Chapter IX.

And still continuing a little confused, and not taking care to see what was relevant to the matter, he expressed his opinion that the Jews were induced by the incantations employed in jugglery and sorcery (in consequence of which certain phantoms appear, in obedience to the spells employed by the magicians) to bow down to the angels in heaven, not observing that this was contrary to their law, which said to them who practised such observances:  “Regard not them which have familiar spirits,1017    ἐγγαστριμύθοις.    τὸ μηδέν. neither seek after wizards,1018    ἐπαοιδοῖς.    εἰκῆ πιστεύοντι. to be defiled by them:  I am the Lord your God.”1019    Cf. Lev. xix. 31.    1 Cor. xv. 2.  He ought, therefore, either not to have at all attributed this practice to the Jews, seeing he has observed that they keep their law, and has called them “those who live according to their law;” or if he did attribute it, he ought to have shown that the Jews did this in violation of their code.  But again, as they transgress their law who offer worship to those who are said to appear to them who are involved in darkness and blinded by sorcery, and who dream dreams, owing to obscure phantoms presenting themselves; so also do they transgress the law who offer sacrifice to sun, moon, and stars.1020    The emendations of Ruæus have been adopted in the translation, the text being probably corrupt.  Cf. Ruæus, in loc.    [p. 41.  S.]  And there is thus great inconsistency in the same individual saying that the Jews are careful to keep their law by not bowing down to sun, and moon, and stars, while they are not so careful to keep it in the matter of heaven and the angels.

Ἔτι δ' ὑποσυγκεχυμένος καὶ μὴ ἐπιμελῶς ἰδὼν τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον ᾠήθη ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν μαγγανείαις καὶ γοητείαις ἐπῳδῶν προτραπέντας Ἰουδαίους ἔκ τινων κατὰ τὰς ἐπῳδὰς φασμάτων ἐπιφαινομένων τοῖς ἐπᾴδουσι προσκυνεῖν τοὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἀγγέλους, οὐ συνιδὼν ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ τὸν νόμον τοῖς γε ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν ἐγίνετο λέγοντα· "Οὐκ ἐπακο λουθήσετε ἐγγαστριμύθοις, καὶ τοῖς ἐπαοιδοῖς οὐ προσκολλη θήσεσθε ἐκμιανθῆναι ἐν αὐτοῖς· ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν." Ἐχρῆν οὖν ἢ μηδ' ὅλως ταῦτ' εἰς Ἰουδαίους ἀναφέρειν τὸν τηροῦντα Ἰουδαίους ὡς φυλάσσοντας τὸν νόμον καὶ λέγοντα αὐτοὺς εἶναι τοὺς κατὰ τὸν νόμον βιοῦντας, ἢ ἀναφέροντα παραστῆσαι ὅτι τὰ τοιαῦτα οἱ παρανομοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι ἐποίουν. Ἀλλὰ πάλιν ὥσπερ παρανομοῦσιν οἱ τοὺς ἐν σκότῳ που κρυφίους ἐκ γοητείας θρησκεύοντες, τυφλώττοντες καὶ δι' ἀμυδρῶν φασμάτων ὀνειρώττοντες, προσκυνοῦντες τοὺς ἐγχρίμπτειν λεγομένους καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις· οὕτως καὶ οἱ ἡλίῳ καὶ σελήνῃ καὶ ἄστροις θύοντες εὖ μάλα παρανομοῦσι. Καὶ οὐκ ἦν κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λέγειν Ἰουδαίους καὶ φυλαττομένους προσκυνεῖν ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἄστρα, καὶ τὸ τοιοῦτον μὴ φυλαττομένους ἐπὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀγγέλων.