ wep) adroxpdropos Aoy.opod, de imperatrice ratione.’ In his prefatory letter Erasmus says that he has worked from a Latin text, not having a Greek MS. at hand (the Greek text appears not to have been printed till 1526); and that, conjecturing the Greek original from the Latin, he has changed some things, but not very much. He shows his literary art in the way in which he compliments both the college and the city of Cologne, alluding elegantly to the eleven thousand virgins martyred there, and so proceeds to his translation. After the translation he gives selections from antiquity, including the following from Jerome: ‘The seven Maccabean brothers were born of one mother, by name Maccabea; they kept the Law of their own tradition; they did not eat the flesh of swine. For this cause they by the most cruel king Antiochus were crowned with the glory of martyrdom, in Antioch, together with their pious mother, and there they remain buried with great veneration.’

‘So far St. Jerome,’ says Erasmus; ‘but’, he continues, ‘it is certain that the relics of these Maccabean brothers were by the blessed Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, brought to Byzantium, and thence by the president Eustorgius to Mediolanum (Milan), and lastly by the act of Reginold bishop of Cologne transferred from Mediolanum to Cologne in the year 1164, where now they are held in great veneration in the college of the glorious name of the Maccabeans themselves.’ Their removal to Cologne in 1164 was celebrated by a special feast, ‘which’, observes Erasmus, ‘is now marked off by our very reverend father and lord in Christ, Hermann de Hassia, archbishop of Cologne, in the year 1506, as having been transferred to the feast of St. Cuthbert, archbishop and confessor.’ However, to return to his translation of Fourth Maccabees, or rather to his paraphrase, for such it is. He completely rewrites the argument about Reason and the passions, nor do I find any allusion to the Stoic classification of the passions, though he agrees with the author of Fourth Maccabees that Reason does not extirpate passion but checks it, and he quotes the cases there cited of Joseph, Moses, Jacob, and David. In David’s case he has a curious variant. David would not quench his thirst with the water which ran by his tent because he had sworn not to drink till the enemy's camp was taken, thinking thus to stimulate the valour of his troops. When we come to the Hellenizing cainpaign of Antiochus and the tyrant’s persecutions, Erasmus follows his author more closely, but I note various changes. Jason builds baths, not a gymnasium, near the temple. The women who circumcise their sons fling themselves off the rocks voluntarily, ‘quippe quae vitantes longiora tormenta celerem halitum ingestae mortis optarent.’ When Antiochus counsels Eleazar to eat the swine’s flesh, he says, ‘It is a mark of superstition and cowardice to make a law for oneself and call one’s choice Reason’; and Eleazar replies, ‘Our law condemns your philosophy, wherein the less a man understands the more he thinks he understands.’ Erasmus was thinking of some theologians more distinguished for bigotry than learning when he wrote these words. Nor is he at any pains to keep a Jewish atmosphere: on the contrary, he puts into the mouth of Eleazar, when he is asking God to accept him as an atonement, such a characteristically Christian phrase as ‘Receive me for them all, and give them all to me’.

The martyrdom of Eleazar appears to take place in Jerusalem, but the seven brethren and the Mother are brought to Antioch, ‘atrociter de eorum castello Sufandro. The Mother is called Solomona. The eldest son is Maccabeus, the others are Aber, Machir, Judas, Achas, Areth, Jacob. Erasmus describes their tortures at length, and the curious may compare his long Latin list of devilish engines with the Greek. When he comes to xii. 7 he transfers thither the speech of the Mother which the author had reserved for a later place, and in the same connexion he largely expands both the tortures and the speeches of the seventh son. Finally he describes the Mother as herself being stripped, scourged, and grievously tormented by Antiochus, until at last she is brought to the brazier, ‘ac oratione protensis surrectisque manibus pro gravidis matribus fusa coelibem effudit spiritum’. There he introduces a very mediaeval touch, as also when he shows Antiochus terrorstricken at the very moment of her death by a flash of lightning. Again, later on, he makes the tyrant become so impressed by the martyrs’ courage that he enlists whole legions of Hebrew soldiers in his service and wins battles with them. Yet death is not to be staved off; for he shows the king at last dying miserably of a disgusting disease, as told in the Second but not in the Fourth Book of Maccabees.

It will be seen that Erasmus gave himself a perfectly free hand. A century and a half later Combefin fell upon him with severity for it. The French scholar calls him such unkind names as

THE FOURTH" BOOK*OP MACCABEES

‘ineptus Paraphrastes (veriusque temerator) Erasmus’. He says that Erasmus put the kingdom of heaven for ra tis dperis GOAa, and eternal fire for eternal death,—‘est hoc sapaxapdrre non napappacew, ‘this is to adulterate a monument of antiquity. Ifa monk had taken such liberties with the work of Josephus and the words of the Maccabees, how the man would have laughed at him.’ Then he ridicules Erasmus for giving to the martyrs names drawn either from some apocryphal writings or invented out of his own head. And again Combefin calls an expression of the Paraphrastes ‘ inanis mihi verborum pompa et phalerae’, and casts scorn upon him for expending so many rhetorical exaggerations over the tortured Mother, to which the critic would prefer the simplicity of the Greek account. I do not know if it was odiwm theologicum or odium scholasticum which prompted this assault, but if Erasmus could have awaked from his long century’s sleep we might have had a literary quarrel, the echoes of which would be ringing yet in our ears. The French scholar would have had a backer on this side of the Channel in Dr. Wm. Cave of Oxford, who wrote that he would like to know why Erasmus put a quantity of stuff into his work of which there is no trace in the Greek. ‘Others may solve the question, says Cave, ‘Quin id pro ingenii sui pruritu fecerit Erasmus dubitari nequit.’

But if one could picture such a ghostly battle of the books as taking place, I am not sure that Erasmus might not find on his side the shade of another Oxford scholar, John Lloyd, who translated Fourth Maccabees just two years after the defeat of the Great Armada, and decidedly did not love Rome. He does indeed criticize Erasmus’s work, though he avoids, intentionally it may be, the mention of his name, but he keeps the vials of his wrath for certain Roman theologians, who endeavoured to make out that Fourth Maccabees was to be received as canonical, on evidence which they claimed to be that of Josephus, and cited Gregory in support of their thesis. Whom our Lloyd laughs to scorn, winding up with ‘O dignos Romana meretrice mangones!’

Tantaene animis scholasticis irae ?

Lloyd’s text, based on the Strassburg edition of 1526, like those of Hudson and all the other printed texts I have seen (except Swete’s), has the reading éa7ep ent rwos mivaxos in xvii. 7 where the MSS. give donep tids Or os éxé Tivos, and this conjectural emendation of wivaxos is reproduced in the Latin of Erasmus and others. The conjecture, though unsupported, is natural enough, as the author of Fourth Maccabees undoubtedly is referring here to a picture. Erasmus, however, tacks on to it quite a new idea, and turns this suggested figure of the martyred Mother from an ideal work of art into a sort of charm or amulet: ‘if a sculptor were to put this piteous figure on a tomb or set it up on a house, he would be free from every dreadful plague and would surely enjoy eternal bliss.’ The idea of the picture appears to have commended itself to the printer of a later edition of the book, for the Bodleian copy has fourteen rude woodcuts of the martyrdoms where no dreadful detail is spared. In their crude horror they remind one of the grim ghastliness of the Macabre pictures, so popular in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, whose very name shows how the word Maccabean ultimately came to indicate death in its most detested forms. And this survives to-day in the argot of Paris, where the body of a murdered victim is still mockingly termed a ‘macabé’.

When Paul was brought before the Jewish Council at Jerusalem, in order to divide his opponents ~

he exclaimed : ‘I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.’ And we read that the two parties in the Council proceeded to fall out on the instant, ‘for the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit ; but the Pharisees confess both.’ This account exhibits very clearly the strongly contrasted beliefs of the two great parties among the Jews, as they existed (or were believed to exist) in Palestine about the middle of the first century A.D. In Alexandria, however, there was a third form of belief, approaching that of the Pharisees indeed, but with a difference ; and this third form is the standpoint of the author of Fourth Maccabees. Briefly stated it is this. At death men meet with the reward or punishment due for their deeds. The righteous are received into bliss (see x. 15; xili D7 5sewiieee 18; xviii. 23). The wicked are punished with eternal torture (see ix. 8, 323. X.. Ll, 15g an xiii. 15; xviii. 5,22. Apparently there is no resurrection of the body. Also, like the Pharisees, the author believes in angels (see iv. 10, and perhaps vii. 11), and in devils (see xviii. 8). Bor Jewish views of immortality see Oesterley and Box, Synagogue Religion and Worship, p. 224, and R. H. Charles, Eschatology, Hebrew, &c., passim. How the Alexandrian school came to adopt the doctrine of the immortality of the soul but not of the resurrection of the body is too large a subject to enter upon here, but it is usually attributed to their having come under the influence of the philosophy of Plato and the neo-Pythagoreans. . That the author was saturated with Greek philosophy is proved by his systematic adoption of its terminology, including the fourfold classi-

fication of the cardinal virtues which the Stoics copied from Plato. In his general thesis on the Supremacy of Reason, he follows exactly the Platonic classification of @pévnots, judgement or selfcontrol, dvdpela, courage, duxaroovrvn, justice, and cwPpootryn, temperance. But when he comes to tell of the martyr facing the tortures he adds something new. ‘You scoff at our philosophy,’ says Eleazar to the king, ‘but the Law teaches us temperance, and courage, and justice,—so far the author goes with Plato ; then comes the new word—‘and edcéPe.a, righteousness, so that with due reverence we worship only the God who is.’ This is the key-note of his whole book. The Stoic ideal is right, and the Stoic path to it may be well enough, but the driving force is to be sought elsewhere, namely in the Law of Moses. It is the same thought that he puts into the mouth of the first to suffer of the seven Brethren. ‘Through all the torments I will show you... that the Sons of the Hebrews alone are unconquerable,’ the secret of the youth’s courage being that he has been trained in the Law of Moses. Similarly Philo, who accepted the Platonic idea of the soul as a divine emanation, chose the Stoic ethics for the groundwork of his system, and made Greek philosophy ‘a means of defending and justifying Jewish religious truths. These he regarded as fixed and determinate, and philosophy was merely an aid to truth and a means of arriving at it’ (Fewish Encyclopaedia, art. Philo). No better description could be given of the position of the author of Fourth Maccabees. But the position was one that the Pharisaic party, which was ultimately successful, could never bring themselves to accept, and the school of Philo and of our author, after exerting considerable authority for a time, died away in the end.

Of direct Christian influence on the book there is naturally no trace, but I. Abrahams, writing in the Fewsh Encyclopaedia, thinks that as it stands there may possibly be some Christian interpolation in such passages as vii. 14, xiii. 17, and xvi. 25, which declare that the patriarchs are not dead, but live unto God. In the second of these, where we read, ‘ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob shall receive us, Swete’s text omits the phrase eis tots xéAmovs attév, which is not in the uncials and appears only in MSS. of secondary importance; these particular words may perhaps be a later insertion made by some one familiar with the New Testament who wished to allude to Luke xvi. 23, but it is difficult to see why the general statement that the Jewish patriarchs live with God should be due to a Christian hand. Christian phraseology, however, does certainly find a remarkable echo, or rather anticipation, in the prayer of Eleazar, vi. 28,‘ Be merciful unto thy people, and let our punishment be a satisfaction in their behalf. Make my blood their purification, and take my soul to ransom their souls.’ This idea is repeated in xvii. 21,22, where the author says that the martyrs ‘became a ransom for our nation’s sin; and through the blood of these righteous men and the propitiation of their death, the divine providence delivered Israel that before was evil entreated’. The phrases fall with a familiar sound on our ears, but nevertheless the idea of an atonement is not more distinctively Christian than it is Jewish. The whole Jewish system of sacrifices was based on the idea of the death of an animal being substituted for that ofa man as an atonement for sin. Under the ancient law the scape-goat upon whom the lot for the Lord fell, in the service for the Day of Atonement, was sacrificed, and his blood was taken within the Holy Place, while the one for Azazel was turned out in the wilderness. The substitution of the goat for the people in the greatest ceremony of the year was thoroughly typical of the sacrificial principle. In later times the idea of the propitiatory sacrifice was extended from earth to heaven. In the Testament of Levi (czvca 107 B.C.) we have ‘In [the sixth heaven] are the archangels, who minister and make propitiation to the Lord for all the sins of the righteous; offering to the Lord a sweet-smelling savour, a reasonable and a bloodless offering’. Charles’s note on this (Zest. Twelve Patr. Levi, iii. 5) gives the explanation that since the earthly altar and tabernacle of Exodus and Numbers were made after heavenly patterns the idea of a sacrificial service in heaven must long have been familiar to Jews. Michael ‘the merciful and longsuffering’ is one of these archangels who pray and offer sacrifice for Israel. So we see that there is nothing specifically Christian in the suggestion of the sufferings of the righteous making atonement for the people.

To go back to ancient times, the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter (though not an atonement) is by no means the only instance in the history of Judaism showing that the idea that a human being might be accepted as a sacrifice was quite conceivable. Did not Moses thus offer himself (Exod. XXxii. 32) when he found the people worshipping the golden calf, and prayed to the Lord, ‘ Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin —; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book’? David also, when Israel was smitten because of his having numbered the people, cried to the Lord,‘ It is I that have sinned and done evil indeed ; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord God, be upon me and on my father’s house ; but not on thy people that they should be plagued’ (see 2 Sam. xxiv. 17). Indeed the whole Jewish theory of national religion was based on redemption by substitution. The first-born son of every family was due to Yahveh and had to be redeemed, just as every first-born of any unclean animal, such as an ass, had to be

THE FOUR PHIBOCK OF MIACCABEES

redeemed by the substitution of a calfora lamb. The author recurs again as he approaches his peroration to this thought of the martyrs’ deaths being an atonement, in xvii. 21-22, where he says, ‘they having as it were become a ransom for our nation’s sin (apostasy) ; and through the blood of these righteous men and the propitiation of their death, the divine providence delivered Israel that before was evil entreated.’ As for the pagan world, we find the idea everywhere: to take a single instance, I may quote the self-sacrifice of Curtius’s leap into the chasm to appease the gods of Rome. In the New Testament, of course, we have numerous parallels ; to take one only, we read in Hebrews ix. 28, ‘So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.’

It is not only in the idea of atonement that we find thoughts familiar to Christians suggested in Fourth Maccabees. The word ‘faith’ also occurs, in a distinctively religious sense. For example, in xvi. 22 the Mother, after having spoken of Abraham and Isaac and Daniel and the Three Children, says to her sons, ‘And ye also, having the same faith unto God, be not troubled. Here aioris must mean religious faith, and in the very next verse the Mother speaks of the young men as ‘knowing religion’. In xv. 24 the author speaks of the Mother’s own faith: ‘she willingly surrendered them through faith in God’; and again in xvii. 2 he describes her as giving ‘an example of the nobleness of faith’. In this religious sense wioris belongs not to Stoic, nor even to Greek thought, but to that devotional side of the Hebrew mind which was to be more fully expressed in Christianity. Here, however, as Maldwyn Hughes says (Ethics of Fewish Apocr. Lit. p- 112),‘It is rather trust in an external Providence than an inner dependence arising from an inward relationship. Faith is not a renewing and life-giving power, but confidence in the providential order.’

On the ethical question the author of Fourth Maccabees relies absolutely on the Mosaic Law. The Inspired Reason, i.e. the Reason guided by the Law, is autocratic over the passions, while depending on the Law for knowledge as to what to do and what to avoid. The author does not want the passions extirpated ; he upholds the Stoic virtues, though not the Stoic amadeta ; but he wants the passions to be brought under rigid control, and he shows how this has been and can be done by many examples from the Old Testament, giving as instances Joseph, David, and the rest. He does accept the Stoic doctrine about sin, that all sins are alike in being breaches of the law, when he makes Eleazar say (v. 20), ‘ for the transgression of the Law, be it in small things or in great, is equally heinous ; for in either case equally the Law is despised.’ He never doubts that the Law is supreme (v. 16): ‘We, O Antiochus, having accepted the Divine Law as the Law of our country, do not believe that any stronger necessity is laid upon us than that of our obedience to the Law.’ He isa Jew to the core, and his conclusion is peremptory ; for him the Law is the last word.

I will close this section with another quotation from Maldwyn Hughes (of. cé¢., p. 111): ‘ The great purpose of the book is to stimulate faithfulness to the Law, and to show that the Greek ideal of virtue can be realized only by Judaism. The writer’s heroes are not the Maccabean patriots, to whom he makes no reference, but the martyrs of Maccabean times. His silence as to the former is a significant hint that he did not sympathize with the political ideals which expressed themselves in active resistance to the Gentile powers, but that he preferred the Quietistic method of vindicating the Law, by absolute and unswerving faithfulness to it, at whatever pain and cost. The emergence of political ideals had resulted in the secularization of Judaism.’

So far as I can learn the text of Fourth Maccabees was first printed in 1526 in the Greek Bible published at Strassburg by Vuolphius (Wolfgang) Cephalaeus, of which there is a good copy in the Bodleian Library. In this edition it appears as "lwoimmou eis tods MaxkaBaiovs By8dov. Professor Torrey, whose bibliographical account of the book in the Encyclopaedia Biblica is the fullest I have seen and to whom I am indebted for some of the following information, quotes Freudenthal’s statement that this text was based on a very poor MS. Once it was in type, however, it found general acceptance and was frequently reprinted in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, not only in Greek Bibles but also in various editions of Josephus; of the latter we may name the Basle text of 1544, and that of John Lloyd (Luidus), Oxford, 1590. Lloyd says that he collated the Strassburg text with an ancient MS. at New College. This text was also used for the Greek Bible printed at Frankfort in 1597, with the same title of the Book of Josippus on the Maccabees, and it was likewise used by Hudson, Oxford, 1720, and by others who followed him, e.g. Dindorf, 1845-7, and Bekker, 1856, the latter work being a decided advance on its precursors. In 1709, however, a different text, based on the Codex Alexandrinus in the British Museum and edited by J. E. Grabe, was printed at Oxford, and after his death it was printed there again in 1719. It was also used by Apel, Afocr. V. T., 1837. Still later another text, based on Codex A, was edited by F. Field, Oxford, 1859, in beautiful type. Dr. Field, who was of Trinity College, Cambridge, a Tyrrhitt’s Hebrew scholar, and one of the O.T. Revisers, pillories the anonymous editor of a certain text which appeared at Oxford in 1817. The culprit had thought to get a neat transcript of the original MS. by rejecting every small-type reading in Grabe and putting back the marginal one. Whereby he not only restored many obvious errors in the Codex, but also repeated, in his ignorance, whatever misprints occurred in Grabe’s text; these numbered six in the first chapter alone, ‘cetera per totum libellum innumera!” says Dr. Field with crushing severity. Since then the book has appeared in Bagster’s Apocrypha, Greek and English, 1882, and in

Fritzsche’s Lzbri Apocr. V. T., in which the commentary is excellent but the text differs considerably from that in Swete’s LX X, Cambridge, 1894-9, which gives Codex A with variants of N and-V. The present translation is made from Swete’s text, the cases where different readings are used being noted at the foot of the page. There is a florid paraphrase in English by that prolific seventeenth-century writer Sir Roger L’Estrange, and there are modern English translations in Cotton, /zve Books of the Maccabees, 1832, in Bagster’s Apocrypha already mentioned, and in Churton’s Uncanonical and Apocryphal Scriptures, 1884. The ancient Syriac version of which I have spoken was published in 1895 by the Cambridge Press from the text of R. L. Bensly; and there is a modern Hebrew translation in Fraenkel, Kethubim acharonim, sive Hagiographa posteriora, Leipzig, 1830. Of Latin translations there are several. Erasmus made a very free paraphrase, as already described in § 8, in the early sixteenth century, which was reprinted by Peter de la Rouiére at Geneva in 1611 with the Greek text. The Bodleian Library has two copies of this edition. in one of which there is a marginal collation of the New College MS. of Fourth Maccabees. This copy is catalogued C. 9. 5. Art., and has opposite the title a marginal note written ‘lwonmov mepi cadpovos Noyopod. MS. in Collegio Novo’, while the printed title has ‘a Des. Erasmo Rot. in sermonem Latinum sapadpactikés translatus’. Lloyd in 1590 brought out at Oxford an edition of the Greek text (in wretched print alas!) collated with the New College MS. and accompanied by a Latin version that seems to be well done; this last may be said also of the Latin version by Fr. Combefin, Paris, 1672, whose work is praised by W. Cave in his Scrzpzores Eccl., Oxford, 1688-1740, where he attacks Erasmus so severely. The best German translation is that of Deissmann in Kautzsch’s Afpocr. u. Pseudepigr., Leipzig, 1899, and there are good German commentaries by Grimm, Handbuch zu den Apocryphen, 1857, by Freudenthal, Dze Fl. Josephus beigelegte Schrift tiber die Herrschaft der Vernunft, 1869, by Fritzsche in Libri apocr. V. T.,.1871, and by Deissmann (in Kautzsch) as mentioned above. The two last named have been those chiefly used in preparing the present translation. Other German works that may be consulted, according to Professor Torrey, are Zéckler’s Afocryphen, 396-402; Gfrorer, Philo und die alexandrinische Theosophie, 2. 172-200 (1831); Dihne, Die jiidisch-alexandrinische Religionsphilosophie, 2. 190-9 (1834)s Ewald, GVZ (3), 4, 632 ff.; Gratz, MG Wy (1877), pp. 454 ff.; Zeller, Die Phzlosophie der Griechen (3), 3. 2 (1881), pp. 275-7. Also in English translations we have Schiirer’s Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Gipiee, ill. 244 ff., and Ewald’s Aiistory of Israel, 5. 484 ff. For the ethical and theological side of the book I know nothing so good as Maldwyn Hughes, L¢hzcs of Jewish Apocr. Lit, (date not given). Last but not least I would name Edwyn Bevan’s House of Seleucus, 1902, as giving the best account of Antiochus Epiphanes and his attempts forcibly to Hellenize the Jews, and the reader may wisely consult his Jerusalem under the High Priests.

Appended is a comparison of the historical statements of 2 and 4 Macc. abridged from Bensly.

1. Deep peace. ili..1. TeaWo.) | iliy20- 2. Seleucus, king of Asia, acts as patron of the | 2. Do. iil. 20. abempler Sit.73:

3. Simon at variance with Onias. 111. 4. BD Onn alVver i

4. Tells Apollonius of the Temple treasures. ili. 6. ae IDO WE

5. Heliodorus enters the Temple. iii. 14. 5: Apollonius, Glos hyo

6. Under the new king Antiochus, Jason buys the ee DOre elvey ey): priesthood. iv. 7.

7. Jason builds a gymnasium, iv. 12. TWO. 1V8 20.

8. Menelaus outbids Jason. iv. 24. 8. Not mentioned.

g- On report of Antiochus’s death in Egypt Jason | 9. On report of Antiochus’s death in Egypt the Jews surprises Jerusalem. v. 5. KEjOIce..) 1V.122.

10. Antiochus storms Jerusalem and massacres. v.11. | 10. Antiochus returns and lays the Jews waste. iv. 23.

11. King sends an Athenian to change the Jewish | 11. King decrees death to those who follow their customs. Vi. I. fathers’ religion. iy. 23.

12. Philip the Phrygian persecutes in Jerusalem. v.22. | 12. Antiochus himself orders the Hebrews to be

brought before him. _ v. 2.

13. Eleazar, a scribe of ninety, is beaten to death. | 13. Eleazar, priest and lawyer, an old man, is beaten

Vi. 23-31. and tortured to death with hot irons after a speech addressed to Antiochus. vy. 16-Vi. 30. 14-19. The brothers are variously tortured. _ vii. 14-19. Do. do. (different order). viii to xiv. 20. Antiochus touched with compassion for Brother VII | 20. Do. xii. 2-6.

promises him riches and friendship in exchange for obedience. vii. 24. 21. The Mother implores Brother VII to have com- | 21. The Mother advises VII in Hebrew in words zot

passion on her pains and care as a mother and given at once, Xil. 7. to resist. vil. 27-29. 22. The Mother died last. vil. 41. 22—Uhe Mother, certain guards say, flung herself into

the frying-pan. xvii. 1.

THE FOURTH, BOOK OF ( MACCABE

Philosophical in the highest degree is the question I propose to discuss, namely whether the Inspired Reason is supreme ruler over the passions; and to the philosophy of z¢ I would seriously

I. 1. Inspired Reason. Philosophy is the power-house of the soul. It covers the motive-power by which our higher nature rules or tries to rule our worse self. Man’s first want is meat and drink, and how to supply the want his first problem. The physical side of the problem solves itself; he either finds food, or he starves. But there is also a spiritual side to the problem, and to it Philosophy contains the answer—or answers. Will a man starve rather than sin, sin by stealing food from his brother man, or even by killing and eating him? The hungry wolf solves it one way; he will verily eat his brother wolf. But man, as soon as he rises above the wolf level, and developing a conscience becomes man, finds himself faced with this most serious problem. It may seem remote to us now living in comfort and protected by the police; but it is still quite close up with every exploring expedition, polar or tropical, that takes its chances in the unknown. Will the individual man, when tempted, yield to temptation or resist it? From the time of the flint-weaponed hunters down to the present day the question has been answered—both in the way of the man with a conscience, the higher man, and the way of the man with the heart of a wolf, the lower man, But what is the power that enables the higher type to abstain not only from cannibalism but also, as life grows more complex, from all kinds of wrong? The answer to that question is duty, the one short word that has a hundred names in a hundred lands. Where a man feels the call of duty and can also trust that his fellows feel it, religion, the essence of religion at any rate, the binding of soul to soul, exists, and there in truth is the beginning of human society. Where the call of duty is not felt, life becomes inhuman; we revert to the conditions of the wolf-pack. Fourth Maccabees is the attempt of an orthodox Jew, one well skilled in Greek philosophy, to show how men may rise above the wolf-pack level and be true to their duty even under the last extremity of torture. For even though a man may recognize his duty, yet through weakness of will he may fail to respond. The driving power, that which out of weakness makes him strong to respond, is the mainspring of the higher life, and that is why philosophy, which ‘covers all man’s attempts to find and to explain the source of the driving power, may be called the power-house of the soul. The name which the author of the book here takes to express the working action of duty in the human mind is hoyouds. In its ordinary acceptation Noywpds was the word used for common arithmetic, but here it stands for the human reason, or rather the rational will, which according to Epicurus disposes of all the greatest and most important matters of life (Diog. Laert. 10. 44), and here may be suitably expressed as the personified Reason with a capital R. It was a conveniently definite term for the author of Fourth Maccabees to adopt, seeing that Adyos both in Greek and in Jewish philosophy had been already consecrated to a different use. Adyos was the Word. According to Lactantius (de Vera. Sap. c. 9) ‘Zeno rerum naturae dispositorem atque artificem universitatis Acyov praedicat, quem et fatum et necessitatem rerum et deum et animum Iovis nuncupat’. So in Ps. xxxiii. 6 we have ‘ By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made’. In hundreds of passages Jew and Greek alike declare the power of the Word, the Adyos, the ‘memra’. To come down from the Psalmist and Zeno to the first century A. D., in Alexandria, the probable date and place of origin of Fourth Maccabees, we find the Jewish philosopher Philo actually taking over from the Stoics the doctrine that the \dyos is the power of God or the active Divine intelligence in general. With such powerful associations clinging to \dyos it was natural for the author to choose Aoyiwpds for Reason, and the more so that the Stoics had already used it in that sense. There is extant an interesting little dialogue of Cleanthes, given by Pearson, Fragm. Zeno and Cleanthes, p. 306, in which the two speakers are Aoyopds and Oupds. Aoytopds. ti mor’ €o8 Gre Botder, Ovpe ; TOOTS por Ppdoor. Oupds. exewv, Noyope, Tay 6 Bovdopat Torewy. Aoywopds. vat Baowdrtkdy ye’ my duos elroy Taw. Oupds. dp ty eriOvpe ravO” dws yevnoerat. Reason. What on earth do you want, my good animal? Tell me that. Animal Nature. want, O Reason, to be able to do everything I want. Reason. A royal appetite indeed ; but would you say that again. Animal Nature. \ want whatever I desire to come to pass.

The contrast between our higher and our lower self could hardly be better put.

It has happened to some young men entering the study of philosophy to feel a sudden qualm lest they were being made fools of by a set of bookworms calling themselves philosophers, weaklings constitutionally unable to enter into the feelings of a healthy natural man. Such may take comfort in the recollection that the writer of this little dialogue, Cleanthes, who after Zeno was the great prophet of the Stoics, in his unconverted days had been a pugilist, and that no man ever stood up in the ring but had a working knowledge of our animal nature and the need of keeping one’s head in spite of its promptings. But though the Stoic ex-pugilist well knew the need for the Aoyeoyds to dominate the dvpés we must remember that the hoywpds of Fourth Maccabees is not precisely the same thing as the Reason of Greek philosophy, Epicurean or Stoic. For the Aoywpds of the Jewish writer is qualified by the adjective eio«Bjs, a word which in the mouth of a Hellenistic Jew signifies a strict adherence to the Law of Moses, that is to say the Law of God. «toes, in short, was the technical word used in the Diaspora to describe the Chasidim, the * pious’ or ‘godly’ party among the Jews, rigorous precisians whose pride it was to follow the Law in all things. With us ‘orthodox’ has something of the same implication, though it applies in our own days to faith rather than to works. The ‘Saints’ of Cromwell ‘doing the work of the Lord faithfully’ perhaps come nearer the idea ; and indeed their inspiration was largely drawn from the Old Testament. Thus the word evoeBijs means directly inspired by God as He

PHET FOURTH BOOK OF MAGCCABE ES) f° 2=15

2 entreat your earnest attention. For not only is the subject generally necessary as a branch of

3 knowledge, but it includes the praise of the greatest of virtues, whereby I mean self-control. That

4 is to say, if Reason is proved to control the passions adverse to temperance, gluttony and lust, it is also clearly shown to be lord over the passions, like malevolence, opposed to justice, and over those opposed to manliness, namely rage and pain and fear.

5 But, some may ask, if the Reason is master of the passions, why does it not control forgetfulness

6 and ignorance? their object being to cast ridicule. The answer is that Reason is not master over defects inhering in the mind itself, but over the passions or moral defects that are adverse to justice and manliness and temperance and judgement ; and its action in their case is not to extirpate the passions, but to enable us to resist them successfully.

7 Icould bring before you many examples, drawn from various sources, where Reason has proved

8 itself master over the passions, but the best instance by far that I can give is the noble conduct of

9 those who died for the sake of virtue, Eleazar, and the Seven Brethren and the Mother. For these all by their contempt of pains, yea, even unto death, proved that Reason rises superior to the

to passions. I might enlarge here in praise of their virtues, they, the men with the Mother, dying on this day we celebrate for the love of moral beauty and goodness, but rather would I felicitate them

rr on the honours they have attained. For the admiration felt for their courage and endurance, not only by the world at large but by their very executioners, made them the authors of the downfall of the tyranny under which our nation lay, they defeating the tyrant by their endurance, so that

r2 through them was their country purified. But I shall presently take opportunity to discuss this, after we have begun with the general theory, as I am in the habit of doing, and I will then proceed to their story, giving glory to the all-wise God.

13,14 Our enquiry, then, is whether the Reason is supreme master over the passions. But we must

define just what the Reason is and what passion is, and how many forms of passion there are, and 15 whether the Reason is supreme over all of them. Reason I take to be the mind preferring with

is revealed to the soul of the ‘righteous man’ in the Book of Moses, and I therefore translate evceBis Moyeopds by ‘The Inspired Reason’, that is to say the Reason or Rational Will obeying the guidance of the Law. When so guided, the hoyicpds becomes our higher self, and includes not. only reason, but the moral sense and that noblest form of courage which consists in perfect self-sacrifice for the sake of our ideal. With regard to etoe$yjs I have only used ‘ Inspired ’ for it when thus connected with Aoy:opds. Elsewhere it is generally represented by ‘righteous’, which must be taken in the meaning it usually bears in the Old Testament of ‘following the Law’ in the Jewish sense. Similarly edoéBeva is either ‘righteousness’ or ‘religion’, according to the context, with the same definitely limited connotation of orthodox Judaism.

2. the ... virtues. The author takes his classification of the four cardinal virtues from the Stoics, who got them from Plato. The four are dpdynors, dixacorvvn, avdpeia, coppooivn, and the greatest of these is @pdynois, a puzzling word to render adequately. Diogenes Laertius tells us that Apollophanes held dpévnots to include the whole of virtue, and Plutarch says (S¢o. Rep. vii. 2) that Zeno defined the cardinal virtues as follows : dpdynors, he held, as a general term included the other three ; in things demanding endurance or vigorous action, it was courage; in things demanding fairness, it was justice; in things demanding a choice, it was temperance. It is not easy to find English words that will correspond exactly to these terms, though courage and justice may pass, and so indeed may temperance, even if the idea it brings to our minds is somewhat limited by its modern use for abstinence from alcohol. But péynous, which can sometimes be expressed by self-control, covers more than that. It is prudence, but that hardly expresses the active side of it enough; it is wisdom, but more in its practical than in its intellectual aspect; it is glorified common sense, but that, though expressive, hardly suggests a sufficiently lofty ideal. Judgement is nearer to it, judgement in the sense in which we have it in the collect where we ask to be given ‘a right judgement in all things’. But the selected word for dpdynois must be varied to suit the context.

3. the passions, 7467. The word includes the emotions and affections as well as what we call the lower self. For the Stoic philosophers’ division of the wa@n see i. 20.

Be ignorance. Zeno, according to Stobaeus, classed some vices as ayvouu, and there was a Stoic dogma, mavra ayvoet 6 patos. The Stoics used the terms omovdaios and uvdos to distinguish between two classes, the initiated and the uninitiated in philosophy; much as we might talk of saints and sinners, | converted and unconverted, ‘elect’ and

‘worldly’. I doubt, however, if the Stoic d@yvovae were quite what is meant by a@yvura here. Deissmann thinks that this and the following verse have been bodily transposed here from ii. 24, ili. 1, where their connexion is clearer. But the mere fact that the sentences are repeated in almost the same words need hardly trouble us: the author of Fourth Maccabees does not mind repeating himself, as will be abundantly evident before the reader reaches the end of the book ; and the author does get a sort of antithesis between the two passages. Here he shows us sceptics laughing at Stoicism (compare “Coxcombs vanquish Berkeley by a grin’), but in ill. 1 it is he who laughs at the acenees:

10. this day we celebrate, rovroy roy er Apparently the Chanukah festival, for which see § 7 ad finem. I’ven if this treatise is not a synagogue sermon (see § 1) it may very well have been given as a lecture on the anniversary of the martyrs. The words drep elwOa rroveiv, two verses lower down, clearly imply that the author is speaking to an audience that he had often addressed before.

11. their country purified. The spirit roused by the martyrs led to the rising headed by Judas Maccabaeus and his brethren, and so was the effectual cause of the Temple being purified and its service re-established. Kxa@apwrOqvac refers not only to the cleansing of the Jews from the national sin of apostasy, but to the cleansing of the Temple itself after Zeus Olympius had been worshipped there and swine offered upon the altar.

12. giving glory, ddéay d:dovs. Perhaps the one Hebraism in the whole book.

THE FOURTH BOOK7*OFP MACCABDERS I 16=35

16 clear deliberation the life of wisdom. Wisdom I take to be the knowledge of things, divine and 17 human, and of their causes. This I take to be the culture acquired under the Law, through which we learn with due reverence the things of God and for our worldly profit the things of man. 18 Now wisdom is manifested under the forms of judgement and justice, and courage, and temper- 19 ance. But judgement or self-control is the one that dominates them all, for through it, in truth, 20 Reason asserts its authority over the passions. But of the passions there are two comprehensive sources, namely, pleasure and pain, and either belongs essentially also to the soul as well as to the 21 body. And with respect both to pleasure and pain there are many cases where the passions have 23 certain sequences. Thus while desire goes before pleasure, satisfaction follows after, and while fear 24 goes before pain, after pain comes sorrow. Anger, again, if a man will retrace the course of his 25 feelings, is a passion in which are blended both pleasure and pain. Under pleasure, also, comes 26 that moral debasement which exhibits the widest variety of the passions. It manifests itself in 24 the soul as ostentation, and covetousness, and vain-glory, and contentiousness, and backbiting, and in the body as eating of strange meat, and gluttony, and gormandizing in secret. 28 Now pleasure and pain being as it were two trees, growing from body and soul, many offshoots of 29 these passions sprout up; and each man’s Reason as master-gardener, weeding and pruning and binding up, and turning on the water and directing it hither and thither, brings the thicket of 30 dispositions and passions under domestication. For while Reason is the guide of the virtues it is master of the passions. Observe, now, in the first place, that Reason becomes supreme over the passions in virtue of the 32 inhibitory action of temperance. Temperance, I take it, is the repression of the desires; but of the 33 desires some are mental and some physical, and both kinds are clearly controlled by Reason; when we are tempted towards forbidden meats, how do we come to relinquish the pleasures to be derived from them? Is it not that Reason has power to repress the appetites? In my opinion it is so. 34 Accordingly when we feel a desire to eat water-animals and birds and beasts and meats of every 35 description forbidden to us under the Law, we abstain through the predominance of Reason. For the propensions of our appetites are checked and inhibited by the temperate mind, and all the movements of the body obey the bridle of Reason.

15. opGou Aoyou & V cod.as Buov NS cogov Biov V 35. pysovra 8 V

15. clear deliberation. ’Op6ds \éyos, which here I render by ‘clear deliberation’, is a regular philosophic term. Stobaeus (Zc. ii. 192) gives as the Stoic dogma the statement that 6 vépos was amovdaios, i. e. on the side of the ‘elect’, seeing that it is Adyos 6p4és, ‘right reason’, enjoining what should be done and forbidding what should not be done ; but here the Jew parts company. For him véyos means neither the man-made law of any Greek state, nor the xowos yépos, the Universal Law of the philosophers; but the Law of Moses which is the Law of his God. The Jewish moralist may rejoice in the acute intellectual analysis of the Greek mind; but no Greek standard of religious duty for him! He will traffic willingly with the Greek for intellectual wares, but when it comes to the moral sense he will pray in another temple. A : 7 s

16. the knowledge of things. Plutarch in Plac. Phél. i. 1 has this, of pev ody Srarkot épacay thy pev codiay civat Ociwy re Kai dvOparivey émiatnuny, the exact phrase we have here with the exception of yrdars for emornpy. | ;

20. the passions. With this analysis of the 744) compare Stobaeus, /7A. ii. [166], where he explains the Stoic position :—mpara 8 etva 7@ yéver radra Ta réocapa, emOvpiay PoBoy Aimny jdorny. émOupiav ev ovv kal poBor mponyeto Cat, Thy pev mpos Td hawdpevov ayabdy, thy Sé mpos TO Hatydpevov KaKkdv. emrytyver Oa Se Tovrors oovny kat umny, ndovny pey Oray ruyxdvopev &v emOvpodpev i) expiryoper & epoBovpeOa, Nimnv Oe dray amoruyxavepev oy émOupodper i) mepimeropev ois €poBovpeba. Similarly Diogenes Laertius says (vii. 110) tov dé madGv Ta dvordr@, Kaba pyow “Exdrov ev t@ Sevtépw mrept rabev Kai Zyvev ev TO mept madav, civar yévn TéTTapa, humny, Poor, erOupiay, ndovny. : ; t

With regard to dxoAovdia compare this passage from Huxley, which will be found in the peroration of his work on

Hume and Berkeley, Collected Essays, vi. 318: ‘Our sensations, our pleasures, our pains, and the relations of these, make up the sum total of the elements of positive unquestionable knowledge. We call a large section of these and their relations matter and motion; the rest we term mind and thinking; and experience shows that there is a certain constant order of succession between some of the former and some of the latter.’ The words underlined exactly

express dxoAovOia. Our author makes the md6n cover the whole range of the emotions and affections, and includes under this head our weaknesses and moral defects generally. Among us the word passion generally has a more limited connotation. Grimm says that the Stoic view was that the 70 are bad in themselves and belong to the Adyos sovnpés, but that the author of Fourth Maccabees holds that the wd6n are part of human nature implanted by the Creator, and as such require to be controlled but not extirpated. . - be : 27. gormandizing. Compare with this Job xxxi. 17 «f d€ Kai Tov Wopdy pou épayov povos kal ovxt déppave peredwxa. Aristophanes in the Wass, 923, has the comic superlative povopayiararos— the very greedydoggest chap of all.’ By the transposition of » and » the scribe in some MSS. has made the word into voyd¢dayos, which should mean an eater of laws (swallower of formulae !) if it means anything—a nonsensical error which was corrected by Grabe only to be foolishly restored to the text of the 1817 edition by a certain careless man whom Dr. Field holds up to scorn.

29. turning on the water. érdpdwv is leading the water on from the aceguéa madre or main irrigating ditch ; the work is well described in the First Georgic, 108 ‘Ecce supercilio clivosi tramitis undam Elicit’, &c. perayéwy 15 turning the water from one water-furrow to another so as to irrigate the separate squares or plots. I can find no authority for the meaning ‘ transplanting’ which has been given to it, though it makes good enough sense.

DHE FOURTH BOOK OF MACCABEES 2. 1—3.°5

21 And what is there to be surprised at if the natural desire of the soul to enjoy the fruition of beauty

2is quenched? This, certainly, is why we praise the virtuous Joseph, because by his Reason, with a 3 mental effort, he checked the carnal impulse. For he, a young man at the age when physical desire 4 is strong, by his Reason quenched the impulse of his passions. And Reason is proved to subdue the 5 impulse not only of sexual desire, but of all sorts of covetings. For the Law says, ‘ Thou shalt not 6 covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.’ Verily, when the Law orders us not to covet, it should, I think, confirm strongly the argument that the Reason is capable of controlling covetous desires, even as it does the passions that militate against justice. 7 How else can a man, naturally gormandizing and greedy and drunken, be taught to change his 8 nature, if the Reason be not manifestly the master of the passions? Certainly, as soon as a man orders his life according to the Law, if he is miserly he acts contrary to his nature, and lends money g to the needy without interest, and at the seventh-year periods cancels the debt. And if he is parsimonious, he is overruled by the Law through the action of Reason, and refrains from gleaning his stubbles or picking the last grapes from his vineyards. And with regard to all the rest we can recognize that Reason is in the position of master over 10 the passions or affections. For the Law ranks above affection for parents, so that a man may not 11 for their sakes surrender his virtue, and it overrides love for a wife, so that if she transgress a man 12 should rebuke her, and it governs love for children, so that if they are naughty a man should punish them, and it controls the claims of friendship, so that a man should reprove his friends if they do 13 evil. And do not think it a paradoxical thing when Reason through the Law is able to overcome 14 even hatred, so that a man’ refrains from cutting down the enemy’s orchards, and protects the property of the enemy from the spoilers, and gathers up their goods that have been scattered. 15 And the rule of Reason is likewise proved to extend through the more aggressive passions or 16 vices, ambition, vanity, ostentation, pride, and backbiting. For the temperate mind repels all these 17 debased passions, even as it does anger, for it conquers even this. Yea, Moses when he was angered against Dathan and Abiram did not give free course to his wrath, but governed his anger by his 18 Reason. For the temperate mind is able, as I said, to win the victory over the passions, modifying 19 some, while crushing others absolutely. Why else did our wise father Jacob blame the houses of Simeon and Levi for their unreasoning slaughter of the tribe of the Shechemites, saying, ‘ Ac- 20 cursed be their anger!’ For had not Reason possessed the power to restrain their anger he would 21 not have spoken thus. For in the day when God created man, he implanted in him his passions 22 and inclinations, and also, at the very same time, set the mind on a throne amidst the senses to be 23 his sacred guide in all things; and to the mind he gave the Law, by the which if a man order himself, he shall reign over a kingdom that is temperate, and just, and virtuous, and brave. 24 Well then, some one may ask, if Reason is master of the passions why is it not master of forget- 3 1 fulness and ignorance? But the argument is supremely ridiculous. For Reason is not shown to be 2 master over passions or defects in itself, but over those of the body. For example, none of you is able to extirpate our natural desire, but the Reason can enable him to escape being made a slave by 3 desire. None of you is able to extirpate anger from the soul, but it is possible for the Reason to 4 come to his aid against anger. None of you can extirpate a malevolent disposition, but Reason can 5 be his powerful ally against being swayed by malevolence. Reason is not the extirpator of the passions, but their antagonist.

Il. 8. evoracoy 8 V IIL. 3. +rov Aoywrpor NV

Il. 8. at the seventh-year periods. The reading ¢vréoowy, which is that of A, and accordingly is retained by Swete, is supported by the Syriac version, which Bensly' renders as follows: ‘So he reckoneth by the weeks and forgiveth part of that which is due to him.’ But there is no MS. authority in the Greek for the insertion of the words ‘ part of’, without which evrdccey yields very poor sense. And even if we admit ‘part of’, how can reckoning by the weeks be supposed to reduce the debt? The Strassburg Bible of 1526 has the more intelligible reading evoracéy, which must mean the seventh-year period of release. This reading is followed by Lloyd (1590) and many others. Lloyd translated the passage thus: ‘Cum primum igitur quis (? quisquis) ad Legis praescriptum vivit, si avaro fuerit ac sordido ingenio, suis vim adhibere moribus cogitur, ut tenuioribus sine foenore mutuet; atque imminentibus iam septimanis mutuum amittat.’ And Lloyd is followed by Hudson (1720), who also reads éevoracGy and translates ‘ut imminentibus iam septimanis mutuum amittat’. The version of Deissmann, who likewise reads évoracéy, runs, ‘ He lends to the needy without interest, although (in the future) when the seventh year comes he even loses the capital he has lent.’ This reading évoracdy is also supported by the fact that it does certainly correspond very closely with the Law as stated in Deut. xv. 9: Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand ; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought.’

22. his sacred guide. As an instance of the Stoic terminology of this book I give the following passage from A. C. Pearson’s Fragments of Zeno and Cleanthes, p. 142, where he quotes from Memes. de Nat. Hom., p. 96 Zivov dé 6 Sratkos dxtapyeph now eivar tiv Wuyxnv, Statpov adi cis re TO Hyepovtkdy Kal cis Tas mevTE alaOnoers Kal eis TO HovntiKdy Kal To omeppattxdy. And Diog. Laert. vii. 52 has this: atoOnots de heyerar kata Tols Starkovs 7d 7 ad’ yycpoviKod mvedpa eri tas aig@noes SujKov . . . Kal n wept ra alo Onrijpia KaTacKeun.

THE FOURTH BOOK OF 'MACCABEES 3.'6—4. to

6.7 The case of the thirst of King David may serve at least to make this clearer. For when David had fought the live-long day against the Philistines, and by the help of our country’s warriors had 8 slain many of them, he came at eventide, all fordone with sweat and toil, to the royal tent, around 9 which was encamped the whole army of our ancestors. So all the host fell to their evening meal; ro but the king, being consumed with an intense thirst, though he had abundance of water, was rr unable to slake it. Instead, an irrational desire for the water that was in the possession of the 12 enemy with growing intensity burned him up and unmanned and consumed him. Then when his body-guard murmured against the craving of the king, two youths, mighty warriors, ashamed that their king should lack his desire, put on all their armour, and took a water-vessel, and scaled the 13 enemy’s ramparts; and stealing undetected past the guards at the gate, they searched through 14 all the enemy’s camp. And they bravely found the spring, and drew from it a draught for the 15 king. But David, though still burning with the thirst, considered that such a draught, reckoned 16 as equivalent to blood, was a grievous danger to his soul. Therefore, opposing his Reason to his 17 desire, he poured out the water as an offering to God. For the temperate mind is able to conquer 18 the dictates of the passions, and to quench the fires of desire, and to wrestle victoriously with the pangs of our bodies though they be exceeding strong, and by the moral beauty and goodness tg Of Reason to defy with scorn all the domination of the passions. And now the occasion calls us to set forth the story of the self-controlled Reason. 20 Ata time when our fathers enjoyed great peace through the due observance of the Law, and were in happy case, so that Seleucus Nicanor, the king of Asia, sanctioned the tax for the temple-service, 21 and recognized our polity, precisely then, certain men, acting factiously against the general concord,

4 ; involved us in many and various calamities. Onias,a man of the highest character, being then high priest and having the office for his life, a certain Simon raised a faction against him, but since despite every kind of slander he failed to injure him on account of the people, he fled abroad with intent to betray his country.

2,3. So he came to Apollonius, the governor of Syria and Phoenicia and Cilicia, and said, ‘Being loyal to the king, I am here to inform you that in the treasuries of Jerusalem are stored many thousands of private deposits, not belonging to the temple account, and rightfully the property of King Seleucus.’

4 Apollonius, having made inquiry into the details of the matter, praised Simon for his loyal service to the king, and hastening to the court of Seleucus, disclosed to him the valuable treasure ;

5 then, after receiving authority to deal with the matter, he promptly marched into our country, 6 accompanied by the accursed Simon and a very powerful army, and announced that he was there 7 by the king’s command to take possession of the private deposits in the treasury. Our people were deeply angered by this announcement, and protested strongly, considering it an outrageous thing for those who had entrusted their deposits to the temple treasury to be robbed of them, and

8 they threw all possible obstacles in his way. Apollonius, however, with threats, made his way into 9 the temple. Then the priests in the temple and the women and children besought God to come to 10 the rescue of his Holy Place that was being violated; and when Apollonius with his armed host marched in to seize the moneys, there appeared from heaven angels, riding upon horses, with lightning

14. eyeoav is supported by the Syriac 18. 7 kahoxayabia 8 V IV. 8. amevkov N g. Tov tepov & V

12, two youths. The author’s story of David’s thirst and the water that he poured out like blood upon the ground differs materially from that told in 2 Sam. xxiii. 16 ff. and 1 Chron. xi. 11. Here the feat is performed by two young soldiers who scour the whole Philistine camp (which lies in a place whose name is not given) in order to find the spring. In the O.T. the heroes are three chiefs of David’s mighty men, apparently Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah, though there is some uncertainty about the names. ‘The action takes place at Bethlehem and the well is close to the gate, neither have they any special difficulty in finding it. The author does not use, perhaps he even avoids, the actual phraseology of the LXX, except only that in reference to David’s action he employs the words emtOupia and éoreoev. Either his Bible differed materially from ours, or else he allowed himself considerable latitude in handling the incident. The latter seems probable, and this should be borne in mind when considering the various points on which he differs from the writer of 2 Maccabees.

20. Seleucus Nicanor. roy Nixdvopa. Perhaps we should here read with V rov Nukdvopos, ‘the descendant of Nicanor’, he being the one of Alexander’s generals who founded the Seleucid dynasty. The king who is here meant was his sixth successor, Seleucus IV (Philopator), son of Antiochus III (the Great), and elder brother of his own successor Antiochus IV (Epiphanes). He reigned first as associated with his father and shared his defeat by Rome, and after 187 B.c. he reigned as sole king till he was murdered by Heliodorus in 176-5. Seleucus IV wasted little money in wars and left a full treasury. The words ypnuara xrX. may mean that he assigned part of the state revenues to the Temple service, or that he sanctioned the exaction of the regular Temple tax, the annual half-shekel which the Jews, not in Palestine only but in all parts, were expected to pay to the priests. The authority for this tax was derived from Moses’ Law, Exod. xxx. 12, 2 Chron. xxiv. 6. After the Captivity it was reduced to a third, in consequence of the rise in values and the poverty of the people; but it was raised again to half a shekel by Simon the Maccabee. The expression 7)v modctelay arodexec Oa indicates that the king recognized the Jewish form of government which prevailed after the Return, that is to say, a theocracy under which the high-priest was also the chief ruler of the state.

11 flashing from their arms, and cast great fear and trembling upon them. And Apollonius fell down half-dead in the Court of the Gentiles, and stretched out his hands to heaven, and with tears he entreated the Hebrews that they would make intercession for him and stay the wrath of the heavenly

12 host. For he said that he had sinned and was worthy even of death, and that if he were given his

13 life he would laud to all men the blessedness of the Holy Place. Moved by these words, Onias, the high-priest, although most scrupulous in other cases, made intercession for him lest King Seleucus should possibly think that Apollonius had been overthrown by a human device and not by divine

14 justice. Apollonius, accordingly, after his astonishing deliverance departed to report to the king the

15 things that had befallen him. But Seleucus dying, his successor on the throne was his son Antiochus

16 Epiphanes, an overweening terrible man; who dismissed Onias from his sacred office, and made his

r7 brother Jason high-priest instead, the condition being that in return for the appointment Jason should

18 pay him three thousand six hundred and sixty talents yearly. So he appointed Jason high-priest and

1g made him chief ruler over the people. And he (¥asoz) introduced to our people a new way of life

20 and a new constitution in utter defiance of the Law; so that not only did he lay out a gymnasium

21 on the Mount of our fathers, but he actually abolished the service of the temple. Wherefore the

22 divine justice was kindled to anger and brought Antiochus himself as an enemy against us. For when he was carrying on war with Ptolemy in Egypt and heard that the people of Jerusalem had

23 rejoiced exceedingly over a report of his death, he immediately marched back against them. And when he had plundered ¢he czty he made a decree denouncing the penalty of death upon any who

24 Should be seen to live after the Law of our fathers. But he found all his decrees of no avail to break down the constancy of our people to the Law, and he beheld all his threats and penalties

25 utterly despised, so that even women for circumcising their sons, though they knew beforehand

26 what would be their fate, were flung, together with their offspring, headlong from the rocks. When therefore his decrees continued to be contemned by the mass of the people, he personally tried to force by tortures each man separately to eat unclean meats and thus abjure the Jewish religion.

51 Accordingly, the tyrant Antiochus, accompanied by his councillors, sat in judgement on a certain

2 high place with his troops drawn up around him in full armour, and he ordered his guards to drag

19. e€eduntnoev 8 V Syr. 21. emohepwoev 24. evvomray NV Syr.

IV. 13. most scrupulous. I have followed Grimm’s rendering, but it here may be noted that evAdBeva, caution, is the regular philosophical term for the useful side of the passion which in excess becomes fear. If we take it in the latter sense, G\dNws cdAaBnOeis would mean that Onias was so much alarmed as to the possible effect on King Seleucus that on this occasion he swallowed his repugnance and offered the prayer. In 2 Macc., where the story is told at much greater length, and where the offender is called Heliodorus not Apollonius, Onias not only prays but also offers sacrifice ‘as an atonement for the man’. Poor Onias seems to have been a lover of peace, nevertheless he was, after his retirement, murdered at Antioch by Menelaus, the usurping high-priest who outbid and ousted Jason.

15. his son, vids. An extraordinary mistake for brother, but the MSS. leave no doubt that the author made it. Antiochus Epiphanes was a curious mixture. Like the rest of the Seleucid House he was of mixed Persian and Macedonian blood, and his education, half Greek, half Roman, was no less mixed, for he spent his childhood at the Graeco-Syrian court, and his boyhood at Rome, where he became a hostage for his father on his defeat. Released after his father’s death, he played as a young man at being a citizen and an elected official of Athens, keeping his eye all the time on the Syrian throne. Then came the murder of his brother Seleucus by Heliodorus, and Antiochus presently made his bid for the kingdom and won. Thenceforth he reigned with a sort of insane energy, acting as the militant missionary of Hellenism in the East, and backing up his mission with wayward freakishness. While planting gorgeous new temples and new Antiochs everywhere, he took advantage of his audacious title of Ocds ’Emupanis, the Manifest God, to assert his right to plunder remorselessly the already existing temples in order that their treasures might support his extravagances. His looting of the Temple at Jerusalem was but one instance out of many, and it was the failure of his attempt on the shrine of Ishtar at Elymais that brought about his doom.

22. war with Ptolemy. Antiochus made several campaigns against Ptolemy and succeeded in conquering the whole of Egypt with the single exception of Alexandria, to which he actually laid siege. But he had reckoned without Rome, who disapproved of his ambitions, and having finished the Macedonian war had got her hands free at last. Antiochus was watching the siege when he saw a small party of Romans who had just landed approaching him. He recognized their leader, a consular, Pompilius Laenas, whom he had known as a boy in Rome, and held out his hand in greeting. Pompilius took no notice of the offered hand, but presented a note from the senate desiring Antiochus to quit Egypt. The Syrian king looked at it, and said lightly, ‘I will consider it with my friends.’ Pompilius held in his hand a vine-stick, a thing as characteristic of a Roman officer as the sjambok was of a Boer commander. He drew a circle in the sand with it round the king. ‘Consider there,’ he said. Antiochus paused, hesitated, and then, still inside the circle, said, ‘The senate shall be obeyed.’ His hand was instantly grasped by Pompilius, and they were the best of friends. Having accepted the situation Antiochus withdrew his armies from Egypt, but being enraged with the Jews, as related in the text, he relieved his feelings by the sack of Jerusalem and the persecution of the Jews.

V. 1. acertain high place. Tradition varies as to the scene of the martyrdoms. In Maccabees there is nothing to indicate that they took place anywhere except at Jerusalem. The early Church, however, held the place to have been Antioch, and a basilica was erected there in the martyrs’ honour. For the transfer of the relics from Antioch to Milan and Cologne, see § 8. The relics are said now to be in Rome.

THE ‘FOURTH VBOGK OF) MAVCGABERO*0.2—-25

there every single man of the Hebrews and compel them to eat swine’s flesh and things offered to

3 idols; but if any should refuse to defile themselves with the unclean things, they were to be tortured

4and put to death. And when many had been taken by force, one man, first from among the company was brought before Antiochus,a Hebrew whose name was Eleazar, a priest by birth, trained in knowledge of the law, a man advanced in years and well known to many of the tyrant’s court for his philosophy.

5 And Antiochus, looking on him, said:

6 ‘Before I allow the tortures to begin for you, O venerable man, I would give you this counsel, that you should eat of the flesh of the swine and save your life; for I respect your age and your grey hairs, although to have worn them so long a time, and still to cling to the Jewish religion, makes me

7 think you no philosopher. For most excellent is the meat of this animal which Nature has graciously

8 bestowed upon us, and why should you abominate it? Truly it is folly not to enjoy innocent

9 pleasures, and it is wrong to reject Nature’s favours. But it will be still greater folly, I think, on your part if with idle vapouring about truth you shall proceed to defy even me to your own punish-

11 ment. Will you not awake from your preposterous philosophy? Will you not fling aside the nonsense of your calculations and, adopting another frame of mind befitting your mature years, learn the

12 true philosophy of expediency, and bow to my charitable counsel, and have pity on your own

13 venerable age? For consider this, too, that even if there be some Power whose eye is upon this religion of yours, he will always pardon you for a transgression done under compulsion.’

14 Thus urged by the tyrant to the unlawful eating of unclean meat, Eleazar asked permission to

15 speak ; and receiving it, he began his speech before the court as follows:

16 ‘We,O Antiochus, having accepted the Divine Law as the Law of our country, do not believe any stronger necessity is laid upon us than that of our obedience to the Law.

18 ‘Therefore we do surely deem it right not in any way whatsoever to transgress the Law. And yet, were our Law, as you suggest, not truly divine, while we vainly believed it to be divine, not even so

19 would it be right for us to destroy our reputation for piety. Think it not, then, a small sin for us

20 to eat the unclean thing, for the transgression of the Law, be it in small things or in great, is equally

22 heinous; for in either case equally the Law is despised. And you scoff at our philosophy, as

23 if under it we were living in a manner contrary to reason. Not so, for the Law teaches us selfcontrol, so that we are masters of all our pleasures and desires and are thoroughly trained in manli-

24 ness so as to endure all pain with readiness; and it teaches justice, so that with all our varzous dispositions we act fairly, and it teaches righteousness, so that with due reverence we worship only the

25 God whois. Therefore do we eat no unclean meat ; for believing our Law to be given by God, we know

V. 4. drrocoguay V Il. trav Aoyiopwv 24. exduacker N

4. advanced in years. According to 2 Macc. he was ninety. Prof. Kraus in the Jewish Encyclopaedia has this interesting note on him: ‘Cardinal Rampolla’s investigations have proved the historical character of the account despite the fact that while the seven martyrs are mentioned in rabbinical legend, Eleazar seems to be unknown to the Rabbis (Iartyre et Sépulture des Macchabées, Bruges, 1900). Gritz had already declared it to be substantially true (Geschichte, 2nd ed., ii. 317). Hertzfeld’s supposition (Geschichte des Volkes Israel, ii. 75) that Eleazar is identical with Eleazar ben Harsom is untenable.’

5. And Antiochus...said. The author adopts the usual ancient practice of making up speeches for his characters, a practice too common to call for comment. _In some cases the speeches must have been invented from beginning to end; in others they doubtless contain actual phrases worked into their text which had been used by the speaker in whose mouth they are put. Such interweavings of truth and fiction are well known as occurring, to take the most obvious case, in Shakespeare’s historical plays; and, to come down to our own day, I have seen in America a popular biography of so great a man as Abraham Lincoln which purported to report verbatim long conversations of his, suitable indeed to the circumstances but unquestionably invented. It is hard to be sure that even the shortest phrase is truly recorded in history. I think I have seen four or five different accounts both in Greek and Latin of the scene outside Alexandria between Antiochus and Pompilius Laenas (see on iv. 22, note), where scarcely a dozen words were spoken between the two men, but I cannot remember that any two of the reports can be said to coincide, or even to approach it. So at Waterloo ; what was the word that Cambronne used? or did the Duke ever say, ‘Up, guards, and at them,’ or anything of the sort? We must make the best of our history as we have it.

20. equally heinous. This is a well-known doctrine of the Stoics. Stobaeus (Z%h. ii. 218) says toa Te maya Aéyovow eivar Ta Guaprhpata, ovK ére & duo.a. And he goes on to explain how a lie is always a lie kal dpapravew de paddov Kal Arrov odk éoTt, Tacay yap dyuapriay Kara dudipevow mpdtrecOa. Horace in the Satires makes fun of the idea

“It never can be an equivalent crime To crib the cheap cabbage and plunder the shrine.’ Zeno himself is quoted as the original authority for it by Diog. Laert. vii. 120 dpéoket re avrois toa nyetoOar re dpaprnuara Kad not Znvov. With these pronouncements of the Stoics we may compare James ii. 10: ‘For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.’ St. James was the most Jewish of the apostles, and the idea which to us seems so strained was not less familiar to the Jew than to the Greek.

— 26also that the Creator of the world, as a Lawgiver, feels for us according to our nature. He has

commanded us to eat the things that will be convenient for our souls, and he has forbidden us to 27 eat meats that would be the contrary. But it is the act of a tyrant that you should compel us not only to transgress the Law, but should also make us eat in such manner that you may mock at this 28, 29 defilement so utterly abominable to us. But you shall not mock at me thus, neither will I break the 30 sacred oaths of my ancestors to keep the Law, not even though you tear out mine eyes and burn out 31 mine entrails. J am not so unmanned by old age but that when righteousness is at stake the strength 32, 33 of youth returns tomy Reason. So twist hard your racks and blow your furnace hotter. I do not so - 34 pity mine old age as to break the Law of my fathers in mine own person. I will not belie thee, O Law 35 that wast my teacher ; I will not desert thee, O beloved self-control ; I will not put thee to shame, O wisdom-loving Reason, nor will I deny ye, O venerated priesthood and knowledge of the Law. 36 Neither shalt thou sully the pure mouth of mine old age and my lifelong constancy to the Law. 37, 38 Clean shall my fathers receive me, unafraid of thy torments even to the death. For thou indeed mayest be tyrant over unrighteous men, but thou shalt not lord it over my resolution in the matter

of righteousness either by thy words or through thy deeds.’ 1 But when Eleazar replied thus eloquently to the exhortations of the tyrant, the guards around 2 him dragged him roughly to the torturing place. And first they unclothed the old man, who was 3 adorned with the beauty of holiness. Then binding his arms on either side they scourged him, 4, 5a herald standing and shouting out over against him, ‘Obey the orders of the king!’ But the great-souled and noble man, an Eleazar in very truth, was no more moved in his mind than if he 6 were being tormented in a dream; yea, the old man keeping his eyes steadfastly raised to heaven suffered his flesh to be torn by the scourges till he was bathed in blood and his sides became a mass 7 of wounds ; and even when he fell to the ground because his body could no longer support the 8 pain he still kept his Reason erect and inflexible. With his foot then one of the cruel guards as 9 he fell kicked him savagely in the side to make him get up. But he endured the anguish, and to despised the compulsion, and bore up under the torments, and like a brave athlete taking punishment, 11 the old man outwore his tormentors. The sweat stood on his brow, and he drew his breath in hard 12 gasps, till his nobility of soul extorted the admiration of his tormentors themselves. Hereupon, 13 partly in pity for his old age, partly in sympathy for their friend, partly in admiration of his courage, 14 some of the courtiers of the king went up to him and said: ‘ Why, O Eleazar, dost thou madly 15 destroy thyself in this misery? We will bring to thee of the seethed meats, but do thou feign

only to partake of the swine’s flesh, and so save thyself.’

16,17 And Eleazar, as if their counsel did but add to his tortures, cried loudly: ‘No. May we sons of Abraham never have so evil a thought as with faint heart to counterfeit a part unseemly to us.

If. evuyia N

26. according to our nature. The Rabbis explained these commands to abstain from unclean food in the following way : ‘ These commands were given with the highest of all objects—for the sake of the purity which obedience to them imparts to the moral life.’ And again: ‘The ideal Jew does not say, “ I have no desire to eat swine’s flesh, no desire to indulge in any sensual cravings ; I desire, but I will conquer the desire for the sake of my Father which is in Heaven”’ (Oesterley and Box, Synagogue Religion and Worship, p. 412). Of course anthropologists explain such matters as taboos, probably based on a primitive totemism.

38. through thy deeds. Before we begin the dreadful story of the martyrdoms I would like to recall the words of Heine, the emancipated Jew, who from his mattress-grave tilted against Destiny with a sardonic humour that often mocked both himself and his race. ‘If suffering ennobles,’ he says, ‘then has Israel attained the highest rank.’ And if the Jewish refusal to eat swine’s flesh seems a trivial cause for which to endure death in torments, let me also quote here these words of a yet more recent writer: ‘There is no idea so ridiculous and outlandish but that some one has gone to the stake for it. Thousands have died for the Crescent as for the Cross, for the Synagogue as for the Church, for heresy as for orthodoxy, for undistinguishable shades of opinion about beliefs which were wholly false, for tyranny as for liberty, for anarchy as for order—faithful unto death for the truth that was no truth, doing loyal service to detestable masters, wasting heroism in the service of poltroons. Yet by such have the great human virtues of constancy and loyalty been established; and if not martyrs for the truth, they are witnesses to the best in man—his fantastic chivalry and contempt for death, when once an idea has laid hold of his imagination.’

VI. 5. Eleazar. This name means ‘God help’. As to his defiance of torture let me quote the following passage from Pearson’s Fragments 0) Zeno and Cleanthes, p. 214: ‘The Indian philosophers are said to have used these words to Alexander: capara pév perd£&es ex romou eis rérrov, Wuxas 8 nwetépas ovK avayKdoers Trotety & jr) BovAdpcOa. mip avOparots péytotoyv KoacTHpioy, TovTOV Hueis Katappovodpev, Similarly Philo, in telling the same story (Quod omnis probus sit liber, p. 879), has this: wip peylorovs trois (@o1 aamace mévous kai POopay epyd¢erat, TovTOV Urepdvw nyeis ywvopeba, Cavres KatoueOa. Other historians attest the custom of burning themselves alive, which is said to have been practised by the Brahmans. Strabo, xv. 1.65, says aioyiorov 8 adrois vopifer Oar vooov cwparikyy’ tov & brovonoayra xa@’ abrov rovro éfdyew Kxabicavta emi thy rupay vpdwat Kehevewv, dxivnroy dé Kaleo Oat.’

15. We will bring. In 2 Macc. vi, 21 they beseech him ‘to bring flesh of his own provision, such as was lawful for him to use, and make as if he did eat of the flesh taken from the sacrifice commanded by the king’.

THE FOURTH * BOOKVOFUMACCABEERS 10, 16——s2 17

18 Contrary to Reason, indeed, were it for us, after living unto the truth till old age, and guarding in 19 lawful guise the repute of so living, now to change and become in our own persons a pattern to 20 the young of impiety, to the end that we should encourage them to eat unclean meat. Shame were 21 it if we should live on a little longer, during that little being mocked of all men for cowardice, and 22 while despised by the tyrant as unmanly should fail to defend the Divine Law unto the death. There- 23 fore,O sons of Abraham, do ye die nobly for righteousness’ sake ; but as for you, O minions of the tyrant, why pause ye in your work ?’ 24 So they, seeing him thus triumphant over the tortures and unmoved even by the pity of his 25 executioners, dragged him to the fire. There they cast him on it, burning him with cruelly cunning: 26 devices, and they poured broth of evil odour into his nostrils. But when the fire already reached 27 to his bones and he was about to give up the ghost, he lifted up his eyes to God and said, ‘ Thou, 28 O God, knowest that though I might save myself I am dying by fiery torments for thy Law. Be 29 merciful unto thy people, and let our punishment be a satisfaction in their behalf. Make my blood their purification, and take my soul to ransom their souls.’ 30 And with these words the holy man nobly yielded up his spirit under the torture, and for the sake of the Law held out by his Reason even against the torments unto death. 31,32 Beyond question, then, the Inspired Reason is master over the passions; for if his passions or sufferings had prevailed over his Reason we should have credited them with this evidence of their 33 superior power. But now his Reason having conquered his passions, we properly attribute to it 34 the power of commanding them. And it is right that we should admit that the mastery lies with 35 Reason, in cases at least where it conquers pains that come from outside ourselves ; for it were ridiculous zo deny zt. And my proof covers not only the superiority of Reason to pains, but its superiority to pleasures also; neither does it surrender to them. 7x1 For the Reason of our father Eleazar, like a fine steersman steering the ship of sanctity on the 2 sea of the passions, though buffeted by the threats of the tyrant and swept by the swelling waves 3 of the tortures, never shifted for one moment the helm of sanctity until he sailed into the haven of 4 victory over death. No city besieged with many and cunning engines ever defended itself so well as did that holy man when his sacred soul was attacked with scourge and rack and flame, and he moved them who were laying siege ¢o his sowl through his Reason that was the shield of sanctity. 5 For our father Eleazar, setting his mind firm as a beetling sea-cliff, broke the mad onset of the 6 surges of the passions. O priest worthy of thy priesthood, thou didst not defile thy holy teeth, 7 nor didst thou befoul with unclean meat thy belly that had room only for piety and purity. O 8 confessor of the Law and philosopher of the Divine life! Such should those be whose office is to serve the Law and defend it with their own blood and honourable sweat in the face of sufferings to g the death. Thou, O father, didst fortify our fidelity to the Law through thy steadfastness unto glory ; and having spoken in honour of holiness thou didst not belie thy speech, and didst confirm ro the words of divine philosophy by thy deeds, O aged man that wast more forceful than the tortures, O reverend elder that wast tenser-strung than the flame, thou great king over the passions, Eleazar. rr For as our father Aaron, armed with the censer, ran through the massed congregation against the 12 fiery angel and overcame him, so the son of Aaron, Eleazar, being consumed by the melting heat of 13 the fire, remained unshaken in his Reason. And yet most wonderful of all, he, being an old man, with the sinews of his body unstrung and his muscles relaxed and his nerves weakened, grew a young 14 man again in the spirit of his Reason and with Isaac-like Reason turned the hydra-headed torture 15 to impotence. O blessed age, O reverend grey head, O life faithful to the Law and perfected by the seal of death ! 16 Assuredly, then, if an old man despised the torments unto death for righteousness’ sake it must 17 be admitted that the Inspired Reason is able to guide the passions. But some perhaps may answer that not all men are masters of the passions because not all men have their Reason enlightened.

18. em avrw N 24. peraBaddAopevov N VII. 13, rover N Syr

20. alittle longer. There is a curiously close correspondence between these words and the counsel attributed by Stobaeus to Eusebius: ‘We ought not therefore for the sake of brief, uncertain, and transitory pleasure to choose great evils which endure for all time, and, in a life which is of the briefest, injure the after-life which is immensely long, nor yet, fearing a short pain, should we loose hold on great blessings which endure for all time and on the happiness of the immensely long life which comes after this world.’ £7¢/zca ii. 420.

29, to ransom their souls. These remarkable words on the martyr’s death being taken as an atonement for the whole people are discussed in § 9.

35. for it were ridiculous, ézei Kai yeAotov. Bensly translates the Syriac thus: ‘It is therefore ridiculous that a man should say, Reason does not rule, where we have shown that it overcame not only passions (sufferings) but also threats.’ Lloyd, whose reading is the same as that in our text, translates ‘nisi ridiculi esse velimus’. of e{aOev adynddves are the physical tortures as distinguished from ot éydoOev mévor of xv. 29 and xviii. 2.

18 But as many as with their whole heart make righteousness their first thought, these alone are able

19 to master the weakness of the flesh, believing that unto God they die not, as our patriarchs, Abra-

zo ham and Isaac and Jacob, died not, but that they live unto God. Therefore there is nothing contradictory in certain persons appearing to be slaves to passion in consequence of the weakness -of

21 their Reason. For who is there that being a philosopher following righteously the whole rule of

22 philosophy, and having put his trust in God, and knowing that it is a blessed thing to endure all

23 hardness for the sake of virtue, would not conquer his passions for the sake of righteousness? For the wise and self-controlled man alone is the brave ruler of the passions. Yea, by this means even young boys, being philosophers by virtue of the Reason which is according to righteousness, have triumphed over yet more grievous tortures.

81x For when the tyrant found himself notably defeated in his first attempt, and impotent to compel

2 an old man to eat unclean meat, then truly in violent rage he ordered the guards to bring others of the young men of the Hebrews, and if they would eat unclean meat to release them after eating it, 3 but if they refused, to torture them yet more savagely. And under these orders of the tyrant seven brethren together with their aged mother were brought prisoners before him, all handsome, 4 and modest, and well-born, and generally attractive. And when the tyrant saw them there, standing as if they were a festal choir with their mother in the midst, he took notice of them, and struck by their noble and distinguished bearing he smiled at them, and calling them nearer said : 5 ‘O young men, I wish well.to each one of you, and admire your beauty, and honour highly so large a band of brothers; so not only do I advise you not to persist in the madness of that old 6 man who has already suffered, but I even entreat of you to yield to me and become partakers in my friendship. For, as I am able to punish those who disobey my orders, so am I able to 7 advance those who do obey me. Be assured then that you shall be given positions of importance gand authority in my service if you will reject the ancestral law of your polity. Share in the 9 Hellenic life, and walk in a new way, and take some pleasure in your youth; for if you drive me to anger with your disobedience you will compel me to resort to terrible penalties and put to every single one of you to death by torture. Have pity then on yourselves, whom even IJ, your It opponent, pity for your youth and your beauty. Will you not consider with yourselves this thing, that if you disobey me there is nothing before you but death in torments?’ 12 With these words he ordered the instruments of torture to be brought forward in order to per- 13 suade them by fear to eat unclean meat. But when the guards had produced wheels, and jointdislocators, and racks, and bone-crushers, and catapults, and chaldrons, and braziers, and thumb- 14 screws, and iron claws, and wedges, and branding irons, the tyrant spoke again and said, ‘ You 15 had better feel fear, my lads, and the Justice you worship will pardon your unwilling transgression ’. But they, hearing his persuasions, and seeing his dreadful engines, not only showed no fear but actually arrayed their philosophy in opposition to the tyrant, and by their right Reason did abase his tyranny. 16 And yet consider; supposing some amongst them to have been faint-hearted and cowardly, what sort of language would they have used? would it not have been to this effect ? 17 ‘Alas! miserable creatures that we are and foolish above measure! When the king invites us 18 and appeals to us on terms of kind treatment shall we not obey him? Why do we encourage ourtg Selves with vain desires and dare a disobedience that is to cost us our lives? Shall we not,O men my brothers, fear the dread instruments and weigh well his threats of the tortures, and abandon these 20 empty vaunts and this fatal bragging? Let us take pity on our own youth and have compassion on 22 our mother’s age; and let us lay to heart that if we disobey we shall die. And even the divine 23 justice will have mercy on us, if compelled by necessity we yield to the king in fear. Why should 24 we cast away from us this dear life and rob ourselves of this sweet world? Let us not strive against

VII. 19. they live unto God. These words on immortality are repeated in xvi. 25. The closest parallel is Mark xii. 26: ‘ And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.’

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES.

In the following translation I have used the text as given in Taylor, in Strack, in the Wilna edition of the Talmud Babli (1880-1884), and in the Amsterdam edition of the Mishnah, 1675 (a copy that belonged to R. Moses of Rothenburg). I have not followed any one of them exclusively. I have also got useful help from the edition, with commentary, called ‘Minhah hadashah’, — 1722 (written by Michael Moravezyk and published in 1576). I have throughout consulted the commentaries of Rashi, R. Obadiah of Sforno (Bartenora), Maimonides, and Jom-tob- Heller. I have followed the usual division of chapters; but, as there is no recognized division of paragraphs, I have used my own judgement in dividing them. :

1 The student, however, should bear in mind that Rabbinic Pharisaism after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. differs largely from Pharisaism before that date. See the Introduction to this Vol.—Gen. Editor.

SAYINGS OF THE FATHERS

Moses received Torah from Sinai and delivered it to Joshua, and Joshua to the Elders, and the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets delivered it to the men of the Great Synagogue. They said three things: Be deliberate in judgement; and raise up many disciples; and make a fence for

the Torah.

Simeon the Just was of the remnants of the Great Synagogue. He used to say: On three things the world standeth: on the Torah, and on the Service, and on the doing of kindnesses.

Antigonos of Socho received from Simeon the Just. He used to say: Be not like slaves who serve the master with a view to receiving a present; but be like slaves who serve the master not with a view to receiving a present : and let the fear of Heaven be upon you.

Jose ben Joezer of Zeredah and Jose ben Johanan of Jerusalem received from them. Jose b. Joezer of Zeredah said: Let thy house be a house of meeting for the Wise, and bedust thyself with the dust of their feet, and drink with thirst their words.

I. 1. Torah. A technical term not identical with ‘Law’. Zorah (= teaching) denotes the revelation which God gave to Israel by Moses, supposed to be complete and final. The Pentateuch is the written record of that teaching; hence the name Torah is often applied to the Pentateuch. But Torah included also the unwritten tradition whereby the implicit contents of the revelation were made explicit by successive interpretations. No English word is equivalent to Torah, which is therefore retained untranslated in the text and the notes.

the Elders. Probably the ‘able men’ chosen by Moses to assist him (Exod. xviii. 25), and regarded as a permanent body.

Great Synagogue. In the rabbinical tradition a council founded by Ezra which lasted for many years. The scanty references to it indicate the assembly mentioned in Neh. ix, x. No such permanent council can be shown to have existed ; but the tradition is not wholly worthless. The term ‘Great Synagogue’ may be taken to denote the early Scribes (Sopherim), who developed the religion of Torah on the lines and in the spirit of Ezra, for several generations after his time. See my Phardsaism, pp. 18-22.

They said, i.e. the men of the Great Synagogue said. Tradition represented as decrees of a council what were probably only the rules agreed on by the Scribes for their own guidance. The three sayings are certainly very ancient. It was the duty of the Scribes to judge, also to teach Torah.

a fence for the Torah, mind 3D. This does not mean that the Torah was to be made into a stiff hedge, but refers merely to precautions by which a man might be guarded from transgression before it was too late.

2. Simeon the Just, or the Righteous. It is impossible to be sure who is meant, whether Simeon, grandson of Jaddua, who was High Priest from 310 to 291 B.C. (or 300-270), or his grandson, who was High Priest from 219 to 199. Josephus mentions both (Avz#. xii. 2. 5 and 4. 10), but he only applies the epithet ‘the Just’ to the older man. The Simon of Sirach i is probably the younger, and he is not there called ‘the Just’. The rabbinical references confuse the two, and possibly allude to other men also.

the world standeth. Meaning that the three things are the fundamentals of human (or perhaps national) life.

Torah. See above.

the Service, 17)\39n. The Temple service. The three things represent revelation, worship, and sympathy, i. e. God’s word to man, man’s response to God, and man’s love to his fellow men.

3. Antigonos of Socho. Note the Greek name. His date, being dependent on that of Simeon the Just, is uncertain. Later tradition said that he had two disciples, one of whom, Zadok, became the founder of the Sadducees.

a present. The Hebr. word D5 represents the Gk. pépos, and is distinguished from ‘ reward’, 13, that which the servant has a right to expect.

fear of Heaven, i.e. the fear of God. Heaven, for God, a frequent substitute in Jewish speech; the most familiar instance is ‘kingdom of heaven’ = kingdom of God. The two dicta of Antigonos are unconnected with each other.

4. From here to v. 12, the successive teachers are arranged in pairs. They are so grouped elsewhere in the Talmud, and are called Zigdéth (Pairs). They are represented in tradition as having been, in each case, the president and vice-president of the Sanhedrin, the great council of the state. This is incorrect, as Kuenen has conclusively shown (see his essay ‘ Over de samenstelling van het Sanhedrin’), If, however, there were some assembly of Scribes, as suggested above, v. 1, then the Zugoth may have been presidents and vice-presidents of that body.

Jose b. Joezer was probably among the sixty who were killed by Alcimus (1 Macc. vii, 16), 162 B.c. Alcimus is said to have been his nephew.

from them, D7. The MSS. and printed texts are divided between this reading and an alternative ‘from him’ 29. For the former ABCD, for the latter S. Taylor, Baer, and Strack adopt the former. The latter is perhaps due to a desire to obviate the difficulty of the reading ‘from them’, since only Antigonos is mentioned in the preceding verse. The reading ‘from them’ implies that a name or names are missing between Antigonos and the first Pair. This favours the authenticity of the list ; if it had been fictitious, names would have been supplied.

the Wise. The recognized teachers, whether the early Scribes or the later Rabbis.

bedust thyself. The disciple should sit at the feet of his teacher ; cp. Acts xxii. 3.

Jose b. Johanan of Jerusalem said: Let thy house be opened wide ; and let poor folk be thy household ; and talk not much with the wife.

[He said it concerning his own wife ; much more concerning the wife of his associate. Hence the Wise have said: So long as a man talks much with the wife he causes evil to himself, and desists from words of Torah, and his end is that he inherits Gehenna. |

Joshua b. Perahiah and Nittai the Arbelite received from them. Joshua b. Perahiah said: Make to thyself a teacher; and get thee an associate; and judge every man with a leaning to zs merit.

Nittai the Arbelite said : Keep far from an evil neighbour, and consort not with the wicked, and be not heedless of retribution.

Judah b. Tabbai and Simeon b. Shetah received from them. Judah b. Tabbai said: Make not thyself as those that prepare the judges ; and when the suitors are standing before thee let them be in thine eyes as wicked men ; and when they have been dismissed from before thee let them be in thine eyes as just en who have received their sentence.

Simeon b. Shetah said: Do much in examining the witnesses; and be careful in thy words; perchance by means of them they may learn to lie.

Shemaiah and Abtalion received from therh. Shemaiah said: Love work, and hate mastery, and make not thyself known to the government.

5. the wife; or ‘woman’ in general; cp. John iv. 27. But the former is more likely, because the whole verse refers to the one household; also in the following verse, which interprets this saying, the meaning is clearly ‘wife’.

5a. This verse is a later comment on the preceding, though it is included in all the MSS, Ch. i is the oldest part of the treatise (v. Introduction) ; this verse may have been added by the compiler.

He said it. The Hebr. is DN, which, being unpointed, may be translated ‘he said it ’, or ‘they said’. The former suits the context, while the latter can only be made intelligible by supplying ‘the Wise’ from the next clause. Taylor and Strack render ‘ they said’, and do not notice the alternative. Schoettgen has ‘he said it’, dx7zt. The meaning of the prohibition to talk with the wife is variously explained: (a) it distracts the man’s attention from words of Torah ; (4) she may put him to shame by gossiping of what he says to her ; (c) it may lead to his talking with other women, thence to suspicion, thence to sin.

inherits, YN. So most MSS. S has 171 ‘descends into’. ‘ Inherit’ is frequently used of Paradise, the bliss after death ; v. 2z/fra, v. 22, ‘ Garden of Eden’, and cp. Matt. xxv. 34, 41.

