2.65
But besides this, Apion objects to us thus: "If the Jews (says
he) be citizens of Alexandria, why do they not worship the same gods with
the Alexandrians?" To which I give this answer: Since you are yourselves
Egyptians, why do you fight it out one against another, and have implacable
wars about your religion? At this rate we must not call you all Egyptians,
nor indeed in general men, because you breed up with great care beasts
of a nature quite contrary to that of men, although the nature of all men
seems to be one and the same. Now if there be such differences in opinion
among you Egyptians, why are you surprised that those who came to Alexandria
from another country, and had original laws of their own before, should
persevere in the observance of those laws? But still he charges us with
being the authors of sedition; which accusation, if it be a just one, why
is it not laid against us all, since we are known to be all of one mind.
Moreover, those that search into such matters will soon discover that the
authors of sedition have been such citizens of Alexandria as Apion is;
for while they were the Grecians and Macedonians who were ill possession
of this city, there was no sedition raised against us, and we were permitted
to observe our ancient solemnities; but when the number of the Egyptians
therein came to be considerable, the times grew confused, and then these
seditions brake out still more and more, while our people continued uncorrupted.
These Egyptians, therefore, were the authors of these troubles, who having
not the constancy of Macedonians, nor the prudence of Grecians, indulged
all of them the evil manners of the Egyptians, and continued their ancient
hatred against us; for what is here so presumptuously charged upon us,
is owing to the differences that are amongst themselves; while many of
them have not obtained the privileges of citizens in proper times, but
style those who are well known to have had that privilege extended to them
all no other than foreigners: for it does not appear that any of the kings
have ever formerly bestowed those privileges of citizens upon Egyptians,
no more than have the emperors done it more lately; while it was Alexander
who introduced us into this city at first, the kings augmented our privileges
therein, and the Romans have been pleased to preserve them always inviolable.
Moreover, Apion would lay a blot upon us, because we do not erect images
for our emperors; as if those emperors did not know this before, or stood
in need of Apion as their defender; whereas he ought rather to have admired
the magnanimity and modesty of the Romans, whereby they do not compel those
that are subject to them to transgress the laws of their countries, but
are willing to receive the honors due to them after such a manner as those
who are to pay them esteem consistent with piety and with their own laws;
for they do not thank people for conferring honors upon them, When they
are compelled by violence so to do. Accordingly, since the Grecians and
some other nations think it a right thing to make images, nay, when they
have painted the pictures of their parents, and wives, and children, they
exult for joy; and some there are who take pictures for themselves of such
persons as were no way related to them; nay, some take the pictures of
such servants as they were fond of; what wonder is it then if such as these
appear willing to pay the same respect to their princes and lords? But
then our legislator hath forbidden us to make images, not by way of denunciation
beforehand, that the Roman authority was not to be honored, but as despising
a thing that was neither necessary nor useful for either God or man; and
he forbade them, as we shall prove hereafter, to make these images for
any part of the animal creation, and much less for God himself, who is
no part of such animal creation. Yet hath our legislator no where forbidden
us to pay honors to worthy men, provided they be of another kind, and inferior
to those we pay to God; with which honors we willingly testify our respect
to our emperors, and to the people of Rome; we also offer perpetual sacrifices
for them; nor do we only offer them every day at the common expenses of
all the Jews, but although we offer no other such sacrifices out of our
common expenses, no, not for our own children, yet do we this as a peculiar
honor to the emperors, and to them alone, while we do the same to no other
person whomsoever. And let this suffice for an answer in general to Apion,
as to what he says with relation to the Alexandrian Jews.
2.79
However, I cannot but admire those other authors who furnished this
man with such his materials; I mean Possidonius and Apollonius [the son
of] Molo, note
who, while they accuse us for not worshipping the same gods whom others
worship, they think themselves not guilty of impiety when they tell lies
of us, and frame absurd and reproachful stories about our temple; whereas
it is a most shameful thing for freemen to forge lies on any occasion,
and much more so to forge them about our temple, which was so famous over
all the world, and was preserved so sacred by us; for Apion hath the impudence
to pretend that" the Jews placed an ass's head in their holy place;"
and he affirms that this was discovered when Antiochus Epiphanes spoiled
our temple, and found that ass's head there made of gold, and worth a great
deal of money. To this my first answer shall be this, that had there been
any such thing among us, an Egyptian ought by no means to have thrown it
in our teeth, since an ass is not a more contemptible animal than - note
and goats, and other such creatures, which among them are gods. But besides
this answer, I say further, how comes it about that Apion does not understand
this to be no other than a palpable lie, and to be confuted by the thing
itself as utterly incredible? For we Jews are always governed by the same
laws, in which we constantly persevere; and although many misfortunes have
befallen our city, as the like have befallen others, and although Theos
[Epiphanes], and Pompey the Great, and Licinius Crassus, and last of all
Titus Caesar, have conquered us in war, and gotten possession of our temple;
yet have they none of them found any such thing there, nor indeed any thing
but what was agreeable to the strictest piety; although what they found
we are not at liberty to reveal to other nations. But for Antiochus [Epiphanes],
he had no just cause for that ravage in our temple that he made; he only
came to it when he wanted money, without declaring himself our enemy, and
attacked us while we were his associates and his friends; nor did he find
any thing there that was ridiculous. This is attested by many worthy writers;
Polybius of Megalopolis, Strabo of Cappadocia, Nicolaus of Damascus, Timagenes,
Castor the chronotoger, and Apollodorus; note
who all say that it was out of Antiochus's want of money that he broke
his league with the Jews, and despoiled their temple when it was full of
gold and silver. Apion ought to have had a regard to these facts, unless
he had himself had either an ass's heart or a dog's impudence; of such
a dog I mean as they worship; for he had no other external reason for the
lies he tells of us. As for us Jews, we ascribe no honor or power to asses,
as do the Egyptians to crocodiles and asps, when they esteem such as are
seized upon by the former, or bitten by the latter, to be happy persons,
and persons worthy of God. Asses are the same with us which they are with
other wise men, viz. creatures that bear the burdens that we lay upon them;
but if they come to our thrashing-floors and eat our corn, or do not perform
what we impose upon them, we beat them with a great many stripes, because
it is their business to minister to us in our husbandry affairs. But this
Apion of ours was either perfectly unskillful in the composition of such
fallacious discourses, or however, when he begun [somewhat better], he
was not able to persevere in what he had undertaken, since he hath no manner
of success in those reproaches he casts upon us.
