TITUS Texts: Flavius Iosephus, Antiquitates Iudaicae I-II

The book of Josephus, the history of the Jews: these are the contents of the first book of Josephus's narrative of the Jewish antiquities. a) The preface concerning all that was done. b) The creation of the earth and the arrangement of the elements. c) Concerning the lineage of Adam and the ten generations from him until the flood. d) That the flood occurred and in what manner Noah, preserved in the ark together with his own lineage, settled in the land of Shinar. e) That the tower, which his sons built as a blasphemy against God, was overthrown, and that their languages were divided, and the place where this happened was called Babylon. f) That the descendants of Noah inhabited the entire earth. g) That each of the nations was named after its leader. h) How Abraham, our forefather, having come out of the land of the Chaldeans, then took possession of Canaan, which is now called Judea. i) That at the time of the famine in Canaan, he went to Egypt, and having stayed there for some time, he returned again. j) The victory over the Sodomites by the Assyrians, who had risen up against them. ia) That Abraham, having risen up against the Assyrians, prevailed, saved the Sodomite captives, and recovered the plunder that had been carried off, returning it to them.

b) How God destroyed the race of the Sodomites, being angered by them because of their sins. c) Concerning Ishmael, the child of Abraham, and concerning the Arabs born from him. d) Concerning Isaac, who was Abraham's own son. e) Concerning Sarah, Abraham's wife, and how she ended her life. f) How from Keturah, Abraham's concubine, the race of the Troglodytes was born to Abraham. g) Concerning the death of Abraham. h) Concerning the sons of Isaac—Esau and Jacob—and concerning their birth and upbringing. i) Jacob's flight to Mesopotamia for fear of his brother. j) How he there took a wife and became the father of twelve children, and again returned to Canaan. k) How Isaac, having died, was buried at Hebron. This book contains the times of three thousand eight hundred and thirty-three years. The first book of Josephus's Jewish Antiquities.

I see that the many reasons for writing history are not one and the same, nor do I observe a single cause for haste, but many and variously divided among themselves. For some, being charmers of difficulty in words and from that seekers of glory, have directed themselves to this particular part of learning, while others, for the sake of the favor of those who are able to accomplish the writing of history, have endured labor and even death for its sake. And there are those who were compelled by the very necessity of their own affairs, which coincided with the giving of a written account of them. But many and the greatness of public affairs, lying in ignorance, called them to a strong narrative, which they bring forth for common benefit. Of these previously mentioned reasons, the last two have befallen me, for concerning the war with the Romans, waged by us Jews, and the conclusion of the events therein, how it happened, having learned by experience, I was compelled to narrate concerning those who distort the truth in writing.

2) But to this present undertaking I set my hand, considering it worthy of the zeal of all the Greeks, for it is my desire to possess within myself the whole of our ancient lore, arranged according to the polity, translated from the Hebrew writings. For I had long ago thought to make known, when I was writing the war, who the Jews were from the beginning and by what fortunes they were afflicted, together with the lawgiver by whom they were trained in piety and in the learning of other virtues. And how many wars over long periods of time the warriors waged, until finally they unwillingly submitted to the Romans. But since the magnitude of this subject was too great, the one who separated himself from it, together with its own beginnings and its end, I included in the writing. But with the passage of time, which loves to attach itself to great undertakings, hesitation and delay came upon me, to take up such a cause for the sake of another, from us and from a foreign tongue and custom. But there were some who, with a desire for the narrative, urged me toward it, and above all Epaphroditus, a man who loved every form of learning.

But I was most encouraged by the experiences in deeds, how the great and manifold deeds that had previously befallen, and in all things the wonderful manifestation of the power of good nature and the invincible choice of virtue. Trusting in the usefulness of this, or in the ability of those capable of performing some good deed, and being ashamed of myself, if I should think more of appearing to be idle than of laboring for good things, I became more diligent. Then, also, in agreement with what has been said, I am mindful, not in vain, of our first lawgivers, for concerning them I deemed it necessary to give an account, and concerning the Greeks, for some of them became eager to be known by us. 3) I found, then, that the second Ptolemy, who was more than a king, eager for learning and the collection of books, greatly loved our law and the polity established by it, and desired to translate it into the Greek tongue.