Gehenna, Iéevva, the abode of the wicked after death.

6. The second Pair, v. supra, i. 4. Their approximate date is 110 B.c. J. b. Perahiah, according to one set of traditions in the Talmud, was the teacher of Jesus. bh

Nittai the Arbelite. From Arbela (mod. Irbid) in Galilee, a few miles west-north-west of Tiberias. Nittai is the usual reading, and is a contracted form of Nethaniah. A reads Mattai, here and Hag. ii, 2, the only other place where this teacher is mentioned ; the difference is only between "SN and ‘NN.

associate, aver, 13M, the name applied to members of a society, Aabiarah, pledged to strict observance of the rules of ‘clean’ and ‘ unclean’, &c. The term is possibly derived from Ps. cxix. 63, and was used by Pharisees to designate each other.

leaning to his merit, M5! Aad. Metaphor of a balance with two pans, one to hold the merit, the other the demerit. That which holds the merit is to be helped to descend. The maxim simply means ‘believe the best of every man’.

7. evil neighbour. Probably general.

heedless, perhaps ‘hopeless’. It has been suggested (/. Enc. s.v. Nittai) that this third saying was uttered in reference to the persecution of the Pharisees by John Hyrcanus after he had gone over to the Sadducees (Josephus, Ant. xiii. 10. 6), and that it was meant to encourage the Pharisees to hope that Hyrcanus would yet be punished for his apostasy. This is possible ; but the commentators interpret the saying of retribution in general.

8. The third Pair. S.b. Shetah, brother-in-law of King Jannaeus (126-76 B. c.), whom he survived. He was - successful in restoring the influence of the Pharisees which had been lost under Hyrcanus (see above). In the tradition, though J. b. Tabbai is here placed first, S. b. Sh. is by far the more important. (See Rev. d. Etudes

prepare the judges, ?J"77 "3, i.e. influence them before the trial. As the maxim is addressed to judges the meaning seems to be ‘do not listen to those who prepare the judges’, in any case ‘ be impartial’. This clause is repeated below, iv. 7. [If we read "17 we have an excellent sense: ‘ Make not thyself like those who prepare the suits,’ i.e. do not play the part of a counsel but of a judge.—Gen. Editor.]

wicked : not, however, guilty (Taylor). The judge must not assume that the accused has done what he is accused of, but must merely show no favour to either party ; he must not say ‘ this man is respectable ’ (Rashi).

just: as they have received the sentence, there is no further ground of imputing evil to them; they have satisfied the law.

9. Again addressed to judges. careful in thy words, 71272 "Ft: the judge is not to indicate what his own opinion is, lest the witnesses should adapt their evidence to his views and swear falsely for the sake of a verdict in their favour.

10. The fourth Pair. Shemaiah and Abtalion are probably the 2apéas and TloAXiwv of Josephus (Azz. xv. I. 1). Both are said to have been proselytes of heathen origin; but Gratz (G. @. Jud. iii. 481) disproves this, and suggests that they were Alexandrian Jews. Date, 60 B.C., circa. Shemaiah is the more prominent figure ; but it is said by Josephus that he was a disciple of Abtalion.

mastery, M327, the word used in later literature to describe the status of a Rabbi. It cannot have that meaning here, for Shemaiah himself was a Rabbi, and magnified his office. The Talmud (b. Sotah. 13?) says that ‘Joseph died before his brethren because he behaved with rabsanuth’, i.e. he domineered over them. Shemaiah warns against arrogance.

ir Abtalion said: Ye Wise, be careful in your words; lest ye become guilty with the guilt ¢haz involves exile, and be exiled to a place of evil waters, and the disciples that come after you drink and die, and the Name of Heaven be found profaned.

12 Hillel and Shammai received from them. Hillel said: Be of the disciples of Aaron, one that loves peace, that pursues peace, that loves mankind and brings them nigh to Torah.

13. He used to say: Whoso makes great his name destroys his name; whoso adds not makes to cease ; and he who will not learn is guilty so as to deserve killing. And whoso serves himself with the crown passes away.

14 He used to say: If I am not for myself, who is for me? And when I am for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?

15 Shammai said: Make thy Torah a fixed duty; say little and do much; and receive every man with the look of a cheerful face.

16 Rabban Gamaliel said: Make to thyself a teacher ; and remove thyself from what is doubtful; and do not often tithe by mez¢al valuation.

government, Nw. The authorities (so ii. 3 below). It is dangerous to become known to the authorities, or it is corrupting. Probably here the latter is meant ; as Shemaiah was very well known to the authorities.

11. Wise. The teachers, Rabbis; see above, i. 4. To expound Torah wrongly is to promote the transgression of its precepts. If, as the divine retribution for doing so, a teacher is exiled to a place of evil waters, i.e. a place where there is no sound teaching of Torah, he may perpetuate his error, so that those who come after, i.e. learn from him, may drink, i.e. receive his teaching, and die, i. e. fall into sin for which death is the divine punishment. In that case, it will be found, i.e. it will result, that the name of God has been profaned.

12. Hillel and Shammai, the fifth and last Pair (date 30 B.C. and after). Hillel is said to have lived 120 years, but this is only a way of comparing him with Moses. The same is said of R. Johanan b. Zaccai. The disciples of H. and S. were divided in opinion upon many questions, and their controversies lasted for nearly a century. It was perhaps owing to this that no further Pairs are mentioned. The authorized tradition was that of the school of H.; and, with the one exception of R. Joh. b. Zaccai, descendants of H. successively held the leading position (later, with the title of ‘ Nasi’, ‘prince’) down to A.D. 415. _ Seven sayings of H. are given in this book, i. 12-14, ii. 5-8. The originals are part in Hebrew, part in Aramaic.

disciples of Aaron. The association of Aaron with peace is frequent in the Rabinical literature, and is possibly due to H. himself.

mankind, n1"J, lit. ‘ creatures’, but the commentators agree that it refers to the human race as a whole; and thus it often denotes the Gentiles as distinguished from the Jews. Taylor compares Mark xvi. 15 and Rom. viii. 19. The sense is probably the same; but in these and similar passages xriovs is in the singular (R. V. ‘ creation’).

brings... nigh to Torah, mind j27pd. As the Torah was the divine revelation, the ‘creatures’, i. e. all mankind, should be invited to come and share in it. This is the motive of ‘compass sea and land to make one proselyte’, Matt.

13. The original is in Aramaic. name, reputation. For the sense of the maxim cp. ‘vaulting ambition doth

o’erleap itself’ (Shaks.).

adds not, i. e. to what he learns from his teacher ; he must contribute something from his own intelligence.

makes to cease. The reading varies between the trans. and the intrans. *}}D’ and 41D’. In the first case the learner loses what he has learned ; in the second he comes to an end, is good for nothing.

guilty ... killing, 2n xdup. For the form of the phrase cp. (A. V.) Matt. xxvi. 66. ‘Guilty of death’ gives the wrong sense in English; but it exactly represents the Hebrew, of which évoyos @avdrou is the rendering in the Gospel. To refuse to learn Torah at all is to despise the divine revelation, and is, as it were, spiritual suicide. One who does so ‘ deserves death’, but is not ‘ guilty of killing’ himself.

serves himself, makes his own profit out of.

crown: any position of authority or privilege, here his knowledge of Torah. The teacher of Torah must not be paid for teaching. The Rabbis either worked for their living or had private means. See below, iv. 7, where this maxim is paraphrased by R. Zadok, and Hillel’s own words added, perhaps by the editor.

14. Original in Hebrew. The general sense is of self-reliance and readiness. The contrast between ‘now’ and ‘when ?’ refers either to ‘this world’ and ‘the world to come’, or else merely to the present and some future time. The opportunity may never come again.

15. Shammai (see above, v. 12) was much less prominent in the tradition. He had the character of being harsh and severe, as contrasted with Hillel.

fixed, YAP: ‘ duty’ is added to complete the sense. Torah is to be the foundation of all, the one essential in life, and the study of it is to take precedence over everything else. Another interpretation is that fixed times are to be kept for the study of Torah lest it be omitted. Another is, that Torah (precept) is to be applied uniformly, not in favour of one . and against another, but equally to both.

16. Rabban Gamaliel. In Hebrew 5s). Grandson of Hillel ; this is the teacher of Paul, and the Gamaliel of Acts vy. 34. Rabban is a title, first used in his case, to denote the head of the house of Hillel. According to the Rabbinical view, this carried with it the presidency of the Sanhedrin; but the passage in Acts shows that Gamaliei did not hold that position. After the fall of Jerusalem, when the Sanhedrin ceased to be the great council under the presidency of the High Priest, and became merely the assembly of the Rabbis, the chief of the house of Hillel was its president ; except that for some years, A.D. 70-80, R. Johanan b. Zaccai held the office. The title Rabban is not indicated in the passage in Acts; but if it were the retrospective compliment of a later age, it would almost certainly have been given also to Hillel. Perhaps it is the expression of the fact that Gamaliel was ‘ held in honour of all the people’.

remove... doubtful, PDDn jd s>non. Taylor renders ‘ Be quit of doubt’, but‘does not explain the saying. The commentators connect it with the previous saying, and take it to mean, ‘In doubtful cases consult some one else,

Simeon his son said: All my days I have grown up among the Wise, and I have not found anything better than silence ; and not study is the chief thing but action ; and whoso makes many words occasions sin.

Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel said: On three things the world stands: on judgement, on truth, and on peace. [As it is said: ‘Truth and judgement of peace judge ye in your gates.’

Rabbi said: What is that right way which a man should choose for himself? Whatever is an honour to him that does it and an honour to him zz the sight of men. And be careful over a light precept as over a weighty, for thou knowest not the giving of the rewards of the precepts. And reckon the loss involved in a precept against its reward, and the reward of a sin against its loss. And

and do not depend on your own judgement alone’ ; the reference is to the functions of a judge, and not to the difficulties of a searcher after truth. The third saying is mere practical advice not to rely on guesswork in estimating the amount to be separated (from corn, &c.) as tithe.

17. Simeon his son. This would be the son of the preceding, and is so understood by nearly all the commentators. But a much more probable exp!anation is that vv. 16, 17 have been transposed, and that the Simeon of wv. 17 is the son of Hillel and father of Gamaliel. In favour of this view is the fact that this Simeon is not called Rabban, as he would have been if he had succeeded Gamaliel. Also, that Simeon the son of Hillel was so unimportant that he is only once mentioned in the Talmud ; this is in keeping with the saying mentioned in v. 17, which is the utterance of a shy, retiring man. Also, in v. 18, there is Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel, i.e. the man to whom v. 17 is commonly supposed to refer, viz. the Simeon who was one of the leading men during the siege of Jerusalem (Jos. Wars, iv. 3.9). The commentators, however, having already assigned v. 17 to him, are obliged to assign v. 18 to a younger S. b. Gamaliel, in the middle of the second century, who is here quite out of place. The identification I propose makes the arrangement simple and natural ; it brings the line of Hillel down to the year of the siege and stops there, in accordance with the remark in the Talmud (b. Shabb. 15*) that the order of succession was: Hillel, Simeon, Gamaliel, Simeon ; of whom it is said that the four held office for a hundred years prior to the destruction of the Temple. The whole line of descent for the period included in this book is as follows: Hillel, Simeon I, Gamaliel 1, Simeon II, Gamaliel II, Simeon III, Judah the Prince, Gamaliel III, each being son of his predecessor. For the bearing of this conjecture on the compilation of the book, see the Introduction. The saying recited in v. 17 scarcely needs explanation ; it is in keeping with the character of a man who had no head for study, and found it safest to remain silent. It was natural that he should lay more stress on the practice than on the theory of Torah. On the danger of much speaking cp. iii. 17 below, ‘ Silence is a fence for wisdom.’

18. For the identification of this teacher, see preceding note. This is the Simeon of the siege, in the course of or soon after which he was apparently killed. His maxim is a variant on v. 2 above, where three fundamentals are laid down in a saying ascribed to Simeon the Just. The text, Zech. viii. 16, cited in support of the maxim, is probably an editorial addition. ‘he citations of Scripture become more frequent in the later parts of the book, but it is seldom possible to be sure whether any of them were included in the original text.

II. 1. For the division of chapters in this book see the Introduction.

Rabbi. This is R. Judah the Prince (Nasi), son of Simeon III, see above on i. 17; also called Judah the. Holy (ha-kadosh). The title Rabbi was given to every accredited teacher in Palestine, but always with the addition of his own name, thus—Rabbi Zadok. In the case of Judah the Holy, the name was omitted and the title alone given, as if to indicate that he was the Rabbi par excellence. Rabbi died A.D. 219. He is said to have been born A.D. 135, but this is probably too early. He was the last and chief compiler of the Mishnah, though additions were made to it after his time. This is evident from the mention of him in this verse, and still more from v. 2. See the

way, path, or course, used as in English of the manner of life, course of action. The ‘ way of the earth’, p98 777, means general intercourse with one’s fellow men. It was the aim of the Rabbis to deduce from Torah directions for the

Zech. viii,

practical service of God in daily life, guidance in the right ‘way’; and the rules which they formulated were called -

(singly and collectively) ‘halachah’, nada, i.e. ‘going’, in other words ‘rule of right conduct’. The Mishnah is, mainly, a collection of ‘halachah’, and the Gemara the commentary on it. Mishnah and Gemara together make up the Talmud. For the use of the term ‘ way’, in its ethical meaning, cp. Acts xviii. 26; xix. 9, 23} xxiv. 14; also the title of the early Jewish treatise, adapted to Christian use, ‘The Two Ways.’

a man, DINM, not especially a Jew. v

him that does it. The almost universal reading is nwyd, which is pointed either ny) or AYY?. 1 donot venture

to depart from this in the translation. But NUY is not the verb which would naturally be used in reference to 71 ‘way’; and, further, some commentators have felt that the maxim of Rabbi requires a different antithesis. R. Israel

of Toledo (twelfth to thirteenth century) suggests that nwyd ought to be read nvy> (or, more simply, WP, as the first letter of the next word is 1), and translated ‘to his Maker’. The maxim would then mean that a man’s actions should be honourable in the sight of God, as well as in the sight of men. This is certainly a brilliant conjecture, but there is no manuscript authority for it. According to the usual reading, the meaning is merely that a man should do what is a credit to himself and meets with the approval of his fellow men.

light ... weighty, MON... nbp, j.e. in appearance. In theory, all precepts of the Torah were of equal obligation, because all were expressions of the divine will.

rewards, 13’. The Rabbis meant by ‘reward’ the sign (whatever form it might take) of God’s approval of what was done in obedience to His will; they did not mean a payment for service rendered, a claim for which could be set up against God. The precepts were to be obeyed ‘with a perfect heart’, not for the sake of the reward. (See my Pharisaism, pp. 267-76.) The saying of Rabbi is commented on in this sense (though he is not named) in Midrash Rabbah, Dewt., p. 112%, a fine passage too long to quote.

loss ... reward, 77024... 9 IDEN. Whatever sacrifice a duty entails there is the divine approval for it,

keep in view three things, and thou wilt not come into the clutches of sin; know what is above thee, an eye that sees and an ear that hears, and all thy deeds written in a book.

2 Rabban Gamaliel the son of Rabbi Judah the Prince said: Comely is study of Torah with worldly occupation, for toil in both makes sin forgotten. And all Torah without work ends in failure and brings wz¢/ z¢ sin. And let all who labour with the congregation labour with them for the Name of Heaven, for the merit of their fathers upholds them, and their righteousness standeth for ever. And ye—I confer upon you, saith God, [plenteous] reward, as if ye had wrought.

3 Be careful with the government, for they do not come near to a man except for their own need ; and they appear like friends in the hour of their advantage, and they stand not by a man in the hour of his need.

4 Heused to say: Make His will as thy will that He may make thy will as His will; efface thy will before His will that He may efface the will of others before thy will.

5 Hillel said: Separate thyself not from the congregation, and be not sure of thyself till the day of thy death; and judge not thine associate until thou comest to his place. And say not ofa word which cannot be understood that it will be understood in the end. And say not ‘when I am at leisure I will study’; perchance thou wilt not be at leisure.

6 Heused to say: A rude man fears not sin; and no vulgar person is pious; and the shy man does

and whatever be the advantage or profit gained by sin, there is the divine disapproval, retribution, behind it. Cp. Matt. xvi. 26. three things. It is not quite clear what the ‘three things’ are, as ‘know what is above thee’ may be reckoned as one of them. But probably this is only a variation on ‘consider’, and the three things are the seeing eye, the listening ear, and the book of record. C reads ‘know that above thee ave’, &c. For the book of record cp. Rev. xx. 12. 2. Rabban Gamaliel. This is Gamaliel III, son of Rabbi. His date may be put at A.D. 250; hardly anything is known of him. The heads of the house of Hillel continued to hold the position of Nasi, and were the representatives of their people in dealing with the Roman government; but they ceased to take the lead in the teaching of Torah in the Rabbinical schools. Of this Gamaliel’s contemporaries, the chief teachers were R. Johanan in Palestine and Rab in Babylonia. worldly occupation, /N 7717. See above, note on v. 1, on ‘way of the earth’; Rabbinical opinion was divided on the amount of #8 717 to be allowed in conjunction with Torah; see below, iii. 20, vi. 7.

failure...sin, J)... nbo2- The consequences, not of Torah, but of Torah without practice ; cp. Jas. il. 26, iv. 17. congregation, 1)3¥. The community of Israel as a whole, or any local community; the reference is to synagogue officials, and more particularly to the ‘ parnas’ or steward who dispensed the charity and administered the funds of the congregation. The steward must do his work as a service of God, and not take credit to himself for what he does. The congregation do their charity through him, but the ‘ righteousness’ is theirs, not his. The merit of their fathers upholds them, not the merit of the steward. But, if the steward acts thus piously and disinterestedly, there is reward, divine approval, for him also. God reckons it to him as if he had done from himself what the congregation have done through his agency. saith God, or, the Scripture, not in the text but implied in the singular of the verb nbyn. A has the plural poyp ‘they confer’, ‘they’ being the angels, the ‘family above’, as they are called in the Rabbinical literature. The phrase is often used as equivalent to Providence. There is no thought of beings independent of God. ABC omit plenteous. 3. This is apparently said by the same R. Gamaliel III as the preceding. It is not clear to whom the advice is addressed. Gamaliel himself, as Nasi, was the official representative of the Jews to the Roman authorities ; but the synagogue stewards may have been brought into contact with government officials. But it is possible that the saying, being anonymous, does not belong to Gamaliel at all, and may be addressed to others than the stewards of the preceding verse. The saying is based on bitter experience of the ways of the Roman government, but expresses a cynical opinion about all governments, that they only act from self-interest. 4. He. The speaker of the preceding verse, presumably Gamaliel III. His will, i.e. God’s will. The thought is clear, but falls short of the unconditional submission of § Not as I will, but as Thou wilt. Thy will be done.’ There is no exact parallel to that saying of Jesus in the Rabbinical literature. 5. Hillel. See above,i.12. There was a much later Hillel, but there is no ground for supposing that the speaker here is any but the early and famous Hillel. For the want of chronological order in the book see the Introduction. Separate... congregation. Probably intended as a warning against taking up strange and heretical opinions and practices. The saying is ascribed to R. Zadok, see below, iv. 7, but perhaps only because he there repeats another saying of Hillel. say not ... understood. The reading varies between WDN ‘can be’, and WDN °S ‘cannot be’. Also

some commentators supply by « of ’, to make sense. Two interpretations are possible: (a) the teacher shall not teach what cannot be understood and excuse himself by saying that it will be understood in time, after reflection by the learner ; he ought to express his meaning clearly at the first; (4) the learner ought not to say ‘of’ anything which is taught and which seems to him unintelligible, that he will learn what it means later on; he ought to apply himself to it at once till he mastersit. The difference between ‘can be’ and ‘ cannot be’ understood is in appearance, notin reality. The interpretation (4) is that of Rashi (or the commentary ascribed to him). It is confirmed by the final clause, ‘say not when I am at leisure,’ &c.

6. rude, 1)3, ‘empty of everything, even the knowledge of business’ (Bartenora). He has no Torah to keep him from sin. vulgar, in the sense of ‘one of the common herd’. Hebr. /1N7 OY, a famous term much discussed. It denotes all who for whatever reason did not seek to conform their lives and actions to the Torah. Cp. John vii. 49. shy, j¥3. One who is afraid to ask his teacher to explain what he does not understand.

not learn nor the passionate teach, nor he that hath much business become wise. And in a place where there are no men strive to be a man.

4 Moreover, he saw a skull which floated on the face of the water, and he said to it: Because thou drownedst they drowned thee; and at the last they who drowned thee shall be drowned.

8 Heused to say: More flesh more worms; more wealth more care; more maidservants more lewdness ; more menservants more thieving ; more women more witchcraft ; more Torah more life ; more classroom more wisdom; more counsel more discernment; more righteousness more peace. Whoso has gained a good name has gained 7¢ for himself ; who has gained for himself words of Torah has gained for himself the life of the world to come.

9 Rabban Johanan b. Zaccai received from Hillel and from Shammai. He used to say: If thou hast practised much Torah, take not credit to thyself, for thereunto wast thou created.

10 Five disciples there were to Rabban Johanan b. Zaccai, and these are they: Rabbi Eliezer b. Hyrcanus, Rabbi Joshua b. Hananiah, Rabbi Jose the priest, Rabbi Simeon b. Nathaniel, and Rabbi Eleazar b. Arach. He used to sum up their praise—Eliezer b. Hyrcanus is a plastered cistern which loseth not a drop; Joshua b. Hananiah, happy is she who bore him; Jose the priest is pious; Simeon b. Nathaniel feareth sin; Eleazar b. Arach is a full-flowing spring.

ir He used to say: If all the Wise of Israel were in one scale of the balance and Eliezer b. Hyrcanus in the other scale, he would weigh down them all. Abba Saul said, in his name: If all the Wise of Israel were in one scale of the balance and Eliezer b. Hyrcanus with them, and Eleazar b. Arach in the other scale, he would weigh them all down.

12 He said to them: Go and see what is that good way to which a man should cleave. R. Eliezer said: A good eye. R. Joshua said: A good associate. R. Jose said: A good neighbour. R. Simeon said: He that regards the result of an action. R. Eleazar said: A good heart. He said to them: I regard the words of Eleazar b. Arach more than your words, for your words are included in his.

13 He said to them: Go and see what is that evil way from which a man should keep himself.

. passionate, |75P. The teacher who loses his temper when his pupils do ask him questions. become wise. Cp. Sirach xxxviii. 24.

7. An epigram of retribution. The original is in Aramaic.

g. A series of epigrams. For the sake of brevity the original 727 ‘one that increases’ is rendered by ‘more’. There is more of cynicism in these sayings than of the gentle and lovable nature for which Hillel was traditionally famous.

9. Rabban Johanan b. Zaccai. One of the disciples of Hillel; he died about A.D. 80, and is said to have been 120 years old; probably he was born about the beginning of our era. He saved Judaism after the fall of Jerusalem, A.D. 70, by gathering the surviving Rabbis in Jabneh, and re-establishing the broken fabric of the study of Torah. The surviving heir of the House of Hillel, Gamaliel II, son of Simeon II (see above, i. 17, 18), was probably too young to take the lead. He succeeded to the presidency on the death (or retirement ?) of R. Johanan. Note that the title ‘Rabban’ is given to Johanan; also that he is said to have ‘ received from’ Hillel, the same phrase as that used in the earlier verses of ch. i. This is the last occasion on which the phrase is used in the book.

practised, n'wy. So ABCD, supported by Abarbanel and many commentators. The printed editions have

‘learned’, nid, possibly influenced by a similar phrase in ii. 20. Since the verb MWY does not go well with ‘ Torah’, some MSS. read 7310 ‘good’, instead of 771M, with the meaning ‘done much good’; but the authority for this is

very slight. It may have been suggested by 721D after prin by.

10. The five disciples of R. Johanan. All are known in the Rabbinical tradition, but the first two far outshone the others. R. Eliezer died shortly before A.D. 116, and was then an old man. R. Joshua had been a singer in the Temple. He was living in A.D. 130, for he met the emperor Hadrian in Alexandria; but he was dead before the rebellion of Bar Cocheba broke out in A.D. 135. Of the other three Rabbis, no chronological details can be given. ACD omit ‘ Rabbi’ before their names when their master refers to them; the printed texts add it. Note the reference to the mother of R. Joshua; tradition says that she used to bring him in his cradle to the Synagogue that he might thus early be accustomed to hear words of Torah (Jer. Jeb. 3a). This is reported by Dosa b. Harchinas (see below, iii. 14), who knew him as a child.

11. He, i.e. R. Johanan. The two clauses contradict each other. R. Eliezer and R. Eleazar b. Arak cannot both have been supreme. The remark of Abba Saul (a contemporary) seems intended to replace a misquoted opinion of R. Johanan by a correct version. This is confirmed by R. Johanan’s approval of R. Eleazar in vv. 12, 13.

12. He. Again R. Johanan.

Go and see. Merely an opening formula, ‘Come now.’

good way. See above onii. 1. The answers give not a ‘way’ but the clue to finding the way.

good eye. Cp. Matt. vi. 22, 23. In general it means an unselfish disposition.

associate. See above on i. 6.

neighbour. See above, i. 7.

result of an action. The meaning is that the ‘good way’ is found by learning from experience.

good heart, as being the source of all feeling and all action. This is the ground why R. Johanan approved R. Eleazar’s answer before all the rest.

13. The negatives to the preceding answers. R. Simeon, however, varies the form of his reply. The man who borrows and does not pay is one who acts without considering the consequences. The clause, ‘He that borrows from man,’ &c., although it is included in the MSS., is probably a later gloss, because it is out of keeping with the brevity of all the other replies. The proof-text shows that the author of the gloss interpreted R.S.’s saying of literal borrowing.

R. Eliezer said: An evileye. R. Joshua said: An evil associate. R. Jose said: An evil neighbour. R. Simeon said: He that borrows and does not pay. [He that borrows from man is as he that borrows from God, blessed be He; as it is said,‘ The wicked borroweth and payeth not, but the Ps. xxxvii, 21 righteous showeth favour and giveth.’] R. Eleazar said: An evil heart. He said to them: I regard the words of Eleazar b. Arach more than your words; for your words are included in his. 14 They said each three things. R. Eliezer said: Let the honour of thine associate be dear to thee as thine own. And be not easily wroth; and repent one day before thy death. And warm thyself at the fire of the Wise, and be careful of their glowing coal lest thou be singed. For their bite is the bite of a jackal, and their sting the sting of a scorpion, and their hiss the hiss of a serpent, and all their words like coals of fire. 15 R&R. Joshua said: An evil eye and the evil principle and hatred of mankind drive a man out of the world. 16 Rk. Jose said: Let the wealth of thy associate be dear to thee as thine own. And set thyself to learn Torah, for it is not a legacy to thee. And let all thy actions be to the Name of Heaven. 17 R. Simeon said: Be careful in reading the ‘Shema’ and in prayer. And when thou prayest make not thy prayer a fixed form, but [mercies and] entreaties before God. [As it is said: ‘For he is Joel ii. 13 gracious and merciful, longsuffering and full of compassion, and repenteth him of the evil.’] And be not wicked in thine own sight. 18 R. Eleazar said: Be alert to learn Torah, [and know] what thou shalt answer to an Epicurean ;

14. They. The five Rabbis of the’preceding verses. three things. It will be noticed that most of the teachers in i, ii are credited with a group of three sayings ; this arrangement is not maintained in the case of later teachers. The three sayings of R. Eliezer are variously distinguished, according as the remark about ‘the fire of the Wise’, &c., is included or excluded. Maimonides excludes it, and this seems right, although a connexion can be made out between the other three clauses so as to group two of them as one. R. Eliezer was excommunicated in his old age by his colleagues; and the caustic criticism of the Wise probably expresses his sentiments upon the subject. It may well have been remembered as an epigram, but hardly as an expression of habitual wisdom. honour, good name, credit. For a variant of the saying see below, iv. 15. repent ... death. R. Eliezer explained his meaning thus :—Repent every day, since thou knowest not the day of thy death (b. Shabb. 153). fire of the Wise, as being dangerous to play with. The vivid similes which follow are easily intelligible under the circumstances of R. Eliezer’s closing years, and need no comment. 15. evileye. See on v.12, above. evil principle, 0 ¥*. According to the Rabbinical psychology, there were in every man two opposing principles or impulses, one towards good, the other towards evil. The evil principle corresponds to the cdpé of Paul. mankind. See above oni.12. In place of N12 C reads O3N ‘ without cause’, possibly influenced by a similar phrase in b. Joma 9g’, Cp. Matt. v. 22, where, however, «ix7 is omitted in R. V.

drive... out of the world, ndayn 1... {NS. Taylor compares 1 John iii. 15; but the exclusion referred to in R. Joshua’s saying is exclusion from this world, not from that to come. Themeaning is that the selfish man is solitary ; he cuts himself off from all human fellowship.

16. wealth. For the form of the saying cp. ii. 14, and note the contrast.

legacy, 7. Torah has to be learned, acquired, by a man’s own effort, even though God gave Torah to Israel as a permanent possession. to the name of Heaven, for the sake of. Cp. Col. iii. 17.

17. ‘Shema’. The first word of Deut. vi. 4, ‘ Hear, O Israel,’ &c. The term ‘Shema’ denotes the first of a group of three texts, Deut. vi. 4-9, xi. 13-21, Num. xv. 37-41, which may be called the heart of the Jewish liturgy. The Shema had to be recited in the morning and evening of every day. Cp. Mark xii. 29.

fixed form, YAP. If this refers to the public prayers, the meaning is that the spiritual intention of prayer is to be kept in mind during the recital of prescribed formulae. If it refers to private prayer, then the meaning is that this should not be a matter of prescribed formulae at all, but the spontaneous utterance of the soul. (See my Pharisazsm,

: [mercies]. ABCD omit. It was perhaps suggested by the proof-text, which itself was probably an editorial

addition. 7:

God. The word used here is O)P') ‘place’, a frequent designation of the Deity. It might be paraphrased in English by ‘the Omnipresent’; but it is often used of God without special reference to that one attribute.

wicked . . . sight, JO8Y ‘351 yu. The meaning is doubtful. I translate according to the interpretation of Maimonides. Taylor translates ‘wicked against thyself’; Geiger (quoted by Strack), ‘wicked when thou art by thyself.’ The difficulty, however, is to understand why such counsel should be needed. Bartenora quotes an interpretation which he had heard, ‘ wicked in standing by thyself,’ i. e. in severing thyself from the congregation (see above on ii. 5). If this had been the meaning, a repetition of Hillel’s saying would have been simpler. I suggest that the meaning is: ‘Though others call thee wicked, no matter so long as thine own conscience reproach thee not.’

18. [and know]. ACD omit. BS contain it, and S expressly defends the reading. It has probably crept in from

the beginning of the following clause ; possibly 171N was also added to supply an object for 1055, and the original clause may have run: ‘to learn what to answer,’ &c., DWNW 71d 911095. Epicurean, i.e, DY }P"28, a free-thinker, from “5, but with a play on the name of the philosopher. An Epicurean

might be of any nation, but it is said that a Jewish Epicurean is more dangerous than a Gentile one (see b. Sanh. 38%, where R. Johanan, third century, comments on this saying of R. Eleazar).

and know before whom thou toilest, and who is master of thy work, [who will pay the hire of thy labour].

19 R. Tarphon said: The day is short and the work is great, and the labourers are slow, and the hire is much, and the master of the house is urgent.

20 He used to say: It is not incumbent on thee to finish the work, and thou art not free to desist from it. Ifthou hast learned much Torah, they will give thee much hire; and the master of thy work is faithful who will pay thee the hire of thy labour; and know that the giving of the reward of the righteous is for the time to come.

31 Akabia b. Mahalalel said: Keep in view three things, and thou wilt not come into the clutches of sin ;—know whence thou comest, and whither thou goest, and before whom thou art to give strict account. ow whence thou comest,—from a fetid drop; and whither thou goest,—to the place of dust, worm, and maggot; and before whom thou art to give strict account,—before the King of the kings of the kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

2 R. Hanina,the deputy of the priests, said: Pray for the peace of the kingdom ; for except for the fear of that we should have swallowed up each his neighbour alive.

3 R. Hanina b. Teradion said: When two sit and there are not between them words of Torah, lo, this is ‘the seat of the scornful’, as it is said: ‘Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful’. But when Ps.i.1 two sit and there are between them words of Torah, the Shechinah rests between them, as it is said: ‘Then they that feared the Lord spake one with another, [and the Lord hearkened and heard, and Mal. iii. 1 a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name’].

who will pay. The phrase is repeated in the next verse, and may be an interpolation here. A omits it ; BS contain it.

19. R. Tarphon had been a priest in the Temple ; probably put to death A.D. 117. He is not to be identified with the Tpvdev of Justin Martyr; the latter probably used his name and perhaps knew it as that of a bitter opponent of Christianity. If the two ever met, which is not likely, Justin would be only a boy. There is no resemblance, except in name, between Justin’s Tryphon and the real Tarphon. The latter form of the name is the usual one in the Rabbinical literature. The form }\2"7N is found, Jer. Bikk. iii. 1; but the person so named was not the same as the subject of this note. His two sayings turn on the same comparison of life to work in a field, cp. Matt. ix. 37, 38; John ix. 4.

20. learned. See above, v. 9; ‘learned’ is the right reading here.

time to come. Usually, but not always, x25 ny refers to the future life. It does so here.

Ill. 1. Akabia b. Mahalalel. Asto his date opinions differ; some scholars place him near the time of Hillel and Shammai (see on i. 12), others bring him down to the beginning of the second century. Strack holds him to have been a contemporary of Gamaliel I. I believe this to be the most probable date. Observe that he is not called ‘Rabbi’. He was excommunicated by his colleagues, and died while under the ban. The first clause of his saying is identical with that of Rabbi, ii. 1.

strict account, lit. ‘judgement and reckoning’; but ‘ judgement’, in English, is what is done upon the accused, not pleaded by him.

place of dust. A omits.

worm, and maggot. Cp. Job xxv. 6. English does not supply a synonym for ‘worm’.

King ... kings. An extension of the usual phrase, in order to exalt the majesty of God.

the Holy One, blessed be He. One of the most frequent modes of referring to God in the Rabbinical literature.

2. R. Hanina, the deputy of the priests. As his title shows, he had served in the Temple ; but his date cannot be further defined. He does not appear to have survived the destruction of Jerusalem. Testimony of his was cited in the Assembly at Jabneh (end of the first century A.D.), but apparently only as tradition (Edu. ii, 1-3). The name is often written Hananiah.

peace of the kingdom, literally, of the political, not the spiritual kingdom. It seems natural to connect H.’s saying with the rising hostility against the Romans, which broke out in the war of A.D. 68. If so, it would be a warning to his countrymen against rebellion. But, in any case, it is quite different in character from the rest of the maxims in the book.

we... swallowed. So ABC, nya ; ES ‘they .. . swallowed’, wa. Founded on Ps. cxxiv. 3. The factions which split up the nation were, according to H., only prevented from destroying each other by the fearof Rome.

If the reading yyoa be adopted, H. regarded himself as a participant; if the alternative reading, as an onlooker. The maxim goes to show that H. did not witness the outbreak of the war, since that would have confuted his assertion.

3. R. Hanina b. Teradion. Date, end of first century and beginning of second; executed A.D. 135. His daughter, Beruria, was the wife of R. Meir. The name Teradion is Greek, but what it represents isuncertain. Krauss suggests Theodorion. R. Hanina taught in Sichnin.

Torah. See oni. 1.

‘seat of the scornful’. Reference to Ps.i. 1. The relevancy of the quotation only appears when wv. 2 is added: ‘But his delight is in the Torah of the Lord” &c. Talmudic citations of Scripture are very often confined to the opening words of a text, the rest being left to be supplied by the reader from memory. So, in the second proof-text applied by Hanina, probably only the words, ‘ Then they . . . one another,’ were originally written in the text of the book, the remainder being added later,

Shechinah, lit. ‘dwelling’ (not the place but the act of dwelling), one of the many modes of reference to God. The word is not found in the O. T., but is clearly based on the thought expressed, e. g. in Num. xxxv. 34. Cp. Matt.

4 [lI find here only two. Whence 27.7s proved that when even one sits and is occupied with Torah the Holy One, blessed be He, fixes for him a reward? As it is said: ‘Let him sit alone and be Lam.iii.28 silent, for he hath taken it upon him.’|

5 R.Simeon said: Three who have eaten at one table and have not said over it words of Torah, lo, they are as if they had eaten sacrifices of the dead, as it is said: ‘For all tables are full of vomit Isa-xxviii.8 and filthiness without God.’ But three who have eaten at one table and have said over it words of Torah are as if they had eaten from the table of God, blessed be He, as it is said: ‘And he said Ezek.xli.22 to me, This is the table that is before the Lord.’

6 Rk. Hanina b. Hachinai said: He who wakes in the night, and he who walks alone by the way and turns his heart to idle thoughts, lo, he makes himself guilty against his soul.

7 R. Nehunia b. ha-Kanah said: Every one who receives upon him the yoke of Torah, they remove from him the yoke of the kingdom and the yoke of worldly occupation. And every one who breaks off from him the yoke of Torah, they lay upon him the yoke of the kingdom and the yoke of worldly occupation.

8 R. Halaphta [b. Dosa] of Chephar Hanania said: When ten sit and are occupied with Torah, the Shechinah is among them, as it is said: ‘God stands in the congregation of God.’ _ [And Ps. lxxxii-1 whence zs 7¢ proved for even five? Asit issaid: ‘He hath founded His troop upon the earth.’] And Amos ix. 6

Xvili. 20, and Rey. xxi. 3. In the latter passage the Greek is: “Ido0v, 7 oxyvi) rod Geod pera Tdv avOparav, Kal oKYV@CEL kt. oknvn looks very much like an allusion to ‘ Shechinah’.

4. This clause is certainly not due to R. Hanina. It is found, substantially,in BCDS. A omits ‘I find... even’. But the formula ‘I find ... Whence . . .?’ shows that the passage is later than the Mishnah. It represents an addition made in the Amoraic period, third to fifth century. Thus it is found in many MSS., but with variations ; and some mediaeval commentators are doubtful about it. See Taylor’s critical note. Probably there is some confusion with iii. 7 (last clause). R. Hanina had spoken of the Shechinah resting between two who study Torah. The addition does not refer to the Shechinah, but to the fixing of a reward for studying Torah. The proof-text, Lam. ili. 28, is only relevant if ‘hath taken’ be interpreted ‘ hath received (reward) ’.

5. R. Simeon. This is the famous R. Simeon b. Johai; approximate date A.D. 100-170. He was a disciple of R. Akiba ; he escaped the persecution of A. D. 135, and lay hid for thirteen years. Afterwards he taught in Galilee, and amongst his disciples was the future ‘ Rabbi’, ii. 1.

sacrifices of the dead. This is explained by Bartenora as equivalent to idolatry, on the ground of Ps. cvi. 28.

without God, lit. without place, Dipl) 123. Whatever may be the meaning in the passage Isa. xxviii. 8 (or the true reading of the text), R. Simeon makes a play upon the word D1, by taking it as one of the frequent designations of God. See on ii. 17, where it occurs in a saying by this same Simeon.

table of God. The word is again Dip. The combination Ni7 773 Dipdn is unusual. CS omit ‘73.

6. R. Hanina b. Hachinai, contemporary of Simeon b. Johai, but somewhat older. He was a disciple of R. Joshua

b. Hananiah (ii. 10), as well as of R. Akiba. He lived in Sidon, and thus escaped the persecution in A.D. 135.

turns ... thoughts, 035). So ABS; 735Mni CD. The difference in meaning is considerable. According to the first reading, a man endangers his soul if he gives way to idle thoughts either on waking in the night or when walking by himself. According to the second reading, a man endangers his soul when he either (a) wakes in the night, or (4) walks by himself, or (c) gives way to idle thoughts. The latter interpretation may have.been due to a desire to find a threefold division in H.’s maxim, as in so many of the other sayings. Bartenora, who adopts the second interpretation, explains that waking in the night is dangerous because of demons, and solitary walking because of robbers. The first interpretation commends itself as superior, and has good manuscript authority.

guilty ... soul, 1/522 1’nn. Hardly more than ‘ does a wrong to himself’. There is no thought of being eternally lost.

7. R. Nehunia b. ha-Kanah. Contemporary with R. Johanan b. Zaccai, but not among his disciples. He lived to a great age. His life covers the greater part of the first century A.D., and probably extended into the second. The epithet ha-Kanah (or Kana) is the same as that which is rendered ZyAwrys, Luke vi. 15, and disguised as Kavavaios, Matt. x. 4. N.’s father had been of the party of the Zealots.

yoke of Torah, 1M 2Y, This does not imply that the service of God according to Torah was a burden. The yoke is the symbol of obedience ; and ‘to take the yoke upon’ oneself means to devote oneself to the service of the authority whose yoke it is. Cp. Matt. xi. 30, where the meaning of the symbol is exactly the same.

they, the familia caelestis ; see on ii. 2, end.

kingdom, the actual political kingdom. Its ‘yoke’ took the form of taxes. The meaning is that devotion to Torah frees a man from oppression and care by setting his mind on things above ; while if he despises Torah he feels all the weight of political oppression and the struggle for existence.

8. R. Halaphta [b. Dosa]: second half of second century, disciple of R. Meir. Possibly the son of R. Jose b. Halaphta, the R. Jose of the Mishnah (see below, iv. 8), who had a son of this name. The name Dosa is omitted in the printed texts, and has no important manuscript support. It might easily be confused with ‘Jose’. H.'s saying is a series of Scripture proofs of the presence of the Shechinah. See above, v. 3.

ten is the usual number requisite for the worship of a congregation. H. assumes this number, as an axiom, and seeks to prove the conclusion for a series of smaller numbers. The clause relating to five is probably a late addition. The MSS. and commentaries show much uncertainty about it. AB connect the number five with the proof-text of the number three; BCS allot the proof-texts.as in the translation. Ifthe ‘five’ clause were not in the original series, it would be natural for some later hand to-supply it. The proofs from the texts quoted are as follows: For five, 7738 (translated ‘troop ’) is lit. a handful, and the hand has five fingers ; for three, the gods are taken to mean judges, and the smallest tribunal consisted of three judges ; for two, because one man talks to another man; for one, because it is said ‘to thee’, not ‘ to you’.

whence even three? As it is said: ‘He judgeth among gods.’ And whence even two? As it is Ps.Ixxxiis

said: ‘ Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another.’ And whence even one? As it is said: ‘In every place where I record My name I will come to thee and will bless thee.’

9 R.Eleazar b. Judah of Bartotha said: Give Him of what is His, for thou and thine are His. And thus the Scripture saith, in the place concerning David, ‘ For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.’

to R. Jacob said: He who walks by the way and szudies and breaks off his study and says, ‘How beautiful is that tree,’ and ‘how beautiful is that fallow’, the Scripture reckons it to him as if he had made himself guilty against his soul.

11 R. Dosthai b. Jannai, in the name of R. Meir, said: A disciple of the Wise who sits and studies and forgets a word of his study, the Scripture reckons it to him as if he had made himself guilty against his soul; as it is said: ‘Only take heed to thyself and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen.’ It may be that his study has been hard to him. Learn to say, ‘Lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life.’ Lo! he makes not himself guilty until he sits and turns them away from his heart.

Mal. iii. 16 Exod.xx. 24

1 Chron, xxix, 14

Deut. iv. 9

ibid.

12 R. Hanina b. Dosa said: Every one whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom endures ;

and every one whose wisdom precedes his fear of sin, his wisdom does not endure.

13 He used to say: Every one whose deeds are more than his wisdom, his wisdom endures. And every one whose wisdom is more than his deeds, his wisdom does not endure.

14 He used to say: Every one with whom the spirit of mankind is pleased, the Spirit of God is pleased with him. And every one with whom the spirit of mankind is not pleased, the Spirit of God is not pleased with him.

g. R. Eleazar b. Judah of Bartotha. A contemporary of Akiba, end of first and beginning of second century. Some MSS. omit ‘b. Judah’. The name of his place of abode is variously given, and its situation unknown, except that it was probably in Upper Galilee.

Give Him, i.e. God. Eleazar was famous for his charitable gifts. in . .. David, 1173. For the form of the phrase cp. Mark xii. 26.

10. R. Jacob (see also iv. 21, 22 below). Probably the same as R. Jacob b. Korshai, latter half of the second century, contemporary of Simeon III, b. Gamaliel II, and teacher of Judah I, ‘Rabbi’. He was a grandson, on the mother’s side, of Elisha b. Abuiah (see iv. 25 below). The name of R. Simeon, or R. Akiba, is sometimes given in place of R. Jacob in this passage, but with slight authority.

study. His mind is to be fixed on Torah.

How beautiful .. . tree. A repeats this exclamation.

Scripture reckons. No proof-text is given. The commentators have been rather troubled by J.’s maxim. The Mishnah itself provides a formula of praise, to be said on beholding beautiful or wonderful objects of nature (Ber.

ix. 3). The Scripture proof intended may have been the text quoted in v. 11, Deut. iv. 9. The reading mdyn

(‘reckons ’) is supported by all the MSS.; otherwise poy (‘they reckon’) would make the meaning somewhat less objectionable.

11. R. Dosthai b. Jannai: end of the second century, contemporary of ‘ Rabbi’. The name Dosthai (=Aovi6eos) was borne by several teachers, and represents either Mattaniah or Nathaniel. Why a Greek form should have been preferred is not clear. ;

forgets. It should be borne in mind that the teaching in the Rabbinical schools was oral and transmitted from memory. The Mishnah, even if written down by ‘ Rabbi’, was a corpus of decisions whose accuracy of form depended on memory alone. To forget was a loss to the learner and possibly a loss to posterity.

Scripture reckons. Here the proof-text is given (see on preceding verse).

guilty .. . soul (see on v. 6 above). The idea is that since Torah is the means of spiritual life, to forget what it imparts is an injury to the soul. R. Dosthai seems to have uttered his maxim for the sake of putting in a plea on behalf of the man who only forgets because his task is hard. The first clause may be a general maxim already accepted, which D. wishes to qualify. He contends that only wilful neglect to remember, or even positive rejection, incurs the censure of Scripture.

12. R. Hanina b. Dosa; date, first century A.D.; disciple of R. Johanan b. Zaccai. Chiefly famous as a saint and miracle-worker.

precedes, N127}p, either in order of time or in order of importance. Fear of sin is the supreme object to be aimed at. If wisdom is sought for the sake of becoming a fearer of sin, then wisdom is of enduring worth ; otherwise not. Taylor conjectures that the negative clause in this verse, and also those in vv. 13, 14, are later interpolations. But there is no manuscript support for this conjecture. Aboth di Rabbi Nathan, § 22, has the negative clauses of Dap Noe ey deeds. Not especially good deeds, but the practical application of Torah. 14. He. R. Hanina b. Dosa. spirit of mankind ... pleased, n)) n30 MN. This is literal, but too concrete; all that is meant is a general opinion held by men, upon any subject or in regard of any person, When it is said that Jesus ‘ grew in favour with God and men’, Luke ii. 52, the phrase expresses what is meant in ‘the spirit of mankind ... of God is pleased’. The truth of H.’s maxim, as a fact of experience, is open to question ; and it appears to make human favour the criterion and condition of divine approval. H. was a mystic, and probably he is teaching here the doctrine of a correspondence between the things in heaven and the things on earth.

15 R. Dosa b. Harchinas said: Morning sleep, and midday wine, and children’s talk, and sitting in the meeting-houses of the vulgar, drive a man out from the world.

16 R., Eleazar, the Modiite, said: He who profanes holy things and despises the set feasts [and shames his associate in public], and makes void the covenant of Abraham our father, and discloses meanings in the Torah which are not according to the Rule, yea, even if he have [Torah and] good works, he has no portion in the world to come.

17 R. Ishmael said: Be light-minded and yielding to forced service, and receive every man with gladness.

18 R. Akiba said: Laughter and light-mindedness accustom a man to shame. Tradition is a fence for Torah. Vows are a fence for separation. A fence for wisdom is silence. 19 He used to say: Beloved is man in that he was created in the image of God. [Greater love was

15. R. Dosa b. Harchinas: born about A.D. 10, died not later than A.D. go. A teacher of R. Johanan b. Zaccai. There was another D. b. H. in the middle of the second century, perhaps grandson of the earlier. .The name Harchinas (03°27) must not be confused with Hyrcanus (D3? 717).

Morning ... wine. D. wasa rich man, and knew the temptations of idle luxury.

children, omd'n. Perhaps, rather ‘ youths’, who should be silent in presence of their elders.

meeting-houses, N1"DI3 ‘NI, synagogues.

vulgar. The class known as am-ha-aretz; see above, on il. 6. D.’s objection is probably that in these synagogues Torah was not properly taught or duly observed.

drive ... world. See above, on ii. 15. It is not likely that D., or any other strict Pharisee, would attend a synagogue of the am-ha-aretz ; the saying is a general condemnation of them.

16. R. Eleazar, the Modiite, i.e. of Modiin, where he lived; the former home of the Maccabees. R. Eleazar was a chief supporter of Bar Cocheba in the rebellion which ended a.D. 135. Bar Cocheba is said to have been his nephew, also to have killed him in a fit of anger. R. E. was a disciple of Tarphon. His dates may be given

E.’s maxim is directed against sectaries and false brethren. The formula against the Minim, i.e. Jewish Christians, had been ordained at Jabneh, under Gamaliel II, about A.D. 80. See my Christianity in Talmud and Midrash, pp. 126-136. The Minim were open to all the charges in E.’s list, except that of effacing the covenant of Abraham. The MSS. vary the order in which the several charges are given. A omits ‘and shames his associate in

public’, also ‘which are not according to rule’, nada xby, also ‘Torah’ before ‘good works.’ The latter omission is supported by BD. The most important of these omissions is the second, because it affects the sense of

what is left in. N72 Da dw means, as Taylor says, ‘ toact impudently against the Torah.’ But that in itself needs explanation. The phrase occurs in Jer. Peah i. 1, where it is explained as the act of one who denies that the Torah is

from heaven. 72503 xbw anna op md means to reveal meanings in the Torah which are not authorized, to interpret Torah in ways not sanctioned by approved teachers. This isa definite charge, especially applicable to sectaries. nobna xby is, no doubt, a gloss, but one added to bring out the right meaning, and to guard against the other and more vague interpretation.

the Rule, falachah. See above, onii. 1. The addition of ‘ Torah’ before ‘good works’ is, perhaps, due to the frequent mention of these in conjunction elsewhere. But a man who acts in the ways described by R. Eleazar would not naturally be credited with having ‘ Torah’.

portion ... world to come. His fate would be to go down to Gehenna, and be destroyed there. On Gehenna, see above, i. 5 a.

17. R. Ishmael. This is R. Ishmael b. Elisha, a disciple of R. Joshua and contemporary of R. Akiba: born about

A.D. 60; usually said to have been executed A. D. 135, but there is evidence that he lived some years longer.

light-minded, in the good sense, ‘cheerful.’ The meaning is, however, uncertain. The Hebr. is WN7 bp, and by many this is interpreted as ‘courteous to a superior’. This would require wad bp (so CS); and while the 5 may easily have slipped out, YS" is not the usual word for a superior. D has 7WN) bpn, but interprets it of a man who is

pliant before WYN WN, thus seeking to combine the two meanings of UST, The phrase UN7 midp occurs in the next verse, a fact which tends to show that the meaning here is somewhat the same.

forced service, N7NWN, a rare word whose meaning is uncertain. It is variously translated ‘youth’, ‘age’, and ‘forced service’. It occurs Eccles. xi. 10, where the R. V. has ‘ prime of life’. The meaning ‘ forced service’ is well supported, and has the authority of Levy, VHW,s.v. See Taylor’s note; he translates ‘impressment’. For the last clause, cp. the saying of Shammai, i. 15.

18. R. Akiba: b. about A.D. 50; executed in or after A.D. 135. The chief supporter of Bar Cocheba in his rebellion, and the most famous teacher of his time.

light-mindedness. In the bad sense, ‘ frivolity’; see note on v. 17.

Tradition, N10, the mapddoois (rav mpecBurépwv), Mark vii. 3. The principle of tradition was the giving of adequate sanction to what was taught. The ‘Torah’ was the divine revelation (see on i. 1), and tradition was a fence for it, by defending it from wrong interpretation.

separation, Nw'75. The Pharisees gained their name from their NW 5D into societies, NININ, pledged to the observance of rules of ‘clean’ and ‘ unclean’, &c. The Talmud is the detailed exposition of the Pharisaic conception of religion. See my Pharisaism, p. 107. The last clause explains itself. Cp. i. 17 above.

19. He. Again R. Akiba. The clause in brackets, ‘Greater . . . image,’ omitted by A, is found in BCDS. It seems to be required both to give point to the saying, and also by analogy with the similar sayings which immediately follow. Its omission, however, may be justified by the consideration that the proof-text merely states that man was made in the image of God, not that man was made aware of the fact. This additional knowledge is the additional

it that it was known to him that he was made in the image.] As itis said: ‘In the image of God Gen. ix. 6 he made man.’ Beloved are Israel, that they are called sons of God. Greater love was zt that i¢ was known to them that they were called sons of God. As it is said: ‘Sons are ye to the Lord your God.’ _| Dent. xiv Beloved are Israel, in that to them was given the precious instrument wherewith the world was created. Greater love was zt that it was known to them that there was given to them the precious instrument wherewith the world was created, as it is said: ‘For a good doctrine I have given you ; Prov, iv. : forsake not my Torah.’ A\ll is foreseen, and free-will is given, and the world is judged by goodness, and all is according to the amount of work. He used to say: All is given on pledge, and the net is spread over all the living; and the shop is open and the shopman gives credit, and the account-book is open and the hand writes, and every one who will borrow comes and borrows, and the collectors go round continually every day, and exact payment from man whether with his knowledge or without it ; and they have whereon to lean, and the judgement is a judgement of truth; and everything is prepared for the banquet. R. Eleazar b. Azariah said: If there is no Torah there is no worldly occupation; if there is no worldly occupation there is no Torah. If there is no wisdom there is no fear; if there is no fear there is no wisdom. If there is no knowledge there is no discernment; if there is no discernment there is no knowledge. If there is no meal there is no Torah; if there is no Torah there is no meal. He used to say: Every one whose wisdom is greater than his deeds, to what is he like? Toa tree whose branches are many and its roots few; and the wind comes and roots it up and turns it over on its face. [As it is said: ‘For he shall be like a tamarisk in the desert, and he shall not see when Jer. xvii. good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land undwelt in.’] But every one whose deeds are more than his wisdom, to what is he like? Toatree whose branches are few and its roots many, which, if all the winds that are in the world come and blow upon it, they move it not from its place; [as it is said: ‘For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and ib. v. 8

blessing, the ‘ greater love’ of the two following clauses. In clause 2 God is Dipt, see on ii. 17 above. The proof text is a declaration to Israel of their sonship to God.

wherewith . . . created. The ‘precious instrument’ is the ‘ Torah’; not the written record or the oral interpretation of it, but the divine thought enshrined in it. This is shown by the proof-text.

Allis foreseen, BY 537. Lit. ‘seen’; but ‘all’ includes future things and actions as well as present and past ones.

free-will, Mw. Lit. ‘authority’, which is explained to mean man’s responsibility for his own actions, The Talmudic Rabbis attempted no solution of the philosophical problem ; they were content to affirm the two truths and left the reconciliation of them a divine mystery.

judged by goodness. Either by one who is good, viz. God, or according to the goodness found in it. The former is probably meant, because the latter would be hardly more than a variant of the following clause.

amount of work. So BDS. A omits ‘amount’, 319. But CD have ‘not according to the amount’, and B knows of this reading. The difference is that between quality and quantity of human action. The former meaning is preferable, but the reading ‘amount’ is the better supported ; and the omission of the word in A, and the addition of ‘not’ in CD, may be due to the desire to modify the sense.

20. He. Again R. Akiba. The whole passage is a rather undignified metaphor to illustrate God’s dealings with man, The reader should be careful not to assume that the Jews were, or are, required to believe this or any other fanciful exposition of doctrine as an article of faith. The thought conveyed in the passage is mainly that of retribution, which follows surely, if slowly, on human actions.

pledge. A man’s act binds him to accept its consequences.

net. No one can act apart from or outside the range of God’s knowledge and control.

account-book, pp25, mivaé. Cp. ii. 1 above.

borrow, in freedom of action, what he will have to repay in consequences.

collectors, trials and chastisements which God sends upon him. Man does not always know why they are sent.

they ...tolean. ‘They’ probably refers to the ‘ collectors’; their warrant is the account written in the book.

prepared ... banquet, myyod jpn. The metaphor does not really change. The ‘ banquet’ is the symbol of the world to come, cp. Rev. xix.9; and the idea is that the debtor, having paid his debt and submitted to just judgement, is welcomed into Paradise.

at. R. Eleazar b. Azariah: b. about A.D. 50, d. after A.D. 116, and before A.D. 135. One of the chief men of the Assembly in Jabneh; when Gamaliel II was deposed from the presidency, R. Eleazar was elected in his place, and was still associated with Gamaliel in that office on the latter’s restoration. The MSS. differ in the order of the series of contrasted terms, but not in the substance of them. The terms, so far as they need explanation, have mostly been dealt with in previous notes.

no meal .. . no Torah, i.e. if a man have nothing to eat he cannot learn Torah; and vice versa, if he have no Torah, his food is worthless. If he have not heavenly things, what profit in earthly things?

22. He. R. Eleazar b. Azariah.

wisdom... deeds. For the thought, cp. vv. 12, 13 above. '

to what is he like? O17 Ni nod The regular formula for introducing a comparison or parable. Cp. Luke xiii. 18. The proof-text may be a later insertion, though it is found in the MSS. Proof-texts in this book are always open to suspicion, because they impair the conciseness of the sayings which they illustrate. The figure of the tree may be suggested by Ps. i. 3, though the word for ‘tree’ is not the same.

ia that sendeth out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat cometh, but his leaf shall be green ; and in the year of drought he shall not be anxious, neither shall cease from yielding fruit ’]. 23 KR. Eleazar Hisma said: Offerings of birds and purifications, these are the main Rules. Astronomy and geometry are mere fringes to wisdom. t Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from every man; as it is said: ‘From all my Ps. exix. 99 teachers I get understanding, for thy testimonies are my conversation.’ Who is mighty? He who controlleth his evz/ disposition; as it is said: ‘Better is the long- Proy.xvi.32 suffering than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ Who is rich? He that rejoiceth in his portion ; as it is said: ‘ When thou eatest of the labour of Ps.cxxviii.a thy hands, happy art thou and it shall be well with thee. ‘ Happy art thou’ in this world, and ‘it shall be well with thee’ in the world to come. Who is honoured? He who honoureth mankind ; as it is said: ‘For them that honour Me I will 1Sam.ii.30 honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.’ 2 Ben Azai said: Be swift towards a light precept [as towards a weighty one] and flee from sin; for precept leads to precept and sin leads to sin. For the reward of a precept is a precept, and the reward of a sin is a sin. 3 He used to say: Despise not any man, and be not captious at any thing; for you find no man that has not his hour, and no thing that has not its place. 4 RK. Levitas of Jabneh said: Be exceedingly humble, for the hope of man is oly the worm. 5 R. Johanan b. Berokah said: ‘ Every one who profanes the Name of Heaven in secret, they exact

23. R. Eleazar Hisma. Date, about the end of the first century and the beginning of the second. He was a disciple of R. Joshua (see on ii. Io above). He was a great mathematician, and was said to have been able to calculate the number of drops in the sea.

Offerings of birds, np. Lit. ‘nests’, i.e. the offerings brought in accordance with Lev. v. I-10. Cp. Luke 1i. 24.

purifications, 77) ‘nnb. This relates to the periods of women.

Rules, alachoth. See on ii. 1 above.

Astronomy, NiDipn. Lit. ‘turnings’, meaning the four points in the ecliptic which divide the seasons.

geometry, NIN'70D)._ The word is commonly used of a method of interpretation by giving to the letters of a word their numerical value. But here, considering the mathematical reputation of the speaker, it may be rendered “geometry ’. R. El. means that his mathematics are only pastime in comparison with the study of alachah. Even minor portions of the latter are worth more than whole sciences.

fringes. The word is NIN7D15, which represents repupopa or mepupepera. The comparison is to dishes carried round after the main meal is finished. Taylor is not afraid to translate by ‘after-courses’. I have rendered by ‘fringes’ so as to keep the thought though not the literal form of it, and also to suggest (in keeping with the derivation from mepupépeca, ‘ circumference’) that the sciences stand around at a distance while ha/achah is at the

_ centre. R. El. perhaps wished to excuse his favourite studies in the eyes of his less scientific brethren.

IV. 1. Ben Zoma (Simeon b. Z.). Note that he is not called Rabbi. He was a disciple and associate of R. Akiba, but was not ordained. His date may be given as the end of the first century. He is one of the four who were said to have entered Paradise, i.e. studied theosophy. He died young.

From... teachers. Inthe Ps. ‘more than... teachers’; the second clause of the proof-text is not needed.

evil disposition. See on ii. 15 above; the word ‘spirit’ in the proof-text represents a different Hebrew word. The clause explaining the reference to this world and the world to come has the appearance of a later comment on B. Z.’s maxim. In the parallel passage in Aboth di Rabbi Nathan (Schechter), A, § 23, omits it; B, p. 365, has it.

honoured. The proof-text does not establish B. Z.’s point. The meaning may be that he who honours mankind is really honouring God who made them, and wice versa. Cp. iv. 8 below.

mankind. Lit. ‘creatures’; see on i. 12 above.

2. Ben Azai (Simeon b. A.). Like Ben Zoma not called Rabbi, and for the same reason. What is said above of

the one applies to the other. The two are said to have been judges in Jabneh. Azai = Azariah.

as... weighty one. Omitted in all the chief MSS., probably inserted from ii. 1; see note on that verse for the distinction between ‘light’ and ‘ weighty’ precepts.

reward ... precept. In the Rabbinical view, a precept (#z/zvah) was simply an opportunity offered of doing the will of God; there could be no greater reward than a further opportunity. A mz¢zvah was never regarded as a burden. On ‘reward’ see on il. I above.

reward ...sin. The just retribution for sin isa further temptation. This is one of the great sayings of the book.

3. He. Again B. Azai.

captious, 1751). Lit. ‘a causer of division’, especially in argument. you find. Lit. ‘there is not tothee’. For the thought cp. Eccles. iii. 1-8. 4. R. Levitas of Jabneh. Probably a contemporary of B. Azai. He is not mentioned elsewhere in the Talmud. The name represents the Greek Aevirns. His maxim is given by BCDS. By an error A omits it and also the name of the next teacher, thus ascribing the saying of the latter to R. Levitas. hope ... worm. Cp. iii. 1 above; and, for the phrase, Job xi. 20. 5. R. Johanan b. Berokah. A disciple of R. Joshua b. Hananiah, ii. 10, and companion of R. Eleazar Hisma, iii. 23 ; date, about the end of the first century and beginning of the second. profanes ... Heaven. To profane the Name is to be guilty of ‘actions which, if they become known, bring

shame on the Jew and his religion’ (Levy, VV, s.v. bibn). Heaven, i.e. God. in secret ... openly. Cp. Eccles. xii. 14.

punishment of him openly ; the ignorant and the wilful are alike szzners in regard to the profaning of the Name.

R. Ishmael his son said: He who learns with a view to teaching, they give him the opportunity to learn and to teach; he who learns with a view to doing, they give him the opportunity to learn and to teach and to do.

R. Zadok said: [Separate not thyself from the congregation, and be not as they who prepare the judges]. Make not them a crown wherewith to magnify thyself, nor a dish to eat from. And thus Hillel used to say: He who serves himself with the crown passes away. Behold, [thou hast learned, | ‘ Every one that makes a profit from words of Torah removes his life from the world.’

R. Jose said: Every one who honours the Torah is himself honoured of men. And every one who dishonours the Torah is himself dishonoured of men.

R. Ishmael Ais son said: He who withdraws from judgement gets rid of enmity, theft and perjury ; and he who is haughty in his teaching is foolish, wicked and arrogant.

He used to say: Judge-not alone ; for there is none save One that judgeth alone. And say not to thy colleagues, Receive my opinion; for they are entitled and thou art not.

R. Jonathan said: Every one who fulfils the Torah when poor will in the end fulfil it when rich ; and every one who makes it vain when rich will in the end make it vain when poor.

ignorant ... wilful. The meaning is that the guilt of profaning the Name is so great that no account is taken of whether it was done in ignorance or intentionally ; both are punished alike.

6. R. Ishmael his son. Date, middle and end of second century; he is not to be confused with the R. Ishmael of ili. 17, nor with the R. Ishmael of v. 9, below.

learns, i.e. Torah. they, the familia caelestis ; see on ii. 2 above; here, in the meaning of ‘ Providence’.

7, R. Zadok : date, first century ; contemporary of R. Johanan b. Zaccai, and possibly, like him, disciple of Hillel ; he was at Jabneh with R. Joh. b. Z. after the fall of Jerusalem. There was another R. Zadok, grandson of the foregoing, and a third later still.

[Separate . . . congregation, &c.] Does not belong to this context. See on ii. 5 above.

[prepare ... judges]. Also out of place here. See the maxim of Judah b. Tabbai, i.8 above. R. Zadok’s own saying has a close likeness to that of Hillel in i. 13.

Make ... them. So ABCDS. Strack and Baer read ‘make .. . it’. The reference is to ‘words of Torah’ or

‘Torah’. But the first words of the maxim are evidently lost, and the two interpolations mentioned above are perhaps attempts to fill the gap.

dish .. . eat from. ACD have ‘an axe to eat with (or from)’; BS ‘an axe to cut with’. In order to keep the better reading ‘eat with’, and because an axe is not commonly used for that purpose, I render OV17P dishwan ene meaning is clear. The teacher must not make a profit out of the teaching of Torah.

thus Hillel. May be an editorial note. For a possible interpretation, if it belongs to R. Zadok himself, see

Every ... makes profit. Lit. ‘eats advantages’. The MSS. nearly all have MINI0 ‘profits’ (noun, not verb). °

This makes no sense, without a verb. S has in Sawn Cle ACD “nm b> nn, BT Som, corrected to Sow. This

gives the clue to the other readings. Sown was by error divided into 2) Nl, the verb was lost and had to be supplied as in S, or by reading 73M) in place of N87. After the interjection NM (as it was taken to be), some MSS. and

printed texts insert nw ‘thou hast learned’. removes... world. Cp.ii.15 above. R. Joshua may have founded his maxim on that of R. Zadok, whom he must often have heard.

8. R. Jose (b. Halaphta) ; born about A.D. IIo, died about A.D. 180; a disciple of R. Akiba; one of the six ordained in the ‘ Terror’ A.D. 135. Rabbi was one of his disciples. :

honours... Torah. Cp.on iv. 1 above. The commentators explain that to ‘honour Torah’ is to honour everything connected with it, down to the letters in which it is written.

himself. Lit. ‘his body’, 1514.

men. Lit. ‘creatures’, as explained before.

g. R. Ishmael his son (so BD, om. A. C has R. Simeon). Son of the preceding, and presumably brother of iii. 8 ;

date, end of second century and beginning of third.

withdraws ... judgement. Excuses himself from acting as a judge. :

fear, theft and perjury. Because, if he judges, he displeases the losing party; he may decide wrongly as to the ownership of property, and he may lead the witnesses to commit perjury. Cp. i. 9 above.

teaching. Here the decisions he gives as a judge. On humility see above, iv. 4.

10. He. Again R. Ishmael b. Jose.

Note that the maxim turns again on the function of a judge.

One... judgeth alone, i.e. God. For the form of the phrase cp. Mark x. 18. R. I. only means, however, that a human judge should share the responsibility with others.

entitled. They are in the majority and have a right to enforce their opinion.

11. R. Jonathan (so BDS, Johanan A, Nathan C). There is no R. Johanan in the Mishnah without some descriptive epithet. ‘R. Johanan’ would mean the R. J. of the Gemara, third century. R. Jonathan was a disciple of R. Ishmael (iii. 17) and contemporary of Ben Azai; middle of second century. There was another R. Jonathan, a disciple of ‘Rabbi’. ; ;

The meaning of his maxim is that a man who learns Torah when poor gives his mind to it so earnestly that he will not forget or forsake it when he becomes rich; a rich man is tempted to neglect Torah, and if he should become poor would be without the knowledge of it.

12. R.Meir said: Do little in business and be busy with the Torah ; and be humble of spirit before all men ; and if thou hast been idle zz respect of the Torah, there will be many idle things in thy way ; and if thou hast laboured at the Torah, there will be for Him much reward to give thee.

13. R., Eliezer b. Jacob said: He who does one precept gains for himself one advocate ; and he who commits one transgression gains for himself one accuser ; repentance and good works are as a shield in face of punishment.

14 KR. Johanan, the sandal-maker, said: Every assembly which is for the sake of Heaven will in the end be established ; and ove that is not for the sake of Heaven will in the end not be established.

15 k. Eleazar b, Shammua said: Let the honour of thy disciple be dear to thee as the honour of thy associate, and the honour of thy associate as the fear of thy teacher, and the fear of thy teacher as the fear of Heaven.

16 Rk. Judah said: Be careful in teaching ; for error in teaching amounts to sin.

17 R. Simeon said: There are three crowns ; the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood and the crown of royalty ; but the crown of a good name mounts above them.

18 R. Nehorai said: Betake thyself to a place of Torah, and say not it shall come after thee; for thine associates will fulfil it through thee. And ‘Lean not upon thine own understanding’. Prov. iii. 5

19 R. Jannai said: It is not in our hands ¢o explain either the prosperity of the wicked or the chastisements of the righteous. _

12, R. Meir. The most famous disciple of R. Akiba, one of the six ordained A.D. 135; married the daughter of R. Hanina b. Teradion, iii. 3. His origin is unknown, and it is not certain whether ‘ Meir’ was his real name. His work formed the basis of Rabbi’s Mishnah.

business, PDY. Any occupation other than study of Torah.

idle things. Trifles that hinder. For the thought cp. iv. 2, the retribution of like for like. Him. God.

reward. See on ii. 1, and cp. ii. 18.

13. R. Eliezer b. Jacob. There were two teachers of this name, the elder a contemporary of R. Johanan b. Zaccai, and the younger a disciple of R. Akiba. The younger is probably intended here. Date, middle to end of second century.

precept, mzz/zvah, any one of the precepts of the Torah; the doing of a mztzvah was a service of God.

advocate... accuser. The two Hebrew words 11D, dpe, represent mapdkAnros and xarryopos. shield, DON. Again =a Greek word, Oupeds. punishment, N)IPN5, divine retribution. Cp. Dan. iv. 24. 14. R. Johanan, the sandal-maker. A disciple of R. Akiba; date, middle to end of second century. assembly. Society, company, or association of persons, for any purpose. For the thought cp. Acts v. 38, 39, and even Matt. xviii. 19. 15. R. Eleazar b. Shammua. SoS; ACD omit ‘b. Shammua’. Disciple of R. Akiba; one of the six ordained in the Terror, A.D. 135 ; one of the teachers of ‘ Rabbi’; lived to a greatage. Date, the greater part of the second century.

honour .. . associate, J13N. So ABCD; S reads jbw> ‘thine own honour’. ‘The latter is probably due to a confusion with the maxim of R. Eliezer (note the similarity of name), ii. 14. In the present passage the reading ‘ thy associate’, besides being better supported, is more suitable to the context. fear, in the sense of reverence; on the ground that the teacher was the medium by which Torah, the divine revelation, is imparted to the disciple. 16. R. Judah (b. Illai). Contemporary of the preceding; a disciple of R. Akiba; one of the six ordained in the Terror, A.D. 135. Date, most of the second century.

teaching. The MSS. vary between 30on and 12d. The sense is the same, for simbn had not yet acquired the special meaning of Mishnah J/ws Gemara.

amounts to, nbdiy, rises to such a height of seriousness that it becomes sin. There is a contrast between ‘error’ and ‘sin’ similar to that in iv. 5. The teacher may err through ignorance; but the consequence of his error may be wilful sin on his own part or that of others afterwards. 17. R. Simeon. Probably R. Simeon b. Johai; see on iii. 5. crowns. Symbol of supreme excellence. crown ... Torah. Cp. Prov. iv. 9. crown... priesthood. Lev. viii. 9, and cp. 1 Pet. ii. 9. good name. Cp. Prov. xxii. 1, Eccles. vii. 1. 18. R. Nehorai. Probably among the disciples of R. Akiba; but hardly anything is known of him. His name Nehorai is said to be merely an epithet applied to him. Some have identified him with R. Meir or with R. Nehemiah. Yet, if so, why a separate name?

Betake thyself, ndy3, generally used of exile. The meaning would seem to be, ‘if you are forced to leave your native place, go to a place where Torah is to be found.’ Cp. i. 10 above. fulfil ... thee. By going to such a place he will add his share to the fulfilling of Torah by those who are there already. [Rather render: ‘establish thee in the possession of it.’ It is the collective not the individual judgement that is to be trusted, asthe following words show.— Gen. Editor. | 19. R. Jannai; date, beginning and middle of third century ; a disciple of ‘Rabbi’. His maxim is one of the post- Mishnaic additions, like ii. 2. ABS give the name; CD have ‘ He used to say’, ascribing this verse to the preceding teacher. in ... hands, 1) mbwn ** 4 PN, it is not forus. The lit. translation would be, ‘there is not in our hands any of the prosperity of the wicked,’ &c.

zo ©. Matthia b. Harash said: Be first in greeting every man; and be a tail to lions and not a head to foxes.

21 R. Jacob said: This world is like a porch before the world to come. Make thyself ready in the porch, that thou mayst enter into the banqueting-hall.

>2 He used to say: Fairer is one hour of repentance and good works in this world than all the life of the world to come; and fairer is one hour of calmness of spirit in the world to come than all the life of this world.

23 R. Simeon b. Eleazar said: Pacify not thy associate in the hour of his anger, and console him not in the hour when his dead is stretched out before him ; and question him not in the hour of his vow, and seek not to behold him in the hour of his degradation.

24 Samuel, the small, said: ‘Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad Prov. xxiy when he is overthrown, [lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath ib. 18

from him ’.

25 Elisha b. Abuiah said: He who learns when a youth, to what is he like? To ink written on new paper. And he who learns when an old man, to what is he like? To ink written on erased paper.

26 R. Jose b. Judah, of Chephar ha-Babli, said: He who learns from the young, to what is he like? To one that eats unripe grapes and drinks wine from his winepress. He that learns from the old, to what is he like? To one that eats ripe grapes and drinks old wine.

27 Rabbi said: Look not at the pitcher but at what is in it. There is a new pitcher that is full of old wine, and an old pitcher in which there is not even new wine.

28 R, Eleazar ha-Kappar said: Jealousy and desire and ambition drive a man out of the world.

29 Heused tosay: Those that are born are for death, and the dead for making alive, and the living

20. R. Matthia b. Harash; date, second century; a disciple of R. Ishmael, iii. 17; settled in Rome, where he spent the rest of his life. The name is sometimes written ‘ Heresh’, after 1 Chron. ix. 15. :

tail... lions. The meaning is clear; perhaps the maxim is an ironical comment on R. M.’s own situation, head of an exiled community in Rome, instead of ‘least among the saints’ in Palestine.

21. R. Jacob. The same as in iii. 10 above. Date, latter half of second century.

porch. The MSS. vary between WIN and WIND, of which neither reproduces the Greek, mpdOupov.

banqueting-hall, opp, triclinium, the world to come; cp. iii. 20.

With the general thought of this maxim cp. Luke xv. 7.

23. R. Simeon b. Eleazar; date, end of second century; son of R. Eleazar b, Shammua, iv. 15 above; disciple of R. Meir.

Pacify ... anger. Give him time to cool down.

console... not. Cp. Jz Memoriam, vi: ‘One writes that other friends remain,’ &c.

hour ... vow. When he has made a vow, do not discuss it with him and so perhaps make him regret it.

degradation. Either brought on himself or by others.

24. Samuel, the small; date, first century. He died somewhere about A.D. 80, and is usually said to have died young. I believe, on the contrary, that he died in extreme old age. For the reasons on which this view is based, see my Christianity in Talmud and Midrash, pp. 127-35. The fact that Samuel is not called Rabbi can be explained on either theory. The epithet ‘small’ is supposed to indicate his humility.

His maxim is merely a Scripture text without comment. The second half of the proof-text is given by BCDS, but omitted by A. J

25. Elisha b. Abuiah; date, end of first century and up to the middle of the second, say A.D. go-160. R. Meir was his friend, though much younger. El. is not called Rabbi, either because he was never ordained or because he fell under the censure of the Rabbis on account of his heretical views. He was one of the four who were said to have entered Paradise; and his theosophy may have been the cause of his going astray. The references to him in Rabbinic literature are numerous and mostly hostile; yet a certain respect is shown towards him as ateacher. He is the most interesting figure in the Talmud and Midrash.

to... like? For the phrase cp. iii. 22.

ink ... paper, 12.....%. The comparison is not with the ink but with the writing. The paper is papyrus.

erased paper, Pin? 1), palimpsest. The thought needs no explanation.

26. R. Jose b. Judah, of Chephar ha-Babli; date, end of second century and beginning of third; son of R. Judah, iv. 16 above; disciple of R. Eleazar b. Shammua; contemporary of Rabbi. Chephar ha-Babli was probably in Galilee. His ‘maxim turns on the same thought as the preceding, with a change of simile.

wine ... winepress, wine newly made. Nothing turns on the fact that the winepress is his own.

27. Rabbi. See on ii. 1 above.

Taylor points out that this maxim serves to correct the preceding one. Not the age of the teacher but the worth of what he teaches is to be regarded. Did Rabbi perhaps regard himself as the ‘new pitcher full of old wine’, and R. Jose as the old empty pitcher ?

28. R. Eleazar ha-Kappar ; date, end of second century and beginning of third ; contemporary of Rabbi.

drive ... world. See on ii. 15.

29. He. R. Eleazar ha-Kappar.

This long utterance seems intended as the close of the book, or of the collection of dicta incorporated in it, Was R. Eleazar perhaps the collector?

for making alive, nynnd, i.e. for God to make them live again.

to be judged ; to know and to make known and to be known that He is the maker and He the creator, and He the discerner, and He the Judge, and He the witness, and He the adversary, and He will judge in whose presence there is neither obliquity nor forgetfulness nor respect of persons nor taking a bribe; for all is His; and know that all is according to reckoning. Let not thy nature make thee believe that the grave is a place of refuge. For not of thy will wast thou formed, and not of thy will dost thou live, and not of thy will dost thou die, and not of thy will art thou to give jus¢ account and reckoning before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

1 By ten Sayings the world was created. And why does ¢he Scripture teach this? Could not the world have been created by one Saying? But zt was ix order to exact penalty from the wicked who destroy the world that was created by ten Sayings, and to give good reward to the righteous who establish the world that was created by ten Sayings.

2 Ten generations from Adam to Noah, to make known how much long-suffering is with Him ; for all the generations provoked Him, until He brought the flood upon them.

3 Ten generations from Noah to Abraham, to make known how much long-suffering is with Him ; for all the generations provoked Him, until Abraham our father came, and received the reward of them all.

4 Ten trials Abraham our father was tried with, and he bore them all, to make known how great was the love of Abraham our father.

5 Ten wonders were done for our fathers in Egypt, and ten by the sea.

6 [Ten plagues did the Holy One, blessed be He, bring upon the Egyptians in Egypt, and ten by the sea.

q Ren eos: did our fathers try God with in the wilderness, as it is said: ‘And they tempted Me these ten times, and did not hearken to My voice.’

8 Ten wonders were done in the Sanctuary, [for our fathers]. No woman miscarried through the smell of the sacred flesh; and the sacred flesh did not ever stink; and no uncleanness befell the High Priest on the day of Atonement; and no fly was seen in the slaughter-house; and no defect was found in the sheaf, or in the two loaves, or in the shewbread ; and rain never quenched the fire; and wind never overcame the pillar of smoke ; the people stood close together yet had room to bow themselves ; no serpent nor scorpion did harmin Jerusalem ; and none said to his companion, The place is too narrow for me that I should lodge in Jerusalem.

to know ... known .. . be known, ynndy poi) yw, Men are to know their relation to God, and learn it from others, and impart it to others (so Bartenora).

adversary, }’7 Sy. Inthe final judgement, God will be not only judge and witness but the other party in the suit.

reckoning. Cp. the saying of R. Akiba, iii. 20.

nature. The “¥’, and probably the »77 %, the evil impulse (see on ii. 15 above) ; the idea is that a man’s lower nature will lead him to think that there is no judgement after death, so that he should need to fear.

grave. Sheol, the underworld.

refuge, a place where the soul can escape from divine justice.

just account ... reckoning. See on iii. 1, where the whole of the concluding phrase, down to ‘blessed be He’, occurs. This may indicate that cc. ili-tv formed a separate collection. See Introduction.

V. This chapter is mainly taken up with groups of related things based respectively on the numbers ten, seven, four, and three. A few sayings of teachers are added at the end. I. First group of ten, world... created. The ten ‘Sayings’ are the divine utterances in Gen. i, ‘And God said,’ &c.

why ...teach. This is the meaning of the phrase sid synbn MD, which occurs numberless times in the Talmud. The explanation is that of Bacher ( Zervminologie, i, p. 200).

But... penalty ... reward. The meaning is that though God could have created the world by one ‘ Saying’, He chose to protract His creative work, to linger over it, and thereby enhanced its worth; so much the greater is the gu It of those who destroy it by sin, or the merit of those who maintain it by righteousness.

2. Second group of ten. Him, God. For the thought cp. 2 Pet. iii. 5-9.

3. Third group of ten. It would seem that Noah is included amongst those who provoked God. reward... all. The meaning is not clearly expressed; the sinners did not deserve a reward, and Abraham was not punished for their sins. Probably the meaning is that God put up with the sinners till Abraham, and that he by his righteousness made up for the sins of his ancestors.

4. Fourth group of ten. The ten trials of Abraham are not all scriptural. The list is variously reckoned by different commentators. love, i.e. Abraham’s love to God, since he ‘ bore them all’ for His sake.

5. Fifth and sixth group of ten.

Num. xiv. 22

6. This clause is noted as doubtful in DS. It is evidently intended as a parallel to No. 5. Possibly the sixth ©

group was linked with the fifth, in order to introduce the two sets of plagues. 7. Seventh (ninth) group of ten. A mere deduction from Num. xiv. 22. 8. Eighth group of ten. The separate members being specified. sacred flesh. The carcases of the animals slaughtered for sacrifice. uncleanness. As in Deut. xxiii. 10, which would prevent the High Priest from officiating. sheaf, Lev. xxiii, 10-14. loaves, ibid. 17. shewbread, Exod. xxv. 30. wind . .. smoke. It was considered a bad sign if the smoke rising from the great altar was blown aside instead of rising straight up. place ... narrow. Josephus says (&./. vi. 9. 3) that on one occasion, just before the war, 2,565,000 persons were present at the Passover sacrifice in Jerusalem. The reader can believe that, if he will.

9 Ten things were created ‘between the suns’. And these are they: The mouth of the earth ; the mouth of the well; the mouth of the ass of Balaam ; the bow; and the manna, and the rod of Moses; and the shamir-worm ; and writing ; and the writing; and the Tables. Some say, also the evil spirits, and the grave of Moses, and the ram of Abraham our father; and some say also the tongs that are made with tongs.

to Seven things concerning a rude man, and seven concerning a wise man. A wise man does not speak in the presence of one who is greater than he in wisdom ; and he does not break in upon the words of his associate; and he does not hasten to reply; he asks according to the Rule, and answers according to the subject; and he speaks on the first thing first, and on the last last ; concerning what he has not heard he says, I have not heard; and he acknowledges the truth. The opposites of these are fownd in the rude man.

ir Seven kinds of punishment come upon the world for seven main transgressions, When some men tithe and some do not tithe, famine from drought comes ; some go hungry and some are full. When they have resolved that they will not tithe a¢ a//, famine from tumult and from drought comes. And when they have resolved that they will not offer the cake of dough a famine of extermination comes. Pestilence comes upon the world for the capital crimes mentioned in the Torah which are not within | the jurisdiction of the court of justice. Also, for fruits of the seventh year. The sword comes upon the world for suppression of justice and for perversion of justice, and for those that teach in the Torah not according to Rule. The wild beast comes on the world for false swearing, and for profaning of - the Name. Exile comes upon the world for false worship, for incest, for bloodshed, and for zot giving release to the earth.

12 At four seasons pestilence increases ; in the fourth year, in the seventh, at the end of the seventh, and at the end of the Feast in each year. In the fourth, because of the tithe for the poor in the third; in the seventh, because of the tithe for the poor in the sixth; at the end of the seventh, because of the fruits of the seventh ; and at the end of the Feast, because of the robbery of the gifts assigned to the poor.

13 Four types of men: He that says, What is mine is mine and what is thine is thine; this is the average type, some say it is the type of Sodom. He that says, What is mine is thine and what is thine is mine, is one of the vulgar; He that says, What is mine and what is thine are thine, is pious.

He who says, What is thine and what is mine are mine, is wicked. 14 Four types of character: Easy to provoke and easy to pacify, his gain is cancelled by his loss.

g. Ninth group of ten, The things here mentioned became of special importance in the later history, but they are not specially mentioned in the account of the Creation; since, it was held, God had created nothing more after He ‘rested from His labour’, the things here mentioned must have been created last of all.

‘between the suns,’ MwNwN f°, i.e. between sunset and sunrise. So all the MSS. C adds ‘at nightfall’, and DS ‘on the eve of Sabbath’.

mouth . . . earth, that swallowed Korah. Num. Kyi 32. mouth ... well. Probably that in Num. xxi. 16-18. mouth .. . ass, i.e. the speaking of Balaam’s ass was provided for at the Creation.

bow, the rainbow.

shamir, a worm supposed to have the power of gnawing the hardest substances. Moses and Solomon are said to have made use of it.

writing, the forms of the letters; the writing, either the art of combining letters into words, or the writing on the Tables, or the writing instrument, stylus or pen.

tongs... tongs. The meaning is, that if the smith uses tongs in order to make tongs, who made the first tongs ? Answer, they were made among the last things at the Creation. Presumably meaning that God is the author of all unexplained beginnings.

1o. First group of seven. rude man, ody. Lit. foetus, the unformed human being.

Rule, Zalachah. See on ii. 1 above. 11. Second group of seven. A deduction from Lev. xxvl. 14-22. fruits . . . seventh year, Exod. xxiii. 11. So also, release. . . earth.

12. First group of four. seasons, D'~15. Not in each year, but regularly recurring periods within the cycle of seven

years. The idea is that pestilence comes by reason of the sins committed in regard to the tithe for the poor, &c.

the Feast, i.e. of Tabernacles.

robbery ... poor. After the harvest has been reaped, the gleaning and the corner of the field and any part forgotten were to be left for the poor. Any one who did not so leave them robbed the poor.

13. Second group of four. types, N11. Lit. ‘measures’, the same word as in ‘with what measure ye mete a CaSy, Matt. vii. 2; here the means by which the character of a man is estimated or measured ; ‘type’ conveys the same meaning through a different metaphor.

Sodom. The reference is to Ezek. xvi. 49. vulgar, am-ha-aretz. See on ii. 6 above. The meaning is that he who does not know the Scripture does not know that he ought only to give and not to receive, Prov. xv. 27. Hence the definition of the pious.

14. Third group of four. gain. . . loss, y9w1 yIDaM. The two men described lose by their anger and gain by their being pacified; but the second is of a firmer character than the first, and therefore in his case gain is mentioned before loss, and wzce versa.

Hard to provoke and hard to pacify, his loss is cancelled by his gain. Hard to provoke and easy to pacify, he is pious. Easy to provoke and hard to pacify, he is wicked.

15 Four types of disciples: Quick to hear and quick to lose, his gain is cancelled by his loss. Slow to learn and slow to lose, his loss is cancelled by his gain. Quick to hear and slow to lose, he is wise. Slow to hear and quick to lose, this is an evil lot.

16 Four types of almsgivers: He who is willing to give but not that others should give, his eye is evil towards what is theirs; he who zs welling that others should give but does not give himself, his eye is evil towards what is his; e who zs willing to give and that others should give, is pious ; Ze who zs not zvz//zng that he should give or that others should give, is wicked.

17 Four types of them that go to the house of learning: He that goes and does nothing, has the reward of Azs going ; he that goes not but does something, has the reward of doing; he that goes and does something, is pious; he that neither goes nor does anything, is wicked.

18 Four types of them that sit before the Wise: A sponge, a funnel, a strainer and a sieve. A sponge, because it sucks up everything ; a funnel, because it receives at one end and lets out at the other ; a strainer, because it lets out the wine and keeps back the dregs; a sieve, because it lets out the coarse meal and keeps the fine flour.

19 All love which depends on something—if the thing ceases, the love ceases. If it does not depend on something it ceases not for ever. What love is that which depends on something? This is the love of Amnon and Tamar. And that which does not depend on something? This is the love of David and Jonathan. }

20 Every controversy which is for the name of Heaven will in the end be established ; and that which is not for the name of Heaven will not in theend beestablished. What controversy is that which is for the name of Heaven? The controversy of Shammai and Hillel. And that which is not for the name of Heaven? This is the controversy of Korah.

2x Every one that makes the many virtuous, sin comes not by his means ; and every one that maketh the many to sin, they give him not the opportunity to repent. Moses was virtuous and made the many virtuous, and the virtue of the many depended on him; as it is said: ‘ He executed the righteousness of the Lord, and His judgements with Israel.’

Jeroboam sinned and made the many to sin, the sin of the many depended on him ; as it is said: ‘For the sin of Jeroboam who sinned and made Israel to sin.’

22 Every one who has three things is one of the disciples of Abraham our father. And every one who has three other things is one of the disciples of Balaam the wicked. Jf he has a good eye, and a lowly soul and a humble spirit, he is of the disciples of Abraham our father. Jf ke has an evil eye, and a boastful soul and a haughty spirit, he is of the disciples of Balaam the wicked. What is the difference between the disciples of Abraham our father and the disciples of Balaam the wicked? The disciples of Balaam the wicked inherit Gehenna and go down to the pit of destruction, as it is

Deut. xxxili, 21

1 Kings xiv. 16

said: * But Thou, O God, wilt bring them down to the pit of destruction. Men of blood and deceit Ps. lv. 24

shall not live out half their days; but I willtrust in Thee. But the disciples of Abraham our father

inherit the Garden of Eden and inherit the world to come; as it is said: ‘That I may cause them Prov. viii. 21

that love me to inherit substance, and that I may fill their treasuries.’

15. Fourth group of four. Types of students, of course of Torah.

16. Fifth group of four. Almsgivers. eye... evil. See above on li. 12.

17. Sixth group of four. Types of students, as in 15, here considered in reference to their going to the School and what they do there.

has... reward. Cp. Matt. vi. 2. does something, practises some of the Torah which he learns.

18. Seventh group of four. Similes of students. The four objects described are explained, and it is clear what ought to be the effect of the sieve; but no commentator has explained what kind of a sieve lets the coarse go through and keeps the fine. The word is rightly rendered ‘sieve’.

19. No longer groups but general principles. The contrast between selfish and unselfish love.

20. Controversy justifiable and unjustifiable. be established, ovpnnd MAD. It will not establish the contentions of both opponents, but it will show that it was right for them to have argued against each other. Shammai... Hillel. See oni.12. It was said in regard to them, ‘ The words of each are the words of the living God, but the halachah is according to Hillel’ (Erub. 13). 21. A omits the clause about Jeroboam, probably only by a scribal error. the many, oi roAhoi. sin. Taylor compares Rom. v. 19. 22. disciples ... Abraham. Taken as a model, like Aaron, i. 12 above. Balaam. Perhaps a covert reverence to Jesus is intended. blood . .. deceit. This text is elsewhere used to show that Balaam (Jesus?) was about thirty-three years old. (For the Rabbinical comparison of Balaam with Jesus, see my Christianity in Talmud and Midrash, pp. 64-70.) [inherit the Garden of Eden and inherit the world to come. This is clearly a conflate text. One of these clauses should be excised.—Gen. Editor.]

23 R. Judah b. Tema said: Be bold as a leopard, and light as an eagle, and swift as a gazelle, and strong as a lion to do the will of thy Father which is in heaven.

24 [He used to say: The bold-faced man is for Gehenna, and the shame-faced man is for the Garden of Eden. May it be Thy will, O Lord our God and the God of our fathers, that Thy city may be built speedily in our days; and grant our portion éo de in Thy Torah. |

2; [Ben Bag-Bag said: Turn it, and turn it again, for the whole is in it, and the whole of thee is in it; and from it swerve not, for there is to thee no greater good than it. |

26 [Ben He-He said: According to the toil is the pay. ]

27 [He said: At five years old one zs fit for the Scripture, at ten years for Mishnah, at thirteen for the commandments, at fifteen for Talmud, at eighteen for marriage, at twenty for retribution, at thirty for power, at forty for discernment, at fifty for counsel, at sixty for elderhood, at seventy for grey hairs, at eighty for strength, at ninety for decrepitude, and at a hundred he is as if he were Ps, xc. 10 dead and had passed away and vanished from the world. |

END OF THE TREATISE ‘ FATHERS’.

THE CHAPTER OF R. MEIR; OR, THE ACQUISITION OF TOKRBia

G1 The Wise have taught in the language of the Mishnah; blessed is He that made choice of them and of their Mishnah. R. Meir said: Every one who is occupied with the Torah for its own sake is worthy zo have many things; and not only so, but the whole world, all of it, is his equivalent. He is called friend,

23. Note the return to maxims of named teachers.

R. Judah b. Tema; date uncertain; he is once mentioned with R. Meir, middle of second century.

Father ...in heaven. This term is common in the Rabbinical literature, and is pre-Christian. See my Pharisaism, pp. 120-4. The use of it here tends to show that this verse was originally the conclusion of the book. D says this expressly. The verses which follow are later additions, and the order of them is variously given.

24, He. Probably not R. Judah b. Tema. The author is unknown. Whoever added it did so as a further conclusion to the book, for the second clause is a kind of doxology common in the Jewish liturgy. :

25. Ben Bag-Bag. This is not a real name, but an epithet formed from the initials of the words ‘ Ben Ben Ger Bath Gerah’; and one explanation is that his father and mother were each the offspring of converts to Judaism. The vowels are only supplied to enable the word to be sounded. He is supposed to have been a disciple of Hillel.

His maxim refers to Torah, as the full and complete divine revelation.

26. Ben He-He. A name formed like the preceding, and possibly the same person is referred to. The maxim is in Aramaic, as are some of those of Hillel. ‘ j ; :

27. He. Sometimes is introduced here the saying of Samuel the small, iv. 24, in order to make him the author of the saying about the ages of man. But this connexion is quite uncertain. The passage is only placed here as having been either added later than the body of the book, or else, as Strack suggests, having been excluded from the book on account of its melancholy conclusion. It is a series of descriptive phrases which need little comment.

twenty ... retribution. Although he is considered to be old enough at thirteen to be able to obey the precepts (he is called then a dar-mitzvah), he is not held fully responsible, and therefore liable to divine punishment for sin,

arm, until he is twenty. [Better ‘twenty . . . pursuing a calling ’.—Gen. Editor. ]

VI. It is admitted by all that the sixth chapter formed no part of the treatise incorporated in the Mishnah. See Introduction. It is only given here because, by long custom, it is read with the rest of the book. Nevertheless the material contained, the maxims of particular Rabbis, may be as authentic as what is included in the earlier chapters. It is usually called the ‘Chapter of R. Meir’, or the ‘Acquisition of Torah’, the former title being merely a reference to the first teacher mentioned in it. The latter title fairly describes the contents. Taylor, in his edition, merely gives a translation from the text contained in a modern prayer-book ; he adds no comment and no critical apparatus. The text here translated is that of Strack’s edition.

1. The Wise, the Talmudic teachers.

taught, 1’, the special word applied to the authoritative teaching of Torah ; the name Mishnah, from the same root, denotes the corpus of such teaching, as it was collected and edited by ‘Rabbi’. The intention of this sentence, which forms a sort of motto for the chapter, is to connect the chapter with the preceding ones as forming with them virtually a part of the Mishnah.

blessed . . . He, i.e. God. ue

choice. Implying, as it would seem, some degree of divine guidance in the development of the Mishnah. The Talmud says (B. B. 12%) that prophecy was taken from the prophets and given to the Wise, meaning the Rabbis.

R. Meir. See on iv. 12. Date, middle of second century. _

occupied ... Torah. This phrase occurs in R. M.’s maxim, iv. 12, and may have been taken thence to serve as the theme for the present exposition.

worthy to have, 21; the corresponding noun is N)3!, merit. The term denotes a condition of mind and character such as to meet with the divine approval; it does not imply a claim against God for reward. See my Pharisaism, pp. 276-80. For the phrase cp. Rev. v. 9, 12.

equivalent, » xin "73, and not more; he is worth the whole world. Strack wrongly, as I think, compares

1 Cor. iii. 21, ‘for all are yours.’

beloved, one that loves God and loves mankind, makes glad both God and mankind. And it clothes him with humbleness and fear, and purifies him to become righteous, pious, upright and faithful ; keeps him far from sin and brings him to virtue. Me enjoy from him counsel and sound knowledge, discernment and might ; as it is said: ‘Counsel is mine and sound knowledge; I am Prov. viii. 14 discernment; I have might.’ And it gives him sovereignty and dominion and searching out of justice; and they disclose for him secrets of Torah. And he is made like a spring which ceases not, and like a stream that goes on getting stronger. And he is modest and longsuffering and forgiving ofinsult. And it makes him great and lifts him above all the things that are done.

2 R. Joshua b. Levi has said: Every day a Bath-Qol goes forth from Mount Horeb and proclaims and says ‘ Woe to mankind because of ¢ezr insulting of the Torah’; for every one that is not occupied with the Torah is called reprobate ; as it is said: ‘ As a jewel of gold in the snout of Prov. xi. 22 a swine, so is a fair woman without sense. And Scripture says: ‘And the tables were the work Exod. xxxii. 16 of God, and the writing writing of God, graven on the tables.’ Read not ‘haruth’ (graven) but ‘heruth’ (freedom) ; for none is your freeman, but he who is occupied with the study of Torah. And every one who is occupied in the study of Torah, lo, he exalts himself, as it is said: ‘ And Num. xxi. 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth.’

3 Hewho learns from his associate one chapter, one rule, one verse, one saying, even one letter, must show honour to him ; for-thus we find in the case of David, king of Israel, that he learned

loves God ... mankind. Observe the unlimited range of the love inspired by the religion of Torah.

makes glad. Cp. Zeph. iii. 17, but with a finer meaning here.

it clothes him. ‘It’ is Torah, personified. Cp. 1 Pet. v. 5 for humility as a virtue put on, given from above.

purifies, makes him WW, #a@sér, in a fit condition to perform his religious duties. The same word, pronounced ‘kosher’, is used in Jewish shops to denote food ritually fit for use.

from him, i.e. from the man who is occupied with Torah. The proof-text, Prov. viii. 14, makes Wisdom say ‘Counsel is mine’, &c. Torah is identified with wisdom ; therefore the man who has Torah is enabled to give what is inherent in wisdom.

it gives, i.e. Torah gives.

sovereignty, madn, moral not political supremacy.

searching ... justice. Solomon, the wise king, was able to find out what true justice required, 1 Kings

they disclose. ‘ They’ are the familia caelestis, the angels.

ay” &c. For the phrase cp. ii, 10; the simile used there is expanded here.

And... is. Strack reads 730 (participle) for the common reading "J, imperative, which, as he says, makes no

sense. But Wn is very unusual, and it would be simpler to read Ni ‘he Gant The structure of the whole passage is very clumsy, with its frequent changes of subject; it may be acento of phrases from different sources. : things . . . done, meaning that ‘he is not the slave of circumstance but spiritually free.

Dy VRE Joshua b. Levi: date, middle of third century, A.D.,'a famous haggadist (see note below) and Tmysne. The Mishnah was closed before his time, and with it the series of Rabbis known as Tannaim. Their successors, who commented on the Mishnah, and whose teaching forms the Gemara, were called Amoraim; R. Joshua was an Amora, and his mention here is one of the indications that this chapter did not form part of the original book.

Bath-Qol. Lit. ‘daughter of a voice’. The term denotes a sound interpreted as a voice from heaven, delivering some special message to men. It was said to have been a ‘ Bath-Qol’ which decided on the rivalry between the schools of Hillel and Shammai. See on v. 20 above. In John xii. 28, 29, what is referred to is evidently meant for a ‘Bath-Qol’. The Rabbis held that since the extinction of prophecy, the ‘ Bath-Qol’ took the place of the ‘ word of the Lord’ which came to the prophet, but was an inferior mode of inspiration.

Horeb. Not that R. J. believed that God dwelt on Horeb, but merely as a scriptural phrase for the seat of divine authority.

reprobate, 513, one who is reproved by God. The word does not occur in the O.T. The proof-text, which seems to be wholly irrelevant, is applied after the methods of haggadah (non-literal interpretation of Scripture for edification). The text says WM NI Ant oO. R. J. takes 3 ae associates it with J O71), by mere similarity of letters, and then argues, in effect, that as ‘a fair woman without sense’ is 715)?3, so a man without Torah is 411). This is haggadah ; and the haggadist did not imply that the words of Scripture really gave that meaning, but that the lesson he wished to teach could be linked on to Scripture in that way.

Read not ‘haruth’ but ‘heruth’. This also is haggadah. For the sake of edification, the text of Scripture might be read otherwise than as written ; but this implied no actual criticism of the text, nor any question of ‘ various readings’. KR. J. reads ‘heruth’ ‘freedom’, for the sake of making his point about the freeman; but he was quite aware that ‘ heruth’ would make no sense in the original text, Exod. xxxil. 16.

exalts himself. In the previous verse it is Torah which exalts. The proof-text, Num. xxi. 19, is again applied in the manner of haggadah. The place-names are taken according to their literal meaning, Mattanah gift ; Nahaliel, God leads; Bamoth heights. Thus Torah was g7venx ; God leads the man who studies it to the eights, i.e. exalts him. This exposition is given in the Talmud (Erub. 54%) but not in the name of R. J., although he is quoted on the same page.

3. This saying is anonymous. learns, i.e. learns Torah.

rule, Zalachah. See on ii. 1 above.

show honour, as to a teacher of Torah, cp. iv. 15 above.

David... Ahithophel. The reference is to a story, not found in the O. T., intended to par how David came to compose the fifteen ‘Psalms of degrees’. The story, too long to quote, occurs in Succ. 53, Macc. 11", and the authority for it is said to be R. Johanan (A.D. 199-279). The present passage is thus later than the Gemara.

from Ahithophel only two things, dwt he called him his master, his teacher, his familiar friend ; as it | is said: ‘But thou, a man mine equal, my teacher and my familiar friend’. And are not these Ps. lv. 13 things an argument a fortiori? If David, king of Israel, who learned from Ahithophel only two things, calied him his master, his teacher, his familiar friend, how much more one who learns from his associate one chapter or one rule, or one verse, or one saying, or even one letter, ought to show honour to him: and ‘honour’ simply means Torah; as it is said: ‘The wise shall inherit Prov. iii. 3 honour’; and ‘ The perfect shall inherit good’: and ‘good’ simply means Torah ; as it is said : ib. xxviii. ‘For I have given thee good doctrine, forsake not my Torah.’ ib. iv. 2 4 This is the way of Torah: A morsel with salt thou shalt eat, ‘and thou shalt drink water by Kzek. iv. 1 measure’; and thou shalt sleep on the ground, and thou shalt live a life of hardship, and thou shalt labour in the Torah. If thou doest thus ‘happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee *s Ps. exxviii. ‘happy’ in this world, and ‘ well with thee’ in the world to come. 5 Seek not greatness for thyself, neither covet honour. Perform more than thou hast learned. And crave not for the tables of kings; for thy table is greater than their table, and thy crown greater than their crown ; and faithful is He, the master of thy work, to pay thee the reward of thy labour. 6 Greater is Torah than priesthood and than sovereignty. For sovereignty is acquired through thirty qualifications, and priesthood by twenty-four; but the Torah is acquired by forty-eight things. And these are they :—‘ By learning, the listening of the ear, the ordering of the lips, the discernment of the heart, fear, dread, humility, cheerfulness, purity, attendance on the Wise, discussion with asso- | ciates, argument with disciples, sedateness, Scripture, Mishnah; by little business, little intercourse with the world, little sleep, little conversation, little luxury, little merriment ; by forbearance, a good heart, faith in the Wise, acceptance of chastisements; dy being one that knows his place, and rejoices in his portion, and makes a fence for his words, and claims not goodness for himself, that is loved, that loves God, that loves mankind, that loves deeds of charity, that loves uprightness, that loves reproofs, and keeps himself far from honour, and puffs not up his heart with his learning, and delights not in giving decisions, that bears the yoke along with his associate, and judges him with a leaning to merit, and establishes him upon truth, and establishes him upon peace, and settles his heart in his study, that asks and answers, that hears and adds thereto, that learns with a view to teaching, and that learns with a view to action, that makes his teacher wise, that makes sure what he hears, and that repeats a word in the name of him who said it. See, thou hast learned: Every one that says a word in the name of him who said it brings redemption into the world; as it is said: ‘And Esther said to the king in the name of Mordecai.’ Esther ii, 2 7 Great is Torah, for it gives to them that practise it life in this world and in the world to come; as it is said: ‘For they are life to them that find them, and health to all their flesh.’ Prov. iv. 2

called ... master. This is not in the Talmudic story, but merely an inference from Ps. lv. 13, taken as referring to Ahithophel. a fortiori, iN) bp, lit. ‘light and heavy’. The form of the argument is: ‘if 4 is B, how much more Cis 2?’ This is one of the seven rules which Hillel introduced for the interpretation of Scripture. ‘honour’... means Torah. There is a confusion of thought here, for the disciple is to show honour to his Master because of Torah; he does not show Torah to him. good doctrine. The same proof-text is quoted in iil. 19 above. 4. Anonymous. way. Cp. onii.1 above. The proof-text, Ps. cxxvill. 2, is quoted in iv. 1 above, and even there it is probably a later insertion. 5. Anonymous. Perform ... learned. Cp. i. 17, ili. 12 above. tables of kings, court favour. thy table, the table at which thou sittest, the table of God, see on iii. 5 above. thy crown, of Torah. See on iv. 17 above. faithful . . . labour. Verbatim from ii. 19. 6. Anonymous. Torah... priesthood...sovereignty. Classed together, iv. 17 above. acquired, MJP}; but a different word is needed. The dignities referred to are not acquired by the things specified, but these are, in the case of kings and priests, privileges enjoyed by the holder of the dignity ; in the case of the man of Torah they are characteristic features. The privileges of kings and high-priests are given in the Mishnah, Sanh. ii. The list of forty-eight ‘things’ shows variations in the style which point to an origin from different sources. Nos. I-25 are nouns, the remainder verbs describing what the man of Torah does. The total number is fifty, and there seems to be little attempt at orderly sequence in the list. The whole passage may be taken as the summary of the Pharisaic ideal; see my Pharzsaism, pp. 327-30. Various parallels with phrases in the earlier part of the book occur. Detailed comment is unnecessary, as nearly all the ideas have been mentioned before. After the list is closed, follows a comment upon the last item, ‘that says a word in the name of him who said it The Rabbis attached great importance to this, the idea being that he who brought to the knowledge of his fellows some new meaning of Torah and rendered explicit part of the divine meaning till then implicit in it, should be held in remembrance for having done so. See, thou hast learned. The words which follow are a quotation from the Talmud, Chull. 104”, another proof of the late date of this chapter. The proof-text is less cogent than the reason given above. 7. Anonymous. The life-giving power of Torah. Chiefly a series of Scripture texts.

And Scripture says: ‘It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.’ And it says : Prov. iii. 8 “She shall be a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy are they that retain her.’ ib. iii. 18 And it says: ‘For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy ib. i. 9 neck.’ And it says: ‘She shall give to thine head a chaplet of grace; a crown of beauty shall she ib. iv. 9 deliver thee. And it says: ‘ For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and they shall increase to ib. ix. 11 thee years of life.” And it says: ‘Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches ib. iii. 16 and honour.’ And it says: ‘ For length of days, and years of life, and peace shall they add to thee.’ ib. iii. 2

R. Simeon b. Judah, in the name of R. Simeon b. Johai, said: Beauty, strength, riches, honour, wisdom, old age, grey hairs, children, are comely for the righteous and comely for the world ; as it is said: ‘ The hoary head is a crown of glory; it shall be found in the way of righteousness.’ Prov. xvi. 31 And it says: ‘Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their ib. xvii. 6 fathers. And it says: ‘The glory of young men is their strength; and the beauty of old men is ib. xx. 29 the hoary head.’ And it says: ‘Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed ; for Isa. xxiv. 23 the Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously.’

R. Simeon b. Menasia said: These seven attributes, which the Wise have assigned to the righteous, were all exemplified in Rabbi and in his sons.

R. Jose b. Kisma has said: Once I was walking by the way and there met me a man, and he greeted me, and I greeted him again. He said to me, Rabbi, whence comest thou? I said to him, I am from a great city of wise men and scribes. He said to me, Rabbi, wilt thou dwell with us in our place, and I will give thee a thousand thousand gold pieces and precious stones and pearls? I said to him, If thou gavest me all the silver and gold and precious stones and pearls which are in the world I would not dwell except in a place of Torah. For thus it is written in the book of Psalms, by the hands of David, king of Israel: ‘The Torah of Thy mouth is better unto me than Ps. cxix. 72 thousands of gold and silver.’ And not only so, but in the hour of a man’s death it is not silver or gold or precious stones or pearls which accompany him, but Torah and good works alone; as it is said: ‘When thou walkest it shall lead thee, when thou liest down it shall watch over thee, Prov. vi. 22 and when thou wakest it shall talk with thee. ‘When thou walkest it shall lead thee ’—in this world. ‘When thou liest down it shall watch over thee’—in the grave. ‘When thou wakest it shall talk with ee —in the world to come. And it says: ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord Hag. ii. 8 of Hosts.’

Five possessions hath the Holy One, blessed be He, acquired in His world, and these are they: Torah is one possession ; heaven and earth are one possession ; Abraham is one possession ; Israel is one possession ; the house of the sanctuary is one possession. Whence zs this proved concerning Torah? That which is written: ‘The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His Prov. viii. 22 works of old. Whence concerning heaven and earth? That which is written: ‘Thus saith the Isa. Ixvi. 1 Lord of Hosts, Heaven is My throne and the earth the footstool of My feet: what is this house that ye build for Me, and what is the place of My rest?’ And it says: ‘How manifold are Thy works, Ps. civ. 24 O Lord ! in wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy possessions.’ Whence concerning

8. R. Simeon b. Judah. A contemporary, probably older, of Rabbi; date, middle of second century. He was a disciple of R. Simeon b. Johai (see iii. 5); his father was probably (R.) Judah of Chephar Ikos, mentioned in connexion with Gamaliel II. This verse is sometimes, wrongly, assigned to R. S. b. Menasia, v. 9.

in the name of, DW. The regular formula by which one teacher cites the dictum of another, but it does not necessarily imply that the later had actually heard it from the earlier teacher. The series of graces, together with all the proof-texts except the last, is taken verbatim from Tosephta, Sanh. xi. 8. The relevancy of the text from Isa. xxiv. 23 is not obvious.

g. R. Simeon b. Menasia. Also, like the preceding, an older contemporary of Rabbi; date, middle of second century.

His remark, which only gives the personal application of the saying in v. 8, is likewise taken from Tosephta, where it follows immediately after the saying of R. Simeon.

to. R. Jose b. Kisma. Friend of R. Hanina b. Teradion (iii. 3 above) ; date, end of first century and beginning of second.

has said. Note the change of form. The maxims of the various Sages are what they were in the habit of saying; here we have an anecdote which R. Jose once told.

great city. R. Jose lived in Caesarea Philippi, but that city was not specially remarkable for its “ wise men and scribes’. Jerusalem cannot be meant; for though, after the siege, Jews were not forbidden to live there, it was no longer a place of learning. The seat of authority had been transferred to Jabneh, and in R. Jose’s time was at Usha. Possibly this is the city referred to.

gold pieces, 13°, denarii.

UE. Anonymous. This passage has its sources in the Talmud and the edie Midrash. In piper 134", three ‘ possessions’ are mentioned: Torah, Israel, and the Sanctuary. In Mechilta, Beshallah 9, p. 43%», four are given: Israel, heaven and earth, the Sanctuary, and Torah. In the Talmud, Pes. 87, the same four are given. Abraham is thus a later addition ; the proof-text does not support his inclusion, because it says that God is the possessor, not of Abraham, but of heaven and earth.

I

Abraham? That which is written: ‘And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abraham of God Gen. xiv. Most High, possessor of heaven and earth. Whence concerning Israel? That which is written:

‘Till Thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over which Thou hast possessed.’ And it Exod. xy. says: ‘As for the saints that are in the earth, they are the excellent in whom is all my delight.’ Ps. xvi. 3 Whence concerning the house of the Sanctuary? That which is written: ‘The place, O Lord, Exod. xv. which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have founded.’

And it says: ‘And He brought them to the border of His Sanctuary, to this mountain which His Ps. lxxviii right hand hath possessed.’ All that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created

it only for His glory; as it is said: ‘Every one that is called by My name, and whom I have Isa. xliii. created for My glory, I have formed him, I have made him.’ And it says: ‘The Lord shall reign Exod. xv, for ever and ever.’

12. Anonymous. Probably continuous with the preceding, the idea being to supplement the statement that God has five possessions in the world by the declaration that all which it contains is His because He created it. The passage tself is older, being taken verbatim from the Talmud, Joma 38, and there it is assigned to a date before A.D. 70. The compiler of this chapter included it as a well-known ancient saying in praise of God, and added it here both to qualify the preceding statement about the possessions, and also to serve as a sort of concluding doxology to the whole book.

The Wilna edition of the Talmud gives, after v. 12, a saying ascribed to R. Hanania b. Akashia (date unknown) and taken from Macc. 23», ‘ Be pleased, O God, to purify Israel ; wherefore increase to them Torah and precepts, as it is said (Isa xlii. 21): “It pleased the Lord, for His righteousness’ sake, to magnify the Torah and make it honourable.’ Rashi mentions this verse, but says it does not belong to the treatise of the Fathers.

‘EpEe SPOR (Ob “AGRA

IN the story of Ahikar we are probably, as in the parallel case of Tobit, in the region of folklore pure and simple. It is a tale of Ingratitude and its Just Judgement, much in the same ethical manner as Tobit is a tale of a Grateful Ghost, and how he made recompense to his benefactor, who had cared for hisdead body. We make the acquaintance of the story, first of all, in the supplementary pages of the Arabian Nights; we then trace it through the legends of a variety of peoples, with a growing sense of the antiquity of the common nucleus which underlies the traditions, and finally, as an interesting combination of good luck with good learning, the original story turns up in an Aramaic papyrus of the fifth century B.C, among the ruins of Elephantiné ; in a language, that is, which had been conjectured as its original, and of an antiquity even greater than had been assigned to it by any of its investigators. The discovery followed from first suspicions to last achievement is itself almost a romance.

Ahikar, who is the hero of the tale, was Grand-Vizier to Sennacherib, King of Assyria; he was a sage, as well as a politician, high in honour, abundant in wealth, and only poor by the curse of childlessness which left him without a son whom he might make the heir of his wealth and his wisdom. Repeated prayers brought him at last an injunction to take his sister’s son, Nadan, and bring him up as his own offspring. The story-teller relates the education of the youth, and how, after being deluged with proverbial philosophy, he turned out ill, intrigued against his adopted father, and betrayed him, by forged documents of .a treasonable character, to the Government. Ahikar is condemned to death and Nadan steps into his place ; but, on the way to execution, the swordsman is reminded by Ahikar of a previous occasion on which he had saved him from a similar danger. A plan is devised by the two friends for the saving of Ahikar’ s life, a criminal is substituted for him at the place of execution, and Ahikar is hidden away in his own cellarage to wait for the evolution of events. At last political circumstances bring the necessary turn to the wheel of his fortune. The King of Assyria is unable, without his aid, to meet the intrigues and satisfy the demands of the King of Egypt; he sighs over Ahikar dead, and is informed, to his delight, that the sage is really living. Ahikar is brought out of his hiding-place, a very spectacle, with unkempt locks and overgrown nails, and reinstated in his ancient honour. After an interval spent, in the typical folklore manner, in satisfying the requirements of the King of Egypt, Ahikar returns to claim the boon of a due revenge on his adopted son, whom he imprisons, beats, and starves, and to whom he talks parables, till the young man dies,—after the manner recorded of another traitor in the Acts of the Apostles.

The story is divided internally into four parts, which need not, all of them, be of equal antiquity. There is (1) the narrative itself: (2) the imbedded proverbial philosophy or, as we may call it, the Teaching of Ahikar: (3) the journey to Egypt, which may be the expansion of a later folklorist and can easily be detached from the main narration; and (4) the similitudes, with which Ahikar completes the education of his nephew ; or as we may call them, the Parables of Ahikar.

§2. THE ANTIQUITY OF THE BooK.

The antiquity of the book is demonstrated by the following considerations :

(2) That Democritus, the Greek proverbial philosopher, is alleged by Clement of Alexandria to have incorporated with his writings matter which he had appropriated from the Pillar of Ahikar: if this be the real Democritus, and the monument actually contained the Sayings of Ahikar, the latter must have been extant in the early part of the fifth century B.C.

(4) That the story of Ahikar has been made the foundation for the account of the adventures of the Greek Aesop at the Court of Lykeros, King of Babylon.

(c) That the Book of Tobit makes definite allusion to the story of Ahikar and Nadan, the deliverance of the former, and the just doom of the latter, in a way that assumes the story to be well known to the author of Tobit and to his readers.

THE STORY OF ANIKAR

(d@) That Theophrastus is said to have composed a book called Ahikar, which suggests some account of the hero of our tale. :

(e) That Strabo enumerates amongst persons who had mantic gifts a man named Ahaikar amongst the people of the Bosporus, where it has been acutely suggested that we should read ‘the people of Borsippa’.'

(f) The names of the leading characters in the story are Assyrian in form, a peculiarity which is often conserved in the very latest versions.

(g) Ahikar appears to be included amongst the wise men of the world in a mosaic found at Treves.

(x) And lastly, the story of Ahikar is found in a fragmentary papyrus recently recovered from the ruins of Elephantiné, and without doubt belonging to the fifth century before Christ.

A further confirmation, if confirmation were needed, would lie in the occurrence of definite quotations from the recovered story in other early works. The investigation of such quotations is, however, complicated by the uncertainty as to whether all parts of the Ahikar-tradition are substantially of the same age. If we could assume that they were, then, in view of the great age of the Elephantiné-papyrus and the still greater age of the original from which it is derived, we could at once infer that the Ahikar story was an influencing factor in a number of Biblical Psalms and in certain of the Sapiential books, such as Proverbs and Sirach, as well as in Daniel and in Tobit, in the Book of Jubilees and in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. Weshall also have a number of significant parallels in the New Testament, in the Gospels, the Acts, the first Epistle to the Corinthians, and the second Epistle of Peter. It will, probably, be best to present all these coincidences as parallels in the first instance, and postpone the decision as to whether they are actual quotations until we have further light on. the development of the story itself. Over and above these Biblical parallels, we have a number of quotations made by Shahrastani, probably through the medium of Democritus, a series of adaptations of the proverbs of Ahikar by Mohammed, an incorporation of part of the opening sentences in the story of Syntipas, a versification in Old French of one of the Parables of Ahikar, and a number of quotations in early Armenian writers. Few books have so wide an attestation as the story of Ahilkar. For convenience we tabulate the above parallels and quotations as follows :—

Democritus. Matthew.

Tobit. Luke.

Psalms. Acts.

Proverbs. 1 Corinthians. Sirach. 9 Peter.

Daniel. 2 Timothy. Jubilees. Koran. Testaments of Twelve Patriarchs. Syntipas, and an

Old French Parable.

§ 3. QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES. a. Democritus. : Now that the antiquity of Ahikar is so firmly established, there is very little ground for questioning the references made to him or his teaching by Democritus or other writers depending on Democritus. Here are the principal passages that come under discussion :

Shahrastani, as from Democrates (ed. Cureton, p. 306) : ‘The tail of a dog gives him meat, his voice gets him blows.’ Cf. Aeth. 2: ‘ My son, make fair thy discourse and thy behaviour ; for the wagging of a dog’s tail gives him bread, but his jaw brings him stones.’ Syr. ii. 38: ‘ My son, sweeten thy tongue and make savoury the opening of thy mouth ; for the tail of a dog gives him bread, but his mouth gets him blows.’ It is also found in the Copenhagen Arabic in this form : ‘The tail of a dog gives him bread to eat, and his mouth gives him a beating with stones to eat.’ In Cod. Syr. S, it recurs in this form: ‘For the tail of the dog gives him bread, but his mouth gives him blows and stones.’

In the Armenian sayings it has got into the second group in the form:

‘(God passes judgement between me and thee). For the tail of a dog gives him bread, and his mouth a cudgel.’

1 Th. Reinach in Revue des Etudes Juives, xxxviil, pp. 1-13, and Frinkel in Pauly-Wissowa, s. v. Ahikaros.

In the Aesop story it comes in this form:

‘My child . . . be accessible to those whom thou meetest, knowing that even to the dog his tail supplies bread.’ ;

Here then, in every version except the Slavonic, we have the traces of the special proverb. There can be no doubt that it formed part of the primitive collection.

A second example from the same source runs as follows :

‘Do not allow any one to tread on your heel to-day, lest he tread on your neck to-morrow.’ This is almost exactly the Syriac proverb (ii. 39):

‘My son, suffer not thy neighbour to tread on thy foot, lest he tread on thy neck.’ The proverb is also found in the Armenian, Arabic, and Slavonic versions.

A third example which follows in Shahrastani is as follows : ‘ Be not over-sweet, lest thou be swallowed down: nor over-bitter, lest thou be spit out.’

The proverb is found in the Slavonic and Armenian versions (c. ii. 8): it is no doubt to be referred to both Democritus and Ahikar.

The next instance from Shahrastani is as follows:

(Solon) saw a man who stumbled, and said to him: It is better to stumble with the foot than with the tongue.’ ; The proverb is found in the Ethiopic, in the Syriac (ii. 53), and in the Slavonic. In the proverbs of Maximus it is referred to Socrates: for which I propose to read Democrates (= Democritus).

The last, and perhaps the most interesting of the maxims of Democritus, will be found in Clement of Alexandria, Protrept. 75:

‘For swine delight in mud more than in clean water, and wallow in a drain, according to Democritus.’ The latter half of the sentence is quoted by Plutarch, De twenda sanitate 14,again with reference to Democritus. There seems to be little room for doubt that Democritus is quoting from the same proverb of Ahikar which we find quoted in 2 Peter ii. 22, and which is current in the Syriac (viii. 18), Armenian, and Karshuni versions: e.g. in the Karshuni (viii. 15):

‘My son, thou hast been to me like the pig, who went to the hot bath with people of quality, and when

it came out of the hot bath it saw a filthy hole, and it went down and wallowed in it.’ These examples will show conclusively the correctness of the tradition that Democritus copied from Ahikar, and issued the proverbs of the latter under his own name.

b. The Tobit Parallels.

The parallel passages in the Book of Tobit, and the supposed references to Ahikar, have occupied the leading place in the criticism of the text, partly because it was by their means that the antiquity of Ahikar was, in the first instance, established, and partly because around these parallels the question of relative priority was, in the first instance, debated. Now that the antiquity of Ahikar has been vindicated in an extraordinary manner, we need not hesitate to mark quotations in Tobit, only reserving such cases as may properly be referred to a more recent manipulation of the text of Ahikar.

The following are the principal parallels, as given in the Vatican Codex, with which, however, the Sinaitic text should be carefully compared:

Tob. i. 21 seq.: ‘And Esarhaddon ? his son reigned in his stead, and he appointed Achiachar the son of Anael my brother over all the fisc of this Kingdom, and over all the administration. And Achiachar asked on my behalf, and I came to Nineveh. And Achiachar was Cupbearer and Great Seal, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Esarhaddon appointed him a second time:” and he was my cousin.’

Tob. ii. 10: ‘And I (Tobit) went to the physicians, and they could not help me. And Achiachar maintained him until the time that he went to Elymais’ (where an acute conjecture suggests to read ‘his hiding-place’ for ‘ Elymais’).

Tob. xi. 17, 18: ‘And there was great joy to all the brethren in Nineveh, and Achiachar and Nasbas his cousin (?) came (to the wedding festival).’

1 It is difficult to say if this is the original form; it looks as if Sayepdovds were a misplaced genitive, and the original reading ‘the son of Esarhaddon’, which would mean that Tobit had repeated the blunder of the versions of Ahikar, by making Sennacherib later than Esarhaddon.

2 Exactly, but unintelligibly, ‘Sacherdonos, a son ex Sevrépas’, which again looks like an original ‘Son of Sacherdon’.

THE SPORY OF (ilikAk

For ‘Nasbas’ the Sinaitic text has ‘Nabad’, which can hardly be right, and it makes Achiachar and Nabad to be both of them cousins of Tobit. Perhaps the obscure Nasbas covers the name of Nadan’s younger brother.

Tob. xiv. ro: ‘ My child, consider what Nadab did to Achiachar that brought him up, how from the

light he led him to the dark and what recompense he made him: and Achiachar (God) saved, but to the other the just reward was made, and he went down to the dark. Manasses (vead Ahikar) did alms, and he was saved from the snare of death which he laid for him, but Nadab fell into the snare and perished.’ I have corrected some obvious transcriptional blunders, and made one bold but necessary emendation. For the almsgiving of Ahikar, see also Tob. iv. 10, ‘Alms doth deliver from death, and will not suffer thee to come into darkness’. See also Ahikar (viii. 2, viii. 37 Syr.). Tob. xiv. 15: ‘And he heard before his death of the destruction of Nineveh, which Nebuchadnezzar and Ahasuerus took captive ;’ where the Sinaitic text expands, and explains that Nineveh was taken captive by Achiakar, the King of Media.

’Ahasuerus is a mere blunder for ‘Nineveh and Azhur’ in the Ahikar story: the Sinaitic expansions have made the confusion worse confounded. Tobit’s history and his geography are out of the reach of justification.

Tob. iv. 17: ‘ Pour out thy bread on the graves of the righteous and do not give it to sinners:’ with which cf. Ahikar

(Arab. ii. 13): ‘O my son, pour out thy wine on the tombs of the just, and drink not with ignorant, contemptible people.’

(Syr. ii. 10): ‘My son, pour out thy wine on the graves of the righteous, rather than drink it with evil men.’

[On this question see I. 189-192.—Gen. Editor. }

c. Parallels in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.

See p. 291 of this volume.?

dad. Some Old Testament Parallels.

The parallels with the O.T., especially with the Sapiential books, are constant, and it is not always easy to say certainly on which side antiquity lies. As a general principle the Ahilkar sentences are older than their parallels in Sirach. A few places may be noted:

Ahikar (c. ii. 45 Syr.): ‘My son, I have carried salt and have removed lead; but I have not seen anything

heavier than that a man should pay a debt that he did not borrow,’ &c. Cf. Sirach xxii. 14, 15: ‘What is heavier than lead, and what is the name thereof, but a fool? Sand and salt and a mass of iron are easier to bear than a man without understanding.’ Some traces of a similar proverb will be found in the papyrus: Ahikar (c. ii. 65 Syr.): ‘My son, strive not with a man in his day, and stand not against a river in its flood.’ Cf. Sirach iv. 26: ‘Do not stand up against a river’ (cf. the Syriac version). Ahikar (c. ii. 2 Syr.): ‘My son, if thou hast heard a word let it die in thy heart.’ Cf. Sirach xix. ro (Syr.). Ahikar (c. ii. tg Arab.): ‘O my son, be not neighbour to the fool, and eat not bread with him,’ Cieesrexlicey. Ahikar (c. ii. 6r Arab.): ‘O my son, let the wise man beat thee with a rod: but let not the fool anoint thee with sweet salve.’ GhPs xis (LXX). Ahikar (c. viii. 38 Arab. ; cf. viii. 41 Syr.): ‘For he who digs a pit for his brother, falls into it ; and he who sets traps shall be caught in them.’ Cf wESiCKiLELO,

For coincidences with Daniel we may take: Ahikar c. i. 7 (Arm.) with Dan. v. 16. Ahikar c. v. 4 (Arab.) with Dan, il. 11. Ahikar c. v. rz with Dan. iv. 33.

1 In Jub. xxxvii. 23 the words ‘When the raven becomes white as the raza (i.e. a large white bird), then know that I have loved thee’ may be an echo of Syriac A 62 ‘ And the raven become white as snow ’.—[Gen. Editor.]

INERODUCTION

e. Coincidences and Parallels with the New Testament.

Ahikar, c. iv. 14, has the account of Nadan’s revelry, after he has got rid of his uncle, and of his beating the menservants and the women-servants, &c. We have to compare carefully Matt. xxiv. 48—51, and Luke xii. 43, 46, and it will be seen that the language of Ahikar has coloured one of our Lord's parables.

Perhaps the same thing is true of the parable of the Prodigal Son; for we have in the Syriac (viii. 34):

‘Forgive me this my folly ; and I will tend thy horses and feed thy pigs which are in thy house.’ and in the Armenian (vili. 24) :

‘ Father, I have sinned against thee. Forgive me, and I will be a slave unto thee henceforth and for ever.’

Cf. Luke xv. 19.

Nor should we neglect to compare the story of the unfruitful fig-tree in the Gospel with:

Ahikar, c. viil. 35 (Syr.): ‘My son, thou hast been to me like the palm-tree that stood by a river, and cast all its fruit into the river; and when its lord came to cut it down, it said to him, “ Let me alone this year, and I will bring thee forth carobs.” And its lord said unto it, “Thou hast not been industrious in what is thine own, and how wilt thou be industrious in what is not thine own ?”’

for which we compare Luke xiii. 6-9.

For Ahikar, c. viii (death of Nadan), cf. the death of Judas in Matt. xxvii. 5,in Acts i. 18, 19, and in the traditions of Papias. :

For the rest of the N.T. compare Ahikar, c. ii. 16 (Syr.): ‘ My son, it is not proper even to eat with a shameless person.’

Ahikar, c. ii. 59 (Syr.): ‘Visit the poor in his affliction, and speak of him in the presence of the ruler, and do one’s diligence to save him from the lion.’ and Ahikar, c. viii. 18 (Syr.), viii. 15 (Arab.), viii. 24 (Arm.) (the pig that went to the bath), with the ‘true proverb’ in 2 Peter ii. 22, noting that the proverb in Ahikar can be traced back to him through Democritus.

J. Parallels in the Koran.

The Koran knows Ahikar by the name of Loqman, and makes allusion to him and his gnomic sayings. The 31st Sura of the Koran is, in fact, named after him, and we may compare : *‘O my son... be moderate in thy pace, and lower thy voice, for the most ungrateful of all voices surely is the voice of asses.’

The passage becomes intelligible when we put by the side of it Ahikar, c. ii. 45 (Arm.), ii. 8 (Syr.), ‘My son, cast down thy eyes and lower thy voice . . . for if a house could be built by a high voice, the ass would build two houses in one day.’

§ 4. MATERIALS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE TEXT.

a. The Aramaic Papyrus.

The first and only authority for the original text of Ahikar is the Aramaic papyrus, discovered at Elephantiné by Dr. Rubensohn in the excavations of 1906-1908, and published by Sachau in Ig11 as part of his Avamdische Papyrus und Ostraka aus Elephantiné. The MS. is unfortunately imperfect, but it is clear, from comparison with a number of dated documents with which it was found, that it was written somewhere between 420 B.C. and 400 B.C. It is thus the earliest example of either Biblical or Apocryphal literature. The book itself cannot have been composed very much earlier than its copy, and Sachau suggests that it was produced somewhere between 550 and 450 B.C. We should say that the upper limit is more likely, for even if the book were at once popular (as it almost certainly was) it would take time for it to be carried from Mesopotamia to the outlying Jewish colony at the first cataract of the Nile. Suppose we say that it was written about 500 B.C., or a little earlier. It should be somewhat later than the Aramaic inscriptions from Zinjerli, for in these the name of Assyria is still written Asshur, whereas the Ahikar book has Athur. The

THE OTURYCORTAHICAR Aramaic, then, is the original language: there is no sign of Hebraism anywhere in the book. We are as near to the first form of an ancient book as we are ever likely to be.

It is unfortunate, therefore, that the papyrus is so incomplete. There is nothing preserved of the narrative portion after the condemnation of Ahikar, and not very much of what leads up to the condemnation ; while the fragments of the proverbs and parables are so difficult to reconstruct, that we are hardly able to read a single unbroken sentence. It appears as if the proverbial philosophy and the parabolic admonitions were mixed up together, and that there was little agreement between what is contained of them in the papyrus and the two collections which are exhibited in our extant versions.

Moreover, as the latter part of the narrative is not extant, which must at least have contained the account of Ahikar’s recovery, we cannot be certain whether the Egyptian episode is a part of the missing matter or whether it is the addition of a later folklorist. We can, however, make certain things quite clear.

First of all, the papyrus makes the story fall under Sennacherib and Esarhaddon, his son; and it does not make the mistake which occurs in most of the later versions, of calling Sennacherib the son of Esarhaddon, and putting all the story in his reign. It is nearer to history even ifit is not exactly history. We understand, too, what used to be a difficulty, why Tobit, which certainly follows Ahikar, does not make the mistake of inversion with regard to the kings which we find in Ahikar, according to the later versions (though there are suspicions that Tobit has corrected an original mistake).

If, however, the papyrus in certain points discredits the later versions, there are other points in which it accredits even the youngest of them. Thus the Arabic version has the correct Assyrian form, NabuSumiskun, for the executioner of Ahikar ; and M. l’Abbé Nau, in his valuable book on Ahikar, has pointed out that one of the youngest copies of the Syriac text is free from the historical blunder over Sennacherib and Esarhaddon. Further, amongst the few proverbial sentences that can be reconstructed from the papyrus fragments there is one which is preserved in the Armenian version, and apparently nowhere else. So that even late versions are not to be despised in the reconstruction of the original legend.

On the other hand, there can be no doubt that the story has been treated very freely by many generations of transcribers. Even if it should be maintained that there was an original historical nucleus (which seems very unlikely in view of the manner in which the story is told) there can be no doubt that it was handled as a folk-tale from the earliest times. For example, in the opening of the story, Ahikar explains his unsuccessful wedlock with sixty wives, for whom he built sixty castles or palaces. That is genuine folk-lore. When he adopts his sister’s son, Nadan, he hands him over to eight wet-nurses that they may bring him up; and the boy grows up like a cedar under their assiduous fostering. If any one doubts whether this is folk-lore or not, he may consult the following openings of Tibetan tales from the collection of von Schiefner and Ralston :

Story of Sudhana Avadana, p. 52.

The boy Sudhana was handed over to eight nurses, two to carry him, two to suckle him, two to cleanse_

him, and two to play with him. As those eight nurses fed him and brought him up on milk, &c.: . . . he shot up like a lotus in a tank, &c.

An exactly similar story concerning the rearing of Visvantara on p. 257; again, on p. 273, The Story of the Fulfilled Prophecy, the same description is given of the rearing of Siryanemi; and on p. 279, The Story of the Two Brothers, the same description will be found for the early years of Kohemankara.

In the same way, whether the Egyptian episodes of the story are a part of the original document or not, they are neither more nor less than folk-lore. For instance, the demand of the Pharaoh that Ahikar should make some ropes out of sand is one of the themes in the Tibetan tale of Mahausadha and Vasakha, which will be found, in the collection from which we have just quoted, on p. 138: ‘King Janaka sent a messenger to Piirna, the head-man of the village Pirnakatshtshha, with an order to send a rope made of sand one hundred ells long,’ &c.

These examples, taken from a single collection of Eastern folk-tales, will be sufficient to show, to any one who is unfamiliar with Eastern story-telling, that the Ahikar legend is not meant to be taken for history. It is an ethical folk-tale, with Ingratitude for its theme of reprehension. To try to turn it into history is to do the original composer a literary injustice. We now turn to the description of the leading versions.

b. The Syriac Version (S).

There are not many copies of this version, and those that do exist are late. The following are the chief texts:

S,: a single leaf of the twelfth or thirteenth century in the British Museum (Cod. Add. 7200).

S,: a MS. in the Cambridge University Library, formerly in the possession of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, dated a.p. 1697 (Univ. Cant. Add. 2020).

S,: a MS. in the Sachau Collection at Berlin (Cod. Sach. 336), written in 1883. This is the MS. to which M. Nau attaches so great importance, that he has made it the basis of his text. The main thing in its favour is that it has escaped the inversion of Sennacherib and Esarhaddon.

S,, 5,, S; are three transcripts in the American Mission Library at Ooroomiah, none of them of any importance.

S, is a fragment of the fifteenth century at Berlin (Cod. Sach. 162).

S, in the British Museum (sixteenth or seventeenth century) = Cod. Or. 2213, contains the latter part of

S, is a MS. in the Chaldean convent which Nau describes as ‘ Notre-Dame des Semences, 4 neuf heures au nord de Mossoul’, written in 1883.

Of these S,, S,, S;, S, are the only ones that require attention. There is also a translation into modern Syriac (dialect of the Jebel Tir) in the Berlin MS., Cod. Sach. 339; it is accompanied by an Arabic text, of which it appears to be a direct translation.

c. The Arabic and Karshuni Versions (A and K).

We have the text of Ahikar in Arabic, printed by Salhani in his Contes Arabes (Beyrout), and there are also a number of MSS. either in Arabic script, or in Karshuni (Arabic in Syriac characters) : of these the principal are :—

K,: a Cambridge MS. (Cod. Add. 2886) dated 1783.

K,: a British Museum MS. (Cod. Add. 7209).

The former of these MSS., with the latter as an occasional supplement, is the base of Mrs. Lewis’s translation of Ahikar in the Cambridge volume. K,: a Gotha MS. (no. 2652), which was employed by Cornill in editing an Arabic counterpart to his Ethiopic text of the Sayings of Ahikar. K,: a Vatican MS. from Aleppo, referred to by Assemani. K,: the Arabic half of the Berlin MS. (Cod. Sach. 339) described above as containing a modern Syriac version and a Karshuni original.

The Arabic MSS. proper must be fairly numerous. There are examples in Copenhagen and in the Vatican and at Paris. : Copenhagen (Cod. Arab. 236), written in 1670.

»: Vatican (Cod. Arab. 11), from the collection of Pope Innocent XIII, written in 1766. : Vatican (Cod. Arab. 55).

: Paris (Cod. Arab. 3637), from which Caussin de Perceval made his translation.

ad. The Ethiopic Version (Aeth.).

A complete Ethiopic version has not yet been found; but in the Book of the Wise Philosophers fifteen maxims of Ahikar are extant, translated from an Arabic original. They were published by Cornill in 1875.

e. The Armenian Version (Arm.).

This version is of peculiar importance. It is at least as early as 450 A.D., and is extant in numerous copies, most of which are unfortunately late. It was also frequently printed in Constantinople in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Mr, Conybeare has noted the following MSS. :—

Arm., in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.

Arm., at Venice, no. 482 in the Library of San Lazaro: fifteenth or sixteenth century. Arm., at Paris (Cod. Arm. no. 92), in the National Library: dated a. D. 1619.

Arm., at Paris (Cod. Supp. 58), seventeenth century.

Arm., at Paris (Cod. Arm. 131), late seventeenth century.

Arm., at Paris (Cod. Arm. 69), seventeenth century.

Arm., at Edjmiatzin (Cod. 2048), about a. D. 1600.

THE STORY OF ATIIKAR

As we have said, this version is early, its text inspires confidence. For example, the saying ‘Son, rejoice not thou in the number of thy children, and in their deficiency be not thou distressed’ is found only in the Armenian and in the newly-found papyrus.

The translation of the Armenian version is made from Mr. Conybeare’s Armenian text which is published in The Story of Ahikar, Cambridge, 1898, and is based on the above MSS.

f. The Greek Version (Aes.).

All that we at present know of the Greek version is contained in the Greek lives of Aesop, which are modelled upon the story of Ahikar, and which may conveniently be studied in Eberhard’s Fabulae Romanenses Graece conscriptae, in which the part that corresponds to Ahikar runs from

g. The Slavonic Version (Se):

This version is made from the lost Greek, and is translated by Jagi¢ in Byzant. Zeitschr., pp. 107-126. We have not thought it worth while to give a translation of this version.

It is probable that other versions will come to light before long: in particular we consider it very unlikely that there should be no traces of the story in Latin.

SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EDITIONS, VERSIONS, AND TRANSLATIONS OF THE TEXT OF AHIKAR.

1. The original text will be found in Sachau, Aramdische Papyrus und Ostraka aus Elephantiné (Berlin, 1911), and in Ungnad, Avamitische Papyrus aus Elephantiné (Leipzig, 1911).

2. The Armenian, Syriac, and Arabic versions in Zhe Story of Aktkar, edited by Conybeare, Harris, and Lewis

3. The Slavonic version translated into German by Jagi¢, in Byzantinische Zeitschrift, i, pp. 107-26 (1892). This translation is repeated in English in the Cambridge edition uw supra.

4. The Ethiopic fragment was published by Cornill in the Book of the Wise Philosophers, and Cornill’s translation is repeated in English in the Cambridge edition wt supra,

5. The Arabic version was published by Salhani in Covtes Arabes (Beyrout) and in the Cambridge edition u¢ supra.

a 6. The Arabic version was translated in not a few editions of the Avadéan Nights, beginning with Chavis et

Cazotte (Cabinet des Fées), t. xxxix.

7. A neo-Syriac version, accompanied by an Arabic text, was published by Lidzbarski in 1894 (Die neuaramaischen Handschriften der Kiniglichen Bibl. zu Berlin), Weimar. A German translation accompanies this work.

8. English translations of the chief texts are found in the Cambridge edition w¢ supra; and the Syriac version was translated by E. J. Dillon in the Contemporary Review for March, 1898.

g. A French translation of the Syriac versions is given by M. Nau, Hiéstotre et Sagesse @ Ahikar (Paris, 1909).

io. The Greek version, so far as it is involved in the text of Aesop, may be consulted in Eberhard, /adulae Romanenses Graece conscriptae; the principal parts of the parallel story being reproduced in the Cambridge edition

1. The Armenian version has often been printed. The first attempt at a critical edition is found in the Cambridge edition wz swpra, accompanied by a translation; the earlier editions have been chronicled for the following dates:

community.

COMPARATIVE ARRANGEMENT OF THE SAYINGS OF AHIKAR IN DIFFERENT VERSIONS. I. Proverbs of Ahtkar.

The numbers below refer to the verses in Chapter II.

Syriac. Arabic. Eth. Arm. Syriac. Arabic. Eth. Arm.

ABAB

Eth. Arm Syriac. Arabic. Eth. Arm. TOWien CheAnm air: 45 696 ite Arm. 66, Wes 49a 46 Tae 41 62 Sais oma GO eCtesyra Al 47 7a 66 and Arm. 72 Ch SyrvAy 55 Il. Parables of Ahikar. The numbers below refer to the verses in Chapter VIII. Arm. Syriac. Arabic. Arm. By i i AGUS SN Det ee ey.

SYRIAC VERSION A. | SYRIAC VERSION B. from MS. Syr., from MS. Syr., 1: AGAIN, by the divine power, I write the proverbs, to wit, the story of Ahikar, sage and secretary of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and Nineveh.

In the twentieth year of Sennacherib, son of | Sarhadum, king of Assyria and Nineveh, I, | Ahikar, was the king’s secretary.

2 And it had been said to me when I wasa boy, _.. And it was said to me, ‘[There will be no 1: that no son will be born to thee!: and the wealth | son to thee].’ And I had much wealth; I wedded that I had acquired was too vast to tell. Sixty | me sixty wives, and built me sixty castles: and wives had I wedded: and sixty castles did I | from none of these women had I a son. build them: and [I had no son.

3 Thereupon I, Then I 3 Ahikar, built me a great altar, all of wood; and | built me a great altar of incense and vowed a kindled fire upon it, and laid good meat thereon, | Vow, and said, and thus I spake:

4 ‘QO Lord, my God; when I shall die and leave ‘O Lord God, give me a male 5 no son, what will men say of me? they will say | child, that when I shall die he may cast dust on that this, then, is Ahikar the just and good and | my eyes.’

God-serving : he is dead, and has left no son to bury him, no! nor a daughter: and his possessions, as if he were accursed, no man inherits. = But I ask of Thee, O God, that I may havea male child; so that when I shall die, he may cast dust | on my eyes:’ |

6 and this voice was heard by me, Thereupon there was heard by me 6

‘O Ahikar, wise scribe, all that thou hast asked of | this voice, saying, ‘O Ahikar, vex not thyself

me I have given thee; but as to my having left | overmuch; there is no son for thee; but behold

thee childless, let it suffice thee: perplex not | Nadan thy sister’s son; make him thy son; so thyself: but behold! Nadan thy sister's son: he | that as he grows up, thou mayst be able to 8, 15 shall be ason unto thee: so that with the growth | teach him everything.’ Then when I heard this,

of his stature thou shalt be able to teach him | I took Nadan my sister’s son, and he became my everything.’ son.

1 Presumably, this was said by the astrologers.

TES LOR YsOP ATIKARY I) 1126

ARABIC VERSION

1: InN the name of God the Creator, the Living One, the Source of Reason, we hereby begin with the help of the Most High God? and His best guidance, to write the story of Haiqar the Wise, Vizier of Sennacherib the King, and of Nadan, sister’s son to Haiqar the Sage.

There was a Vizier in the days of King Sennacherib, son of Sarhadum, King of Assyria and Nineveh, a wise man named Haiqar, and he was 2 Vizier of the king Sennacherib. He had a fine

fortune and much goods, and he was skilful, wise,

a philosopher, [in] knowledge, [in] opinion and

[in] government, and he had married sixty women,

and had built a castle for each of them. But

with it all he had no child by any of these women, 3 who might be his heir. And he was very sad on account of this, and one day he assembled the astrologers and the learned men and the wizards and explained to them his condition and the matter of his barrenness. And they said to him,

‘Go, sacrifice to the gods and beseech them that

perchance they may provide thee with a boy.’ 4 And he did as they told him and offered sacrifices

to the idols, and besought them and implored them with request and entreaty. And they answered him not one word. And he went away sorrowful and dejected, departing with a pain at 5 his heart. And he returned, and implored the

Most High God, and believed, beseeching Him

with a burning in his heart, saying, ‘O Most High

God, O Creator of the Heavens and of the earth,

O Creator of all created things! I beseech Thee

to give me a boy, that I may be consoled by him,

that he may be present at my death, that he may close my eyes, and that he may bury me.’

6 there came to him a voice saying, ‘ Inasmuch as thou hast relied first of all on graven images, and hast offered sacrifices to them, for this reason thou shalt remain childless thy life long. But take Nadan thy sister’s son, and make him thy child and teach him thy learning and thy good breeding, and at thy death he shall bury thee.’

1 Literally ‘God, may He be exalted!’ passim.

ARMENIAN VERSION

THE maxims and wisdom of Khikar, which the children of men learn.

In the times and in the reign of Seneqerim King of Nineveh and of Asorestan, I, Khikar Notary of Seneqerim the King, took! sixty wives and builded me sixty palaces. And I, Khikar, was sixty years of age, and I had not a son.

Then I went in to the gods with many offerings; I lit a fire before the gods and cast incense” upon it, and presented my offerings and sacrificed victims, kneeled down and prayed, and thus spake in my prayer.

O my lords and gods, Belshim and Shimil and Shamin, ordain and give to me male seed. For lo, Khikar dieth alive. And what say men? That Khikar though alive and wise and clever is dead, and there is no son of his to bury him, nor daughter to bewail him. I have no heir after my death. Not even if a son should spend ten talents in the last day, would he exhaust my riches. But (I ask merely) that he may cast dust with his hands upon me, in order that I may not remain unremembered.

Then there was a voice from the gods and they said:

Khikar, there is not ordained seed for thee. But thou shalt take Nathan ®, thy sister’s son, and bring him up as thy son, and he shall pay thee back thy cost of rearing him *.

‘ Can. thus: ‘acquired me slaves and handmaids and many possessions. I builded,’ &c.

Add ‘ of sweet odour’ 58 and Edjm.

$ So the better Arm. MSS. The inferior read ‘ Nadan’,

So Canon. Others have ‘ pay thee back thy name’. See note on Arm. text.

THE STORY OF (AMTRAR A 7-15

Syr. A Syvr. B

7 And when I heard these things, I was grieved again, and said, ‘O Lord God! is it that Thou wilt give me as a son Nadan my sister's son, so that when I die, he may throw dust on my eyes?’ And no further answer was

8 returned to me. And I obeyed the command and took to me for a son Nadan, my sister’s son: and because he was yet young, I furnished him with eight wet-nurses: and I brought up my son on honey, and made him lie on choice carpets,

9 and clothed him in fine linen and purple; and my son grew and shot up like a cedar, and when my son was grown big, I taught him book-lore

10 and wisdom; and when the king came from the place to which he had gone, he called me and said to me, ‘O Ahikar, the wise scribe and master of my thoughts, when thou shalt wax old and die, who is there to come after thee and to serve me like thyself?’

II And I answered and said to him, ‘O my lord the king, live for ever! I have a son, wise like myself, and book-learned like myself, and educated.’

12 And the king said to me, ‘Bring him and let me see him. If he is able to stand before me, I will release thee in peace, and thou shalt spend thy old age in honour, until

13 thou shalt end thy days. Then I took my son Nadan and set him before the king, and when my lord the king saw him, he said, ‘This day shall be a blessed day before God, so that like as Ahikar walked! before my father Sarhadum, and before me also, he shall be rewarded? and I will set his son in my gate in his lifetime, and he shall depart his life [in peace].’

14 Thereupon I, Ahikar, bowed down before the king and said, ‘My lord the king, live for ever! And like as I walked before thy father and before thyself even until now, so do thou also extend thy forbearance to the youthfulness of this my son, that thy grace which was toward me may be found multiplied

15 towards him.’ Then when the king heard this,

he gave me his right hand, and I, Ahikar, bowed down before the king.

Nor did I cease from the instruction of my son, until I had filled him with instruction as with bread and water. And on this wise was I discoursing to him:

Litho Lanes 2 Reading Syd.

HE OLORY OF

7 Thereupon he took Nadan his sister’s son, who was a little suckling. And he handed him over to eight wet-nurses, that they might suckle him

g and bring him up. And they brought him up with good food and gentle training and silken

9 clothing, and purple and crimson. And he was

seated upon couches of silk. And when Nadan

grew big and walked, shooting up like a tall cedar, he taught him good manners and writing and science and philosophy.

And after many days

King Sennacherib looked at Haiqar and saw that

he had grown very old, and moreover he said to

him, ‘O my honoured friend, the skilful, the trusty, the wise, the governor, my secretary, my vizier, my Chancellor+ and director; verily thou art grown very old and weighted with years; and thy departure from this world must be near. Tell me who shall have a place in my service 11 after thee.’ And Haigqdar said to him, ‘O my lord, may thy head live for ever! There is Nadan my sister’s son, I have made him my child. And I have brought him up and taught him my 12 wisdom and my knowledge.’ And the king said to him,‘ O Haiqar! bring him to my presence, that I may see him, and if I find him suitable, put him in thy place; and thou shalt go thy way, to take a rest and to live the remainder of thy 13 life in sweet repose. Then Haiqdar went and presented Nadan his sister's son. And he did homage and wished him power and honour. And he looked at him and admired him and rejoiced in him and said to Haiqar: ‘Is this thy son, O Haiqar? I pray that God may preserve him. And as thou hast served me and my father Sarhadum so may this boy of thine serve me and fulfil my undertakings, my needs, and my business, so that I may honour him and make 14 him powerful for thy sake. And Haiqdr did obeisance to the king and said to him, ‘May thy head live, O my lord the king, for ever! I seek from thee that thou mayst be patient with my boy Nadan and forgive his mistakes that he may serve thee as it is fitting. Then the king swore to him that he would make him the greatest of his favourites, and the most powerful of his friends, and that he should be with him in all

15 honour and respect. And he kissed his hands

and bade him farewell. And he took Nadan his sister’s son with him and seated him in a parlour and set about teaching him night and day till he had crammed him with wisdom and knowledge more than with bread and water.

1 Literally ‘ the sealer of my secrets’, fassznt.

And when I heard this from the gods, I took 7 Nathan my sister’s son; one year old was he, and I clad him in byssus and purple; and a gold collar did I bind around his neck; and like a king’s son I decked him out with ornaments. And I gave him to drink milk and honey, and 8 laid him to sleep on my eagles and doves, until he was seven years of age. Then I began to 9 teach him writing and wisdom and the art of knowledge and the answering of dispatches, and the returns of contradictory speeches. And by day and by night I ceased not to instruct him ; and I sated him with my teaching, as it were with bread and water.

Then saith the king unto me: Khikar, my to Notary and wise one, I know that thou art grown old; and after thy death, who is there to discharge ably and wisely the affairs of our kingdom? And I am very grieved at this thought.

And I said to him: O King, live for 11 ever. There is my son, who is superior to me and is more clever.

And the king says: Bring 12 him unto me, that I may behold him. And when I had brought him and stood him before the king, he beheld him and said: In his days may Khikar be blessed, because in his lifetime he hath led and stood before me his son, and may he himself be at rest.

I bowed my head to my lord, and taking Nathan I led him into my dwelling and thus spake in my teaching 1.

1 Canon adds: ‘ give ear to my conversation and precept. Write it on thy seal, and forget it not; that the years of thy life may be plentiful, and that in glory and wealth thou mayst reach old age.’ No other Arm. source

The Proverbs of Ahikar

SYR. Syr. B And on this wise I was saying to him?: 2: ‘Hear,O my son Nadan, and come to the under- ‘Hear my teaching, my son Nadan; and come 21 standing of me, and be mindful of my words, as | to my understanding, and be mindful of my the words of God!: words, according to the following sayings: and

thereupon Ahikar? began to teach Nadan his

sister’s son, and answered and said to him:

2 My son Nadan, if thou hast heard a word, let ‘My son, if thou hast heard a word, let it die in 2 it die in thy heart, and reveal it to no man; lest | thy heart; and reveal it to no man; lest it should it become a hot coal in thy mouth and burn thee, | become a hot coal in thy mouth, and burn thee ; and thou lay a blemish on thy soul, and be | and thou shalt lay blemish on thy soul, and shalt

angered against God. be hated on earth, and be angered against God °.

3 My son, do not tell all that thou hearest, and My son, do not tell all that thou seest, and do 3 do not disclose all that thou seest. not disclose all that thou hearest.

4 My son, do not loose a knot that is sealed, and My son, do not loose a knot that is sealed, 4 do not seal one that is loosed. and do not seal one which is loosed.

My son, sweeten thy tongue, and make savoury 5 the opening of thy mouth; because the tail of the dog gives him bread, and his mouth gets him blows.

My son, the eye of man is a fountain, and is 6 not satisfied with riches until [filled with dust].

5 My son, lift not up thy eyes and look upon a (My son), lift (mot) up thine eyes (and look 7

woman that is bedizened and painted; and do not lust after her in thy heart ; for if thou shouldst give her all that is in thy hands, thou findest no advantage in her; and thou wilt be guilty of sin against God.

My son, commit not adultery with the wife of thy neighbour; lest others should commit adultery with thy wife.

My son, be not in a hurry, like the almondtree whose blossom is the first to appear, but whose fruit is the last to be eaten; but be equal and sensible, like the mulberry-tree whose blossom is the last to appear, but whose fruit is the first to be eaten.

My son, cast down thine eyes, and lower thy voice, and look from beneath thine eyelids: for

1 Cf. Teaching of Apostles, c. iv, ‘Him that speaketh

to thee the word of God, thou shalt remember night and day, and thou shalt honour him as the Lord’. e

upon a woman bedizened) and beautified, lust not after her in thy heart; for if thou shouldst give her all [that thou hast, advantage]* in her thou wilt not find; and thou wilt be guilty of sin before God.

My son, stand not in the house of those that 8 are at strife: because from a word there comes a quarrel, and from a quarrel is stirred up vexation ; and from vexedness springs murder ®.

My son, if a house were built by loudness of 9 voice, the ass would build two houses in a single

1 The account of the earlier years of Nadan’s bringing up is omitted; if indeed it existed in the first form of the story.

2 The text is double; a copy which had the primitive ‘I, Ahikar, took my son’ having been compounded with one that had ‘Thereupon Ahikar’. A comparison with the Tobit-parallels shows that the second clause is a modification of the first.

8 We expect ‘And God shall be angry with thee’.

4 A slight correction has been made in the Syriac text.

5 Cf. Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,‘ My child, be not angry, for anger leads to murder,’ which is a simpler and more archaic form of the same precept.

I

II

THE SPORY' OF AHTK AR 2. 1-11 The Proverbs of Ahikar

Thus he taught him, saying: ‘O my son! hear my speech and follow my advice and remember what I say.

O my son! if thou hearest a word, let it die in thy heart, and reveal it not to another, lest it become a live coal and burn thy tongue and cause a pain in thy body, and thou gain a reproach, and art shamed before God and man.

O my son! if thou hast heard a report, spread it not; and if thou hast seen something, tell it not.

O my son! make thy eloquence easy to the listener, and be not hasty to return an answer.

O my son! when thou hast heard anything, hide it not. :

O my son! loose not a sealed knot, nor untie it, and seal not a loosened knot.

O my son! covet not outward beauty, for it wanes and passes away, but an honourable remembrance lasts for aye.

O my son! let not a silly woman deceive thee with her speech, lest thou die the most miserable of deaths, and she entangle thee in the net till thou art ensnared.

O my son! desire not a woman bedizened with dress and with ointments, who is despicable and silly in her soul. Woe to thee if thou bestow on her anything that is thine, or commit to her what is in thine hand and she entice thee into sin, and God be wroth with thee.

O my son! be not like the almond-tree, for it brings forth leaves before all the trees, and edible fruit after them all, but be like the mulberry-tree, which brings forth edible fruit before all the trees, and leaves after them all.

O my son! bend thy head low down, and soften thy voice, and be courteous, and walk in the straight path, and be not foolish. And raise not thy voice when thou laughest, for if it were by a loud voice that a house was built, the ass

Son, if thou hear any word in the royal gate, make it to die and bury it in thy heart, and to no one divulge it. The knot that is sealed do thou not loose, and that which is loosed do thou not tie. And that which thou dost see, tell not ; and that which thou hearest, reveal it not.

Son, raise not up thine eyes to look on a lovely woman, rouged and antimonied. Desire her not in thy heart. For if thou shouldst give her all thy riches, thou! dost get nothing the more out of her; but art condemned by God and by mankind. For she is like unto a sepulchre which is fair on the upper side and below is full of the rottenness and bones of the dead.

Son, be not like the olive-tree, which is first to bloom and last to ripen its fruit. But be like the mulberry, which is last to bloom and first to ripen its fruit.

has such an addition, which however distantly resembles the Slavonic and Syriac.

1 Bodl. ‘thou art not in any way benefited by her more than to be condemned by the God of just judgements and by mankind’. Canon ‘thou wilt not get anything more than thy own sin and shame from men and judgement from God’, omitting the rest.

THE“STORNIOr

OVEeAL if a house could be built by a high voice, the ass would build two houses in one day: and if by sheer force the plough was guided, its share would never be loosed from the shoulder of the camel. 9 Myson, it is better to remove stones with a wise man than to drink wine with a fool. 1o My son, pour out thy wine on the graves of the righteous, rather than drink it with evil men. 11 My son, with a wise man thou wilt not be depraved, and with a depraved man thou wilt not become wise.

My son, associate with the wise man, and thou wilt become wise like him; and associate not with a garrulous and talkative man, lest thou be numbered with him.

My son, while thou hast shoes on thy feet, tread down the thorns and make a path for thy sons and for thy sons’ sons.

14 - Myson, the rich man eats a snake, and they say, “He ate it for medicine.” And the poor man eats it, and they say, “ For his hunger he ate it.”

My son, eat thy portion, and despise not thy neighbours.

My son, it is not becoming even to eat with a shameless man.?

17 My son, envy not the prosperity of thy enemy ;

and rejoice not at his adversity.” 18 My son, draw not near to a woman that is a whisperer, nor to one whose voice is high.

My son, go not after the beauty of a woman, and lust not after her in thy heart because the beauty of a woman is her good sense, and her adornment is the word of her mouth.

My son, if thine enemy meet thee with evil, meet thou him with wisdom.®

My son, the wicked falleth and riseth not ; but the just man is not moved, for God is with him.

pnde cuver Oley.

2 Cf. Prov. xxiv. 17 éay réon 6 auT@.

"He does not mean ‘ overcome evil with good’, which would be a sentiment foreign to the action of the story, but ‘ get the better of him’.

+. 7) TWOpVOs .. . T® TOLOUTH

exOpos cov, pu emexapys

Syr. B day: and if by sheer force the plough was directed, the ploughshare would never be worn away under! the shoulder of the camel.

Better to remove stones with the wise man than to drink wine with the fool.

My son, in the company of the wise thou wilt not be depraved; and in the company of the depraved thou wilt not become wise.

My son, make companion of the wise person, and thou wilt become wise like him; and make not a companion of the foolish person, lest thou be reckoned like him.

While there are shoes on thy feet, tread down the thorns and make a path for thy sons and thy sons’ sons.

My son, the rich man eats a snake, and they say, “ For his medicine he ate it”: the poor man eats it, and they say, ‘“‘ Because of his hunger he ate it.”

My son, eat thy portion, and stretch not out thy hand over that of thy neighbour.

My son, do not eat bread with a man that is shameless.

My son, if thou seest thine enemy fallen, do not mock at him; lest he should rise up and repay thee.

I

My son, be not envious at the good fortune of 18 thine enemy; and do not rejoice at his mis-—

fortune.

My son, do not approach a woman who is hateful and talkative, and one whose voice is high.

For the beauty of a woman is her good sense and the word of her mouth is her adornment.

My son, if thine enemy meet thee with evil, meet thou him with good. My son, if thou seest a man who is stronger than thyself, rise up before him... .’ End of Fragment. J. R. HARRIS.

1 This difficult expression is replaced in S, by the easier term ‘ would never be loosed from’. In either case the meaning is obscure. Quaere, ‘if brute force were sufficient, the camel might go on ploughing by himself’ ?

Tite STORY OF CAMTRAR 2 ti-22

would build many houses every day; and if it were by dint of strength that the plough were driven, the plough would never be removed from under the shoulders of the camels.

12 Omy son! the removing of stones with a wise man is better than the drinking of wine with a sorry man.

13. O my son! pour out thy wine on the tombs of the just, and drink not with ignorant, contemptible people.

14 O my son! cleave to wise men who fear God and be like them, and go not near the ignorant, lest thou become like him and learn his ways.

15 Omy son! when thou hast got thee a comrade or a friend, try him, and afterwards make him a comrade and a friend; and do not praise him without a trial; and do not spoil thy speech with a man who lacks wisdom.

16 QO my son! while a shoe stays on thy foot, walk with it on the thorns, and make a road for thy son, and for thy household and thy children, and make thy ship taut before she goes on the sea and its waves and sinks and cannot be saved.

17 [Omy son! if the rich man eat a snake, they say “It is by his wisdom”, and if a poor man eat it, the people say “ From his hunger ”.]

18 O my son! be content with thy daily bread and thy goods, and covet not what is another’s.

19 Omy son! be not neighbour to the fool, and eat not bread with him, and rejoice not in the calamities of thy neighbours. If thine enemy wrong thee, show him kindness.

20 O my son! a man who fears God do thou fear him and honour him.

21 Omyson! the ignorant man falls and stumbles, and the wise man, even if he stumbles, he is not shaken, and even if he falls he gets up quickly, and if he is sick, he can take care of his life. But as for the ignorant, stupid man, for his disease there is no drug.

22 O my son! if a man approach thee who is inferior to thyself, go forward to meet him, and remain standing, and if he cannot recompense thee, his Lord will recompense thee for him.

Son, it is better with a wise man to carry 4 stones, than with a foolish man to drink wine.

Son, with wise men be not a fool, and with 5 fools be not thou wise.

Son, be thou the companion of a wise man, 6 so that thou become wise as he is; but do not become the companion of a senseless man and of a fool, lest like them thou be called a fool.

Son, pour out thy wine, and drink it not with 7 the senseless and with the lawless, lest thou be despised by them 1.

Son, be thou not over-sweet, so that they 8 swallow thee down, nor over-bitter, so that they spit thee out. But do thou be gentle, tranquil in the works of thy paths and in all thy words.

Son, while the boot is on thy foot, tread down 9 the thorns and make a path for thy sons *.

Son, a rich man hath eaten a serpent, and 1o they say it is medicine for him. A poor man hath eaten it, and they say that he ate it out of hunger. Eat thy own portion in peace®, and cast not thy eye on that of thy companion; and with one that is without fear go not on a journey ; and with the senseless do thou not eat bread.

Son, if thou seest thy enemy fallen, do not 11 make a scoff at him; for if he get up again, he requiteth thee evil *.

Son, the lawless man falleth by his evil deeds, rz but the just man is raised by his good deeds.

Son, go not near a senseless and backbiting 13 woman, that thou be not despised by her®; and thou art made a mock of, and she robs thee.

1 Canon and Edjm. = ‘ despised like them’.

2 So Canon, ordotz: the other MSS. have ofz¢z, ‘for thy feet ’.

Ven. and Canon add ‘in peace’: Bodl. and 58 omit.

Ven. adds: ‘and there is continual ill-will.’

5 The Arm. =‘by them’. If that be read we should turn ‘ woman’ into the plural.

SVR A My son, withhold not thy son from stripes; for the beating of a boy is like manure to the garden, and like rope to an ass [or any other beast], and like tether on the foot of an ass.

My son, subdue thy son while he is yet a boy, before he wax stronger than thee and rebel against thee,and thou be shamed in all his corrupt doing.

My son, get thee an ox that [is fat and] lies down, and an ass that has good hoofs, but do not get thee a slave that is runaway nor a maid that is thievish; lest they destroy all that thou hast gotten.

My son, the words of a liar are like fat sparrows; and he that is void of understanding eateth them.

My son, bring not upon thee the curses of thy father and of thy mother, lest thou rejoice not in the blessings of thy children.

My son, walk not in the way

1 The bracketed words are a gloss.

O my son! spare not to beat thy son, for the drubbing of thy son is like manure to the garden, and like tying the mouth of a purse, and like the tethering of beasts, and like the bolting of the

door. 24 © my son! restrain thy son from wickedness, and

teach him manners before he rebels against thee and brings thee into contempt amongst the people and thou hang thy head in the streets and the assemblies and thou be punished for the evil of his wicked deeds.

O my son! get thee a fat

ox with a foreskin, and an ass great with its hoofs, and get not an ox with large horns, nor make friends with a tricky man, nor get a quarrelsome slave, nor a thievish handmaid, for everything which thou committest to them they will ruin. 26 ©O my son! let not thy parents curse thee, and the Lord be pleased with them ; for it hath been said, “ He who despiseth his father or his mother let him die the death (I mean the death of sin) ; and he who honoureth his parents shall prolong his days and his life and shall see all that is good.”

27 © my son! walk not on

Son, spare not the rod to thy son; for the rod is to children as the dung in the garden ; and as the tie and seal fastening the packet, and as the tether on the feet of the ass, so is the rod profitable to the child. For if thou strike him with a rod once or twice, he is rendered clever quietly, he does not die’. But if thou leave him to his own will, he becomes a thief; and they take him to the gallows and to death, and he becomes unto thee a reproach and breaking of heart *.

Son, train thy son in hunger and thirst, in order that in humility he may lead his life.

Son, receive not any who shall repeat to thee the (word) of an enemy, for they will repeat thy word.

Son, at first thou art fond of a false man*, but in the end he becomes hateful to thee. For a false word is like a fat quail ; but he that is foolish swallows it down.

Son, love the father who begat thee, and earn not the curses of thy father and mother ; to the end that thou mayst rejoice in the prosperity of thy own sons.

Son, without a weapon gor

1 Bodl. =‘ once or twice, he is quieted, but does not die’. I render the Venice text which is attested by Canon.

2 Canon here adds in agreement with the Syriac and Slavonic these two precepts: ‘Son, make thy child obedient, while he is small and pliant, lest he come into open conflict with thee, and thou be undone by his injury, and win the curses of strangers because of his disobedience. Son, acquire for thyself a sturdy ass and a strong-hoofed horse and an ox short in neck. And desire not a runaway slave, or one petulant of tongue, or a quarrelsome thief.’

‘ Paris 58 omits this adage.

So Bodl., 58: ‘Ven. = Satu mrst (one) loves a false man’.

THE STORVIOF. AHIKAR (2: 29-35

unarmed; because thou knowest not when thy enemy shall come upon thee.

28 My son, even as a tree is fair in its branches and fruit, and a bosky mountain in its trees, so is a man fair in his wife and weans; and he that hath not brethren, nor wife nor weans, is despised and contemptible before his enemies; and he is like unto a tree by the roadside, from which every passer-by plucketh, and every beast of the

weald teareth down its leafage.' .

My son, say not, “ My lord is a fool, and I am wise”; but take hold of him in his faults and thou shalt obtain mercy.

30 Myson, count not thyself to be wise, when others count thee not to be wise.

My son, lie not in thy speech before thy lord, lest thou be convicted, and he shall say to thee, “ Away from my sight!”

My son, let thy words be true, in order that thy lord may say to thee, ‘‘ Draw near me,’ and thou shalt live.

My son, in the day of thy calamity revile not God; lest when He hear thee, He should be angered against thee.

34 My son, treat not thy slave

better than his fellow; for thou

knowest not which of them thou

wilt have need of at the last.

35 Myson, smite with stones the dog that has left his own master

and followed after thee.

EeCie Ps: Cxxvit. 5:

the road without weapons, for thou knowest not when the foe may meet thee, so that thou mayst be ready for him.

O my son! be not like a bare, leafless tree that doth not grow, but be like a tree covered with its leaves and its boughs ; for the man who has neither wife nor children is disgraced in the world and is hated by them, like a leafless and fruitless tree.

O my son! be like a fruitful tree on the roadside, whose fruit is eaten by all who pass by, and the beasts of the desert rest under its shade and eat of its leaves.

O my son! every sheep that wanders from its path and its companions becomes food for the wolf.

O my son! say not, “My lord is a fool and I am wise,” and relate not the speech of ignorance and folly, lest thou be despised by him.

O my son! be not one of those servants, to whom their lords say, “Get away from us,’ but be one of those to whom they say, ‘“ Approach and come near to us.”

(O my son! caress not thy slave in the presence of his companion, for thou knowest not which of them shall be of most value to thee in the end.)

O my son! be not afraid

not on a journey by night ', lest thy enemy meet thee, and thou be destroyed.

Son, as a tree is enjoyable to see for its fruit and branches, and the mountains are wooded with the cedars, in the same way are enjoyable to see man and wife? and son and brother and kinsman and friend, and all families.

Son, one who hath not wife or son or brother or kinsman or friend is in the long years despised, and is like unto a tree that is in the crossways, and all who pass by it pluck off her leaves and break down_ her branches.

Son *, say not thus: My lord is foolish and I am wise, but bear with him in his folly ; and thou wilt keep thyself with a wise man, until some other one shall praise thee.

Son, say ill to no one; and be thou not evil-tongued in the presence of thy lord, that thou be not contemned by him.

Son, turn not aside at the day 2

of thy sacrifice, for fear lest the Lord be displeased with thy Sactince*.

Son, quit not the scene of mourning and repair unto the wedding ; for death lies ahead of all, and the punishment is great.

Son, put not on thy finger a gold® ring which is not thine; nor clothe thee in byssus and purple that is not thine. Neither mount a horse that is not thine, since the onlookers who know it will make mock at thee °.

? Canon adds ‘by night’ with the Slavonic. The other sources omit with the Syriac.

2 Ven. omits ‘and wife’. sources with Canon add it.

5 Paris 58 omits this adage.

Paris 58 adds ‘which thou offerest’.

> Paris 58 adds ‘ or silver’.

® Bodl. and Paris 58 add ‘ when they recognize it’.

The other

THE STORY OP Ahir 2:

36 Myson, the flock that makes many tracks becomes the portion of the wolves.

37. My son, judge upright judgement in thy youth, in order that in thy age thou mayst have honour.

38 My son, sweeten thy tongue and make savoury the opening of thy mouth ; for the tail of a dog gives him bread, and his mouth gets him blows.

39 My son, suffer not thy neighbour to tread on thy foot, lest he tread on thy neck.

40 Myson,smite the [wise] man with wise word, that it may be in his heart like a fever in summer; [but know] that if thou smite the fool with many blows, he will not understand.

41 My son,send a wise man and give him no orders; but if thou wilt send a fool, go rather thyself and send him not.

42 My son, test thy son with bread and water, and then thou canst leave in his hands thy possessions and thy wealth.

43. My son, withdraw at the first cup, and tarry not for lickerish draughts: lest there be to thee wounds in thy head.

44 My son, he whose hand is full is called wise and honourable; and he whose hand is scant is called foolish and abject.

45 My son, I have carried salt and removed lead; and I have not seen anything heavier than

1 Lit. ‘heats’. But perhaps we should change the reading slightly (cf. the 73rd proverb), and translate ‘tarry not for sweet unguents’.

of thy Lord who created thee, lest He be silent to

35 O my son! make thy speech fair and sweeten thy tongue; and permit not thy companion to tread on thy foot, lest he tread at another time on thy breast.

36 Omy son! if thou beat a wise man with a word of wisdom, it will lurk in his breast like a subtle sense of shame; but if thou drub the ignorant with a stick he will neither understand nor hear.

37. Omy son! if thou send a wise man for thy needs, do not give him many orders, for he will do thy business as thou desirest ; and if thou send a fool, do not order him, but go thyself and do thy business, for if thou order him, he will not do what thou desirest. If they send thee on business, hasten to fulfil it quickly.

38 Omy son! make not an enemy of a man stronger than thyself, for he will take thy measure?, and his revenge on

39 O my son! make trial of thy son, and of thy servant, before thou committest thy belongings to them, lest they make away with them ; for he who hath a full hand is is called wise, even if he be stupid and ignorant, and he who hath an empty hand is called poor, ignorant, even if he be the prince of sages.

40 O my son! I have eaten a colocynth, and swallowed aloes ?, and I have found nothing morebitterthan poverty and scarcity.

1 Literally ‘he will weigh thee’. 2 Or ‘myrrh’.

Son, eat not bread that is not 27 thine own, even though thou be very hungry.

Son, if a man be stronger 28 than thyself, have no _ controversy with him, lest he slay

Son, crush and consume the 29 evil out of thy heart, and it is well for thee with God and man, and thou art holpen by the will

Son, if thy doorposts be loftily 30 built to heaven as it were seven ells, whenever thou enterest, bow thy head.

Son, take not from others 31 with a big weight and give back to them with a little weight, and say: I have madea profit. For God allows it not, but will be wroth; and thou wilt die of starvation.

Son, swear not false, that of 32 thy days there be no fail?.

Son, give ear unto the laws 33 of God, and be not afraid of the evil (one), for the commandment of God is the rampart of man.

Son, rejoice thou not in the 34 number of thy children, and in their deficiency be not distressed.

Son, children and possessions 35 are bestowed by God. The rich man is made poor, the poor - man is enriched; the humble is exalted, and the exalted is humbled.

Son, if lofty be the lintels of 36 thy house, and thy friend be sick, say not: What shall I send him? but go on foot and see him with thy eyes; for that is better for him than a thousand talents of gold and silver.

Son, in reward for evil-speak- 37 ing receive not gold and silver, for it is a death-fraught deed

1 Bodl. and Paris 58 add ‘ upon the

SVR) that a man should pay back a debt when he did not borrow.!

My son, I have carried iron and removed stones; and they were not heavier on me than a man who settles in the house of his father-in-law.

My son, teach hunger and thirst to thy son, that according as his eye sees he may govern his house.

blind of eye than he that is blind of heart ; for the blind of eye straightway learneth the road and walketh in it: but the blind of heart leaveth the right way and goeth into the desert.

My son, better is a friend that is at hand thana brother who is far away : and better is a good name than much _ beauty: because a good name standeth for aye, but beauty wanes and wastes away.

50 My son, death is better than life to a man that hath no rest: and better is the voice of wailing in the ears of a fool than

music and joy.”

51 My son, better is a drumstick in thy hand than a wing [?] in the pot of other people; and better is a sheep that is at hand

Peete oirachy! xxi. 14) 15.3. Prov: XXVii. 3. 2 Cf. Eccles. vii. 1,2. Apparently

the sentiments of Ecclesiastes are contradicted.

My son, better is he that is.

O my son! teach thy son frugality and hunger, that he may do well in the management of his household.

O my son! teach not to the ignorant the language of wise men, for it will be burdensome to him.

O my son! display not thy condition to thy friend, lest thou be despised by him.

O my son! the blindness of the heart is more grievous than the blindness of the eyes, for the blindness of the eye may be guided little by little, but the blindness of the heart is not guided, and it leaves the straight path, and goes in a crooked way.

O my son! the stumbling of a man with his foot is better than the stumbling of a man with his tongue.

O my son! a friend who is near is better than a more excellent brother who is far away.

O my son! beauty fades but learning lasts, and the world wanes and becomes vain, but a good name neither becomes vain nor wanes.

O my son! the man who hath no rest, his death were better than his life; and the sound of weeping is better than the sound of singing ; for sorrow and weeping, if the fear of God be in them, are better than the sound of singing and rejoicing.

O my child! the thigh of a frog in thy hand is better than a goose in the pot of thy neighbour; and a sheep near thee is better than an ox far away; and a sparrow in thy hand is better than a thousand sparrows flying; and poverty which

and very evil. And shed not just blood unrighteously, lest thy blood be shed in return for his blood.

Son, keep thy tongue from 38 evil-speaking and thine eye from immodest glances, and thy hand from stealing ; and it will be well for thee with God and man. For whether it be gold or little things that one steals, the punishment and the slaying is one and the same.

Son, commit not adultery with 39 thy friend’s wife, lest God be angry and others commit adultery with thy wife.

Son, take not a widow to wife, 40 for whenever there is any word between you, she willsay: Alas, for my first husband! and thou art distressed.

Son, if retribution overtake 41 thee from God, flee not nor murmur ; lest God be angry and with other harsher stroke destroy thee untimely.

Son, love not thy son better 42 than thy servant, for thou knowest not which of them will be useful to thee.

Son, the sheep that stray 43 from the flock become the portion of the wolves.

Son, pass a just judgement 44 in thy mind, and honour the aged; to the end that thou mayst receive honour from the great judge, and that it may be well with thee.

Son, incline thine eyes and 45 soften the utterance of thy mouth, and look under thine eyes; that thou mayst not appear senseless to men, for if a temple were built by hallooings, an ass would build seven palaces' every day and...

1 So Ven. which has afarans. The other MSS. with Canon have daréas,

a word not given in lexicons, but which must have the same sense. The meaning of the word ‘tchardakhs’ is unknown and I leave it blank [? cottages]. Canon omits it, perhaps rightly. Canon has this precept 45 after no. 2 of our series and adds to it in that context this: ‘Son, if the oxen by sheer strength drew along,

the yoke would not diminish from the neck of the camel.’

THE STORY OF (ATLINERS 2

than a heifer that is far off: and better is poverty that gathers than wealth that scatters; and better one sparrow in thy hand than a thousand on the wing : and better is a woollen coat on thy back than fine linen and silks on the backs of others.

My son, restrain a word in thy heart, and it shall be well with thee; because when thou hast exchanged thy word, thou hast lost thy friend.

My son, let not a word go forth from thy mouth, until thou hast taken counsel within thy heart: because it is better fora man to stumble in his heart than to stumble with his tongue.

My son, if thou hear an evil matter, put it seven fathoms deep underground.

My son, tarry not where there is contention: for from strife arises murder.’

56 My son, every one who does not judge right judgement angers God.

57. Myson, remove? not from thy father’s friend, lest perchance thy friend come not near to thee.

58 My son, go not down into princes’ gardens, and draw not near to princes’ daughters.

59 My son, aid thy friend before the ruler, that thou mayst find

1 Cf. Teaching of Apostles, ‘ Be not angry: for anger leads to murder: nor contentious ’.

2 A slight textual correction.

gathers is better than the scattering of much provision ; and a living fox is better than a dead lion; and a pound of wool is better than a pound of wealth, I mean of gold and silver ; for the gold and the silver are hidden and covered up in the earth, and are not seen; but the wool stays in the markets and it is seen, and it isa beauty to him who wears it.

O my son! asmall fortune is better than a scattered fortune.

O my son! a living dog is better than a dead poor man.

O my son! a poor man who does right is better than a rich man who is dead in sins.

O my son! keep a word in thy heart, and it shall be much to thee, and beware lest thou reveal the secret of thy friend.

O my son! let not a word issue from thy mouth till thou hast taken counsel with thy heart. And stand not betwixt persons quarrelling, because from a bad word there comes a quarrel, and from a quarrel there comes war, and from war there comes fighting, and thou wilt be forced to bear witness ; but run from thence and rest thyself.

O my son! withstand not a man stronger than thyself, but get thee a patient spirit, and endurance and an upright conduct, for there is nothing more excellent than that.

O my son! hate not thy first friend, for the second one may not last.

O my son! visit the poor in his affliction, and speak of him in the Sultan’s presence, and do thy diligence to save him from the mouth of the lion.

yao?

Son, boast not in the day of 46 thy youth, lest thy youth be thy destruction.

Son, suffer not thy companion 47 to tread on thy feet, lest he should presume and tread on thy neck? as well.

Son, speak not in wrath with 48 thine adversary before the judge, lest thou be called senseless ? and foolish. But whatever he asks thee, answer him with sweetness; and thou wilt heap up his judgement on his head.

Son, if thou petitionest God 49 for good, first fulfil His will with fasting and prayer, and then are fulfilled thy petitions unto thy good.

Son, a good name is better 50 than a face that excites longing. For beauty is destroyed *, but a good name endureth for ever.

Son, it is better to be blind 51 of eye than blind of mind; for he that is blind of eye is quick to learn the coming and going of the road. But the blind in mind forsakes the straight road, and walks according to his will.

Son, a side-bone in thy own 52 hand is better than a fat lamb in the hand of others. A sparrow in thy hand is better than a thousand fluttering in the air. A kid for a feast* in thy own house is better than a steer in the house of others.

Son, it is better to garner with 53 poverty ° than to squander with riches. :

Son, curse not thy son, until 54 thou seest his end; and reject him not in scorn, until thou behold his latter end and earnings.

Son, examine the word in thy 55 heart and then utter it. For if thou alter the word, thou art a fawner.

1 Bodl. add ‘and head’.

2 Bodl.: ‘lest thou appear senseless and unprofitable,’

5 Bodl. ‘ passes’.

+ So Bodl. and Canon: Ven. has ‘a fat kid in’, &c., where Jarart ‘fat’ is a corruption of Jazarvag, which is the fotior lectio and better attested.

5 Canon: ‘Better is poverty with repose than... .”

Pile STORY! OF MAR TCR 2:159-00

out how thou mayst help him

from the lion.

My son, rejoice not over thy enemy when he dieth.

61 Myson, when thou seest a man who is stronger than thyself, rise up before him.

62 My son, if the waters should

stand up without earth, and the

sparrow fly without wings, and the raven become white as snow, and the bitter become sweet as honey, then may the fool become wise.

My son, if thou art a priest of

God, be thou ware of Him and

enter His presence in purity, .

and from His presence remove

not.

pers do thou also honour.

My son, strive not! with a man in his day, and stand not against a river in its flood.”

My son, the eye of man is like a fountain of water, and it is not satisfied with riches until filled with dust.

6, My son, if thy will is to be wise, refrain thy tongue from lying, and thy hand from theft, and thou shalt become wise.

68 My son, have no part in the espousal of a woman; for if it shall go ill with her, she will curse thee; and if it shall go well with her, she will not remember

69 My son, he that is elegant in his dress is elegant also in his speech, and he that is con-

1 Lit. ‘judge not ’. 2 Cf, Sirach iv. 26.

My son, him that God pros-°

O my son! rejoice not in the death of thine enemy, for after a little while thou shalt be his neighbour, and him who mocks thee do thou respect and honour andbe beforehand with himin greeting.

O my son! if water would stand still in heaven, and a black crow become white, and myrrh grow sweet as honey, then ignorant men and fools might understand and_ become wise.

O my son! if thou desire to be wise, restrain thy tongue from lying, and thy hand from stealing, and thine eyes from beholding evil ; then thou wilt be called wise.

O my son! let the wise man beat thee with a rod, but let not the fool anoint thee with sweet salve. Be humble in thy youth and thou shalt be honoured in thine old age.

O my son! withstand not a man in the days of his power, nor a river in the days of its flood.

O my son! be not hasty in the wedding of a wife, for if it turns out well, she will say, ‘My lord, make provision for me’; and if it turns out ill, she will rate at him who was the cause of it.

(O my son! whosoever is elegant in his dress, he is the same in his speech; and he

Son, if thou hearest an evil 56 word about any one, hide it in thy heart seven fathoms deep ; so that the evil die and the good be fulfilled.

Son, do thou not scoff frivo- 57 lously ; for the frivolous scoff is a quarrel, and the quarrel is slaying and death.

Son, the false word and the 58 false conversation is heavy as lead; but after a few days it floats upon the waters, like the leaf of a tree.

Son, reveal thy lesser counsel 59 to thy friend, and after days irritate him and flout him. And? if he does not reveal that counsel, then reveal to him thy greater counsels, and thou keepest him a trusty friend.

Son, in the presence of kings 60 and judges, be helpful to thy comrade; for, as it were from the mouth of a lion, dost thou rescue him; and he becometh to thee a good name and a glory.

Son, if thy enemy come to 61 thy foot, grant him pardon and laugh with joy to his face and receive him with honour.

Son, where thou art not in- 62 vited, go not unto a festival ; and where they ask thee not, give no answer.

Son, over a river frozen and 63 swollen pass thou not, lest thou die a sudden death.

Son, ask of a wise man words 64 of advice?, and thou shalt be made wise. But if thou ask a foolish man, in spite of many words, he is not wise.

Son, if thou sendest a wise 65 man to give any command, he himself fulfils the matter. But if thou sendest a fool, give the command in the presence of many men. And do thou either go thyself or not send him.

Son, test thy son in hunger 66 and thirst; and if he is able to bear it, then give thy riches into his hands.

1 Bodl. ‘and see, if? and below ‘and keep him’, &c. 2 Bodl. words of wisdom’.

THE STORY OF AHIKAR 2. 69-75 (78 Arm.)

temptible in his dress is contemptible also in his speech.

70 My son, if thou shalt find a find before an idol, offer the idol its share of it.”

71 My son, the hand that was satisfied and is now hungry will not give, nor the hand that was hungry and is now satisfied.

72 My son, let not thine eyes look upon a woman that is beautiful; and be not inquisitive into beauty that does not belong to thee: because many have perished through the beauty of woman, and her love has been as a fire that burneth.

73 My son, let the wise man strike thee with many blows, and let not the fool salve thee with sweet salve.

74 My son, let not thy foot run after thy friend, lest he be surfeited with thee and hate thee.

75 My son, put not a gold ring on thy finger, when thou hast not [wealth] *, lest fools make mock of thee.’

This is the teaching which Ahikar taught to Nadan his sister’s son.

1 This sentence cannot be of

Christian or Moslem origin.

2 Cf. Ps. cxli. 5, ‘ Let the righteous

smite me,’ &c.

® Or ‘ when it is not thine’.

m1 Son‘, love thy flesh and thy wife.

who has a mean appearance

in his dress, he also is the

same in his speech.)

O my son! if thou hast committed a theft, make it known to the Sultan, and give him a share of it, that thou mayst be delivered from him, for otherwise thou wilt endure bitterness.

66 Omy son! make a friend of the man whose hand is satisfied and filled, and make no friend of the man whose hand is closed and hungry.

67 There are four things in which neither the king nor his army can be secure: oppression by the vizier, and bad government, and perversion of the will, and tyranny over the subject ; and four things which cannot be hidden: the prudent, and the foolish, and the rich, and the poor.’

extreme labour she nurtures thy son.®

72 Son, if thy lord send thee to bring a dunged grape, bring it not to him;

grape, yet not let thee off punishment for the dung. 73 Son, the word of a wise man in drink is better than the word of a fool that is thirsty or sober.”

Better is an upright slave than one free but false.

far away.

74 Son, reveal not thy secret counsel to thy wife.

it to the powerful, and thou art despised.

ys Son, if thou drinkest wine, keep thy tongue from much speaking,

thou art called wise.

Son, from the house of invi- 67 tation and from the wedding go first before thy fellow, and return not again!; that thou mayst get thy boon fragrant ? and mayst get no wounds on the head.

Son, a man who has many 68 possessions and chattels, they call him wise and virtuous ; but one who has few chattels they call a fool and of no account, and no man honoureth him.

Son, I have eaten endive and 69

I have drunk gall, and it was not more bitter than poverty. I have lifted salt, and I have lifted lead, and it was not heavier than is debt. For though I ate and drank, I could not rest ’®. I have lifted iron and I have lifted stones upon my shoulders, and it was better for me, than to dwell with the ignorant and the fool.

Son, if thou be poor among 7° thy fellows, reveal it not; lest thou be despised by them, and they hearken not unto thy words.

1 Perhaps the sense is ‘and stay not till the last ’.

2 Canon: ‘that thou mayst be anointed with fragrant oil,’ &c. Compare the Syriac. Other texts read; ‘that thou mayst get a good name.’

8 Canon adds: ‘until I repaid the debt.’

For she is thyself and the companion of thy life, and even by -

for he will eat the

Better is a friend near at hand than a brother

For she is weak and small of soul, and she reveals

and it is well for thee and

26 Son, without a schedule and witness, give not up thy property, lest the other deny it and thou

regret it.

77 Son, forsake not thy friend, lest thou find not another sharer of thy counsel and friend.’ 78 Son, love thy father who begat thee, and incur not the curse of thy father and mother, so that thou mayst rejoice in the prosperity of thy sons.

4 This precept, no. 41 in the series of Paris 58, is not in Ven.

5 Paris 58 here repeats precept 15. 7 Nos. 77 and 79 are only given in Paris 58.

6 The Armenian text must be faulty here.

THE STORY OF AHIKAR 2. 79-101 (Arm.)

79 - Son, it is better if they steal thy goods, than that they detect theft in thee.

80 Son, if God prosper a man in his undertakings, do thou honour him. And whenever thou beholdest an aged man, do thou rise and stand up before him and magnify him.

8x Son, oppose not thyself to a wealthy man and to a river in flood. For the eyes of a grasping man are not filled? except with dust *.

82 Son, do thou not bring about a betrothal match, for they see the good to be from God and from luck ; but the bad is traced to thee, and they call thee an intriguing person ?.

83 Son, if the rivers pause in their courses or the sun in its career, or if the gall become sweet as honey, or the raven turn white as the dove, even so will the senseless man abandon his want of sense and the fool become sensible.

84 Son, go not on foot * too often to the house of thy friend, lest he hate thee.

85 Son, a dog that leaves his master and follows after thee, pursue him with stones °.

86 Son, good deeds and a pure offering are pleasing to God; and do thou fear shame as thou fearest God.

87 Son, the taking of an evil counsel into thy heart is the antagonism of the dev®; and endurance is the foundation of deeds and the rampart of faith.

88 Son, that which seems evil unto thee do not to thy companion; and what is not thine own, give not unto others.

89 Son, love the truth and hate lawlessness and’ falsehood. Give ear unto the commandments of God, and fear not the evil one. For the commandment of God is the rampart of man.

o Son, flee from a man that is evil and speaketh falsely; for avarice is the mother of all evils, and all evils are engendered of impudence.

gt Son, love not judgement ; for even if thou get the better of thine adversary, yet be in fear of the judgement of God.

92 Son,he that is upright in mind is the sun giving light, and he that is treacherous in heart is gloomy with darkness, and he that is generous in heart is full of pity. He that is grasping, even though he has aught, is nevertheless dull of wit.

93 Son®, into the house of a drunkard enter not; and if thou enter, tarry not ; for in thy habits thou remainest empty and idle.

94 Son, malign not thy fellow whether near or at a distance; for evil words will quickly reach the master and lead to quarrels?°.

95 Son, God hath ordained wine for the sake of gladness, but in the place of a brothel or in any other low and unsuitable place, it is better to drink muck than wine’.

g6 Son,a drunken man thinks in his mind thus: I am brave, and everything that I say, I say wisely. He does not know that if he meets with a man of courage, he will throw him at the first touch of his hands flat on the ground and drag him.

97 (Son, if thou behold thine enemy fallen, do thou sorrow over him, that thou mayst make a friend of him; but if thou mock at him, when he gets up again he will requite thee with evil '*.)

98 Son, a drunken man thinks that the earth whirls round ; in his going he knows not that his head is deranged ; for as the earth is the mother of all plants and fruit-bearing things, so wine is the mother of all evils; it doth cause men to be sick with divers sicknesses, and to slay others without mercy; it deranges the man and changes his nature into that of a brute.

99 Son, flee from guaranteeing ; but if thou become a guarantor, make up thy mind that thou must give away out of thy purse; and not thy purse only, but the hair off thy chin '*.

100 ~6=. Son, be thou not false in speech ; for if they find thee to be once false, then when thou speakest the truth, they will reckon thee false and will not believe thee 1*.

tot And I say to Nadan: Son, receive into thy mind my precepts and forget them not.

1 Paris 69 adds ‘ with treasure’, ® Paris 58 om. 81. Paris 69 has ‘ are not filled with treasure, but are filled with dust’. * The Armenian is obscure here.

Canon adds ‘ on foot’. 5 Bodl., Ven. add: ‘which is not.? Canon omits. ® Or to the dev, a Persian word which i in Old Armenian usually means a demon. 7 Ven. om. ‘ lawlessness and’. ® Canon adds ‘ of injustice’.

Nos, 93-100 are only given in Codex Paris 58 and Venet.

19 Codex Paris 58 gives this precept in late and obscure Armenian, and its text is clearly faulty.

1 Ven. adds this: ‘A drunken man is like an arrow in the hollow (lit. “ palate”) of a bow, which strikes no one else, but bruises its own head.’

? This precept has already come as no. 11, in almost identical language.

18 This precept is in bad late Armenian and I give the sense of the last clause conjecturally.

14 This precept also is in late Armenian.

THE STORY OF AHIKAR 2. ror (Arm )=39%

The questions! of the king’s sons and the answer of Khikar.

Houday and Baliayn asked questions of Khikar, and Khikar said to

Nathan: There are four

things that increase the light to man’s eyes,—to look upon flowers, to tread with naked foot on

the green, to walk upon the water, and to see one’s friend. hear such things as seem to him pleasant; one’s remote (friend) well off.

Four things are there which make a man fat and keep him healthy,—to wear linen and to in the house an amiable and healthy spirit, and to sce

And four things are there which improve a man’s banquet,—at all times to converse well, not to

give answer to every word, to be humble, to talk little, modesty in small matters and big ones.

much and to boast that one knows what one a snare and fall into it) 2, and false-speaking.

He that hath a modest face is pleasing.

They asked the sage and said: What is the most pleasing thing on earth? For all evils are born of impudence and folly.

And four things are there which bring shame to one’s face—domination of love, to talk too does not know, (to conceal everything, to weave

He replied: Modesty.

1 The passage which follows until the resumption of the narrative is written in vulgar Armenian. Ven. gives

the names thus: Shoutay and Bayilan. 2 Ven. omits the words in brackets.

3 1 Thus spake Haiqar, and when he had finished these injunctions and proverbs to Nadan, his sister’s son, he imagined that he would keep them all, and he knew not that instead of that he was displaying to him weariness and contempt and mockery.

Thereafter Haiqar sat still in his house and delivered over to Nadan all his goods, and the slaves, and the handmaidens, and the horses, and the cattle, and everything else that he had possessed and gained; and the power of bidding and of forbidding remained in the hand of Nadan; and Haiqar sat at rest in his house, and every now and then Haiqdar went and paid his respects to the king, and returned home. Now when Nadan perceived that the power of bidding and of forbidding was in his own hand, he despised the positionof Haiqar and scoffed at him, and set about blam-

But I, Ahikar, supposed that everything which I had been teaching Nadan he took hold of in his heart, and that he stood in my stead in the king’s gate ; and I knew not that Nadan listened not to my words, but scattered them, as it were to the wind, and returned and said that ‘my father Ahikar is grown old, and stands at the door of his grave; and his intelligence has | withdrawn and his understanding is diminished’ ;

And* this wastheadvice which one

I taught to Nathan my sister's son. All this I taught to Nathan my sister’s son, I, Khikar, chief Notary of Senegerim the king. And so I supposed in my mind that the teaching and advice which I taught to Nathan would abide and remain and that he would preserve it in his mind. And I knew not that he despised my words, and scattered them like the chaff before the wind, supposing in his mind that Khikar his father was grown very old and had arrived at the door of his tomb. His mind (he said) is distraught and his thoughts are deficient and he knows nothing. z

4 What follows is in MS. Canon given in a form which often more nearly resembles the Syriac than do-

the better Armenian copies, as below :

All this I taught to Nathan my sister’s son, thus thinking that what I taught he kept in his heart and

would live in the royal gate. the wind.

And I knew not that he scorned my words, Forthwith he began to waste my chattels and my possessions.

and scattered them like dust before

He spared not my slaves and

maidservants nor even my darlings and my friends, but bound and ill-treated them ; wounded with violent

blows and destroyed my steeds continually.

THE STORY OF AHIKARS 3: 2-6

2 and my son Nadan began |to ill-treat] my servants by beating them and slaughtering them and destroying them; and he showed no mercy on my servants and my handmaidens though they were industrious and well-beloved and excellent; and my horses he slew and my good mules he hamstrung.

3 So when I beheld me that my son Nadan was doing

detestable things, I answered |:

and said to him, ‘My son Nadan,

touch not my property; my son, |.

it is said in the proverb, “ What the hand did not acquire, the eye did not spare.”’

Moreover I showed to Sennacherib my lord all these matters; and my iord spake on this wise: ‘As long as Ahikar lives, no man shall have power over his wealth.’

5 Then when my son Nadan saw his brother Nebuzardan standing in my house, he was very irate and he spake on this wise : ‘ My father Ahikar is grown old and his wits have waned ; [and as for his wise words, he despised them]'; hath he given his possessions to Nebuzardan my brother, and hath he removed me from his house ?’

6 When I, Ahikar, heard these things, I said, ‘Alas for thee, my wisdom, that my son Nadan has made insipid ; and as for my wise sayings, he has contemned

1 Probably a repetition from three lines lower down.

ing him whenever he appeared, saying, ‘My uncle Haiqar is in his dotage, and he knows nothing now’; and he began to beat the slaves and the handmaidens, and to sell the horses and the camels and be spendthrift with all that his uncle Haiqar had owned.

3. And when Haiqar saw that he had no compassion on his servants nor onhis household, he arose and chased him from his house, and sent to inform the king that he hadscattered his possessions and his provision.

4 And the king arose and called Nadan and said to him: ‘Whilst Haiqdar remains in health, no one shall rule over his goods, nor over his household, nor over his

5 possessions.’ And the hand of Nadan was lifted off from his uncle Haiqdar and from all his goods, and in the meantime he went neither in nor out, nor did he greet him.

6 Thereupon Haiqarrepented him of his toil with Nadan his sister’s son, and he continued to be very sorrowful. And Nadan had a younger brother named Benuzardan, so Haiqar took him to himself in place of Nadan, and brought him up and honoured

Nathan began to dissipate 2 my property to its loss, and spared not my servants and handmaids. But he tormented them and killed them, and cut about my horses and mules, and my steeds, and destroyed the very pick of the flock.

And when I saw Nathan my 3 sister's son, that he was transforming my affairs and dissipating my property, I began to speak with him and I said: Keep away from my property, and come not near it, for it is written in the Proverbs that, whereon hands have not laboured, that thing his eye spareth not. And I went and 4 told Seneqerim my lord. And he called Nathan and said: As long as Khikar is alive, thou shalt not touch his property,

In that season Nathan saw 5 Boudan? his brother, who had been brought up in my house, and said: Khikar my father is grown old and his words have lost their savour.

And when I 6 heard this, I cast him out from all my belongings.

1 In Bodleian MS. Bauwdan.

When I saw that Nathan counterfeited (ov metamorphosed) my affairs, then I spared my chattels lest he

should ruin them.

hands which have not been hard worked, the eye shall not spare.

And I said to Nathan: Come not near my chattels, for it is said in the wise ones, that And I went and told my lord Senegerim.

And the king ordered Nathan and said: As long as thy father Khikar is alive, go not near his possessions, but remain in the royal gate, and let thy father Khikar remain in his gate, and rest in his old age. I, Khikar, when I saw all this that Nathan did, I said in my heart: Alas! How hath Nathan despised my

‘sweet advice, and all my wisdom hath he set at naught and quite despised.

» Now when my son Nadan heard thereof, he was angry and went to the gate of the king, and devised evil in his heart; and sat down and wrote two letters to two kings who were enemies of Sennacherib my lord ; one to Akhi, the son of Hamselim, king of Persia and Elam, as follows :

‘From Ahikar the Secretary and Great Seal of Sennacherib king of Assyria and Nineveh, greeting. When this letter reaches thee, arise and come to

Assyria to meet me; and I will |

bring thee into Assyria,and thou shalt seize the kingdom without war.’

9 And he wrote another letter, as follows: ‘To Pharaoh,

Then Nathan went into the house of the king and planned very g One he sent to Pharaon, king of Egypt, since he was an enemy of my lord Seneqerim, and it was

letters. written as follows :

I, Khikar, notary of Seneqerim king of Asore thy cognizance, when this dispatch reaches thee, of Eagles on the twenty-fifth day of the month H

trouble.

him with the utmost honour. And he delivered over to him all that he possessed, and made him governor of his house.

+ Now when Nadanperceived what had happened he was seized withenvy and jealousy, and he began to complain to every one who questioned him, and to mock his uncle Haigar, saying: ‘My uncle has chased me from _ his house, and has preferred my brother to me, but if the Most High God give me the power, I shall bring upon him the misfortune! of being killed.” And Nadan continued to meditate as to the stumbling-block he might contrive for him. And after a while Nadan turned it over in his mind, and wrote a letter to Achish,son of Shah the Wise, king of Persia, saying thus:

8 ‘Peace and health and might and honour from Sennacherib king of Assyria and Nineveh, and from his vizier and his secretary Haiqarunto thee,O greatking! Let therebe peace between thee and me. And when this letter reaches thee, if thou wilt arise and go quickly to the plain of Nisrin2, and to Assyria and Nineveh, I will deliver up the kingdom to thee without war and without _battlearray.’

9 And he wrote also another letter in the name of Haiqar

1 Lit. ‘cast him into the misfortune’.

2 Nisrvin may either mean ‘the eagles’ or ‘the wild rose’. I prefer the latter, because the usual plural of nasr is nushy or ansur.

And again a letter which had this form:

From Senegerim, king, health (07 peace

reat evils for me.

But Nathan 7 formed a plan of wickedness in his heart. He wrote in my name a letter! to the enemy of Senegerim, the King of Nineveh and Asorestan; and it was as

I, Khikar, chief Notary of 8 Senegerim the king, have sent to the King of the Egyptians to this effect: When this writing 9 reaches thee, thou shalt muster thy forces, and come to the plain of the Eagles on the twentyfifth day of the month Hrotitz, and I will put in your power the land of the Asores, and will give the throne of Seneqerim into thy hand without trouble, for thee to hold it.

And he had made his hand- 10 writing to resemble my hand-

1 There is evidently a lacuna here to be filled up from the Bodley MS. as follows: ‘to Pharaoh, king of

Egypt.’

For he wrote two

stan and Nineveh, to Pharaon king of Egypt write. Be it in at once sbalt thou muster thy forces and come to the plain rotitz, and I will lead and make thee king over these without

) to Khikar, notary of my tribunal. When there shall come to

II

king of Egypt, from Ahilkar, Secretary and Great Seal of the king of Assyria and Nineveh, greeting. When this letter shall reach thee, arise and come to meet me at Eagles’ dale, which lieth to the south, on the twentyfifth day of the month of Ab. And I will bring thee into Nineveh without war and thou shalt seize the kingdom.’ And he made these writings of his like to my own handwriting ; and he sealed them in the king’s palace, and went his way.

And he wrote further another

letter to me, as if from my lord’

the king Sennacherib; and on this wise he wrote it:

‘From Sennacherib the King, to Ahikar, my Secretary and Great Seal, greeting. When this letter reaches thee, gather all thy forces together, to the rock that is called Sis: and come forth from thence and come to meet me at Eagles’ dale, which lieth to the south, on the twentyfifth day of the month Ab.

when thou seest me approaching to thee, array thy forces against me, like a man that is ready for battle: for ambassadors of Pharaoh the king of Egypt are

to Pharaoh king of Egypt. ‘ Let there be peace between thee and me, O mighty king! If at the time of this letter reaching thee thou wilt arise and go to Assyria and Nineveh to the plain of Nisrin, I will deliver up to thee the kingdom without war and without fighting.’ And the writing of Nadan was like to the writing of his uncle Haiqar.

Then he folded the two letters, and sealed them with the seal of his uncle Haiqar ; they were nevertheless in the king’s palace.

Then he went and wrote a letter likewise from the king to his uncle Haiqar: ‘Peace and health to my Vizier, my Secretary, my Chancellor, Haig4r. O Haiqar, when this letter reaches thee, assemble all the soldiers who are with thee, and let them be perfect in clothing and in numbers, and bring them to me on the fifth day in the plain of Nisrin, and when thou shalt see me there coming towards thee, haste and make the army move against me as an enemy who would fight with me, for I have with me

writing, and had sealed it with my seal. And when the forces of the king asked to go home to their homes, Nathan alone remained before the king, and said: O King, live for ever. I that have eaten bread and salt in thy house, God forbid that I should see evils before thee. Khikar my father, who was in honour and greatness before thee, hath lied to me and to thee, and hath taken the side of thy enemies. And the letter which Nathan had written in my words, and had likened his handwriting to my handwriting therein, he took, and read the dispatch which he himself had sealed, before the king.

And when the king heard it, he was very much distressed, and said: What wrong have I done to Khikar, that he has so behaved to me? And at once Nathan wrote by the command of the king a letter thus conceived :

When thou readest this writing, thou shalt muster thy hosts and shalt come to the plain of the Eagles on the twenty-fifth day of the month Hrotitz. And whenever thou

thee this dispatch, thou shalt prepare my forces which are under thy hand; exactly on the twenty-fifth day of the

month Hrotitz thou shalt come to meet me on the plain of Eagles. face to face against my forces, as if it were being prepared against thine enemies.

are come unto me to see our forces and tremble. And this letter Nathan sent to me as if by the command of the king. And he himself, Nathan, stood

before the king and said: King, live for ever.

I should deceive my king.

I have eaten bread and salt in thy house.

And when thou comest near draw up

For the envoys of Pharaon

God forbid that

For my father Khikar, whom thou didst send unto rest, unto honour, unto glory, hath not done according

to the command of your kingship, but hath played false to God and your kingship. And he had given the letter to certain trusty men of the king, and they gave it to the sovereign ; and the sovereign gave it to Nathan and said: Read. And Nathan read it before the king; and the king was sorely troubled, and asked those who gave him the letter: Who gave into your hands this letter? And as Nathan had charged them, they answered with one mind, saying: Travellers that were going into Egypt. They had the letter, and we thy servants found them and took them by force. And when we asked them: Whence are ye? they answered, We are native slaves of Khikar.

And the king was troubled and said to the trusty men: What harm then have I done to Khikar, that he hath devised such a snare for me? Wherefore hath he returned evil for good? Nathan replied and said: Be not troubled, O mighty king. But let us go to the plain of the Eagles, as is written in the dispatch, and let us see if it is so; then let thy behests be done.

come to me, that they may see what forces I have.’

And my son Nadan sent this letter to me by the hands of two of the king’s servants.

And thereupon my son Nadan took the letters that he had written, as if he had actually found them ; and he read them before the king ; and when my lord the king heard them, he lamented and said, ‘O God, wherein have I sinned against Ahikar, that he should do unto me on this fashion ?’

And my son Nadan answered and said to the king, ‘ My lord, do not fret nor rage, Arise and let us go to Eagles’ dale on the day that is written by him in the letter. And if it be true, then all that thou commandest shall be done.’

So my son Nadan took the king my lord,and they came to me at Eagles’ dale: and they found me having with me great forces that were gathered there. And when I saw the king, I put my forces in array against him, as it was written in the letter. And when the king saw it, he was much afraid.

the ambassadors of Pharaoh king of Egypt, that they may see the strength of our army and may fear us, for they are our enemies and they hate us.’

Then he sealed the letter and sent it to Haiqar by one of the king’s servants. And he took the other letter which he had written and spread it before the king and read it to him and showed him the seal. And when the king heard what was in the letter he was perplexed with a great perplexity and was wroth with a great and fierce wrath, and said, ‘ Ah, I have shown my wisdom! what have I done to Haiqdar that he has written these letters to my enemies? Is this my recompense from him for my benefits to him?’ And Nadan said to him, ‘ Be not grieved, O king! nor be wroth, but let us go to the plain of Nisrin and see if the tale be true or not.’

Then Nadan arose on the fifth day and took the king and thesoldiers and the vizier, and they went to the desert to the plain of Nisrin. And the king looked, and lo! Haiqar and the army were set inarray. And when Haiqar saw that the king was there, he approached and signalled to the army to move as in war and to fight in array against the king as it had been found in the letter, he not knowing what a pit Nadan had digged for him. And when the king saw the act of Haiqar he was seized with anxiety and terror and perplexity, and was wroth

And Nathan took the king and went to the plain of the Eagles. I ; setting out of the king, prepared my forces and set them over against him, as had been written in the dispatch

by behest of the king.

shalt see me,.thou shalt draw up in battle array against me. For the messengers of Pharaon are come to me to see my hosts.

He brought the letter to me, and he himself went to the king. He stood before the king and said :

Grieve not, O ruler; but come, let us go to the plain of the Eagles, and let us see whether this be so. Then what thou commandest is done.

And Senegerim took his army and came to the plain of the Eagles, and found me with my army ; and I drew up my forces over against him as he had commanded. When the king saw this, he was very grieved.

But I, Khikar, when I learned of the

When the king saw my forces, he was sore troubled. The king said: If thou bringest Khikar before me, mighty presents will I give thee, and all the royal affairs shall be discharged by thee ; for thou hast been

found a trusty servant before me.

And the king went back into his palace.

Then my son Nadan answered and said to him: ‘Let it not disturb thee, my lord the king. Return and come into thy chamber ' in peace : and I will bring Ahikar before thee.’

Then my lord the king returned to his house.

And my son Nadan came to:

me and said to me, ‘All that

thou hast done, thou hast done .

finely: and much hath the king praised thee ; and he commands thee to dismiss thy forces that they may go every man to his own place and his own district. And do thou come to me thyself alone.’

Thereupon I came before the king, and when he saw me, he said unto me, ‘ Art thou come, Ahikar, my Secretary and the foster-child of Assyria and Nineveh, thou whom I caused to come into honour? but thou hast turned back and taken the part of my enemies.’

? Taking the word as equivalent of the Greek ko.réva.

16 with a great wrath. And Nadan said to him, ‘Hast thou seen, O my lord the king! what this wretch has done? but be not thou wroth and be not grievednor pained, but go to thy house and sit on thy throne, and I will bring Haiqar to thee bound and chained with chains, and I will chase away thine enemy from thee without toil.’

And the king returned to his throne, being provoked about Haiqar, and did no-

17 thing concerning him. And Nadan went to Haiqar and said to him, ‘W/’allah, O my uncle! The king verily rejoiceth in thee with great joy and thanks thee for having done what he commanded thee. And now he hath sent me to thee that thou mayst dismiss the soldiers to their duties? and come thyself to him with thy handsbound behind thee, and thy feet chained, that the ambassadors of Pharaoh may see this, and that the king may be feared by them and by their king” Then answered Haiqar and said, ‘ To hear is to obey.’ And he arose straightway and bound his hands behind him, and

41chained his feet. And Nadan took him and went with him to the king. And when Haiqdar entered the king’s presence he did obeisance before him on the ground, and wished for power and perpetual life to the king. Then said the king, ‘O Haiqar, my Secretary, the Governor of my affairs, my Chancellor, the ruler of my State, tell me what evil

1 Lit. ‘to the way of their path’.

Nathan began to speak and said: Grieve not, O king, but let us go home. And I will bring my father Khikar before thee. The king said to Nathan: If thou bringest Khikar before me, I will give thee very great presents and I will set thee in trust over all my affairs. And all the affairs of my kingdom shall be transacted by thee with ability.

And the king returned to his palace, and Nathan my sister’s son came to me and said: Seneqerim the king hath sent me to thee and says, Come to me and let us be joyful together.

And when I went, the king said 4 1

to me:

Khikar, Notary and wise man, thou wast my counsellor and ruler, and giver of commands of the house of the Asores and Ninevites; and thou hast gone over to the side of my enemies.

And Nathan came to me and said: My father Khikar, very honourable and pleasing hath seemed to the

king this preparing of thy cavalry in array.

Therefore hath he sent me to thee and saith, All thou hast done

thou hast done well and wisely. So then give orders to thy forces to go to their place, and do thou come and

let us make merry together.

THE" STORY?) OPP ATIIRKAK a 2>6

And he gave me those letters that were written in my name and were sealed with the seal of my own ring. And when I read them, my tongue stammered and my limbs became faint: and I sought for a single word from the words of wisdom and I found me none.

3 And my son Nadan answered and said to me, ‘ Away with thee from the king’s sight, thou foolish old man: and give thy hands to bonds and thy feet to iron fetters.’

Then Sennacherib the king turned away his face from me, and he talked with Nabusemakh? ... and said to him, ‘Arise, go slay Ahikar, and separate his head a hundred ells from his body.’

4 Then I fell on my face on the ground and worshipped the king, and I said, ‘My lord the king, live for ever. Seeing, my lord, that it hath pleased thee to kill me, thy will be done. I know, however, that I have not sinned against thee. But

5 command them, my lord the king, that they kill me at the door of my house: and let them give my body to burial.’

6 And the king said to Nabusemakh? ..., ‘Go, kill Ahikar at the door of his house, and

1*Yabusemakh Meskin Kanti’, which I do not understand ; the correction of the first part of the name is obvious. Possibly it should be ‘NabuSumuskin, my colleague’. Compare the form as given in the papyrus, and in the Arabic.

have I done to thee that thou hast rewarded me by this ugly) deed;’* «Then, they showed him the letters in his writing and with his seal. And when Haiqar saw this, his limbs trembled and _ his tongue was tied at once, and he was unable to speak a word from fear ; but he hung his head towards the earth and was dumb. And when the king saw this, he felt certain that the thing was from him, and he straightway arose and commanded them to kill Haiqar, and to strike his neck with the sword outside of the city. Then Nadan screamed and said, ‘O Haiqar, O blackface! what avails thee thy meditation or thy power in the doing of this deed to the king ?’

Thus says the story-teller. And the name of the swordsman was Ibn Samik. And the king said to him, ‘O swordsman! arise, go, cleave the neck of Haiqar at the door of his house, and cast away his head from his body a hundred cubits.’ Then Haiqar knelt before the king, and said, ‘Let my lord the king live for ever! and if thou desire to slay me, let thy wish be [fulfilled]; and I know that I am not guilty, but the wicked man has to give an account of his wickedness; nevertheless, O my lord the king! I beg of thee and of thy friendship, permit the swordsman to give my body to my slaves, that they may bury me, and let thy slave be thy sacrifice.’

The king arose and commanded the swordsman to do with him according to his

And that letter, which Nathan 2 had written in my? words and had likened therein his handwriting to my handwriting, the king gave unto me and said: Take and read.

And when I read it, all my limbs were? dissolved, and my tongue was shrivelled up as parchment ; and I was stupefied and became like one of those distraught. I sought for a word of wisdom and found no answer to give.

Nathan began to speak, 3 and said to me: Get out of the presence of thy king, grey-haired one, perverted and inane*. Give thy hand for the iron and thy foot for the fetter.

And the 4 king turned away his face from me and said to Abusmagq, his nayip: Lead away and slay yon godless Khikar, and remove his head afar, about one hundred ells.

And I fell on my face and 5 kissed the earth and said: O King, live for ever. Thou hast willed me to slaying, and hast not hearkened unto my words. And I from my heart know that I have not in any way wronged thee, and in my heart there is” no guile. [aminnocent. Therefore have pity on me and order that in my own house they slay me and give over my body for burial.

And the king ordered Abus- 6 maq, that they should slay me in my own house. And when

1 Ven. omits ‘my’.

2 Bodl. = ‘all the flesh of my limbs was’.

5’ The Arm. word is obscure.

THE STORY OF FAHIKAR 4. \6-9

give his body to burial.’ Thereupon I, Ahikar, sent to Eshfagni my wife that she should bring forth from the daughters of my tribe maids a thousand and one: ‘and let them put on raiment of mourning, and let them wail and lament and weep over me. And let them come to meet me, and let them make a funeral feast! over me before I die. And prepare thou bread and a table and a banquet for Nabusemakh?. . . and his Parthians that are with him, and come to meet them, and receive them and bring them into my house. And I too will come into the house as a guest.’ : § And Eshfagni my wife, for that she was exceeding wise, understood all my message, and did whatsoever I had sent to her to do; and she came forth to meet them, and she brought them into my house: and they did eat bread, and with her own hand she served them, until they fell asleep from drunkenness, every man in his place.

g Thereat I, Ahikar,entered and said to Nabusemakh*, ‘Look towards God, and remember the love that there was between us. brother: and grieve not over my death: and remember that thee also did Sarhadum the father of Sennacherib deliver to me that I should slay thee, yet I slew thee not, because I was aware that there was in thee no ground of offence; and I kept thee alive until the king desired thee, and when I brought thee before him,

i Lit. ‘a house of weeping ’. 2 Yabusemakh.

desire. And he straightway commanded his servants to take Haiqar and the swordsman and to go with him naked that they might slay him. And when Haiqar knew for certain that he was to be slain he sent to his wife and said to her, ‘Come out and meet me, and let there be with thee a _ thousand young virgins,and dress them in gowns of purple and silk that they may weep for me before my death. And prepare a table for the swordsman and for his servants. And mingle plenty of wine, that they may drink.’

And she did all that he commanded her. And she was very wise, clever, and prudent. And she united all possible courtesy and learning.

And when the army of the king and the swordsman arrived they found the table set in order, and the wine and the luxurious viands, and they began eating and drinking till they were gorged and drunken.

Then Haigdr took the swordsman aside apart from the company and said, ‘O Abu Samik, dost thou not know that when Sarhadum the king, the father of Sennacherib, wanted to kill thee. I took thee and hid thee in a certain place till the king’s anger subsided and he asked for thee? And when I brought thee into his presence he rejoiced in thee: and now remember the kindness I did

I went forth from the king, I wrote a letter lamenting to Abestan my wife and said: When this letter reaches thee, do thou send out to meet mea thousand virgins ; and let them put on apparel of mourning and let them mourn for me and bewail me, that I may see with my own eyes even the wailers who bewail me in my lifetime. But* thou shalt make large loaves, to give to my executioners, and dainty viands for them to eat and drink.

And Abestan my wife was 8 very wise and?! fulfilled my orders. She went out to meet me, and led them into the house, and set before them a table; and fed them, and gave them to drink old wine and unmixt, till they were fuddled and were drunk and fell asleep.

Then I 9 and my wife fell at the feet of Abusmaq weeping, and I said to him: Abusmaq, my comrade, look up to heaven and behold God with thy eyes; and remember the bread and _ salt which we have eaten together, and remember how that they betrayed thee to Seneqerim the king’s father; and I took and kept thee until the king asked for thee, and how, when I led thee before him, he gave me

1 Paris 92 and 58 alone add the words ‘was... and’.

4 The narrative that follows is given in MS. Canon in a form more closely resembling the Syriac as below: And they shall make and prepare a table, adorned with all good things, for Abusmagq and the Parthians

who are with me.

I entered with them to eat bread; and they were fuddled with wine. And I said to Abusmaq my comrade, Look up to heaven and discern God with thy eyes and remember

the love of our brotherhood. And sin not against my blood, for thou knowest that I am innocent.

Thou shalt go out to meet these and shalt lead them into the house. And Arphestan my wife did immediately what I had commanded; and we set out to my house. Abusmaq and the Parthians reclined, and my wife set before them a table, and waited on them.

p Ke)

II

he gave me great gifts, and many presents did I carry off from him. And do thou too, now, preserve me alive and recompense me this kindness: and in order that the word come not abroad that I was not killed and that the king may not quarrel with thee, behold, I have in my prison-housea slave, Marzifan hight, and he is due to die: clothe this slave in my raiment and rouse up the Parthians against him and they will slay him: and I shall not die, because I have done no wrong.’

And when I spake thus, moreover Nabusemakh!. . . also was sore grieved over me, and he took my raiments and clad in them the slave that was in the prison-house. And he roused up the Parthians, and they arose in the fumes? of their wine, and they slew him and removed his head a hundred ells from his corse, and they gave over his body for burial.

Then went forth the report in Assyria and Nineveh, that Ahikar the Secretary is killed.

And Nabusemakh®. .. rose up, and Eshfagni my wife,and they made for me a_ hiding-place underground ; its breadth was three cubits and its height five cubits, under the threshold of the

13 doorof my house. And they put

bread and water with me, and went and showed to Sennacherib the king that Ahikar, the Secretary, was dead: and when the men heard it, they wept; and the women disfigured * their

Zits “taste.

Lit. ‘scratched’.

remember also this, that the sire of Seneqerim gave thee into my hands for slaying ; And I kept thee until the king made a request ; This do thou likewise and slay me not. And he is in prison, because he is under dress him up in my garments and cast him to the

for I knew that thou wast innocent. before the king, and the king gave me mighty gifts. slave whose name is Séniphar, and very like is he unto me. sentence of death. So then lead me into prison and Parthians, for them to slay him. . . .

ro thee. And I know that the king will repent him about me and will be wroth with a great wrath about my execution. For I am not guilty, and it shall be when thou shalt present me before him in his palace, thou shalt meet with great good fortune, and know that Nadan my sister’s son has deceived me and has done this bad deed to me, and the king will repent of having slain me; and now I have a cellar in the garden of my house, and no one knows of it. Hide me in it with the knowledge of my wife. And I have a slave in prison who deserves to be killed. Bring him out and dress him in my clothes, and command the servants when they are drunk to slay him. They will not know who it is they are killing.

ton |

I

12 And cast away his head a hundred cubits fromhis body, and give his body to my slaves that they may bury it. And thou shalt have laid up a great treasure with me.’ And then the swordsman did as Haiqdr had commanded him, and he went to the king and said to him, ‘ May thy head live for ever!’

13 Then Haiqar’s wife let down to him in the hiding-place every week what sufficed for him, and no one knew of it but herself. And the story was reported and repeated and spread abroad

mighty gifts... Now therefore keep me and render to me a return of the service I rendered thee, and to thee there will be mighty gifts as thy requital, good for good!. I have a man in prison, and very like unto me is he. He shed blood in my house and is under sentence of death, and his name is Seniqar. Take therefore my garments into the prison and dress him up in them and slay him; and so thou fulfillest the king’s command.

And when I said this, Abusmaq had pity on me, and did my will and what I told him. And the soldiers, fuddled, woke up from sleep ? at midnight, and slew Seniqar my slave, and removed his head from him one hundred ells.

And the news went forth into the city of Asorestan, that Khikar, Notary and wise man, was dead.

Then Abusmag my comrade and Abestan my wife made me a house dug out underground, its? length seven ells, and its height equal to my head’s, hard by the door-posts of my house. And they shut me in and placed

beside me bread and water, and ~

then Abusmaq went off to the king and told him that ‘ Khikar the wise is slain’. And all who heard of my death beat their breasts and were full of regret

1 Bodl. has ‘ will be a requital from God’: Paris 92, ‘will be mighty gifts’. I render the Ven. MS.

2 So Ven. and Paris 92: the rest = ‘fuddled with wine, woke up at’.

3 Canon = ‘its height three ells and its length seven ells, equal to (07 level with) the door-posts of my house’.

and I wronged thee not, and then I led thee There is my

THE STORY, OP AH TCARTS

faces and said: ‘Alas for thee, Ahikar the wise Secretary, thou fence of the breaches of our country : for like thee there will never be any one to us.’

Then Sennacherib the king called my son Nadan, and said to him, ‘Go make a funeral feast! for thy father Ahikar, and then return to me.’

when Nadan my son came, no funeral feast did he make for me, nor any remembrance at all; but gathered him the vain and lewd folk, and set them down at my table, with singing and with great joy ; and my beloved servants and handmaidens he stripped and flogged without mercy.

Nor had he any reverence for my wife Eshfagni, but sought to do with her the way of man with woman.

Ahikar, was cast into darkness in the pit beneath. And I was hearing the voice of my bakers, cooks, and butlers as they wept and sobbed within my house.

1 Lit. ‘a house of weeping’.

a MS. Canon has the narrative which follows in a form nearer to the Syriac.

in every place of how Haiqar the Sage had been slain and was dead, and all the people of that city mourned for him. And they wept and said: ‘Alas for thee, O Haiqar ! and for thy learning and thy courtesy! How sad about thee and about thy knowledge! Where can another like thee be found? and where can there be a man so intelligent, so learned, so skilled in ruling as to resemble thee that he may fill thy place?’

But the king was repenting about Haiqdr, and his repentance availed him naught. Then he called for Nadan and said to him, ‘Go and take thy friends with thee and make a mourning and a weeping for thy uncle Haiqar, and lament for him as the custom is, doing honour to his memory. But when Nadan, the foolish, the ignorant, the hard-hearted, went to the house of his uncle, he neither wept norsorrowed nor wailed, but assembled heartless and dissolute people and set about eating and drinking. And Nadan began to seize the maidservants and the slaves belonging to Haiqar, and bound them and tortured them and drubbed them with a sore drubbing. And he did not respect the wife of his uncle, she who had brought him up like her own boy, but wanted her to fall into sin with him. But Haiqar had been cast into the hiding-place, and he heard the weeping of his slaves and his neighbours, and he praised the Most High God, the Merciful One,

and said: Alas for thee, O Notary! Whois there to decide the matters of thy kingdom with thy ability ?

Then the king called Nathan 14

and said to him: Go, make lamentations for the house and mourning for thy father.

than* came, and instead of lamenting he gathered together actors, and made great cheer ; and he very cruelly tormented my servants and handmaids.

And even for Abestan my wife 16

he had no respect, but desired to fornicate with her, that had brought him up. And I from my subterranean chamber heard the weeping and groanings and

the plaints of my servants. And 17

I moreover wept and my soul longed for a little bread and a morsel of meatandacup. And I was destitute of all my chattels.

It is given below:

And Nathan went off to the house of Khikar, but with him there was no concern for mourning. And he collected all his dear ones to drink wine and made great good cheer, instead of mourning as the king commanded. Using force to the dear ones of Khikar he tortured them and had no respect for Arphestan wife of Khikar, nay rather desired to fornicate with her.

And I, Khikar, was hearing the voice of my stewards whom Nathan tortured and ill-treated. My soul was longing for bread and a morsel of meat.

tortured in the darkness.

And I was

And after a few days came Nabusemakh!. . . and opened [my prison] over me? and comforted me; and set before me bread and water ; and I said to him, ‘When thou goest forth from me, remember me before God, and say, O God, just and righteous, and that showest grace upon the earth, hear the voice of Thy servant Ahikar,’ and remember that he sacrificed to Thee fatted oxen like sucking lambs. And now he is cast into the darksome pit where he seeth no light. And dost Thou not save him that crieth unto Thee? O Lord, hear the voice of my colleague,* [I pray Thee.’]

Now when Pharaoh, king of Egypt, heard that I, Ahikar, had been slain, he was greatly rejoiced, and he wrote a letter to Sennacherib on this wise :

‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to Sennacherib, king of Assyria and Nineveh, greeting. I am planning to build a castle between heaven and earth, wherefore seek out and send me from thy kingdom a man who is a skilled architect, that he may give me reply concerning all that I shallask him. And when thou shalt send me such a man, I will collect and send thee the revenue of Egypt for three

2 Lit. ‘on my eyes’.

Lord, holy and true,’ &c.

4 This trifling but necessary emendation confirms our interpretation (vzde supra) of the corrupt name.

and gave thanks, and he always prayed and besought the Most High God.

18 And the swordsman came from time to time to Haiqar whilst he was in the midst of the hiding-place: and Haiqar came and entreated him. And he comforted him and wished him deliverance.

tg And when the story was reported in other countries that Haiqar the Sage had been slain, all the kings were grieved and despised king Sennacherib, and they lamented over Haiqar the solver of riddles.

And when the king of Egypt had made sure that Haiqar was slain, he arose straightway and wrote a letter to king Sennacherib, reminding him in it ‘of the peace and the health and the might and the honour which we wish specially for thee, my beloved brother, king Sennacherib. I have been desiring to build a castle between the heaven and the earth, and I want thee to send mea wise, clever man from thyself to build it for me, and to answer me all my questions, and that I may have the taxes? and the custom duties of Assyria for three years.’ Then he sealed

1 j.e. taxes in kind, agricultural produce. For this rendering of the Arabic word, see Dozy, vol. il, p. 345.

And all the-~- inhabitants of Asorestan and of Nineveh fled from me.

When the king of Egypt 51

heard this, of how Khikar the Notary was dead, and of the Ninevites and all the land (that) they were fled, he was very glad. And the king of Egypt, Pharaon, wrote a letter as follows:

To Senegerim, king of the Asores. Health be to thy Lordship and Kingship. Beit known to thee that I desire to build a palace hung betwixt heaven and earth. Look and send unto me a true and clever and wise man who can build, and also give answer to any question I ask. If however thou shalt neglect 3 this request, then I will come

And when Pharaon heard that Khikar was slain, he was very glad, and wrote a dispatch to the king

Senegerim, riddles.

And the king called Nathan and said: Write an answer to this letter. And Nathan said: Difficult is this matter.

Who is able to give answer thereto ?

And the king was distressed and said: Alas for Khikar my secretary and wise man! ; And when Pharaon learned that they could not give an answer to his writing, he sent puissant forces and

they took tribute from Seneqerim. was multiplied on Asorestan and

impoverished and all the land laid waste, an

And as long as Khikar languished in the prison, the burden of Pharaon Nineveh. ‘Those who were under the hand of Seneqerim also were much d the chambers of the royal treasury were emptied.

Ee S LORY Or FAT TCAR. 5.

years: and if thou send me not a man who shall give me reply concerning all that I ask him, then do thou collect and send me the tribute of Assyria and Nineveh for three years, by the hands of these ambassadors that come to thee.’

And when this letter was read before the king, he cried out to all the nobles and franklins of his kingdom, and said unto them: ‘ Which of you will go to Egypt to give reply to the king concerning all that he shall ask him? And he shall build him

the castle that he planneth, and }

bring back the three years’ tribute of Egypt and come hither.’

And when the nobles heard |

this, they answered and said unto the king: ‘My lord the king, thou knowest that not only in the years of thy reign, but also in the years of thy father Sarhadum, Abikar the Secretary was in the habit of resolving questions like these. And now,

also, behold his son Nadan, he |

is instructed in his father’s booklore and wisdom.’ And when my son Nadan heard these things, he cried out before the king and said: ‘ The gods themselves cannot do things like these; let alone men’!

Chan. ti. ii.

And the king said: Alas for Khikar, secretary and wise man !

the letter and sent it to Sen- 3 nacherib. He took it and read it and gave it to his viziers and to the nobles of his kingdom, and they were perplexed and ashamed, and he was wroth with a great wrath, and was puzzled about 4 how heshouldact. Then he assembled the old men and the learned men and the wise men and the philosophers, and the diviners and the astrologers, and every one who was in his country, and read them the letter and said to them, ‘Who amongst you will go to Pharaoh king of Egypt and answer him his questions?’ And they said to him, ‘O our lord the king! know thou that there is none in thy kingdom who is acquainted with these questions except Haig4r, thy vizier and secretary. Butas for us, we have no skill in this, unless it be Nadan, his sister’s son, for he taught him all his wisdom and learning and knowledge. Call him to thee, perchance he may untie this hard knot.’ Then the king called Nadan and said to him, ‘Look at this letter and understand what is in it... And when Nadan read it, he said, ‘O my lord! who is able to build a castle between the heaven and the earth ?’

many chattels would I give him, even to the half of my kingdom. And Abusmaq revealed it not to the king, that he might be in stress and know the value to him of

Khikar.

and take away thy kingdom and will lay waste thy land.

When 4 the king heard this he was very grieved, and sent and mustered his satraps to ask their advice, saying: What shall we do?

The! satraps say: O King, who 5 else can answer this question except Nathan, who hath learned of Khikar and knoweth his lore and hath been brought up in his house? He will be able to give an answer to this demand which the king of Egypt hath written. Then the king called Nathan and showed him the counsel; and he gave him the dispatch, and Nathan read it. When he had read aloud 6 the letter, he cried out with a loud voice and said: This? is a matter which even the gods? cannot settle or give answer to. How shall I be able to give answer ?

When the king heard, he rose

’ Canon: ‘And they perplexed said: To such a matter Khikar would give an answer, and now Nathan who is in his place.’

2 Canon: ‘Such a matter the gods cannot answer, much less men. When the king heard, he was sorely troubled; Ne mOSeusn. aes

3 The Arm. word used is dgx, i.e. the devs.

One who should give thee to me alive,

And Pharaon sent a dispatch to king Senegerim which had this tenor: From Pharaon to Seneqerim,

health.

I desire to build a palace... . This when Nathan heard, he cried with a loud voice and said: King, live for ever.

the gods could not make answer to. Surely then not men?

Such a matter as that

When the king heard this he was very distressed. He rose from his throne and sat on sackcloth, beat his

these words, he was much perturbed, and he descended from his throne and sat on the ground, and spake thus:? ‘Alas for thee, Ahikar the wise, that I destroyed thee for the words of a boy! Who will give thee to me for such a time as this? I would give him thy weight in gold.’

And when Nabusemakh?... heard these words, he fell down before the king and said to him: ‘He who has contemned the commandment of his lord, is guilty of death ; and I, my lord, have contemned the command of thy kingship. Command, therefore, that they crucify me.

1 Cf, Ezek. xxvi. 16 kai kataBnoorrat dnd tov Opdverv abray martes of Gpxov- Tes... emi yny KabedodvTa .. . Kal

p SS oar SERS orevdgovow emi wé Kat Anovtat emt oe Opivoy Kal epodvolv gol... -

person and said : is none like thee.

weigh him against gold and buy thee. lord king, he that contemns the beh

word of mine is fulfilled in me. Khikar, and now he is still alive,

Alas for Khikar, able notary and wise !

And there is no successor like thee in the royal gate. When Abusmaq learned the deep distress of the king, ests of his lord and fulfils them not is guilty of death. Now then this For I fulfilled not the behest of my lord. Thou didst make behest to slay

STORY? OF AHTRAR? 5. 7-6

the speech of Nadan he sorrowed with a great and sore sorrow,andstepped down from histhrone and sat in the ashes, and began to weep and wail over Haiqar, saying, ‘O my grief! O Haiqar, who didst know the secrets and the riddles! woe is me for thee, O Haiqar! O teacher of my country and ruler of my kingdom, where shall I find thy like? O Haiqar, O teacher of my country, where shall I turn for thee? woe is me for thee! how did I destroy thee! and I listened to the talk of a stupid, ignorant boy without knowledge, without religion, without manliness. Ah! and again Ah for myself! who can give thee to me just for once, or bring me word that Haiqar is alive? and I would give him the half of my kingdom. Whence is this to me? Ah, Haigar! that I might see thee just for once, that I might take my fill of gazing at thee, and delighting in thee. Ah! O my grief for thee to all time! O Haiqar, how have I killed thee! and I tarried not in thy case till I had seen the end of the matter. And the king went on weeping night and day. 8 Now when the swordsman saw the wrath of the king and his sorrow for Haiqar, his heart was softened towards him, and he approached into his presence and said tohim: ‘O my lord! command thy servants to cut off my head. Then

1 B.M. MS. ‘is crucified ’.

from his golden throne and sat in the ashes, and with his own hands he smote his face and plucked out his beard and said : Alas for thee, Khikar, Notary and wise, I have through the tittle-tattle of men destroyed thee! For thou didst arrange the affairs of our kingdom. Now if any one gave thee unto me, I would give him whatever he asked of me, no matter how great a treasure of gold and silver.

When Abusmaq my comrade heard this, he stood before the king and said: O King, live for ever. He that doeth not the king’s commands is sentenced to death, for the commands of 8 God and of the king are one. Thou didst bid slay Khikar, and he is still living.

On the words of a lying man I slew him. _ There If any one gave thee to me, I would

he said: My

THE STORY OF AMIKAR(S. 3-10

SVRIAC

For Ahikar, whom thou didst command me to slay, is yet alive.’

these words, he answered and ' said, ‘Speak on, speak on, Nabusemakh!; speak on, thou good and clever man, unskilled in evil. Ifit is indeed as thou sayest, and thou show me Ahikar alive, then I will give thee presents of silver, a hundred talents in weight, and of purple, fifty talents in value,’ 2

And Nabusemakh? answered and said, ‘ Swear to me, my lord the king, that, if there be not found before thee other sins of mine, this sin shall not be remembered against me. And the king gave him his right hand on this matter.

1 Cod. ‘ Yabusemakh’. 3 Cod. ‘ Yabusemakh ’.

said the king to him: ‘ Woe

to thee, Abu Samik, what is

thy fault?’ And the swords-

man said unto him, ‘O my

master! every slave who acts

contrary to the word of his

master is killed?, and I

have acted contrary to thy

command. Then the king

said unto him, ‘ Woe unto

thee, O Abu Samik, in what

hast thou acted contrary to

my command?’ And the

swordsman said unto him, 9‘O my lord! thou didst command me to kill Haiqar, and I knew that thou wouldst repent thee concerning him, and) that ‘he ) had been wronged, and I hid him in a certain place, and [ killed one of his slaves, and he is now safe in the cistern, and if thou command me I will bring him to thee’ And the king said unto him. ‘Woe to thee, O Abu Samik! thou hast mocked me and I am thy lord.’ And the swordsman said unto him, ‘Nay, but by the life of thy head, O my lord! Haiqar is safe and alive. And when the king heard that saying, he felt sure of the matter, and his head swam 2, and he fainted from joy, and he commanded [them] to bring {Haigar]*. And he said to the swordsman, ‘O trusty servant! if thy speech be true, I would fain enrich thee, and exalt thy dignity above that of all thy friends.’ And the swordsman went along rejoicing till he came to Haigar’s house. And he opened the door of the hiding-place, and went down and found Haiqar sitting, praising God, and thanking Him. And he shouted

1 B.M. MS. ‘is crucified ’. 2 Lit. ‘his reason flew ’. *Codat him”.

The king 9 said: Speak, Abusmaq, my servant and trusty one. If thou

canst show me Khikar alive, I will give thee! byssus and purple and bestow on thee mighty presents.

And Abusmaq, when he heard this from the king, like a swiftly flying fowl, came unto me, and opened the door of my subterranean chamber, and led me forth.

1 Bodl. ‘ will array thee in’.

And the king said: Speak, speak, my servant, well-doing and trusty. For thou hast not sinned. But of

many good things hast thou become worthy. one hundred thousand talents of gold.

If thou showest me Khikar, I will give thee royal purples and

THE STORY) OF AMIRARTS. Liis

II And forthwith the king mounted his chariot, and came unto me in haste, and opened [my prison] over me, and I ascended and came and fell before the king; the hair of my head had grown down on my shoulders, and my beard reached my breast ; and my body was foul with the dust, and my nails were grown long like eagles’.

12 And when the king saw me, he wept and was ashamed to talk with me, and in great grief

he said to me, ‘It was not I.

that sinned against thee, A hikar ; but thy son whom thou broughtest up, he it was that sinned against thee.’

33 Thereupon I

answered and said to him, ‘Because I have seen thy face,

my lord, no evil is in my mind.’ |

And the king said to me, ‘ Go to thy house, Ahikar, and shave off thy hair, and wash thy body, and recover thy strength ® forty days; and after that come to me.’

Lit. ‘let thy soul come into thee’.

Leal

ieee

to him, saying, ‘O Haiqar, I bring the greatest of joy, and happiness, and delight!’ And Haiqdr said to him, ‘What is the news, O Abu Samik?’ And he told him all about Pharaoh from the beginning to the end. Then he took him and | went to the king. And when the king looked at him, he saw him in a state of want, and that his hair had grown long like the wild beasts’ and his nails like the claws of an eagle, and that his body was dirty with dust, and the colour of his facehad changed and faded and was now like ashes.

And when the king saw him he sorrowed over him and rose at once and embraced him and _ kissed him, and wept over him and said: ‘Praise be to God! who hath brought thee back to me. Then he consoled him and comforted him. And he stripped off his robe, and put it on the swordsman, and was very gracious to him, and gave him great wealth, and made Haiqar rest.

Then said Haiqar to the king, ‘ Let my lord the king live for ever! These be the deeds of the children of the world. I have reared mea palm-tree that I might lean on it, and it bent sideways, and threw me down. But, O my lord! since I have appeared before thee, let not care oppress thee.’ And the king said to him: ‘ Blessed be God, who showed thee

® For the text of MS. Canon see below: : And he sent me to the bath for them to wash and anoint me with fragrant oil (omitting the direct speech of the king on this point). And they did so, and brought raiment of great price and clad me init. And the

king brought and set me close to him.

And the colour of 11

my face was changed and my head ! was matted and my nails were grown like an eagle’s.

When the king beheld me?, he bent his head and was ashamed to look in my face; and hardly looked in my face,

his face being full of shame;.

and# he said to me: O my loved

| and honourable brother Khikar,

go to thy house and repair thy

| person for forty days, and then / come unto me. And I did so. | And I came back again to the

king, and the king said: I have sinned against thee, father Khikar. Not I is it that has sinned against thee, but Nathan thy sister’s son, whom thou didst bring up.

And I fell on my face and kissed the earth before the king and said: Forasmuch as I have seen the face of the king, I am alive; and all evils are turned for me into wellbeing, foras-

much as thy servant Khikar has ~

found grace.

The king said: Hast thou heard this, O honourable good Khikar, to wit, what the Egyp-

1 Canon: ‘ the hair of my head.’ 2 Bodl. adds ‘in such plight’.

And all that he had promised to Abusmaq he fulfilled amply.

THE STORY OF, ATIKAR

Therefore I went to my house, and I was in my house about thirty days, and when I was recovered!, I came to the king, and the king answered and said to me: ‘Hast thou seen, Ahikar, what a letter Pharaoh, king of Egypt, has written me?’

1 Lit. ‘my soul was in order upon me’.

mercy, and knew that thou wast wronged, and saved thee and delivered thee from being slain. But go to the warm bath, and shave thy head, and cut thy nails, and change thy clothes,andamuse thyself for the space of forty days, that thou mayst do good to thyself and improve thy condition and the colour of thy face may come back 15 to thee.” Then the king stripped off his costly robe, and put it on Haiqdar, and Haiqar thanked God and did obeisance to the king, and departed to his dwelling glad and happy, praising the Most High God. And the people of his household rejoiced with him, and his friends and every one who heard that he was alive re- joiced also. 6x And he did as the king commanded him, and took a rest for forty days. Then he dressed himself in his gayest dress, and went riding to the king, with his slaves behind him and before him, rejoicing and delighted. But when Nadan his sister’s son perceived what was happening,

fear took hold of him and |

terror, and he was perplexed, not knowing what to do. And when Haiqar saw it he entered into the king’s presence and greeted him, and he returned the greeting, and made him sit down at his side, saying to him, ‘O my darling Haiqar! look at these letters which the king of Egypt sent to us, after he

had heard that thou wast |

slain. They have provoked us and overcome us, and many of the people of our country have fled to Egypt for fear of the taxes that the king of Egypt has sent to demand from us.’

tian has sent and that which is said, that the inhabitants of

Nineveh and Asorestan are fled? >

And I said to the king: Therefore let a herald proclaim at the gate of thy palace, that Khikar is alive ; and all who shall hear it will return, each man to his place.

And the king commanded a herald to cry, saying : Khikar is alive; and that all the dwellers in Nineveh and Asorestan returned, each man to his place.

Then the king brought the letter of Pharaon and gave it to me, and said: Read and give an answer to

this letter.

B3C4

I answered and said, ‘My lord the king, let there be no trouble to thee over this affair. I will go to Egypt and build the king a castle: and I will make him answer concerning all that he may ask me: and I will bring back with me the three years’ tribute of Egypt.’

3 And when

the king heard these things he rejoiced with a great joy: and he gave me gifts: and as for Nabusemakh! .. . he set him at the head of all. And after this I wrote a letter to Eshfagni my wife, as follows:

‘When this letter reaches thee, command my huntsmen that they catch me two young eagles: and command the workers in flax, that they make me hempen ropes ; the length of each one of them shall be a thousand ells, and their thickness that of one’s little finger.

And bid the car- |

penters to make me cages for the young eagles: and deliver over Ubael and Tabshelim, the two boys, who do not yet know how to talk, and let them teach them to say on this wise: “ Give the builders mud, mortar, tiles, bricks, for they are idle.”’

And I took and read it, and said to the king: Send yon envoys to go to their place.

Haiqar took the letter and read it and understood all its 2 contents. Then he said to the king, ‘Be not wroth, O my lord! I will go to Egypt, and I will return the answers to Pharaoh, and I will display this letter to him, and I will reply to him about the taxes, and I will send back all those who have run away ; and I will put thy enemies to shame with the help of the Most High God, and for the happiness of thy kingdom.’ this speech from Haiqar he rejoiced with a great joy, and his heart was expanded and he showed him favour. And Haigdér said to the king: ‘Grant me a delay of forty days that I may consider this question and manage it.’ And the king permitted this. 4 And Haiqar went to his dwelling, and he commanded the huntsmen to capture two young eaglets for him, and they captured them and brought them to him: and he commanded the weavers of ropes to weave two cables of cotton for him, each of them two thousand cubits long, and he had the carpenters brought and ordered them to make two great boxes, and they did this. Then he took two little lads, and spent every day sacrificing lambs and feeding the eagles and the boys, and making the boys ride on the backs of the eagles, and he bound them with a firm knot. and tied the cable to the feet of the eagles, and let them soar upwards little by little every day, to a distance of ten cubits, till they grew accustomed and were educated to it; and they rose all the length of the rope till they reached the sky ; the

And I said to the king Sene- 6 1

qerim: Concerning this matter which the Egyptian has sent, do thou not be anxious. I will 2 go and give him answer and will bring to thee the tribute from Egypt.

When the king 3 heard this he was glad, and established Abusmaq at the head of the divan. And on the morrow I wrote to Abestan my wife and said as follows:

When thou readest this 4 writing, do thou have caught two nestlings of an eagle, and two children. not yet able to talk, and two nursing women to nurse the little ones. And they shall say: Clay, lime, mortar, brick. The artisans stand idle. And have two ropes spun, the length thereof two hundred ells, and the thickness thereof one ell.

And cause a 5 carpenter to fit together two cages for the children; and give food to the eagles, every day two lambs. And cause the children to be bound upon the eagles, and to make little flights, until they form the habit. And in this way habituate them until they soar aloft two hundred ells.

And I will later set

out and fulfil the behests of Pharaon. And when they were gone, I, Khikar, Secretary, sent and had brought two eaglets. . .

Pies LORY OP SA HIKARTO, 625

And Eshfagni my wife did all that I commissioned her: then I said to the king: ‘Command, my lord,and send me that I goto Egypt. And when the king commanded me to go, I took me a force of soldiers and went.

7 And when we came to the first halting-place, I let out the young eagles and bound the ropes to their feet and made the boys ride on them; and they took them and went up to a height, and the boys cried out as they had been taught, ‘ Mud, mortar, tiles, bricks supply to the builders who are idle.’ Then I pulled them in again.

when we came to Egypt, I went to the king’s gate: and his nobles told the king, ‘ There is come the man whom the king of Assyria has sent.’ And the king commanded and gave mea place to reside in; and on the following day I came in before him and worshipped him and inquired after his health’.

1 Lit. ‘asked after his peace’.

boys being on their backs. Then he drew them to himself.

And when Haiqar saw that his desire was fulfilled he charged the boys that when they were borne aloft to the sky they were to shout, saying, ‘ Bring us clay and stone, that we may build a castle for king Pharaoh, for we are idle’ And Haidar was never done training them and exercising them till they had reached the utmost possible point (of skill). Then leaving them he went to the king and said to him, ‘O my lord! the work is finished according tothy desire. Arise with me that I may show thee the wonder.’ Sothe king sprang up and sat with Haiqar and went toa wide place and sent to bring the eagles and the boys, and Haigqar tied them and let them off into the air all the length of the ropes, and they began to shout as he had taught them. Then he drew them to himself and put them in their places. And the king and those who were with him wondered with a great wonder: and the king kissed Haiqar between his eyes and said to him, ‘Go in peace, O my beloved! O pride of my kingdom! to Egypt and answer the questions of Pharaoh and overcome him by the strength of the Most High God.’

Then he bade him farewell, and took his troops and his army and the young men and the eagles, and went towards the dwellings of Egypt; and when he had arrived, he turned towards the country of the king. And when the people of Egypt knew that Sennacherib had sent a man of his Privy Council to talk with Pharaoh and to answer his questions, they carried the news to king Pharaoh,

And Abestan my wife was 6 very wise and did everything at once which I told her. Then the king commanded me to depart to Egypt.

And when I 7 reached the gate of Egypt, I brought the children’s cages, even as they were habituated. And I bound them upon the eagles; they flew up and soared aloft, and the children cried out and said: Clay, lime, mortar, brick. The artisans stand idle.

And I, Khikar, took a rod, and 8 I went after all whom I met and struck them blows (and said): Hurry up, give what the artisans ask for. The king of Egypt came up and was very astonished, and was glad and bade us make (the birds) come down. And he said: Come, rest them from their labours. Eat, drink, and be merry, and on the morrow come to me.

THE STORY OF AHIKARSS.

SYRIAG

And the king answered and said unto me, ‘What is thy name?’ And I said to him, ‘ My name is Abikam: one of the contemptible ants of the kingdom.’ And the king answered and said to me, ‘Am I thus despised of thy lord, that he has sent me a despised ant of his kingdom? Go, Abikam, to thy lodging, and come to me early in the morning.’

Then the king commanded his nobles, ‘On the morrow clothe yourselves in red,’ and the king dressed himself in fine linen, and sat on his throne. And he commanded and I came into his presence: and he said to me, ‘To what am I like, Abikam, and to what are my nobles like ?’ And IJ answered and said to him, ‘My lord the king, thou art like unto Bel, and thy nobles are like unto his priests.” And again he said to me, ‘Go to thy lodging, and come to me on the morrow.’

And the king commanded his nobles, ‘On the morrow clothe yourselves in robes of white linen,’ and the king himself put on white and sat on his throne. And he commanded and I came into his presence: and he said to me, ‘ To what am I like, Abikam, and to what are my nobles like?’ And I said to him, ‘My lord the king, thou att like to the sun, and thy nobles to his rays. And again he said to me, ‘Get thee to thy lodging, and come to me tomorrow.’

and he sent a party of his Privy Councillorstobring him before him!. And he came and entered into the presence of Pharaoh,and did obeisance to him as it is fitting to do g to kings. And he said to him: ‘O my lord the king! Sennacherib the king hails

thee with abundance of peace | and might, and honour ; and |

he has sent me, who am one of his slaves, that I may answer thee thy questions, and may fulfil all thy desire : for thou hast sent to seek

from my lord the king a man |

who will build thee a castle between the heaven and the

And I by the help of the Most High God and thy noble favour and the power of my lord the king will build [it] for thee as thou desirest. the king! what thou hast said in it about the taxes of

Egypt for three years—now |

the stability of a kingdom is strict justice, and if thou winnest and my hand hath no skill in replying to thee, then my lord the king will send thee the taxes which thou hast mentioned, and if I shall have answered thee in thy questions, it shall remain for thee to send whatever thou hast mentioned to my lord the king.’

II that speech, he wondered and was perplexed by the freedom of his tongue and the pleasantness of his speech.

1 Lit. ‘ betwixt his hands’.

But, O my lord |}

And when Pharaoh heard |

Q-II

And when it was dawn the king called me and said: What is thy name? And I said: Abikam is my name. For I ama serf of Seneqerim the king. And when the king heard, he was grieved exceedingly, and said: Have I seemed so contemptible in the eyes of Senegerim the king of Asorestan, that he has sent a serf unto me to give me answer? And he said to me: Go unto thy

| house and to-morrow come to

And when on the morrow I went, the king gave command to his forces to dress themselves in scarlet chlamid; and the king himself was arrayed in purple raiment, and sat on his throne, and his forces around him. He commanded and called me to him and said: Abikam, unto whom am I like? Or my forces, whom are they like? I

| said, Thou art like to the dq?

and thy satraps to their priests. He said to me: Go to thy lodgings, and to-morrow come unto

When I had gone to my house and came the next day to him, he had arrayed his forces in linen, and he himself was arrayed in scarlet, and he said to me: Unto whom am I like, or my forces, to whom are they like? And I said: Thou art like the sun and thy satraps are like its rays.

1 i.e. ‘to God’. The plural ag literally = ‘ demons’, but is used like the Hebrew Elohim as a singular. The same use is found in the Arm.

| version of Eusebius’ Chromicon, Bk. 1.

In the Arm. O.T. it is used as a plural.

And again the king commanded his nobles, ‘ On the morrow clothe yourselves in black,’ and the king put on crimson. And he commanded, and I came into his presence: and he said to me, ‘To what am [I like, Abikam ; and to what are my nobles like?’ And I said to him, ‘My lord the king, thou art like to the moon, and thy nobles to the stars.’ And again he said to me, ‘ Go to thy house: and come to me _ to-morrow.’ And the king commanded his nobles, ‘ On the morrow dress in

diverse and varied colours, and }

let the doors of the palace! be

covered with red hangings.’ And |.

the king himself was robed in fine needlework. And he commanded and I came into his presence: and he said to me, ‘To what am I like, Abikam? and my nobles, to what are they like?’ And I said to him, ‘My lord the king, thou art

like to the month Nisan, and |

thy nobles to its flowers.’ Then the king said to me, ‘ The first time thou didst compare me to Bel, and my nobles to his priests. The second time thou hast compared me to the sun, and my nobles to its rays. The third time thou hast compared me to the moon, and my nobles to the stars. And the fourth time thou hast likened me to Nisan, and my nobles to the flowers thereof. And now tell me, Abikam, to what is ¢hy lord like?’

And I answered and said to him, ‘ Be it far from me, my lord the king, that I should make mention of my lord Sennacherib, whilst thou art seated.

16 My lord Sennacherib is like®

1 Lit. ‘temple’: but as in Daniel, it means palace; cf. Dan. iv. 4, ‘I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace went to his palace m>37. Cf. also

» € Dressed in tapestry.’

3 An erasure has been made of two words, and these are now illegible.

rz And king Pharaoh said to him, ‘O man! what is thy name?’ And he said, ‘Thy servant is Abiqam, and I am a little ant of the ants of king Sennacherib.’ And Pharaoh said to him, ‘ Had thy lord no one of higher dignity than thee, that he has sent me a little ant to reply to me, and to converse with me?’

And Haiqar said to him, ‘O my lord the king! I would to God Most High that I may fulfil what is on thy mind, for God is with the weak that He may confound the strong.’

Then Pharaoh commanded that they should prepare a dwelling for Abiqam and supply him with provender, meat, and drink, and all that he needed. And when it was finished, three days afterwards Pharaoh clothed himself in purple and red and sat on his throne, and all his viziers and the magnates of his kingdom were standing with their hands crossed, their feet close together, and their heads 15 bowed. And Pharaoh sent

to fetch Abiqam, and when he was presented to him, he did obeisance before him,and kissed the ground in front 16 ofhim'. And king Pharaoh

1 Lit. ‘ between his hands’.

And again he 12

said to me: Go to thy lodgings, and on the morrow come to

And when I went on the 13

morrow, he commanded the satraps to array themselves in dyed raiment, and he arrayed himself in raiment of plumes, and sat on his throne and said to me: To whom am I like?

I said: Thou art like to the 14

green grass' and thy satraps to the blossoms thereof.

Then the king was glad and said: Tell me the truth. Seneqerim the king, to whom is he like? I said: God forbid that 13 thou shouldst mention Seneqerim the king, since thou art sitting down. But stand up, and I will tell thee. When he had risen up, I said: Seneqerim 16

1 Venice MS, = ‘to the plain’.

18 the king.

23 its flowers.’

THE STORY: OF CAHIKAR 6.526 417226 Wrab.)

[the God of Heaven] and his nobles to the lightnings that are in the clouds: for when he wills, he fashions the rain and the dew [and] the hail ; and if he thunders, he restrains the sun from rising, and its rays from being seen; and he will restrain Bel from coming in and from going forth in the street, and his nobles from being seen; and he will hinder the moon from rising and the stars from appearing.’

Perhaps the original text was ‘the God of Heaven’, which was erased to make way for ‘the idol Bel’, but this correction was a stupid one, seeing that Pharaoh has himself been compared to the great god Bel; hence perhaps a final erasure. The Arabic has ‘ my lord is the God of Heaven’, which is sufficiently audacious to invite correction. Mrs. Lewis by the use of a reagent has brought up the word Bel, and perhaps the whole expression ‘ our god Bel’.

said to him, ‘O Abiqam, whom am I like? and the nobles of my kingdom, to whom are they like?’ And Haigar said to him, ‘O my lord the king! thou art like the idol Bel, and the nobles of thy kingdom are like his servants. He said to him, ‘Go, and come back hither to-morrow.’ So Haiqdar went as king Pharaoh had commanded him.

the king is like unto Bélshim, and his satraps to the lightnings. When he willeth, he weaveth the rain!; and he shooteth out the dew on high, he sendeth it forth in his empery. He thunders, and imprisons the rays of the sun. And when he willeth, he doth bring hail and grindeth to dust tree, green herb and dry; and he makes the dawn break and smiteth the shoots of green grass.

1 Bodl. = ‘ the material of rain’.

And on the morrow Haiqar went into the presence of Pharaoh, and did obeisance, and stood before

And Pharaoh was dressed in a red colour, and the nobles were dressed in white.

Pharaoh said to him, ‘O Abiqam, whom am I like? and the nobles of my kingdom, to whom

are they like?’ are like [its] beams.’

are they like?’

are like the planets and the stars.’

And Abiqam said to him, ‘O my lord! thou art like the sun, and thy servants And Pharaoh said to him, ‘Go to thy dwelling, and come hither to-morrow.’ 19 Then Pharaoh commanded his Court to wear pure white!, and Pharaoh was dressed like them and sat upon his throne, and he commanded them to fetch Haiqar.

And he entered and sat down before And Pharaoh said to him, ‘O Abigam, whom am I like? and my nobles, to whom And Abiqém said to him, ‘O my lord! thou art like the moon, and thy nobles And Pharaoh said to him, ‘Go, and to-morrow be thou here.’ 21 Then Pharaoh commanded his servants to wear robes of various colours, and Pharaoh wore a red

velvet dress, and sat on his throne, and commanded them to fetch Abiqam. And he entered and

22 did obeisance before him. And he said, ‘O Abiqém, whom am I like? and my armies, to whom

are they like ?’ And he said, ‘O my lord! thou art like the month of April, and thy armies are like

And when the king heard it he rejoiced with a great joy, and said, ‘O Abiqam! the first time thou didst compare me to the idol Bel, and my nobles to his servants. time thou didst compare me to the sun, and my nobles to the sunbeams.

And the second And the third time thou

didst compare me to the moon, and my nobles to the planets and the stars. And the fourth time thou

24 didst compare me to the month of April, and my nobles to its flowers.

But now, O Abigam!

tell me, thy lord, king Sennacherib, whom is he like ? and his nobles, to whom are they like?’ And Haigar shouted with a loud voice and said : ‘ Be it far from me to make mention of my lord the king

and thou seated on thy throne.

king is like and to whom his nobles are like.’ And Pharaoh was perplexed by the freedom of his tongue and his boldness in answering. Then Pharaoh arose from his throne, and stood before Haigar, and said to him, ‘ Tell me now, that

261 may perceive whom thy lord the king is like, and his nobles, to whom they are like.’

But get up on thy feet that I may tell thee whom my lord the

Haiqar said to him: ‘ My lord is the God of heaven, and his nobles are the lightnings and the thunder,

and when he wills the winds blow and the rain falls.

And he commands the thunder, and it

lightens and rains, and he holds the sun, and it gives not its light, and the moon and the stars, and

they circle not.

on April and destroys its flowers and its houses.’

? Or a dress completely white.

And he commands the tempest, and it blows and the rain falls and it tramples

Pik SlORYe@

when the king heard these things he was exceeding wroth, and said to me, ‘ By the life of thy lord, I adjure thee tell me what is thy name?’

answered and said to him, ‘Iam Ahikar the Secretary and Great Seal of Sennacherib king of Assyria and Nineveh.’

And the king said to me, ‘ Did I not certainly hear that thy lord had killed thee?’ And I said to

him, ‘I am yet alive, my lord.

the king: and God saved me from something which my hands did not.’

And the king said to |

me, ‘Go, Ahikar, to thy house, and come to me to-morrow, and tell me a word which I never heard nor any one of my nobles, and which was never heard in the city of my kingdom.’

And when Pharaoh heard this speech, he was greatly perplexed and was wroth with a great wrath, and said to him: ‘O man! tell me the truth, and let me know who thou really art.’

And he told him the truth. ‘I am Haiqar the scribe, greatest of the Privy Councillors of king Sennacherib, and I am his vizier and the Governor of his kingdom, and his Chancellor.’

And he said to him, ‘ Thou hast told the truth in this saying. But we have heard of Haiqar, that king Sennacherib has slain him, yet thou dost seem to be alive and well.’ And Haiqar said to him, ‘ Yes, so it was, but praise be to God, who knoweth what is hidden, for my lord the king commanded me to be killed, and he believed the word of profligate men, but the Lord delivered me, and blessed is he who trusteth in Him.’

And Pharaoh said to Haiqar, ‘Go, and to-morrow be thou here, and tell me a word that I have never heard from my nobles nor from the people of my kingdom and my country.’

The king said: Tell me, what is thy name? I said: Khikar ismyname. Hesaid: Wretch, hast thou come to life? And I said: Since I have seen thy face, O king, I am alive. The king said: May this day be blessed, for I have seen Khikar with my own eyes alive, with my own eyes.

And I fell on my face and did homage to him and kissed him. The king said: Expound this saying.

There stands a pillar, and upon that pillar twelve cedars, and upon them thirty wheels, and upon each wheel two couriers?!, the one black and the other white. And I said: O king, this the cowherds of the Asores know. The pillar of which thou spakest is the year and the cedars are the twelve months. The thirty wheels are the days of the months. The two couriers, the one black and the other white, are dawn and nightfall ’.

The king said, What is this story, that from Egypt as far as Nineveh there are 500 leagues —how did our mares hear the neighing of your stallions and miscarry? I, Khikar, went out from him, and I took a cat and scolded and tortured it. Then they told the king, saying: Khikar flouts the dzg and tortures the cats. The king called meand said: Khikar, wherefore dost thou flout our dg and torture the cats? And I said:

| Yon cat has done harm enough

to me. Aforetime the king gave to me a cock; sweet of voice was it, and at each hour it awoke me, to go to the king’s palace. This very night (the cat) went off and bit off the head of the cock and came back here. And the king said to me as follows: It appears that as thou growest old, in the same

1 The Arm. word has this meaning.

? After the explanation of the pillar MS. Canon passes direct to the rope of sand incident, as does the Syriac.

4 Whereupon I ‘Behold, [in that case] there is |

Then I sat down and meditated in my heart and wrote a letter as follows:

‘From Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to Sennacherib, king of Assyria and Nineveh, greeting.

‘Kings have need of kings and brethren of brethren: and

at this time my gifts are become |

scant, because silver is scarce in my treasury: command, therefore, to send me from thy treasury goo talents of silver,

and in a little while I will return

them to their place.’

This letter, then, I folded and held it in my hands: and the king commanded and I came into his presence, and I said to him, ‘Perhaps in this letter there is a word that was never heard by thee. And when I read it before the king and before his nobles, they cried out, as they were ordered by the king to do, and said, ‘ This has been heard by all of us, and it is so. said to them,

a debt of goo talents from Egypt to Assyria.’ And when the king heard this, he marvelled.

he said to me, ‘I am planning to build a castle between earth and heaven. Its height from the earth shall be one thousand fathoms.’

And Haigar went to his dwelling, and wrote a letter, saying in it on this wise :

‘From Sennacherib king of Assyria and Nineveh to Pharaoh king of Egypt.

‘Peace be to thee, O my brother ! and what we make known to thee by this is that a brother has need of his brother, and kings of each other, and [my] hope from thee is that thou wouldst lend me nine hundred talents of gold, for I need it for the victualling of some of the soldiers, that I may spend [it] upon them. And after a little while I will send it thee. Then he folded the letter, and presented it on the morrow to Pharaoh. And when he saw it, he was perplexed and said to him, ‘Verily I have never heard anything like this language from any one. Then Haiqar said to him, ‘ Truly this is a debt which thou owest to my lord the king. And Pharaoh accepted this, saying, ‘O Haiqar, it is the like of thee who are honest in the service of kings. Blessed be God who hath made thee perfect in wisdom, and hath adorned thee with philosophy and knowledge. And now, O Haiqar, there remains what we desire from thee, that thou shouldst build us a castle between heaven and earth.’

measure your words and wisdom are changed round. From

Egypt to Nineveh there are 5001 leagues. How then in a single night could a cat bite off the head of the cock and come back hither? But I said: How could your mares hear the neighing and miscarry ?

The king said: Leave this. 25

Come and weave me a rope of sand. When I had gone out from him, the king said to all those with him: Whatever Khikar says, ye shall say, ‘We know and have heard this saying.’

And I took and wrote a letter 7 x

thus: From Senegerim king, all hail to Pharaon king of Egypt.

Brethren have need of brethren 2 to behold them and kings of kings. In this season expenses and debts enough have there been and silver is wanting in our treasuries. So then give orders and have brought to me by dispatch a hundred talents of silver. And I fastened up 3 the letter and went in to the king and said: In this dispatch I have written of a matter, of which neither your city* nor your satraps have heard, And they all said: We have heard and we know this matter of yours. But I said: If ye have heard, say then before ye have - opened the letter. And they could not say, but opened and read it. I said: Ye have heard what is written. The king said®: 4 If a rope of sand thou weavest not for me, thou shalt not carry

1 MS. Canon has 360.

2 92 adds ‘nor your king’.

3 Canon =‘and Pharaon said: Weave me a rope of sand, in length nine ells. And I said: My lord king, order them to bring forth from your treasury a model that I may see and according to the model make it, that it be not too thick or too thin, And Pharaon said: In my treasury is none. But unless thou weave it, thou carriest not off the silver, which by thy wisdom thou hast sought and [| promised.’

JHEIS7 OR Y*OrtAHin AIG

Then I brought out the young eagles and bound the ropes to their feet, and set the boys on their backs; and they were saying, ‘Provide mud, mortar; [foreman, mix] tiles and bricks for the builders, because they are idle. And

when the king saw it, he was.

confounded.

Then I, Ahikar, took a switch and beat the king’s nobles, till they all took to flight. Then the king was indignant with me, and said to me, ‘ Thou art gone clean mad, Ahikar: who is able to carry up anything to these boys?’

said to him, ‘Concerning the affairs of Sennacherib my lord, say ye nothing; for if he had been at hand, he would have built a couple of castles in one day.’ And the king said to me, ‘Have done with the castle, Ahikar, and go to thy lodging ; and in the morning come to me.’

Then said Haiqar, ‘To hear is to obey. I will build thee a castle according to thy wish and choice ; but, O my lord! prepare us lime and stone and clay and workmen, and I have skilled builders who will build for thee as

6 thou desirest’. And _ the king prepared all that for him, and they went to a wide place; and Haiqar and his boys came to it, and he took the eagles and the young men with him; and the king and all his nobles went and the whole city assembled, that they might see what Haiq&4r would do.

Then Haiqar let the eagles out of the boxes, and tied the young men on their backs?, and tied the ropes to the eagles’ feet, and let them go in theair. And they soared upwards, till they remained between heaven and earth. And the boys began to shout, saying, ‘Bring bricks, bring clay, that we may build the king’s castle, for we are standing idle !’

» And the crowd were astonished and perplexed,andthey wondered. And the king and his nobles wondered. And Haiqar and his servants began to beat the workmen, and they shouted for the king’s troops, saying to them, ‘Bring to the skilled workmen what they want and do not hinder them from their work.’ And the king said to him, ‘ Thouart mad ; who can bring anything up to

8 that distance?’ And Haigqar said to him, ‘O my lord! how shall we build a castle in the air? and if my lord the king were here, he would have built several castles in asingle day.’ And Pharaoh said to him, ‘Go, O Haigqar, to thy dwelling, and rest, for we have given up®* building

1 Lit. ‘on the eagles’ backs’.

? Lit. ‘we have passed away from’.

away the tribute from Egypt. And I went into a deeply dug chamber, and perforated the wall of the chamber on the side whence the dawn shone; and when the dawn gleamed forth, it flashed into the chamber seven ells; and I took up dust of sand and cast it into the hole bored and blew into it. It appeared like woven twists, and I said: Give orders, O king, that they collect yon ropes and I will weave yet others.

When the king saw this he 5 laughed and said: Blessed art thou before the dg. And he gave me very great presents, and allowed the tribute from Egypt and well and gladly dismissed me, and I departed.

9 And when it was morning, | came into his presence, and he said to me, ‘Explain to me, Ahikar, the following matter. The horse of thy lord neighs in Assyria, and our mares hear his voice here, and their foals miscarry.

Then I went forth from the king’s presence, and commanded my servants to catch me a cat, and I whipped it in the streets of the city ; and when the Egyptians saw it, they went and told the king that ‘ Ahikar has acted contemptuously of our people and makes mock of us. For he has caught a cat and whips it in the streets of our city.’

I And the king sent for me and called me; and I came into his presence.

2 And he said to me, ‘In what way art thou insulting us?’ and I answered and said to him, ‘This cat has seriously damaged me in no slight matter; for a cock had been entrusted to me by my lord, whose voice was extremely beautiful, and by the time that he crowed I understood that

my lord wished for me, and I

went to the gate of my lord.

And in this past night this cat

went to Assyria and tore off the

head of this cock of mine and returned. And the king answered and said to me, ‘As far as I can see, Ahikar, since thou art grown old thou art become stark mad. For it is 360 parasangs from here to Assyria; and

how canst thou say that in a

single night this cat went and

cut off the head of the cock and came back?’

4 Then I said to him, ‘ And if it is 360 parasangs from Egypt to Assyria, how do thy mares in this place hear the voice of the horse of my lord, and their foals miscarry ?’

II

the castle, and to-morrow come to me’,

Then Haigdr went to his dwelling and on the morrow he appeared before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said, ‘O Haiqar, what news is there of the horse of thy lord? for when he neighs in the country of Assyria and Nineveh, and our mares hear his voice, they cast their young.’ And when Haiqar heard this speech he went and took a cat, and bound her and began to flog her with a violent flogging till the Egyptians heard it, and they went and told the king about it.

And Pharaoh sent to fetch Haiqar, and said to him, ‘O Haiq4r, wherefore dost thou flog thus and beat that dumb beast?’ And Haigar said to him, ‘O my lord the king! verily she has done an ugly deed to me, and has deserved this drubbing and flogging, for my lord king Sennacherib had given me a fine cock, and he had a strong true voice and knew the hours of the day and the night. And the cat got up this very night and cut off its head and went away, and because of this deed I have treated her to thisdrubbing.’ And Pharaoh said to him, ‘ O Haiqar, I see from all this that thou art growing old and art in thy dotage, for between Egypt and Nineveh there are sixtyeight parasangs, and how did she go this very night and cut off the head of thy cock and come back ?’

And Haiqar said to him, ‘O my lord! if there were such a_ distance between Egypt and Nineveh, how could thy mares hear when my lord the king’s horse neighs and cast their young ?

16 white and one black.’

19 wall of the palace.

THE SLORY TOF AHIKAR TY, f§-20

when the king heard this, he was sore vexed, and he said to me, ‘Ahikar, expound to me this riddle: A pillar has on its head twelve cedars; in every cedar there are thirty wheels, and in every answered and said to him, ‘ My lord the king, the ox-herds in our country understand this riddle that thou tellest. pillar of which thou hast spoken to me is the year; the twelve: cedars are the twelve months of

the year; the thirty wheels are.

the thirty days of the month ; the two cables, one white and one black, are the day and the night.’

Again he said to me, ‘ Twine me five cables from the sand of the river.’ And I said to him, ‘My lord the king, bid them bring me from thy treasury one rope of sand, and I will make one to match it.’ Then he said to me, ‘ Unless thou do this, I will not give thee the Egyptian

18 tribute. Thereupon I sat down and calculated in my heart how |

I should doit. And I went out from the king’s palace! and bored five holes in the eastern And when the sun entered the holes I scattered sand in them, and the sun’s path? began to appear as if [the sand] were twined in the holes. Then I said to the king ; ‘My lord, bid them take up

these, and I will weave you |

others in their stead” And when the king and his nobles saw it, they were amazed.

And again the king commanded to bring me an upper millstone that was broken: and he said to me, ‘ Ahikar, sew up for us this broken millstone.’ Then I went and brought a nether® millstone, and cast it down before the king and said

1 Lit. ‘temple’, w¢ supra.

olait. © furrow *.

$ Lit. ‘the mortar of a millstone ’.

wheel two cables, one |

The |

and how could the voice of the horse reach to Egypt?’ And when Pharaoh heard that, he knew that Haiqar had answered his questions.

Pharaoh said, ‘O Haigar, I want thee to make me ropes of the sea-sand.’ And Haiqar said to him, ‘O my lord the king! order them to bring mea rope out of the treasury that I may make one like it. Then Haiqar went to the back of the house, and bored holes in the rough shore of the sea, and took a handful of sand in his hand, sea-sand, and when the sun rose, and penetrated into the holes, he spread the sand in the sun till it became as if woven like ropes. And Haiqar said, ‘Command thy servants to take these ropes, and whenever thou desirest it, I will weave thee (some) likethem.’

17 And Pharaoh said, ‘O Haiqar, we have a_ millstone here and it has been broken and I want thee to sew it up.’ Then Haiqar looked at it, and found another stone. And he said to Pharaoh, ‘ O my lord! I am a foreigner, and I have no tool for sewing. But I want thee to command thy faithful shoe-

to him, ‘ My lord the king, since I am a stranger here, and have not the tools of my craft with me, bid the cobblers cut me strips (??) from this lower millstone which is the fellow of the upper millstone ; and forthwith I will sew it together.’ And when the king heard it, he laughed and said, ‘The day in which Ahikar was born shall be blessed before the God of Egypt; and since I have seen thee alive, I will make it a great and appropriate day.’

Then he gave me the revenue of Egypt for three years, and straightway I returned and came to my lord the king Sennacherib: and he came forth to meet me and received me.

makers to cut awls from this stone, that I may sew that millstone.’

Then Pharaoh and all his nobles laughed. And he said, ‘ Blessed be the Most High God, who gave thee this wit and knowledge.’ And when Pharaoh saw that Haiqar had overcome him, and returned him hisanswers, he at once became excited, and commanded them to collect for him three years’ taxes, and to bring them to Haiqar. And he stripped off his robes and put them upon Haiqar, and his soldiers, and his servants, and gave him the expenses of his journey. And he said to him, ‘ Go in peace, O strength of his lord and pride of his Doctors! have any of the Sultans thy like? give my greetings to * thy lord king Sennacherib, and say to him how we have sent him gifts, for kings are content with little.’

Then Haiqar arose, and kissed king Pharaoh’s hands and kissed the ground in front of him, and wished him strength and continuance, and abundance in his treasury, and said to him, ‘O my lord! I desire from thee that not one of our countrymen may remainin Egypt.’ And Pharaoh arose and sent heralds to proclaim in the streets of Egypt that not one of the people of Assyria or Nineveh should remain in the land of Egypt, but that they should go with Haiqar. Then Haiqar went and took leave of king Pharaoh, and journeyed, seeking the land of Assyria and Nineveh; and he had some treasures and a great deal of wealth.

1 Lit. ‘my peace upon’,

Pr Ees hORY

~ 23 And he madeita great day and

set me at the head of his household: and he said to me, ‘ Ask what thou wilt, Ahikar’; and I worshipped the king and said, ‘Whatever thou willest to give me, bestow it upon Nabusemakh . . .1; because he gave me my life; and for myself, my lord, bid them give me my son Nadan, that I may teach him a further lesson. For he has forgotten my former teaching.’

And when the newsreached king Sennacherib that Haiqar was coming, he went out to meet him and _ rejoiced over him exceedingly with great joy and embraced him and kissed him, and said to him, ‘Welcome home, O kinsman! my brother Haiqar, the strength of my kingdom, and pride of my realm. Ask what thou wouldst have from me, even if thou desirest the half of my kingdom and of my possessions. Then said Haiqgar unto him, ‘O my lord the king, live for ever! Show favour, O my lord the king! to Abu Samik in my stead, for my life was in the hands of God and in his,’

king, ‘Honour be to thee, O my beloved Haiqar! I will make the station of Abu Samik the swordsman higher than all my Privy Councillors and my favourites.’ Then the king began to ask him how he had got on with

Pharaoh from his first arrival |

until he had come away from his presence, and how he had

answered all his questions, |

and how he had received the taxes from him, and the changes of raiment and the presents. And Sennacherib the king rejoiced with a great joy, and said to Haiqar, ‘Take what thou wouldst fain have of this tribute, for it is all within the grasp of thy hand.’ said: ‘Let the king live for ever! I desire naught but the safety of my lord the king and the continuance of his greatness. O my lord! what can I do with wealth and its like’? but if thou wilt show me favour, give me Nadan, my sister’s son, that I may recompense him for what he has done to me, and grant me his blood and hold me guiltless of it.’

1 3 here = dergleichen.

Then said Sennacherib the |

And Haiqar |

When the king Seneqgerim 6 heard of my coming, he went out to meet me withjoy. When we had saluted each other, he took and led me into his palace and made me recline at the head of the couch; and made merry for several days, and

| bestowed on me very great

presents, and said to me: O my father Khikar, ask of me other very great presents and I will give them to thee. And 7 I bowed to the earth to him and said: O king, live for ever. Whatsoever thou wouldst bestow on me, bestow on Abusmaq my comrade, who gave life to thy servant.

But to me thou shalt give Nathan my sister’s son whom I taught. For he hath not well learned my former lore.

1 Canon = ‘ sister’s son, that'I may teach him another teaching’.

And the king commanded and gave me my son Nadan; and the king said to me, ‘Go thy way, Ahikar, and work thy will on thy son Nadan; for no man

shall rescue his body from thy |

hands.’ Thereupon I took Nadan my son, and brought him to my house; and I bound him with iron chains whose weight was twenty talents, and I fastened the chains in rings, and I fastened collars on his neck; and I struck him one thousand blows on the shoulders and a thousand and one on his loins!; and I put him in the porch of the door of my palace, and gave him bread by weight and water by measure. And I delivered him to my boy Nabuel to guard, and told my boy, ‘Write down in a tablet whatever I say to my son Nadan, when I go in or come out.’ And I answered and said to my son Nadan as follows:

And Sennacherib the king said, ‘ Take him, I have given him to thee. And Haiqar took Nadan, his sister’s son, and bound his hands with chains of iron, and took him to his dwelling, and put a heavy fetter on his feet, and tied it with a tight knot, and after binding him thus he cast him into a dark room, beside the retiring-place, and appointed Nebu-hal as sentinel over him and commanded him to give him a loaf of bread and a little water every day ; and whenever Haiqdr went in or out he scolded Nadan, his sister’s son, saying to him wisely :

And the king gave Nathan 8 my sister’s son into my hands, and I* bound him with a single chain of iron, which was of the weight of seven talents, at the door of my portico; and I entrusted him to Béliar myservant. And I ordered him to scourge him on his back and belly. And I said to him in my coming in and going forth: Whatsoever I speak in proverbs with him, do thou write on paper and keep it with thee ; and I gave to him a 9 little bread and a little water. I began to speak and said as

The Parables of Ahikar, VIII. 1-41

‘My son, he who does not hear with his ears, they make him hear with the nape of his neck.’

My son Nadan answered and said to me, ‘ Wherefore art thou so angry against thy son?’

I answered and said to him, ‘My son,I set thee on the throne of honour; and thou hast cast me down from my throne. And

1 Cf. the punishment of the disobedient servant in the Gospel, dapy,- oeTat ToANas.

I

‘O Nadan, my boy! I have done to thee all that is good and kind, and thou hast rewarded me for it with what is ugly and bad and with killing.

“O my son! it is said in the proverbs: He who listeneth not with his ear, they will make him listen with the scruff of his neck.’

And .Nadan said, ‘For what cause art thou wroth with me?’

And Haigar said to him, ‘ Because I brought thee up, and taught thee, and gave thee honour and respect and | made thee great, and reared thee with the best of breeding, and seated thee in my place that thou mightest be my heir in the world, and

a For the text of MS. Canon, see below : Then I took Nathan, and led him to my house ; and bound (him to) my pillar of iron, of which the weight was seven hundred utres; and I placed a rope round his neck. And I smote a thousand blows (lit. trees) on

his chest and a thousand on his back. And he was kept in the door of my portico.

Son, him that with his ears 8 1

heareth not they make to hear through his back.

Nathan began to speak and 2 said: Wherefore art thou angry with me, my father? I have? sinned against thee, my father Khikar. If thou wilt have mercy on me, thy servant, I will even become to thee dust and ashes and a servant all the days of my life.

And I said to him:

Son, on the throne of glory I seated thee, and from my thronethou didst hurl meto ruin.

Son, I in byssus and purples 3 clad thee, and thou with earth wouldst have destroyed my body.

Son, I raised thee on high 4

1 Canon, with Syriac, omits the words ‘I have . . . of my life’.

And I gave him bread

by weight and water by measure; and entrusted him to Beliar my servant, and I said to him: In my goings out and my comings in, whatever I say to Nathan write it in thy book.

THE STORY OF AHIKAR 8. 2-6 (7-10 Arm.)

as for me, my righteousness’ has saved me.

Thou hast been to me, my son, like a scorpion, which strikes at a rock. And the rock said to it, “ Thou hast struck at an unconcerned heart.” And it struck at a needle, and they say to it, “Thou hast struck at a sting worse than thy own.”

like a gazelle that was standing over a sumach-tree and eating it. And the sumach-tree said to it, “Why eatest thou me, seeing that they tan thy skin with me?” And the gazelle said, “I eat thee in my life, and when I am dead they will pluck thee up by thy roots.”?

like the man that threw a stone at the heaven, and it did not reach the heaven; but he incurred sin against God.

My son, thou hast been like the man who saw his companion shivering from cold, and took a pitcher of water and threw it over him.

1 In the primitive sense of ‘almsgiving’?

2 Apparently the point of the story is missed, which is that the sumachtree has its revenge on the gazelle: ‘thy skin shall be dyed with my roots presently.’

‘thou didst treat me with killing and didst repay me with my ruin. But the Lord knew that. I was wronged, and He saved me from the snare which thou hadst set for me, for the Lord healeth the broken hearts .and hindereth the envious and the haughty.

been to me like the scorpion which, when it strikes on brass, pierces it.

4 O my boy! thou art like the gazelle who was eating the roots of the madder, and it said to her, “ Eat of me today and take thy fill, and tomorrow they wiil tan thy hide in my roots.”

been to me like a man who saw his comrade naked in the chilly time of winter ; and he took cold water and poured it upon him.

been to me like a man who took a stone, and. threw it up to heaven to stone his Lord with it. And the stone did not hit, and did not reach high enough, but it became the cause of guilt and sin.

like a tower, so that if the enemy should come to me, I might go forth and fortify myself in thee ; and thou thyself hast been found to be the enemy in my house.

Son, I gave thee to glory and honour; and thou didst betray me into the hands of enmity and death.

Son, I nurtured! thee like the cub of the fox; and thine eye was on thine hole and my finger smooth was on thy mouth and thy fingers were sharpened upon my eyes.

Son, my righteousness and innocency saved and rescued me; and thy injustice prospered thee not.

Son, thou wast to me as a8

scorpion which struck the needle. The needle said”: Behold a sting which is worse than thine own. Again he struck the sole of the foot of the camel, and he set his foot hard upon that scorpion andcrushed it and said: Captive, knewest thou not that thy breath and soul were under my feet ?

Son, thou hast been to meg

like a goat which was eating madder. Says the madder: Why eatest thou me? Knowest thou not that with my root they dye thy skin®? Said the goat: I in my lifetime eat thee, after my death they pluck up thy

root and prepare (/¢. build) my

skin.

Son, thou hast been to me like him that shot his arrow up to the heavens ; and he was not able to reach thereunto, but reaped the reward of his lawlessness, and the arrow returned upon his head.

1 T render swoutzi of MS. Canon instead of ovsoutzi = ‘taught’ of the other MSS. MS. Canon has the rest of the saying thus: ‘like the young of the eagle, and thy fingers were sharpened against my eyes. For thine eye was evil to look upon me.’

2 T supply the words ‘ The needle said’ from MS, Canon. The other copies omit it through homozoteleuton.

5 So MS. Canon; the other MSS. less well: ‘with me they work thy skin.’

7 My son, not when thou hadst killed me, wouldst thou have been able to stand in my place; for be well aware, my son, that even if the tail of the swine should grow to seven ells, he would never take the place of the horse: and even if his hair should become soft and woolly, he would never ride on the back of a free man.

8 My son, I said that thou shouldst be in my place; and thou shouldst acquire my house and my wealth, and inherit them. But God was not pleased therewith and has not heard thy voice.

9 My son, thou hast been to me as the lion that came upon an ass in the morning of the day and said to him, “‘ Welcome, my lord Kyrios.” But the ass said to him, “May the same welcome that thou givest me be the portion of him that tied me up last night, and did not make my halter fast, so that I had not seen thy face.”

1o My son, a snare was set? upon a dunghill, and there came a sparrow and looked at it and said, ‘“‘ What doest thou here? ” And the snare said, “Iam praying to God.” The sparrow said, “And what ‘is that in thy mouth?” The = snare said, “ Bread for guests.” Then the sparrow drew near and took it, and the snare caught him by the neck. And the sparrow said, as he was being shaken, “Tf this is thy bread for guests, may the God to whom thou prayest never listen to thy voice.”

as an ox that was bound with a lion; and the lion turned and crushed him.

1 We should expect ‘ the free man would never ride on his back’, 2 A Syriac play of words be-

tween we Ae = disposuit lagueos and ei | 2 Which follows.

7 Omy boy! if thou hadst honoured me and respected me and hadst listened to my words thou wouldst have been my heir, and wouldst have reigned over my dominions.

8 O my son! know thou that if the tail of the dog or the pig were ten cubits long it would not approach to the worth of the horse’s even if it were like silk.

O my boy! I thought that thou wouldst have been my heir at my death; and thou through thy envy and thy insolence didst desire to kill me. But the Lord delivered me from thy cunning. to O my son! thou hast

been to me like a trap which

was set up on the dunghill, and there came a sparrow and found the trap set up.

And the sparrow said to the

trap, “What doest thou

here?” Said the trap, “I am praying here to God.”

And the lark? asked it also, “What is the piece of wood that thou holdest?” Said the trap, “That is a young oak-tree on which I lean at the time of prayer.” Said the lark: “And what is that thing in thy mouth?” Said the’ ttrapz hat (4s bread and victuals which I carry for all the hungry and the poor who come near tome.” Said the lark: ‘Now then may I come forward and eat, for I am hungry?” And the trap said to him, ‘Come forward.’ And the lark approached that it might eat. But the trap sprang up and seized the lark by its neck. And the lark answered and said to the trap, “ If that is thy bread for the hungry

1 For this rendering of (oid See Payne Smith’s Zhes. Syr. col. 3555, Sub PZLAAZAAD,

PHE STORY OF AHINAR So 12-17

like the weevil that is in the corn, which destroys kings’ granaries, and is itself of no account.

like the pot, to which they made golden handles}, but its bottom was not cleansed from blackness.

like a husbandman that sowed a field with twenty measures of barley ; and when he reaped it, it made him twenty measures. And he said to it: ‘What I scattered, I have gathered, but thou art shamed with thine evil name, in that thou hast made a bushel into a bushel?: and I, [how] am I to live?”

like the ... bird that could not save himself from death, and by his voice slaughtered his companions.®

like the buck that led his companions into the slaughterhouse; and yet he did not save his own life.

like the dog that came to the potters’ oven to warm himself, and after he was warm rose up to bark at them.

unistt. = ears’. ® Reading sals.

God accepteth not thine alms and thy kind deeds. And if that is thy fasting and thy prayers, God accepteth from thee neither thy fast nor thy prayer, and God will not perfect what is good concerning thee.”

been to me (as) a lion who made friends with an ass, and the ass kept walking before the lion for a time; and one day the lion sprang upon the ass and ate it up.

been to me like a weevil in the wheat, for it does no good to anything, but spoils the wheat and gnaws it.

been like a man who sowed ten measures of wheat, and when it was harvest time, he arose and reaped it, and garnered it, and threshed it, and toiled over it to the very utmost, and it turned out to be ten measures, and its master said to it: “O thou lazy thing! thou hast not grown and thou hast not shrunk.” }

been to me like the partridge that had been thrown into the net, and she could not save herself, but she called out to the partridges, that she might cast them with her(self) into the net.

been to me like the dog that was cold and it went into the potter’s house to get warm. And when it had got warm, it began to bark at them, and they chased it out and beat it, that it might not bite

1 This meaning Of p< will be found

Son; thou hast’ been tox me like the sower, who sowed ten bushels, and gathered five bushels, and the rest failed.

$ Did

Rive,

like the swine that had been to the baths, and when it saw a muddy ditch, went down and washed in it, and cried to its companions, “Come and wash.”

My son, my finger is upon thy mouth, and thy finger is upon my eyes. Why have I brought thee up, thou jackal, that thy eyes look thus upon apples ?

zo My son, the dog that eats of his hunting will become the portion of wolves: and the hand that is not industrious shall be cut off from its shoulder: and the eye in which there is no vision the raven shall pluck it out.

What good hast thou done me, my son, that I remembered thee and that my soul had comfort in thee ??

My son, if the gods steal, by whom shall they make them to swear? And a lion that steals a piece of land, how will he sit down and eat it?

My son, I caused thee to behold the face of the king, and brought thee to great honour: and thou hast chosen to do me evil.

like the tree that said to its woodcutters, “If there had not been somewhat from me in your hands, ye had not fallen upon

1 We should have expected, ‘ that I might remember thee and that my soul might have comfort in thee’.

STORY! ORVATIIRNAR 85 18224

been to me like the pig who went into the hot bath with people of quality, and when it came out of the hot bath, it saw a filthy hole’ and it went down and wallowed in

which joined its comrades

(on their way) to the sacri-

fice, and it was unable to

save itself.

O my boy! the dog which is not fed from its hunting becomes food for flies.

O my son! the hand which does not labour and plough and (which) is greedy and cunning shall be cut away from its shoulder.

O my son! the eye in which light is not seen, the ravens shall pick at it and pluck it out.

been to me like a tree whose branches they were cutting, and it said to them, “If (something) of me were not

in your hands, verily you would be unable to cut me.”

¥ Gare means a hollow place, siéx is presumably from the Hebrew j)D to be soft or sticky and the Syriac 90 limus, coenum. 1 can find no

justification for szég, the reading of the MSS. used by Salhani and Lidzbarski, ;

been to me like the goat |

| me like the axe that was chop-

of the horse.

Son, thou hast been to 12°

ping a tree. Said the tree: Wert! thou not from me, thou

couldst not overcomeme. Thus? _ didst thou imagine saying: I will fill his place. But if the pig’s tail were about five ells long, it would not fill the place And if its fleece were as purple, it could not be likened to the body of a king *.

1 MS. Canon, better: ‘Were not what is in thy hand from me, thou wert not able to overcome me.’

2 MS. Canon, better: ‘ My son, thou didst imagine thus, saying: I fill the place of Khikar, but were the pig’s tail nine ells long,’ &c.

3 MS. Canon like the Syriac adds here this saying: ‘Son, I thus thought, that thou wouldst stay in my house. and inherit my goods. But according to thy lawlessness, God hath not prospered thee.’

THE STORY OF AHIKAR.S) 25-28

like the young swallows which fell out of their nest ; and a cat caught them and said to them, Sim it had not been for me, great evil would have befallen you.” They answered and said to her, “Is that why thou hast put us in thy mouth?”

Son, a dog which itself eats the quarry, will become the prey of wolves.

no light, the ravens dig it out.

said: What doest thou? ?

And that which is in thy mouth, what is it ?

The maggot of the bread ate the body of a king, but was

itself of no use to any one nor

profitable, but vile.

Son, thou hast been to me like the young of the swallow which fell out of its nest, and a weasel found it and said: If it had not been for me}, then a great evil would have befallen you. The nestling said to the weasel: Thy good which thou hast done to me shall return upon thine head.

1 Lit. ‘if it had been apart from me’.

An eye that gives me

Hand which helps me not, from the shoulder let them lop it off. Son, thou hast been to me like the lure which lay buried in the dung.

A sparrow found it and

And it said: I am engaged in prayer unto God. Said the sparrow: Itsaid: A little loaf for the hungry. The sparrow

darted in to takethe bread and was caught by the neck and said: If this was a little loaf for the hungry, God even so heareth thy prayer.

Son, they said to the wolf: Keep away from the fold.

blinded; for the dust isa remedy for my eyes and benefits them.

Son, thou hast been to me as the wolf that encountered an ass, and said: Peace be unto thee. The young ass said: Peace to yonder master of mine, who hath loosed the cord of my feet, and let me behold thy face evil and bloodthirsty.

Son, thou hast been to me like one who saw his fellow a-shivering.

it over him.

It answered: If I live away, I am

Taking water he threw

Son, thou hast been to me like the dog which went into the oven of the potter. When he was warm, he began to bark at the potter.

2 So Paris 69: the rest = ‘ What art thou?’

like the cat, to which they say, “Leave off thy thievish ways, and thou shalt go out from and come in to the king’s palace, according to thy heart’s wish.” And she answered and said, “If I should have eyes of silver and ears of gold, I will not leave off my thieving.”

My son, thou hast been tome like a serpent that was mounted on a thorn-bush and thrown into a river; anda wolfsaw them and said to them: “Bad rides on bad, and worse than either carries them off.” said to him, “If thou hadst been here, thou shouldst have paid the reckoning for the she-goats and their young ones.”

My son, I have seen a she-

The serpent —

O my boy! thou art like the cat to whom they said : “Leave off thieving till we make for thee a chain of gold and feed thee with sugar and almonds.” And she said, “T am not forgetful of the craft of my father and my mother.”

been like the serpent riding on a thorn-bush when he was in the midst of a river, and a wolf saw them and said, ** Mischief upon mischief, and let him who is more mischievous than they direct both of them.” And the serpent said to the wolf, ‘‘ The lambs and the goats and the sheep which thou hast eaten all thy

7ik3

3 Canon omits ‘ evil and bloodthirsty ’.

Son, they said to the cat, Give up thy habitual affair‘, and the privilege* is extended to thee to enter the palace and quit it. The cat said: If my eyes were gold and my paw of silver, I would yet not give up the habitual thing °.

Son, thou hast been to me as a snake that wound itself round a bramble and fell into a river. A wolf saw it and said: Lo, the evil is mounted on the evil, and evil is that which drives them along.

° Canon here has ‘ habit’, dars for ban =‘ word’, and this should probably be read all through.

goat brought into the slaughterhouse, and because its time was not yet come, it returned to its place and saw its children and its children’s children.

My son, I have seen colts that have become slayers of their mothers.

My son, I fed thee with every pleasant meat: and thou, my son, hast fed me with bread of ashes!, and I was not satisfied therewith.

My son, I salved thee with sweet salves, and thou, my son, hast fouled my body with dust.

My son, I trained up thy stature like a cedar, but thou hast humbled me in my life, and hast made me drunken with thy wickedness.

My son, I raised thee like a tower and said, “If the enemy should come upon me, I will go up and dwell in thee”: and thou, when thou sawest my enemy, didst bow before him.

like the mole that came up out of the earth that he might get possession 2 of the sun, because he had no eyes; and an eagle saw him and struck him and carried him off,

eit aUistc

2 Lit. ‘receive’. But perhaps the original was ‘that he might see the sun, though he had no eyes’.

life, wilt thou return them to their fathers and to their parents or no?” Said the wolf, “No.” And the serpent said to him, “I think that after myself thou art the worst of us.”

23 O my boy! I fed thee with good food and thou didst not feed me with dry bread.?

24 O my boy! I gave thee sugared water to drink and good syrup, and thou didst not give me water from the well to drink.

25 O my boy! I taught thee, and brought thee up, and thou didst dig a hiding-place for me and didst conceal me.

26 ©O my boy! I brought thee up with the best upbringing and trained thee like a tall cedar; and thou hast twisted and bent me.

27 O my boy! it was my hope concerning thee that thou wouldst build me a fortified castle, that I might be concealed from my enemies in it. and thou didst become to me like one burying in the depth of the earth ; but the Lord took pity on me and delivered me from thy cunning.

28 Omy boy! I wished thee well, and thou didst reward me (with) evil and hatefulness, and now I would fain

tear out thine eyes, and make ;

thee food for dogs, and cut out thy tongue, and take off thy head with the edge of the sword, and recompense thee for thine abominable deeds.’

1 For this meaning of W3l> > cf Lane, Book I, part 2, p. 598, and

Son, thou hast been to me as 22

a mole which came out of its hole and one with another went forth because of their eyes not seeing. And an eagle swooped and seized him; and the mole said: If there had been no senses in my case, I should have remained in my place and lived a peaceful life.

Son, they gave teaching to 23

the wolf’s cub, and said: Say thou, ayb, ben, gim1; and he said ayts, bouts, garhn (i.e. goat, kid, lamb).

Son, they took the swine to 24°

the bath, and he plunged into it, then rolled himself in the bog, saying: You wash in your own, and | will in mine.

1 i.e. the first three letters of the Armenian alphabet.

My son Nadan answered and said to me, ‘My father Ahikar, such things be far from thee: do to me according to thy mercy: for God also forgives the fault of men: and thou also, forgive me this my folly: and I will tend thy horses and feed thy pigs which are in thy house, and I shall be called evil : but thou, devise not evil against me.’

I answered and said to him, like that palm-tree that stood by a river, and cast all its fruit into the river, and when its lord came to cut it down, it said to him, “ Let me alone this year, and I will bring thee forth carobs.” And its lord said unto it, “ Thou hast not been industrious in what is thine own, and how wilt thou be industrious in what is not thine own?”

My son, they say to the wolf, “Why dost thou follow after the sheep?” He said to them, “Their dust is exceeding good for my eyes.” Again they brought him into the schoolhouse?: the master said to him, “ Aleph, Beth”; the wolf said, “ Kid, Lamb.”

My son, I taught thee that there is a God: and thou risest up against good servants, and beatest those that have not sinned; and like as God has kept me alive on account of my righteousness? so hath He destroyed thee for thy works.

My son, they set the head of the ass over a dish at the table, and he rolled off and fell in the dust. And they say, “ He spites

1 Lit. ‘house of the scribe’. 2 Query, ‘almsgiving’? u¢ supra.

29 And when Nadan heard this speech from his uncle Haiqar, he said: ‘O my uncle ! deal with me according to thy knowledge, and forgive me my sins, for who is there who hath sinned like me, or who is there who forgives like thee? Accept me, O my uncle! Now I will serve in thy house,and groom thy horses and sweep up the dung of thy cattle, and feed thy sheep, for I am the wicked and thou art the righteous: I the guilty and thou the forgiving.’

~30 And Haigar said to him,

‘O my boy! thou art like the tree which was fruitless beside the water, and its master was fain to cut it down, and it said to him, *“ Remove me to another place, and if I do not bear fruit, cut me down.” And its master said to it, “ Thou being beside the water hast not borne fruit, how shalt thou bear fruit when thou art in another place?”

31 O my boy! the old age of the eagle is better than the youth of the crow.

32 O my boy! they said to the wolf, “Keep away from the sheep lest their dust should harm thee.” And the wolf said, “The dregs of the sheep’s milk?are good for my eyes.”

33 O my boy! they made the wolf go to school that he might learn to read, and they said. to "him, “Say VA;.B.” He said, “‘ Lamb and goat? in my belly.”

34 O my boy! they set the ass down at the table and he fell, and began to roll himself in the dust, and one said, “Let him roll himself, for it

1 This is evidently a pun, ghabar meaning dust, and g/zor the last milk in the udder.

2 The animals mentioned by the wolf had names which doubtless began with A, B. In the Arabic and English this is lost.

Nathan began to speak and 24”

said: My father Khikar, men sin unto God, and He forgives them, when they say: I have sinned. Father, I have sinned unto thee. Forgive me, and I will be to thee a slave henceforth for ever.!

And I spake to Nathan thus:

Son, thou hast been to me 25

like a palm-tree which was growing with roots on the bank of the river. When the fruit ripened, it fell into the river. The lord of the tree came to cut it down, and the tree said: Leave me in this place ?, that in the next year I may bear fruit. The lord of the tree said: Up to this day hast thou been to me useless, in the future thou wilt not become useful.

Son, God hath rescued me 262

because of my innocence, but hath destroyed thee because of thy lawlessness. God passes judgement between me and thee.

For the tail of the dog gives 26

bread and his mouth a cudgel.®

1 Canon adds: ‘like one of the sinners ’.

2 Canon =‘ Leave me for this year’.

3 Canon adds this precept about the dog after no. 16. It comes as the fourth in the first series of the

himself; he does not receive honour.”

My son, thou hast verified the proverb, which is current : “Call him whom thou hast begotten, thy son, and him whom thou hast purchased, thy slave.”

My son, the proverb is true that is current : “ Take thy sister’s son under thy arm and dash him against a stone.”

But God is He that hath kept me alive, and He will judge between us.’

Thereat Nadan swelled up like a bag and died. And to him that doeth good, what is good shall be recompensed : and to him that doeth evil, what is evil shall be rewarded.1. And he that diggeth a pit for his neighbour, filleth it with his own stature. And to God be glory, and His mercy be upon us. Amen,

The proverbs of Ahikar the sage and secretary of Sennacherib king of Assyria and Nineveh are ended.

J. R. HaARRIs.

1 Lit. ‘He shall be rewarded evil’.

is his nature, he will not change.”

O my boy! the saying has been confirmed which runs: “If thou begettest a boy, call him thy son, and if thou rearest a boy, call him thy slave.”

O my boy! he who doeth good shall meet with good ; and he who doeth evil shall meet with evil, for the Lord requiteth a man according to the measure of his work.

O my boy! what. shall I say more to thee than these sayings? for the Lord knoweth what is hidden, and is acquainted withthe mysteries and the secrets. And He will requite thee and will judge betwixt me and thee, and will recompense thee according to thy desert.’

And when Nadan heard that speech from his uncle Haiqar, he swelled up immediately and became like a blown-out bladder. And his limbs swelled and his legs and his feet and his side, and he was torn and his belly burst asunder and his entrails were scattered, and he perished, and died. And _ his latter end was destruction, and he went tohell. For he who digs a pit for his brother shall fall into it ; and he who sets up traps shall be caught inthem. This is what happened and (what) we found about the tale of Haiqar, and praise be to God for ever. Amen, and peace. This chronicle is finished with the help of God, may He be exalted ! ' Amen, Amen, Amen.

A. S, LEWIS.

The text of MS. Canon is as follows :

Said Khikar: He that doeth well to the good will meet with good. And fellow, with his own person filleth it. He who loves evil is hateful to many, and he who pursues

inherits it.

In the same hour Nathan 26° swelled up and all. his body burst asunder, and I said:

Son,* he that doeth good, 27 winneth good; and he that digs a pit for others, himself falls into the pit. The good endeth in good and the evil in evil.

Here endeth Khikar.t

F, C. CONYBEARE.

1 The last three words in Codex Ven. alone. ;

he who diggeth a pit for his the good

LE SDORY? OF AMWGAR

AETHIOPIC FRAGMENTS OF THE SAYINGS OF AHIKAR.

The following is the translation of the fifteen sayings of Ahikar, published by Cornill in his Mashafa Falésfé Tabtbdn, or Book of the. Wise Philosophers. These sayings are taken from two MSS., one at Frankfort and the other at Tiibingen. They apparently come from an Arabic collection of ethical maxims, and not from a complete story of Ahilar. We should have inferred that the precepts were in separate circulation in Arabic, from the title of a MS. in the Vatican described by Assemani which is said to contain icarz philosophi Mosulani praecepta.

Instruction of Haikar the Wise.

1 He spake as follows:

‘Hear, my son, and keep in remembrance my discourse, so that thou rememberest God the High and the Mighty.

My son, if thou hearest a discourse, hide it in thy heart and disclose it not to thy neighbour, that it become not to thee asa coal and burn thy tongue, and bring derision upon thee and make thee hateful to God.

2 Myson, make fair thy discourse and thy behaviour; for the wagging of a dog’s tail gives him bread, but his jaw brings him stones. .

3 My son, do not tarry with him,in whom there is strife: for strife brings controversy: and strife gives for an inheritance revengefulness and murder.

4 My son, if a house could be built by talk without action, an ass would build two houses a day.

5 My son, it is better to haul stones with a wise and understanding man, than to drink wine with a fool.

6 My son, so long as there are shoes on thy feet, tread down the thorns, and level the way for thy children and thy children’s children.

7 My son, if the rich man eats a snake, they say of him, “ He seeks a medicine therein” ; if, however, the poor man eats it, they say of him, “ It was from hunger.”

8 My son, if there come to thee a slenderer and poorer man than thyself, rise up to receive him.

9 My son, the wicked falls and rises not again; but the good man falls and rises immediately and remains in his condition.

10. My son, cease not to beat thy son; for the chastisement of a child is good for it, even as dung makes the land good; and as the land which is not rugged and on which there is grass delights the cattle, so doth a well-brought up son delight his father.

11 Myson, keep thy son in curb, as long as he is small, that he may not grow up and thou have no more control over him, and be fain to blush over his corrupt behaviour.

12 A fair repute is better than a fair appearance; for the fair repute abides for ever, but the fair appearance and form pass away.

13 My son, it is better to stumble with the foot than with the tongue; and bring no discourse out of thy mouth, before thou hast entered into counsel with thine own self.

14 My son, if the course of water should turn backwards, and if birds should fly without wings, and if the raven should become white as snow, then may a fool become wise.

15. My son, if thou wilt be wise, refrain thy tongue from lying and thy hands from stealing.’

J. R. HARRIS.

THE ARAMAIC FRAGMENTS FROM ELEPHANTINE.

The following represents roughly the narrative portion of the Ahikar-legend, and the most important of the Parables and Proverbs of Ahikar preserved in the papyrus:

>, oe Ahikar was his name, a wise and erudite scribe, who instructed hisson...... He Euidemeahe son will be 3.0. : ; TOE IlLCmn DELOLe ae tam ae NDAD Loin a Ae the Great Seal of Sennacherib, king of Assyria...... and. there was no son to me i? ...:. and Sennacherib,

3 king of Assyria, had fulfilled (his days) and Sennacherib died ...... his son, named Esarhaddon, 15 and he was king of Assyria in the place of his father (Sennacherib) ..... . Assyria. Thereupon Petrook) my son ....,. and I instructed him and virtue...... in the Palace along with at a I presented him before Esarhaddon, the king of Assyria. And wisdom... ... what

he had asked him. And thereon Esarhaddon, the king of Assyria, loved him and said, (Long) life Ae ae the wise scribe, the counsellor of all Assyria, who has appointed as his son, and no son 1 a and I bowed down and worshipped, I, Ahikar, before Esarhaddon (the king) of Assyria. US Ahikar, and when I saw the face of Esarhaddon, the king of Assyria, aise ore I rose a Gs I was ce Sennacherib hs father, who was ae (before ag : :

THE STORM. GP Arian

I shall not be able to serve (the king) in the gate of this palace ...... whose name is Nadin, my grown-up son, and he shall succeed me as Secretary.....-. (and Great) Seal shall he be; and also my wisdom and...... the king of Assyria. And he said to me, (like thyself). ..... and in thy stead he shall do thy work. ...... Favent sto. my house. 5.13 and I set him in the gate of the palace ...... and I said, he will seek after what is good ...... (my son Nadin) whom I have brought up, think on...... the king Sennacherib, thy father. ..... he is wise and according to his counsel and advice. ..... will much disquiet the king. Listen...... as

; ¢ : ‘ , , ‘ é : ‘ (Answered) Esarhaddon the king and Said Ghee ua citers whom my father hath made great, who (ate) the bread of my father...... thou wilt seek, where thou canst find...... that old man Ahikar. He is a wise secretary ...... whether he can corrupt the country against us, after that...... Assyria; he attached to him two men, in order tosee...... that officer (?) NabuSumiSkun, riding upon a swift horse. ..... with him after yet three days ...... and the others who were with him, as I was walking in the vineyards. NabuSumiskun, the officer, rent his garment, and lamented’. ... +; the wise Secretary and master of good counsel who..... - by whose counsel and words all Assyria was directed a eke bags (Nadin, thy son) whom thou hast appointed in the gate of the Palace, hath undone thee. Ne ee ae Then was I much afeard, even I Ahikar; and I answered and said to NabuSumiskun RS Iam he who aforetime saved thee from undeserved death ..... . the father of the present king, Esarhaddon, (was angry) with thee...... I brought thee to my house, thither

(I treated thee) as a man treats his brother, and I hid thee from the presence of (king Sennacherib). I said, I have killed him, until at another time and after yet many days I presented thee before king Sennacherib, and caused thy sins to pass away before him: and no evil did he to thee. And with me also king Sennacherib was well pleased, because I had preserved thee alive and not

ro slain thee. And now do thou also to me in the same fashion as I did to thee. Slay me not, but

II

bring me into thy house until other days. King Esarhaddon is merciful as one...... towards another. He will remember me and will long for my advice. Thou wilt then present me before him, and he will suffer me to live. Thereupon answered NabuSumiskun and said to me, Fear not. Thou shalt live, Ahikar, the father of all Assyria, according to whose counsel Sennacherib and all the Assyrian army were wont to make war. NabuSumiskun, the officer, spake to those two men, his companions, who were with him, (Listen) and I will give you a piece of advice, and it is good advice too. The two men answered and said to him, Tell it us then. And NabuSumiskun answered and said to them, Listen to me. Yonder is Ahikar, a great man. He is the Great Seal of Esarhaddon. According to his counsel and word is the whole army of Assyria governed. Do not let us kill him. There is a eunuch whom I have, and whom I will give you. He must be killed in the mountain; he shall be a substitute for Ahikar...... other people (may come and) see the body of yonder Ahikar, for the body of the young man, the eunuch, whom I have.......-

until our brother Esarhaddon (shall have regret) over our brother and the heart of Esarhaddon ......- ‘ I will give you much treasure...... and the soul (of the officer) was content with his two companions. (And they said,) Do as thou counsellest ...... Thereupon they slew the aforementioned eunuch

12 in the stead of Ahikar...... At that time report was made in the king’s palace, (and they said)

to the king, He hath been slain. Thereupon NabuSumiskun (brought me to his house, and he caused to be supplied to me there (meat and drink) and said, Let these things be furnished to my

13 lord (Ahikar). Likewise he brought much treasure ..... - Thereupon NabusumiSkun, the

officer, went to Esarhaddon the king (of Assyria), and informed him, saying, I went my way, (as directed) and I found Ahikar (walking in his vineyards), and I have put him to death. And do thou, O king, inquire of the two men whom thou didst appoint. Sospakehe...... until that Esarhaddon (believed his words).

(This is all of the narrative which has been preserved: the extant portions of the proverbial and allegorical parts of the book are very fragmentary in character, and uncertain as to their restoration, to order, and sense. The most important are as follows :—

What is stronger than a braying ass? ......-

The son who is instructed and disciplined, and who has on his feet .....-.

Do not withhold thy son from beating, ifthou......

My son, if I beat thee, thou diest not. And if I leave on thy heart .. «1. -

RHE SPORY OFCAHIRAR

re the-boy, likes :)..-. .. even so to all thy servants. : : : ; . : é

The lion willbe... ... the stag in the secret of his den ) Fe hs:

And he pours out his blood and eats his flesh ......

mimerass has left....... and does not\carry it. He takes up... .. from his companions; ee 6 5 which was not his

Watch carefully over thy, niouth= a ciewts «).« and make thy heart slow ), for the word spoken is like a bird, and he who utters it is like a man without ...... the craft of the mouth is mightier Buamane craft... ....

Do not conceal (?) the word of a king

They deal with trees by fire, with flesh by a knife, and with man......

Let not thy heart rejoice in the multitude of children and over their fewness (be not thou discouraged).

(Cf. Armenian sayings, No, 34.)

A king is as a merciful man, also his voice is higher than that of him who stands before him. . .

The king is fair to look on as the sun, and for them that walk the earth, his adornment is

costly ..

(My son,) I have lifted sand, and I have carried salt, but there was nothing heavier than cee I have lifted straw and handled @) the pores TIN fe and there was nothing lighter than the

The panther met the goat, and it was naked. And the panther answered and said to the goat, Come and I will cover thee with my skin. The goat answered and said to the panther, Why ...... my skin? Take it not from me

@hemvoli came tothe lambs(?)..... - and I will be silent. The lambs answered and said to him, Take what thou wantest from us ......

Nothing lies in a man’s power, to lift up his foot or to set it down ......

(Do not bend) thy bow and shoot an arrow at the upright, lest God should ...... and cause it to return upon thyself.

(Thou hast bent) thy bow and shot thy arrow at one who is more righteous than thou. That is a sin against our God.

A loan is heavy, and borrow thou not froma man...... and if thou contractest a loan, give thy soul no peace until F ess in thine ears, for the charm of a man is his trustiness, and his hatred is lying with his

The son of my body has spied out my Howse ids Saiehet oe hevhas told, strangers’.s..4..

He has become a false witness against me:

And who will now declare my righteousness ?

With him that is higher than thyself do not . thee ep With him that is stronger RU than sais do not ids... and be not insolent to thy father

The thorn-bush sent to the pomegranate (and said):

The thorn-bush to the pomegranate. How numerous are thy thorns for him who handles thee! The pomegranate answered and said to the thorn-bush,

Thou art all thorns for him who handles thee.

C. XXiil

c. xxiv. Alowmos 8& pi Tadoroincduevos, Eva Twa TOP Now. as Aesop himself had no children, he c. xxiv ebyevdr, "Evvov thy KAfjow, eloemoujoard Te kat és | annexed a certain young man of noble birth yunoiov Traida ro Paciret mpocevéyxas ovvéotnoe. | named Ennus, and brought him to the king, pera 3° od moddy xpdvov Tod "Evvov 77 To Oewevov | with commendation as his proper son. And madhakh osvppOapevtos, Alowmos TovTo yvovs, ame- | when, not long after, Ennus played false with the Aa’vew Evedde Tis oixlas. 6 O€, TI} kar éxelvou dpyy | concubine of his adoptive father, Aesop, becoming AnpOeis, emroTorAny TE nAacdyevos map Aloémov | aware of it, would have banished him the house. dndev Tpds Tors dvticodiCopevovs Aveiipy, os avrois | But he, seized with rage against him, and having Zrousds €ott mpoorlOerOar padrdov 7 TO Avxipo, T@ | forged a letter, to wit, from Aesop to the kings Bare? evexeipice, TO TOD Alodtov tavrynY oppaytwho were in contest with Lykeros, to the effect odpevos’ daktvAim. 6 S€ Baoideds 7H Te oppayid: | that he was prepared to take their side rather mevobels kal arapaityte épyn xpnodpevos, napaxphya | than that of Lykeros, went and put the letter 76 ‘Eppinmo Kedever, pndev e€erdoarta ofa 8% mpo- | into the king’s hands, having first sealed it with ddrnv diaxetpicac0a, Alownov. 6 dé “Epyiamos | Aesop’s signet. pidros te hv TO Alodr@ Kal rdre dy Tov Pirov éne- So he, being persuaded thereby, and under the | degev. ey Tie yap TGv Tapov pydevos eldéros | influence of implacable anger, forthwith directs kpv as Tov avOpwrov, év amoppirois éTpeev. "Evvos | Hermippus to make away with Aesop without dé, TOD Bacidéws Kedevoavtos, Tacay thy dSiotknow | a trial, on the ground that he was a traitor. Alodémov TmapéAaBe. Hermippus, however, was a friend of Aesop,

and showed himself so at the time. Without any one knowing it, he concealed Aesop in one of the tombs, and secretly maintained him. Meanwhile Ennus, by the king’s orders, took over all Aesop’s affairs.

c. xxv Mera 8€ twa xpdvov NextevaBo Bacrreds Alyv- Some time after, Nectenabo, the king of the c. xx

THE ‘STORY: OF AHIGAR

GREEK VERSION OF THE LEGEND OF AHIKAR.

The following is the portion of the story of

Aesop which shows coincidence with Ahikar.

Fabulae Romanenses Graece Conscriptae (ed. Eberhard).

x ny lol , Mera 8& TodTo Ths viocov andpas, Tepiyer THY olkovpevny, Tols aravtaxod TOV pirioadpay duadreydwevos’ adpikduevos O€ Kal pos BaBvAGva Kat TV a t / NI n Fa cal Eavtod coplav émderEdpevos, peyas Tapa TH Baotdet Avknpo y€éveTo. Bacirels mpds GAARAovs €lpyyynY EXOVTES Kat TEpews f , La ra \ ON aN ES xdpw TmpoBAnpata TeV codptotikOy pds adAnAovs ypdovres emeutov. Gmep ob pev emlAvopevor popovs ent pntois mpos TOy TEymdvT@Y éhayavov" Et dé py), rovs taous Tapetxov. 6 Tolvuy Alowmes Ta TeuTO;EVa Tév TpoBrAnpdtov AvKipe cvvav éTedve, Kat €VOOKL- pty emote, Tov Baothea. Kal avTos dé dia Avxnpov érepa Tois Baotedoww avrTeTEuTED, OV GAUT@V [LEvOvrev, pépovs 6 Bactreds tt TAEloTOUS eloémpattev.

atlov Tvdduevos Alownov TeOvnKeval, TEUTEL Avkijpe mapaxpima emorodnv, olkoddpovs avT@ amootethat Kedevovoay, ol mUpyov oiKkodourjoovcr pnt ovpavod pire yns anrdpevov, AAXG Kal Tov atoxpwwovpevov det mpds rdv0’ 60a. av epwrdy’ Kal TobTo ToWjoarTa, dpovs elompdrrew, el 38 py, KatariWerOat. Tadra TG Avkipo dvayvorbérta els Gvplay évéBare, yndevds TOY pirov Suvapyevov Td TpdBANwa TO Tepl Ted TUpyou ovvelvat.

KGT €Kelvous yap TOVS XpovoUs OL

about the world, in discourse everywhere with the philosophic; and having reached Babylon, he then also exhibited his wisdom and acquired renown with Lykeros the king: In those days the kings were at peace with one another, and used to amuse themselves by sending one another sophistical questions to answer; and those who could resolve them used to get for their answers tribute from those who proposed them; if, however, they failed, they paid in turn the like amount. So Aesop, who was associated with Lykeros, used to solve the problems which were sent to him, and caused the king to become famous. And he himself sent through Lykeros counter-challenges to the kings, the non-solution of which brought an abundance of revenues to the king.

Egyptians, having ascertained that Aesop was dead, forthwith sends to Lykeros a letter, commanding him to send builders to construct him a tower that should not touch either heaven or earth, and a man withal who should make him continual answer to all his questions; if thus he would do, he should revenues acquire; but if the contrary, he should pay them over. When these

After this he set sail from the island, and went c. xxiii

KV1. I

11 Tov hidov emideioOa.

14 kal mparTopeva Erepois Pepwv avabjoe.

15 AvTov.

EEE STORY

6 pevto. Bacireds Kal kiova tis Eavtod Bacidretas éheyey atoA@dexévat Tov Aiowrov. “Eppyutaos dé tiv Tod Baoirews bv Alowrov A¥Tny pabdv, TpocHADE TO Baowret cat Civ éxeivoy etnyyéAioato, mpocbels ws Todd ydpiv aiTov ovK dveider, cldOs Os pEeTapEdoeL Tote TH Bache? tis anopdcews. Tot d& Baciréws dvadepdvtws emt TovTos HoOevtos, Alcwros puter Kal avxpGv Gos TpoonvexOn, Kal Tod Bacthéws, ws elder avrov, daxptcavros Kal AovoacOai Te Kal THs AAANsS emupedelas aiwOijvar KeAevoarros, Alowmos peta TovTO Kal UTEp Gv KaTHyopnOn Tas aitias aTecKevdcato. ed ois kal Tod Bacthéws tov”Evvov dvaipeiv péAovTos, Alownos advT@ ovyyrepny itioaro. Eropevens be rovrois 6 Baotreds tiv Tod Alyuntiov émioroAty TH Alodrw enédwxer dvayvdvat. 6 d€ adtixa THY iow suvels TOO TpoBAnpatos, éyeAac€e TE Kal dvTiypddew exehevoev, ws emeidav XElmoy TapeEdOn, TEuPOjvat Tovs Te Tov TUpyov olKkodouyoovTas Kal TOV aToKpLYOU- pevov Tpds TA epwropeva, 6 BaciAreds ody Tos peV Aiyumtious mpéoBes anéoterev, Alodr@ dé tiv é€& apxis diolknow evexeipioey Gracav, Exdotov ats Tapadods Kat Tov "Evvoy. 6 6€ Atownos tapaAaBav tov “Evvov, ovdév andés aitov edpacev, GAN ws viM Tadw Tpoocxav, dAdovs re Kal Tovrovs UreTiOEL TOds Aoyovs.

©Téxvov, mpd Tavtwy o€Bov 7d Oetov; Tov Bactréa 2 6€ Tiva’ Kal Tots per €xOpots cov dewdy ceavTov Tmapackevace, iva pr Katappovaat cov’ tots dé pidous Tpaov Kal eipeTadoror, ws edvovatépovs cor waddov ‘ al Ni 3 viverOa, ert dE To's meV exOpods vooeiy ebxXOV Kal méeverOat, @s pr olovs Te civar AvTEiY GE Tovs Oe itovs kata mavta eb ampdtrew Bovdov. alet TH 4 yvvaikl cov xpnora@s Ouirel, O7ws érépov avdpds TELpav way Cytnon AaBEiv. Kobpov yap 70 Tv yuvatkor eoTe 5 pdAov Kai KoAakevdopevoy EAdtTw ppovel Kaka. d€etav pev mpos Adyov KTHoaL THY aKony, THs b€ yASTTHS 6 €yKpatis €oo. Tols ed mpartovow pr POdver, GAG ovyxaipe P0ovGv yap ceavtov paddAov PBraWes. 7 TOV oiKxeTov cov éeTipedod va pr) pdvov ws deaTdrTHV an \ a 8 oe poBdvrat, GAda Kal ws evepyérny aiddvTal. pi} ce \ g aioxtvov pavOdvew del ta kpelttT@, TH yuvatkl pndé- TOTE TLoTEvons aTdppyra, del yap OmACeTAaL TOs cov

IO Kuplevoet. Kal’ 7epay Kal eis THY avpLoy aTOTApLEvOU

BéAtLov yap TeAevT@yTa eyOpois Karaheipat, 7) CvTa EVTpoonyopos €ao Tots ovvay- TOoW, elds OS Kal TO KUvaplm ApTov 7) odpa Tpodaya0os yerdpevos pay petavder. Widvpor apopa ekBade ons oiktas, Ta yap ITO cov AEyopueva TpatTTe ev ‘ ‘ f A SEN XN lal s ‘ Ta pH AvTNOOVTA cE, ETL OE Tots oLpPatvovoL /2) pate Tmovnpa Bovdreon Tote prjre tpdoTovs KAKOV pipnon.

OP ARIKAR

things were read to Lykeros, they put him in a sad muse, seeing that none of his friends could understand the riddle about the tower. Whereupon the king was saying that he had lost in Aesop the very pillar of the kingdom. Hermippus, however, when he learned the king’s grief over Aesop, came to the king, and gave him the good news that he was yet alive, adding that it was for this very reason that he had not done him to death, because he knew that the king would some time repent him of the sentence. And when the king was mightily pleased thereat, Aesop was brought in to him, all filthy and begrimed, and the king, when he saw him, wept, and bid him to the bath and to be attended with all care, and after this Aesop cleared himself of all the accusations that had been made against him. Whereupon the king would in turn have slain Ennus, but Aesop asked that he would pardon him. Thereafter the king put into Aesop’s hand the letter of the Egyptian to read. And he, promptly divining the solution of the riddle, laughed and bid them dispatch a reply to the effect that, on the approach of winter, he would send him both the builders of the tower, and the person who should answer his questions. So the king sent ambassadors to Egypt, and to Aesop he entrusted all his ancient affairs, handing over to him Ennus, to boot. So Aesop took to him Ennus, nor wrought he him any unpleasantness, but dealing with him again as with a son, he imparted to him the following and kindred instructions.

‘My child,’ said he, ‘first of all revere the divine, c. xxvi. 1

and honour the king; to thine enemies make 2 thyself dread that they despise thee not: but to thy friends be gentle and generous, that they in turn may be better affected to thyself.

Further, let it be thy prayer that poverty and 3 sickness may be the lot of thy enemies, that they may not have it in their power to annoy thee ; but for thy friends desire good fortune in everything. Ever talk kindly to thy wife, that she 4 may not seek to make experiment of another man. For the female sex is a slight thing, and when flattered makes little of mishap. Keep 5 thine ear attentive to discourse, but be retentive of thy speech. Envy not the prosperous, but be 6 glad with them: for by envying thou wilt rather damage thyself. Have such care of thy servants 7 that they not merely fear thee as lord, but revere thee, too, as benefactor. Take no scorn to be 8 always learning better. Never entrust secrets 9 to the wife, for she ever sets her camp to have mastery over thee. Every day, and for the to morrow, do theu store up: for it is better to die and leave one’s estate to enemies than to live and 11 be dependent on friends. Be affable to those whom thou meetest, knowing that even for the 12 dog his tail provides him bread. When thou

<. XXVil

¢. XXVill

By oad

THE STORY OP MIniiahk

rovrois tod Aicdmov tov "Evvov vovbericarros, éxeivos Tois te Adyous Kal TH olkela cverdjoer ola rit Béder TAnyels THY Woxnv, per’ ov TOAAAS HEpas tov Blov petnd\Aa€ev.

Alcwnos d& rovs tEevtas mdvtTas TpocKaderdpevos, deTOv veotrovs Térrapas cvAAnPOvat Kedever, TvA- Anpbevtas obv obras COpewer, os A€yerat, Kal emaldevoev, Step od Tdvv Ti pe TELOdpEvoY exEL, Os Taldas 31a OvAdKwy adrots mpoonptnwevay Bacracovtas eis tos alperOat, kal oftws dmnxdovs Tots Tatolv elvat, ws Sroumep dv exeivor BovdowrTo intacba dy Te eis dos av re els yh xapace. Ths d& XEepwhs Spas Tapa- Spapovons Kat 7jpos diayeddoavros, imavra ra mpds ri dddv ovoKxevacduevos Alcwmos, Kal Tovs Te Taidas AaBdv cal rods derovs, anfpev eis AlyuTTov, TOAAT avracta cal 86€n mpds Katdmyngw trav exe Kexpnpévos. NexrevaBdo 8 dxotoas tapayeyovévar Tov Alcwrov, ‘ évidpevuat, nol tots pldrous, ‘wenabykos Alowmov TeOvnkevat.

Ty 0 éemiovon Ke\evoas 0 Baothevs TavTas TOUS EV Téder AevKas TEpLBadréoOar aToAGS, avTOs OE KLppay evedtoaro Kat Ouddnua Kal diaArOov KiTapiy. Kat na \ karecbels ef tYrnrod dSippov, Kal tov Alowmov cicaxOjvat KeAevoas, ‘ Tivt he eikaets, eloeAOdvTe pyoty, Aicwre, kal Tovs otv euol;’ Kal os, ‘oe pev NALw eapiva, Tovs d€ mepl ve TovTOLs patois OTaXvTL. Kal

6 Baowreds Oavudcas adtoy kal dépo eéekidsoaro. TH O€ meT Exelvny NuEpa TAALY O LEV Baotdevs otoAny Nevkotarny evoxevarduevos Tots 5€ Pido.s PowwiKas Kedevoas AaBety, civeNOovTa Tov Alowmoy THY TpOTEpay addis medow en’Oero. Kal 6 Alowmos, ‘oe pév, elmer, ‘ikaw HAl@, Tos d& mepl ve TobTOLS akTioL. kal 6 NexrevaBo, ‘ oiwar pndev etvar Avkjpov mpos ye \ PERS 5 / ae. Nae + lA ya riy euyy Baorclav’ Kat 6 Alownos peidtacas edn,

Paes OS > a oy Ne vy oe a i? pay evxepGs otra mepl éxelvou, ® Bacwred, oyiCov. Tpos pev yap TO tu€rEpov EOvos 7) tuGv emOerkvuwevy

Baotrela dixnv nAtov cedayet? ef O€ AvKnpw Tapa- ArnOein, ovdev dv d€or pr) TO POs TodTO Cdpoy arodexOnvar. Kal 6 NexrevaBo thy TGv Adywv evoToxiav extAayels, ‘iveyxas nuiv, edn, ‘tovs weAdovTas Tov lal > oO a

mUpyov olkodopety" Kal Os* ‘ €rowot etow, €f pdvov HmodelLers TOV TOTOV.’

peta TodTO eLehOav ew Ths TéAEws 6 Bacireds Em 7) mediov, bmEederée SiapeTpyoas Toy x@pov. ayayav toivuy Alowmos emt tas trodexyOeloas tod Témov yovias Térrapas Tovs TéTTApas TGV deTOv Ga Tots Tact 1d TGv OvAdKw annpTnevors, Kat olKoddpwv Tots Tarot

hast been kindly do not regret it. Turn the 13 whisperer out of thy house, for he will carry off and deposit with others whatever thou sayest or dost. Do such things as will grieve thee not afterwards, but over things that happen grieve thou not. Devise thou not evil, nor ever imitate the ways of bad men.’

When thus Aesop had admonished Ennus, the latter was compunct in soul as with an arrow at his words, and by his own conscience, and not many days after he departed this life.

Aesop then called to him all the hunters, and directed the capture of four eaglets. When these were caught he reared them (so it is said) and trained them (a thing which does not altogether convince me) to carry boys, attached to them by bags, up into the air, and to be so under the boys’ direction as to fly wherever they willed, whether to the heaven above or the earth beneath. Winter being now past and smiling spring arrived, Aesop made all things ready for his journey, and taking with him the boys and the eagles, he hied him to Egypt, employing much splendour and great array for the astonishment of the people in that country. Now when Nectenabo heard of the arrival of Aesop, he said to his friends, ‘I have been entrapped by the information of Aesop’s death.’

On the next day, then, the king bid all his officials to robe them in white raiment, whereas he clad him in a suit of orange, with a diadem and a jewelled turban. He took his seat on a lofty throne and bid Aesop to be summoned. To whom entering said he, ‘To whom dost thou compare me, Aesop, and those who are with me?’ Whereat he, ‘ Thee to the sun in spring, and them that are around thee to its beauteous ears of corn.’ The king marvelled at him, and honoured him, too, with gifts. On the next day the king arrayed him in purest white, and bid his friends be clad in purple, and upon Aesop’s entrance he asked him again his former question. Whereat - Aesop, ‘ Thee,’ said he, ‘ I compare to the sun, and them that are about thee to his rays.’ Whereat Nectenabo, ‘I think,’ said he, ‘that Lykeros has nothing to compare with this kingdom of mine.’ Aesop smiled, and said, ‘Reckon not so readily, O king, concerning him. To your people your vaunted kingdom hath indeed the splendour of the sun: but if it should be compared with Lykeros, it would take nothing to convert that light into mirk.’ Nectenabo, amazed at his witty words, inquired, ‘ Hast thou brought us those who are to build the tower?’ Said he,‘ They are ready, if only you show us the place.’

After that the king went out into the plain, and pointed out and measured the spot. Thereupon Aesop, bringing to the four corners of the place indicated the four eaglets with the boys fastened to them by bags, and giving to the

c. XXvii

C. XXVil

c. Xxix

THE STORY OF ATHIKAR

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hands of the boys the builders’ tools, bid them fly away. But they, mounted on high, kept crying out, ‘Give us stones, give mud, give timber, whatever else is proper for building,’ Nectenabo, regarding the lads high borne in the air of the eagles, said, ‘Whence shall I get me winged men?’ But Aesop said, ‘Yea! but Lykeros hath such: and wilt thou, a man, strive with a king, the mate of gods?’ Whereat Nectenabo: ‘I am beaten, Aesop,’ quoth he.

‘I will, however, ask thee somewhat, and answer thou me.’ Says he, ‘I have mares here, which, when they hear the horses in Babylon neighing, straightway conceive offspring. If thou hast aught of wisdom for that matter, show it.’ Said Aesop, ‘To-morrow, O king, I will answer thee.’ When he came to his lodging, he bid his boys to catch a cat, and when caught to drag it about in public and whip it. But the Egyptians who reverence that beast, seeing it suffer thus, ran together, and pulling the cat out of the hands of those that were whipping it, report immediately to the king its sufferings. He, then, called Aesop, and said, ‘ Knowest thou not, Aesop, that the cat is worshipped amongst us as a god? Wherefore hast thou done thus?’ Said he,‘ This cat, O king, in the past night, did wrong to King Lykeros, for he killed his cock, a game bird and well bred, which, further, used to tell him the hour of the night. To whom the king: ‘Dost thou not blush, Aesop, thus to lie? How came a cat in one night from Egypt to Babylon ?’ He, smiling, made reply: ‘And how, O king, do thy mares here conceive when the horses neigh in Babylon?’ When the king heard this, he commended his understanding.

