44

moon again sun, nor rivers sea, nor sea rivers. And again the same principle applies to animals. For a man will not be a beast, nor a beast a man. And the same holds true for the remaining plants and for other things; they are unchangeable, but they undergo the same changes and corruptions in themselves. The divine station, therefore, might be spoken of in this way, with all things being subject to God. And a divine descent upon the mountain is also said to have happened through the writing of the law, at the time when he gave the law, so that all might behold the power of God. For this is a clear descent; and concerning these things, therefore, one might explain it thus, wishing to preserve the account concerning God. For it is shown that “the mountain was burning with fire,” as the law says, because God had descended, and the sounds of trumpets and the fire were burning unsubstantially. For when the whole multitude, no fewer than a hundred myriads, apart from the young, were gathered round about the mountain, the circuit around it being no less than five days, from every point of view to all of them round about, as they were encamped, the burning fire was seen; so that the descent was not local; for God is everywhere. But he showed the power of fire, which is marvelous beyond all things for consuming everything, burning unsubstantially, and consuming nothing, unless the power from God were added to it. For of the things growing on the mountain, though the places were burning fiercely, it consumed nothing, but all the vegetation remained untouched by fire, and sounds of trumpets were heard more fiercely along with the flashing appearance of the fire, though no such instruments were present nor anyone to sound them, but all things happened by a divine arrangement; so that it is clear from these things that the divine descent occurred, because those who saw it perceived each thing manifestly, neither the fire burning anything, as was said before, nor the sounds of the trumpets being produced by human agency or the construction of instruments, but God showing his own majesty through all things without any means.” Thus also Aristobulus. And since we have gone through the precepts of the sacred laws and the manner of the allegorical idea among them, it would be next to note this also, how the account, dividing the whole nation of the Jews into two parts, subjected the multitude to the precepts enjoined by the laws according to their literal meaning, but released the other order of those in a certain disposition from this, and deemed it worthy for them to attend to a more divine philosophy that transcends the many and to the contemplation of the things signified in the laws according to their inner meaning. And this was a class of Jewish philosophers, whose discipline of life myriads even of outsiders were amazed at, and the most distinguished of their own people deemed them worthy of unforgotten memory, Josephus and Philo and many others; of whom, passing over most, I shall for the present be content, for the sake of an example only, with the testimony of Philo, which he has set down concerning the things being shown in many of his own commentaries. But taking these things from his *Apology for the Jews*, you should read them:

8.11.1 XI. FROM PHILO CONCERNING THE VIRTUE IN THE LIFE OF THOSE WHO PHILOSOPHIZED OF OLD AMONG THE JEWS

“Our lawgiver trained myriads of his disciples for the common life, who are called Essenes, having been deemed worthy of this name, it seems to me, on account of their piety. And they inhabit many cities of Judaea, and many villages and large and

