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Concerning the same 30. Of Ezekiel concerning the same 31. Of Eupolemus concerning David and Solomon and concerning Jerusalem 32. A letter of Solomon to Vaphres the king of the Egyptians 33. A letter of Vaphres to king Solomon 34. A letter of Solomon to Souron king of Phoenicia 35. A letter of Souron to Solomon 30. Of Theophilus concerning Solomon 37. Of Eupolemus concerning the same 38. Of Timochares concerning Jerusalem, from the same writing concerning Antiochus 39. Of the surveyor of Syria concerning the same 40. Of Philo concerning the waters in Jerusalem 41. Of Aristeas concerning the same 42. Of Eupolemus concerning Jeremiah the prophet 43. Of Berossus concerning the captivity of the Jews which happened under Nebuchadnezzar 44. Of Abydenus concerning Nebuchadnezzar 45. Of the same concerning the founding of Babylon 40. Of Josephus concerning those who have mentioned the Jewish nation, from the first book of the Archaeology of Josephus

9 9.1.1 1. HOW MANY OF THE GREEK HISTORIANS OF THE JEWISH

NATION MADE MENTION And since our acceptance of the Hebrew oracles was not made unreasoningly by us, but by a considered judgement and thought, and since the points of the proof have been brought together, it is time to see that even the most distinguished of the Greeks themselves were not inexperienced in Hebrew matters, but some testified to the truth of the life of the men and to the historical narratives current among them, while others likewise touched upon their dogmatic theology. 9.1.2 First, I shall set forth the first things, showing how many of the Greek writers mentioned by name the Jews and Hebrews, and the philosophy formerly practiced among them, and the history of their forefathers from the beginning. 9.1.3 My account will begin from the life of the men, so that you may learn that not without sober reasoning have we preferred the philosophy of those mentioned 9.1.4 to that of the Greeks. Accordingly, that their moral training is also carried out in agreement with what has been examined in the preceding treatise is testified not only by their sacred books, but also by the most distinguished and renowned among the Greek philosophers in our own day. And indeed, take and read what Theophrastus has written in what was composed for Porphyry on abstinence from animal food, in this manner:

9.2.1 2. OF THEOPHRASTUS CONCERNING THE JEWS

"And yet, of the Syrians the Jews are those who, because of the sacrifice from the beginning, still even now, says Theophrastus, sacrifice living animals; if anyone should bid us sacrifice in the same way, we would abstain from the practice. For not feasting on the things sacrificed, but burning them whole by night and pouring over them much honey and wine, they consumed the sacrifice quickly, so that not even the all-seeing one might become a spectator of the dreadful thing. And they do this while fasting on the days in between; and during all this time, being philosophers by race, they speak to one another about the divine, and at night they make their observation of the stars, looking at them and calling upon God through their prayers. For these first began to sacrifice both other living creatures and themselves, having done this from necessity and not from desire."

3. OF PORPHYRY CONCERNING THAT WHICH OF OLD AMONG THE JEWS SHONE FORTH

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περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λʹ. Ἐζεκιήλου περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λαʹ. Εὐπολέμου περὶ ∆αβὶδ καὶ Σολομῶνος καὶ περὶ Ἱεροσολύμων λβʹ. Σολομῶνος ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Οὐαφρῆν τὸν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων βασιλέα λγʹ. Οὐαφρέους ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Σολομῶνα βασιλέα λδʹ. Σολομῶνος ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Σούρωνα βασιλέα Φοινίκης λεʹ. Σούρωνος ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Σολομῶνα λʹ. Θεοφίλου περὶ Σολομῶνος λζʹ. Εὐπολέμου περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ληʹ. Τιμοχάρους περὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἀπὸ τῶν περὶ Ἀντιόχου τῆς αὐτῆς γραφῆς λθʹ. Τοῦ τῆς Συρίας σχοινομέτρου περὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μʹ. Φίλωνος περὶ τῶν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ὑδάτων μαʹ. Ἀριστέου περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν μβʹ. Εὐπολέμου περὶ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου μγʹ. Βηρωσσοῦ περὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίων αἰχμαλωσίας τῆς ὑπὸ Ναβουχοδονόσορ γενομένης μδʹ. Ἀβυδηνοῦ περὶ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ μεʹ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος κτίσεως μʹ. Ἰωσήπου περὶ τῶν μνημονευσάντων τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, ἀπὸ τοῦ αʹ τῆς Ἰωσήπου ἀρχαιολογίας