Afterthishe sent for men from Heliopolis, expert in sophist questions, and having discoursed with them about Aesop, he invited them and him to a banquet. When they were set at meat, one of the citizens of Heliopolis says to Aesop: ‘I have been sent by my god with an inquiry for thee to resolve.’

‘Liar!’ said Aesop. from man. thy god!’

Another again said: ‘There is a great temple, and in it is a pillar, it has twelve gates, whereof each is roofed with thirty beams, and round these go two women.’ And Aesop replied: ‘Even boys in our country can solve that riddle; For the temple is this world, and the pillar is the year, the gates are the months, and their beams are the days: moreover night and day are the two women who succeed one another alternately.’

On the following day, Nectenabo called to him all his friends and said: ‘Through this Aesop we shall incur revenue debts to King Lykeros.’ But one of them said, ‘ Let us bid him

‘God needeth not lore Thou accusest not thyself only, but

1 Sic! lege mvAas.

THE STORVWOFr GHIKAR

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enounce riddles, of things we never heard nor saw. This seemed agreeable to Nectenabo, so he called Aesop and said: ‘Enounce us, Aesop, a riddle of somewhat we nor heard nor saw.’ Said he, ‘I will answer thee of this to-morrow.’ So he went away and composed a letter in which it was contained that Nectenabo admits that he owes a thousand talents to Lykeros, and on the morrow he returned to the king and gave him the document. But the friends of the king,

before the paper was opened, cried out together, ~

‘We both know this and have heard it, and we truly understand it. Said Aesop, ‘Thank you for your answer. But Nectenabo took and read the admission of the debt. Said he: ‘You all bear witness that I owe nothing to Lykeros.’ And they took him up and said, ‘We neither saw nor heard of it. Whereat Aesop: ‘And if the thing is really so, your inquiry is answered.’ To which Nectenabo said, ‘Happy is Lykeros who has such wisdom in his kingdom.’ So he handed over to Aesop the tribute as agreed, and sent him away in peace.

And Aesop, when he reached Babylon, discoursed to Lykeros of all that had taken place, and delivered to him the tribute. And Lykeros bid that a statue of gold should be set up to Aesop.

IN GRODUCTION

§ 1. SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE ZADOKITE PARTY AND INCIDENTALLY OF THE BOOK.

WRITTEN towards the close of the first century B.C. in good Hebrew,' our book represents the beliefs and expectations of a body of reformers who sprang up in the second century B.C. within the priesthood, as the Pharisees had within the laity, and called themselves, at all events in the first century, ‘the Sons of Zadok’.? The reformation, in which they were the chief movers, was the result of a slow but steady religious revival, which took place between the years 196 and 176 B.C. or thereabouts (i. 6), and which culminated at the close of this period in the formation of a Party within the priesthood. This Party—‘the penitents of Israel’—appears to have attempted the reform of irregularities connected with the Temple (§ 10. i), but having failed in the attempt they left Jerusalem and the cities of Israel, either voluntarily or under compulsion, and withdrew to Damascus under the leadership of ‘the Star’, otherwise designated as ‘the Lawgiver’ (§ To. i), where they established the ‘New Covenant’—‘the Covenant of Repentance’. Thus the first breach of the Party was with their brethren the Sadducean priesthood. After the institution of the New Covenant, the Party appears to have returned from Damascus and made the cities of Israel the sphere of their missionary efforts. For an unspecified period of years till the coming of the Teacher of Righteousness, they were to obey faithfully the interpretation of the Law laid down by the Lawgiver above referred to. It was probably during this period that they first came into open antagonism with the Pharisees—an antagonism which .grew in bitterness with the growing years. The most virulent attacks in our book are directed against the Pharisees (§ 10. ii), The ground for these attacks can be best understood from the knowledge of the origin of the Party. The movement that gave them birth was of an intensely ethical and religious character, and naturally tended to lead them to recognize the Prophets as of great worth, even if not of equal worth with the Law, and therein to differentiate themselves from both Pharisee and Sadducee. This was one cause of the breach with the Pharisees. Another arose from the fact that whereas the Pharisees were upholding and developing a vast body of oral tradition, the reformed Sadducees (i.e. our Party) absolutely opposed its acceptance except in a few particulars. They clung fast to the written Law and would have none of the oral. While the Pharisees called their school or college ‘the House of Midrash’, our Party designated theirs as ‘the House of the Law’. Furthermore, since they claimed to represent the true Israel, especially on the priestly side, to them belonged the covenants and the priestly functions, and the rights of teaching and judging Israel—which latter functions had been usurped by the Pharisees ; to them also belonged the Temple at Jerusalem as their Sanctuary, to them belonged Jerusalem, ‘the holy city’ (§ 10. iii).

The precepts of the Law as expounded by the Lawgiver were to be obeyed till the coming of the Teacher of Righteousness. This Teacher was to come ‘in the end of the days’. It was probably during this time that the Party assumed the name ‘ the Sons of Zadok’ (§ Io. iv).

After the death of the ‘Teacher of Righteousness’, whose teaching and activities are not recounted—a fact which points to the defectiveness of our MSS.—a considerable period elapses, much more than forty years. We have now arrived at the date of our author. He is living ‘in the end of the days’, and the advent of the Messiah ‘ from Aaron and Israel’ is momentarily looked for. If I am right in my interpretation of this phrase, the Messiah was to be a son of Mariamne and Herod (i.e. from Aaron and Israel), and the book was therefore written between 18 and 8B.c. Herod put his two sons to death in 8 B.C., since they were the popular idols of the nation, and so this hope, like so many that preceded it, failed to reach fulfilment (§ 12).

1 There are some Aramaisms and Rabbinic expressions in the text, but the Hebrew is good on the whole. 2 The Party, though originating apparently with the priests and Levites, came to embrace a strong lay element, just as the Pharisaic party, though in the main a lay movement, came ultimately to embrace a section of the priests.

The later history of the Sons of Zadok is buried in all but impenetrable gloom. It is, however, not at all improbable that many of their members joined the Christian Church (§ 10. vi). For their appreciation of the Prophets—unparalleled in legalistic Judaism ; their insistent preaching on the need of repentance ; their constant proclamation of God’s readiness to forgive the repentant; their expectation of a Messiah (and just at this period) and of a future life—all these beliefs and hopes prepared them to accept Christianity, and accordingly it is not unreasonable to conclude that they formed part of the ‘ great company of the priests that became obedient to the faith’ (Acts vi. 7).

SG bee LITLE.

Our book, which in its present form is only fragmentary, was most probably called ‘The Book of Zadok’ or some such designation. We draw this inference from the statements of Kirkisani, a Karaite scholar, who wrote in the tenth century A.D. and appears to have had our book or one closely resembling it before him. In his Kitab al-Anwar (‘ Book of Lights’) he states (1) that Zadok was the first to attack the Rabbinites. This is true of our author, who attacks fiercely the Pharisees of his time. Kirkisani further states (2) that Zadok absolutely forbade divorce: so our author in vii. 1; (3) that Zadok did not support by proofs the laws he laid down save in case of his forbidding a man to marry his niece—the daughter of his brother or sister—on the ground that these connexions were already prohibited in Lev. xviii. 13, being analogous to the forbidden connexion of a man with his aunt on the father or mother’s side: so in our author, vil. 9-10.

It is worth observing also that in i. 1a@ there is a play on the name Zadok, also that the Zadokites ascribed to a Zadok the merit of having rediscovered the Law, vii. 6. Who this Zadok was can hardly be determined. Inv. 7 ‘the Priests and the Levites and the sons of Zadok’ are mentioned. From the explanation of these words in vi. 1-2 it is clear that the Priests and Levites represent the original priestly founders of the Party, and that the expression ‘Sons of Zadok’ designates their spiritual successors ‘at the end of the days :

The text is preserved in two MSS. in the University Library, Cambridge, which are designated respectively as T.-S. 10 K. 6 and T!-S. 16. 311. After the precedent of Schechter, who presented - them to the Library and issued the editio princeps, they will hereafter be called A and B,

A, which embraces the entire work so far as it exists except ix. 28-54, consists of eight leaves 84x 74 in. The first eight pages have twenty-one lines on each page, pages g-12 have twenty-three lines on each page. As regards 13-16 the number of lines is uncertain owing to the mutilation of the bottom of the pages, but was probably twenty-three—there were at least twenty-two lines on pages 13 and 14. This mutilation extends in a slight degree to the edges of the leaves.

This MS. belongs according to Schechter to the tenth century, but the writing is of a decidedly careless description. °’ and 1 are frequently confused, and 1 is occasionally so large as to resemble }; 7 and mn are likewise confused.

B consists of a single leaf, 134 x 8 in., of the eleventh or twelfth century and is a more careful reproduction than A. There are thirty-four lines on each page. These two pages contain viii. 20— ix. 3, 10-54, thus preserving ix. 28-54, which has been lost in A, as well as ix. 11. That the MSS. were freely dealt with will be manifest from a comparison of ix. 3, where A gives a quotation from Isa. vii. 17, whereas instead of it B gives a quotation from Zech. xiil. 7.

§ 4. THE HEBREW TEXT AND ITS PHRASEOLOGY.

The text is on the whole fairly preserved, though there are many corruptions. Most of these can be emended with tolerable certainty. The rest can only be tentatively restored.

The language is in itself a witness to an ancient epoch, It is good Hebrew enriched by a few Aramaisms like the Book of Daniel and Sirach, though in a less degree. It contains also a few Mishnaic and Talmudic expressions, but in certain cases the phrases in question bear a different meaning in post-Biblical Jewish literature. The language, as has been generally recognized, is not that of the Mishnah, the Midrashim, or the Talmud.

Like Sirach, our author makes constant use of O. T. diction, but, unlike him, he quotes its text frequently in the name of the writer. At times our text is of the nature of a mosaic of O.T.

hrases.

i The language is, as we have said, pure Biblical Hebrew, but interspersed with a few phrases

which are not Biblical and are not attested save in Mishnaic or Talmudic Hebrew. Those of

a Talmudic character may be due to the substitutions of later scribes. Some of these can be

supported from Jewish pre-Christian literature. Thus wown bad: ‘the sun’s orb’, xiii. 1, is clearly the Hebrew implied by 1 Enoch Ixxviii. 4: 5xaw aan ‘the community of Israel’, xiv. 8, is

supported by the inscription on the Maccabean coins; see note zz loc.: imwand ‘allowing’, xiv. 1; cf. Sirach iii. 22, Mv71n ‘thou art allowed’: j3107 ‘that which has been prepared’, xiii. 8, implied in

Others which have not such ancient support are wy ii. 8 (note), MN’7I30 ‘the creation’ vii. 3— a Talmudic word; myn ‘sexual intercourse’ vii. 11; o2vn> ‘on the following morning’ a (note); M3Y) ‘entrance’ xiii. 16 (see note); j1D ‘wealth’ xviii. g (note); pupmm xix, 14 (see note).}

All the preceding words are authenticated in their use in our text by parallels in earlier or later Jewish literature; but there are some expressions, as might be expected, which are more or less unique in the meaning that must be attached to them in this book. Thus 71D ix. 1, &c., which means ‘ order’, ‘arrangement’, &c., is unexampled in Hebrew in this sense, but it is found in Aramaic (see note on ix. 1). Again, ninnwn na ‘the house of worship’, xiv. 2, is as a name of the Temple or a Synagogue a az. Aey. Again, the word 7p30n ‘the censor’, x. 10 (note), xvi. 1 (note), is used in Jewish literature, but not in the sense attributed to it in our text. Again, the term ny =‘ office’ (ii. 8 note), has in our text a nuance of its own, but Jewish literature furnishes fairly good analogies.

Finally, the term /‘P (see i. 5 note) must, I think with Lévi, Bacher, and Lagrange, be rendered ‘period ’ or ‘division of time’. No true parallel for this use of the word appears to occur elsewhere, though it is easy to see how it could mean ‘a final period’.

§ 5. THE ZADOKITES WERE A PARTY AND NOT A SECT.

Since there is no question as to the genuineness of the orders of the Zadokite Priests and Levites, and since further their Sanctuary, which is so often referred to (see note on i. 3), is, as Lévi has recognized, the Temple in Jerusalem, it follows that the Zadokites were not a heterodox Sect but a Party within Judaism. They were no more a Sect than the Pharisees. It is true that even the Pharisees are described as a Sect (aipeous) in Acts xv. 5, xxvi. 5, Joseph. Vzta 38; the Sadducees in Acts v. 17, Joseph. Avt. xx. 9. 1, and the Christians in Acts xxiv. 5, 14, xxviii. 22; but its application to the two former is a misuse of the term. If, however, we use this term of the Pharisees and Sadducees, there can be no objection to its application in the same sense to the Zadokites. But since the term is in itself misleading we shall only speak of the Party of the Zadokites.

§ 6. DATE OF THE ORIGINAL.

The limits of time between which our book appears to have been written seem clear. Since the Book of Jubilees is referred to (xx. 1) it must have been written after 106 B.c. This forms the terminus a quo. The terminus ad quem is no less obvious; for the Temple is still standing (see note on i. 3, where it is shown that the Sanctuary so often referred to is the Temple).*. Thus our

book was written between 106 B.C. and 70 A.D. But it may be possible to define these limits more closely, and fix on one or other of two

periods within these limits.

(i) If the nation was free from foreign control, as might be inferred from our entire text, with the exception of the doubtful passage in x. 1, then it was written before Pompey seized Jerusalem in 63 B.C., or before Judaea was made a Roman province by Gabinius in 57 B.c. This would bring the composition of the book within the years 106-57 B.C.

1 Schechter treats 13M ‘incurred guilt’, iv.9,asaRabbinicterm. But itis found in the Pielin Dan.i. 10, and critics read "N3n for NID in 1 Sam. xxii. 22, in accordance with the LXX, Vulg. and Pesh. Again, M31 OF ‘the blood of her issue’, vii. 8, is a Biblical expression (cf. Lev. xv. 19 T1W3I NA 1 O71), and not merely a Rabbinic one.

2 In addition to the grounds given in i. 3 as proofs that the Temple was still standing when our book was written, is to be mentioned the fact that nowhere is the destruction of the Second Temple so much as hinted at. Had it already occurred our author could not have omitted such an argument in support of his attack on the Pharisees. For it is characteristic of his method to trace the great national calamities of the Jews to their unfaithfulness to God. This, he declares, was the ground of the Captivity in 586 B.C., and the destruction of the First Temple, i. 3sqq. The same unfaithfulness (ix. 17-19) led to the desolation of Judaea and Jerusalem under Antiochus Epiphanes (ix.20). And yet, notwithstanding such judgements in the past, ‘the builders of the wall’ (i.e. the Pharisees), our author complains, persist in their evil ways (ix. 21). Now, if the Second Temple had been already destroyed, this latest and overwhelming judgement could not have been passed over. Our author would have pressed it home as an irresistible proof of their guilt. That he did not do so is no accident. It was an event still in the future.

Some statements partially support this date. (a) The expectation of the Messiah from Aaron and Israel, ii. 10, viii. 2, ix. 10 (B), 29(B), xv. 4, xviii. 8. This expectation arose, as we know, in connexion with the Maccabean family, and probably persisted only in connexion with that family. But for the peculiar statement ‘from Aaron and Israel’, we could with some reason infer that the Maccabees were still ruling. (4) The halacha are severer than those in the Talmud and are closely related in some respects to those in the Book of Jubilees. (c) ix. 39, which speaks of ‘the men of war’ who marched with ‘the man of lies’ during forty years, would apply tolerably to Jannaeus, who was rightly an object of unmixed hatred to all the faithful of his time. He was a great warrior and his troops were ever on the march. It may, however, be objected that this king reigned not forty but twenty-six years. But to surmount this difficulty it is only necessary to suppose that the book was written during his lifetime, and that the writer expected an evil period of forty years like that in the wilderness. We have a good parallel in the ‘Assumption of Moses ’, where the author predicts that the sons of Herod would reign for a shorter period than their father. This prediction was falsified.

If the above reasoning were valid, our book was probably written between 106 and 58 B.C. But there are stronger grounds for a later date.

(ii) Our book was most probably written between 18 B.C. and A.D. 70, or possibly between 18 B.C. and 8B.c. The grounds for these dates are as follows: (a) x. 1 does seem to imply political subjection on the part of the Jews. Hence our author wrote after 63 or 57 B.C. (0) The phrase ‘man of lies’ receives its most easy explanation as applied to Herod the Great, who reigned forty-one years. The phrase ‘man of lies ’ is eminently fitting for a prince who was wholly devoid of principle and religion. The ‘men of war’ who went with him were his fierce soldiery—all mercenaries, Galatians, Thracians, Germans—who on the slightest uprising struck down relentlessly on every side! Now, if these identifications are valid, our book was written either during Herod’s life, 37 B.C.—A.D. 4, or after Herod’s death, accordingly as we take the forty years in our text as a prediction or as recording a fact already past. The next piece of evidence—the peculiar form of the Messianic expectation—favours the former alternative. (¢) The Messiah was to arise from Aaron and from Israel. See § 12. This implies that he was not to be purely of Levitic or priestly descent, but to be sprung from Levi (i.e. the Maccabees) and some other tribe of Israel. Now when all the direct male descendants of the Maccabees were put to death directly or indirectly by Herod—Antigonus II in B.c. 37, Antigonus ITI, the brother of Mariamne, in 35 B.C., Hyrcanus II in 30 B.c.—there remained only Mariamne, the wife of Herod, who represented the royal Maccabean house both on her father’s and her mother’s side and all its claims, and the two sons of Mariamne and Herod, Alexander and Aristobulus. In 29 B.C. Mariamne was executed on a false charge by Herod, and so her two sons Alexander and Aristobulus might reasonably be described as descended from Aaron and Israel, seeing that Mariamne was of Aaronic descent alike on her father’s and her mother’s side, and Herod was said to be a Jew (Jos. Avs. xx. 8.7; cf. xiv. 1. 3), and the Herodian family regarded themselves as Jews, though they were at times reminded that they were only half Jews (Azé. xiv. 15. 2). These two young men were held in high esteem by the nation owing to their descent on their mother’s side and their own brilliant qualities (Amz. xvi. 1. 2), and it is quite possible that the Zadokite Party may have cherished the hope that one of them might become the Messiah, just as similar hopes had arisen in connexion with the earlier Maccabees in the second century B.C. If this be so, our book was probably written between 18 B.C. (when these youths returned to Jerusalem after finishing their education in Rome) and 8 B.C., when they were put to death by their father. With their death the hope of a Messiah arising from the Maccabean family must have finally perished.’ Hence it is not improbable that our book was written during the lifetime of these young princes.

§ 7. INTEGRITY OF THE TEXT.

(i) Our text is zxcomplete. This is obvious even on the most cursory examination. Its end is missing, and probably large portions of the rest of the text as at the close of ix. In the case of the

1 Herod treated the Sadducees with the utmost rigour. He executed forty-five of the ablest and wealthiest of their party, and confiscated their estates (Jos. Ant. xv. 1.25 Xiv. 9. 4; Bell. lud.i. 18. 4). The hatred of the priesthood for Herod is therefore very intelligible.

2 Both Alexander and Aristobulus left sons, the former having married Glaphyra, the daughter of Archelaus, king of Cappadocia, and the latter Bernice, the daughter of Salome. But the descendants of Alexander abandoned Judaism, and the descendants of Aristobulus, being three-fourths Herodian in blood, could not represent the priestly and royal house of the Maccabees, while their infamous character in itself was enough to alienate the few, if any, surviving hopes that attached to this great family. 39

A text we see that after ix. 28 there is a loss of twenty-six verses, which have happily been preserved in the B text.

(ii) Our text is in great disorder. The question of vows is introduced in ix. 1, and then ignored till xx. 2-12. The enumeration of the laws of the Sabbath is given in xiii. 1-11, broken off in xiii. 12 and resumed in xiii. 13, broken off in xiii. 27 and resumed in xiv. 6. The duties of the Censor are dealt with in xvi. 1-12, and again in xvii.6-7. The laws as to Uncleanness are scattered here and there throughout chapters xii—xv, i.e. in xii. 1-2, xiii. 12, xiv. I-3, 7-16; xv. 1-3.

(iii) Our text may be based on an earlier document or documents. This appears to be so in i. 5, where there is a prose insertion in the midst of verse. A still more obvious prose addition is to be found in ii. 8. Yet these prose additions are in character with the later chapters of the book.

§ 8. ATTITUDE OF THE PARTY TO THE O.T. AND OTHER ANCIENT JEWISH BOOKS.

We have here a very interesting question. We have to inquire into the attitude of the Party towards the various sections of the O.T., i.e. the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa. In this inquiry we shall, for the present, take account only of those passages which are introduced by such significant expressions as TON WN, WMS Wr, &c. Afterwards we shall deal with those passages which are actually quotations, but which are not introduced as such. Bya study of these two classes of passages, we shall be able to determine the respective values our author set on the three divisions of the O. T.

(i) Quotations from the O.T. introduced as such (a) but without mention of the speaker or writer.

(2) MON AWN (= cabds civev John i. 23, vii. 38: cf. Kabds eAddnoe Luke i. 55, 70). This expression is used once of the Law, i.e. Num. xxx. 16 in ix. 1, and three times of the Prophets, i.e. Amos v. 26-7 in ix. 5, Amos ix. 11 in ix. 6, and Hosea iii. 4 in ix. 40. This usage, as we have seen above, is found in the N. T. also.

() Spx WN (cf. mpopnra. . . doo €ehddnoay Acts iii. 24, and 6 Adyos “Hoaiov... ov eine John Xii. 38). This expression is used twice of the Law, i.e. Lev. xix. 18 in x. 2, and Deut. xxiii. 24 in xx. 4: and twice of the Prophets, i.e. Hos. v. 11 in vii. 1 and Mic. vii, 2 in xx. 11. This usage also belongs to the N. T.

(c) aIn2 (= yéyparra Matt. iv. 4, 6, 7, 10, xxi. 13, &c.). This expression is used once of the Law, ie. Deut. xvii. 17 in vii. 4, once of the Prophets, i.e. Nahum i. 2 in x. 3, once of the Hagiographa, i.e. Prov. xv. 8 in xiv. 1. It occurs also in xiii. 27, but the quotation is lost. This is the most usual of the N. T. usages.

(dz) 31ND AWND (= xaos yéyparraa Mark i. 2; Luke ii. 23; Rom, i. 17, iii, 10, &c.3 as yéyparra Mark vii. 6; Luke iii. 4; xaos éorw yeypaypévov John vi. 31). This expression is used of the Law, i.e.

(e) 53 ( 3.:N32—practically the same as the preceding kara rd yeypappévov 2 Cor. iv. 13 (cf. xabdmep yéyparra. Rom, iii. 4, ix. 13, &c.—Wesicoit and Hort)). This expression is used of the Law, i.e. Deut. vii. 9 in

(8) With mention of the speaker or writer.

(2) Ss oN Wwe (cf, @v eAddnoev 6 Beds Sua ordparos 7, dylwy ... mpopynrey Acts ili, 21). This expression is used twice of the Law, i.e. Deut. xxxii. 33 in ix. 19 and Lev. xix. 17 in x. 5 ("ION WN by), and once of the Prophets, i.e. Mal. i. 10 in vill. rr.

(0) nv TeX AWK. This expression is used of the Law, i.e. Deut. ix. 5 and vii. 8 in ix. 23 (A B). In vii. ro we have DN AWD (= Movoijs efrev Mark vii. 10; Acts iii. 22) used of Lev. xviii. 13.

(2) Sypin) D3 TON wR in ix. 11 (B) from Ezek. ix. 4.

(ce) AD WI ND AW in ix. 2 (B) from Zech. xiii. 7.

If we summarize the above facts, we find that, while the Hagiographa is expressly quoted once, the Law is quoted ten times and the Prophets eleven times. Thus in the eyes of the Zadokite Party the Prophets were at all events not less important than the Law, though theoretically the Law was held in the highest honour: cf. xix. 2, 11, xx. 2,7. In this respect this Party are at variance with the practice of Judaism as a whole after the year A.D. 70, but not with the Apocalyptic or more spiritual side of Pharisaism before the Christian era. The chief studies of Apocalyptic Pharisaism were devoted to Prophecy, and hence to them the Law and the Prophets were practically of equal worth, however differently they might view this question ¢heoretically. At all events, in the Apocalyptic School of Pharisaism this practical equating of the Law and the Prophets was current, and in this respect the Zadokites approximated to this School, being no doubt influenced by it. We are not surprised, therefore, that in the N. T. the actual phrase ‘the Law and the Prophets’ is

xxiv. 14, xxviii.23; Rom. iii. 21, and in the inverse order in Matt. xi.13. The N.T. usage represents the culmination of this tendency which was at work in the preceding two centuries and more.

But in addition to the O.T. books our Party assigned to other writings a canonical or a deutero-canonical value!. For in vi. 10 we have the expression ‘concerning which Levi the Son

of Jacob spake’ (3py 4A »> nmdy psx we), the source being probably the Test. Lev. ix. 9, xiv. 5-6, xvi. 1. In xi. 4 there is a quotation drawn apparently from Jub. xxiii. 11, and the title of this book is given in full in xx. 1. Possibly to both these books a quasi-canonical authority was accorded. Another book—hitherto wholly unknown—is ‘the Book of the Hagu’ in xi. 2, xv. 5, xvii. 5. From the contexts in which it is mentioned it seems to have contained traditional decisions. The ten judges of each congregation (xi. 1-2) were to be thoroughly versed in it (cf. xv. 5). These judges were both clerical and lay. Associated with this book is another entitled the ‘Ordinances (or ‘ Foundations’) of the Covenant’ (xi. 2). This work probably contained the statutes of the New Covenant which was drawn up at Damascus. Again, in vii. 19 we have mention of the apocryph entitled ‘Jannes and Jambres’. Finally, in ix. 28 A there may be an allusion to two Pseudepigraphs—‘ This is the word which Jeremiah spake to Baruch the son of Neriah, and Elisha to his servant Gehazi’.

In these two respects : 1° in the recognition of the Prophets as pretty much on the same level as the Law; 2° in the use and even the quasi-canonical recognition of a body of Pseudepigraphs, the Zadokite Party is like most of the intensely religious parties in Palestine before the Christian era ; for all these parties edited Pseudepigraphs.|

§9. The Zadokite Party had its Origin in the Priesthood (i.e. the Sadducees) but was closely related to the Pharisees.

The Zadokite Party represents an attempt at reform beginning within the ranks of the priesthood and extending outwards so as to embrace a strong lay element (xi. 2, xvii. 1-3), just as the Pharisaic movement was an attempt at reform initiated on the side of the laity but ultimately embracing a large section of the priesthood.

We have already come to the conclusion (§ 5) that the Zadokites formed a Party and not a Sect in Judaism. We have now to determine, so far as we may, the position and affinities of this Party in relation to the Samaritans, Essenes, Pharisees, and Sadducees. In the course of this comparison many of the distinctive teachings of this party will come to light.

1° The Zadokites were not Samaritans. The Zadokites were not Samaritans; for not only did they acknowledge the canonicity of the Prophets and Hagiographa, which the Samaritans denied, but they set on these two divisions of the O.T. a higher value than the legalistic side of Pharisaism.

2° The Zadokites were not Essenes. The Zadokites were not Essenes, since they inculcated the duty of animal sacrifice, xiii. 27 ; xiv. I.

3° The Zadokites were related in point of origin and name to the Sadducees, but were not Sadducees in the ordinary sense but a reformed Sadduceeism, The two names are the same in Hebrew, opty. The Zadokites called themselves ‘sons of Zadok’ pry 3, vi. 2, and this was also

the name of the priests: cf. Sir. li. 12° (Hebrew) wd prs 32 smb yn ‘Praise Him who chose the sons of Zadok to be priests’. With this designation in Sirach cf. Ezek. xl. 46, xliv. 15, xlviii. 11; 1 Chron. xxix. 22. Thus the Party did not choose a new name but retained the name to which they had a right as priests and Levites. By so doing they no doubt claimed to be the true ‘sons of Zadok’ as opposed to the Sadducean priesthood. For, though they belonged in point of origin to the Sadducean priesthood, they came to differ essentially from them through internal reform and the adoption of new tenets. Theirs was a reformed Sadducecism.

(2) They believed in a blessed future life, v.6. So also the priestly author of the Book of Jubilees believed.

(4) They believed in the advent of the.Messiah, ii. 10 (B), &c.

(c) They cultivated an ascetic form of life, viii, 12-20, as opposed to the self-indulgent life of the Sadducces: and shunned the wealth of the Temple, viii. 12, but the meaning of this passage is doubtful.

(2) They set a value on the Prophets and Hagiographa which the Sadducees would wholly have repudiated.”

1 In Test. Lev. x. 5 there is an express quotation from 1 Enoch Ixxxix. 54. This recognition of Pseudepigraphs was very general before A.D. 70. Whatever the Law was in theory, these books formed the living literature of the most ‘ardent spirits of the time. The Book of Daniel is simply the most prominent member of this class.

2 That in our Lord’s time the main body of the Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch as movmaztive is clear from | the fact that the only argument He used in favour of a future life in His debate with them was drawn from the Pentateuch. The same argument was used by the Samaritans for the same purpose. See Encyc. Bib. iv. 4240.

(e) They attacked the Hellenizing priesthood, ix. 19-20. ‘Their wine is the poison of dragons’: i.e. they adopt the ways of the Greeks.

(7) They recognized a certain amount of tradition, whereas the Sadducees rejected all but the written Law. Cf. Jos. Amt. xiii. 10.6. Inthe middle of the first century B. C. there was a great strife between the Pharisees and Sadducees, in which the former won the day under the leadership of Simon ben Shetach and Judas ben Tabbai. So overjoyed were the Pharisees over this victory, i.e. of oral tradition over the letter of the written Law, that they instituted a festival to commemorate it (Meg. Taan. iv).

(g) They accused Israel of ‘despising the prophets’, ix. 7. This charge could not have been brought by a purely Sadducean priest but only by a reformed Sadducean priest.

4° The Zadokites were related in many respects to the Pharisees but were not Pharisees. They were related in many respects; for

(a) They believed ina blessed future life, v. 6.

(a) ',, % the advent of the Messiah, ii. 10, &c.

(a 35 a certain body of tradition.

(e) 5 the divine predestination, ii. 6, 10¢, and yet in free-will, iii. 1-2, 7, iv. 2, Io,

i) They required separation from the people of the land, ix. 18.

But in many respects they were opposed to the Pharisees.

(a) The attack on ‘the builders of the wall’, vii. 1, ix. 21, 26, can be best explained in reference to the Pharisees and the abnormal growth of oral tradition (see note on ix.\21). The Pharisees ‘removed the landmark’, viii. 1, and they made the written Law of none effect by their tradition.

(6) The Zadokites forbade divorce, vii. 1-3, which was permitted freely by the Pharisees. Hence the charge of fornication brought against the Pharisees in vii. 1.

(c) The charges of robbing the Temple offerings may have been directed against them. Simon ben Shetach, the chief Pharisee of the reign of Jannaeus, was charged with this offence: see viii. 12 note. But the text may be interpreted differently (see (g) below).

(d) While it was the practice of the Rabbis to derive halacha from the Pentateuch almost universally, the Zadokites, owing to the higher estimation in which they held the Prophets, founded halacha on their writings. Thus halacha are derived, x. 4, from Nahum i. 2; in x. 6 from also in the Mishna; in xiv 1 from Prov. xv. 8.

(¢) The Zadokites, like the Sadducees (‘Erub vi. 2), were opposed to the Pharisaic principle of the ‘Erub, i. e. the combination of several private precincts in order to justify the carrying of food and vessels from one house to another on the Sabbath day: see our text xiii. 16.

(f) Our text in xiv. 15 (see note ad fin.) seems to extend the power of contamination from direct to indirect contact. This legislation was due to the Sadducees, Yad. iv. 7.

(g¢) Possibly the difficult words ‘to hold aloof... from the wealth of the Sanctuary’ (viii. 12) may be interpreted as referring to the Sadducean contention that the daily burnt-offering (Num. xxviii. 4) should be offered at the personal cost of the High Priest: whereas the Pharisees maintained that it should be provided as national sacrifice by the Temple treasury.

(2) The Zadokites charged the Pharisees with profaning the Temple through sexual pollution, vii. 8: with allowing a man to marry his niece, vii. g—an’act in which some of the Rabbis actually gloried: with disturbing the Sabbaths and festivals through their revolutionary reforms of the Calendar, v. 2 (see note). Though the details are not given they can be discovered by means of Jubilees and the Talmud. The Pharisees further were charged with usurping (i. 11) the judicial functions of the priesthood, vi. 4. Hence their judgements could not be right.

From the first of these two lists it appears that the Zadokite party were closely related to the Pharisees in their eschatological doctrines (a, 0, c), in their acceptance of a limited measure of tradition, (2) in their views on predestination and free-will, and in their insistence on separation from the people of the land (e, f). On the other hand, from the second list it is clear that on several important questions as tradition, divorce, and the source of halacha they were opposed to the legalistic Pharisees, and in certain others mentioned under ¢, f, (g?), #, they held fast to the positions maintained by the Sadducean priesthood. From these two facts, combined with the facts stated under 3°, the natural conclusion is that the Zadokites had their origin in the priesthood and formed a party within it but a reforming party, the reformation being due largely to the Apocalyptic side of Pharisaism as ts shown by the extreme importance attached to O.T. prophecy and the advanced views on Eschatology.’ The

1 The Zadokites, owing to the right estimation they placed on O.T. prophecy, would naturally have been predisposed to accept Christianity, even in a greater degree possibly than the Apocalyptic side of Pharisaism. They may have formed part, at all events, of the ‘ great company of the priests’ that became ‘ obedient to the faith’ (Acts vi. 7).

fact that they used the literature that supported the claims of the Maccabees (i.e. Test. Twelve Patr. and Jubilees) would in part account for their looking forward to a Messiah sprung from the Maccabees, but see § 12. :

§ 10, THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE ZADOKITE PARTY.

About 390 years after the fall of Jerusalem, i.e. 196 B.C. God had mercy on His people and ‘visited them,

And He made to spring forth from Israel and Aaron A root of His planting to inherit His land’ (i. 5).

The order in this statement is remarkable, i.e. not ‘from Aaron and Israel’, but ‘ from Israel and Aaron’. If this order is original it seems to indicate that the religious revival referred to in i. 5-6 originated on the side of the laity. In other words, it was the same great lay movement that gave birth to the Pharisaic Party and likewise to the Zadokite, but, whereas in the case of the former the lay element always remained paramount, in the case of the latter the priestly element held unquestioned sway.

I will now place under separate heads the chief stages in the actual as well as the expected developments of the Zadokite Party.

(i) Rise of the Party and its breach with the Sadducean Priesthood. When God visited His people about 196 B.C. there ensued a period of spiritual unrest which lasted for twenty years, during which Israel ‘groped after the way’, and came to know that ‘they were guilty men’, i.6. What followed immediately on this religious revival we can gather by reading between the lines. For from their vigorous action later we are justified first of all in inferring that this religious revival led to action, and in the next place, from their subsequent protest, which runs through several chapters, against the profanation of the Temple by the (Hellenizing) priests and others, we may reasonably conclude that the first public act of the Zadokite Party was the denunciation of the irregularities connected with the Temple worship in more scathing and irreconcilable terms than had been used by Malachi the prophet and 1 Enoch. But when in this attempt at reform they failed to gain the support of the people (cf. 1 Enoch xc. 6-7), they migrated either voluntarily or under compulsion to Damascus, vi. 1, possibly soon after 176 B.C., under the leadership of ‘the Star’, ix. 8, whose advent had been foretold in Num. xxiv. 17.

(ii) The establishment of the New Covenant of Repentance and the subsequent breach of the Party with the Pharisees. ‘The Star’ just referred to is likewise called ‘the Lawgiver’ (ppm), viii. 5, 8, y. He was not a lawgiver in the sense of Moses, but rather an interpreter of the Law. Of the Star, as of the Lawgiver, the outstanding characteristic is that ‘he studied the Law’, viii. 8, ix. 8. Under this Lawgiver the religious side of the movement culminated at Damascus in the establishment of ‘the new Covenant’ (nwann nan), viii. 15, ix. 28, 37—the covenant foretold by Jeremiah xxxi. 30 sqq., though this claim is not advanced by our author. This covenant was fittingly called ‘the covenant of repentance’ (n2wn n73), ix. 15 (B)), seeing that the Party as a whole originated in a conviction of their sinfulness before God, i. 6, and that they designated themselves as ‘the penitents of Israel’ (bs1w ‘1v), vi. 1, viii. 6, ix. 24; for they ‘repented of their transgression’, ii. 3, ix. 41; and dwelt frequently on the fact and the marvellousness of the — divine forgiveness, ii. 3, v. 5, vi. 6, ix. 54, xviii. 8. To them the words of Ezekiel xliv. 15 were addressed, v. 7, and thus they alone formed the true priesthood of Israel, vi. 1-2.

Under the leadership of the Lawgiver the Party established itself resolutely on the lines of the written Law. In this task he was assisted by the other members of the Party, viii. 5.

‘A well the princes digged, The nobles of the people delved it By the order of the Lawgiver.’

‘The well’ here, as our author explains, is ‘the Law’, and ‘they who digged it are the penitents of Israel’, viii. 6. But ‘the Law’ is not to be understood in the narrow sense of the Pentateuch. It embraces the Prophets and the Hagiographa. From the standpoint of the latter can be explained their adoption of certain tenets of the higher theology, which, from the standpoint of unreformed Sadduceeism, would have been impossible (see $$ 8 and 9. 3°).

It was most probably the intensely ethical and religious character of the revival in which the

_ } But it is to be observed that in viii. 3, where the same movement is referred to, its leaders are described as being raised by God ‘ from Aaron. .. and from Israel’, These words would represent the religious reformation as due to the joint efforts of the priests and the laity.

Zadokite Party originated that led to their recognition of the Prophets as of equal value with the Law. It is this equal recognition of the Law and the Prophets that differentiates the Zadokite Party alike from the legalistic Pharisee and the unreformed Sadducee.

Taking their stand, therefore, on the written word, they charged the Pharisees with raising such a body of tradition (i.e. ‘the wall’ referred to in vii. 1, ix. 21, 26) round the written Law that it was made void (see § 9. 3°, 4°) : with speaking rebellion against the Law and leading Israel astray, viii. 1, and despising the words of the Prophets, ix. 7. As the true representatives of the Law, they designated their Party as ‘the House of the Law’, ix. 35, 37, though it is possible that this phrase may mean the School or College belonging to their Party in which the Law was taught.'

(iii) Zhe Party claims to be the true Israel: hence the Temple was their Sanctuary, Ferusalem their holy city, and the cities of Israel the sphere of their missionary effort. The New Covenant was established by the leaders of the Party in Damascus, but from thence they returned to the land of Israel. There is not a hint that Damascus continued to be even one permanent place of sojourn of the Party among others, much less their head-quarters. Cf. viii. 6 with viii. 15, ix. 28, 37. For the true Israel as they claimed to be, heirs of all the divine promises, to whom belonged the Covenants, the priestly functions, the rights of teaching and judging Israel—which latter privileges had been usurped by the Pharisees—the Temple at Jerusalem (i. 3 note), in whose sacrifices they took part,’ xiii. 27, and none other could be their Sanctuary, and Jerusalem and none other their Holy City, ix. 46, the city of their Sanctuary, ix. 46, xiv. 4, and all the cities of Israel were theirs to be instructed by them in the Law of God, xv. 1-3.

In all these cities the Zadokites organized themselves in congregations and assemblies, of which there are no less than five distinct Hebrew words used (see note on 1. 17). Only the faithful members of the Party were allowed to share in their worship or take part in their counsels. To these a candidate for membership could be admitted only by the Censor, xvi. 6. Should a member of the Party profane the Sabbath or the Feasts he was to be excluded, and not to be restored for a period of seven years after his repentance, xiv. 6.

(iv) Period of obedience to the precepts of ‘ the Lawgiver’ (or ‘the Star’) till the coming of the ‘ Teacher of Righteousness’. The Party henceforth called the ‘ Sons of Zadok’. ‘Throughout the full period of the wickedness,’ viii. g (cf. i. 5 note), the Zadokites were to walk according to the precepts laid down by the Lawgiver in accordance with the Law, viii.g. All such as disobeyed these precepts were to be expelled from the congregation, ix. 31, and not reinstated until they returned to the degree of holy perfection, ix. 32. But in case they persisted in their apostasy, they and theirs should no longer have a share in the House of the Law, ix. 34-5. Besides these precepts they were to receive no fresh revelation or instruction till the ‘Teacher of Righteousness’ arose ‘in the end of the days’, viii. 10, i. 7 note. This last phrase is eschatological and indefinite, and does not help towards fixing the date of this Teacher. At all events, a probably considerable period elapsed between the founding of the New Covenant and his advent. From the fact that we are told nothing about the teaching of this Teacher of Righteousness, we may conclude the defectiveness of our MSS. The task of this Teacher, who was also designated the Unique Teacher, ix. 29, 39, 53, was apparently to prepare the way for the Messiah. Not improbably it was during the time of this Teacher that the Zadokites came to be known as, or assumed the name of, ‘Sons of Zadok’, for his time synchronizes with that of their assumption of this title—being both ‘in the end of the days’ (o'>'7 n“nNa3), vi. 2, compared with viii. Io.

(v) Period from the death of the Teacher of Righteousness to the expected advent of the Messiah. After the death of the Teacher of Righteousness a fresh interval elapsed before we come to any definite date. In ix. 39-41 a period of ‘about forty years’ is spoken of. These may count from the death of the Teacher, or they may begin at some year subsequent to his death. In any case we have arrived at a new epoch which is at least forty years after the death of the Teacher, and may be more. Since the Teacher came ‘7 the end of the days’, viii. 10, and at least forty years have already run their course since his removal, it follows that we have now come to our author’s own time. During these forty years those ‘who repented of transgression in Jacob’ had ‘ observed the Covenant of God’, ix. 41, exhorting each other to ‘hold fast to the way of God’, ix. 42. But as for those who had been faithless, they were to be handed over to the sword when the Messiah

1 With this expression we might contrast the expression ‘ The House of Midrash’ (W712 nN‘), which meant the (Pharisaic) School or College in which the Law and its problems were studied. In the earlier days it designated the seat of the High Court of Justice, or of the Sanhedrin in the Temple and in Jabne. See Levy, Lex. iil. 34. In opposition to this phrase the Zadokites may have chosen deliberately the above expression ‘the House of the Law’.

2 On the other hand the Zadokite priests were not allowed to share in the Temple ritual unless under certain conditions, viii. 12-20.

’ The Messiah was apparently called also ‘the Sceptre’, ix. 9.

‘from Aaron and Israel’ comes, ix. 10, 29, xv. 4, xviii. 8. This event is still in the future. Now if I have been right in my interpretation of the peculiar phrase ‘from Aaron and Israel’ (see § 12), then the author wrote between the years 18 and 8 B.c. It is remarkable that, whereas a Pharisaic work—the Assumption of Moses—written shortly after this date abandoned wholly the hope of a Messiah, the present work, written by a priest, should just on the eve of the Christian era look forward earnestly to a militant Messiah, who should avenge his people, ix. 10, take upon himself the ruling of God’s people and the settlement of all disputed questions, xv. 4.°

(vi) The later history of the Zadokites can only be surmised. It is not at all improbable that some, if not many, of them joined the Christian Church. Their appreciation—unparalleled in Judaism—of the Prophets, their insistence on the need of repentance, their constant proclamation of the readiness of God to pardon the repentant, their expectation of the Messiah and of a blessed future life—all these beliefs and hopes would prepare them to accept Christianity, and accordingly it is not unreasonable to conclude that they formed part of the ‘great company of the priests that became obedient to the faith’ (Acts vi. 7).

(vii) Into the possible influence of the Zadokites on the Karaites, a Jewish Sect of the eighth century of the Christian era, we cannot enter here. The whole question is too doubtful to be discussed in the present connexion. Kirkisani, a Karaite scholar and exegete who flourished in the tenth century of our era, was, as we have already pointed out (§ 2), acquainted with our present text or with something very similar to it. That the Zadokites had any direct connexion with the Dosithean Sect is improbable in every way. According to the Ps. Tertullian (Adv. omnes Haereses, i) Dositheus was the first to deny the Prophets. If this statement is trustworthy, it is enough to prove that the Zadokites, who regarded the Prophets as of equal worth with the Law, had nothing whatever to do with the Dositheans. Rabbinical sources make Dositheus the founder of a Samaritan Sect (see Fewish Encyc. iv. 643). If this has any element of truth in it, the Dositheans could claim no affinity with the Zadokites. In fact Zadokites and Dositheans, from whatever source we derive our knowledge of the latter, are widely sundered on characteristic and essential doctrines. Agreement on minor points may be established, but these points of agreement were not peculiar to the two bodies with which we are concerned.

§ 11. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PARTY—THE FOUR ORDERS.

The Zadokite Party consisted of four Orders—Priests, Levites, Israelites, and Proselytes, xvii. 3. The governing body in each congregation (i. 17 note) was to consist of ten men chosen from the first three Orders, xi. 2, whose age was to be not less than twenty-five years and not more than sixty. These were to be called * judges of the congregation ’, and were to be selected from the tribe of Levi and Aaron and from Israel, four from the former and six from Israel. This body was to be presided over by two men, who belonged to this number or were independent of it. The first of these was to be a priest from thirty to sixty years old, learned in the Book of the Hagu and in the judgements of the Law, xvii. 5, Xv. 5: His duty was to number the members of the settlement according to their rank in the Four Orders, xvii. 1-5, to decide in regard to cases of leprosy, xv. 7-8, and generally to bear rule, xv. 5-6.

The second joint authority was the Censor (= pan). On Jewish officials bearing this title, but with different functions, the reader should consult the notes on x. 10, xvi. 1. In our text this official, whose age was to be between thirty and fifty, xvii. 6, had very extensive duties. It was his task to give instruction to the many in the works of God, xvi. 1; to admit new members into the Party, xvi. 6 (xix. 10 sq.), assigning to each his proper place according to his personal powers and qualifications, xvi. 4; to examine and receive back the lapsed on their repentance, xix. 7-10; to administer the monthly alms of the congregation to those in need, xviii. 2 sqq.; to regulate suits and controversies, xvii. 8, xix. 12 ; to exercise control over all business with the Gentiles, xvi. 7-8; and to fulfil the functions of supreme judge in the case of capital and other offences, x. 10-13.

This organization was spread over the cities of Israel, xv. 1. Congregations or communities on the above model were formed in these cities, which met together in ‘houses of worship’, xiv. 2, for divine service. These buildings were secured against ceremonial uncleanness on the part of the worshippers, Xiv. 2.

But the centre of the Party was Jerusalem—‘the city of the Sanctuary’, where the usual burnt sacrifices were’ offered, xiii, 27. The entire city, as the holy city, ix. 46, was to be kept pure from Levitical impurity, xiv. 4.

1 On the Dositheans, see ‘Dositheus’ in Smith’s Dict. of Christian Biography, i. 902-43; in Herzog and Plitt’s Real-Encycl.; in the Jewish Encycl. iv. 643-4 5 and the literature cited in these articles ; also Schechter, /vagments of a Zadokite Work, pp. XXi-xxvi.

$12. THE MESSIAH—EXPECTED TO ARISE FROM AARON AND ISRAEL.

The Zadokite Party expected a Messiah not from Levi simply as in the Zest. riz Patriarchs but ‘from Aaron and from Israel’, ii. 10, viii. 2, ix. to (B), 29 (B), xv. 4, xviii. 8. It must be confessed that the form of the expectation is peculiar and needs explanation. Since our author was acquainted with the Zest. xz Patr., the fact that he does not simply repeat the expectation there entertained, but differentiates that of his Party from it, leads us to conclude that the difference of phraseology points to a real difference in the nature of the expectation. Since the Messiah was to be descended, not from Aaron simply, but ‘from Aaron and from Israel’, the additional words ‘and from Israel’ are surely significant. The priesthood was, of course, an hereditary privilege, and could only be passed on through the male line. As long as the succession from father to son was preserved the descent through the mother was zmmaterial; for the priests were not confined in their choice of wives to the Tribe of Levi. Not only could they marry any Israelite, but they could marry the daughter of a proselyte.! These facts make the phrase ‘ from Aaron and Israel’ all the more strange. In the case of unbroken descent zz the male line, the words ‘and from Israel’ would be wholly superfluous. Hence they cannot point to the maternal ancestry of the expected Messiah. If not to the maternal ancestry, then they can only refer to his paternal ancestry. If this reasoning is valid, it follows that the expected Messiah was to spring from Israel, i.e. from a non-priestly source, on his father’s side, and from Aaron, i.e. from a priestly source, on his mother’s. Such an expectation could only be explained, so far as I am aware, in reference to the two sons of Mariamne and Herod, i.e. Alexander and Aristobulus. Herod was an Israelite—see § 6. ii—while Mariamne combined in her own person all the royal ._ claims of the Maccabean house. Since Alexander and Aristobulus were descended from Aaron on the spindle side, they could not legitimately inherit the priesthood. But the technically nonpriestly character of Mariamne’s sons could not stand in the way of the Messianic hopes attached to them by the Zadokite Party, since the all but universal expectation of Israel was directed to a Messiah sprung not from Levi but from Judah. But since the Zadokite Party rejected the expectation of a Messiah from Judah they described their expected Messiah as sprung from Aaron (i.e. from the Maccabees through Mariamne) and from Israel (i.e. from Herod).

But we can go a step further in defining the comprehension of the words ‘and from Israel’. Since throughout our text there is a decided animus against Judah and the dynasty of David, we may fairly conclude that the Messiah was not expected to spring from Levi and Judah—which would have been a natural fusion of the two conflicting hopes—but from Aaron and an Israelite, who was not descended from Judah.

This hostility to the Davidic stock and to Judah is not an unmediated and unlooked-for phenomenon. The way had already been prepared for it in the struggles of the Jewish hierarchy to preserve its ancient prerogatives against the encroachments of the Pharisees and their followers. The hostility to the Davidic stock is already apparent in Sirach—the work of a priest or at all events an upholder of the high sacerdotal claims of that period. Lévi (L’Eccléstastique, 1. xxxvi) has drawn attention to Sirach’s glorification of the priesthood at the expense of the kings. While only a few verses are assigned to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (xliv. 19-23), and even to Moses (xlv. 1-5), Aaron and his descendants are the subjects of long and glowing eulogiums (xlv. 6-24). To Aaron God gave the priesthood by ‘an everlasting covenant’ (xlv. 7, 15), which was to last ‘as long as the heaven endureth’ (xlv. 15) ; to the priesthood God had entrusted the charge of His commandments, the power to ceal with statutes and judgements, and the right of teaching His people (xlv. 17); and the book practically closes with a lofty panegyric on Simon the High Priest, the son of Onias (1). On the other hand, Sirach depreciates the kingly dynasty. He admits that God had, indeed, made a covenant with David touching the kingdom, but he points out that that was only an ordinary and limited heritage passing from father to son, whereas that of Aaron was an everlasting heritage transmitted to all his posterity (xlv. 25). He is careful, moreover, to point out that the dynasty of David had proved itself unworthy of the divine favour ; for that only three of them, including David (xlix. 4), had been faithful to God, and that accordingly they were stripped of the kingship and the government of the nation re-entrusted to the priesthood. Nor could the Messiah arise from such a stock: if a Messiah was to be expected he was to be Elijah reappearing in the flesh (xlviii. ro—11).

The greatest care was taken in regard to the character of the wives chosen by the priests. Their pedigrees, unless known to be unimpeachable, were examined for four generations on both sides in the case of priestly lineage, for five if they were of non-priestly origin. Cf. Qid. iv. 4, 5,77 “ab: Joseph. Contra Ap.i. 7. Though a priest might not marry a proselyte, he could marry the daughter of a proselyte. If both parents of a woman were proselytes, a priest was not allowed to marry her; but if he did so, the marriage was considered legitimate. See Jewish Encyc., x. 195.

This glorification of Levi over Judah is repeated in Jubilees, which, like Sirach, was written by a priest, but by a priest who had assimilated some of the higher theology such as the doctrine of a blessed future life (xxiii. 31).!_ In Jubilees Levi receives the first blessing (xxxi. 15-17), and Judah the second (xxxi. 18-20). Levi was to be at once the supreme teacher, the sole priest, and the civil ruler of the nation. Judah’s blessing dwells on his great military power, which the Gentiles should fear and at which the nations should quake. Thereby he should prove the help of Jacob and the royal dynasty should bring peace to Israel. There is a clause of two or three words in xxxi. 18d referring to a Messiah from Judah, but it is most probably an interpolation, since throughout the rest of this long work there is not even the barest hint of such a hope.

The glorification of Levi reaches its climax in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. Not only is Levi the supreme authority in Church and State: from Levi also is to spring the coming Messiah. In fact the Messiah had already come in the person of John Hyrcanus according to the author of the Testaments, just as according to the earlier writing, the CX Psalm, he had already come in the person of Simon the Maccabee.

The development actually realized and the tendencies in the process of evolution in these books find a not unnatural culmination in our author. The steady glorification of Levi in Sirach, Jubilees, and the Testaments had only served to reduce Judah to the second place of authority and honour in the nation, but not otherwise to depreciate that great tribe. In no case had this process degenerated into a hostile attack on Judah. And yet this and naught else could be the inevitable outcome of the tendencies which were actively at work in the second century before the Christian era.

These tendencies came to a head in the Zadokite Fragments. Therein the glorification of the Zadokite priests is carried out pari passw with the disparagement of the Davidic family and claims

and an attack on Judah. David is accused of ignorance of the Law (vii. 5). The title ‘king’ (750) is replaced by that of ‘prince’ (Nw) vii. 4). In ix. 7 the passage from Amos ix. 11, which promises the setting up of ‘the tabernacle of David that is fallen’, is explained in such a way that all reference to David is got rid of; for ‘the king’ is said to denote ‘the Congregation’, and ‘the tabernacle of the king’ to denote ‘the books of the Law ’. Having thus explained’ away the Davidic expectation, a prophecy of the Zadokite Messiah (see ix. 8) is discovered in Num. xxiii. 17.

The princes of Judah are attacked in ix. 13 as being ‘like them that remove the landmark’ (ix. 13), i.e. the Pharisees. When the time of the end was approaching the Zadokites were to break off all relations with Judah, vi. 7.

§ 13. SOME OF THE TEACHINGS OF THE Book.

I shall content myself in the main with referring to my notes on the theological views of the Zadokites.

The Messiah. See § 12.

Doctrine of a future life. See note on v. 6. Some scholars have doubted the reference of this verse to a future life. But even if it were absent it would not affect the question. The Zadokites are the disciples of the Prophets and the Hagiographa, and in these the doctrine of a future life is taught. The Party that regarded the Book of Daniel, the Book of Jubilees, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs as authoritative could not have questioned the belief in a blessed future life. -

Repentance. See note on vi. 1 and references: also Introd., § 10. ii. In this respect they prepare the way for the preaching of John the Baptist.

Predestination and free-will. See ii. 6 note, ili: 7 @, iv. 2é, 10, § 9.,4°.

Divorce. Divorce is absolutely forbidden in our text. See vii. 1.

The Law and the Prophets. \t will be sufficient here to refer to § 8 and Index I, to show how profoundly the Zadokites valued the Prophets. The fact to which we have drawn attention elsewhere (see § 9. 4°), that they based halacha on the Prophets, is proof that they regarded the Prophets as of equal authority with the Law. Their attitude in this respect is nearer to that of the Sermon on the Mount than that of any other Party in Judaism.

(2) Text. As yet there is only one text, since owing to Dr. Schechter’s arrangement with the University Library, Cambridge, no scholar is to be allowed to see the MSS. for five years after the publication of

1 In the time of Josephus apparently only the Sadducees of the highest rank still denied the doctrine of a blessed future life (Amz. xviii. 1. 4). Thus this doctrine seemed gradually to have permeated the main body of the Sadducees by the middle of the first century of the Christian era.

Dr. Schechter’s edition. Even if Dr. Schechter’s edition were thoroughly satisfactory this extraordinary action on his part could hardly fail to call forth the reprobation of scholars generally. We shall now proceed to pass a few criticisms on his text.

Fragments of a Zadokite Work edited from Hebrew MSS. in the Catro Genizah Collection now in the possession of the University Library, Cambridge, and provided with an Lnglish Translation, Introduction, and Wotes, by S. Schechter, M.A., D.Litt., President of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York.

Scholars are indeed grateful to Dr. Schechter for the discovery of these valuable MSS., but they cannot be expected to feel it in such measure for the way in which the text has been edited. It is carelessly done. Thus on eighteen pages of text there are two and a quarter pages of corrigenda and suggestions (pp. lvii-lix). A second list of corrigenda is to be found in the notes on the translation. In a third list (lix-Ix) embodying corrections of and additions to the translation and notes a very important correction not included in the former two lists is given. But the above series of corrigenda are not exhaustive. This will be obvious to any student who carefully compares the text of p. 20 with the facsdmzle of this page. Let us take a few lines beginning with 1.17. In ]. 17 if we read ts there is room only for one letter and not two after it. In 1], 18 before Yn ns and after } a gap is left for seven letters, four of which Dr. Schechter supplies. There is room only for four. In 1. 19 after ;n2t Dr. Schechter leaves a space for two letters: it should be for four or five. Before yauind in the same line } should be supplied or a gap left for one letter. In]. 21 after ton a gap is left for two letters: it should be for four or five. In 1. 33 the first word is MX not

If Dr. Schechter chooses to edit his text so carelessly that is of course his own concern, but in that case he ought at all events to have published a /acszmzle of the entire MSS.—only a matter of eighteen pages. To publish such a text and then to deny all scholars access to the original MSS. for five years is strange conduct on the part of a seeker after truth. The world of scholars from Lévi, who first expressed the need of a facsimile, to the latest students of the text, look to Dr. Schechter either to remove this unscholarly embargo or himself to publish a /acszmle without delay.

(6) Zranslations+ Schechter, Fragments of a Zadokite Work. The translation of a text for the first time is obviously a piece of pioneer work, and should therefore be treated with all consideration. It betrays, as might be expected, frequent failures to apprehend the meaning of the writer, but on the other hand in many passages Dr. Schechter has shown great insight and his encyclopaedic knowledge of Rabbinic literature has helped to clear up many a difficulty from the outset.

Lévi, ‘Un Ecrit Sadducéen antérieur & la ruine du Temple’ in the Revue des Etudes JSutrves, \xi. 161-205, 191i. ‘This masterly translation, accompanied with a few notes, forms a vast advance on the preceding. My obligations to it are mentioned not unfrequently in my notes. Unfortunately I had completed both my translation and notes before I saw either this translation or that which follows, else my notes might have taken a different form.

Lagrange in the Revue Brblique, Avril, 1912, pp. 213-40. While Lévi’s translation is racy and idiomatic, Lagrange’s translation aims at being a literal reproduction of the text. It shows the influence of Lévi, but in certain passages makes a fresh contribution to the understanding of the text.

(c) Critical Studies. Bacher, Zertschrift f. hebr. Bibliographie, No. 1, Jan-Feb. rg1z., Leszynski, ‘Observations sur les “ Fragments of a Zadokite Work” édités par Schechter’ in the Revue des Etudes Suives, Ixii. 190-6, with Lévi’s rejoinder in pp. 197-200.

Margoliouth (G.) in the Atheneum, Nov. 26, 1911; ‘The Sadducean Christians of Damascus’ in the Lxposttor, Dec., 1911, pp. 499-517: March, 1912, pp. 212-35. In these studies Mr. Margoliouth has shown great learning and acuteness in criticizing the views of his predecessors. His own view is that the Zadokites were a type of Christians who regarded John the Baptist as the Messiah and Jesus as the Teacher of Righteousness. -I have found myself unable to agree with this thesis.

1 A Dutch translation has been published in the Zheol. Tijdschrift, but I have not seen it. 2 Reviews of the Zadokite Fragments have appeared in The American Journal of Theology, by Dr. Kohler; in the Harvard Theological Review, by Dr. Moore; in the Zheol. Literaturzeitung, by Landauer, &c.

I. /srael sent into Captivity, 3-4. A Root of God’s Planting made to spring forth after 200 B.C. and a Teacher of Righteousness raised up, 5-8. Description of Israels Wickedness in the First Century B.C. or at an earlier date, 9-17.

Now, therefore, hearken (unto me) all ye who know righteousness, And have understanding in the works of God.

For He hath a controversy with all flesh,

And will execute judgement upon all who despise Him.

For because of the trespass of those who forsook Him, He hid His face from Israel and from His Sanctuary, And gave them over to the sword.

J. 1. hearken ... righteousness. i.e. pay ‘yt 55 yyow. From Isa. li. 7. The mention of pt¥ may with tolerable certainty be regarded as a play on the name of the Zadokites—nopyqyn. Cf. v. 7 for the pry An ‘teacher of righteousness ’.

have understanding in the works of God. Same diction in Ps. xxviii. 5 1) nwyd by 6 es

2. hath a controversy ... with all fiesh. i.e. awa 55 oy 1b 24. Based almost verbally on Jer. xxv. 38:

‘The Lord hath a controversy ... He will plead with all flesh.’ Cf. Hos. iv. 1.

all who despise Him. Num. xiv. 11, 23.

3. hid His face. Ps. xxii. 24, liv. 8 and passzm.

from His Sanctuary. These words are of extreme importance in dealing with our document ; for before we can make any real advance in the interpretation of the book we must know whether this sanctuary is the Temple in Jerusalem or a heterodox temple in one of the provinces. That it was the former is clear, I think, from the following evidence. The term ‘sanctuary’ is used nine times, i. 3, Vv. 7, Vi. 11, vii. 8, viii. 12, 12, ix. 47, xiv. 4 (d7s). In xiv. 4 we have the phrase ‘the city of the Sanctuary’ used twice. Now since in every case only one sanctuary is mentioned, as ‘the Sanctuary’, or ‘His Sanctuary’, we must conclude that it is one and the same sanctuary that is referred to in all cases. Is there any evidence to determine what sanctuary this was? Clearly there is in this very verse i. 3, where it is said that God ‘hid His face from His Sanctuary’. Now there can be no doubt as to the identity of this sanctuary: it is the Temple in Jerusalem; for the context refers to the time of the Captivity. Nor can there be any doubt as to the identity of ‘ His Sanctuary’ in v. 7; for the phrase occurs in a quotation from Ezek. xliv. 15. Next in viii. 12 it is said that the priests of the Party are ‘to hold aloof from the wealth of the Sanctuary’. This could not be said of a small, sectarian provincial and wholly unknown temple. For in the first place such a temple would not have had wealth: and in the next its priesthood could have incurred no blame in accepting support from their own exclusive sanctuary. But an ascetic and puritan Party could most reasonably from their standpoint object to many things in the Temple in Jerusalem, as did Mal. i.7; 1 Enoch Ixxxix. 73 ; Ass. Moses v. 4, and yet share officially in its worship. Again in viii. 1x1 the Sanctuary can be none other than the Temple; for Mal. i. ro is quoted as referring to it. This sanctuary, i.e. the Temple, is still standing vii. 8. Finally ‘ the city of the Sanctuary’ which is twice mentioned in xiv. 4 and in ix. 46 can only be Jerusalem. The very phrase postulates this interpretation when we reflect that the Zadokites accepted not only the Law as binding upon them but also the rest of the scriptures, to which they attributed a higher degree of authority, than the Rabbis of subsequent times. It was the Prophets who made Jerusalem the sacred city, and the altar in Jerusalem the sole allar. Possessing genuine orders also as Priests and Levites they would naturally officiate in the Temple at Jerusalem. They were spread throughout the cities of Israel, xv. 1, just as the Priests and Levites were generally. In these they had their congregations : but they had only one sanctuary and that in Jerusalem. The severe conditions on which they were allowed to discharge their priestly functions in the Temple are given in viii, 1r-20. Had the Zadokites disowned the Temple in Jerusalem, it is hardly possible that this matter would have been wholly passed over in silence in a document which criticizes the accepted Jewish authorities so freely—the Hellenizing priests, the Pharisees, and even the historical books of the O.T. (see vii. 7).

From the above conclusion it follows that the present work was written when the Temple was still standing. In other words, we have here the /ermznus ad quem. gave them over to the sword (27nd non). From Jer. xxi. 31. See preceding verse. Cf. i. 12 ("nd p-10nb),

4 But when He remembered the covenant of the forefathers, He left a remnant to Israel And gave them not over to destruction.

5 [And in the period of the wrath three hundred and ninety years after He had given them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon He visited them],

And He made to spring forth from Israel and Aaron A root of His planting to inherit His land, \ And to grow fat through the goodness of His earth.

6 And they had understanding of their iniquity, And they knew that they were guilty men, And had like the blind been groping after the way twenty years.

+ And God considered their works ; for they sought Him with a perfect heart And He raised them up a Teacher of righteousness To lead them in the way of His heart.

4. remembered the covenant of the forefathers. Le. DWNT MI ws. Cf. viii. 3, ix. 25. From Lev

left a remnant to Israel (NINY NWN). Cf il. 9 (aud synn); Isa. i. 9; Jer. xxxi. 7; Ezek. xiv. 22.

g. in the period of the wrath. (i.e. fn ypa). I have with some hesitation adopted Lévi’s rendering of *p as ‘period’ and not as ‘end’, as in Sirach xliii. 6. In Job vi. rr the LXX renders *¥p by pov 6 xpévos (Smend). See our text ii. 8, vi. 1, 7, Vili. 1, 9, 12, ix. 10, IT, 47, XV. 4, XIX. 7. It is difficult to understand the chronology in this work. ‘In the period of the wrath’ appears to be the period beginning or else in the course of realization in the year 1968.c. The phrase ‘period of the destruction of the land’ apparently refers to the same period. Probably by the phrase ‘in the end of the days’ (viii, 10) when the teacher of righteousness is to come, a portion of the same period is designed. On the other hand the phrases ‘ the period of wickedness’ (viil. 12, Xv. 4), ‘the full period of wickedness’ (viii. 9, xix. 7), ‘the period of the treason of Israel’ (ix. 47) appear to refer to the close of the period of the Messianic woes: Chyxv. 4.

three hundred and ninety years, &c. This number appears to be borrowed from Ezek. iv. 5, where the Massoretic text speaks of 390 days, i.e. years. Since in Ezekiel these years refer to the Exile, the Massoretic text is at variance with Ezekiel’s real expectation, which is given in iv. 6, according to which it was to last forty years. The right text is preserved in the majority of the LXX MSS., i.e. r90 years. Israel had already been in exile about 130 years: Judah’s exile was to last forty : thus the exile of the entire nation was to be about 190 years. But it is clear that our author found 390 in his Hebrew text—a reading that appears, therefore, to be later— possibly considerably later than 200 B.c. If we deduct 390 from 586, the year of the capture of Jerusalem, we arrive at the year 196 8.c. This date in our text would refer to the rise of the Chasidim. For ‘twenty years’ already the faithful in Israel had been groping after the way (i. 6). It is noteworthy that 1 Enoch xc. 6 assigns the origin of the Chasidim to the same period: see note in my edition zz Joc. The Chasidim in 1 Enoch spring from the righteous remnant, just as here they are symbolized by a root of God’s planting.

wrath. See note oni. 14.

Nebuchadnezzar. This is the later and corrupt spelling for Nebuchadrezzar.

spring forth. Cf. Isa. xliv. 4, Ixi. 11 where np also is used.

A root of His planting. The text here reads nyod ww, which I take to be corrupt for iyo ww. Cf. Isa. Ix. 21 WoO AND. With the idea, cf. r Enoch x. 16, xciii. 5 ‘the plant of righteousness’: also xxvi. 1. The root of God’s planting is the company of the Chasidim; see note on ‘three hundred and ninety years’ above.

6. had understanding... and they knew. Cf. i. 1. .

had like the blind been groping. The text reads DWwW210"D) which Schechter, on the basis of Isa. lix. ro and Deut. xxviii. 29, has rightly emended into Dwwan.

twenty years. The ‘twenty years’, i. e. 196-176 B.c., may refer to the period during which the Hellenizing high priests were in league with ‘Antiochus IV and the Syrian empire. Then came the great act of repentance often referred to in the text and probably the migration to Damascus : vi. I, Vili. 6.

7. considered their works (omwyId by by 1). From Ps. xxxiii. 15. Cf. text, vil. 16.

sought Him with a perfect heart. Cf. for the thought and diction Ps. cxix. 10, 1 Chron. xxix. 9,

raised them up. Cf. ii. 9, viii. 4, Judges ii. 18.

a Teacher of righteousness. i.e. pay nD. See different form of the Hebrew in viii. 10. Cf. Hos. x. 12 pry aay. Who is this teacher of righteousness? We know something as to his date ; for he is raised up during ‘the period of the wrath’ (i. 5) which began about 390 years after the capture of Jerusalem in 586 B.c. About this date, i.e. 196 B.c., God made ‘a root of His planting to spring forth from Israel and Aaron ety ins Chasidim. This teacher may be referred to as ‘the teacher’ or ‘teacher’ in ix. 50, and is referred to as ‘the teacher of righteousness’ in ix. 53, and in vill. ro, according to which passage he is to arise ‘in the end of the days’. So far, things are fairly certain. But there are two other titles, ‘the unique teacher’, ix. 29, 39, and

And He made known to later generations What He had done [to a later generation] to a congregation of treacherous men : Those who turned aside out of the way.

This was the time concerning which it was written: As a stubborn heifer So hath Israel behaved himself stubbornly :

When there arose the scornful man,

Who talked to Israel lying words,

And made them go astray in the wilderness where there was no way, [to bring low the pride of the world].

So that they should turn aside from the paths of righteousness, And remove the landmark which the forefathers had set in their inheritance:

‘the Messiah’, ii. ro, viii. 2, ix. 10(B); 29 (B), xv. 4, xviii. 8. There is no ground against identifying ‘ the teacher of righteousness’ and ‘the unique teacher’. If this identification is right, then ‘the teacher of righteousness’ and ‘the Messiah’ are two different personages, ix. 29. The former prepares the way for the latter, but does not immediately precede him; for an undetermined interval elapses between them, which is longer than forty years at all events, ix. 40, but in reality nearer one hundred and forty.

lead them in the way of His heart. Cf. Isa. xlii. 16.

8-17. A difficult and important question of interpretation arises here as to the time with which these verses deal. First of all, it seems clear that the phrase ‘later generations’ refers to the generations subsequent to the coming of ‘a teacher of righteousness’ in v. 7. But there appears to be no way of determining the incident so vaguely described in v. 8, ‘What He had done...to a congregation of treacherous men.’ In any case this incident belongs to some earlier date. It is mentioned here apparently only in the way of admonition and warning against apostasy or unfaithfulness on the part of the Zadokites. We now come to v. 9. To which of the two periods implied in the preceding verse, i.e. the ‘later generations’ or the earlier time of judgement on the ‘treacherous congregation’, do the words ‘this was the time concerning which’, &c. apply? If we take v. 9 as referring to the period of the ‘later generations’, the time implied by the ‘later generations’ can hardly refer to any period earlier than the first century B.c., since the ‘Teacher of righteousness’ came after 176 B.c., and the ‘later generations’ must be two or more generations later than his time. If this interpretation is right, then vv. 9-17 would refer to the events of the first century B.c., and the persons attacked would probably be the Pharisees. Against them, at any rate, our author could bring the charge of removing ‘the landmark which the forefathers had set’, i.e. of introducing innovations in the ritual of the Temple and the interpretation of the Law. It is to be remembered in this connexion that although in the earlier years of Jannaeus the Pharisees were persecuted, in the later years of this king they were on friendly terms with him, whereas the Sadducean priesthood was mercilessly dealt with by him.

8. The fate of former apostates is a warning to those that come after.

[to a later generation], i.e. jan ANI. I have bracketed these words as a dittograph of D'TNN NN. congregation. See note on v. 17.

a congregation of treacherous men, i.e. DTI NII. Cf. OI Noy in Jer. ix. 2.

turned aside out of the way (717 "D). Cf. ii. 4, ix. 14; Exod. xxxii, 8; Deut. ix. 16.

9-17. These verses appear to refer to the sins of Israel after the Captivity: cf. vill. 1, 2 where the phraseology in 9-11 recurs. They deal with the judgements meted out to an earlier generation which were to be a warning to later generations, i. 8.

As astubborn, &c. From Hos. iv. 16. The ‘so’ in our text is not in the original. Our author can easily apply these words to post-Exilic times.

‘10. the scornful man. i.e. pon wx. Cf. ix. 36 ‘the scornful men’, i.e. pyda wx. The latter phrase is

from Isa. xxviii. 14. :

talked ...lying words. Cf. viii. 2.

lying words. The text reads 375 ‘0° ‘waters of lying’, which I have emended into 315 “MND and so translated. Cf. ix. 22 (A.) 313 90D, and ix. 39 313m wx. Is this ‘ scornful man, who talked to Israel lying words’ a collective expression for the wicked leaders who are subsequently referred to in viii. 1?

made them go astray ...no way. Cf.viii.1. A quotation from Ps. cvii. 40. Cf. ii. 10 of our text, where the same action is ascribed to God.

[to bring low the pride of the world] = odyy mnaa nvnd. Cf. Isa. ii, x1, 17. But these words seem to be interpolated.

II. remove the landmark. Cf. viii. 1, ix. 13, 49. These words may refer to the revolutionary action of the Pharisees as regards law and ritual.

remove the landmark which... in their inheritance. From Deut. xix. 14 ‘ Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance’,

So as to make cleave unto them

The curses of His covenant,

To deliver them to the sword

That avengeth with the vengeance of the covenant.

Because they sought after smooth things, And they chose deceits, And kept watch with a view to lawless deeds. ‘

And they }chose the best of the neck,} And justified the wicked, And condemned the righteous :

And transgressed the covenant, And violated the statute, And attacked the soul of the righteous.

And all that walked uprightly their soul abhorred, And they pursued them with the sword, And rejoiced in the strife of the people.

And so the wrath of God was kindled against their congregation, So that He laid waste all their multitude, And their deeds were uncleanness before Him.

12. So as to make cleave unto them. Cf. Deut. xxvill. 21. The curses of His covenant. From Deut. xxix. 21. deliver them to the sword That avengeth with the vengeance of the covenant. Repeated in 1x. 11 (B). We have here a quotation from Lev. xxvi. 25 N13 np nop; aan. In the same verse the words ‘and ye shall be delivered’ occur, OnN3).

13. smooth things . . . deceits (6, mbnnp... mpm). These two words—the latter a dm. dey. in the

O.T.—are drawn from Isa. xxx. Io. kept watch, i.e. Dy’. Lagrange thinks that the verb here means ‘concealed’, Schechter proposes $75" niynp which gives a good sense ‘ brought about breaches’ (or ‘ divisions’).

14. tchose the best of the neckt. In the text “Nyy7 2w2 NI—it seems clear that TNISA is corrupt— most probably for pinyin. Cf. xi. 10 (B), where we have ‘the poor of the flock’. We should then have ‘ they chose the best of the flock’, i.e. for themselves. This may be right. But possibly the corruption lies deeper, and for the first two words we should read 20") 127M. We should then have: ‘they laid waste the best of the flock.’

justified... the righteous. From Prov. xvii. 1g. The words recur in vi. 4 of our text. Lévi thinks these words refer to the usurpation of judicial powers by the Pharisees in the time of Alexandra the widow of Jannaeus.

15. transgressed the covenant, i.e. "912 Yay) Tehave here emended ‘7)3y. into 3). Schechter emends the text into m32 173y’ and translates “transgressed the covenant’. But this means ‘entered into a covenant’ (cf. Deut. xxix. 11). This clause is practically equivalent to the next. f

attacked the soul of the righteous. From Ps. xciv. 21. 16. walked uprightly. Cf. ili. 2. From Ps. xv. 2: cf. ci. 6; Gen. xvil. 1. their soul abhorred. From Ps. cvii. 18. “

pursued them with the sword (annd nipt"). These words refer to the persecution of the Sadducees by Jannaeus or the Pharisees, rejoiced. I follow Schechter in taking 1D‘D* as www.

17. the wrath of God was kindled (bs AN an). Cf. Exod. iv. 14, xxxii. 10, &c. This clause recurs frequently in our text: iii. 7, iv. 7, vii. 16, ix. (13), 22, 26, 40. Here the reference is doubtful. In iii. 7 it is directed against the Antediluvians: in iv. 7 against Israel in the wilderness : against Judah after the exile in vii. 16, ix. 13, 22.

their congregation (i.e. onty). This term nO ‘the congregation’ occurs frequently—thirteen times— xvii. 7 it is used strictly of the congregation of the Zadokites in each city or village. In i. 17, iv. 7, ix, 22 it is used of Israel at large, and in i. 8 in a bad sense of faithless Israelites. Our text is particularly rich in terms applying to the Zadokites in their sacred capacity as a community or congregation. Thus we have * assembly * (1D) in ix. 29, ‘congregation’ (mp) in xiv. 3, ‘community’ (van) in xiv. 8. Another designation of their community, and rather a peculiar one, is ‘camp’ (mam), which appears to have simply the meaning of settlement:

their deeds .. . uncleanness before Him (195 m2 pmwyn). Cf. Ezek. xxxvi. 17.

Il. Wisdom is with God and Forgiveness of the repentant, but Wrath for the unrepentant, who are predestined to Destruction on the Ground of the Divine Foreknowledge, 1-7. But there ts a Remnant whom He shall teach by the Messiah, 9-10.

And now, hearken unto me all ye who have entered into the covenant, And I will disclose to you the ways of the wicked.

God loveth [knowledge] wisdom : And counsel He hath set before Him: Prudence and knowledge minister unto Him.

Longsuffering is with Him And plenteousness of forgivenesses To pardon those who repent of transgression.

And power and might and great fury with flames of fire [therein are all the angels of destruction] For them who turned aside out of the way, And abhorred the statute,

So that there should be no remnant, Nor any to escape of them.

For God chose them not from the beginning of the world, And ere they were formed He knew their works.

And He abhorred their generations from of old, And hid His face from their land till they were consumed.

[And He knew the years of (their) office and the number and exact statement of their periods for all the things that belong to the ages and have been, moreover whatsoever shall come to pass in their periods for all the years of eternity. |

maa iw. This is the New Covenant that is spoken of in viii. 15, ix. 28, 37.

I will disclose. The text reads nao nda as in 1 Sam. xx. 2, xxii. 8. Schechter thinks pa21N a corruption of O55» and compares iii. 1.

2. knowledge. Bracketed as an interpolation. It occurs in the third line.

3. Longsuffering . . . forgivenesses, i.e. mim>p ayy wy DDN Joy. The text is based on a combination of Exod. xxxiv. 6. Jom 37) DSS JN and Ps. cxxx. 4 Amdon Joy. For the plural mimo cf. Dan. ix. 93 Neh. ix. 17. The last passage contains all the elements of v. 3 ad save ‘with Him’.

forgiveness. Cf. v. 54, xvi. 2. To pardon. See v. 5 a note. ; : who repent of transgression, i.e. YW ‘AY from Isa. lix. 20, See ix. 41 and note on vi. 1.

4. fury with flames of fire, i.e. YN sanda... nom. Cf. Isa. Ixvi. 15 we anda inayn tas mona award which

is probably the source. therein... destruction. Bracketed as an interpolation.

angels of destruction (san ‘2Ndn). Cf. 1 Enoch Ixiii. 1, &c. abhorred the statute (pn ayn). Cf. Mic. iii. 9.

5. So that there should be no remnant, &c. Contrast i. 4. The words ‘no remnant, nor any to escape’ are from Ezra ix. 14.

6. We have here the doctrine of divine election. Cf. v. 1oc.

formed, i.e. \"¥)] emended by Bacher from y7D19._ Cf. Jer. i. 5.

7. their generations from of old. So I emend oH nin" into oIpp oni. Schechter retains nin and

would change 07 into nap. Landauer suggests no ‘ rebellious’ for o4.

their land. The text reads ‘> ys, which I take to be a corruption of oy", and have translated accordingly. Schechter takes the ") to be a remainder of nrownd. But in the present MS. there is not space for a single additional letter, and the emendation I have made explains the MS. and satisfies the context.

till they were consumed (o1n 1y). Phrase in Deut. ii. 15, xxxi. 24, 30; Joshua viii. 24, &c. But the words make the line too long and may be an interpolation.

8. This verse appears to be an addition of the editor of the whole. The subject-matter belongs to the teaching of the sect, but it is an intrusion in its present context. Verse 9 follows naturally and immediately on v. 7. The Hebrew of this verse is very abnormal.

years of (their) office. With this obscure phrase compare vi. 3 ‘duration of their office’. The word ‘office’

(or ‘service’ or ‘function’, i.e. 11y9) appears to mean that of the members of the inner council of the sect who in:

ix. 32 are spoken of as ‘ men of the perfection of holiness’. We should, perhaps, read Dtny1 here as in vi. 3. We

find in later Judaism the existence of a body of men called ty ‘wax (Taanith 15 4) composed of priests, Levites,

Yet in all of them He raised Him up men called by name, In order to leave a remnant to the earth, And to fill the face of the earth with their seed.

And through His Messiah He shall make them know His holy spirit, And he is true, and in the true interpretation of his name are their names: But them He hated He made to go astray.

IIL-IV. 1. Exhortation to choose God's Will and to shun the evil Inclination, 1-2 ; through it feli the mighty Men of old, the Watchers and their Children, 3-5; and all Flesh and also the Sons of

Now therefore, children, hearken unto me, And I will open your eyes to see, And to understand the works of God.

And to choose what He approveth, And to reject what He hateth :

To walk uprightly in all His ways, And not to go about in the thoughts of an evil imagination And (with) eyes (full) of fornication.

and Israelites exactly as in our text. According to Taanith 15 4 these men had to arrange the proper prayers for the various days in order that the sacrifices might be favourably received. The head of this body was called soypn wx (Tam. v. 6). In Taanith 27 4 it is said that if these duties were not fulfilled heaven and earth would cease to exist (YAN) DY W"pPNI xd mytoyo binds). Again, in Bikk. iii. 2, these 7p *WaK, whose chief was called thyon wen (Tam. v. 6), are described as having to gather in the firstfruits from the districts under their charge. The country was divided into twenty-four districts, corresponding to the twenty-four orders of the

Priests (1 Chron. xxiv. 7-18). The chief city of each such division was called “11d by “yy. This office existed among the Essenes, amongst whom the ma‘amad constituted the district authority: see /ewzsh Encyc. v. 230. The ma‘amad in our text was composed of Priests, Levites and Israelites, as we may fairly assume from the constitution of the party as a whole: cf. xvil. 2, 3, v. 7: it would thus consist of the same elements as the maamad in ‘Taanith. : '

the number and exact statement of their periods, i.e. DNYP WNB) ADD. This is very irregular Hebrew. It is found, however, three times in the O.T., i.e. in Isa. xi. 2; Ezek. xxxi. 16; Dan.i. 4. Perhaps the suffix in

pimyp refers, as in Aramaic, to what follows nd sw 555. This construction may recur at the end of the verse: cf. also v. 1 ¢ note.

exact statement, ic. wine. Cf. nwnp in Esther iv. 7, x. 2. I have rendered the word wna variously as ‘statement’ (vi. 3), ‘true interpretation’ (ii. 10): )Wp (vi. 10) ‘ this means’ &c.

that .. . have been, i.e. nym)—referring to the past as in Sir. xlii. 19: so also Lagrange.

moreover whatsoever, i.e. 7 Ti. So I punctuate the text 71 “Ty. Lévi takes it to be the equivalent of the Syriac sty.

