132

from Lebanon to Jerusalem, and that they should build the city with him. And he wrote to all the Jews who were going up from the kingdom to Judea concerning their freedom, that every official and satrap and toparch and governor should not come upon their gates, and that all the land they might possess should be tax-free for them, and that the Idumeans should give up the villages of the Jews which they hold, and for the building of the temple to be given 20 talents annually until it was built, and for the altar, to offer whole burnt offerings daily, as they have a commandment, to bring seventeen, another ten talents annually, and for all who came from Babylonia to build the city there should be freedom, for both them and their descendants and for all the priests who came. And he wrote that there be given also the provisions and the priestly vestment, in which they minister, and to give the Levites their provisions, until the day the house is finished, and Jerusalem is built. And to all who guard the city he wrote to give them allotments and wages. And he sent out all the vessels, which Cyrus had set apart from Babylon. And all that Cyrus had said to do, he also commanded them to do and to send to Jerusalem. These things are written in the first book of Esdras, which we thought it necessary to set down here with the things to be set down next from the second book of the same Esdras, since he alone has been shown to have written correctly the things concerning the recall from captivity and, having been interpreted by the 70 wise priests in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus along with the other divinely inspired scriptures, was approved to be read. For the time being, then, from what has been said it is possible to understand correctly that he means Cyrus, who in his writing is called Artaxerxes, against whom wrote Balsamus and Mithridates and those with them against those building Jerusalem so that the building might be stopped, first, because they say in their letter to him: Be it known to the lord king that the Jews who have come up from you to us in Jerusalem. From whom else have they come up, if not from Cyrus? Then, because no Artaxerxes reigned from Cyrus until Darius Hystaspes, as is shown from the canon of the kings, and again, because he says that Mithridates had written against those building, with Balsamus and the rest, whom he also previously mentioned as treasurer having received the 292 sacred items and all the vessels of the house of the Lord by the command of Cyrus. Furthermore, in addition to these things, if these things did not happen under Cyrus, but the work of building was active, how would the things that after this were completed in four years from the second year of Darius Hystaspes until his sixth year not have been finished in 30 years? For in the second year of Cyrus, having gone up with Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest and Nehemiah and Seraiah and Mordecai with forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty men, besides their male and female servants, they themselves being seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven, and male and female singers. In the seventh month, it says, the people were gathered as one man to Jerusalem. And Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and his brothers the priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his brothers, and they built the altar of the God of Israel to offer whole burnt offerings on it according to what is written in the law of Moses the man of God. And they prepared the altar on its base, because terror was upon them from the peoples of the lands. and burnt offering went up on it to the Lord, burnt offerings in the morning and in the evening, and they kept the feast of tabernacles as it is written, and burnt offerings day by day in number according to the ordinance, the requirement of each day on its day. And after this the continual burnt offering and for the new moons and for all the consecrated feasts of the Lord and for everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord. On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. And the house of the Lord was not yet founded. And they gave

