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concerning the polity of the Jews according to Moses. And concerning the shadowed and allegorical contemplation in the laws set down by him, though having much to say, I think the narratives of Eleazar and Aristobulus are sufficient, men who were by race Hebrews from the beginning, 8.8.57 and who were distinguished in the time of the Ptolemies. Of whom Eleazar, honored also with the dignity of the high priesthood, was mentioned by us a little earlier, who indeed to those who came to him from the king on an embassy concerning the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek, outlining the manner of the allegorical idea in the sacred laws, has made the teaching of his discourse as follows:

8.9.1 9. AN OUTLINE BY ELEAZAR THE HIGH PRIEST OF THE ALLEGORICAL MEANING IN THE SACRED LAWS

“It is worthwhile to mention briefly what was pointed out by him in response to what was inquired by us; for to think that for many there is a certain excessive curiosity in the legislation, I mean concerning both food and drink and the beasts considered 8.9.2 to be unclean. For when we asked why, since there is one creation, some things are considered unclean for eating, and some even for touching—for the legislation is superstitious in most things, and in these things again very 8.9.3 superstitious—to these things he began thus: ‘You see,’ he said, ‘what a thing conduct 8.9.3 and company accomplish, because by associating with the wicked, men acquire perversions and are wretched throughout their whole life; but if they live with the wise and prudent, they attain to a correction of life out of ignorance. 8.9.4 Therefore our lawgiver, having first distinguished the matters of piety and justice and having taught each thing concerning them not only by prohibition, but also by demonstration, also made plain the harms and the visitations sent from God upon 8.9.5 the guilty. For he first of all showed that God is one and that his power is made manifest through all things, every place being filled with his dominion, and nothing that is done secretly by men on earth escapes his notice, but whatever anyone does is manifest to him, and also the things that are to be. 8.9.6 Therefore, by working these things out accurately and setting them forth plainly, he showed that even if someone thinks to commit wickedness, he would not escape notice, let alone if he actually did it, showing through the whole legislation 8.9.7 the power of God. Having made this beginning, therefore, and having shown that all other men besides us believe that there are many gods, though they themselves are much more powerful than the things they worship in vain. For having made images of stone or wood they say they are likenesses of those who discovered something useful for their life, whom they worship, having their senselessness 8.9.8 right before their feet. For if one were to grant this, concerning the discovery, it is utterly senseless; for having taken some of the things in creation, they put them together and showed their construction to be most useful, not having made them themselves; wherefore it is empty and vain 8.9.9 to deify their likes. For even now there are many men more inventive and more learned than the men of old, and they would not be quick to worship 8.9.10 them. And those who fabricated and mythologized these things believe that they have become the wisest of the Greeks. For what need is there even to speak of the other very foolish ones, the Egyptians and the like, who have rested their hope on beasts and most of the creeping things and monsters, and worship these and sacrifice 8.9.11 to them both living and dead? Our lawgiver, therefore, being wise and having been equipped by God for the knowledge of all things, after contemplating each point, fenced us in with unbroken

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περὶ τῆς κατὰ Μωσέα Ἰουδαίων πολιτείας. περὶ δὲ τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τεθεῖσι νόμοις ἐπεσκιασμένης καὶ ἀλληγορικῆς θεωρίας πολλὰ ἔχων εἰπεῖν ἐπαρκεῖν ἡγοῦμαι τὰς Ἐλεαζάρου καὶ Ἀριστοβούλου διηγήσεις, ἀνδρῶν τὸ μὲν γένος Ἑβραίων ἀνέκαθεν, τὸν δὲ 8.8.57 χρόνον κατὰ τοὺς Πτολεμαίων χρόνους διαπρεψάντων. ὧν ὁ Ἐλεάζαρος καὶ τῷ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἀξιώματι τετιμημένος μικρῷ πρότερον ἡμῖν ἐδηλοῦτο, ὃς δὴ τοῖς παρὰ βασιλέως ὡς αὐτὸν ἥκουσι διὰ πρεσβείας ἕνεκα τῆς τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν λόγων ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα μεταβολῆς, τὸν τρόπον ὑποτυπούμενος τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς νόμοις ἀλληγορουμένης ἰδέας, τοιαύτην πεποίηται τοῦ λόγου τὴν διδασκαλίαν·

8.9.1 θʹ. ΕΛΕΑΖΑΡΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΡΕΩΣ ΥΠΟΤΥΠΩΣΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΝ ΤΟΙΣ ΙΕΡΟΙΣ ΝΟΜΟΙΣ ΑΛΛΗΓΟΡΟΥΜΕΝΗΣ ∆ΙΑΝΟΙΑΣ

«Ἄξιον δὲ ἐπιμνησθῆναι διὰ βραχέων τῶν ὑποδειχθέντων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὰ δι' ἡμῶν ἐπιζητηθέντα· νομίζειν γὰρ τοῖς πολλοῖς περιεργίαν ἔχειν τινὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ νομοθεσίᾳ, λέγω δὲ περί τε βρωτῶν καὶ ποτῶν καὶ τῶν νομιζομέ8.9.2 νων ἀκαθάρτων εἶναι κνωδάλων. πυνθανομένων γὰρ ἡμῶν διὰ τί, μιᾶς καταβολῆς οὔσης, τὰ μὲν ἀκάθαρτα νομίζεται πρὸς βρῶσιν, τὰ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἁφήν δεισιδαιμόνως γὰρ τὰ πλεῖστα τὴν νομοθεσίαν ἔχειν, ἐν δὲ τούτοις πάλιν πάνυ 8.9.3 δεισιδαιμόνως, πρὸς ταῦτα οὕτως ἐνήρξατο· «Θεωρεῖς», ἔφη, «τὰς ἀναστρο8.9.3 φὰς καὶ τὰς ὁμιλίας οἷον ἐνεργάζονται πρᾶγμα, διότι κακοῖς ὁμιλήσαντες διαστροφὰς ἐπιλαμβάνουσιν ἄνθρωποι καὶ ταλαίπωροι δι' ὅλου τοῦ ζῆν εἰσιν· ἐὰν δὲ σοφοῖς καὶ φρονίμοις συζῶσιν, ἐξ ἀγνοίας ἐπανορθώσεως εἰς τὸν βίον ἔτυχον· 8.9.4 διαστειλάμενος οὖν τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης πρῶτον ὁ νομοθέτης ἡμῶν καὶ διδάξας ἕκαστα περὶ τούτων οὐκ ἀπαγορευτικῶς μόνον, ἀλλ' ἐνδεικτικῶς, καὶ τὰς βλάβας προὐδήλου καὶ τὰς ὑπὸ θεοῦ γιγνομένας ἐπιπομπὰς 8.9.5 τοῖς αἰτίοις. προϋπέδειξε γὰρ πρῶτον πάντων ὅτι μόνος ὁ θεός ἐστι καὶ διὰ πάντων ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ φανερὰ γίνεται, πεπληρωμένου παντὸς τόπου τῆς δυναστείας, καὶ οὐθὲν αὐτὸν λανθάνει τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς γιγνομένων ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων κρυφίως, ἀλλ' ὅσα ποιεῖ τις αὐτῷ φανερὰ καθέστηκε, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα γίνεσθαι. 8.9.6 ταῦτ' οὖν ἐξεργαζόμενος ἀκριβῶς καὶ πρόδηλα θεὶς ἔδειξεν ὅτι καὶ ἐὰν ἐννοη θῇ τις κακίαν ἐπιτελεῖν, οὐκ ἂν λάθοι, μὴ ὅτι καὶ πράξας, δι' ὅλης τῆς νομοθεσίας 8.9.7 τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνατὸν ἐνδεικνύμενος. ποιησάμενος οὖν τὴν καταρχὴν ταύτην καὶ δείξας ὅτι πάντες οἱ λοιποὶ παρ' ἡμᾶς ἄνθρωποι πολλοὺς θεοὺς εἶναι νομίζουσιν, αὐτοὶ δυναμικώτεροι πολλῷ καθεστῶτες ὧν σέβονται ματαίως. ἀγάλματα γὰρ ποιήσαντες ἐκ λίθων ἢ ξύλων εἰκόνας φασὶν εἶναι τῶν ἐξευρόντων τι πρὸς τὸ ζῆν αὐτοῖς χρήσιμον, οἷς προσκυνοῦσι παρὰ πόδας ἔχοντες τὴν ἀναι8.9.8 σθησίαν. εἴτε γὰρ κατ' ἐκεῖνό τις θείη, κατὰ τὴν ἐξεύρεσιν, παντελῶς ἀνόητον· τῶν γὰρ ἐν τῇ κτίσει λαβόντες τινὰ συνέθηκαν καὶ προσυπέδειξαν εὐχρηστοτάτην τὴν κατασκευὴν αὐτῶν, οὐ ποιήσαντες αὐτοί· διὸ κενὸν καὶ μάταιον 8.9.9 τοὺς ὁμοίους ἀποθεοῦν. καὶ γὰρ ἔτι καὶ νῦν εὑρετικώτεροι καὶ πολυμαθέστεροι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν πρίν εἰσι πολλοί, καὶ οὐκ ἂν φθάνοιεν αὐτοὺς προσκυ8.9.10 νοῦντες. καὶ νομίζουσιν οἱ ταῦτα διαπλάσαντες καὶ μυθοποιήσαντες τῶν Ἑλλήνων οἱ σοφώτατοι καθεστάναι. τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων πολυματαίων τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν, Αἰγυπτίων τε καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων, οἵτινες ἐπὶ θηρία καὶ τῶν ἑρπετῶν τὰ πλεῖστα καὶ κνωδάλων τὴν ἀπέρεισιν πεποίηνται καὶ ταῦτα προσκυ8.9.11 νοῦσι καὶ θύουσι τούτοις καὶ ζῶσι καὶ τελευτήσασι; συνθεωρήσας τοιγαροῦν ἕκαστα σοφὸς ὢν ὁ νομοθέτης καὶ ὑπὸ θεοῦ κατεσκευασμένος εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τῶν ἁπάντων, περιέφραξεν ἡμᾶς ἀδιακόποις