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for it says, "the wicked one from among you." Since it happened that either a brother or a friend or a relative, enslaved to error, tried to deceive others as well, it necessarily also legislated concerning this, and commanded the teacher of impiety to be revealed, and the one who hearkened to such words to cast the first stone; and then for all the people to stone the transgressor, and for the others to be disciplined by his punishment. XIII What is, "you shall not divine and you shall not make a bald spot between your eyes for the dead"? He forbids the customs of the impious nations; and through, "you shall not 242 divine," he cast out divinations. For they called the Pythian the false seer Phoebus. And through, "you shall not make a bald spot between your eyes for the dead," he forbade immoderate grief. For some of the foreign nations would cut off the hair of their heads and offer this to the dead; some, that of their beards, others, that of their eyebrows. The divine law forbade these things to be done. That he commanded two tithes of all things to be set apart, he has clearly shown here that he legislated for the people to bring two tithes, one for the Levites and one for the purpose of a reception and feast. "A tithe," it says, "you shall tithe of all the produce of your seed; the produce of your field year by year; and you shall eat it before the Lord your God, in the place which the Lord your God shall choose, for his name to be called upon there." If there were one tithe, how would it be possible both for the Levites to receive and for those offering to feast? But it is clear that he assigned one tithe to the Levites, and another for the feasts of those offering. And what follows also shows this. "For if," it says, "the way should be too long for you, sell it and taking the price, go to that place which the Lord your God shall choose, and give the silver for whatever your soul desires, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul desires; and you shall eat there before the Lord your God, you and your house, and the Levite who is in your cities, because there is not 243 a portion for him with you nor an inheritance." Then he legislates concerning those things that ought to be given to the Levites. "After three years you shall bring out all the tenth of your produce in that year; and you shall place it in your cities, and the Levite shall come, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you; and the sojourner and the orphan and the widow, who are in your cities, and they shall eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all your works which you do." But it must be known that Josephus, taking his starting point from here, or rather, knowing the custom of the Jews as a Jew, said that the law had commanded three tithes to be offered, one for the Levites, one for the orphans and widows, and the other for the feasts of those offering. XIV Why does he forbid offering the firstborn that is maimed? By means of the irrational, instructing the rational, to have a sound mind, prepared for every good work. XV What is the reason for the unleavened bread? The law has taught us. For it said, "seven days you shall eat the bread of affliction, because you came out of Egypt in haste." And we have already spoken sufficiently about this when interpreting Exodus. 244 XVI What is, "you shall justly pursue justice"? According to the aim of the just, he says, not for empty glory, not for human service, but for the good itself. For there are some who in their opinion do not honor the just, but because of those who truly honor the just, they pretend to honor the just. XVII What is, "if a matter in judgment is too difficult for you, between blood, and between judgment, and between a touch," and so on? If, he says, you are not able to find the truth when judging, or when examining a leprous body; for this he calls a touch; nor do you diagnose whether it is a skin disease or leprosy; neither judge nor pass sentence out of suspicion, but go to the divine temple and
