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he met with us and with certain others of the scholars, making trial of their wisdom. But as he had been associated with many of those in education, he imparted something more of what he had.” These things also Clearchus says. 9.6.1 Our own Clement also makes mention of him in the first Stromateus, in the passage where he says this:

9.6.2 II. FROM CLEMENT CONCERNING THOSE WHO HAVE MENTIONED THE JEWISH

NATION “Clearchus the Peripatetic says that he knew a certain Jew, who associated with Aristotle.” And after other matters he adds: 9.6.3 “Numa, king of the Romans, was a Pythagorean, and having been benefited by the writings of Moses, he forbade the Romans to fashion an image of God in the form of man or of any living creature. At any rate, during the first one hundred and seventy years, though they were building 9.6.4 temples, they made no image, either carved or painted. For Numa showed them in a hidden way that it is not possible to apprehend the Best Being by the tongue, but only by the mind.” Further to this, he subsequently adds these words: 9.6.5 “And Megasthenes, the historian who lived with Seleucus Nicator, writes most clearly as follows in the third of his Indica: ‘All that has been said about nature by the ancients is said also among the philosophers outside of Greece, in India by the Brahmans, and in Syria by those who are called Jews.’” 9.6.6 Further to this, Clement makes mention of Aristobulus the Peripatetic and of Numenius the Pythagorean, saying: “Aristobulus in the first of his books To Philometor writes word for word: ‘Plato followed our legislation, and it is evident 9.6.7 that he had carefully studied each of the precepts stated in it. For there had been translated by others before Demetrius, before the supremacy of Alexander and the Persians, both the account of the exodus of the Hebrews our fellow-citizens out of Egypt, and the manifestation of all that happened to them, and the taking possession of the land, and the 9.6.8 exposition of the whole legislation. So it is very clear that the aforesaid philosopher has taken many things; for he was very learned, just as Pythagoras was, who transferred many of our precepts into his own system of doctrines.’” 9.6.9 And Numenius, the Pythagorean philosopher, writes expressly: “For what is Plato but Moses speaking Attic Greek?” These things Clement says. 9.7.1 And from the Pythagorean philosopher himself, I mean Numenius, from the first book On the Good, I will set down these words:

VII. FROM NUMENIUS THE PYTHAGOREAN PHILOSOPHER CONCERNING THE JEWS

“For this it will be necessary, after speaking and marking the points with the testimonies of Plato, to go back and connect them with the doctrines of Pythagoras, and to appeal to the nations of good repute, bringing forward their rites and their doctrines, and the institutions which are established in acknowledged agreement with Plato, as many as Brahmans and Jews and Magi and Egyptians arranged.” So much then concerning these matters. And in the third book of Moses the same writer makes mention, saying these things:

VIII. FROM THE SAME CONCERNING MOSES AND AT THE SAME TIME CONCERNING THE JEWS

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ἐντυγχάνει ἡμῖν τε καί τισιν ἑτέροις τῶν σχολαστικῶν, πειρώμενος αὐτῶν τῆς σοφίας. ὡς δὲ πολλοῖς τῶν ἐν παιδείᾳ συνῳκείωτο, παρεδίδου τι μᾶλλον ὧν εἶχε.»« Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Κλέαρχος. 9.6.1 Τούτου δὲ μνημονεύει καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερος Κλήμης ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ Στρωματεῖ, δι' ὧν ταῦτά φησι·

9.6.2 ʹ. ΚΛΗΜΕΝΤΟΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΜΝΗΜΟΝΕΥΣΑΝΤΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΩΝ

ΕΘΝΟΥΣ «Κλέαρχος δὲ ὁ Περιπατητικὸς εἰδέναι φησί τινα Ἰουδαῖον, ὃς Ἀριστοτέλει συνεγένετο.» Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει· 9.6.3 «Νουμᾶς δὲ ὁ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Πυθαγόρειος μὲν ἦν, ἐκ δὲ τῶν Μωσέως ὠφεληθεὶς διεκώλυσεν ἀνθρωποειδῆ καὶ ζῳόμορφον εἰκόνα θεοῦ Ῥωμαίους κτίζειν. ἐν γοῦν ἑκατὸν καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα τοῖς πρώτοις ἔτεσι ναοὺς οἰκοδομού9.6.4 μενοι ἄγαλμα οὐδὲν οὔτε πλαστὸν οὔτε μὴν γραπτὸν ἐποιήσαντο. ἐπεδείκνυτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὁ Νουμᾶς δι' ἐπικρύψεως ὡς οὐκ ἐφάψασθαι τοῦ βελτίστου δυνατὸν γλώσσῃ, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ νῷ.» Ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις ἑξῆς ὑποβὰς τάδε φησί· 9.6.5 «Φανερώτατα δὲ Μεγασθένης ὁ συγγραφεὺς ὁ Σελεύκῳ τῷ Νικάνορι συμβεβιωκὼς ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν Ἰνδικῶν ὧδε γράφει· «Ἅπαντα μέντοι τὰ περὶ φύσεως εἰρημένα παρὰ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις λέγεται καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξω τῆς Ἑλλάδος φιλοσοφοῦσι, τὰ μὲν παρ' Ἰνδοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν Βραχμάνων, τὰ δὲ ἐν Συρίᾳ ὑπὸ τῶν καλουμένων Ἰουδαίων.»« 9.6.6 Ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις ὁ Κλήμης Ἀριστοβούλου τοῦ Περιπατητικοῦ καὶ Νουμηνίου τοῦ Πυθαγορείου μνημονεύει λέγων· «Ἀριστόβουλος δὲ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν πρὸς τὸν Φιλομήτορα κατὰ λέξιν γράφει· «Κατηκολούθηκε δὲ ὁ Πλάτων τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς νομοθεσίᾳ καὶ φανερός ἐστι 9.6.7 περιειργασμένος ἕκαστα τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ λεγομένων. διηρμήνευται δὲ πρὸ ∆ημητρίου ὑφ' ἑτέρων, πρὸ τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Περσῶν ἐπικρατήσεως, τά τε κατὰ τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐξαγωγὴν τῶν Ἑβραίων τῶν ἡμετέρων πολιτῶν καὶ ἡ τῶν γεγονότων ἁπάντων αὐτοῖς ἐπιφάνεια καὶ κράτησις τῆς χώρας καὶ τῆς 9.6.8 ὅλης νομοθεσίας ἐπεξήγησις· ὥστε εὔδηλον εἶναι τὸν προειρημένον φιλόσοφον εἰληφέναι πολλά· γέγονε γὰρ πολυμαθὴς καθὼς καὶ Πυθαγόρας, πολλὰ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν μετενέγκας εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δογματοποιίαν.» 9.6.9 Νουμήνιος δὲ ὁ Πυθαγορικὸς φιλόσοφος ἄντικρυς γράφει· «Τί γάρ ἐστι Πλάτων ἢ Μωσῆς ἀττικίζων;»« Ταῦτα ὁ Κλήμης. 9.7.1 Καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ Πυθαγορικοῦ φιλοσόφου, τοῦ Νουμηνίου λέγω, ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου Περὶ τἀγαθοῦ τάδε παραθήσομαι·

ζʹ. ΝΟΥΜΗΝΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΠΥΘΑΓΟΡΙΚΟΥ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΩΝ

«Εἰς δὲ τοῦτο δεήσει εἰπόντα καὶ σημηνάμενον ταῖς μαρτυρίαις ταῖς Πλάτωνος ἀναχωρήσασθαι καὶ ξυνδήσασθαι τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ Πυθαγόρου, ἐπικαλέσασθαι δὲ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ εὐδοκιμοῦντα, προσφερόμενον αὐτῶν τὰς τελετὰς καὶ τὰ δόγματα τάς τε ἱδρύσεις συντελουμένας Πλάτωνι ὁμολογουμένως, ὁπόσας Βραχμᾶνες καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Μάγοι καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι διέθεντο.» Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τῶνδε. Καὶ ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ δὲ βίβλῳ Μωσέως ὁ αὐτὸς τάδε λέγων μνημονεύει·

ηʹ. ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΜΩΣΕΩΣ ΟΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΩΝ