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thus he is approved for the company. But before he may touch the common food, he swears to them dreadful oaths: first, that he will be pious toward the divinity, then, that he will keep justice toward men and will harm no one either of his own accord or by command, and that he will always hate the unjust and contend on the side of the just; that he will show fidelity to all, but especially to those in authority, for authority does not come to anyone without God; and if he himself should rule, he will never abuse his authority nor outshine those under him with his clothing or any greater adornment; that he will always love the truth and expose liars; that he will keep his hands clean from theft and his soul from unholy gain, and that he will neither hide anything from the members of the sect nor reveal any of their things to others, 9.3.14 even if one should compel him to the point of death. In addition to these things, he swears to communicate the doctrines to no one otherwise than as he himself received them, and to abstain from robbery, and to preserve likewise both the books of their sect and the names of the ang9.3.15els. Such are the oaths; but those who are caught and expelled perish by a miserable fate. For being bound by the oaths and their customs, they are not able to partake of the food of others, and eating grass and perishing by famine, 9.3.16 they die. For this reason they have pitied many in their last extremities and have taken them back, considering the torment unto death to have been a sufficient punishment for their si9.3.17ns. And they give a small spade to those who are about to become members of the sect, since they themselves also do not relieve themselves otherwise than by digging a pit of a foot's depth and covering it with their garment, so as not to offend the rays of 9.3.18 God. Such is their simplicity and meagerness in diet that they do not need to relieve themselves during the week, which they are accustomed to observe for hymns 9.3.19 to God and for rest. And from this discipline they have acquired such endurance, that being racked and twisted and burned and passing through all instruments of torture, in order that they might either blaspheme the lawgiver 9.3.20 or eat something forbidden, they endure neither. And they showed this in the war against the Romans. Since they endure neither to flatter their tormentors nor to weep, but smiling in their pains and mocking those who inflicted the tortures, they cheerfully gave up their souls, as if they would receive them back again; for this opinion is strong among them, that their bodies are corruptible and their matter not lasting, but their souls are immortal and endure forever; and coming from the finest ether they are entwined with them, being drawn down by a natural impulse, but when they are released from the bonds of the flesh, as being freed from a long bond9.3.21age, then they rejoice and are borne aloft. Indeed, from such a diet and the discipline toward truth and piety, it is reasonable that many among them, who also foreknow future events, are trained in sacred books and various purifications and sayings of the prophets; and it is rare if they err in their predictions.” 9.3.22 These things Porphyry testified, from ancient readings, as is likely, to the piety and philosophy of the men described, in the fourth book of his work *On the Abstinence from Animal Food*. 9.4.1 And Hecataeus of Abdera, a man who was both a philosopher and most capable in practical affairs, having composed a separate book on the history of the Jews, relates very many things about them, from which it will suffice for the present to set forth these:

9.4.2 4. FROM HECATAEUS CONCERNING THE JEWS

“For the Jews have many strongholds and villages throughout the country; but one fortified city, about fifty stades in circumference, which is inhabited by

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οὕτως εἰς τὸν ὅμιλον ἐγκρίνεται. πρὶν δὲ τῆς κοινῆς ἅψασθαι τροφῆς, ὅρκους αὐτοῖς ὄμνυσι φρικώδεις· πρῶτον μὲν εὐσεβήσειν τὸ θεῖον, ἔπειτα τὰ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους δίκαια φυλάξειν καὶ μήτε κατὰ γνώμην βλάψειν τινὰ μήτ' ἐξ ἐπιτάγματος, μισήσειν δ' ἀεὶ τοὺς ἀδίκους καὶ συναδικήσεσθαι τοῖς δικαίοις· τὸ πιστὸν πᾶσι μὲν παρέξειν, μάλιστα δὲ τοῖς κρατοῦσιν οὐ γὰρ δίχα θεοῦ περιγίγνεσθαί τινι τὸ ἄρχειν· κἂν αὐτὸς ἄρχῃ, μηδεπώποτε ἐξυβρίσαι εἰς τὴν ἐξουσίαν μηδὲ ἐσθῆτι ἤ τινι πλέονι κόσμῳ τοὺς ὑποτεταγμένους ὑπερλαμπρύνεσθαι· τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀγαπᾶν ἀεὶ καὶ τοὺς ψευδομένους προβάλλεσθαι· χεῖρας κλοπῆς καὶ ψυχὴν ἀνοσίου κέρδους καθαρὰν φυλάξειν, καὶ μήτε κρύψειν τι τοὺς αἱρετιστὰς μήθ' ἑτέροις αὐτῶν τι μηνύσειν, 9.3.14 κἂν μέχρι θανάτου τις βιάζηται. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὄμνυσι μηδενὶ μὲν μεταδοῦναι τῶν δογμάτων ἑτέρως ἢ ὡς αὐτὸς παρέλαβεν, ἀφέξεσθαι δὲ λῃστείας καὶ συντηρήσειν ὁμοίως τά τε τῆς αἱρέσεως αὐτῶν βιβλία καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀγγέ9.3.15 λων ὀνόματα. τοιοῦτοι μὲν οἱ ὅρκοι· οἱ δὲ ἁλόντες καὶ ἐκβληθέντες κακῷ μόρῳ φθείρονται. τοῖς γὰρ ὄρκοις καὶ τοῖς ἔθεσιν ἐνδεδεμένοι οὐδὲ τῆς παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις τροφῆς δύνανται μεταλαμβάνειν, ποηφαγοῦντες δὲ καὶ λιμῷ δια 9.3.16 φθειρόμενοι ἀπόλλυνται. διὸ δὴ πολλοὺς ἐλεήσαντες ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἀνάγκαις ἀνέλαβον, ἱκανὴν τιμωρίαν δεδωκέναι νομίζοντες ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτή9.3.17 μασι τὴν μέχρι θανάτου βάσανον. τὴν δὲ σκαλίδα διδόασι τοῖς μέλλουσιν αἱρετισταῖς, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἄλλως οὐ θακεύουσιν ἢ βόθρον ὀρύξαντες εἰς βάθος ποδιαῖον περικαλύψαντές τε θοἰματίῳ, ὡς μὴ ταῖς αὐγαῖς ἐνυβρίζειν τοῦ 9.3.18 θεοῦ. τοσαύτη δέ ἐστιν αὐτῶν ἡ λιτότης ἡ περὶ τὴν δίαιταν καὶ ἡ ὀλιγότης ὡς ἐν τῇ ἑβδομάδι μὴ δεῖσθαι κενώσεως, ἣν τηρεῖν εἰώθασιν εἰς ὕμνους 9.3.19 τῷ θεῷ καὶ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν. ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἀσκήσεως ταύτης τοσαύτην πεποίηνται καρτερίαν, ὡς στρεβλούμενοι καὶ λυγιζόμενοι καὶ καόμενοι καὶ διὰ πάντων ὁδεύοντες τῶν βασανιστηρίων ὀργάνων, ἵν' ἢ βλασφημήσωσι τὸν νομοθέτην 9.3.20 ἢ φάγωσί τι τῶν ἀσυνήθων, οὐδέτερον ὑπομένειν. διέδειξαν δὲ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πολέμῳ. ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ κολακεῦσαι τοὺς αἰκιζομένους ἢ δακρῦσαι ὑπομένουσι, μειδιῶντες δὲ ἐν ταῖς ἀλγηδόσι καὶ κατειρωνευόμενοι τῶν τὰς βασάνους προσφερόντων, εὔθυμοι τὰς ψυχὰς ἠφίεσαν, ὡς πάλιν κομιούμενοι· καὶ γὰρ ἔρρωται παρ' αὐτοῖς ἥδε ἡ δόξα, φθαρτὰ μὲν εἶναι τὰ σώματα καὶ τὴν ὕλην οὐ μόνιμον αὐτῶν, τὰς δὲ ψυχὰς ἀθανάτους ἀεὶ διαμένειν· καὶ συμπλέκεσθαι μὲν ἐκ τοῦ λεπτοτάτου φοιτώσας αἰθέρος, ῥύμῃ φυσικῇ κατασπωμένας, ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀνεθῶσι τῶν κατὰ σάρκα δεσμῶν, οἷον δὴ μακρᾶς δου9.3.21 λείας ἀπηλλαγμένας, τότε χαίρειν καὶ μετεώρους φέρεσθαι. ἀπὸ δὴ τῆς τοιαύτης διαίτης καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀσκήσεως εἰκότως ἐν αὐτοῖς πολλοί, οἳ καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προγινώσκουσιν, ὡς ἂν βίβλοις ἱεραῖς καὶ διαφόροις ἁγνείαις καὶ προφητῶν ἀποφθέγμασιν ἐμπαιδοτριβούμενοι· σπάνιον δέ, εἰ ἐν ταῖς προαγορεύσεσιν ἀστοχοῦσι.» 9.3.22 Ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Πορφύριος, ἐκ παλαιῶν, ὡς εἰκός, ἀναγνωσμάτων τῇ τῶν δηλουμένων ἀνδρῶν εὐσεβείᾳ τε ὁμοῦ καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ συγγράμματι τῶν σπουδασθέντων αὐτῷ Περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐμψύχων ἀποχῆς ἐμαρτύρησεν. 9.4.1 Ἑκαταῖος δὲ ὁ Ἀβδηρίτης, ἀνὴρ φιλόσοφος ἅμα καὶ περὶ τὰς πράξεις ἱκανώτατος, ἰδίαν βίβλον ἀναθεὶς τῇ περὶ Ἰουδαίων ἱστορίᾳ, πλεῖστα περὶ αὐτῶν διέξεισιν, ἀφ' ὧν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἀρκέσει παρατεθέντα ταῦτα·

9.4.2 δʹ. ΕΚΑΤΑΙΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΩΝ

«Ἔστι γὰρ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὰ μὲν πολλὰ ὀχυρώματα κατὰ τὴν χώραν καὶ κῶμαι· μία δὲ πόλις ὀχυρά, πεντήκοντα μάλιστα σταδίων τὴν περίμετρον, ἣν οἰκοῦσι μὲν