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γάρ φησι, τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ". ἐπειδὴ δὲ συνέβαινεν ἢ ἀδελφὸν ἢ φίλον ἢ συγγενῆ τῇ πλάνῃ δεδουλευ κότα πειραθῆναι φενακίσαι καὶ ἄλλους, ἀναγκαίως καὶ περὶ τούτου νενο μοθέτηκε, καὶ προσέταξε δῆλον ἀποφανθῆναι τὸν τῆς ἀσεβείας διδάσκαλον, καὶ πρῶτον ἀφεῖναι λίθον τὸν τῶν τοιούτων ὑπακούσαντα λόγων· εἶθ' οὕτως πάντα τὸν λαὸν καταλεῦσαι τὸν ἀλιτήριον, καὶ τῇ τούτου τιμω ρίᾳ σωφρονισθῆναι τοὺς ἄλλους. XIII Τί ἐστιν, " οὐ φοιβήσετε καὶ οὐκ ἐπιθήσετε φαλά κρωμα ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν ἐπὶ νεκρῷ "; Τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἐθνῶν ἀπαγορεύει τὰ ἔθη· καὶ διὰ μὲν τοῦ, " οὐ φοι 242 βήσετε ", τὰς μαντείας ἐξέβαλε. φοῖβον γὰρ τὸν ψευδόμαντιν ἐκάλουν τὸν Πύθιον. διὰ δὲ τοῦ, " οὐ ποιήσετε φαλάκρωμα ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν ἐπὶ νεκρῷ ", τὴν τοῦ πέν θους ἀπηγόρευσεν ἀμετρίαν. τινὲς μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐθνῶν τὰς τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀπεκείροντο τρίχας καὶ ταύτας προσέφερον τοῖς νεκροῖς· τινὲς δὲ τὰς τῶν γενείων, ἄλλοι τὰς τῶν ὀφρύων. ταῦτα γίνεσθαι ὁ θεῖος ἀπηγόρευσε νόμος. ὅτι δὲ δύο δεκάτας ἀφορίζεσθαι πάντων προσέταξε, σαφῶς ἐνταῦθα δεδήλωκε ὅτι δύο δεκάτας προσάγειν νενομοθέτηκε τῷ λαῷ, μίαν τοῖς λευΐταις καὶ μίαν εἰς λόγον δοχῆς καὶ εὐωχίας. " δεκά την, γάρ φησιν, ἀποδεκατώσεις παντὸς γενήματος τοῦ σπέρματός σου· τὸ γένημα τοῦ ἀγροῦ σου ἐνιαυτὸν κατ' ἐνιαυτόν· καὶ φάγῃ αὐτὸ ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ᾧ ἂν ἐκλέξη ται Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἐπικληθῆναι τὸ ὄνομα αὐ τοῦ ἐκεῖ ". εἰ δὲ μία δεκάτη ἦν, πῶς οἷόν τε καὶ τοὺς λευΐτας λαμβά νειν καὶ τοὺς προσκομίζοντας εὐωχεῖσθαι; ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὡς τοῖς μὲν λευΐ ταις μίαν δεκάτην ἀπένειμεν, ταῖς δὲ τῶν προσφερόντων εὐωχίαις ἑτέραν. τοῦτο δὲ δηλοῖ καὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα. " ἐάν, γάρ φησιν, ἡ ὁδὸς μα κρὰν εἴη ἀπὸ σοῦ, διαπώλησον καὶ λαβὼν τὴν τι μήν, εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἴθι τὸν τόπον ὃν ἂν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου καὶ δὸς τὸ ἀργύριον εἰς πᾶν ὃ ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχή σου, ἐπὶ βουσίν, ἢ ἐπὶ προ βάτοις, ἢ ἐπὶ οἴνῳ, ἢ ἐπὶ σίκερᾳ, ἢ ἐπὶ παντὸς οὗ ἂν ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχή σου· καὶ φαγῇ ἐκεῖ ἐναν τίον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου, καὶ ὁ λευΐτης ὁ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσί σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν 243 αὐτῷ μερὶς μετὰ σοῦ οὐδὲ κλῆρος ". εἶτα περὶ τῶν ὀφει λόντων δοθῆναι τοῖς λευΐταις νομοθετεῖ. " μετὰ τρία ἔτη ἐξοί σεις πᾶν τὸ ἐπιδέκατον τῶν γενημάτων σου ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ ἐκείνῳ· καὶ θήσεις αὐτὸ ἐν ταῖς πό λεσί σου, καὶ ἐλεύσεται ὁ λευΐτης, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ μερὶς οὐδὲ κλῆρος μετὰ σοῦ· καὶ ὁ προσή λυτος καὶ ὁ ὀρφανὸς καὶ ἡ χήρα, οἱ ἐν ταῖς πό λεσί σου, καὶ φάγονται καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται, ἵνα εὐλογήσῃ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις σου οἷς ἂν ποιῇς ". ἰστέον δέ, ὡς Ἰώσηππος, ἐντεῦ θεν λαβὼν ἀφορμήν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τὸ ἰουδαίων ἐπιστάμενος ἔθος ὡς ἰου δαῖος, τρεῖς ἔφη δεκάτας προστεταχέναι τὸν νόμον προσφέρεσθαι, τὴν μὲν τοῖς λευΐταις, τὴν δὲ τοῖς ὀρφανοῖς καὶ ταῖς χήραις, τὴν δὲ ἄλλην ταῖς τῶν προσφερόντων εὐωχίαις. XIV ∆ιὰ τί τὸ πεπηρωμένον πρωτότοκον ἀπαγορεύει προσφέρειν; ∆ιὰ τῶν ἀλόγων παιδεύων τοὺς λογικούς, ἄρτιον ἔχειν τὸ φρόνημα πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐξηρτισμένον. XV Τίς ὁ τῶν ἀζύμων λόγος; Ὁ νόμος ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξεν. ἔφη γάρ, " ἐπτὰ ἡμέρας φάγῃ ἄρτον κακώσεως, ὅτι ἐν σπουδῇ ἐξήλθετε ἐξ Αἰγύπ του ". ἀποχρῶντος δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτου εἰρήκαμεν ἤδη τὴν Ἔξοδον ἑρμηνεύοντες. 244 XVI Τί ἐστι, " δικαίως τὸ δίκαιον διώξετε "; Κατὰ τὸν τοῦ δικαίου, φησί, σκοπὸν μὴ διὰ δόξαν κενήν, μὴ διὰ θεραπείαν ἀνθρωπίνην, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαθόν. εἰσὶ γάρ τινες γνώμῃ μὲν οὐ τι μῶντες τὸ δίκαιον, διὰ δὲ τοὺς ἀληθῶς τιμῶντας τὸ δίκαιον, ὑποκρινό μενοι τιμᾶν τὸ δίκαιον. XVII Τί ἐστιν, " ἐὰν ἀδυνατήσῃ ἀπὸ σοῦ ῥῆμα ἐν κρίσει ἀνὰ μέσον αἵματος, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον κρίσεως, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον ἁφῆς ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; Ἐὰν φησί, μὴ δυνηθῇς εὑρεῖν τἀληθὲς δικάζων, ἢ τὸ σῶμα τὸ λεπρὸν δο κιμάζων· τοῦτο γὰρ ἁφὴν καλεῖ· μηδὲ διαγνῷς εἴτε ἀλφός ἐστιν, εἴτε λέπρα· μήτε κρίνῃς, μήτε δικάσῃς ἐξ ὑποψίας, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν θεῖον νεὼν ἄπιθι καὶ