And now I will turn my discourse to one of their principal writers,
whom I have a little before made use of as a witness to our antiquity;
I mean Manetho. note
He promised to interpret the Egyptian history out of their sacred writings,
and premised this: that "our people had come into Egypt, many ten
thousands in number, and subdued its inhabitants;" and when he had
further confessed that "we went out of that country afterward, and
settled in that country which is now called Judea, and there built Jerusalem
and its temple." Now thus far he followed his ancient records; but
after this he permits himself, in order to appear to have written what
rumors and reports passed abroad about the Jews, and introduces incredible
narrations, as if he would have the Egyptian multitude, that had the leprosy
and other distempers, to have been mixed with us, as he says they were,
and that they were condemned to fly out of Egypt together; for he mentions
Amenophis, a fictitious king's name, though on that account he durst not
set down the number of years of his reign, which yet he had accurately
done as to the other kings he mentions; he then ascribes certain fabulous
stories to this king, as having in a manner forgotten how he had already
related that the departure of the shepherds for Jerusalem had been five
hundred and eighteen years before; for Tethmosis was king when they went
away. Now, from his days, the reigns of the intermediate kings, according
to Manethe, amounted to three hundred and ninety-three years, as he says
himself, till the two brothers Sethos and Hermeus; the one of whom, Sethos,
was called by that other name of Egyptus, and the other, Hermeus, by that
of Danaus. He also says that Sethos east the other out of Egypt, and reigned
fifty-nine years, as did his eldest son Rhampses reign after him sixty-six
years. When Manethe therefore had acknowledged that our forefathers were
gone out of Egypt so many years ago, he introduces his fictitious king
Amenophis, and says thus: "This king was desirous to become a spectator
of the gods, as had Orus, one of his predecessors in that kingdom, desired
the same before him; he also communicated that his desire to his namesake
Amenophis, who was the son of Papis, and one that seemed to partake of
a divine nature, both as to wisdom and the knowledge of futurities."
Manethe adds, "how this namesake of his told him that he might see
the gods, if he would clear the whole country of the lepers and of the
other impure people; that the king was pleased with this injunction, and
got together all that had any defect in their bodies out of Egypt; and
that their number was eighty thousand; whom he sent to those quarries which
are on the east side of the Nile, that they might work in them, and might
be separated from the rest of the Egyptians." He says further, that
"there were some of the learned priests that were polluted with the
leprosy; but that still this Amenophis, the wise man and the prophet, was
afraid that the gods would be angry at him and at the king, if there should
appear to have been violence offered them; who also added this further,
[out of his sagacity about futurities,] that certain people would come
to the assistance of these polluted wretches, and would conquer Egypt,
and keep it in their possession thirteen years; that, however, he durst
not tell the king of these things, but that he left a writing behind him
about all those matters, and then slew himself, which made the king disconsolate."
After which he writes thus verbatim: "After those that were
sent to work in the quarries had continued in that miserable state for
a long while, the king was desired that he would set apart the city Avaris,
which was then left desolate of the shepherds, for their habitation and
protection; which desire he granted them. Now this city, according to the
ancient theology, was Typho's city. But when these men were gotten into
it, and found the place fit for a revolt, they appointed themselves a ruler
out of the priests of Hellopolis, whose name was Osarsiph, and they took
their oaths that they would be obedient to him in all things. He then,
in the first place, made this law for them, That they should neither worship
the Egyptian gods, nor should abstain from any one of those sacred animals
which they have in the highest esteem, but kill and destroy them all; that
they should join themselves to nobody but to those that were of this confederacy.
When he had made such laws as these, and many more such as were mainly
opposite to the customs of the Egyptians, note
he gave order that they should use the multitude of the hands they had
in building walls about their City, and make themselves ready for a war
with king Amenophis, while he did himself take into his friendship the
other priests, and those that were polluted with them, and sent ambassadors
to those shepherds who had been driven out of the land by Tefilmosis to
the city called Jerusalem; whereby he informed them of his own affairs,
and of the state of those others that had been treated after such an ignominious
manner, and desired that they would come with one consent to his assistance
in this war against Egypt. He also promised that he would, in the first
place, bring them back to their ancient city and country Avaris, and provide
a plentiful maintenance for their multitude; that he would protect them
and fight for them as occasion should require, and would easily reduce
the country under their dominion. These shepherds were all very glad of
this message, and came away with alacrity all together, being in number
two hundred thousand men; and in a little time they came to Avaris. And
now Amenophis the king of Egypt, upon his being informed of their invasion,
was in great confusion, as calling to mind what Amenophis, the son of Papis,
had foretold him; and, in the first place, he assembled the multitude of
the Egyptians, and took counsel with their leaders, and sent for their
sacred animals to him, especially for those that were principally worshipped
in their temples, and gave a particular charge to the priests distinctly,
that they should hide the images of their gods with the utmost care he
also sent his son Sethos, who was also named Ramesses, from his father
Rhampses, being but five years old, to a friend of his. He then passed
on with the rest of the Egyptians, being three hundred thousand of the
most warlike of them, against the enemy, who met them. Yet did he not join
battle with them; but thinking that would be to fight against the gods,
he returned back and came to Memphis, where he took Apis and the other
sacred animals which he had sent for to him, and presently marched into
Ethiopia, together with his whole army and multitude of Egyptians; for
the king of Ethiopia was under an obligation to him, on which account he
received him, and took care of all the multitude that was with him, while
the country supplied all that was necessary for the food of the men. He
also allotted cities and villages for this exile, that was to be from its
beginning during those fatally determined thirteen years. Moreover, he
pitched a camp for his Ethiopian army, as a guard to king Amenophis, upon
the borders of Egypt. And this was the state of things in Ethiopia. But
for the people of Jerusalem, when they came down together with the polluted
Egyptians, they treated the men in such a barbarous manner, that those
who saw how they subdued the forementioned country, and the horrid wickedness
they were guilty of, thought it a most dreadful thing; for they did not
only set the cities and villages on fire but were not satisfied till they
had been guilty of sacrilege, and destroyed the images of the gods, and
used them in roasting those sacred animals that used to be worshipped,
and forced the priests and prophets to be the executioners and murderers
of those animals, and then ejected them naked out of the country. It was
also reported that the priest, who ordained their polity and their laws,
was by birth of Hellopolls, and his name Osarsiph, from Osyris, who was
the god of Hellopolls; but that when he was gone over to these people,
his name was changed, and he was called Moses."
This is what the Egyptians relate about the Jews, with much more,
which I omit for the sake of brevity. But still Manetho goes on, that "after
this, Amenophis returned back from Ethiopia with a great army, as did his
son Ahampses with another army also, and that both of them joined battle
with the shepherds and the polluted people, and beat them, and slew a great
many of them, and pursued them to the bounds of Syria." These and
the like accounts are written by Manetho. But I will demonstrate that he
trifles, and tells arrant lies, after I have made a distinction which will
relate to what I am going to say about him; for this Manetho had granted
and confessed that this nation was not originally Egyptian, but that they
had come from another country, and subdued Egypt, and then went away again
out of it. But that. those Egyptians who were thus diseased in their bodies
were not mingled with us afterward, and that Moses who brought the people
out was not one of that company, but lived many generations earlier, I
shall endeavor to demonstrate from Manetho's own accounts themselves.
Now, for the first occasion of this fiction, Manetho supposes what
is no better than a ridiculous thing; for he says that" king Amenophis
desired to see the gods." What gods, I pray, did he desire to see?
If he meant the gods whom their laws ordained to be worshipped, the ox,
the goat, the crocodile, and the baboon, he saw them already; but for the
heavenly gods, how could he see them, and what should occasion this his
desire? To be sure? it was because another king before him had already
seen them. He had then been informed what sort of gods they were, and after
what manner they had been seen, insomuch that he did not stand in need
of any new artifice for obtaining this sight. However, the prophet by whose
means the king thought to compass his design was a wise man. If so, how
came he not to know that such his desire was impossible to be accomplished?
for the event did not succeed. And what pretense could there be to suppose
that the gods would not be seen by reason of the people's maims in their
bodies, or leprosy? for the gods are not angry at the imperfection of bodies,
but at wicked practices; and as to eighty thousand lepers, and those in
an ill state also, how is it possible to have them gathered together in
one day? nay, how came the king not to comply with the prophet? for his
injunction was, that those that were maimed should be expelled out of Egypt,
while the king only sent them to work in the quarries, as if he were rather
in want of laborers, than intended to purge his country. He says further,
that" this prophet slew himself, as foreseeing the anger of the gods,
and those events which were to come upon Egypt afterward; and that he left
this prediction for the king in writing." Besides, how came it to
pass that this prophet did not foreknow his own death at the first? nay,
how came he not to contradict the king in his desire to see the gods immediately?
how came that unreasonable dread upon him of judgments that were not to
happen in his lifetime? or what worse thing could he suffer, out of the
fear of which he made haste to kill himself? But now let us see the silliest
thing of all: - The king, although he had been informed of these things,
and terrified with the fear of what was to come, yet did not he even then
eject these maimed people out of his country, when it had been foretold
him that he was to clear Egypt of them; but, as Manetho says, "he
then, upon their request, gave them that city to inhabit, which had formerly
belonged to the shepherds, and was called Avaris; whither when they were
gone in crowds," he says, "they chose one that had formerly been
priest of Hellopolls; and that this priest first ordained that they should
neither worship the gods, nor abstain from those animals that were worshipped
by the Egyptians, but should kill and eat them all, and should associate
with nobody but those that had conspired with them; and that he bound the
multitude by oaths to be sure to continue in those laws; and that when
he had built a wall about Avaris, he made war against the king." Manetho
adds also, that "this priest sent to Jerusalem to invite that people
to come to his assistance, and promised to give them Avaris; for that it
had belonged to the forefathers of those that were coming from Jerusalem,
and that when they were come, they made a war immediately against the king,
and got possession of all Egypt." He says also that "the Egyptians
came with an army of two hundred thousand men, and that Amenophis, the
king of Egypt, not thinking that he ought to fight against the gods, ran
away presently into Ethiopia, and committed Apis and certain other of their
sacred animals to the priests, and commanded them to take care of preserving
them." He says further, that" the people of Jerusalem came accordingly
upon the Egyptians, and overthrew their cities, and burnt their temples,
and slew their horsemen, and, in short, abstained from no sort of wickedness
nor barbarity; and for that priest who settled their polity and their laws,"
he says," he was by birth of Hellopolis, and his name was Osarsiph,
from Osyris the god of Hellopolis, but that he changed his name, and called
himself Moses." He then says that "on the thirteenth year afterward,
Amenophis, according to the fatal time of the duration of his misfortunes,
came upon them out of Ethiopia with a great army, and joining battle with
the shepherds and with the polluted people, overcame them in battle, and
slew a great many of them, and pursued them as far as the bounds of Syria."