44

σελήνη πάλιν ἥλιος, οὐδὲ ποταμοὶ θάλασσα, οὐδὲ θά8.10.11 λασσα ποταμοί. καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῶν ζῴων ὁ αὐτός ἐστι λόγος. οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἔσται θηρίον οὐδὲ θηρίον ἄνθρωπος. καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν δὲ ταὐτὸν ὑπάρχει φυτῶν τε καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων· ἀμετάβλητα μέν ἐστι, τὰς αὐτὰς δ' ἐν 8.10.12 αὑτοῖς τροπὰς λαμβάνει καὶ φθοράς. ἡ στάσις οὖν ἡ θεία κατὰ ταῦτα ἂν λέγοιτο, πάντων ὑποκειμένων τῷ θεῷ. λέγεται δὲ καὶ κατάβασις ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος θεία γεγονέναι διὰ τῆς γραφῆς τοῦ νόμου, καθ' ὃν ἐνομοθέτει καιρόν, ἵνα πάντες θεωρήσωσι τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ θεοῦ. κατάβασις γὰρ αὕτη σαφής ἐστι· καὶ περὶ τούτων οὖν οὕτως ἄν τις ἐξηγήσαιτο, βουλόμενος συντηρεῖν τὸν περὶ 8.10.13 θεοῦ λόγον. δηλοῦται γὰρ ὡς «τὸ ὄρος ἐκαίετο πυρί», καθώς φησιν ἡ νομοθεσία, διὰ τὸ τὸν θεὸν καταβεβηκέναι σαλπίγγων τε φωνὰς καὶ τὸ πῦρ φλε8.10.14 γόμενον ἀνυποστάτως εἶναι. τοῦ γὰρ παντὸς πλήθους μυριάδων οὐκ ἔλατ8.10.14 τον ἑκατόν, χωρὶς τῶν ἀφηλίκων, ἐκκλησιαζομένων κυκλόθεν τοῦ ὄρους, οὐκ ἔλασσον ἡμερῶν πέντε οὔσης τῆς περιόδου περὶ αὐτό, κατὰ πάντα τόπον τῆς ὁράσεως πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς κυκλόθεν, ὡς ἦσαν παρεμβεβληκότες, τὸ πῦρ φλεγό8.10.15 μενον ἐθεωρεῖτο· ὥστε τὴν κατάβασιν μὴ τοπικὴν εἶναι· πάντη γὰρ ὁ θεός ἐστιν. ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς δύναμιν, παρὰ πάντα θαυμάσιον ὑπάρχουσαν διὰ τὸ πάντ' ἀναλίσκειν, ἔδειξε φλεγομένην ἀνυποστάτως, μηδὲν δ' ἐξαναλίσκου8.10.16 σαν, εἰ μὴ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ δυναμικὸν αὐτῇ προσείη. τῶν γὰρ φυομένων κατὰ τὸ ὄρος, τόπων φλεγομένων σφοδρῶς, οὐδὲν ἐξανάλωσεν, ἀλλ' ἔμεινε τῶν ἁπάντων ἡ χλόη πυρὸς ἄθικτος, σαλπίγγων τε φωναὶ σφοδρότερον συνηκούοντο σὺν τῇ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀστραπηδὸν ἐκφάνσει, μὴ προκειμένων ὀργάνων τοιούτων μηδὲ 8.10.17 τοῦ φωνήσοντος, ἀλλὰ θείᾳ κατασκευῇ γινομένων ἁπάντων· ὥστε σαφὲς εἶναι διὰ ταῦτα τὴν κατάβασιν τὴν θείαν γεγονέναι, διὰ τὸ τοὺς συνορῶντας ἐκφαντικῶς ἕκαστα καταλαμβάνειν, μήτε τὸ πῦρ κεκαυκός, ὡς προείρηται, μηδὲν μήτε τὰς τῶν σαλπίγγων φωνὰς δι' ἀνθρωπίνης ἐνεργείας ἢ κατασκευῆς ὀργάνων γίνεσθαι, τὸν δὲ θεὸν ἄνευ τινὸς δεικνύναι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διὰ πάντων μεγαλειότητα.» 8.10.18 Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Ἀριστόβουλος. ἐπεὶ δὲ διεληλύθαμεν τά τε τῶν ἱερῶν νόμων παραγγέλματα τόν τε τρόπον τῆς ἀλληγορουμένης παρ' αὐτοῖς ἰδέας, ἑξῆς ἂν εἴη καὶ τόδε ἐπισημήνασθαι, ὡς τὸ πᾶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος εἰς δύο τμήματα διαιρῶν ὁ λόγος τὴν μὲν πληθὺν ταῖς τῶν νόμων κατὰ τὴν ῥητὴν διάνοιαν παρηγγελμέναις ὑποθήκαις ὑπῆγε, τὸ δ' ἕτερον τῶν ἐν ἕξει τάγμα ταύτης μὲν ἠφίει, θειοτέρᾳ δέ τινι καὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐπαναβεβηκυίᾳ φιλοσοφίᾳ προσέχειν ἠξίου θεωρίᾳ τε τῶν ἐν τοῖς νόμοις κατὰ διάνοιαν σημαινο8.10.19 μένων. ἦν δὲ τοῦτο φιλοσόφων Ἰουδαίων γένος, ὧν τὴν τοῦ βίου ἄσκησιν καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν κατεπλάγησαν μυρίοι, τῶν δ' οἰκείων οἱ περιφανέστατοι καὶ μνήμης ἀλήστου τούτους ἠξίωσαν, Ἰώσηπός τε καὶ Φίλων καὶ ἕτεροι πλείους· ὧν τὰ πολλὰ παρείς, δείγματος αὐτὸ μόνον ἕνεκα τῇ τοῦ Φίλωνος ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἀρκεσθήσομαι μαρτυρίᾳ, ἣν περὶ τῶν δηλουμένων κατὰ πολλὰ τῶν οἰκείων ὑπομνημάτων τέθειται. τούτων δ' ἀπὸ τῆς Ὑπὲρ Ἰουδαίων ἀπολογίας λαβὼν σύ γε ἀνάγνωθι ταῦτα·

8.11.1 ιαʹ. ΦΙΛΩΝΟΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΒΙΟΝ ΑΡΕΤΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΡ' ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΟΙΣ ΤΟ ΠΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΟΥΝΤΩΝ

«Μυρίους δὲ τῶν γνωρίμων ὁ ἡμέτερος νομοθέτης ἤλειψεν ἐπὶ κοινωνίαν, οἳ καλοῦνται μὲν Ἐσσαῖοι, παρὰ τὴν ὁσιότητά μοι δοκῶ τῆς προσηγορίας ἀξιωθέντες. οἰκοῦσι δὲ πολλὰς μὲν πόλεις τῆς Ἰουδαίας, πολλὰς δὲ κώμας καὶ μεγά8.11.2 λους καὶ