Θ 9.1.1 αʹ. ΟΠΟΣΟΙ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΡ' ΕΛΛΗΣΙ ΛΟΓΟΓΡΑΦΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΩΝ

ΕΘΝΟΥΣ ΜΝΕΙΑΝ ΕΠΟΙΗΣΑΝΤΟ Καὶ τῆς τῶν παρ' Ἑβραίοις λογίων ἀποδοχῆς οὐκ ἀσυλλογίστως ἡμῖν, κρίσει δὲ καὶ διανοίᾳ ἐξητασμένῃ γεγενημένης, ἐπειδὴ συνῶπται τὰ τῆς ἀποδείξεως, ὥρα συνιδεῖν ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν Ἑλλήνων οἱ μάλιστα διαφανεῖς τῶν καθ' Ἑβραίους οὐκ ἄπειροι γεγόνασι πραγμάτων, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν καὶ τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνδρῶν ταῖς τε παρ' αὐτοῖς φερομέναις ἱστορικαῖς διηγήσεσιν ἀλήθειαν ἐπεμαρτύρησαν, οἱ δὲ καὶ τῆς δογματικῆς ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς ἐφήψαντο θεολογίας. 9.1.2 πρῶτα δὲ τὰ πρῶτα παραθήσομαι, δεικνὺς ὅσοι τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν συγγραφέων ἐπ' ὀνόματος Ἰουδαίων τε καὶ Ἑβραίων τῆς τε παρ' αὐτοῖς τὸ παλαιὸν ἀσκουμένης φιλοσοφίας καὶ τῆς ἀνέκαθεν τῶν προπατόρων αὐτῶν ἱστορίας 9.1.3 ἐμνημόνευσαν. ἄρξεται δέ μοι ὁ λόγος ἀπὸ τοῦ τῶν ἀνδρῶν βίου, ὡς ἂν μάθοις ὅτι μὴ ἐκτὸς σώφρονος λογισμοῦ τὴν τῶν δηλουμένων φιλοσοφίαν 9.1.4 τῆς Ἑλλήνων προτετιμήκαμεν. ἀκόλουθα γοῦν τοῖς προεξητασμένοις ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου συγγράμματι καὶ τὰ τῆς ἠθικῆς αὐτοῖς ἐπιτελεῖσθαι συνασκήσεως οὐ μόνον αἱ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἱεραὶ βίβλοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι φιλοσόφων οἱ μάλιστα διαφανεῖς καὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς βεβοημένοι μαρτυροῦσι. καὶ δὴ λαβὼν ἀνάγνωθι τὰ Θεοφράστου ἐν τοῖς Πορφυρίῳ γραφεῖσι Περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐμψύχων ἀποχῆς κείμενα τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον·

9.2.1 βʹ. ΘΕΟΦΡΑΣΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΩΝ

«Καίτοι Σύρων ὧν μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι, διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς θυσίαν ἔτι καὶ νῦν, φησὶν ὁ Θεόφραστος, ζῳοθυτούντων, εἰ τὸν αὐτὸν ἡμᾶς τρόπον τις κελεύοι θύειν, ἀποσταίημεν ἂν τῆς πράξεως. οὐ γὰρ ἑστιώμενοι τῶν τυθέντων, ὁλοκαυτοῦντες δὲ ταῦτα νυκτὸς καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν πολὺ μέλι καὶ οἶνον λείβοντες ἀνήλισκον τὴν θυσίαν θᾶττον, ἵνα τοῦ δεινοῦ μηδ' ὁ πανόπτης γένοιτο θεατής. καὶ τοῦτο δρῶσι νηστεύοντες τὰς ἀνὰ μέσον τούτων ἡμέρας· κατὰ δὲ πάντα τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον, ἅτε φιλόσοφοι τὸ γένος ὄντες, περὶ τοῦ θείου μὲν ἀλλήλοις λαλοῦσι, τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς τῶν ἄστρων ποιοῦνται τὴν θεωρίαν, βλέποντες εἰς αὐτὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν θεοκλυτοῦντες. κατήρξαντο γὰρ οὗτοι πρῶτοι τῶν τε λοιπῶν ζῴων καὶ σφῶν αὐτῶν, ἀνάγκῃ καὶ οὐκ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τοῦτο πράξαντες.»

γʹ. ΠΟΡΦΥΡΙΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΤΟ ΠΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΠΑΡΑ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΟΙΣ ∆ΙΑΛΑΜΨΑΣΗΣ