113
brother, and they ordered him either to be divorced from her or to be kept away from the altar. But he, having gone to his father-in-law, related these things. But when Sanaballat promised to preserve the priesthood for him and to appoint him high priest and ruler of the places he himself ruled, if he would not separate from his daughter, and proclaimed that he would build a temple on Mount Garizim, which is the highest of the mountains around Samaria, better than the one in Jerusalem, with the consent of king Darius, 1.284 Manasses, having been elated by these things, remained with Sanaballat. And since many other priests and Israelites were entangled in such marriages, they all gathered together to Manasses. So Sanaballat was preparing to bring the request to king Darius concerning the building of the temple in Garizim, but he, having met Alexander at Issus of Cilicia and having been defeated, fled. So Sanaballat, despairing of Darius, approached Alexander with eight thousand of those under him, and said that he was surrendering to him both himself and the places which he ruled. And when Alexander accepted him, being now confident about his son-in-law and the erection of the temple in Garizim, he brought forward the request. And having been permitted the building, with all haste he built the temple, and established Manasses his son-in-law as high priest. Since, however, the historical account has made mention of Alexander, it is well also to narrate in summary his deeds and character, and whence and from whom he was born, and thus again to bring the account back to its continuation; and especially because this king paid a visit to Jerusalem, and something worthy of wonder happened from him towards the high priest and the people, and he himself narrated a certain divine vision, as Josephus relates; which the account as it proceeds will teach after the history about him. This man was the son of Philip, the king of the Macedonians, born to him from Olympias, but it is fabled that he was the son of Ammon, who had lain with Olym1.285 pias in the form of a serpent; and they say Ammon is Zeus. But this is a myth; and it is said that his mother, before the night on which she lay with Philip, seemed in a dream for a thunderbolt to fall upon her womb, and from this a great fire was kindled, and that this, being carried in all directions, was dispersed. And after the marriage, Philip seemed in his sleep to place a seal on his wife's womb, and that a lion was engraved on the seal. The other seers, therefore, interpreted the dream otherwise, but Aristander said that she who had been sealed was pregnant; for empty things are not sealed; and that the one who was to be born would turn out to be high-spirited and lion-like. And he was born on the day on which the temple of Artemis in Ephesus was burned; at which time also some of the Magi who were present there, running about, said that that day had brought forth a ruin and a heavy calamity for Asia. Alexander was white in complexion, but the whiteness was flushed with red especially about the chest and the face, and a certain sweet odor was breathed from his skin and from his mouth. The cause of this might be the heat of his body; for being fiery and very hot it consumed the humors and allowed nothing putrid to float upon his body. And he showed the gravity of his spirit from childhood. For being swift of foot, to those asking if he would contend in the stadium at the Olympic games, he said, "if I were going to compete against kings." And if some famous city captured by his father was announced to him, or a very distinguished victory in battle had occurred, as if vexed he would say to his peers, "My father will leave no brilliant deed for me to display with you." And when the horse Bucephalas was brought to Philip for a price of thirteen 1.286 talents, and neither admitted a rider, as was shown to Philip, nor endured a voice, and from this seemed completely useless, "What a horse," Alexander said, "they are sending away, not knowing how to use it." And his father, rebuking him, said, "But will you be able to use it?" And he answered, "I could use this better than another." And having been permitted to use the horse, taking the rein, he turned him toward the sun, having understood perhaps that by the shadow before
113