But among our high priests, not even one of them, Eleazar, out of virtue, did not shrink from receiving such benefit from the aforementioned king, truly as a deputy he said, if it were not ancestral for us to possess any of the goods, he said that men would not have fled, for which reason I rightly deemed it fitting to liken the high priest to magnanimity, and to count the king as many, and now also the conduct of the lovers of learning, for he was not present to investigate the entire scripture, but they gave the books of the law to those sent to Alexandria for translation. But there are many things known from the priestly writings, how in the account of the five thousand years within them. And all are unseemly events and many fortunes of battles and the skills of cavalry commanders and the struggles of citizens. But everything, especially from this, if someone learns from the account, the one who wishes to approach this, that by the will of God rather than by the transgressions of those who are not rightly law-abiding, everything proceeds straightforwardly to faith and the honor of good fortune is present before God.

But when they fall away from the foresight of their own ignorance, they become powerless in their laws and turn toward incurable calamities, for which, as benefactors, they were once eager. Now, therefore, I beseech the mind of those who encounter these books to possess and examine our lawgiver, whether nature deemed him worthy and entrusted him always with fitting works, the pure keeper of his word from all other base mythologies. And likewise, in the expanse of time and antiquity, having leisure for false inventions, for it happened two thousand years before, such a multitude of eternity did not even produce the birth of those gods, nor the deeds of men, nor were they able to narrate laws. Let the foresight, then, of the things written within be brought forth by the word according to its own order, for I have vowed to do this by the doer of this, neither adding nor subtracting anything.

But since all of us are dependent upon the wisdom of the lawgiver Moses, it is necessary for me to say a few things about him beforehand, so that none of those who read may be at a loss as to where our discourse concerning the laws and the description of deeds partakes so much of natural philosophy. Let it be known, then, that he considered it most necessary for the good ordering of one's own life and for the legislation of others, first to examine the nature of God and to contemplate his works in the mind, and thus to liken oneself to the best of all patterns, as far as it is possible and expedient to adhere to it. For neither would the mind of that lawgiver have been good, lacking such vision, nor would those who received the laws have benefited from the words describing virtue, unless they first learned this above all: that God, who is father and ruler of all and overseer of all, grants life to those who adhere to his ordinances, but casts those who walk outside virtue into great trials.

The teacher of these learned ones, Moses, for his fellow citizens, did not begin the establishment of the law from fables or from the mutual contradictions of others, but from God and the preparation of the earth, raising and convincing their minds that men are superior to the works of God performed upon the earth. When they were to listen concerning piety, he easily convinced them of everything, for other lawgivers, adhering to myths, would cover the shame of human failings with words and give many occasions for evils, but our lawgiver, pure, possessing virtue, revealing God, was willing that men should have it fittingly from that and hasten toward his coming. But not so the wise and convincing ones, he judged them speechless. For this reason, I beseech the readers to make an examination of this cause, so that to such examiners it may appear neither speechless nor, by reason of greatness, incompatible with the love of God and love of men. For all things have a disposition of the nature of all things, which they then, by the skill of the lawgiver's fable-making, while they exalt the speech of others with honor, but as many as it was fitting to speak with right interpretation, they reveal clearly to him.

Concerning the teachers and the examination of each of their reasons, there would be much observation, and a wholly wise man, whom I would now set aside. But as for the giving of God to us at this time, I have been able to write after this accomplished work. Now I turn to the narration of the deeds, recalling first what Moses said concerning the creation of the earth. And these things I find written in the sacred books. And they proceed thus: Chapter 1 1) In the beginning, God made the heaven and the earth. And as for its form, it was not in a state of coming, but in deep darkness and hiddenness, and above its own part, the running of the spirit, God commanded the creation of light. And in this creation, the examiner of all matter divided light and darkness, and named one thing night, and called the other day, and evening and dawn as the beginning of light and the rest of the name-giver. And this until the first day. But Moses said together: "As for the reason, I am now able to give it, but since I have promised to give the explanation of all things in my own writing, I will set aside the translation of that time and of those things.

Then after this, on the second day, he placed the heaven over all things, and then, being the separator from the others, he himself deigned to establish it, together with the congealer of the ice to it and the moist and fiery mover of it, for the benefit of the mixture of the fires of the earth. And on the third day he established the earth, having been the transformer of it from the sea. And on that same day, in a fruitful manner, plants and seeds came forth from the earth. And on the fourth day he adorns the heaven with the sun and the moon and the other stars, with their tremblings and courses, by which the cycles of times are clearly indicated. And on the fifth day — the animals, both the swimmers and the air-dwellers, some in the depth, and others in the air, he released, having joined them with union and conjunction of the power of birth and for the co-growth and multiplication of their nature. And on the sixth day the creator makes the race of quadrupeds, male and female. And within this same day he also fashioned man. And Moses says that the creation of the earth and of all that is within it was within six days, and on the seventh day — rest and the laying aside of cessation from works, for which reason we also receive leisure from labors on that day, being imitators of his Sabbath.