132

ἀπὸ τοῦ Λιβάνου εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ὅπως οἰκοδομήσωσι μετ' αὐτοῦ τὴν πόλιν. καὶ ἔγραψε πᾶσι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις τοῖς ἀναβαίνουσιν ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλευθερίας, πάντα δυνατὸν καὶ σατράπην καὶ τοπάρχην καὶ οἰκονόμον μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας αὐτῶν, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν χώραν ἣν κρατήσωσιν ἀφορολόγητον αὐτοῖς ὑπάρχειν, καὶ ἵνα Ἰδουμαῖοι ἀφιῶσι τὰς κώμας ἃς διακρατοῦσι τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ ἱεροῦ δοθῆναι κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν τάλαντα κʹ μέχρι τοῦ οἰκοδομηθῆναι, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ὁλοκαρπώματα καρποῦσθαι καθ' ἡμέραν, καθὰ ἔχουσιν ἐντολήν, ἑπτὰ καὶ δέκα προσ φέρειν ἄλλα τάλαντα, ιʹ κατ' ἐνιαυτόν, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς προσβαίνουσιν ἀπὸ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας κτίσαι τὴν πόλιν ὑπάρχειν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, αὐτοῖς τε καὶ τοῖς ἐγγόνοις αὐτῶν καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τοῖς προσβαίνουσιν. ἔγραψε δὲ δοθῆναι καὶ τὴν χορηγίαν καὶ τὴν ἱερατικὴν στολήν, ἐν ᾗ λατρεύουσι, καὶ τοῖς Λευίταις δοῦναι τὴν χορηγίαν, ἕως ἧς ἡμέρας ἐπιτελεσθῇ ὁ οἶκος, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοδομηθῆναι. καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς φρουροῦσι τὴν πόλιν ἔγραψε δοῦναι αὐτοῖς κλήρους καὶ ὀψώνια. καὶ ἐξαπέστειλε πάντα τὰ σκεύη, ἃ ἐχώρισε Κῦρος ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος. καὶ ὅσα εἶπε Κῦρος ποιῆσαι, καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐπέταξε ποιῆσαι καὶ ἐξαποστεῖλαι εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ταῦτα μὲν ἐν Ἔσδρα πρώτῳ βιβλίῳ γέγραπται, ἅτινα παραθέσθαι ἀναγκαῖον ἐνταῦθα ἡγησάμεθα μετὰ τῶν ἑξῆς παρατεθησομένων ἐκ τοῦ βʹ βιβλίου τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἔσδρα, ἐπεὶ καὶ μόνος τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀνάκλησιν ἀπεδείχθη τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας γράψας ὀρθῶς καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν οʹ σοφῶν ἱερέων ἑρμηνευθεὶς ἐπὶ Πτολεμαίου Φιλαδέλφου σὺν ταῖς λοιπαῖς θεοπνεύστοις γραφαῖς ἐδοκιμάσθη ἀναγινώσκεσθαι. Τέως δ' οὖν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ὀρθῶς ἐστι κατανοῆσαι ὅτι Κῦρον τὸν παρ' αὐτῷ καλούμενον Ἀρταξέρξην δηλοῖ, πρὸς ὃν κατέγραψε Βάλσαμος καὶ Μιθριδάτης καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτοῖς κατὰ τῶν οἰκοδομούντων τὴν Ἱερουσα λὴμ τοῦ παυθῆναι τὴν οἰκοδομήν, πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι φασὶν ἐν τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιστολῇ· γνωστὸν ἔστω τῷ κυρίῳ βασιλεῖ διότι Ἰουδαῖοι οἱ ἀναβάντες παρ' ὑμῶν πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ. παρὰ τίνος δὲ ἄλλου ἀναβεβήκασιν, εἰ μὴ παρὰ Κύρου; ἔπειτα δὲ ὅτι Ἀρταξέρξης ἀπὸ Κύρου ἕως ∆αρείου τοῦ Ὑστάσπου οὐδεὶς ἐβασίλευσεν, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ κανόνος τῶν βασιλέων δηλοῦται, καὶ αὖθις ὅτι Μιθριδάτην λέγει σὺν Βαλσάμῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς καταγεγραφέναι τῶν οἰκοδομούντων, ὃν καὶ παρειληφότα τὰ 292 ἱερὰ καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη οἴκου κυρίου κατὰ πρόσταξιν Κύρου ὡς γαζοφύ λακα προείρηκεν. ἔτι μὴν πρὸς τούτοις, εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ Κύρου γέγονε ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ἐνεργεῖτο τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκοδομήν, πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἐτελειώθη λʹ ἔτεσι τὰ συντελεσθέντα μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν τέσσαρσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ βʹ ἔτους ∆αρείου Ὑστάσπου ἕως τοῦ ςʹ ἔτους αὐτοῦ; τῷ γὰρ βʹ ἔτει Κύρου ἀναβάντες σὺν τῷ Ζοροβάβελ καὶ Ἰησοῦ ἀρχιερεῖ Νεεμίᾳ τε καὶ Σαρετᾷ καὶ Μαρδοχαίῳ ἐν μυριάσιν ἀνδρῶν τέσσαρσι καὶ δισχιλίοις τριακοσίοις ἑξήκοντα χωρὶς δούλων αὐτῶν καὶ παιδίσκων καὶ αὐτῶν ἑπτακισχιλίων τλʹ καὶ ζʹ ᾀδόντων καὶ ᾀδουσῶν. Τῷ μηνί, φησί, τῷ ζʹ συνήχθη ὁ λαὸς ὡς ἀνὴρ εἷς εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ. καὶ ἀνέστη Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ Ζοροβάβελ υἱὸς Σαλαθιὴλ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν τὸ θυσιαστήριον θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ ἀνενέγκαι ὁλοκαυτώσεις ἐπ' αὐτῷ κατὰ τὰ γεγραμμένα ἐν νόμῳ Μωυσῇ ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ ἡτοίμασαν τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐν καταπλήξει ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν λαῶν τῶν γαιῶν. καὶ ἀνέβη ἐπ' αὐτὸ ὁλοκαύτωσις τῷ κυρίῳ ὁλοκαυτώσεις τὸ πρωὶ καὶ εἰς ἑσπέραν, καὶ ἐποίησαν τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν σκηνῶν κατὰ τὸ γεγραμ μένον, καὶ ὁλοκαυτώσεις τὴν ἡμέραν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐν ἀριθμῷ ὡς ἡ κρίσις, λόγον ἡμέρας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ αὐτοῦ. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ὁλοκαυτώσεις ἐνδελεχισμοῦ καὶ εἰς τὰς νουμηνίας καὶ εἰς πάσας ἑορτὰς κυρίου τὰς ἡγιασμένας καὶ παντὶ ἑκουσιαζομένῳ ἑκουσίως τῷ κυρίῳ. ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ ζʹ ἤρξαντο ἀναφέρειν ὁλοκαυτώσεις κυρίῳ. καὶ ὁ οἶκος κυρίου οὐκ ἐθεμελιώθη. καὶ ἔδωκαν