9. raised Him up. See i. 7. called by name. Cf. vi. 2 note. to leave aremnant. See i. 4 note.

fill the face of the earth (ban ‘5 xb). From Isa. xxvii. 6. to. And...He shall make them know. So we must render DY" ie. ny; for according to ix. 10 (B) the Messiah had not come when our author was writing. But the word 3n'wp may simply =‘ His anointed one’, in this case Zadok. His Messiah. Cf. viii. 2, ix. 10(B), 29 (B), xv. 4; xviii. 8. See note on i. 7, where it is shown that the Messiah is distinct from ‘ the teacher of righteousness ’. His holy spirit. Contrast use of the phrase ‘holy spirit’ in vii. 12, viii, 20. Bacher here proposes to read ‘by His holy spirit’. in the true interpretation of his name. Possibly here the name of the Messiah hinted at may be psn ‘the Righteous One’. Cf. 1 Enoch xxxviii. 2, li. 6. As He is pytyn, they are the opty as in 1 Enoch their names. Cf. vi. 3. them He hated He made to go astray. Cf. 1. To. Ill. 1. open your eyes. Cf. ii. 1. 2. walk uprightly. Cf. i. 16 note. to go about in the thoughts of an evil imagination : i.e. NOUN TY Nawnps sind. If we take this line with the next, it would suggest that the writer had Num. xv. 39 in his mind D3} “NN noaad any dyn xb pean pt pnxcaws. But our author has changed the construction. the thoughts of an evil imagination: i.e. TOWN TY mawvnp. The mows “y° is here equivalent to the

For many were led astray by them, And mighty men of valour stumbled by them from of old [and until this day].

Because they walked in the stubbornness of their heart the watchers of heaven fell. By them were they caught because they kept not the commandment of God.

And their children whose height was like the loftiness of the cedars And whose bodies were like the mountains fell thereby.

All flesh that was on dry land perished thereby, And they were as though they had not been.

Because they did their own will, And kept not the commandment of their Maker, Until His wrath was kindled against them.

By them went astray the sons of Noah and their families: Because of them they were cut off.

yan ay. “yx alone has this meaning in Sir. xv. 14 98" D2 NN ,,.. QINA NW. , ods = ‘God created man ...and put him into the hand of his inclination’. On the two inclinations see T. Asher i. 3 (note on my edition): 2 Baruch, pp. 92—3 (in my edition) and the literature referred to there.

eyes (full) of fornication. Reading ‘»y for ‘3y with Schechter, who compares Sifre 35 a@ ni3r 1 OD Y. We might compare Sir. xxvi. 9 mopveia yuvaikds ev perewpicpois opOadrpav ... yvooOnoera, and xxiii. 4; also T. Issach. vii. 2 ‘I never committed fornication by the uplifting of my eyes’ and T. Benj. vi. 3; Prov. vi. 25 ; 2 Pet. ii. 14 ddOarpodts ... peorovs porxadidos. Lévi retains ‘xy and compares Sir. xlii. 8 myta ANY and Eccles. i. 13. He renders ‘I’attrait de la luxure’.

3. many were led astray by them. The ‘them’ refers apparently to the ‘thoughts of the imagination’. We have close parallels to, if not the actual antecedents of, the text in Sir. ix. 8 ev Kdddee yuvaikds moddot emharnOnoay and T. Reub. iv. 7 ‘Many hath fornication destroyed; because, though a man be... noble . he bringeth reproach upon himself’: T. Jud. xv. 2 ‘though a man be a king and commit fornication, he is stripped of his kingship by becoming the slave of fornication ’.

by them. The MS, reads o3, but both ‘thoughts’ and ‘eyes’ are feminine in Hebrew. Hence here and in the next line I emend 3 into j72. On the other hand, as not infrequently in the O.T., the masc. suffix may refer to these feminine substantives: see note on vii. 2, and Gesenius Heb. Gram.” § 1350. In iii. 46,iv.1a@6 72 should be emended into 73, or else into )3 in all cases. If the latter, the suffix would refer to the evil inclination (i.e. the Ty). 4. The example of the fall of the Watchers through fornication is cited also in the T. Reub. v. 6-7. walked in the stubbornness of their heart (nad niawa on2a). (Cle Wer, Reith fee seek iy, “Ole

author is fond of this phrase in various forms. ‘Thus here and in iv. 5, ix. 35 we have the phrase “w2 son ‘to walk in the stubbornness’ : in iv. 9 “w ‘nN Ayn ‘to go about after the stubbornness’: in ix. 18 “wa “N32 ‘to choose the stubbornness’: and in ix. 27 “wa m5 ‘to turn away in the stubbornness’. watchers: i.e. 7» emended by Schechter from ‘ty. See 1 Enoch vi—xvi and references. By them: i.e. j73 (i.e. the thoughts of the evil inclination) emended from 72: or we may emend 72 into 4a and refer it to Wy. Cf. iv. 8. kept not the commandment of God. Cf. ili. 74; iv. 24. whose height was like the loftiness of the cedars (072) DN O13 Ws). From Amos ii. 9, save that our author reads ‘loftiness’ D3 instead of ‘height’ “23, On their height see 1 Enoch vii. 2. thereby. Text reads '3 which I have emended into jM3 or 32. See vz. 4. . 6. thereby. Emended as in last line. Cf. Gen. vii. 22, 23. they were as though, &c. From Obad. 16: cf. Job x. 19. : 7. did their own will (or ‘pleasure’). (Cf. iv. 10 a,c, v. 2¢), that is, they followed the evil inclination, or the thoughts of the evil inclination. See iii. 2, note. did their own will, And kept not the commandment, &c. Cf. iv. 9 a, 4, and contrast the conduct of Abraham iv. 2 4, c. His wrath was kindled. See i. 17, note.

IV.1. By them. MS. reads 72 as in iii. 4 4, which I have emended into jna. In both cases ‘the thoughts of the imagination’ are referred to. The same emendation is made in the next line. Of course it is possible that for m2 we should read 43 as in iv. 8, and thus refer directly to the yeser and not to the ‘thoughts’ of the yeser (or ‘evil inclination’). Schechter thinks that for 73 we should read 043, and that the sin referred to is the eating of blood, but the whole context is against this.

went astray. Schechter has rightly emended ‘yn into syn. sons of Noah and their families. Cf. Gen. x. 32. eutom, Ci. Lev. xvii. ro, 14.

IV. 2-0. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob walked not after the evil Inclination of the Heart, 2-3; but the Sons of Israel did in Egypt and in the Wilderness and were punished accordingly, 4-9.

Abraham did not walk in them, And he was (recorded) friend because he kept the commandments of God, And chose not the will of his own spirit.

And he delivered (the commandment) to Isaac and Jacob, And they observed (it) and were recorded as friends of God, And members of the covenant for ever.

The sons of Jacob went astray through them, And they were punished according to their error.

And their children in Egypt walked in the stubbornness of their heart, So that they took counsel against the commandments of God, And every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

[And they eat blood], and He cut off their males in the desert (when He said) to them in Kadesh: Go up and possess (the land, but they hardened) their spirit :

And they hearkened not unto the voice of their Maker [The commandments of their Teacher| but murmured in their tents, And so the wrath of God was kindled against their congregation :

And their children [perished by it

And their kings] were cut off by it, And their mighty men perished by it, And their land was made desolate by it.

By it the first that entered into the covenant incurred guilt, And they were delivered unto the sword,

2. in them. MS. reads n3 which I have emended into jn3. It could be emended into 12 (i.e. ‘the evil

inclination ’) as proposed in note on iii. 3.

was( recorded) friend. Cf. Isa. xli. 8; Jub. xix. 9 ‘friend of God’ (note): xxx. 21 ‘That they should fulfil (thecovenant) and be recorded as friends’: James ii. 23 pidos Geod ékAjOy. The MS. is defective here, reading according to Schechter 37,,,9%, which he reads as INN nwy’; but comparing 1 Chron. xxvii. 24, 2 Chron. xx. 34, for the use of nby in the sense of ‘to be recorded’, we should here, I think, restore the text as follows an¢x m>)y. If the y is uncertain, then we might read an3. as in v. 34, or Np’ as is implied in James ii. 23.

chose not the will of his own spirit. Contrast v. 9 0.

3. recorded as friends. This phrase occurs in Jub. xxx. 21, where the text implies exactly the same Hebrew as here DANN 13nd».

members of the covenant. For the phrase n3 »y3 see Gen. xiv. 13.

4. through them. Read ji3 or 13 instead of pa. See v. 2 note.

according to. Reading 95 with Schechter for spd,

5. stubbornness of their heart. See note on ili. 4.

did that which was right, &c. From Judges xvii.6: cf. Deut. xii, 8: cf. ix. 17 @, v. 2c, and contrast v. 24, ¢.

6. The original form of this verse seems wholly lost.

[And they eat blood]. I have bracketed this as an interpolation.

(when He said) to them... (the land, but they hardened) their spirit. I have with Lévi supplied the words in brackets. wp" PONT NN... Ws. from a comparison of Deut. i. 21, 46; Ps. cvi. 33.

7. and they hearkened ... Maker (OMY bpd syn nd). From Ps. evi. 25 save for the change of 71 into omwy. It is possible that the choice of the latter divine name is due to the fact that it rhymes with omdmwa in the next line.

the commandments of their Teacher. For oI read with Lévi one. murmured in their tents. From Ps. cvi. 25. wrath of God was kindled against their congregation. Cf. Ps. cvi. 40. 8. The tristich can be restored by excising ‘ perished by it and their kings’ as an interpolation, or a dittograph of line 3. The reference to ‘kings’ at this period would be an anachronism. their land was made desolate by it. From Jer. xii. 11. A strange statement in regard to this period. 9. By it, i.e. 12. This must mean the evil inclination as in ili. 4 4, iv. 1, &c. the first that entered into the covenant. The Israelites at Sinai. entered into the covenant. See ii. I note.

— CO

Because they forsook the covenant of God :

And they chose their own will, And went about after the stubbornness of their heart, Every man doing his own will.

V. God confirms the Covenant with the faithful through fresh Revelations, 1-3; when Israel transgressed again God forgave them, 4-6; and confirmed His Covenant with them through Ezekiel, 6-7.

But with them that held fast by the commandments of God, [Who were left of them],

God confirmed the covenant of Israel for ever,

Revealing unto them the hidden things

Wherein all Israel had erred :

His holy Sabbaths and His glorious festivals, His righteous testimonies and His true ways, And the desires of His will [the which if a man do, he shall live by them] He opened before them.

And they digged a well of many waters: And he that despises them shall not live.

But they wallowed in the transgression of man, And in the ways of the unclean woman, And they said that tit belongs to usf.

But God wondrously pardoned their sins, And forgave their transgression,

forsook the covenant of God: And they chose their own will. Cf. iii. 7 ad.

10. chose their own will. Cf. ili. 7 a, iv. 2c, 5¢, Io c.

went about after. The rare construction ‘nN “yn which occurs here is found in Num. xv. 39, which we know was in the mind of the author when writing iii. 2 dc. See iii. 4 note.

stubbornness of their heart. Cf, iii. 4 note.

Every man doing, &c. See iv.roa@note. Cf, Esther i, 8 ‘to do according to each man’s pleasure’.

[Who were left of them]: i.e. The Remnant. Cf. i. 44, note. But it appears to be an interpolation. the covenant of Israel. I have, with some hesitation, so rendered Sxnued ynyna—an Aramaism, such as

we find in ii. 8. But 5snw5 may be a gloss. In that case we should render ‘His covenant’. Schechter gives the natural rendering ‘ His covenant with Israel’, but this does not go properly with the preceding line. the hidden things: i.e. those in the next verse.

2. His holy Sabbaths and His glorious festivals, &c. It is not improbable that the writer refers here to the Book of Jubilees: cf. i. 14 ‘they shall go astray as to new moons, and sabbaths, and festivals, and jubilees, and ordinances’. In vi. 33, 34 it is said that, if Israel neglects to observe the right reckoning of the years, ‘they will disturb all their seasons . . . and they will neglect their ordinances ... and... the new moons, and seasons, and sabbaths’; in vi. 38 ‘they will go wrong as to the new moons and seasons, and sabbaths, and festivals’: and in xxiii. 19 ‘they have forgotten commandment, and covenant, and feasts, and months (?‘new moons’, i.e. DWN), and sabbaths, and jubilees, and all judgements’,

the which if a man do, &c. Bracketed as an interpolation from Lev. xviii. 5, opened before them: i.e. paps nnp. Cf. Luke xxiv. 32 duvoryev .. . ras ypadds.

3. digged a well, studied or rather restudied the Law. See viii. 4-6; ix. 28.

4. wallowed ...in the ways of the unclean woman. Cf. ix. 15 0. transgression of man. Cf. Prov. xxix. 6. +it belongs to ust, i.e. 897195.

5. wondrously. The MS. reads 3xbp "13. Schechter emends the first word into 2/93 and renders ‘in the abundance of His wonder’. But this gives no sense. I emend the phrase into niNPD), which gives a possible sense. Or comparing xvi.1 (1Nbp ny7N2)) it is not improbable that the text read nop ‘ona ‘by His wondrous mercy’. See text xvi. 2.

pardoned, i.e. 3y2 752. This phrase with God as the subject is derived from 2 Chron. xxx. 18, This subject recurs frequently: cf. ii. 3, vi. 6, ix. 54, xviii. 8.

forgave (nywad Nv). (Cit 3, Xvi. 2:

transgression: cf. ii. 3.

FRAGMENTS OF A ZADOKITE WORK 5. s—6. 6

And He built them a sure house in Israel [the like of which never arose from of old nor until this day J.

They who hold fast to Him are for the life of eternity, And all the glory of man is for them ; As God confirmed it to them through Ezekiel the prophet, saying :

‘The priests and the Levites and the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of My Sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from them, they shall bring near unto Me fat and blood.’

VI. Migration of the Penitents to Damascus. Sons of Zadok hold office in the end of the Days, 1-3. Law to be obeyed and relations with Fudah broken off in the Period in which Belial is let

The priests are the penitents of Israel who went forth out of the land of Judah: and (the Levites are) they who joined them. And the sons of Zadok are the elect of Israel called by the name, that are holding office in the end of the days. Behold the statement of their names according to their generations, and the period of their office, and the number of their afflictions, and the years of their sojournings, and the statement of their works.

The first saints whom God pardoned, Both justified the righteous, And condemned the wicked.

And all they who come after them must do according to the interpretation of the Law, In which the forefathers were instructed Until the consummation of the period of these years.

In accordance with the covenant which God established with the forefathers

built them a sure house (}DN) N‘3 pnd 129). The phrase is found in 1 Sam. ii. 35, 1 Kings xi. 38. The sure house is the pontifical dynasty of Zadok. [the like of which... this day]. An interpolation. 6. They who hold fast. For phrase, cf.v. 1a. This line shows that the author believes in a blessed immortality. +. This verse, which is in prose, is a quotation from Ezek, xliv. 15: NODWNTNS WY TWN PyT¥ %33 onda ono om adn sapnd eis by saqp* mn syn Ss oa myn swap. The most important divergence in our text from the Massoretic is the insertion of an ‘and’ before ‘the Levites’ and an ‘and’ afterthem. But the first ‘and’ our author probably found in his text; for it is attested in the Syriac and Vulgate Versions, though it is absent (and rightly) from the LXX. The second ‘and’ may be due to our author. Our author reproduces the above quotation as follows: 11’ om Syn Syn S32 MNT wapd NAMwWITNs HW AWN PITY 33) pdm DMI. on adn %. Here wpn is clearly a clerical error for wp and so I have translated.

VI. 1. the penitents. We should here punctuate ‘ay as ‘AY ‘penitents’: cf. ii. 3; vill. 6; ix. 24 (A & B). Cf. Isa. i. 27 IY and lix. 20 apyya yw vay. It could also be punctuated ‘2¥ ‘captivity’ with Schechter. But the former seems right. The New Covenant was one of repentance: cf. ix. 15 (B).

Israel who went forth out of the land of Judah. Cf. viii. 6. This migration to Damascus possibly took place somewhere about 170 B.c. See notes on i, 6, viil. I-10.

and they who joined them; i.e. DnDy nbom}. These words denote the Levites; for our author carefully - distinguishes the Priests and the Levites, xv. 5, 6. The word ondsn ‘who joined’ seems to be a play on

onda ‘the Levites’ in v. 7. I have restored the words in brackets.

2. The Zadokites are the spiritual successors of the ‘ penitents’, but they were not to be known by this name apparently till ‘the end of the days’—long after 176 s.c. in the time of the Teacher of Righteousness. See Introd. § ro. iv.

called by the name. own ‘NP. Cf. ii. 9 ‘called by name’. that are holding office (i.e. nym). We have elsewhere in our text Ty = ‘ office’. in the end of the days, i.e. OM NINNI. Cf. Gen. xlix. 1; Dan, xii. 13. 3. This verse appears to refer to some record or apocalypse no longer existing in the text. statement of their names (nT NDwW wn). See ii. 10. On this meaning of we see ii. 8. the period of their office (DIDYyD yp). Cf. il. 8, where the corresponding phrase is ‘ years of (their) office ’.

4. The first saints, i.e. Ow (NIN O)wYpn. This seems the simplest restoration. Lagrange reads sy wtp and renders: ‘they sanctified the years when God pardoned them’, and takes the words as referring to the first period of the sect—the reign of the Saints. Schechter emends Dw wTpA into DWN.

justified, &c. Contrast 1. 14.

5-6. They were to act according to a certain interpretation of the law to a certain time limit. God will

forgive the followers of Zadok as He forgave the forefathers.

5. must do, i.e. miwy.

In order to pardon their sins, So shall God make atonement for them.

7 And on the consummation of the period [of the number] of these years They shall no more join themselves to the house of Judah, But shall every one stand up against his net.

8 The wall shall have been built, The boundary been far removed.

9 And during all these years Belial shall be let loose against Israel, as God spake through Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos, saying: ‘ Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant 10 of the land.’ This means the three nets of Belial, concerning which Levi the son of Jacob spake, 11 by which he caught Israel and directed their faces to three kinds of trighteousnesst. The first is fornication, the second is the wealth (of wickedness), the third is the pollution of the Sanctuary.

6. In order to pardon, &c. Cf. v. 5 note.

-7. When the limit of time referred to in v. 5 was reached, they should break off relations with Judah and withstand its overtures. I have bracketed ‘of the number’ as an explanatory gloss on ‘of the period ’ (ypn). Se ee

They shall no more join themselves (nanwnd Ty py). Cf. Isa. xiv. 1.

8. The wall shall have been built, The boundary been far removed (i.e. pina Pn WA ANII3). These words are derived from Mic. vii. rr ‘In one day thy walls shall be built, in that day thy boundary shall be far removed’ (pn pn sian oY pI mad ny). I have here, as in Micah, rendered p1n by ‘boundary’, but it may mean ‘statute’ or ‘decree’. If the above rendering is right, then the sense is that the community will at the end of these years of trouble be securely established and its boundaries extended afar.

9. during all these years. The words refer apparently to the time of the Antichrist.

Belial shall be let loose. Cf. Jubilees i. 20 ‘ Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be lifted up upon Thy people ... and let not the spirit of Beliar rule over them...to ensnare them from all the paths of righteousness’: xv. 33: T. Reub. ii. 2 (8). This name for Satan has disappeared from Talmudic literature.

Fear and the pit, &c. Quoted from Isa. xxiv. 17.

10. This means. Literally, ‘its explanation is’.

the three nets of Belial. According to our author (v. 11) these three are: fornication, wealth, and pollution of the Sanctuary. This enumeration is not found elsewhere, so far as I know, but a list of three deadly sins is found several times in Jewish literature. In Jubilees vii. 20 they are fornication, uncleanness and iniquity. ‘Owing to these three things came the flood upon the earth’ (vii. 21), These words of Jubilees may have been in the mind of St. Paul when he wrote: ‘No fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man... hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God... for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience’ (Eph. v. 5-6). According to the Ber. rabba 31, the three causes of the flood were idolatry, incest and murder.

Levi the son of Jacob spake. The words attributed to Levi are not found in the Test. Levi. In ix. 9, however, of that Testament the priests are charged with fornication and pollution of the holy place—two of the deadly sins mentioned here. Further, in v. 16 of the Aramaic and Greek Fragments of an original source of this Testament Isaac warns Levi and his sons against fornication and uncleanness (see my edition of the Test. Twelve Patr., p. 229). Finally, in Test. Lev. xiv. 5-6, the priests are accused of stealing the sacrifices, of covetousness, fornication, and profaning the priesthood and polluting the sacrifices, xvi. r. Cf. also T. Reub.

by which he caught Israel and directed their faces (07°35 03n) Syqwea ona wan Nin ws). The agent is here Belial. The phraseology, on the other hand, is in part borrowed, as Schechter observes, from Ezek. xiv. 4, 5, where it is said that God ‘catches’ Israel. This change of agent is typical in later Judaism. The Hebrew of Ezekiel is: Sw ma nx wen jyod...me naa ow iny Swarr.

+righteousness+. The text undoubtedly reads pty here, but it seems to me to be a slip of a scribe for mo. Hence read ‘ wickedness’.

11. The first sin, i.e. fornication, is dealt with in vii. 1-7; in vii. 8-17 the third—the pollution of the Sanctuary. ‘The second is referred to in viii. 12; ix. 14.

wealth (}\7). In Test. Lev. xiv. 6 the Sadducean priests are charged with ‘covetousness,’ i.e. mAcovegia, which in the LXX is the rendering for Y¥32. If the text is original, our author, like a fanatic, makes, not the sinful ‘desire, but the object of the desire a sinful thing in itself. In Jubilees xxiii. 21, where the writer is speaking of the Hellenizing priesthood in the time of the early Maccabees, he states that ‘ they will exalt themselves to deceit and wealth (i.e. wealth won by wrong)...and they will defile the holy of holies... with... the corruption of their pollution’. Here unrighteous gain is said to be the object of the priesthood. And so it appears to be in our text. For in viii. 12 we have ‘the polluted wealth of wickedness’ (Noun AYwnn j\n) and in ix. 14 ‘the wealth of wickedness’; also in t Enoch ciii. 5 ‘ your sinfully acquired wealth’, xiii. ro ‘our unrighteous gains’, and see Luke xvi. 9 papwva ris dducias. Hence I have restored ‘of wickedness’ (Aywin) to the text. Cf. Targ. on Isa. v. 23 PWT jD.

12 He that cometh up from this shall be caught by that, and he that escapeth from this shall be caught by that. : VII. 1-7. The Sin of Fornication. Divorce forbidden.

, The builders of the wall who walk after law—the law it is which talks, of which He said: Assuredly they shall talk—are caught [by two] by fornication in taking two wives during their life-

2,3 time. But the fundamental principle of the creation is ‘ Male and Female created He them.’ And

4 they who went into the Ark, ‘ Two and two went into the Ark. And as to the prince it is written,

5 ‘He shall not multiply wives unto himself.” But David read not in the Book of the Law that was sealed, which was in the Ark; for it was not opened in Israel from the day of the death of Eleazar and

6 Joshua, and the Elders who served Ashtaroth, And it was hidden (and was not) discovered until

7 Zadok arose. Now they glorified the deeds of David save only the blood of Uriah, and God +abandoned them to him.

VII. 8-18. Zhe Sin of polluting the Sanctuary.

8 And they also pollute the Sanctuary since they separate not according to the Law, and lie with 9 her who sees the blood of her issue. And they take (to wife) each his brother’s daughter or his

the pollution of the Sanctuary. I have here, of course, followed Schechter’s emendation of “dv into nxov. The profanation of the sanctuary by the priesthood is a very frequent accusation in the OME ua Ginzephs iii. 4 ‘her priests have polluted the sanctuary’: also 1 Sam, ii. 12, 17, 22; Ezek. xxii. 26, liv. 7,50) ee 12. He that cometh up from this shall be caught (wan) by that, &c. Our author returns to Isa. xxiv. 17 from which he had drawn the quotation in v. 9. The present words are not a quotation but are based on Isa. xxiv. 18 ‘He who fleeth (037) from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he who cometh up

(Adiyn) out of the midst of the pit shall be taken (733%) in the snare’. These words are reproduced in Jer. xlviii, 44. It will be observed that whereas the participle ‘he that cometh up’ (nbdyyn) has a fitness in Isaiah as applying to ‘the pit’ it has lost this fitness in our context.

VII. 1. This verse seems to be directed against the Pharisees and their exposition of the Law. The text

seems hopeless }1B°D FM WON TWN FID NT IST YS TIS yon Ws yin 3. inn is to be emended into nn as in ix. 21, 26(B). The phrase ynn 172 ‘ builders of the wall’, is borrowed from Ezek. xiii. ro. It recurs in ix.21,26. On the meaning of this phrase see note on ix. 21. Possibly 1¥ is corrupt for Ny in both cases. If so, we might translate: ‘the builders of the wall who walk after vanity (cf. Hos. v. 11, LXX, Syr.)—the vanity it is which talks of which it is said: &c.’ Lévi retains the text and translates: * Les batisseurs de murailles, qui poursuivent ¢aw (les lois)—et gaw, c’est le bavardage & propos duquel il est dit: “ils ne font que bavarder ”’—ont été pris dans deux.’ [by two], ie. DNWA a dittograph from the ‘nw following. two wives during their lifetime. Schechter is of opinion that the text is ‘not only directed against polygamy but also against divorce which certain Jewish sects forbade’. This is probably right though the suffix, i.e. ‘their’, is masc.—non”na—and if taken strictly would refer to the men. But not infrequently in the O.T. the masc. suffix is used in reference to feminine nouns: cf. Ruth iv. 11 om nw referring to Rachel and Leah: see Gesenius Gram. § 1350. But the reference to David inv. 7 would imply that we have here to do with polygamy only. 2, fundamental principle, i.e. 71D’. Male and Female, &c. From Gen. i. 27. Cf. Matt. xix. 4; Mark x. 7. As Schechter points out, Aboth d@’ R. Nathan, p. 5 a, uses the same argument against polygamy but does not give the verse. 4. The word for prince here is $'W3, which is used by Ezekiel. Lévi thinks that it is chosen instead of ‘king’ to belittle the Davidic dynasty. ; He shall not multiply, &c. From Deut. xvii. 17. 5. The explanation of David’s polygamy. Joshua. The text has here a dittograph pwn pwn. served Ashtaroth. Judges ii. 13. 6. And it was hidden (and was not) discovered. Here I follow Schechter’s emendation of mba yon) into nbza (di) jw". Zadok. Some ancient worthy, but who he was cannot be determined. 7. Our author clearly disapproves of the praise of David in 1 Kings xv. 5, which seems to have been in his thoughts. “glorified (or extolled), i.e. yoy. Cf. Ps. cxxxvii. 6 for this use of the verb. It is a Talmudic use also.

Schechter emends yy" into wry”, i.e. ‘concealed ’. abandoned them to him. Does this mean: abandoned Israel to the sway and example of David?

8. separate. Here ba must of necessity be changed into pda. plood of her issue (Mav D7). Cf. Lev. xv. 19. In the Pss. Sol. viii. 13 the Sadducean priests are charged with similarly profaning the altar and temple, émdrovy 75 Ovoragrjptov Kupiov amd méaons axabapcias, kai ev apédpe aiparos éuiawov tas 6voias. But the charge here is brought against the Pharisees. 9. brother’s. For ons read nx. There is no need for the two changes made by Schechter.

to sister's daughter. But Moses said ‘Thou shalt not approach thy mother’s sister: she is thy

11 mother’s near kin’. So the law of intercourse for males is written, and the same law holds for females ; and let not the daughter of the brother uncover the nakedness of the brother of her father: he is near of kin.

12 They also polluted their holy spirit and with a tongue of blasphemies they opened the mouth

13 against the statutes of the covenant of God, saying: They are not established. But abominations they speak regarding them.

14 They are all ‘kindlers of fire And setters aflame of firebrands’ :

15 ‘The webs of spiders’ are their weavings And ‘the eggs of cockatrices’ are their eggs:

16 He who comes near them shall not be innocent : ; He that chooseth them shall be held guilty [unless he was forced].

17 Aforetime God visited their works, And His wrath was kindled because of their devices. ‘

18 For ‘it is a people of no understanding’: ‘ They are a nation void of counsel,’ [Because there is no understanding in them].

19 For aforetime arose Moses and Aaron through the prince of the Lights. But Belial raised Jochanneh and his brother with his evil device when the former delivered Israel.

10. Thou shalt not... kin (i.e. NT JON ANY JPN nd JOX NINN by). This is a free reproduction of Lev. xviii. 13 A FOX TINY 1D An Nd JON ninw my: cf. Jebam. 55 ad.

II. intercourse, i.e. 7ynN—a Rabbinic term.

let not the daughter of the brother, &c. The text reads oN) ‘and if’ which I have emended into Sxy Sand let not’. This argument that, ifa man must not marry his aunt, a woman must not marry her uncle is found among the Caraites, but it is earlier. Similar reasoning is attributed to the Sadducees in Baba Bathra 115 4, Megillat Taanith 5.

12. their holy spirit, i.e. OPWIP mn. Cf. viii. 2 note. Late Hebrew Test. Naph. x. 9 (in my edition of the Test. Twelve Patr. p. 227), ‘Blessed is he who does not defile the holy spirit of God which hath been put and breathed into him, and blessed is he who returns it to its Creator as pure as it was on the day when He entrusted it to him.’ Schechter compares Wertheimer, ii. 14 )27pay os mo Noo Noy ous “wN mwa ona.

_ They are not established (1233 nb). This passage is directed against the Pharisees, who by their casuistry set at naught the Law.

14. all kindlers of fire... firebrands (Mp? ‘NyI) WN MP nd>). These words are drawn from Isa. |. 11 though with a change: onaya mp2... .125 mp “Ny ws om odo.

15. The webs of spiders. From Isa. lix. 4.

the eggs of cockatrices. From Isa. lix. 4.

16. He that chooseth them. The text reads the unintelligible Owx’ in’3 79. Schechter emends the first word into pAn>. Thus we have: ‘like a thing accursed shall his house be guilty.’ But the parallelism points in a different direction. owx’ ‘shall be held guilty’ is right; for it corresponds to ‘shall not be innocent’ in the previous line. We require now a parallel to ‘he that cometh near them ’—in other words, we expect a participle behind 453, i.e. 273, n'a is there corrupt for on2. - Thus we arrive at the above. Lévi suggests the change of "n> into 77D = ‘speedily’, and renders ‘bientét sa maison est vouée a la destruction’ and is herein followed by Lagrange, but neither this clause nor yet the clause which follows admits readily of the meaning they attach to them.

unless he was forced (yds DN %3). - An obvious gloss. The words ON °3 that follow are with Schechter to be rejected as a dittograph. Lévi and Lagrange: ‘ assuredly it will be destroyed’ (referring to the ‘ house’).

18. The first line is verbally drawn from Isa, xxvii. rr. The second and third lines are from Deut. xxxii. 28, but the last line, which I have bracketed as a gloss, diverges slightly, i.e. 732 O72 }S WWsND whereas Deut.

19. This verse seems to have no connexion either with what precedes or what follows.

prince of the Lights, i.e. nnn Ww. This may be the angel Uriel who, according to 1 Enoch, was set over the lights of heaven. Schechter suggests that we should read o%75 for ns. We should then have ‘ the prince of the Presence’ who succoured Moses, against Mastema (i.e. Belial) Jub. xlviii. 2, 9.

Belial, i.e. Satan: cf. ix. 12.

Jochanneh and his brother. These are the two Egyptian magicians, Jannes and Jambres, mentioned in 2 Tim. iii, 8, who withstood Moses, Exod. vii. 11 sq. In Menachoth 854 they are called x41) ‘an. See Encyc. Bib, ii. 2327 sqq.

when the former delivered Israel. The text reads mywsan ne Syo» yuna. Schechter emends mx

VIII. When the Land was laid desolate God would raise up wise men who would restudy the Law and go in Exile to Damascus, 1-5; and according to tts Precepts the repentant ones should walk till the Teacher of Righteousness arose (i.e. after 176 B.C.), 7~10.

1 And during the period of the destruction of the land there arose those who removed the landmark

2 and led Israel astray. And the land became desolate because they spake rebellion against the commandments of God through Moses [and also through His holy anointed one], and they prophesied a lie to turn away Israel from God.

3 But God remembered the covenant with the forefathers : And He raised up from Aaron men of understanding, And from Israel wise men:

4 And He made them to hearken, And they digged the well.

5 ‘A well the princes digged, The nobles of the people delved it By the order of the Lawgiver.’

6 The well is the Law, and they who digged it are the penitents of Israel who went forth out of the land of Judah and sojourned in the land of Damascus, all of whom God called princes. 4,8 For they sought Him and His glory was not turned back in the mouth of one (of them). And the Lawgiver is he who studies the Law, in regard to whom Isaiah said, ‘ He bringeth forth an instrument

into ny and renders ‘when I. was delivered for the first time’. But this would require nyn. I emend as

follows: bwin Ssav* ns yewrna. On this order of object and subject, cf. Gen. iv. 15; Joshua xiv. 11; 2 Sam. xviii. 29; Isa. xx. 1, &c. The error arose through the transposition of the nN. ‘ The former’ are of course ‘Moses and Aaron’. Here Lévi and Lagrange render A2wN7N NN ‘pour la premiere fois |

VIII. 1-10. The period here referred to seems to be the same as ‘the period of wrath’ in i. 5 when evil men arose who rebelled against the commandments of God (v. 2). But God raised up men of understanding, who studied the law (4-5) and went forth out of the land of Judah to Damascus (6). In this law and its precepts they should walk till the Teacher of righteousness arose (x0). We have already seen (see i. 7 note) that this teacher was raised up ‘in the period of the wrath’ (i. 5), which began or prevailed about 196 Bc. Inv. Io this period is called ‘the end of the days’.

1. the period of the destruction of the land. See i. 5 and preceding note.

who removed the landmark. Cf. i. 11 note; ix. 13, 49. These wicked leaders may be the Hellenizers if the date is early, or the Pharisees if it is late. Perhaps the same as * the scornful man’ spoken of in i. 10; for he ‘talked to Israel lying words and made them go astray’ (i. 10; cf. viii. 2, 1) so that they ‘should remove the landmark’ (i. 11: cf. viii. 1).

2. the land became desolate, i.e. through the Syrians.

spake rebellion. Cf. xiv. 5 (ie. 7D 192). From Deut. xiti. 6.

and also through His holy anointed one. If these words are genuine they may refer, as Lévi suggests, to Aaron. Moses and Aaron would in this case be conceived as the revealers of God’s commands. But since the text reads wNpn in’w2 Dm it would be more natural to translate ‘and also through His holy Messiah’ : cf. ix. 10 (B), 29, xv. 4, xviii. 8. See note on i. 7. There is a difficulty with regard to this phrase in ii, To.

3. remembered the covenant, &c. Cf. 1. 4 note.

Aaron... and Israel. Cf. ix. 10(B); xv. 4; xviii. 8. Schechter may be right in deducing from this verse (viii. 3) the conclusion that the Zadokite Party ‘insisted that the lay element should be represented in all important functions’.

made ...to hearken. The text reads pypw’, which with Schechter I have emended into py. Bacher retains the text and translates ‘assembled them’ (cf. 1 Sam. xv. 4).

the well. Cf. v. 3. The well is the Law (z. 6).

the Lawgiver (i.e. ppiman). A very narrow definition is given to the Lawgiver in v. 8. He is ‘a student of the Law’. It is quite in keeping with the absolute autocracy of the Law. The Lawgiver (viii. 8, 9) is in ix. 8 called ‘the Star’, whose duties are described in the same terms.

6. the penitents of Israel ...land of Judah. Cf. vi. 1.

7. His glory. The text reads ON IND 7Iwin ( ‘their bough was... turned back’) which I take to be corrupt for NINDN Mawin ‘His glory was. . . turned back’. This term is used frequently of God in the O.T,

8. the Lawgiver, i.e. ppinnn. He appears to have been the founder of the Party at Damascus.

studies the Law, i.e. ANNA way.

He bringeth forth, &c. From Isa. liv. 16.

for his work.’ And the nobles of the people are those who came to dig the well by the precepts in the which the Lawgiver ordained that they should walk throughout the full period of the wickedness.

1o And save them they shall get nothing until there arises the Teacher of Righteousness in the end of

II

the days.

VIII. 11-20. Conditions under which they can act as Priests in the Sanctuary.

And none who have entered into the covenant shall enter into the Sanctuary to kindle His altar but they shall shut the doors concerning whom God said,

O that there was one among you to shut the doors,

So that ye might not vainly kindle the fire upon My altar,’

Unless they observe to do according to the true meaning of the Law until the period of the wickedness, and to sever themselves from the children of the pit, and to hold aloof from the polluted wealth of wickedness under a vow and a curse, and from the wealth of the Sanctuary :

9. in the which. ‘The text reads nD3.., 7WN an obvious corruption for On3 “x. period of the wickedness. Cf. v.12. In Ezek. xxi. 30 we have ‘the time of the wickedness of the end’ (yp jw Ny). wickedness. The text reads yw which I have emended into Aywn. This phrase refers to the kingdom of wickedness (Ayw7n madd) as opposed to the coming Messianic kingdom. 1o. From the founding of the Party till the teacher of righteousness arose, i. e. after 196 B.c., no new teaching or light should be given. See note on viii. 1-10. until there arises, &c. Cf. Ezra ii. 63 ; Neh. vii. 65 for a like idea. the Teacher of Righteousness, l.e. PI¥N M7. See i. 7 note. i1-20. ‘These verses form one sentence, in which the conditions are given, on the fulfilment of which the priests can administer their office in the Temple. tz. And none who have entered into the covenant shall enter into the Sanctuary, i.e. INIIN AWS $3)

wspon dx sia ondad maa. I have here, as Schechter suggests, emended 38317 into 1N2. As regards the translation, there are two possible ways. I have, with Schechter, given the above rendering, but Lévi, citing eraxxxiv. 10 D2 TAY bad... ay my ees ndwd nynaa wa qs... own 55 and 2 Chron. xv. 12, insists that we must connect the words as in these passages. If this is necessary the translation would run: ‘ And all those who had entered the covenant not to enter the Sanctuary to kindle His altar, and had shut the doors,’ But, if we accept Lévi’s rendering, the connexion and grammar of the entire passage are destroyed. In order

to carry it out, Lévi is obliged to render xd oN as ‘because... not’(!) in v. 12, and to make vz. 11-20 a nominahvus pendens, which does not find a predicate to v. 21, and which, when it is resumed in z. 21, has quite changed its meaning! Lagrange accepts Lévi’s suggestion but avoids rendering xd ox as Lévi has done. He rightly takes these words as meaning ‘unless’. But the passage then becomes no more intelligible in his hands. v.11 is a nom. pendens which is apparently explained in v. 12, which forms the beginning of a long protasis extending from v.12 to wv. 20, and then ends without an apodosis. He tries to get over these difficulties by suggesting that xd px forms the beginning of an oath. But there is nothing in the text to suggest such an idea.

Hence I conclude that if the passage is to be construed intelligibly, it is to be taken as I have given it. The apodosis of the sentence comes first in v. 11, and the protasis follows in 12-20. For another long sentence where the protasis consists of four verses, see ix. 50-54. No priest of the Zadokite party is to take part in the Temple services (v. 11), unless he fulfils the conditions laid down in 12-20. In case the Zadokite priests fulfil these conditions, they are in v. 21 given the assurance of an everlasting covenant.

none... shall enter, ie. sya *nda5,.. 52. This construction recurs in vi. 5, 7 (628), ix. 2, 12, x02, xxwy?

none... shall enter into the Sanctuary to kindle His altar. These words refer to the Temple in Jerusalem: cf. v. 12 where the wealth of the Sanctuary is spoken of, and 1. 3 note.

have entered into the covenant. See ii. 1 note.

doors. Text reads ynd5 corrupt for ond as also in the quotation that follows.

O that ... upon My altar. From Mal. i. ro, save that our text omits Oi and by a slip puts ynbs for oxnds. That it is the Temple in Jerusalem that our text refers to follows inevitably from this quotation.

12. observe todo. Cf. Deut. xii. 1.

until the period of the wickedness, i.e. ywrn yp>. Perhaps yp should here have its ordinary meaning Omecna. Cf. v. 9.

children of the pit, nnwn 3. Cf. Jub. x. 3, xv. 26, where the phrase denotes those who refuse circumcision. In xvi. 7 it undoubtedly means the uncircumcised. In Ezek. xxx. 24, &c. ‘Sheol’ or ‘the pit’ ("2 xxxii. 29 or nn’ xxviii. 8) is spoken of as the final habitation of the uncircumcised.

to hold aloof... under a vow and a curse, i.e. to take a vow to separate themselves and invoke a curse on themselves in case they failed.

to hold aloof, i.e. 73nd. Cf. Num. vi. 2, 5,12. Lhe form snd is found in viii. 18.

the polluted wealth of wickedness. Sce note on vi. rr.

13 And in respect to robbing the poor of His people, So that widows may be their spoil, And. they may murder the fatherless:

14 And to make a difference between the clean and the unclean and to make men discern between 15 the holy and the profane: And to observe the Sabbath according to its true meaning and the

feasts and the day of the Fast according to the utterances of them who entered into the New 16 Covenant in the land of Damascus: ‘To contribute their holy things according to the true inter- 17 pretation: To love every one his brother as himself, and to strengthen the hand of the poor 18 and the needy and the stranger, and to seek every one the peace of his brother: To hold aloof

from harlots according to the law: and that no man should commit a trespass against his next 19 of kin: To rebuke every one his brother according to the commandment, and not to bear a grudge 20 from day to day, and to separate from all the pollutions according to their judgements. And no man

to hold aloof... from the wealth of the Sanctuary. Can this be a pregnant expression for ‘to hold aloof... from robbing the wealth, &c.’? If so, we might compare Test. Lev. xiv. 5 ‘ The offerings of the Lord ye shall rob, and from His portion ye shall steal choice portions’. The chief Pharisee of the time of Jannaeus, i.e. Simon ben Shetach, is said to have appropriated to his own use half the offerings of 300 Nazarites. See Schiirer®, i. 279 sq. But the text may mean that the priests of the Party are not to avail themselves of the wealth of the Temple. from the wealth, &c. Reading in instead of finz. In vi. rz (see note) evilly-acquired wealth is spoken of. The same charge appears here to be brought against the wealth of the Sanctuary. If this is so, the Sanctuary in question cannot be the sanctuary of the Party; for they would not in any case admit that its (small) wealth was of this nature. Hence the text can only refer to the Temple in Jerusalem. 13. in respect to robbing... the fatherless. This verse is a quotation from Isa. x. 2 “yy pawn Syd)

WD ovens: addy nibs mynd wy, but our author omits awry and changes W3) into ny, which, as Lévi observes, is drawn from Ps. xciv. 6 }M¥") DDN).

in respect to robbing. The text reads by and I have translated accordingly, but this may be corrupt for 5y1319 = ‘ from robbing’.

14. This verse is a quotation from Ezek. xxii. 26, save that our author has transposed the two verbs and read: 5ynb wap pa yendy aynod spon pa Sandy. In connecting Sqan with the first clause he may have. been influenced by Lev. xi. 47 which does so.

15. the day of the Fast, i.e. the Day of Atonement.

utterances. The text reads Nyp which I take to be corrupt for ‘N¥i, But Schechter is possibly right in emending it into ny) = ‘command’.

the New Covenant. (Cf. ix. 28, 37. See note on ii.z. The phrase appears to be derived from Jer. xxxi. 31. It was called ‘new’ because it was a covenant based on repentance, ix. 15 (B) (ma\wn N43). This involved a spiritual transformation, and corresponds to the words in Jer. xxxi. 33 ‘I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their hearts will I write it’.

the land of Damascus. See viii. 6 note.

16. contribute, i.e. ond.

their holy things (n'wspn). These words may refer to the tithes of the oxen and the sheep. These are mentioned in Lev. xxvii. 32 and 2 Chron, xxxi. 6 only, but were unknown to Nehemiah (x. 37-39, xii. 44- 47, &c.). The literal tithing of the oxen and sheep is maintained in Jub. xxxii. 15 (see my note zm Joc.), but — Rabbinic tradition sought to make it out as merely a tithe of the yearly increase.

17. To love... as himself, i.e. 703 WYNN MN wN aNd. In Lev. xix. 18 we have ‘ neighbour’ instead of ‘brother’, The question arises here, who is ‘the brother’? In Judaism it was always limited to fellow countrymen, and the context here favours this idea. See the Zest. Twelve Patr. for the noblest pre-Christian enforcement of this duty: T..Sim. iv.73 Ts Iss. v2, vil.65 Ty Gadav. 2) viet, 3s vii 75 1. Benj: i. 3,1. eae

to strengthen ... needy (j2N) ‘3y 73 prnnd). From Ezek. xvi. 49. seek ... the peace (iby wiN een wy). Cf. Dents xilis, 6,07 55 Jer xxix:-7. 18. I have transposed the two clauses of this verse. harlots. For mt we should perhaps read ny3t ‘fornication’ with Schechter. Cf. iii. 2, vii. 2. his next of kin (i.e. wa 7Nw). Cf. ix. 17; Lev. xviii. 6, xxv. 49.

19. rebuke... his brother (NN nN... main). The commandment is in Lev. xix. 17 JNYON AN Mon.

Ci x22) 5 0b our text. not to bear a grudge. Cf. ix. 16, x. 1 note. to separate from all the pollutions. Cf. Ezra vi. 21.

20. no man shall make abominable his holy spirit, i.e. YWIP MNT NN WN pp xb. This is clearly a reproduction of Lev. xx. 25 with a change of phrase: o>:nws) nx wpwn Nd § Ye shall not make your souls abominable’. See our text xiv. 12. Thus the ‘spirit’ (Nzvedpa) is for our author identical with the soul (WD] v x7) alike in essence and function asin 1 Enoch xxii. 3,5 &c. See my Lschatology, 195, sq. See vii. 12 note.

shall make abominable (with these) his holy spirit, according as God separated (these) from them.

ordinances, the covenant of God

Text A.

standeth fast unto them to preserve them to a thousand generations,

And if they settle in camps according to the order of the land and take wives and beget children, they shall walk according to the Law, and according tothe judgements of the ordinances according to the order of the Law as He spake, ‘between a man and his wife, and between a father and his son’.

2 But as for all them that reject... when God will bring a visitation upon the land they shall be requited with the recompense of the wicked ;

when there shall come to pass the word which is | written in the words of Isaiah the son of Amos |

3 the prophet, who said : ‘ He will bring upon thee and upon thy people and upon thy father’s house days that have (not) come from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.’

~ 91 As for all those who walk in these things in the perfection of holiness according to all the

Text B.

standeth fast unto them to preserve them for thousands of generations. As it is written, ‘ Who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations.’

The Law as to binding and loosing.

And if they settle in camps according to the statutes of the land which were from of old and take wives according to the custom of the Law and beget children, they shall walk according to the Law and according to the judgements of the ordinances according to the order of the Law as

| He spake, ‘between a man and his wife, and

between a father and his son,’

Threatened Judgement on those who rejected the Statutes.

But as for all them that reject the commandments and the statutes they shall be requited with the recompense of the wicked; when God will bring a visitation upon the land, when there shall come to pass the word which is written by the hand of Zechariah the prophet : ‘O sword, awake against My shepherd and against the man that is My fellow, saith God ; smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn Mine hand against the little ones.’

separated (these) from them (o75,,, byyan), i. e. separated the unclean things from them. From Lev. xx. 25. 21. As for all those who walk in these things... the covenant of God standeth fast unto them. These

clauses recur in xvi. 12.

perfection of holiness or ‘holy perfection’ (wsp orn).

ordinances. The text reads '7)D" or ‘9)D" (= ‘ disciplinings’), which must be emended as in ix. 1 (A? and B)

into oy)D’. Cf. xi. 2.

the covenant ...standeth fast unto them. Cf, xvi.r2. From’Ps. Ixxxix. 28 1 n82 NA. =I have

changed n132N) into NON) as in the Psalms.

21. B. Who keepeth covenant... generations.

be read as wannd and yniyp.

IX. 1. camps. ‘camp’, referring to Elkan Adler DAD ‘121, p. 3.

order (or ‘regulation’ or ‘arrangement’), i.e. 79D a Rabbinic word. Observe that in B we have ‘pin, but later in this verse it is found both in A and B. 4p is found in vv. 29, 30 of the Aramaic Fragments of an original source of the Zes/. Twelve Patr.

XVil, I.

From Deut. vii. 9. The Sand and the ‘myn are to

According to Lévi the name of the Jewish quarter even at the present day in Persia is

Innecuns inixe ra xvenk,)4e xvi

In the Greek, which is

here happily preserved, ra&s appears as the equivalent of 79D. Both the Aramaic and Greek Fragments go back

to a Hebrew original.

See my Greek Versions of the Test. Twelve Patr., p. 250.

Cf. jad = ‘administrators’

ordinances, i.e. O10" in B and A(?), which latter could also be read O10. between a man and his wife... son. From Num. xxx. 16 save that for ‘son’ (192) the O.T. reads ‘daughter’ (ina). We have here a summary reference to the law of binding and loosing, which is more fully treated in xx. 2-12.

2. will bring a visitation.

This is the visitation through the Messiah: cf. vv. 9-10, 12-13. they shall be requited with the recompense of the wicked.

I am doubtful as to the rendering here.

The text reads omy Dyn byo9 awad. This use of the infinitive is frequent in our text. For the phrase

3. The great difference of the two recensions here is to be observed.

3. A. This verse is quoted from Isa. vii. 17. recension.

It recurs in part in xvi. r1—a fact which may support the A For x3" we must read N'2’, and x? must be restored before INI as in xvi. 11 and in the O.T.

that have (not) come... Ephraim. These words recur in xvi. rr. 3. B. This verse is quoted from Zech. xiii. 7. Our author has changed Mix2y into by.

FRAGMENTS; OF As ZADOKEITE WORK 79; 4-10

IX. 4-9. Foundation of the Zadokite Party and its Expectations: the Law, the Prophets, and the Messiah. |

When the two houses of Israel separated, [Ephraim departed from Judah, and] all who proved faithless were delivered to the sword, and those who held fast escaped into the land of the North.

5 As He said, ‘And I will cause to go into captivity Siccuth your King and Chiun your images, 6 (the star of your god which ye made for yourselves) beyond Damascus. The books of the

Law are the tabernacle of the King, as He said, ‘And I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen.’ The King is the congregation and Chiun the images are the books of the Prophets, whose words Israel has despised. And the Star is he who studied the Law, who came to Damascus, as it is written, ‘There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel.’ The sceptre is the prince of all the congregation.

IX. 10-20. The Messiah will destroy those who were faithless to the New Covenant: their moral Derelictions through Hellenizing Influences.

iA B

And when he arises ‘he shall destroy all the And ‘they that give heed unto Him are the

sons of (battle) din’... . These shall escape during | poor of the flock’. These shall escape during the the period of the [first] visitation, but those who | period of the visitation, but the rest shall be handed proved faithless shall be delivered to the sword. | over to the sword when the Messiah comes from

4. [Ephraim ... and]. Bracketed as a dittograph from the preceding sentence. So Landauer. all who proved faithless. Cf. v. 10. those who held fast. See v. 1 note. land of the North, i.e. Damascus.

5-9. The extraordinary piece of exegesis which we find in these verses has for its object the removal from the Messianic hopes of the expectation of a Messiah descended*from David. No kingly but a priestly Messiah is to be looked for.

5. This verse is quoted from Amos v. 26-27, but with a few changes. ‘Two are accidental and owing to copyists. The first of these is the omission of the clause ‘the star of your God which ye made for yourselves’. The second is the corruption of 5 mxbn = ‘beyond’ into ‘nx ‘from the tents of’. The entire context of our author requires the former. The words ‘beyond Damascus’ denote the destination of the captivity— called ‘the land of Damascus’ in viii. 6, ix. 28, 38. If our author deliberately changed S axban into ‘Sax he would not have done so unless it was of importance to him. ‘That it was not is patent from the fact that no allusion to ‘tents’ occurs in what follows.

There is, however, one deliberate change of the text of Amos, namely, the substitution of yma) ‘and I will cause... to go into captivity’ from v. 27 for DNNw3) ‘and ye shall carry’ in v. 26. 6. tabernacle. Here nyzD ‘ Siccuth’ or ‘Saccuth’ is read as n3D = ‘ tabernacle’. And I will raise up... fallen. From Amos ix. 11, save that for DPN our text reads ‘nyopn).

7. whose words Israel has despised. Cf. Test. Lev. xvi. 2 ‘Ye shall set at naught the words of the prophets’. The meaning may be, as Lévi suggests, that Israel had treated the books of the Prophets as worthless idols.

8. The Star does not symbolize the Messiah, but the religious leader of the party of penitents that went to the land of Damascus. Hence there is no connexion between the idea in our text and in Test. Lev. xviii. 3; Test. Jud. xxiv. 1, where the Star does symbolize the Messiah, and where both passages are based on Num. xxiv. 17. Since the Star is said to ‘study the Law’ (nninn ws) and likewise to have gone forth at the head of the penitents to Damascus, he is the same as the Lawgiver in viii. 5, 8, 9.

There shall come forth a star, &c. Quoted from Num. xxiv. 17.

9. The sceptre appears to denote the Messiah: cf. v. r0(B). He is a militant Mcssiah. This reference to the Messiah is proleptic.

10. he shall destroy all the sons of (battle) din. Quoted from Num. xxiv. 17. I have here given one of the most likely renderings of NY. —

The two recensions must be used here to supplement each other. A is wanting in a clause at the beginning, which B preserves.

1o A. shall escape: reading rod for wy, as in ro B.

the period of the [first] visitation. I have bracketed ‘first’ (wn which should, if correct, be m21WN87n) as an interpolation. It is not the first but the second or final visitation that is referred to, as is clear from B.

those who proved faithless. Cf.v. 4. Here B has pNwan ‘the rest’.

shall be delivered. Here I emend y1Dh into yD" (cf. DD. in B). The Hophal }407 is found in this sense in v. rr (B).

10 B, they that give heed... flock. This is a quotation from Zech. xi. 11, save that our author has changed ‘nix ‘Me’ into Im“ ‘ Him’.

A tz [ Lost.]

12 And this also shall be the judgement of all them who have entered into His covenant, who will not hold fast to these (statutes): they shall be visited for destruction through the hand

13 of Belial. This is the day on which God shall visit (as He hath spoken) :

‘The princes of Judah were (like them that removed the landmark): Upon them will I pour out(My)wrath (like water).’

14 For they are too sick to be healed, And they have been at the head of all the rebels.

15 Because they have not turned from the way of traitors, ; But have wallowed in the ways of harlots, And in the wealth of wickedness and (in) revenge.

16 And every man beareth a grudge against his brother, And every man hateth his neighbour.

17 And they committed trespass every man against his next of kin, And drew near to unchastity :

from Aaron and Israel. See note on i. 7. It. spake.

Aaronand Israel: Just as it was during the period 11 of the first visitation, concerning which He spake through Ezekiel ‘to set a mark upon the foreheads of them that sigh and cry’, but the rest were delivered to ‘the sword that avengeth with the vengeance of the covenant’. And this also shall be the judgement of all them that have entered into His covenant, who will not hold fast to these statutes: they shall be visited for destruction through the hand of Belial. This is the day 13 on which God shall visit, as He hath spoken:

‘The princes of Judah were like them that remove the landmark: Upon them will I pour out (My) wrath like water,

Because they entered into the covenant of 15 repentance

And yet have not turned from the way of traitors :

But have dealt wantonly in the ways of fornication,

In the wealth of wickedness and in revenge.

And every man beareth a grudge against his 16 brother, And every man hateth his neighbour.

And they committed trespass every man against 17 his next of kin, And drew near to unchastity :

I have here preferred before both these words in accordance with ix. 29.

By a slip a scribe inserts ‘Ezekiel’ as the subject of ‘ spake’.

set a mark... cry (i.e. o\pN O'MIND Minyn by wna minnd). From Ezek. ix. 4 minyo by yn nna

D)P3ININ) OINID DWINA. that avengeth...covenant. Cf. i. 12 d. 12. entered into His covenant. See ii. r note. will not hold fast. Cf. v. 1 note.

they shall be visited, i.e. ntpad. This idiomatic construction with the infinitive is frequent in our text,

See note on viii. rz. through the hand of Belial.

Belial in later pre-Christian Judaism is simply another name for Satan.

One of the three functions assigned to satanic spirits in 1 Enoch is that of the punishment of sinners.

13. God shall visit. See v. 2 note.

The princes of Judah, &c. From Hos. v. 10. The text of A is defective and corrupt. For Jaws omy yn73y ODD it reads AYN omy Jiavn ws. B agrees exactly with the Massoretic Hebrew, save that it reads may for ‘nnay. For the meaning of ‘princes of Judah’ in our text see viii. 6.

14. In A only and very corrupt. The text runs Nand ibm 5 | os 55 mips, where I propose to read

m| 7p and emend the vox nulla DYOpPT into yo Ip». ‘and He will take vengeance on all the rebels’.

15-19. Breaches by the Princes of Judah of the moral conditions laid down in viii. 11 a-19¢.

But the text remains a problem. Lévi suggests 1 op

Thus

15 B. entered into the covenant. See ii. 1 note.

covenant of repentance, i.e. AWN nn.

This is the covenant mentioned in Jer. xxxi. 30, 32.

15A. wallowed, i.e. oun (A). But B reads vsym. Either verb does very well. Butv.4(A)supports the former.

harlots, i.e. mit (A). ‘harlots ’. wealth of wickedness.

16. beareth a grudge. Lev. xix. 18. hateth his neighbour. Lev. xix. 17.

Since we have abstract expressions following. See note on this phrase in vi. rz. See x. 1 note.

B reads mt which punctuated MIN ‘fornication’, and punctuated Miz} , probably we should read ‘ fornication ’ here.

17. committed trespass. So with Schechter I emend yotyn’ (A, B) into ym as in viii. r8, where this

And exalted themselves with a view to wealth and unjust gain,

And every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

1g And they chose every man the stubbornness of his heart, And they separated not from the people.

19 And they cast off restraint with a high hand To walk in the way of the wicked, concerning whom God said: ‘Their wine is the poison of dragons And the cruel venom of asps.’

20 +The dragons are the kings of the Gentiles and their wine is their ways, and the venom of asps is the head of the kings of Javan, who came to execute vengeance upon them.

B is

And they made themselves strong with a view to wealth and unjust gain,

And every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

And they chose every man the stubbornness of

2 his heart,

And they separated not from the people and their sins.

And they cast off restraint with a high hand

To walk in the ways of the wicked ; concerning whom God said:

‘ Their wine is the poison of dragons

And the cruel venom of asps.’

The dragons are the kings of the Gentiles and their wine is their ways, and the venom of asps is the head of the kings of Javan, who came to execute vengeance upon them.

IX. 21-23. Neither to these things nor to Moses did the Builders of the Wall give heed.

Laal

But despite all these things they who builded the wall and daubed it with untempered mortar

line recurs. But we might retain ynbym’ and change NWI into ~NWwM and derive the text from Isa. lviil. 7.

But despite all these things they who builded the wall and daubed it with untempered mortar

and translate ‘hid themselves every man from his own flesh ’.

exalted themselves with a view to wealth and unjust gain. ‘The text reads yyad) nnd +y423n'+ where I have emended y59n into wan’ or way» (cf. B 21m) on the strength of Jub. xxiii. 21, ‘They will all exalt themselves with a view to deceit and wealth.’ Here the Ethiopic word for ‘deceit’ is a rendering of m\eovegia,

which in turn is a rendering of yya in Judges v. 19: or of ddukia, which is similarly a rendering of the same Hebrew word in Prov. xxviii. 16: cf. Ps. ix. 24. p¥2 is also rendered by dvowia. Thus our text is clearly dependent on Jub. xxiii. 19, which latter would be better rendered ‘they will all exalt themselves with a view to unjust gain and wealth’. In B the verb is 921m, ‘made themselves strong ’, which may be right, though it is not the word implied by Jub. xxiii. 21. Its appearance here may be due to v. 54 ¢ in our text, where it occurs in a good sense.

every man did that which was right, &c. See iv. 5c. Here B reads WW WN NS an obvious

transposition of Ww NN Ws.

18. chose... the stubbornness, &c. See iii. 4 note. Possibly we should render here ‘chose in the

stubbornness’, but the translation adopted is more likely.

separated not (111) xb). This separatist character relates the party so far to the Pharisees. See v. 24. 19-20. The degradation of Israel through Hellenizing influences and their punishment at the hand of Javan,

i.e. the Greek rulers of Egypt and Syria.

19. cast off restraint, i.e. wre. Cf. 2 Chron. xxviil. 19. Their wine... asps. Quoted from Deut. xxxii. 33 DY DIN non “D8 DIND VRV no. This verse refers to the invasions of Palestine by the successors of Alexander in Egypt and Syria. This equation of Greece and Syria points to the early date of our author. head, i.e. wN7- Our author, as Lagrange recognizes, plays here on the two different meanings of WN.

Javan. Cf. Daniel vill. 21, x. 20, xa We 21. builded the wall. Cf. 26; vil. I.

the wall (yn p<osrorxov Eph. ii. 14). What is meant by ‘the wall’? Does it mean ‘the fence divew 2D) which the Pharisees, especially the legalistic side, raised about the Law. In Pirke Aboth i. 1 we have the command: mynd 3%D wy ‘make a fence to the Torah’. As Taylor (Sayings of the Jewish Fathers 27 134) writes: ‘in theory and practice the law required a fence, as a written Torah needs a margin to safeguard the

edges of the text.’

But could the Zadokite party object absolulely to ‘the fence’, seeing they adopted it in principle in reference to the Sabbath, xiii. 1, where it is required that in order to avoid profaning it some of the time preceding it should be kept holy? Besides, this party must have adopted, and in fact did adopt, as we know from this work, a number of the traditional halacha. Hence we conclude that it is not to the principle of ‘the fence’ in itself, but to its abnormal growth sn the form of oral tradition, that they objected. That there were

perceived not— For one who was tperturbedt of spirit and talked lies talked to them— that the wrath of God was kindled against all His congregation:

Nor that Moses said,‘ Not for thy righteousness or for the uprightness of thine heart dost thou go in to inherit these nations, but because He loved thy fathers and because He would keep the oath.’

B perceived not— and weighed storms}, and talked lies to man (talked)— that the wrath of God was kindled against all His congregation :

Nor that Moses said to Israel, ‘ Not for thy righteousness nor for the uprightness of thine heart dost thou go in to inherit these nations, but because He loved thy fathers and because He would keep the oath.’

IX. 24-27. The Penitents like the Forefathers were loved of God for their Faithfulness to the Covenant, but as He judged the Builders of the Wall, so shall those faithless to the New Covenant be judged.

Such is the case of the penitents of Israel (who) turned aside from the way of the people. Owing to the love of God for the forefathers who admonished the people (to follow) after God, He loved them that came after them, for theirs

And such is the case of the penitents of Israel (who) turned aside from the way of the people. Owing to the love of God for the forefathers who stirred up (the people to follow) after Him, He loved them that came after them ; for theirs is

ample grounds for their opposition we learn from the words of Shammai, who lived in the first century B.c. This Rabbi said: ‘ We have two Toroth, the written Torah (an32y myn) and the oral Torah (np Syaw mnyn).’ According to the Jer. Peah ii. 6 the latter are the ‘more precious’, while Rabbi Jochanan in Jer. Berakoth i. 7 declares that ‘the words of the Sopherim are .. . more beloved than words of Torah’ (see Taylor, of. cét., p. 14) In Berakh. 8a, 13, B. Mez. 33 a, Chag 1o@ the comparative values of the Torah and the Mishna and Talmud are dealt with, much to the disadvantage of the Torah. In the Aboda Zara 35a R. Dimi explained Canticles i. 2 as meaning: ‘the words of thy loved ones (i.e. the scholars) are better than the wine of the Law’ (Aan Sy mp ony Jy7 °925). In the late work Aboth R. N., Book i, p. 3, the consciousness of this evil is present to the writer, since it is urged that the fence (173) was not to be made excessive lest it should overpower the root or plant it was intended to protect ("p*yn j19 “N).

Another fact, i.e. our author’s use of y'n instead of 3.D, may point in the same direction. The latter means a fence round something and 31D is ‘to fence about’, but the former is a partition-wall. Now it is quite possible that our author may have deliberately used yn instead of »»p. Thus by naming the fence yn the Zadokites implied that the Pharisees did not by this means so much protect the Law against profanation from without as create division among the ranks of the faithful within. We might compare St. Paul’s designation of ‘circumcision’ (epropj) as mere ‘mutilation’ («ararowj) in Phil. iii. 2. It is worth noting in this connexion that whereas our author brands the abnormal growth of the oral law with the name ‘ partition-wall’, St. Paul, in Eph. ii. 14, brands the entire Law—written and oral—with the same designation.

daubed it with untempered mortar (Sn ‘m). From Ezek. xiii. 10, 11, 14, 15, xxii. 28.

22. Owing to a false prophet the builders of the party-wall did not perceive that God’s wrath was stirred up against all the congregation. For the phrase, ‘wrath of God,’ &c., cf i. 17.

+perturbedt of spirit, i.e. mm Smian (A). B reads mn bin, and adds maro Spey (sec). See Appendix on p. 834 for restored text and rendering.

talked lies (219 0D). So A. In i. ro we have 313 OND ANA and in ix. 40 3197 wx. The text, therefore, is probably sound. B reads a5 DIN yO, where apparently we have a transposition of the

preposition as in v. 17 above, and also of the nouns. ‘That is, we should read nod a1 HOD. Hence my rendering. It is hard to say whether the ond or the oN is the original. See App. on p. 834. the wrath of God was kindled. See note oni. 17. 23. Nor that Moses said (nvm 7DN “Wws)). These words are the object of wan xd in v. 21. See

last lines of Appendix on p. 834. Not for thy righteousness ... to inherit these nations. has changed ‘their land’ into ‘these nations’ (nba O37). but because... the oath. From Deut. vii. 8, save that our author has replaced the sacred name by the pronoun and changed ‘ you’ into ‘ your fathers’. the case, i.e. bpwon. God loves ‘the penitents of Israel’ as He loved the forefathers because they kept the covenant. The ‘builders of the wall’ had forsaken the covenant by introducing illegitimate changes of the Law. penitents of Israel. See vi. 1 note. 25. stirred up. A reads yn (i.e, YT) and B yyn. The latter reading also gives a good} sense ‘admonished’ or ‘exhorted solemnly’. After the verb A is defective and B corrupt. Where A gives merely yans yy B reads 5s nx pyn Sp ypyn. B supplies part of the missing text but the Hebrew is impossible.

Quoted from Deut. ix. 5, save that our author

For one who fwalked in wind 22

ce B ¥

the covenant of the fathers. But since He hated is the covenant of the fathers. But God hates

the builders of the wall His wrath was kindled. and abhors the builders of the wall and His

‘And such (will be) the case of all who reject the | who follow after them. And such (will be) the

commandments of God, and forsake them and | case of all who reject the commandments of God,

turn away in the stubbornness of their heart. and forsake them and turn away in the stubbornness of their heart.

IX. 28-39. Excommunication of those who fall away from the New Covenant.

This is the word which Jeremiah spake to So are all the men who entered into the New Baruch the son of Neriah, and Elisha to his | Covenant in the land of Damascus and yet turned servant Gehazi. All the men who entered into | backward and acted treacherously and departed the New Covenant in the land of Damascus. from the spring of living waters.

They shall not be reckoned in the assembly of the people, and in its register they shall not be written, from the day when there was gathered in the Unique Teacher until there shall arise the Messiah from Aaron and from Israel. And such is the case for all that enter into the congregation of the men of the perfection of holiness. And as for him who abhors doing precepts of upright men [he is the man who is melted in the furnace], when his deeds become known he shall be expelled from the congregation, as though his lot had not fallen among them that are taught of God.

First of all Sy cannot stand. Next we might emend Dyn into oys and add sbnb from a comparison of the last clause in the next verse in B. There God’s wrath is kindled against ‘all who follow after them’ (i.e. the builders of the party-wall). In contrast to these the people are exhorted to follow after God in the present verse. theirs is the covenant of the fathers. Cf. Rom. ix. 3-4 ‘Israelites whose .. . are the covenants’. 26. God’s wrath against and judgement (cf. v. 27) on the builders of the party-wall. since He hated. We must here change S212 into INI. the builders of the wall. See vii. 1 note. His wrath was kindled, &c. See i. 17 note. 24-28. As was the judgement on those who built the party-wall, so shall be the judgement on those who fall away from the New Covenant. 24. in the stubbornness, &c. See ill. 4 note. 28a (A). I do not know what our author refers to. B. the New Covenant. See viii. 15. in the land of Damascus. Cf. viii. 6, 15, ix. 5, 38- B. The spring of living waters, i.e. the Law. See v. 34, viii. 6-8. : 29. They shall not be reckoned... written. Quoted from Ezek. xiii. 9 but with some slight changes. yohst SS vans py yor wry NP, the Unique Teacher. Cf. ix. 39, where again the death of this teacher is referred to. See i. 7 note. the Messiah from Aaron and from Israel. See i. 7 note. 30. congregation, i.e. MID. the men of the perfection of holiness, i.e. WIP DON WIN. So also in v. 33. perfection of holiness. See v. 33, Vill. 21. : 31. And as for him who abhors. The text reads yp, which I have emended into ypm. We have here a nominativus pendens. precepts of upright men, i.e. paw “pp. This is probably a corruption of Dw Opa ‘ upright precepts’. ; he is the man... furnace, i.e. 13 N32 7NIN WANT Ni. These words are in substance an interpolation from Ezek. xxii. 20. They are wholly foreign to the text, There is no question here of divine and. final punishments, but of ecclesiastical. when... become known. The text reads y5n2, which ‘when... shine forth’, asin v. 49. But this meaning is impossible here and in v. 33. The word is apparently a corruption of yn ‘when... become known’, Schechter proposes y712 = ‘deteriorate’, But this is not the point here. The man abhors in thought the precepts, but it is not till his actions become known that judgement can be taken. The clause recurs as though . . . not, i.e. xby woo. This is the only instance where we have vw for "WN in our text. taught of God. In Isa. liv. 13 we have the phrase ond.

o/s)

32 According to his trespass they shall record him as a perverted man until he come back to stand in 33 the office of the men of the perfection of holiness. And when his deeds become known, in accordance with the midrash of the Law in which walk the men of the perfection of holiness, no man shall consent (to be) with him in wealth and labour; for all the saints of the Most High have 34 cursed him. And such shall be the case of every one who rejects the first and the last, who have 35 placed idols upon their hearts and walked in the stubbornness of their hearts. They have no share 36 in the House of the Law. With a judgement like unto that of their neighbours who turned away 37 with the scornful men, they shall be judged. or they spake error against the statutes of righteousness, and rejected the covenant and the pledge of faith, which they had affirmed in the land 38 of Damascus; and this is the New Covenant. And there shall not be unto them nor unto their 39 families a share in the House of the Law. And from the day when there was gathered in the Unique Teacher until all the men of war were consumed who walked with the man of lies about forty years, 40 [And during this period there shall be kindled the wrath of God against Israel as He said, ‘ there 41is no king and no prince’ and no judge, and none that rebuketh in righteousness,| Those who 42 repented of transgression (in Jacob) observed the covenant of God. Then they spake each man 43 with his neighbour (to strengthen one) another: ‘Let our steps hold fast to the way of God.’ And God hearkened to their words and heard, and a book of remembrance was written (before Him) for them that feared God (and) that thought upon His name until salvation and righteousness be revealed

32. record him as a perverted man, i.e. MY) VIN WV. The text reads wax, which is obviously a slip. Schechter, however, retains it and inserting Oy after the verb renders ‘record him (with) the men of perversion’. How he can explain this Hebrew construction in ny “was I cannot see.

33. become known. Emended as in v. 31.

midrash, i.e. wnt. With the expression cf. 2 Chron. xiii. 22 ‘Midrash of the prophet Iddo’, xxiv. 27 ‘midrash of the Book of Kings’. Midrash in our text means ‘ right interpretation’ probably.

men of the perfection of holiness. See viii. 21 note.

consent, i.e. MIN. I supply nvnd.

the first and the last, i.e. nINND) ONwWNID. These appear to be the first recipients of the two covenants—the Law and the New Covenant.

placed idols, &c. In asymbolic sense. Cf. Ezek. xiv. 3, 1 Enoch xcvi.7.

stubbornness of their hearts. See iii. 4 note.

35. the House of the Law, i.e. mann Ma. This clause, which recurs in v. 38, appears to be a designation of the Party. The Zadokites are par excellence the representatives of the Law. Bacher thinks it designates a school or a place for teaching the Law.

36. the scornful men. Cf. i. ro.

37- spake error (nYN 1727). The phrase is found in Isa. xxxii. 6.

in the land of Damascus. See vill. 6 note. the New Covenant. See ii. 1 note.

39. when there was gathered in the Unique Teacher. Cf. ix. 29.

the Unique Teacher, i.e. TN M7. See i. 7 note. man of lies. See i. 10 note.

40. I have bracketed this verse as an interpolation. Verse 39 is only the protasis of a sentence: the apodosis

is to be found in w. 41.

the wrath of God, &c. See i. 17 note.

there is no king and no prince ("wv 8} bn ps). From Hos. iii. 4.

no judge... in righteousness, i.e. PI¥2 MD) pN) DDW }/N—a reminiscence, as Lévi observes, of Isa. xi. 4 main) od9 poy. pan.

41. Those who repented of transgression, i.e. ywD ‘3u. ‘The phrase is from Isa. lix. 20. If we retain v. 40, we should translate ‘ But those who’, &c.

in Jacob. So Schechter supplies the lacuna.

42. Then they spake... neighbour (13) by w’S IT IN). From Mal. iii. 16. The letters with dots underneath are uncertain.

(to strengthen one) another. So Lévi restores the text, which reads as follows: 11S ON WIN panna), Schechter’s transcription of the facsimile here is inaccurate.

our steps hold fast (bs J773 yy Jon‘). For the phrase see Prov. v. 5. I have taken otyy ‘their steps’ as corrupt for }27py¥ ‘our steps’.

43. And God hearkened ...name. From Mal. iii. 16. The words ‘before Him’ are obliterated in the MS., but there is room for y255 in the facsimile but not in Schechter’s transcript.

be revealed. The MS. reads nb» and not ndy* as Schechter deciphers.

44 for (them that fear God. Then shall ye return and discern) between the righteous and wicked, 45 between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not. And He showeth mercy (unto thousands) of them that love Him and keep (His commandments) for a thousand generations. 46,47 +From the house of Peleg} that have gone out from the holy city. And they trusted in God throughout the period that Israel trespassed and polluted the Sanctuary and returned again to 48 molten images. The people with few words shall all be judged, each according to his spirit in 49 the counsel of holiness. And as for all those who have broken down the landmark of the Law amongst those who entered into the covenant, when there shall shine forth the glory of God to Israel, they shall be cut off from the midst of the camp, and with all those who do wickedly of Judah in the days of its testing.

IX. 50-54. The faithful shall confess their sins and be forgiven and blessed.

so But all they who hold fast by these judgements in going out and coming in according to the Law, and listen to the voice of the Teacher and confess before God (saying)

51 ‘We have done wickedly, we and our fathers, Because we have walked contrary to the statutes of the covenant, And true is thy judgement against us:’

52 And (who) lift not the hand against His holy statutes, His righteous judgement, and the testimony

53 of His truth ; and are chastised by the first judgements with which the children of men were judged : and give ear to the voice of the Unique Teacher of Righteousness: and reject not the statutes of righteousness when they hear them:

44. From Mal. iii. 18. The words in brackets are obliterated, but P32 On’x1) pnawy Syd) may be regarded as having stood in the original.

45. wi AbNd Comyn) [ypnowdy wamed,,,...1n mwy. This verse is a combination of Exod. xx. 6 and Deut. vii. 9. The words ‘Showeth mercy unto thousands’ are from the former and the rest of the verse from the latter. Cf. Dan. ix. 4. After 1Dn there is a space for six letters, i.e. for or'pdxd = ‘unto thousands’.

His commandments. Omitted by the scribe by mistake.

46. Two words have been hopelessly obliterated at the beginning of this verse, which is as a whole unintelligible.

47. The Hebrew of this difficult verse is apparently to be read as follows: baw dyn pa by Sy aye Jd) Ss sy yaw) wopon ms yon. If the above rendering is right, the period may be that of Antiochus IV and of the Hellenizing priests before him. Lagrange has seen that 702 is the reading, not 7'D3.

48. with few words... all. The text reads nb... pyo ona. I restore the last two words as follows: n>> DDYD. 2 49. the landmark. The text refers, apparently, to those who had adopted the views of the Pharisees.

Cf i. 11 note,

entered into the covenant. See ii. 1 note.

who do wickedly of Judah, i.e. 17 yw. This phrase might also be rendered ‘who dealt wickedly

50-53. These four verses form the protasis of the sentence: the apodosis begins with v. 54.

51. Because we have walked. The text reads pn2>a (= ‘because they have walked’), but this is clearly corrupt for ynzba, since the verse refers to the first person.

53. the first judgements. ‘Temporal judgements.

with which the children of men. The text reads Tn'N WIN 123... . WN, where T'n"F WINX may be corrupt for pn2 DwNX. The p73 goes, of course, with the ws. The corruption could easily arise from the presence of poy m4 in the next clause. But rather 3!’ has been wrongly transposed from the following clause, where, as in ix. 29, 39, we should read, not ‘the Teacher of Righteousness’, but ‘ the Unique Teacher of Righteousness’. In that case "WN can be taken as ‘as to which’, or we may emend ‘33 into p73, but the latter is unnecessary.

Unique. This epithet has been restored from the preceding clause, into which it was wrongly transposed. See the preceding note.

reject. The facsimile reads, so far as I can make it out, MN 12) not Sx yaw" as Schechter deciphers it. Hence my rendering. The other construction would be difficult to explain.

the statutes of righteousness, i.e. as set forth by the Unique Teacher.

54 They shall rejoice and be glad, = And their heart shall exult, And they shall make themselves strong against all the children of the world,

And God will pardon them And they shall see His salvation ; For they trust in His holy name.

X. 1-6. <A man is not to avenge himself or bear a Grudge.

10 «Every man who puts under the ban a man [amongst men] according to the ordinances of the Gentiles is to be put to death:

2 And as for that which He hath said: ‘Thou shalt not take vengeance nor bear a grudge against the children of thy people, every man of those who have entered into the covenant, who brings a charge against his neighbour whom he had not rebuked before witnesses, and yet brings it in his fierce wrath or recounts (it) to his elders in order to bring him into contempt,

3 is taking vengeance and bearing a grudge. But naught is written save that, ‘He taketh vengeance

4 on His adversaries, and He beareth a grudge against His enemies.’ If he held his peace with regard to him from day to day, but in his fierce wrath spake against him in a matter of death, he hath testified against himself because he did not give effect to the commandment of God, Who said to him,

5,6‘ Thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbour and not bear sin because of him.’ As regards the oath, touching that which He said ‘ Thou shalt not avenge thee with thine own hand’, the man who makes (another man) swear in the open field—that is, not in the presence of the judges, or owing to their commands—hath avenged himself with his own hand.

54. exult, i.e. the text reads ty) which Schechter has rightly emended into yn. make themselves strong. This verb has already occurred in ix. 17 (B). God will pardon them. See v. 5a note.

X. 1. Every man, &c. (syn nvond.,, ooND OoN OM awe oo 59). The construction nnd ‘is to be put to death’ is found several times in our text. See note on viii. rr, I have bracketed DIN», i.e. ‘amongst men’. But cf. Ley. xxvii. 29 NOY nd... 0787 fd Ou Ws DIN b>. This suggests that for B48 ON) we should read non and translate ‘No man who is put under the ban by man’, &c.

Schechter thinks that the text contains ‘a prohibition against acknowledging the jurisdiction of the Gentiles (ona by misa7y), which is also forbidden by Rabbinic law’. But this is very doubtful.

2. Thou shalt not ...of thy people. From Lev. xix. 18. See viii. 19, ix. 16 of our text.

entered into the covenant. Here ‘x1 is to be read instead of *N’a. See note on ii, 1.

neighbour. ‘The text reads \7y5 corrupt for Ay. .

whom he had not rebuked. The text reads n3)n3 xb ws, where the last word is corrupt for 0317. Or possibly for M237 or 43)3 = ‘ which was not proved’, The text would then refer to slanders.

brings it, i.e. 1N°2n. Schechter supposes this to be a corruption for 17'37 ‘smites him’, But this brings in an idea alien to the context, which deals with a charge brought hastily in anger and unsustained by evidence.

3. From Nahum i. 2, save that the divine name ” is omitted. The implication here is that no consideration is due to an enemy.

4. If a man knew of his neighbour committing a capital offence and yet did not mention it till overtaken by a burst of passion, he should be accounted guilty.

If he held his peace...from day to day, i.e. py> om i> wann ox. The diction here is from

testified against himself, i.e.) muy. Cf. 1 Sam. xii. 3 for this construction: there is no need to emend may into 33\y with Schechter.

5. Thou shalt surely... because of him. From Lev. xix. 17, save that our author has changed Jn Dy into Py.

6. Thou shalt not avenge thee with thine own hand, i.e. > Jv Jywin. The phrase is borrowed from I Sam. xxv, 26, 31. This verse in Samuel does not give a command, but this is a small matter in Jewish exegesis.

in the open field (MIwn ‘2p by). Cf. Lev. xiv. 7.

in the presence of. The text reads ov55 corruptly for snd.

owing to their commands. The text reads nN, which can be punctuated as DION = ‘owing to their having (so) commanded’, or ‘ owing to their command’, but hardly as DVN ‘their word’ (Schechter) ; for this would give no sense here.

I

X. 7-9. The law as to lost property.

>» And as for anything that is lost, should it not be known who has stolen it from the property of the camp in which the thing has been stolen, its owner shall proclaim (it) by the oath of cursing, and

8 whoso hears, if he knows and declares it not, shall be held guilty. As for any restitution made by him who returns that which has [not] an owner, he who returns (it) shall confess to the priest, and

9 (that which was lost) shall be given back to him, besides the ram of the guilt-offering to the priest. And so everything (that was) lost (and) found and has no owner shall be given to the priests ; for he who found it knows not its law. If its owner is not found they shall take charge (of it).

X. 10-17. The Number of Witnesses necessary in the case of Capital and other Offences. The Character of the Witnesses.

o If a man in any matter trespasses against the Law and his neighbour and none but he sees it, if it be a matter of death, he shall make it known to the Censor in the presence of the accused in discharging the duty of reproof: and the Censor shall write it down with his own hand: If he do it again before another, he shall return and make it known to the Censor.

7-9. These verses refer to lost property. vv. 7-8 refer to lost property, the owner of which is known: v. 9 to lost property, the owner of which is unknown. This is clearly the meaning, though the text is corrupt and needs to be emended. ;

7. According to Deut. xxii. 1-3 restoration of a lost article was to be made to its owner, if a ‘brother’ or ‘neighbour’. According to the Baba Kamma 1136 (where there is a long discussion on this and kindred questions) such restoration was not to be made to a Gentile. According to the Rabbis there was in Jerusalem a ‘stone of decision’ (? 310 j28) to which the losers and finders of: property came, and had its ownership settled

And as for anything that is lost, i.e. 72Nn $5). According to later Hebrew this could be translated ‘and as for any one who loses (anything)’. But the context is in favour of the classical meaning of 738 here. The question first and foremost is that of lost property, not of the losers of it. The latter question necessarily follows. When property is lost, the loser is either known or unknown.

from the property of the camp, i.e. n3NM INN. This extraordinary use of this word recurs in Xiv. Io. Else I would propose DIN = ‘of the people of the camp’. Lévi feels dissatisfied and suggests 7in1 ‘from the midst of the camp’. :

proclaim, i.e. yw» emended from yaw» by Schechter. If we retain the text, render ‘shall adjure (the people concerned) by the oath of cursing’.

8. restitution made by him who returns, i.e. wt DwN. I have here emended Iw into 2wH, just as a few words later awin must be changed into awn. The phrase DyNn awnd ‘to return the compensation ’ is found in Num. v. 7, 8.

which has [not] an owner. The negative is here an intrusion. The Hebrew is odys ps awe. The iN was inserted by an unintelligent scribe, in the place of a lost 1% or mb. Schechter, Lévi, and Lagrange have failed to observe this intrusion and therefore to see the meaning of the text.

{that which was lost) ...to the priest. The MS. reads Sn pwen dy 35 5 am, which Schechter accepts and translates ‘and it shall all belong to him besides the ram of the guilt-offering *.. / Buttthis as

manifestly wrong. The priest in neither case became the owner of the lost property. Where the owner was _

unknown they were to take charge of it till he was discovered: where the owner was known it was, of course, to be restored to him. The priest’s share in such a case was the ram of the guilt-offering. Now in the text it is clear, first of all, that 5sp is corrupt for mad. Thus we get ‘ besides the ram of the guilt-offering to the priest’. The preceding words then must refer to the owner of the lost property, but the restoration of the original is doubtful. Possibly we might retain the text > my) and translate ‘and it (i.e. the lost property) shall become his’, i.e. that of the man who lost it. But the property could not well decome his since it was his already. Accordingly in my translation I have supposed that 72)xn has fallen out before sab and emended mm) into wna) or aw. It is also possible that the text ran 525 sad ix) ‘and it shall be given back to him that lost it’, &c. Lévi emends bon into pypon and Lagrange excises it. But the emendation I have suggested appears to satisfy every requirement.

g. shall be given, The text reads ANM ‘shall belong’, which I have emended into nan2.

10-12. Three witnesses required in the case of a capital offence.

10, the Censor (1pi2nn). This official corresponded to the émednrjs of the Essenes and to the emicxoros of the Early Christians. See note on xvi. 1.

in the presence of the accused in discharging the duty of reproof, i.e. M2) yoyd. But the words

may be corrupt for n3137 »»yd ‘in the presence of the impeached ’. 11. If he do it. The text reads \nwy ‘sy, which I have emended into ynwy’ ON as at the beginning of the next verse. another. The text reads INN, which I have emended into 1nN. Cf. v. 12.

FRAGMENTS OF A °ZADORITE WORK 10; *12—11,. 3

12,13 If he shall be caught again before another, his judgement shall be executed. And if they are two and they witness against him (each) on a different thing the man shall be only excluded from the Purity, provided that they are trustworthy, and that on the day on which they have seen the

14man they make it known to the Censor. And according to the statute (they shall) accept two

15 trustworthy witnesses, and not one to exclude the Purity}. And there shall arise no witness before the judges to cause a man to be put to death at his mouth, whose days have not been fulfilled so as

16 to pass over unto those that are numbered (and who is not) a man who fears God. None shall be believed as a witness against his neighbour who transgresses a word of the commandment with a high hand until they are cleansed through repentance.

XI. Regulations as to the Judges of the Zadokite Party.

1,2 And this is the order in reference to the judges of the congregation. (They shall amount) to ten men selected from the congregation according to the time (defined) ; four of the tribe of Levi and

Aaron, and six of Israel learned in the Book of ¢the Haguf and in the Ordinances of the Covenant,

3 from five and twenty years old even unto sixty years old. But none shall be appointed when he is

13. If only two witnesses appear.and their testimony relates to different charges, the man is to undergo a form of excommunication. Yet see v. 15. 14. (they shall) accept. Only the letters $$ or %S> survive. But probably Schechter is right in restoring 33p.. ; and not one. So Lagrange well emends the text thx dy) into InN Sx. Cf. Deut. xix. 15. 15. The meaning of this verse is somewhat doubtful. If it refers to a witness it means that a certain age and character were required in a witness.

there shall arise no witness (Ty Dip’ by). The words are from Deut. xix. 15. For “y the text corruptly reads 4)y. But it is possible that )y should be retained, and the verse understood of the qualification of a judge. ‘None, moreover, shall become (1\p° which is possibly the real reading of the MS.) judges to put a man to death at his word whose ... and who do not fear (oN x5) instead of #9") God.’ The other rendering is more probable.

at his mouth (mp by). Cf. Deut. xvii. 6. ;

to pass over unto those that are numbered (D’N\pan >y spay). The phrase is from Exod. xxx. 13, 14. It seems here to denote the age at which a man attained his political majority—in other words, was reckoned in the census of the males of the nation.

{and who is not) (xby), Supplied with Schechter.

Met. order. See ix. 1.

2. according to the time (defined), i.e. nyn ‘p>. This may mean the period of office or the date of election. Or, again, the phrase might be translated ‘ according to the circumstances’ (Lévi), the number ‘ten’ not being always necessary.

tribe of Leviand Aaron. Cf. Ps. cxxxv. 19 sq. for a like terminology.

the Book of tthe Hagut, i.e. nn 7pD. Cf xv. 5, xvii. 5. I have, with some hesitation, marked this phrase as corrupt. It was possibly a secret book of halachic decisions or, at all events, a book the knowledge of which was necessary for the rulers of the Party. Nothing is known of Hagu. It is possible that we have in 39n a corruption of %3n, i.e. Haggai. Now we know that a number of halachoth are attributed in the Talmud to Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi as the last three prophets, Naz. 53 @, Chull. 1374, just as certain legal decisions were assigned to Moses; nay, more, we know that at times the name of Haggai alone was put forward as the source of certain traditions, Kidd. 43 a, and that it was claimed by teachers of later generations that they sat in his actual chair, Jeb. 16 a. Certain decisions are traced to him: that it was permissible to bring

sacrifices independently of the existence or presence of the Temple, Mid. iii. 1; Zeb. 62 a (?) (°D by ms pap ma pw), Jer. Naz. ii. 7: that the month Adar should be intercalated, Rosh ha-Shanah 19%. Besides these several others are attributed to him. See -Jew. Lncyc. vi, 146.

It is possible, therefore, that a book may have circulated under Haggai’s name, which contained traditional lore, seeing that in after times many traditions were said to be derived from Haggai. If there was such a book it is not improbable that it is that referred to in our text. That the book in our text was not the prophetical book of Haggai is clear; for the books of the prophets are freely quoted, whereas the knowledge of this book is committed to the leaders of the Party, and it is probably, therefore, @ secre/ book containing traditional decisions: cf. xvii. 5

Lévi suggests that the book in question was a treatise commencing with the word 437 ‘mediate’.

Ordinances (or ‘ Foundations’), i.e. 9D’. Cf. viii. 21.

from five and twenty years old, &c. This was the age at which the Levites began to serve: cf. Num. viii. 24.

4 sixty years old and upward to judge the congregation. For through the trespasses of man his days were minished, and when the wrath of God was kindled against the inhabitants’ of the earth, He commanded their intelligence to depart from them before they completed their days.

XII. Lewvitical Law as to Bathing.

12 x As to being cleansed in water. No man shall wash in water (that is) filthy or insufficient for a » man’s bath. None shall cleanse himself in the waters of a vessel. And every pool in a rock in which there is not sufficient (water) for a bath, which an unclean person has touched, its waters shall

be unclean like the waters of the vessel.

XIII. 1-11. Laws regarding the Sabbath.

18 1 As to the Sabbath, to observe it according to its law, no man shall do work on the sixth day from the time when the sun’s orb in its fullness is still without the gate, for it is He who has said, * Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’

2,3 And on the Sabbath day no man shall utter a word of folly and vanity. No man shall lend aught 4,5 to his neighbour. None shall dispute on matters of wealth and gain. None shall speak on matters 6 of work and labour to be done on the following morning. No man shall walk in the field to do the » work of his business. On the Sabbath none shall walk outside his city more than fa thousand}

4. trespasses, 1.€. byp. his days. 1%. is to be read instead of 19’. his days were minished. Cf. Jub. xxiii. 9 ‘After the Flood (the days of the forefathers) began to grow less .. . by reason of the wickedness of their ways’. commanded their intelligence to depart from them, &c. OD" NN yoroun xb sy onyt nS sy05 7. Cf. Jub. xxiii, rx. ‘Their knowledge will forsake them by reason of their old age’ (? or ‘their godlessness ’).

XII. 1. insufficient for a man’s bath. The text reads U'N +dyrt sD DDIWD. I have emended the impossible syn into yma. Schechter emends into ban, and translates ws Sapp ‘1D DDD ‘not sufficient for the immersion of aman’. But is this rendering possible ? é

waters. MS. reads m3 corrupt for "93.

2. every pool... in which there is not sufficient water. According to Yoma 31 @ the cubical contents of such a pool should be one cubit wide, three cubits long, and one cubit deep—the size of an average human body—jna ndyy spy bow. Cf&. Lev. xv. 13. See also Erub. 4 2, Pes. 109 a, Suk. 6 a.

for a bath. The text reads 5y11, which I have emended into 7M». like. 1 of the MS. is to be changed into 3.

XIII. 1. This verse deals with the time before and after the Sabbath that should be observed as the Sabbath. Technically it was called the napin ‘addition’. This view is practically enforced in Shabb. 150 a, where it is forbidden to carry on work to the very beginning of the Sabbath or renew it at its very close. In Yoma 81a the addition before and after the Day of Atonement is treated of. The object is given in the words by Sima pprDyn wap.

| sun’s orb, ie. YOwN 953. In Talmud ann baby. Cf. x Enoch Ixxviii. 4 (= Kvedos rod 7diov), which postulates this very phrase.

in its fullness... gate. That is, the gate where it sets. On the various gates where the sun sets, see 1 Enoch Ixxii.. The text reads wibo aywn jo pina. And the literal translation is: ‘is distant from the gate as to its fullness’ This means just before the sun touches the horizon. ‘ Observe the Sabbath... holy. From Deut. v. 12.

2. aword of folly and vanity, i.e. P71) b3) 435, where pn, as Lévi has pointed out, is corrupt for py. Schechter compares Syn onan, i.e. matters of a secular nature, and refers to Shabb. 150@. The source of the regulation is found in Isa. lviii. 13 ‘Call the Sabbath a delight . . . not speaking (thine own) words’. Perhaps we should, with Bacher, read p'7) San as in Isa. xxx. 7. ;

3. No man shall lend aught to his neighbour. $5 anya nw bx. The phraseology is from Deut, xv. 2, but not the sense. According to Shabbath 148 a4 a man might ask wine or oil from his neighbour on the Sabbath, provided he did not say ‘lend them to me ’ Lévi rightly observes that this prescript is not in place here, and proposes mw instead of ny* = ‘let no man complain aught of his neighbour’. It is strange that both Schechter and he mistranslate nw as ‘exact a debt’.

5. on the following morning, i. e. nswnd. This use of the words is Mishnaic : it occurs in Bikk. iii. 2.

6. todo. nwyd. Perhaps we might render ‘to prepare ’ or ‘to provide for’. Cf. Oxf. Heb. Lex. 794 b.

of his business. The text reads ‘vpn, which with Lagrange (cf. xiil. 11) I have changed into 1¥8n.

7. ta thousand}. Here abs is corrupt for mrpds. Cf. v.14. 2,000 cubits was the limit of a Sabbath day’s journey: cf. Erubin iv. 3, v. 7. See Jub. 1. 8 note.

8 cubits. No man shall eat on the Sabbath day aught save that which is prepared or perishing (in the

- 9, to field). Nor shall one eat or drink unless in the camp. (If he was) on the way and went down to

tz wash he may drink where he stands, but he shall not draw into any vessel. No man shall send the

son of a stranger to do his business on the Sabbath day.

XIII. 12. Laws as to unclean Garments.

12 Noman shall put on garments that are filthy or were brought by a Gentile unless they were washed

in water or rubbed with frankincense.

XIII. 13-27. Laws regarding the Sabbath.

13,14 Noman shall fast of his own will on the Sabbath. No man shall walk after the animal to pasture 15 it outside his city more than two thousand cubits. None shall lift his hand to smite it with (his) fist. 16 If it be stubborn he shall not remove it out of his house. No man shall carry anything from the

house to the outside or from the outside into the house, and if he be in the vestibule he shall not

17 carry anything out of it or bring in anything into it. None shall open the cover of a vessel that 18 is pasted on the Sabbath. No man shall carry on him spices to go out or come in on the Sabbath. 19, 20 None shall lift up in his dwelling house rock or earth. Let not the nursing father take the sucking 21 child to go out or to come in on the Sabbath. No man shall provoke his manservant or his maid- 22 servant or his hireling on the Sabbath. No man shall help an animal in its delivery on the Sabbath 23,24 day. And if it falls into a pit or ditch, he shall not raise it on the Sabbath. No man shall

8. save that which is prepared. See Jub. il. 29, 1. 9 note; Beza i. 2.

(in the field) (i.e. Mw3). Only two out of the four letters are to be made out.

ro. (If he was). We must with Lévi understand m7 ox. What follows is at the beginning of a new page in the MS. and there may be a gap here.

he shall not draw into any vessel. The same command is given in Jub. I. 8.

11. Cf. Shabbath 150 a, where a man is not allowed to commission his neighbour to do what he might not do himself on the Sabbath. Here of course it is a non-Jew that is referred to.

12, Gentile. The text reads 33, which Schechter emends into 3.

13. fast. The text reads A4yn’, to which Leszynsky proposes to attach the meaning ‘to set an ‘erub’. I propose 73yn? ‘shall afflict himself by fasting’, ‘shall fast’, It was forbidden to go without food till noon on the Sabbath, Jer. Taan. iii. rr ; Judith viii. 6. In Jub.1. 12 fasting is strictly forbidden on the Sabbath and feasting enjoined, 1. 9-10. It was the duty of every good Israelite to take three or four meals on the Sabbath, Shabb. 1174, and these of the best food procurable, op. cz. 1186. Lévi, Bacher, and Kohler propose ap n\.

No man shall carry anything, &c. This law is derived from Jer. xvii. 21, 22,24, 27. Cf. Neh. xiii. 19. It is enforced in Jub. ii. 29, 1. 8. It is also a Rabbinic law: cf. Shabbath vii. 2.

carry...bring. Read xy) and N‘2) instead of Ny and NI respectively. The natural difficulties brought about by this law were got over by the Pharisees by the principle of “Erub or the merging of several private precincts into one in order to transfer food or vessels to any distance desirable beyond the 2,000 paces, which was called the Sabbath limit (nawn oinn). This regulation is worked out in the Mishnah Tractate Erubin.

the vestibule (or ‘ entrance’), i. e. 73119, which may be corrupt for the Hebrew x13 or the late Hebrew ‘29.

17. open. Tor mn5 we must read nnd’.

18. This law is found in Shabbath vi. 3 (? 3).

19. his dwelling house. The MS. reads naw n'a. The second word is corrupt for awit. The phrase is found in Lev. xxv. 29. Schechter emends naw into naw ova. If this were the idea then it would be best to , restore NIw3 as in the next verse.

20. the nursing father ... child, i.e. p27 NN JOINT Nw. From Num. xi. 12. According to Shabbath xviii. 2, a woman might lead a child out on the Sabbath only on the condition that the child makes certain movements with its feet.

21. his hireling. We must change >\y into 173Y.

22. This regulation is found in Shabbath xviii. 3 in reference to a feast day—a2)) Dv nya ns pad px, but it is added that notwithstanding ‘they give help’ (j yon day), and then the various kinds of help are enumerated.

23. This regulation has a close parallel in Shabb. 128 4, where Rabba Jehuda in the name of Rab says that if an animal falls into a well it is lawful to provide it with food if possible ; but, if not, mattresses and cushions are to be placed under it that it might get out by its own exertions. The implication here is that it might not be raised by human agency from the pit as in our text. Yet other views are advanced. Cf. Beza iii. 4, where it is said that, ‘if a firstling fall into a pit ... a wise man will descend and... raise it up.’

25 rest ina place near to the Gentiles on the Sabbath. No man shall suffer himself to be polluted [the

26 Sabbath] for the sake of wealth or gain on the Sabbath. And if any person falls into a place of

27 water or into a place of... he shall not bring him up by a ladder or a cord or instrument. No man shall offer anything on the altar on the Sabbath, save the burnt-offering of the Sabbath, for so it is written +‘ Excepting your Sabbaths ’.T

XIV. 1-4. Levitical Laws as to Uncleanness.

14 1 Noman shall send to the altar burnt-offering or meat-offering or frankincense or wood through the hand of a man (that is) unclean through any of the uncleannesses allowing him to defile the altar, for it is written: ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, but the prayer of the righteous

2 is like an offering of delight. And none of those who enter into the house of worship shall enter

3 when he is unclean even though washed. And when the trumpets of the Congregation sound, it shall be (doné) before or after, and they shall not put an end to the whole service: (the Sabbath) is holy.

4 No man shall lie with a woman in the city of the Sanctuary to defile the city of the Sanctuary by their impurity.

XIV. 5. Law as to Necromancy. 5 Any man who is ruled by the spirits of Belial and speaks rebellion shall be judged by the judge-

ment of the necromancer and wizard. :

Cf. Yoma viii. 6, 7, where it is said that the question of life takes precedence of other questions. The teaching in our text conflicts strongly with Luke xiv. 5.

24. rest. may’ must be changed into maw’. Schechter notes that a similar law prevailed among the Samaritans and Karaites, comparing Wreschner, p. 14 sq.

25, suffer himself to be polluted, i.e. °9!—that is,-ritually by contact with the dead (Lev. xxi. 4). In Lev. xxi. 1-4 the exceptions are enumerated in which a man might submit to such defilement. What our text seems to demand is that even in these cases defilement should not be incurred on the Sabbath. ;

[the Sabbath]. A scribe’s slip. Schechter would emend 5m’ into 55m» in order to explain this phrase. But the sense would then be unsatisfactory.

26. If the text is complete as it stands, then its teaching is in conflict with Yoma 844, where it is distinctly taught that life should be saved on the Sabbath nwa Wa] Mpa PNPAP jn sn. The following instances are given: if a child fall into the sea, it may be saved by means of a net ; if into a pit, by a ladder. Apparently the person might be saved if he could be saved without resort to the means just mentioned.

24. This verse is corrupt.

iExcepting your Sabbaths}. Cf. Lev. xxiii. 38. The meaning here given to sas is found in the LXX and Vulg. Our author attaches quite a different meaning to Lev. xxiii, 38 in his interpretation of it

XIV. 1. allowing him, i.e. ymwand. Lévi compares Sir. iii, 21 mwa.

The sacrifice... but the prayer. These words are from Prov. xy. 8. The words ‘of the righteous... of delight’ (yy nn2 O¢>)P TN) are a partial paraphrase of the words that follow in Prov. xv. 8 ‘of the upright is His delight’.

2. the house of worship, i.e. minnwn ns $s. Though this phrase is, so far as is known, never applied toa Jewish place of worship, there is no inherent reason why it should not. In Shek. vi. 1 it is stated that thirteen bows or prostrations were made (generally) in the Temple wapp2 wn nmnnwn nwey why and fourteen by the houses of Gamaliel and Hananiah. Cf. Isa. Ixvi. 15. Lévi defends it as applied to the Temple, but suggests that possibly the text may be corrupt for mmnvnd bx nia dx ‘into the house of God to worship’. Bacher takes it as referring to a synagogue. We might compare Zech. xiv. 16, where it is said that all that remain of the Gentiles shall go up to Jerusalem to worship (mnnwnd).

though washed (p123). Cf. 2 Chron, xxiii. 19. Schechter inserts 3 before this word and so obtains ‘without washing’. Cf. Lev. xv. ro. Probably the latter is right.

3. Congregation, i.e. Om, as in v. 6.

4. This verse is not directed against lawful cohabitation, but against carnal union that was accompanied by some ceremonial impurity ; for the word for ‘impurity’ here is 7}. This impurity was due to the menstruation of the woman. In the Pss. Sol. viii. 13 the Sadducean priests are charged with approaching the altar when stained with this defilement. See note on vii. 8. There is no ground for proposing the violent emendation of it into nawn oa. We might compare Isa. xlviii. 2, li. 1 WIPA Wy.

ruled by the spirits of Belial. For the idea and expression Gf Jub. 1.20, x3:

speaks rebellion, i.e. 79D 725, from Deut. xiii. 6. Chrourstext.vill2.

necromancer and wizard, i.e. ‘)Y77) DNF.

XIV. 6. Law as to the Sabbath.

6 And he whom he leads astray into profaning the Sabbath and the Feasts shall not be put to death ; but it shali be the duty of the sons of man to watch him; and should he be healed of it, they shall watch him seven years and then he shall come into the Congregation.

XIV. 7-11. Laws as to Intercourse with the Gentiles.

” None shall stretch out his hand to shed the blood of any man from among the Gentiles for the

8 sake of wealth or gain. Nor shall he take aught of their wealth lest they blaspheme, unless by

g the counsel of the Community of Israel. No man shall sell an animal or bird that is clean to the

to Gentiles, lest they sacrifice them. Nor shall he sell them aught from his threshing-floor or his

11 winepress for all his property. Nor shall he sell them his manservant or maidservant who entered with him into the covenant of Abraham.

XIV. 12-16. Laws as to unclean Foods and Causes of Uncleanness.

12 No man shall make himself abominable with any living creature or creeping thing, by eating of 13 them : or of the defilements of bees or of any living creature that moveth in the waters. Nor shall 14 fish be eaten unless they were split alive and their blood was shed. But all the locusts after their

kind shall come into fire or into water whilst they are still living, for this is the manner of their 15 creation. And all wood and stones and dust which are polluted by the uncleanness of man are

6. he whom he (i.e. Belial) leads astray into profaning, i.e. 6nd nym) saws 55. We have here the case of all but involuntary sins through demonic influence. With the text cf. Isa. xxix. 24 mn ‘yn; xxviii. 7. We may also translate: ‘he who goes astray so as to profane.’

it shall be the duty of the sons of man to watch him, i.e. WD DINT 933 by. For the construction cf. 1 Chron. ix. 27, where we have nipwp.

8. Community, i.e. Wan. Cf. the phrase on the coins of the Maccabees n10"0 13n.

g. The Jews were forbidden to sell large cattle or calves, provided they were ‘undamaged’ (nybw), to the Gentiles, Abod. Zarah i. 6, on the ground that they might be made to work on the Sabbath, of. ce#. 15 a. It was forbidden to sell hens to Gentiles when it was suspected that they were required for idolatrous worship, 14 ad.

10. for all his property, i.e. IND Son. That is, when the Gentile would give all that he had for it. See note on x. 7.

11. The Gentile who had become a Jew could not be sold to a Gentile.

12. No man shall make himself abominable with any...creeping thing. [From Lev. xi. 43. See our text, Vill. 20.

by eating of them (nnn day). Ci. Lev. xi. 42.

or of the defilements of bees. The text reads oO )277 ‘2a. Since 4y follows, it would seem that we have here the idiom ).,.}, i.e. ‘both... and’, or in this context ‘or...or’. Besides, Say is meaningless. Nor is ay better. Accordingly, I have emended ayn into Syn or rather yy. Hence the above rendering. Schechter simply takes “37 *S3yn in the sense of “4m ny ‘beehives’. But there seems to be no ground for this identification, and even if it were just, it would be of no service; for one does not eat a beehive. Schechter himself suggests here that as the bee was an unclean insect, Bechoroth 7 4, the text may refer ‘to particles of the bees which are mixed up with the honey’, and that ‘though Rabbinic Judaism had no scruples in this respect and allowed the honey as it came from the beehives (see Shulchan Aruch, Joreh Deah, § 81)... the Karaites... insisted on a preparation of the honey (through filtering)’. This suggestion supports the above emendation.

or of any living... waters. From Lev. xi. 46 with the change of nwo 7n into widnn AWK.

13. Schechter thinks that this regulation is ‘directed against the Rabbinic opinion permitting the eating of the blood of the fish. See Sifra 39 a, and Kerithoth 204.’ -The Samaritans ‘ forbade the eating of fish that died in the water or were found dead on the shore’. Lévi points out that in the Pirke R. Eliezer ix the blood of fish must be shed.

14. In the Pirke R. Eliezer ix (Lévi) it is said that locusts are not created from water. Schechter compares Chullin 27 4 and deduces from it the conclusion that the mode of killing should be connected with the element out of which the animal was created.

15-16. Our text declares unconditionally that the wood, stones, dust, nails, and pegs in a house are made unclean by the uncleanness of the man, Schechter says that this regulation is in contradiction to the Rabbinic law. But this is only partially true. For according to Kelim xii. 7, unfinished wooden vessels, unless the wood was box, were capable of pollution, and likewise tent-pegs (Mimwnn nin»), op. céz. xiv. 3. According to Kelim vi. 1, if three stones were secured together with lime to support a pot on the floor, they were subject to pollution. Similarly with regard to two stones. But if one stone was secured with lime and the other not, it was not subject to pollution. As to whether a nail (7D) under certain conditions, Kelim xii. 5, was capable of pollution or not, Rabbi Aqiba and the wise were at variance. But all were agreed that, if a nail was driven in with a view to fastening an object, it was capable of pollution, In short, in place of all this hair-splitting and

16 polluted like them. According to their uncleanness shall be unclean he who toucheth them. And every instrument, nail, or peg in the wall which is with the dead in the house shall be unclean, like the uncleanness of an instrument of work.

XV. 1-3. Summary Reference to Laws of Uncleanness.

1 The regulation of the dwellers in the cities of Israel, according to these judgements, that a difference may be made between the unclean and the clean, and to make known (the difference) between the 2 holy and the common. And these statutes are to give instruction so that the whole nation may 3 walk in them according to the Law always. And according to this law shall walk the seed of Israel and they shall not be cursed.

XV. 4-6. The Ruler to be a Priest or a Levite.

4 And this is the regulation of the dwellers (according to which they should) act during the period of the wickedness until there arises the Messiah (from) Aaron and Israel, up to ten men at least,

5 to thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens. And when there arise ten, the man who is a priest learned in the Book of tthe Hagut shall not depart. According to his word shall they all be ruled.

6 And if he is not expert in all these, but a man of the Levites is expert in these, the lot shall be that all those that enter into the camp shall go out and come in according to his word.

XV.7-8. Law as to Leprosy.

7 And if there be a judgement regarding the law of leprosy which is in a man, then the priest shall 8 come and stand in the camp, and the Censor shall instruct him in the true meaning of the law. And (even) if he is lacking in understanding he shall shut him up; for unto them (i.e. the priests) is the

XVI. The Duties of the Censor.

1 And this is the regulation of the Censor of the camp. He shall instruct the many in the works of

endless casuistry, our text simply declares that the uncleanness of a man affects the uncleanness of the objects he touches or is near. It is not certain, however, whether our text implies direct or indirect contact. It is probably the latter. If so, its teaching would agree with that of the Sadducees (as against the Pharisees), who extended the power of pollution from direct to indirect contact, Yad. iv. 7. 15. are polluted like them. The text reads Dn2 Www sbyy5, which Schechter has emended into omy 1>N». 16. like. For 3 we must read 3. XV. 1. This verse is of the nature of a title and a fresh statement. regulation. See note on ix. I. dwellers in the cities, i.e. ~~y 21. I have here taken the first word in a collective sense: cf. 2 Sam. according to. ° is to be supplied after Sy with Schechter. that a difference .. . between the unclean and the clean. Quoted from Lev. xi. 47. between the holy and the common. From Lev. x. Io. 2. to give instruction. byswnd is to be emended into S»awnd with Schechter. always, i.e. nyi{ny). So Schechter restores the text. 4. dwellers (awv2) or ‘settlement’ as Schechter renders it. (Gig Sah Uh AG Sy {according to which...) act. According to Schechter the text runs: .,,. nan ...+.; which may, with Lévi and Lagrange, be restored (3 y)dand WN). the period of the wickedness. See i. 5 note. the Messiah. See on i. 7. up to...thousands. For sy Lagrange suggests ji and 4y in place of 5 before ovady, and so arrives at the rendering, ‘from ten at least to a thousand’, 5. Book of tthe Hagut. See xi. 2 note. According to his word shall they all be ruled, i.e. dia apy WD by. This doubtful Hebrew is modelled on the equally doubtful Hebrew in Gen. xli. 40. 6. shall go out and come in according to his word. From Num. xxvii. 21. 8. The priest was to act in any case. A similar law, Schechter points out, is to be found in Neg. iii. r. lacking in understanding, i.e. ‘nd. XVI. 1. the Censor, ie. 1pann. See x. ro. In Judaism there were officials who went under this name. Their duty was to examine the bodies of the animals brought for sacrifice in order to guard against blemishes.

God, and shall make them understand His wondrous mighty acts, and shall narrate before them the

2 things of the world since its creation. And he shall have mercy upon them as a father upon his

3 children, and shall for(give) all that have incurred guilt. Asa shepherd with his flock he shall loose

4 all the bonds of their knots... oppressed and crushed in his congregation. And every one who

joins his congregation, he shall reckon him according to his works, his understanding, his might, -his

5 strength, and his wealth. And they shall record him in his place in accordance with his position

6 in a lot of the (camp). No man of the children of the camp shall have power to bring a man into

7 the congregation (without) the word of the Censor of the camp. Nor shall any man of them who

have entered into the covenant of God do business (with) the children of the pit (un)less hand to

8 hand. No man shall do (a thing as buy)ing and sell(ing) un(less he has spoken) to the Censor of

the camp, and he shall do (it in the ca)mp and not...and so to him who casts forth... they,

g and he who is not connected with... And this is the settlement of the camps. All...

ro, 11 Shall not succeed to settle in the land.... that have not come from the day that Ephraim

12 departed from Judah. And as for all who walk in these the covenant of God standeth fast unto them to save them from all the snares of the pit, for suddenly. . . .

XVII. 1-5. The four Orders of the Community.

17 1,2 And the regulation of the dwellers of all the camps is: They shall be numbered all by their names, 3 the Priests first, the Levites second, the children of Israel third, and the proselyte fourth. And they shall be recorded by their names one after another, the Priests first, the Levites second, the 4 children of Israel third, and the proselyte fourth. And so they shall be seated and so they shall 5 ask with regard to every matter. And the Priest who numbers the many (shall be) from thirty years old even unto sixty years old, learned in the Book (of the Hagu and) in all the judgements of the Law to direct them according to their judgements.

His wondrous mighty acts, i.e. WDD nv. The text reads the second word as ‘Np. On the phrase cf. v. 5. things, i.e. ny. Cf. ii. 7. since its creation. The text reads m'n 53 ‘in detail’, which I have emended into inp.

2. forgive. ‘The text is imperfect, i.e. , , ¥), which I complete as ndw», ie. nd»: cf. ii. 3, where the noun (mimo) derived from this verb occurs. See also v,3. This forms a good parallel to ‘have mercy’ (nnn) in the preceding clause.

all that have incurred guilt, ie. oxMn 52. So I emend nan 52. Perhaps the original was simply pain 5> ‘all their guilt’.

3. As a shepherd does his flock. From Isa. xl. 11.

loose...their knots (AA WP masa bs qm). Cf. 1 Enoch v. 10; Dan. v. 12 ;yp Nw. Also Isa. lvili. 6 (Lévi) ann yw mayan. oppressed and crushed. Deut. xxviii. 33. These words are in the masc. sing.

5. position. The text reads ini’ ‘»2 which I take to be a corruption of tiny ‘D2, which I find Lévi has already proposed.

of the (camp), i.e. (72ND)A. So also Lévi.

6. shall have power, i.e. Syn,

without. There isa gap here. Supply nba. 4. entered into the covenant of God. See ii. r note. Nor... do business, i.e. the Rabbinic phrase jn) Sxy nv» Sx. Cf. Shabb. 31 a, B. Mezia 48 a. children of the pit. So Laszynsky emends 7Awn 33 ‘sons of the morning’ into nnwn 13. Cf. vill. 12. Schechter proposes 9337 123 as in xiii. 11. 8. a thing as buying or selling. So Schechter restores the text 72(D)0) (mp)? Wigt him who casts forth, i.e. Y722, which could mean also ‘common land’ if differently pointed.

g. settlement. See xv. 4 note.

11. This fragment of Isa. vii. 17 has already been quoted in ix. 3 and with the same divergence from the Massoretic text, i.e. oD for ond.

12. And as for all. .. standeth fast unto them. These words have already occurred in viil. 21.

suddenly. The following letters y3) are legible, which Lévi would complete as 139) ‘ shall be wounded’. XVII. 5. the many. The Hebrew reads ww before these words corruptly for nx. from thirty years... sixty years old. These words could be connected with ‘the many’, i.e. the congregation as a whole, but the next verse is in favour of making them refer to the priest. learned in the Book (of the Hagu). See note on xi. 2. to direct them, &c. oavD2 0739. ;

XVII. 6-8. Dutees of the Censor.

6 And the Censor who is over all the camps shall be from thirty years old even unto fifty years 7 old, a master in every counsel of men, and in every tongue... According to his word shall come gin those who enter the congregation every man in his due order. And as regards any matter on

which it shall be incumbent for any man to speak, he shall speak to the Censor in regard to any

suit or cause. XVII. 1-5. Almsgiving.

1,2 And this is the regulation for the many in order to provide for all their needs. The wages of

two days every month is the rule. And they shall give it into the hands of the Censor and the

3 judges. From it they shall give . . . and (from) it they shall strengthen the hand of the poor and

4 the needy. And to the aged man who . . . to the vagrant and him (who) was taken captive of

3a strange people. And to the virgin who has (no dot) (and to him whom) no man careth for: every

6,7 work ... and not... And this is the explanation of the settlement ... And this is the

g explanation of the judgements which . . . (The Messiah from) Aaron and Israel. And He will

g pardon our sins... in money and he shall know... punishment six days and who shall

XIX. Laws as to Oaths. 1... (Shall not swe)ar either by Aleph Lamed or by Aleph Daleth, but by the oath (written) in

6. from thirty years old, &c. The Levites were to enter on office the thirtieth year according to Num. iv. 3, 23, 30; 1 Chron. xxiii. 3: the twenty-fifth according to Num. vili. 23-26: the twentieth according to Ezra iii. 8; x Chron. xxiii. 24, 27; 2 Chron. xxxi. 17.

a master in every counsel, i.e. TD b53 Syn. Here I have changed the MS. reading Sys into bys. Lagrange has here anticipated me. Lévi emends into jina ‘expert’. ie Ch Axvig. 10, ; in his due order, i.e. 3, Cf. Esther ii. 12 for the idiom. 8. suit or cause. 2 Sam. Xv. 4. XVIII. 1. the regulation for the many. D’29n 71D. to provide for, &c., i.e. DYDN $5 wond.

2. two days, i.e. 00" *3v. This is one possible way of reading the MS. according to Schechter. The other, he says, is on jnpiin. But this, though he translates it, is not possible in itself, nor does it, even if corrected, give any fitting sense.

the rule, i.e. O(DY)107.

3. give... The MS. is torn and faded here. Schechter thinks that oy , . , 1ya can be made out, and suggests o»3y Iya ‘for the poor’. But as the phrase }1'3N) ‘3y occurs immediately after, this is unlikely, Possibly the original was ond aya ‘on behalf of the Levites’. But the matter is wholly uncertain.

and from it. The text reads %99 ,1 for 122101.

strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy, i.e. jPAN) “IY TA IPM wo. From Ezek. xvi. 49. 4. the vagrant, i.e. yi” ws. But the reading is doubtful.

to him who. Text reads,, Nd, ie. (rw)xd.

5. and to him whom. adver) is to be read here; for after the preceding words there is room for four letters. For the clause, see Jer. Xxx. 17.

7. (The Messiah from). See note oni. 7.

8. And He will make atonement. Since in the other four passages where atonement is mentioned God is the agent, we conclude that it is so here. See v. 5 note.

9. money, i.e. poo. Cf. Aboth i. 12 s>ws sy 23n JAN }MD »%n for the earliest use of this term,

10. Mos(es). Doubtful. The next line, which is the last of the page in the MS,, is lost.

XIX. It is quite uncertain whether this chapter, which begins with the top of the next page, follows immediately on what precedes. One or more folios may be lost.

1. swear. There is room for yaw» at the beginning of the line, but only y remains.

by Aleph Lamed or by Aleph Daleth, ie. ndwy 9x2 on toby ANA on. That is, the first two letters respectively of the divine names, Ss of pnb (Elohim) and “IW of ‘378 (Adonai). The divine names were used freely in oaths by the Jews. In Shebuoth iv. 13 it is said that if a man adjure another by the divine names, Aleph Daleth, Jod-He Shaddai, &c., he is under obligation; but not if he adjures by the terms ‘ by heaven and earth’. anion, . swam ana nda absa spe xs an paxa oowa span bs oan... Mey oN yawn. They were allowed to swear by the Temple, Jerusalem, or their own heads, See Lightfoot on Matt.v.33-36. The Samaritans, according to Jer. Sanh. 28 4 (Schechter), were accustomed to use the sacred name of Yahweh in their oaths.

put by the oath. This restrictive clause shows that no form of the divine name was to be used in taking

z.3 the curses of the covenant. But the Law of Moses he shall not mention, for... And if he swears 4 and transgresses he profanes the Name. And if by the curses of the covenant . . . the Judges. 5 And if he transgress he shall be held guilty: but if he confess and make restitution he shall 6 not bear (the penalty) of death. And whosoever in all Israel shall enter into the covenant by a statute

for ever, together with their children who are (not of an age) to pass over into the number of those 7 who are enrolled by the oath of the covenant, shall confirm it on their behalf. And this is also the law throughout the entire period of the wickedness for every one who returns from his corrupt 8 way. On the day when he speaks with the Censor of the many they shall enrol him by the oath g of the covenant that Moses established with Israel—the covenant to re(turn to the Law of M)oses . . . with all (his) heart . . . (and with all his) soul: as regards that which there is found 1o to be done tby themy ... And no man shall make known to him the laws until he stand before the rr Censor (who) shall search out concerning him when he examines him. And when he imposes it upon him to return to the Law of Moses with all his heart and all his soul... of him if... 12 And every thing that was revealed of the Law with regard to a suit... in him .. . the Censor him and shall command him... until... killed him ... and the madman and all .. . (loss of

13, 14 five lines) covenant with you and with the whole of Israel. Therefore the man shall impose it

upon himself to return to the Law of Moses; for in it everything is accurately treated.

XX.1. Reference to the Book of Jubilees.

1 And as for the exact statement of their periods to put Israel in remembrance in regard to all these, behold, it is treated accurately in the Book of the Divisions of the Seasons according to

their Jubilees and their Weeks.

an oath. Only the oath of the covenant was allowed. In 2 Enoch xlix. 1-2 swearing by heaven or earth or any other ‘created thing’ was forbidden. The Essenes forbade all swearing: cf. Jos. B. Z. ii. 8.6; Philo ii. 458. written. So Lévi supplies the lacuna.

2. This seems to mean that a man is not to swear by the Law.

for. ‘There is a loss of ten to twelve letters here.

3. ovn mx Som sayy yaw» on. This verse is a paraphrase of Lev. xix. 12. A false oath is a profanation of the divine name.

4. covenant. Schechter proposes to fill up the lacuna by snd ay ‘shall be brought before’.

5. he shall be held guilty. Cf. the concluding words of Lev. v. 2, 3, 4.

confess. Cf. Lev. v. 5. ; the penalty. I restore the lost word by W329. Cf. Prov. xix. 19. 6. This verse is difficult. ‘The rendering I have given is purely tentative. The text seems to be corrupt. The lacuna is possibly to be supplied as follows: (xd) Wwe. together with their children, i.e. 07.92 nN. We have only xan before=‘he who enters’, but this is taken as the plural. pass over into the number of those who are enrolled, i.e. O)paN by yay. This phrase is from Exod. XXX. 13 Or 14. With these words we should perhaps connect ‘ by the oath of the covenant’ as in v. 8. shall confirm it. The text reads 11)", which is to be emended to 3‘p» ‘shall confirm’. 7. period of the wickedness. See i. 5 note. 8. enrol. See note on v. 6. —the covenant. The text is grammatically impossible.

g. to return to the Law of Moses. ‘The text is to be restored as in v. r1 AWD nanyd (nyw.

10. search out. The MS. is torn in the middle of the word, which, according to Schechter, looks like 71)5n°, and which he emends into wpm’. So I have rendered. It is worth noting that the two verbs wan and Ww" are combined in Lam. iii. 40.

II. imposes it upon him, i.e. Sy imix Dp’. Cf. Esther ix. 21, 31. It could also be reflexive: i.e. ‘imposes it upon himself’. Cf. Esther ix. 27, 31.

to return to the Law of Moses. Cf. v. 14, Xx. 2.

12. a suit. Cf. xvii. 8. Of the next two lines only odd words survive, and the remaining eight (?) lines are wholly lost.

14. impose it upon himself, Here I emend oyp' into oy and Jw into waa. See v, 11 note.

to return to the Law, &c. See v. 11. accurately treated. i.e. pap. A Talmudic term.

XX. the exact statement of their periods. This phrase has already occurred in ii. 8. to put Israel in remembrance in regard to all these. The text reads nbs bap “u» jryd which I have emended into mbx 533 “y» -wa1n5. the Book of the Divisions of the Seasons according to their Jubilees and their Weeks. ‘This appears to be the Book of Jubilees, though, among the many titles under which this book was known, this title nowhere appears. (See my edition, p. xivsq.) It recalls the Prologue to this book, which runs: ‘ This is the

XX. 2-12. Laws as to Oaths and Vows. P

2 And on the day on which the man imposes it upon himself to return to the law of Moses the 3 angel of Mastema will depart from him if he make good his word. Therefore Abraham was 4 circumcised on the day of his knowing it. As to what he said, ‘ That which is gone forth from 5 thy lips thou shalt keep’ to make it good—No binding oath, which a man imposes upon himself

with a view to perform a commandment of the law, shall he cancel even at the risk of death. 6 Nothing which a man (imposes) upon himself with a view to (frustrate the la)w shall he make 4 good even at the risk of death. (As for) the oath of the woman, whose oath Mos(es sa)id should 8 be disallowed, no man shall disallow an oath which no man knew. It is to be confirmed. And

whether it be to disallow or to transgress the covenant, he shall disallow it and not confirm it. 9 And so is also the law for her father. As to the law of the of(fer)ings no man shall vow anything 10 for the altar under compulsion. Nor shall the (prjiests take anything from the Israelites .. . 11 (Nor) shall a man dedicate the food . . . this is what he said, ‘They hunt every man his brother

12 with a net.’ Nor shall de(vote)...of all... his possession ... holy ... shall be punished he. . . who takes a vow. . . to the judge...

history of the division of the days . . . of the events of the years, of their weeks, of their jubilees. Here, as in our text, ‘the weeks’ are ‘ weeks of years’. 2, imposes it upon, &c. See xix. 11, 14. The text reads nyp here, which may be right, i.e, ‘stand upon himself to return to’. But it may be best to read oO'p. angel of Mastema. Cf. Jubilees x. 8, xi. 5, 11, xviii. 9, &c. That which is gone forth, &c. Quoted from Deut. xxiii. 24. . binding oath, i.e. (DN nyyayw. This phrase is from Num. xxx. 13. cancel. The text 1775» ‘redeem’ is emended into 1775" as Schechter suggests. risk of death, i.e, Ny WN. 6. imposeth, i.e. op’ of which only the 9 survives. to frustrate the law, i.e. A7¢inn san). 7. (As for). We may supply by here as in v. 9 and xiii. 1. Moses said, i.e. AWD 1)DN. should be disallowed. Cf. Num. xxx. 6-9. which no man knew, i.e. O1(8 73) YI") xd Wwe. It is to be confirmed. i.e. NIT opnd. Cf. viii. 12 on this construction. 8. The same rule holds with regard to the law and the covenant. g. offerings, i.e. M1(273)n. under compulsion. Cf. 2 Cor. ix. 7 ‘ Not grudgingly nor of necessity ’. 11, They hunt every...net. The text reads O07 17..,17. 9 NN ON, which is to be restored in accordance with Micah vil. 2 DAW WS WANN NN WN. 12. The fragments here translated are all that survive of eight (?) lines of the MS.

APPENDIX ON, FX.. 22a.

Tus clause is clearly derived from Mic. ii, 11 AIM OYA AMD AM... A Aw) TN abn wee. Our author says that the Pharisees heed neither the facts of the present as to God’s wrath against the nation nor the words of Moses in the past owing to a false prophet. The clause referring to this false prophet is corrupt both in A and B, but by a comparison of the two we can in some measure recover the original. A and B are as follows—vhe words dependent on Micah, whether corrupt or not, being underlined—

A ond syon ara AOD min Sms Board on po) [mar AAW] per AI JI Here 5myan in A is a wrong emendation of sn which B has preserved. Next, Sow in B is corrupt for "pw as in Mic. ii. rr. But the corruption Soy led to the addition of mpi in order to give some meaning to bow. naw is a dittograph of mpi. Again, 31D as object of FMD in A seems right and not aro. Further, D548 cannot be right, whereas ond can stand. Hence we would restore as follows: ond syon ata spoDy ApEn mo Abn

and translate: ‘For one who walked in the spirit of falsehood and talked lies talked to them,’

Of course, it would be possible to translate mbyx 553, which I have rendered ‘despite all these things’, as meaning ‘all these things’, and render thus: ‘ But all these things they. . . perceived not .. . (i.e.) that the wrath of God... Nor that Moses said. . .’

SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS EMPLOYED IN THE INDEX

Tue references are to chapter and verse in the case of references to the Text, to the chapter and verse under which the note is given in the case of references to the notes, and to sections in the case of references to the Introductions to the various books.

§ prefixed to a number indicates that the reference is to a section in the Introduction to the Book in question.

+ prefixed to a word or name indicates a corrupt reading.

voL. PAGES

Apoc. Mos. Apocalypse of Moses (text given in Books of Adam and Eve) . : F II 138-154 Azar. Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Children . 3 : : 5 i 625-037 1 Bar. First Book of Baruch, Apocryphal Baruch. 5 . : 5 : I 569-595 2 Bar. Second Book of Baruch, Apocalypse (Syriac) of Baruch . : : : II 470-5 20 1 En. First Book of Enoch, Ethiopian Enoch . é : 3 ; : Il 163-281 2 En. Second Book of Enoch, Slavonic Enoch . 2 : 2 5 é il 425-409

RaAL Pirké Aboth, or Sayings of the Fathers . S : 3 . . Il 686-714 Sir. Sirach or Ecclesiasticus . : é E : . é B Ul 268-517 Test. App. 1 First Appendix to the Testaments, i.e. Late Hebrew Testament of Naphtali,

containing Fragments of the Original Testament . A é i 6 II 361-363 Test. 4fp. II Second Appendix to the Testaments, i.e. Aramaic and Greek Fragments of an Original Source of the Testament of Levi and the Book of

of, 1Macc. 714; son of, 4Macc.

— and Israel, judges from, Zad. vival from, 15 88. See Messiah, Zadokite Party.

See Levi.

— Moses and, arose through Prince of Lights, Zad. 71°.

Abadias, 1Esd. 8%5,

Abal, Bel. 2.

Abba Shaul, P.A. 214,

Abdera, Arist. 31.

1oM.

Abelsjail, 1En. 13%.

Abestan, wife of Ahikar, Ah. fagni.

Abhorred. See Nations.

Abietes, Arist. 50.

Abikam, feigned name of Ahi-

Abimelech, 3Bar. Pro/. 2.

Abiram,4Macc.217, SeeDathan.

Abisue, 1Esd. 8?.

Abodes, God’s four on earth, = Garden of East ; Mount of East; Mount Sinai; Mount

of desolation set up on the altar, 1Macc. 1547.; pulled

Abominations, Sir. 278° 49? P. Man. Io.

Abraeus, Arist. 48.

ABZNO! RAN Ps Sl OL alos loved of God, Azar. 12; burns idols, Jub. 1212; chose not his own will, Zad. 47; chose the Lord for his God, and kept holy Hebrew language, Test. App. 1 8%§; circumcised on day he knew the Law, Zad. delivered the commandment to Isaac and Jacob, Zad. 48; dying commands of, Jub. 21 7. 17; faithful in temptation, tMacc. 25%; great exploits of, last words to, and blessing of, Jacob, Jub. 2219-80; learns Hebrew, Jub. 125-27; loves Jacob more than Esau, Jub. 1915-80; —plant of righteous judgement, 1En. 93°; prayers (omy Miwa. ns ESO Oita recorded friend (of God), Zad. 4”; resisted the evil inclination, 184; Shield of, i.e. God, Sir. 18%; Spartans of stock of, tMacc. 12%; tower @f, Jub. white bull, 1En. 891; words Abraham, an elder, Arist. 49. Abram, Terah’s uncle, Jub. 1114,

Abram = Abraham, Terah’s son, [illo ES TGR

to Abraham, 15 5

Absalom. See Jonathan.

— See Mattathias.

—envoy of Maccabaeans, ‘Absolution’ pronounced by

Abstinence from wine and flesh, a. jude ns* D.lse.75:

Abtalion, P.A, 1101,

Abu Samik, the executioner, Ibn Samik, Nabusemakh, &c.

Abubus, See Ptolemy, son of A.

Abusmaq, the executioner, Ah. See Nabusemakh, Nabugumiskun.

Abydos, Sib. 58°.

Abyrus, river, 3Bar. 47.

— or depths, dried by the look

Abyss, in 1En.—217; of complete condemnation, 1En. 5.45; a great, = place of destruction for the earth, 1 En. 8347; a narrow, deep, horrible, and dark, 881; inthe midst ofthe punishment, see Gehenna.

the earth, 1En. 897; of the See also Chasm, Deep, Depth, Ravine, Valley.

Accaba, 1Esd. 5°.

Accepting person, Sir. 427,

Accos. See Eupolemus.

See Valley.

Accusation, false, Sir, 265.

Acherusian lake, Apoc. Mos.

Achilles, Sib. 3427.

Achior, leader of Ammonites,

Achipha, 1Esd, 5%

Achish, king of Persia, Ah. 37 (Arab.). See Akhi, Shah.

Acting presumptuously. Presumptuously.

Acub, 1Esd, 5%

Ada, Reuben’s wife, Jub. 34°.

Adaeus, Arist. 47

2En. 3017. ; animals subjected to, 2En.58%; buried by angels, A. & E. 48; created alone, Wisd. ro!z., of earth, Sir. 3319; creation of, 2En. 3010-12; fall

God came to earth for his sake at creation, 2En. 5818; handwriting of, 331; in Eden, 311 —five and a half hours in Paradise, 321; lord on earth, 313;

named from the four quarters of the world, 30187. ; pre-eminence of, Sir, 49'n, ; Satan’s designs against, 2En. ais

source ofdeath physical, 2Bar.

spiritual, 48". ; transgression of, brought death, physical and psychical declension, spiritual

Adam of own soul, each is,

Adam, Apocalypse of. Adam, Testament of. Adam, Second, the, doctrine of,

Adam, Testament or Apoca-

Adam and Eye, in place of punishment, 2En. 411; penance

Adam and Eve, Books of, account, § 3; author, a Jew of Diaspora, § 7; bibliography, § Lo; composite text, § 6; date of original text, § 5, of versions, § 5%; influence on later lation of to 2Enoch, 2En. § 4; theology of Apoc. Mosis, sions, ancient, § 4.

Adam and Eve, Conflict of, A. & E. §§ 4,8; Life of, Slavonic, AUN CUES, Sea ae.

Adam, city, Jub. 137%.

Adar, month, 1Esd. 75 1Macc. 743.49; twelfth month, 2Macc.

Adar-Sheni, intercalary month,

Adataneses, city, Jub. 71517,

Adath,son of Barad, Jub. 381%”,

Addition, a feast, Jub. 322729,

Addo, i.e. Iddo, 1Esd. 61.

Rapa ata Apoc. Mos,

Adibaa, Jub. 342°.

Adora, 1Mace. 137% See Aduram.

Adoran the Aramaean, Jub. 38°. See Aduram,

Aduel, Tob. 17.

Adullam, 2Macc, 12°8

Adullamite, Jub. 4114.

Adultery, Sir. 2378; danger of, 9°; death penalty for, Sus. 22; procedure in case of, 32, 34 7.

Aduram,place = Adora, Jub.38*.

Aduram, of Aram, Jub. 37%. See Adoran.

advantageous, 20°.

Advocate for Israel = Moses,

Aedias, 1Esd. 92".

Aeneas, descendants of, Sib. 341.

Aeon, the mighty, a Stoic conception, Sib. 3°.

Aesora, Judith 4*.

Aetolia, Sib. 34°.

Aferag = Phrygia (?), Jub. 8%".

Afflicted, the, Sir. 454%,

Affliction, day of, Sir. 315 61°;

Afra = Africa, Jub. 8°.

Agagite, Add, Esth. Al.

Agar, sons of, 1Bar. 37.

Agathocles section of Polybius’

delight to few but torment to many, 747, hope of, in divine compassion ultimately, 718?- 140, not yet awake, 751, solution of all difficulties, 47? *2zz., symbolized by Jacob, 68; consummated, 1En. 161, see Consummation; first, 4Ez. 67; hastening to its end, 47°, hopeless, 427, symbolized by Esau, 6°; world-age, divided into twelve parts, 1411.

35)8, cf. 684; advice to learn from, 8°; respect for, 8°; wis-

Aggaba, 1Esd. 5°°

Aggaeus, i.e. Haggai, 1Esd. 64

own,

Agrippa, farm of, 3Bar. Prol.

Aguaron =Gomorrha, Mart. Is. 2167, Read Samarir.

Ahaziah, son of Ahab, Mart. Is.

§ 8 iii; dependence of Tobit upon, § 8 iii; parallels of, with Sirach, Sir. § 7 (6); re-

ferences to in Tobit, originality’

Ahikar, story of, account of, materials for critical determination of text, § 4; (@) Aramaic papyrus, Story of Sudhana Avadana; (é-g) Versions, Arabic, Armenian, Ethiopic, Greek, Slavonic, Syriac; quotations and references, § 3; (a) Democritus; (6) Tobit parallels ; (c) Testaments of Twelve Patriarchs ;

Ahitob, 1Esd. 82.

Ahitophel, P.A. 6%.

Ahitub, Judith 8}.

Ahuzzath, Jub, 2476

Air, Satanail’s place in, 2En.

Akabia ben Mahalalel, P.A. 3}.

Akatan, 1Esd. 888.

Akhi, king of Persia and Elam, Ah, 37 (Syr.). See Achish, Shah.

Akiba, Rabbi, 1Bar. § 9 ii P.A.

Akrabbatine, 1Macc. 58.

Akrabbim, *}forest of, Jub. 29%.

Alagar Zagar = Salmanassar,

g}54-87 ; desires to be high priest, 7°”. ; gets high-priestdies, Macc. 9°°; pulls down wall of sanctuary’s inner court,

Alema, 1Macec. 576.

Alexander and Aristobulus, sons See Messiah.

Alexander Balas, Sib. 3388-4, ; ‘a side-shoot’, 3°97; Alexander Epiphanes, i.e. Balas, 1 Macc.

Alexander the Great, 1Macc.

Alexander Jannaeus, 1En. 3857. of, with Pharisees, Sus. § 7.

Alexandra, 1En. § 7.

Alexandria, 3Macc. 3! Arist. 22, Jewsat,rulers of, of Sadduccean type, Wisd. 147. See Temple.

Alexandrian citizenship, 3Macc.

Alexandrine Canon included Sirach, Sir. § 8; doctrine absent from Add. Esth. § 7; ideas in 2 Enoch § 3; literature, 3Macc. § 7; theology, mortality, Wisd. § 9 4Macc. § 9. See Immortality.

All Flesh. See Flesh.

All-king, i.e. God, Sir. 50%.

Allegorizing tendency, Arist.

Some.

Almsgiving, atones for sin, Sir. 389 Tob. 12°, see Atonement ; a duty, Sir. 44; bestowal of kindnesses, P.A. 12; righteousness, Sir. 719. ; to evil not meritorious, 127. See Giving, Pharisees, Poor.

Alphabet, Jewish, Arist. 11, cf. 3, 30. See Characters.

Alphias, 3Bar. 4%.

Altar rebuilt, 1Esd.54°; of burnt offering, polluted, 1Mace. 1°;

pulled down, 4*%46; new built, 4*7, See Altar of sacrifice.

Altar of incense, 2Bar. 67; preserved and hidden by Jeremiah,

— of sacrifice, new, and fresh fire, for rededicated Temple,

Amada=Imlah, Mart. Is. 212.

Amalek, T.S. 6%.

Amana, mountains of, Jub. 8%

+Amanisakir. See Maanisakir.

Amarias, 1Esd. 8°.

Amaseqa, Jub. 38”.

Ambram, T.L, 12%4, See Amram.

Ambri, children of, 1Macc.

Amen, liturgical use of, P.Man.

Amilabes = Abel, Apoc. Mos. nov.

Amman, Ass. Mos. 14.

Ammidioi, 1Esd. 5%

Jub. 38°; children of, 1Macc.

Ammon. See Zeus.

Ammonite(s), 2Macc. 47° 57 Judith 14°; = ‘foxes’ in 1En.

Amorite kings, defeat of, Jub. pyeee Me, )ida 37.

Amorites, Judith 515 Jub. 1478

Amos, Tob. 2°.

App. I 74-76, see Ambram ; stays in Palestine, Jub. 461°.

Amraphel, Jub. 13”.

Amulets, 2Macc. 124°.

Anael, Tob. 171.

Anan, IEsd. 5°°.

Ananel, 1En. 67.

Ananias, son of Bebai, 1Esd. 9”.

Ananias, son of Emmer, 1 Esd.

Ananias, 1Esd. 94°.

Ananias, 1Esd. 9%.

Ananias, Judith 8}.

Ananias, an elder, Arist. 48.

Ananias, Mart. Is. 2%

Ananias, Azar. 66 4Macc. 13° 1621 1812, See Children, Three.

Anathema, 1En. 954.

Anathoth, 1Esd. 538. See John of A.

Andronicus, deputy of Antiochus Epiphanes, 2Macc. 4%"; murderer of Onias, 484; death,

Andronicus, governor at Geri-

see Raphael; brings seven tablets from heaven in Levi’s vision, Jub. 3271; destroying, Wisd. 185; fiery, smites congregation, 4Macc. 74; good, to save Israel, prayer for, an- T. Jos. 67; of death, 2Bar.

TS. 2° TL. 2° Ds Jud. tomas with Israel, Ep. Jer. 7; of God, once referred to in Add. Esth. D'S ; of humanity, Apoc. Mos. 323; of the Lord cast fire on false witnesses, Sus. § 9, 60-62, brings Habakkuk miraculously to feed Daniel, Bel 36-39; of Mastema, Zad. 20%, cf. Jub. meets soul of righteous at death, T.B. 64. ; of the powers, 3Bar.1%7,; of the presence,

Michael, Israel’s guardian

who intercedeth for Israel and the righteous, T.L. 5&7 T.D. 6. See Archangels. Angelic mediation, Tob. § Io. Angelic patrons of nations (except Israel), Sir. 172%, See Angels, guardian. Angelology of Jubilees,parallels Angels, Sir. 167 (see Princes) 4Macc. 41°; anguish of, over fall of Zion, 2Bar. 67%; armies created on first day, Jub. 2? 2Bar. 21%, ; Cherubim, Seraphim, and Ophannim, created trom fire on second, 2 En. Demonology; fallen,ask Enoch to intercede, 2En. 71-5; food frighten Apollonius, 4Macc. 33'; guardian, of the nations, seventy, Test. App. I. 8* 8; hosts of heaven, P.Man. 15; intercession of, for Adam, A. diation of, Tob. § 10 3Bar. § 10, 2—three classes of mediating angels, § 10, 2; only reference to in 3Macc., 61x. ; bolized by shepherds, 1En. titles of—children or sons of heaven; children of (the) heaven, 1En. 6? 148; elect and holy children. . . from the high heaven, 39!; sons of heaven, 138; holy ones (or ‘the holy’), holy ones of heaven, 98, cf. 57, of heaven, host of the heavens, powers of the heavens, s¢e Heaven, Heavens; sons of 69%, of the God of heaven, spiritual ones of the heaven, 1En.157; spirits of the heaven,

151°—of the glory of the presence, T.L, 18°, see Angels of the presence; of God, Sir. 172 crit, note, marry daughters of men, Jub. 51, punishment of them and their children, 5°~°, final judgement, 52°16; of the moon, 3Bar. 9°; of natural do not observe Sabbath, Jub. 218; of the presence, Jub. § 15 127, (one writes history for Moses), who went before the camp of Israel, 17°, spoke to Moses, 21, observe Sabbath, fication, Jub, 2718 observe Sabbath, 218; of the spirit of the clouds and darkness, 27; of the spirits of cold and heat, creatures in the heavens, 27; of the spirit of fire, of the voices, of thunder and lightning, of the winds, of winter and the seasons, 2?; of sun,

Angels. See Gabriel, Michael, Phamael, Phanuel, Raguel, Raphael, Remiel, Sammael, Saraqael, Sarasael, Uriel, Zotiel, Powers, Spirits, Virtues.

Anguish. See Day.

Animal worship, meee,

Animals, treatment of, see Man, Strangling; in delivery on Sabbath, 13??; fallen into pit on Sabbath, 13%; kindness to, T.Z. 5}; under man’s dominion, 2En. 58°; will not perish till great judgement, when they will accuse their oppressors,

Annas, 1Esd. 9%.

Anniversary of martyrdoms,

Annuus, IEsd. 84,

[Anointed one,holy (= Aaron?),

Anointed One = Messiah. See Christ, Messiah.

Anoniram, T.Jud. 98.

Anthropology of 2 Enoch, 2En.

See Wrath.

Antichrist, Test. § 16, T.D. 5°. See Beliar, Dan. Antigone, city, Sib. 3547. Antigonos of Socho, P.A. 1°, Antigonus, I En. 100%. Antigonus Gonatas, naval victory over, Arist. § I, 180. Antilibanus, Judith 17. zenship of, 2Macc. 4°. Antiochenes, 2Macc. 4°. Antiochis, mistress of Antiochus Epiphanes, 2Macc. 49°. Antiochus III, the Great,1 Macc.

AntiochusIV ,Epiphanes,1 Macc. Bia he Tol ei eree attacks Egypt a second time, 2Macc. 51; conquers Egypt, 1Macc. 2Macc. 9% 10%; defeated at Persepolis, 2Macc. 9:2; desecrates Temple, 1Macc. 121-28 2Macc. 51571; disease, loathsome of, 2Macc.95“}§; largesses of, 1Mace. 3°%,; letter to Jews, 2Mace. 919-7; not the foreign conqueror of Ps.Sol. § 5 (see Pompey) ; persecution of,=a second visitation, Ass. Mos. 81 9"; promise to restore sacred vessels, 2Macc. g!6 and to become a Jew, 917; repentance supplication of, 2Macc. 9*°-27,

Antiochus V, Eupator, son of Antiochus Epiphanes, 1Macc.

Antiochus VI, son of Alexander

Antiochus VII, Sidetes, son of Demetrius I, 1Macce. 1517.20;

Antiochus. See Numenius.

Antipater, son of Jason, 1Macc.

Anti-Semitism, 3Macc. §§ 5, 6.

Anxieties of poverty and riches, Sin 3 rst

Apame, IEsd. 4%.

Aphaerema, i.e. Ephraim or

Apherra, 1Esd. 5%4.

Aphphus. See Jonathan.

Aphrodite, Sib. 31%,

Aphrodite, the planet, 2En.

Apocalypse of Moses, older than Vita Adae et Evae, A.

Apocalypse of Paul, Sir. 42%.

Apocalypse of Peter, Sir. 41°.

Apocalyptic, a Party at one time among Rabbis favourable to, 4Ez. 14. See Pharisaism, Reveal, Revelations.

Apocalyptists, begin survey with creation, 4Ez. 347.; calculations of, 486-87; imply predestina-

Apocryph. See Jambres.

Apocrypha, original connotation of, a secret revelation,

Apollonius, ‘a chief collector of tribute’ (= son of Meneskilled, 322.

Apollonius, general of Deme-

Apollonius of Tarsus, 2Macc,

357; governor of Syria, 4Macc.

Jannes and

Apollonius, son of Gennaeus,

Apollonius, son of Menestheus, 2Mace. 4471; Mysian commander, 5°; massacres Jews,

Apollophanes, 2Macc. 1087.

Apostate deeds, 1En. 93°; generation, 9°; nation, Sir. 16°,

Apostolical Constitutions, Sir.

Apparitions, 2Macc. § 3, 345g.

Appearances often

Appendices to Testament of Twelve Patriarchs. See Levi, Naphtali.

Appendix to Sirach, Sir. 511-% ; ay ePrayer,) alto? ea) Poem), i-xvl.

Appetites, 4Mace. 19° 32.

Apples of Sodom, Wisd. 107.

Aquarius, Sib. 5527.

Ara, city (of Chaldees), Jub. ries, See Ur,

Arabia, 1Macc. 1116 Judith 2%

Arabian Nights, Ah. § 1.

Srl ayer

Arabs, Jub. 208;

Aradus, 1Macc. 157%.

Arakiba, 1En. 67.

Aramaean, Jub. 38%.

Aramaic original of 1En. 6-36, UMASS 16 Cy

Aramaic version of Tobit, ‘Tob.

Araqiel, 1En. 8%.

Arara, land of, Jub. 9°.

Aravoth, the tenth (? seventh)

Arbatta, place, 1Mace. 57%.

Arbela, 1Macc.9%. See Rabael, Robel.

Arbelite, P.A.1%7. See Nittai.

Arbonai, river, Judith 274.

Archangel, A. & E. 25? Apoc.

20! 219 2211; as intercessors on behalf of mankind, T.L. 35(@z. See Angels, Intercession, Mediation.

Archas, 2En. 2642(A.‘Aruchas’

Ardat, field of, 4Ez. 926-8,

Areios, King of Sparta, 1 Macc. Terie

Aréli, Jub. 44%.

+Aresa, Jub. 34*7( = Asser, Tob. Aretan, T.Jud. 5}.

deceitful,

defeat of,

also

Areas, Arabian prince, 2Macc.

Ariarathes, king ef Cappadocia,

Arioch, king of Elymaeans, plain of, Judith1®,

Arioch, king of Sellasar, Jub.

Aristeas, Letter of, author, a Jew of Alexandria with Pharisaic tendencies, § 4; character, § I; contents and purpose, § 2; date, § 3; editions, § 8; influence on later literature, § 9; MSS., § 7; relation sources, Arist. §5; theology and ethical teaching, § 6.

Aristobulus II, Ps. Sol. § 6. See Alexander.

Aristobulus, King teacher, 2Macc. 119,

Ariukh, Seé Orioch.

Ark. the, in the Deluge, 4Macc.

Ark, the, of covenant, preserved and hidden by Jeremiah, 2Macc.

Armenia, Sib. 4114,

Armies ordained for day of judgement, T.L. 33.

See Arpachshad.

Arsaces, king of Persia, 1Macc.

Arsamos, Arist. 49.

Arsamos, Arist. 50.

Arsinoe, 3Macc. 144,

Arsinoe, wife of Ptolemy Philadelphus, Arist. 41.

Arsiphurith, 1Esd, 51°.

Artagifa, 1En. 69?.

Ptolemy’s

Artaxerxes Ochus, Judith § 1.

Artaxerxes= Xerxes J, Add. Esth. Ab! B! El; letter of, directing destruction of Jews, Br; decree of, revoking previous edict, E1~%,

Artemis, Sib. 52%,

Artisan inferior to Scribe, Sir. 3874-80, See Craftsman.

Aruchas. See Archas,

Arzareth, 4Ez. 13,

Asadias, 1Bar. 11.

Asbasareth, i.e.

Ascalon, Judith 2%. See Askalon.

Ascension, Tob. 12sg.; of Baruch, 2Bar. 467; of Isaiah, seé \saiah, Martyrdom of; of

Esarhaddon,

Raphael, compared with

Asceticism, as preparation for visions, Mart. Is. 24%, 4Ez. 54-19, See Chastity, Eating herbs, Fasting.

Aseas, 1Esd. 9°.

Asebebias, 1Esd. 847.

Asebias, 1Esd. 8*°.

Aser. See Aresa.

Ashbel, Jub. 447°.

Ashdod, Arist. 117. See Azotus.

Ashtaroth, Zad. 75.

Ashtaroth, city, Jub. 291°.

Asibias, 1Esd. 9°.

Asiel, Tob. 14.

Asipha, 1Esd.5”°.

Asitho. See Asteho.

Judith 2° Arist. 115.

Asmodens, Tob. 3:17

Asmonean, Macc, 2372.

Asores = Assyrians, Ah. 4?

Asorestan = Assyria, Ah. 4”

Asphar, pool, Macc. 98%.

Aspharasus, 1Esd. 5°.

Aspis, mountain, i.e, Sirion or

Ass, wild = Ishmael, 1En. 89".

Assamias, IEsd. 85.

Assaphioth, 1Esd. 5%°.

Assaracus, Sib. 58.

Assemblies of Jacob, Sir. 24%.

of the elders, Sir. 6%4 744; in the gate, Sir. 77 4214; of the Most High, 24”; of the people, ey -nof eusrael- Ps Solst0!8 precedence in, Sir. 38%.

Asser = Hazor, Tob. 17. Aresa.

Asses, a species of giants, 1En. 864; wild Midianites,

+Asshur, Jub. 13}.

Associate = haber,

Associating, danger of, with rich, Sir.13?-8; with rulers, 13°18; with one’s opposites, 1315-20; with women, seé Women.

Associating with wise, Sir. 914;

Assumption of Moses, 2Macc. §6; relation to 2Bar., Ass. sumption of.

PrAc rey.

Jub. 46° Mart.Is. 32; in Ahikar passim, usually as ‘ Assyria and Nineveh’, cf. Tobit.

Assyrian court, 4Macc. 13°.

Assyrians, 1Esd. 5° 3Macc. 6°

Astad, 1Esd. 5}.

Astath, 1Esd. 858,

Asteho, T.Jos. 75.

Astrology, Sib. 3227-728 4Macc.

Astronomy, Wisd. 718 P.A. 3”.

Astyages, Bel 1.

Astypalaea, Sib. 3°4.

Asudi, Jub. 44%.

Atar, 1Esd. 5,

Atel, Jub. 8”.

Atergatis, temple of, 2Macc. pees

Athanasius, Sir. § 8. Athenagoras, 1En. § 10(c). Athenian, 2Macc. 61874, Athenobius, 1Macc. 157%. Athens, Jews to be equal to

citizens of, 2Macc. 91.

Athletic contest, the martyrdom of the seven brothers compared to, 4Mace. § 7.

Athur = Assyria, Ah. fasszmz (Syr.). See Nineveh.

Atipha, 1Esd. 5°.

Atonement, Sir. 3°7. 557z.; almsgiving atones for sin, 3°%7.; by fasting, for sins of ignorance, Ps. Sol. 3°; false doctrine of, warning against, Sir. not atone to God, they do to man); impossible for unforgiving, 28°; made by martyrs, man makes by honouring his through suffering, sickness, and death, Sir. 1897,

Atonement, Day of, Jub. 517-48; instituted ontidings of Joseph’s

Attalus, king of Pergamos,

Attharates, i.e. the Tirshatha,

Attharias, i.e. the Tirshatha, 1Esd. 54°. See Attharates,

Attus, 1Esd. 8°.

Auaran, See Eleazar.

Augustine, Sir. § 8.

Aulis, Sib. 348.

Auranus, 2Mace. 44°. Ausonians, Sib. 52%,

Auteas, 1Esd. 9.

Avaran. See Eleazar.

Avith, city, Jub. 381%

Azaelus, 1Esd. 9°.

Azaraias, 1Esd. 8}.

Azariah, Prayer of, and Song of Three Children: account, § 1;

bibliography, § 9; composition, § 6; date, § 6; influence on later literature, § 7; MSS., § 3; original language, He-

Azariah, the writer of Prayer of Azariah, Azar. § 6.

Hananiah.

Azarias, 1Esd. 9%.

Azarias, 1Esd. 94%.

Azarias, a Maccabean leader,

Azarias = Azariah, 4Macc. 13° 1621 7812, See Children, Three.

Azaru, 1Esd. 5%.

bound, in desert of Dudael, 104; hosts of, judged, 54° 55+.

Azetas, 1Esd. 514,

Azotus, city, 1Macc. 4 58 2°8; burned by Jonathan, 1 Macc. to8&4. See Ashdod.

+Azotus, mount, Macc. 9°.

Azrial, Jub. 427.

Azuchan. See Uchan.

Azura, Jub. 4%).

Azurad, Jub. 87.

Baal, Mart. Is. 212.

Baalsamus, 1Esd. 9**.

Baana, 1Esd. 58.

confusion of tongues at, Jub. 1018-27; builders of, in second heaven, 3Bar. 35-8. See Overthrow.

Zad. 1°; captivity of Jews in, for seventy generations, Ep. Jer. § 2; idolatry of, Ep. Jer. § 1; name of, intruded into text of Susanna, Sus. § 6; =Rome,

Babylonian Sibyl, Sib. 3162-2472,

Babylonians, Ep. Jer.1, 2 Bel 3,

1012 2Macc. 8°9; and Alcimus sent against Jews, 1Macc. 78%.

Bacchurus, 1Esd. 9%.

Bacchus, worship of, 3Macc.

Bactra, Sib. 4%.

Baean, children of, Mace. 547.

Baelunan, Jub. 3822.

Bag-Bag, ben, P.A. 5”.

Bago, 1Esd. 84

1414 Add.Esth. Al.

Bagoi, 1Esd. 5.

Baiterus, 1Esd. 517.

Balak, son of Beor, Jub. 382%!7,

Balamon, Judith 8°.

Balchira; Mart. Is, 528512, See Belchira.

Baliayn, one of the king’s sons who question Ahikar, Ah, 210 (Arm,). See Houday.

Balnuus, 1Esd. 9%.

Baltasar, king of Babylon, son of Nebuchadnezzar, 1Bar. § 4

Banaias,son of Nooma,1Esd.9*°.

Baneas, an elder, Arist. 50.

Banias, 1Esd. 8°°.

Bannas, 1Esd. 57°.

Banneas, 1Esd, 9°.

Bannus, 1Esd. 9*4.

Banquet. See Messianic.

Banquet, behaviour at, Sir. 32 rules for, Sir. 324%; symbol of world to come, P.A. 379.

Bar Cocheba, revolt of, 1Bar.

See Devote.

Baraka, Jub. 41°.

Barakiel, Jub. 4).

Barakiil, Jub. 4”8.

Baragel, 1En. 6y?.

Baraqijal, 1En. 67 8°.

Barchus, 1Esd. 5°”.

Baris, Sib. 4°°.

Barnabas, Epistle of, relation

Barodis, 1Esd. 5%.

Barrenness, Wisd. 3%.

Barsaba, T.Jud. 8%.

Bartacus, 1Esd. 4?%.

Baruch, 1Bar. 148 2Bar. passene Pseudepigrapha; to be preserved till consummation, 2 books of, 2Bar. § 2; relation of 2Baruch to 3Bar., 3 Bar. § 4; of Rest of Words of Baruch

Baruch, 1 Book of, account, § 1; author, § 7; bibliography, § 12; composite character, § 3; contents, § 2; critical investigaments—A & B, Hebrew original, §5; C. Greek original (Hebrew, Gen. Ed.), § 6; their redaction, § 8; influence on Christian and Jewish litera-

Baruch, 2 Book of, account, short, §1; bibliography, § 12; books of Baruch, various, § 2 5 different elements in 2Bar., § 7; lost epistle to two and a half tribes, §8; MSS., Syriac, § 33 relation to 4Ezra,-§ 9; to N.T., § 11; theology, § 10; Version, Syriac, date of, § 4; translated from Greek, Greek from

Baruch, 3 Book of, account, short, § 1; author, § 7; bibliography, § 11; composite nature

of text, § 6; Christian redactor, lation to other Baruch literature, § 4; to other apocalyptic literature, § 5; theology, § 10;

Basaloth, 1Esd. 5°”.

Bascama, place, 1Macc. 13°%.

Baseas, Arist. 47.

Bassai, 1Esd. 516

Basthai, 1Esd. 5°',

Batarel, 1En. 67.

6?; to John Hyrcanus, T.L.

Bathing, law of, Zad. 121:?.

Betasuel,

Bealoth, Jub. 13).

Beasts, wild = Gentiles, 1En.

Beautiful, three things, Sir. 257 ; wisdom of aged, 25°-°,

Beauty, God the author of,

Bebai, city, Judith 15*,

Becher, Jub. 447°.

Bectileth, Judith 2”.

Bedsuel, Jub. 417. See Betasuel.

Beelesath, T. Jud. 3”.

Beelsarus, 1Esd. 58.

Beeltethmus, a Samaritan,1 Esd.

Well of the Oath.

Beggar, his life no life, Sir.

Beginning, the, meaning of in Sirach, Sir. 1147.

Behaviour. See Banquet, Table.

Behemoth and Leviathan, rEn. reserved for Messianic banquet,

Assyrian god, Ah, 61° (Syr.) Ah. 618 (Arab.). See Belshim.

Bel and the Dragon, account, tents, § 2; date, § 5; integrity, §6; MSS., § 3; original language, § 4; place of origin Alexandria, § 5; theology, § 7;

Belachira, Mart. Is. 25. -

5%. See Balchira.

Belemus, a Samaritan, 1Esd. ane:

Belial, destruction through hand of, Zad. 912; let loose against Israel, 6°; three nets of, 61°; raised Jochanneh (against Moses), 72°; spirits of, man ruled by, 14°. See Beliar.

PeSys er bel3>) 18 ro! T. seé Belial; angel of lawlessness, ruler of this world, Mart.

Is. 2*; chief of evil spirits, Mart. Is, 18; coming and destruction of, Sib. § 6 355-% (? = Antichrist, ?Simon Magus) the pure, T.R. 444; men to be delivered from, T.Z. 9849), cf. T.D. 52911; to be bound by Messiah, T.L. 1812; to be cast into the fire, T.Jud. 25%; sons See aUdeanomelssagy Ulsan. spirit of, rules, accuses, ensnares, Jub. 12°; will of, T.N.

Beliar, servant of Ahikar, Ah. 78 (Arm.). See Nebuhal.

Belmain, Judith 4* 7°.

Beloved of the Lord, the, Mart. MS GA

Belshazzar. See Baltasar.

Belshim, a god appealed to by

Belt, the constellation, Sib. 55%.

Ben Sira, Sir. 5159; his right to give instruction, Sir, 331618

Benedicite, the, Azar. § I, 35-

Benefactor, title of, Add. Esth.

Benevolence, danger of indiscriminate, Sir. 121-7,

Wsthee Aes abige sea seas Nfartareliss 13°25 mye |udse rant" Tig °tta = sees Joseph in vision, T.B. 101; asa ravening WOlf lJ B.ness

Benjamite, 2Mace. 34.

Benuzardan, Nadan’s younger brother, Ah. 3° (Arab.).

See Baean.

Berachel, son of = Jacob, Test.

Berea, a place, 1Macc. of,

Beriah, Jub. 4471.

Beroea, custom of execution at,

Beroth, i.e. Beeroth, 1Esd. 5!%,

Betane, Judith 1°.

Betasuel, wife of Judah, Jub. 340, cf. Bathshua, Bedsuel.

Betenos, Jub. 4°8.

Beth ha-Midrasch, (Jellinek) book quoted, T.Jud. 3-7 7.

Bethha-Midrash, i.e. house of instruction, Sir. 512°72.297. See Yeshibah.

Bethasmoth, 1Esd. 538.

Bethbasi, 1Mace. 9°7.%.

Bethdagon, idol’s temple at Azo-

Bethel, 1Macc. 9°° Tob. 26 Jub.

Judith 44 Jub. 344; battle at,

Bethlehem = Ephrath, Jub. 32°4

Bethlomon, 1Esd. 51".

= Scythopolis, Jub. 29!47.

131%2 ; (or Bethsuron), siege

Bethzacharias, 1Macc, 6°.

Betolion, 1rEsd. 571.

Betomesthaim, Judith 4° 154.

Bezeth, 1Macc. 71%.

Birthday, king’s, 2Macc. 67.

Bithynians, Sib. 514.

Blessed, ten types of men who

Blessing of the Lord, Sir. 502%.

Blind of eye better than blind of

flesh, 15%; righteous, 474; ing of forbidden, Jub. 6%4~18 to Isaac by Abraham, Jub. 217; shedding of, a_ sin, loys Gis Ge ae sii De Cy proper use of in sacrifice, Jub.

Boar, black wild=Esau, 1En.

Boars, wild =Edomites, 1En.

Boccas, 1Esd. 8%.

Body, the, an encumbrance, Wisd. 91°; no resurrection of be restored by the earth, 2Bar. 4287.; resurrection of, 2Bar. 49%-51 ; resurrection of, not believed in by Alexandrian Jews, 4Macc. §9. See Resurrection.

Bones flourish, Sir. 4917.

Book, deeds written in, P.A.

Book, the = Scriptures, Arist.

Book, the holy = Scriptures, read by Eleazar before battle,

Book of discipline of children of men, Jub, 364°; of the Division of the Seasons (= Book of Jubilees), Zad. 20! ; 17°; of the histories of the kings of Judaea, 1Esd. 1°5; of the kings of Israel and Judah, Jub. 36°, cf. Books of the living; of the memorial of

life, Test. 4fp. II 59; of remembrance, Zad. 9° ; of the seventy shepherds, 1En, 89°8-77 9017.20; of unrighteousness, words of righteousness, 141; of zeal and wrath, disquiet and expulsion, 391.

Book, sealed, 1En. 89774. See Books, opened.

Books, the holy, 1En. 103? 108%. See Tablets, heavenly,

Books of deeds of righteous and wicked, opened, 4Ez. 67° 1En. 47°7. ; of Enoch’s revelations, to be transmitted to generations of world, 2En. 33°29, see Apocrypha, Revelations; of fathers, Abraham learns Hebrew from, Jub. 1277; of heathen writers, Hn. 10419 ; of Jacob and his fathers given to Levi, Jub. 451%7.; of the Law, Zad. 9°; of the living, of life; of the Prophets, Zad. 9’; yecording sins, opened,

Borrowing. See Lending.

Bosor, place, 1Macc. 57988,

Bosora, i.e. Bozrah, 1Macc.

Botany, Wisd. 72° Jub. rol?-14

Boudan, Nadan’s

Branding, 3Macc. 2”.

Brazen serpent, Wisd. 16°.

Bread of dead, Tob. 4%".

Breastplate of High Priest,

Breastplate of understanding, Dees

Britains, Sib. 52%,

Brother = Jew, Tob. § 9.

Brotherly love, Tob. 41%.

+Bugaean, Add. Esth. (vead Agagite).

Builders of the wall (= Phari-

Bull, symbolically used, rEn.

Bundle of life, Sir. 6157.

Burnt-offering alone to be offered on Sabbath, Zad. 1327; to be sent by the clean only, wats

+Busasejal, 1En. 607.

Byzantium, Sib, 34%.

brother in

Alt,

Caeserin, Tob. 114.

S5ico! dbs PP AMaec. rete death, by astone, Jub. § 15 4°; spiritual death of Cain on Abel’s murder, Wisd. 10%7.; vengeance on, sevenfold, T.B. 7%,

Calamolalus, 1Esd. 5%.

Calebites, 1Esd. § 5(c)(g).

Calendar, Jewish, Jub. § 15,

Calf, golden, Tob. 1°.

Caligula, 4Mace. § 1.

Calitas, 1Esd. 9%. Colius,

Callisthenes, 2Macc. 8*%.

Camarina, in Greece, Sib. 37°°.

Camarina = Ur, Sib. 373.

Camels =a class of giants, 1En.

Camp, Censor of the, Zad. 164958 1758 18%; children of the, Zad. 168; cut off from (see Excommunication), Zad. 94°; eat and drink in, on Sabbath,

Campanians, Sib. 347.

Camps, dwellers of, Zad. 177;

Canaan, 1Macc. 937 Judith 5%