71
to bring to the farmstead.” To these things let the following concerning Joseph from the same writing of Polyhistor also be added:
9.23.1 23. OF ARTAPANUS CONCERNING JOSEPH; FROM THE SAME WRITING OF POLYHISTOR
“Artapanus says in his work On the Jews that Joseph was a descendant of Abraham, and the son of Jacob; and that excelling the others in sense and understanding, he was plotted against by his brothers; but foreseeing the conspiracy, he begged the neighboring Arabs to bring him into Egypt; and they did what was asked; for the kings of the Arabs were descendants 9.23.2 of Israel, sons of Abraham, and brothers of Isaac. And when he came to Egypt and was introduced to the king, he became administrator of the whole country. And as the Egyptians had previously farmed the land in a disorderly way, because the country was undivided and the weaker were wronged by the stronger, he was the first to divide the land and mark it with boundaries, and to make much of the fallow land 9.23.3 arable, and to assign some of the fields to the priests. And he also invented measures, and for these things he was greatly loved by the Egyptians. And he married Aseneth, the daughter of a priest of Heliopolis, from whom he begat children. And after these things his father and his brothers came to him, bringing many possessions, and they were settled in the city of the Sun and 9.23.4 Sais, and the Syrians multiplied in Egypt. And he says that these, who were called Hermiuth, also built the temple in Athos and the one in Heliopolis. And after these things both Joseph and the king of the Egyptians died. So Joseph, being in power in Egypt, laid aside the grain of the seven years, which had become immeasurable in its abundance, and became master of Egypt.” 9.24.1
24. OF PHILO CONCERNING JOSEPH; FROM THE SAME WRITING
“Philo also bears witness to the sacred books in the fourteenth of his On Jerusalem, saying thus: “For whom the great Most High leader founded a blessed seat of the whole land, and formerly from Abraham and Isaac and Jacob of goodly children, from whom was Joseph, who, a prophet of dreams and a scepter-bearer on the thrones of Egypt, unraveled the secret things in the flood-tide of fated time,” and the rest. These things also concerning Joseph.” Hear now what the same author relates concerning Job:
25. OF ARISTEAS CONCERNING JOB; LIKEWISE
“Aristeas says in his On the Jews that Esau, having married Basemath, begat a son in Edom, Job; and that he dwelt in the land of Ausitis on the 9.25.2 borders of Idumea and Arabia. And he was a just and very wealthy man; for he possessed seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred grazing she-asses; and he also had 9.25.3 sufficient farmlands. And this Job was formerly named Jobab. And that when God tested him, he endured, though He surrounded him with great misfortunes. For first his asses and his oxen were destroyed by robbers, then his sheep were burned up by fire that fell from the sky
71
ἔπαυλιν διακομίσαι.» Τούτοις καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς τοῦ Πολυΐστορος γραφῆς ἐπισυνήφθω·
9.23.1 κγʹ. ΑΡΤΑΠΑΝΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΙΩΣΗΦ· ΑΠΟ ΤΗΣ ΑΥΤΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΠΟΛΥΙΣΤΟΡΟΣ ΓΡΑΦΗΣ
«Ἀρτάπανος δέ φησιν ἐν τῷ Περὶ Ἰουδαίων τῷ Ἁβραὰμ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπογονον γενέσθαι, υἱὸν δὲ Ἰακώβου· συνέσει δὲ καὶ φρονήσει παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους διενεγκόντα ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιβουλευθῆναι· προϊδόμενον δὲ τὴν ἐπισύστασιν δεηθῆναι τῶν ἀστυγειτόνων Ἀράβων εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον αὐτὸν διακομίσαι· τοὺς δὲ τὸ ἐντυγχανόμενον ποιῆσαι· εἶναι γὰρ τοὺς τῶν Ἀράβων βασιλεῖς ἀπογόνους 9.23.2 Ἰσραήλ, υἱοὺς τοῦ Ἁβραάμ, Ἰσαὰκ δὲ ἀδελφούς. ἐλθόντα δὲ αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ συσταθέντα τῷ βασιλεῖ διοικητὴν τῆς ὅλης γενέσθαι χώρας. καὶ πρότερον ἀτάκτως τῶν Αἰγυπτίων γεωμορούντων, διὰ τὸ τὴν χώραν ἀδιαίρετον εἶναι καὶ τῶν ἐλασσόνων ὑπὸ τῶν κρεισσόνων ἀδικουμένων, τοῦτον πρῶτον τήν τε γῆν διελεῖν καὶ ὅροις διασημήνασθαι καὶ πολλὴν χερσευομένην γεωρ9.23.3 γήσιμον ἀποτελέσαι καί τινας τῶν ἀρουρῶν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἀποκληρῶσαι. τοῦτον δὲ καὶ μέτρα εὑρεῖν καὶ μεγάλως αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων διὰ ταῦτα ἀγαπηθῆναι. γῆμαι δ' αὐτὸν Ἡλιουπολίτου ἱερέως Ἀσενὲθ θυγατέρα, ἐξ ἧς γεννῆσαι παῖδας. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παραγενέσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν τόν τε πατέρα καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς κομίζοντας πολλὴν ὕπαρξιν καὶ κατοικισθῆναι ἐν τῇ Ἡλίου πόλει καὶ 9.23.4 Σάει καὶ τοὺς Σύρους πλεονάσαι ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ. τούτους δέ φησι καὶ τὸ ἐν Ἀθὼς καὶ τὸ ἐν Ἡλιουπόλει ἱερὸν κατασκευάσαι τοὺς Ἑρμιοὺθ ὀνομαζομένους. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τελευτῆσαι τόν τε Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων. τὸν οὖν Ἰωσὴφ κρατοῦντα τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὸν τῶν ἑπτὰ ἐτῶν σῖτον, γενόμενον κατὰ τὴν φορὰν ἄπλετον, παραθέσθαι καὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου δεσπότην γενέσθαι.» 9.24.1
κδʹ. ΦΙΛΩΝΟΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΙΩΣΗΦ· ΑΠΟ ΤΗΣ ΑΥΤΗΣ ΓΡΑΦΗΣ
«Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ ταῖς ἱεραῖς βίβλοις καὶ Φίλων ἐν τῇ ιδʹ τῶν Περὶ Ἱεροσόλυμα, λέγων οὕτως· «Τοῖσιν ἕδος μακαριστὸν ὅλης μέγας ἔκτισεν ἄκτωρ ὕψιστος καὶ πρόσθεν ἀφ' Ἁβραάμοιο καὶ Ἰσὰκ Ἰακὼβ εὐτέκνοιό θ' ὅθεν Ἰωσήφ, ὃς ὀνείρων θεσπιστὴς σκηπτοῦχος ἐν Αἰγύπτοιο θρόνοισι, δινεύσας λαθραῖα χρόνου πλημμυρίδι μοίρης», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσήφ.» Ἄκουε δὲ οἷα καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ὁ αὐτὸς ἱστορεῖ·
κεʹ. ΑΡΙΣΤΕΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΙΩΒ ΟΜΟΙΩΣ
«Ἀριστέας δέ φησιν ἐν τῷ Περὶ Ἰουδαίων τὸν Ἠσαῦ γήμαντα Βασσάρανυἱὸν ἐν Ἐδὼμ γεννῆσαι Ἰώβ· κατοικεῖν δὲ τοῦτον ἐν τῇ Αὐσίτιδι χώρᾳ ἐπὶ τοῖς 9.25.2 ὅροις τῆς Ἰδουμαίας καὶ Ἀραβίας. γενέσθαι δ' αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ πολύκτηνον· κτήσασθαι γὰρ αὐτὸν πρόβατα μὲν ἑπτακισχίλια, καμήλους δὲ τρισχιλίας, ζεύγη βοῶν πεντακόσια, ὄνους θηλείας νομάδας πεντακοσίας· εἶχε δὲ καὶ 9.25.3 γεωργίας ἱκανάς. τοῦτον δὲ τὸν Ἰὼβ πρότερον Ἰωβὰβ ὀνομάζεσθαι. πειράζοντα δ' αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν ἐμμεῖναι, μεγάλαις δὲ περιβαλεῖν αὐτὸν ἀτυχίαις. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τούς τε ὄνους καὶ τοὺς βοῦς ὑπὸ λῃστῶν ἀπολέσθαι, εἶτα τὰ πρόβατα ὑπὸ πυρὸς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσόντος κατακαῆναι