Then he indicates the name according to the Hebrew language: "rest." 2) And after the seventh day, as a natural philosopher, Moses began to speak concerning the creation of man thus: God formed man, taking from the earth of the ground, and placed in him a threefold nature and a soul. And this man was called Adam, and this name indicates, according to the Hebrew language, "red," because he was formed from red earth, for such is the virgin earth and red. And God, as a creator, presented to Adam the species of animals, male and female. And he gave them names by which they are still called. And Adam, seeing that he lacked union with a female and companionship, since she did not yet exist, marveling at other animals that had such, while he slept, from one of his ribs, taken from him, he formed a woman. And Adam, when she was brought to him, recognized her as made from him. And the woman is called Eve according to the Hebrew speakers. And her name was Eve. And it indicates the mother of all living beings.

3) And he speaks concerning the planting of the garden by God, on the eastern side, with every kind of flowering plant. With them, moreover, are the tree of life and the other tree—the tree of knowledge, by which it was known what is good and what is evil. Then the one who brought Adam and the woman into this garden commanded them to tend the plants. But this garden is said to be watered by a single river, which flows around the entire earth in a circuit, and is divided into four directions: and the Pishon, which signifies a multitude of names, goes towards India, and enters the Pelagon, called the Ganges by the Greeks; while the Euphrates and the Tigris flow towards the Red Sea. And the Euphrates is called Phora, which signifies either a spreading out or a flower. And the Tigris is called Diglath, from which is derived the word for a narrow sword; and the Gihon, a river in Egypt, signifies a rising from the east, which the Greeks name the Nile.

4) But God commanded Adam and the woman to abstain from the other plants, but from the plant of knowledge—to keep far away, the foreteller having made from it the destruction of those who would touch it. At that time, in the harmony of all animals, the serpent, the tempter of Adam and the woman, was moved by envy, for they were considered blessed by those who were entrusted with God's commandments. But the cunning one, to test their fall, which was not yet accomplished, persuades the woman by evil counsel to eat from the plant of knowledge. In that act, the speaker of good and evil signifies knowledge, by whose partakers they would exchange the blessed and not deficient life from God. And thus it befell the woman to disregard God's commandment. And the partaker of the plant and the one who partook of the food also persuaded Adam to eat of it. And they, having become aware, and being ashamed, without a covering for their shame, devised a covering for themselves, for the plant was of nakedness and knowledge. By leaves of the fig tree they covered their own heads, and, as those who had fallen from their former state, they considered themselves more blessed as finders, than those from whom they had previously fallen short.

But when God came to visit, Adam, first of all before he could speak to him, and the denouncer of his own injustice, he kept away. But God was amazed at what had been done and asked the reason why, since he had previously delighted in his approach, he now fled and kept away. And concerning his not speaking about his knowledge of the transgression of God’s command, “But before me,” said God, “it was pleasing that you should live a blessed life and one unharmed by all evil, with no care to trouble your souls, but all things for you, as many as are for rest and pleasure, would come according to my providence without your toil and labor, and old age would quickly come to you and your life would not be long. But now you have reviled my command, disobedient to my ordinances, for you have no inclination for silence, but for knowledge of your own wickedness.” And Adam far removed himself from sin and besought God not to be angered with him, blaming the woman who had been created and by her being deceived into sin, he said. But she accused the serpent.

But God, who was made more lowly than the female intention, subjected him to judgment, so that the earth would no longer produce anything of his kind for them, the speaker, but rather gave to the toilers and laborers who had suffered hardships something, while to others—no honor. And Eve he judged by childbirth and by the pains of childbirth, and by those means by which the serpent had deceived her, the wrestler cast Adam into temptations. And he also took away the serpent's voice, being enraged at its evil habit toward Adam, and placed a poison under its tongue, the revealer of men and the teacher of evil for its own sake to inflict wounds, as in that lies the evil disposition toward men and the easy end for the wrestlers. And he who had deprived it of feet made it crawl on the earth. And God, until now, this commander for their suffering, removed Adam and Eve from the place of mourning to another place.