ἀδελφός, καὶ η διαζεύγνυσθαι ταύτης ἐκέλευον η τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἀπέχεσθαι. ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὸν πενθερὸν ἀφικόμενος διηγήσατο ταῦτα. τοῦ δὲ Σαναβαλέτου καὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην αὐτῷ τηρήσειν ὑπισχνουμένου καὶ ἀρχιερέα ἀποδείξειν καὶ ἡγεμόνα ων αὐτὸς ηρχε τόπων, εἰ τῆς αὐτοῦ θυγατρὸς μὴ ἀπόσχοιτο, καὶ ναὸν οἰκοδομήσειν ἐπὶ τοῦ Γαριζὶν ορους, ο τῶν κατὰ Σαμάρειαν ὀρῶν ἐστιν ὑψηλότατον, τοῦ ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις κρείττονα ἐπαγγελλομένου μετὰ γνώμης τοῦ βασιλέως ∆αρείου, 1.284 ἐπαρθεὶς τούτοις ὁ Μανασσῆς κατέμενε παρὰ τῷ Σαναβαλέτῃ. πολλῶν δὲ καὶ αλλων ἱερέων καὶ ̓Ισραηλιτῶν τοιούτοις γάμοις ἐμπεπλεγμένων πάντες συνῄεσαν πρὸς τὸν Μανασσῆν. ὁ μὲν ουν Σαναβαλέτης τῷ βασιλεῖ ∆αρείῳ τὴν περὶ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τοῦ ναοῦ ἐν Γαριζὶν ἀξίωσιν προσάγειν ἡτοίμαστο, ὁ δὲ τῷ ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ συμβαλὼν ἐν ̓Ισσῷ τῆς Κιλικίας καὶ ἡττηθεὶς εφυγεν. ἀπογνοὺς ουν ὁ Σαναβαλέτης ∆αρεῖον τῷ ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ πρόσεισι σὺν ὀκτακισχιλίοις τῶν ὑπ' αὐτόν, καὶ ἑαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς τόπους ων ηρχεν ελεγε παραδιδόναι αὐτῷ. προσδεξαμένου δὲ τοῦ ̓Αλεξάνδρου αὐτόν, θαρρῶν ηδη περὶ τοῦ γαμβροῦ καὶ τῆς τοῦ ναοῦ ἀνεγέρσεως ἐν τῷ Γαριζὶν προσῆγεν ἀξίωσιν. καὶ ἐπιτραπεὶς τὴν οἰκοδομήν, σὺν πάσῃ σπουδῇ τὸν ναὸν ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ Μανασσῆν τὸν γαμβρὸν ἀρχιερέα κατέστησεν. ̓Επεὶ δὲ μνείαν τοῦ ̓Αλεξάνδρου ὁ τῆς ἱστορίας λόγος πεποίηται, καλὸν καὶ τούτου τὰς πράξεις τε καὶ τὰ ηθη καὶ οθεν κἀκ τίνων εφυ κατ' ἐπιδρομὴν διηγήσασθαι, καὶ ουτως αυθις ἐπαναγαγεῖν τὸν λόγον πρὸς τὴν συνέχειαν· καὶ μᾶλλον οτι καὶ τοῖς ̔Ιεροσολύμοις ουτος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπεδήμησε, καί τι θαύματος αξιον γέγονε πρὸς τὸν ἀρχιερέα καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτός τι θεῖον οραμα διηγήσατο, ὡς ̓Ιώσηπος ἱστορεῖ· α προϊὼν ὁ λόγος μετὰ τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἱστορίαν διδάξει. Ουτος Φιλίππου μὲν ην τοῦ Μακεδόνων βασιλέως υἱὸς ἐξ ̓Ολυμπιάδος αὐτῷ γεννηθείς, μυθεύεται δὲ Αμμωνος ειναι υἱός, ἐν ειδει δράκοντος τῇ ̓Ολυμ1.285 πιάδι συνευνασθέντος· Αμμωνα δὲ τὸν ∆ία φασίν. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν μῦθος· λέγεται δὲ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ πρὸ τῆς νυκτὸς ῃ τῷ Φιλίππῳ συγκατηυνάσθη ἐν ὀνείρῳ δόξαι κεραυνὸν ἐμπεσεῖν αὐτῆς τῇ γαστρί, κἀκ τούτου πῦρ ἐξαφθῆναι πολύ, καὶ τοῦτο πάντῃ φερόμενον διαλυθῆναι. μετὰ δὲ τὸν γάμον ὁ Φίλιππος καθ' υπνους ἐδόκει σφραγῖδα τῇ γαστρὶ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐπιβαλεῖν, ἐγγεγλύφθαι δὲ τῇ σφραγῖδι λέοντα. οἱ μὲν ουν αλλοι μάντεις αλλως τὸν ονειρον εκρινον, ̓Αρίστανδρος δὲ κύειν εφη τὴν σφραγισθεῖσαν· μὴ γὰρ δὴ σφραγίζεσθαι τὰ κενά· θυμοειδῆ δ' ἀποβήσεσθαι καὶ λεοντώδη τὸν τεχθησόμενον. ἐγεννήθη δὲ καθ' ην ἡμέραν ἐν ̓Εφέσῳ ὁ ναὸς τῆς ̓Αρτέμιδος ἐνεπέπρηστο· οτε καί τινες ἐκεῖ παρόντες τῶν μάγων διαθέοντες ατην καὶ συμφορὰν βαρεῖαν τῆν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην τῇ ̓Ασίᾳ τεκεῖν ελεγον. Ην δὲ τὴν χρόαν λευκὸς ὁ ̓Αλέξανδρος, ἡ λευκότης δ' ἐφοινίσσετο περὶ τὸ στῆθος μάλιστα καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ ἡδεῖά τις ἐκ τοῦ χρωτὸς αὐτοῦ ἀπέπνει ἀποφορὰ κἀκ τοῦ στόματος. τούτου δ' αιτιον ἡ θερμότης αν ειη τοῦ σώματος· πυρῶδες γὰρ ον καὶ πολύθερμον ἀνήλισκε τὰ ὑγρὰ καὶ οὐδὲν ἐπιπολάζειν αὐτοῦ τῷ σώματι σηπεδονῶδες εια. παρενέφαινε δὲ παιδόθεν τὴν ἐμβρίθειαν τοῦ φρονήματος. ποδώκης γὰρ ων, πρὸς τοὺς ἐρομένους εἰ ̓Ολυμπίασιν ἀγωνίσεται στάδιον ειπεν "εἰ βασιλεῦσιν ἀνταγωνίσασθαι εμελλον." εἰ δὲ πόλις τις τῶν ἐπιφανῶν ἁλοῦσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῷ ἀπηγγέλη η ἐν μάχῃ νίκη γεγονυῖα περιφανής, ωσπερ ἀχθόμενος τοῖς ηλιξιν ελεγεν ὡς "οὐδὲν ἐμοὶ σὺν ὑμῖν ὁ πατὴρ ἀπολείψει λαμπρόν τι εργον ἐνδείξασθαι." τοῦ Βουκεφάλα δ' ιππου κομισθέντος Φιλίππῳ τρισκαίδεκα 1.286 ταλάντων τιμῆς, καὶ μήτε ἀναβάτην προσιεμένου, ὡς τῷ Φιλίππῳ ἐδείκνυτο, μήτε φωνὴν ὑπομένοντος, κἀντεῦθεν δυσχρήστου δόξαντος κομιδῇ, "οιον ιππον" ὁ ̓Αλέξανδρος εφη "μὴ εἰδότες χρήσασθαι ἀποπέμπονται." καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐπιτιμῶν αὐτῷ ειπε "σὺ δὲ χρήσασθαι δυνήσῃ αὐτῷ;" ὁ δ' ἀπεκρίθη "βέλτιον αν ἑτέρου τούτῳ χρησαίμην." καὶ χρήσασθαι τῷ ιππῳ ἐπιτραπείς, παραλαβὼν τὴν ἡνίαν ἐπέστρεψε πρὸς τὸν ηλιον, συνεὶς ισως οτι τῇ σκιᾷ πρὸ