CHAPTER IX.

OF JOSEPHUS, AND THE WORKS HE HAS LEFT.

SINCE we have referred to this writer, it may be proper also to notice Josephus himself, who has contributed so much to the history in hand, whence and from what family he sprung. He shows this, indeed, in his own works, as follows. "Josephus, the son of Mattathias, a priest of Jerusalem, who at first himself fought against the Romans, and at whose affairs he was afterward of necessity present," was a man most distinguished, not only among his own countrymen the Jews, but also among the Romans; so that they honoured him with the erection of a statue at Rome, and the books that he coinposed with a place in the public library. He wrote the whole Antiquities of the Jews, in twenty books, and his history of the Jewish War in seven books, which he says were not only written in Greek, but also translated by him into his native tongue; in all which he is worthy of credit, as well as in other matters. There are also two other works of his that deserve to be read, viz. those on the Antiquity of the Jews. In these he also makes his reply to Apion, the grammarian, who had then written against the Jews; they contain also a refutation of others, who attempted to vilify the national peculiarities of the Jewish people. In the first of these works he gives us the number of the canonical books of the Scriptures called the Old Testament, such as are of undoubted authority among the Hebrews, setting them forth, as handed down by ancient tradition, in the following words.

CHAPTER X.

THE MANNER IN WHICH JOSEPHUS MENTIONS THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

"WE have not therefore among us innumerable books that disagree and contradict each other, but only two and twenty,'

There were so many books of the Scripture amongst the Jews as they had letters in their alphabet. So Origen tells us in his exposition of the first Psalm, and Jerome In Præmio galeato; where also he says that

embracing the record of all history, and which are justly considered divine compositions. Of these, five are the books of Moses, comprehending both the laws and the tradition respecting the origin of man, down to his own death. This time comprehends a space of nearly three thousand years. But from Moses until the death of Artaxerxes, who reigned after Xerxes, king of Persia, the prophets after Moses wrote the events of their day in thirteen books. The remaining four, comprehend hymns to the praise of God, and precepts for the regulation of human life. From Artaxerxes until our own times, the events are all recorded, but they are not deemed of authority equal with those before them, because that there was not an exact succession of the prophets. But it is evident from the thing itself, how we regard these books of ours. For in the lapse of so many ages, no one has dared either to add to them, or to take from them, or to change them, but it has been implanted in all Jews, from the very origin of the nation, to consider them as the doctrines of God, and to abide by them, and cheerfully to die for them if necessary." These declarations of this historian, I thought might be properly here subjoined. There is also another work, of no mean execution, by the same writer, "On the Supremacy of Reason," which, indeed, is entitled by some Maccabaicum, because it contains the conflicts of those Hebrews that contended manfully for the true religion, as is related in the books called Maccabees. And at the end of the twentieth book of his Antiquities, the same author intimates, that he had purposed to write four books on God, and his existence, according to the peculiar opinions of the Jewish nation; also on the laws, wherefore it is permitted by them to do some things whilst others are forbidden. Other subjects, he says, are also disthere were among them three ranks of these holy volumes; the first contained the Law; the second the Prophets; the third the Hagiography. Al which agrees very well with Josephus. But in this they differ; Josephus makes thirteen books to be of the second order; to wit, following the series of the times. But of the third, he reckons only four, disagreeing from St. Jerome; who in the foresaid preface, and in that of his before the prophecy of Daniel, reckons up eight books of the Prophets, and nine of the Hagiography. But Josephus seems to have placed the book of Joshua and Judges, also those of the Kings, Chronicles, and Ezra, amongst the prophetical writings; not that they contain prophecies, as the books of the Prophets do; but because they were written by men that were prophets. Vales.

cussed by him in his works. In addition to these, it seems proper to subjoin also the expressions that he uses at the close of his Antiquities, in confirmation of the testimony that we have taken from him. For when he accuses Justus of Tiberias, who, like himself, attempted the history of his own times, and convicts him of not writing according to truth, after upbraiding him with many other misdemeanors, he also adds the following language: "I am not, however, afraid respecting my writings, as you are; but have presented them to the emperors themselves, as the facts occurred almost under their eyes. For I was conscious of adhering closely to the truth in my narration, and hence was not disappointed in expecting to receive their testimony. To many others, also, did I hand my history, some of whom were present at the war, as king Agrippa and some of his relatives. For the emperor Titus desired so much that the knowledge of these events should be communicated to the world, that with his own hand he wrote they should be published. And king Agrippa wrote sixtytwo letters bearing testimony to their truth, of which Josephus subjoined two. But this may suffice respecting him. Let us now proceed to what follows in order.

CHAPTER XI.

SIMEON RULED THE CHURCH OF JERUSALEM AFTER JAMES.

AFTER the martyrdom of James, and the capture of Jerusalem, which immediately followed, the report is, that those of the apostles and the disciples of our Lord, that were yet surviving, came together from all parts with those that were related to our Lord according to the flesh. For the greater part of them were yet living. These consulted together, to determine whom it was proper to pronounce worthy of being the successor of James. They all unanimously declared Simeon the son of Cleophas, of whom mention is made in the sacred volume, as worthy of the episcopal seat there. They say he was the cousin german1 of our Saviour, for Hegesippus asserts that Cleophas was the brother of Joseph.

The word avetov is here correctly ren lered cousin german, by the mother's side. Valesius has incorrectly rendered patruelis, cousin

CHAPTER XII.

VESPASIAN COMMANDS THE DESCENDANTS OF DAVID TO BE SOUGHT.

It was also said that Vespasian, after the capture of Jeru salem, commanded all of the family of David to be sought, that no one might be left among the Jews who was of the royal stock, and, that in consequence another very violent persecution was raised against the Jews.

CHAPTER XIII.

ANENCLETUS, THE SECOND BISHOP OF ROME.

AFTER Vespasian had reigned about ten years, he was succeeded by his son Titus; in the second year of whose reign, Linus, bishop of the church at Rome, who had held the office about twelve years, transferred it to Anencletus. But Titus was succeeded by Domitian, his brother, after he had reigned two years and as many months.

CHAPTER XIV.

AVILIUS, THE SECOND BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA.

In the fourth year of Domitian, Annianus, who was the first bishop of Alexandria, died, after having filled the office twenty-two years. He was succeeded by Avilius, who was the second bishop of that city.

german, by the father's side. Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary the mother of our Lord, were sisters, John xix. 25. Hence, Shorting Las correctly observed, that Hegesippus calls Joseph and Cleophas brothers, by reason of this matrimonial connexion. See his note.

CHAPTER XV.

CLEMENT, THE THIRD BISHOP OF ROME.

In the twelfth year of the same reign, after Anencletus had been bishop of Rome twelve years, he was succeeded by Clement, who, the apostle, in his Epistle to the Philippians, shows, had been his fellow labourer, in these words: "With Clement and the rest of my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life."

CHAPTER XVI.

THE EPISTLE OF CLEMENT.

Or this Clement there is one epistle extant, acknowledged as genuine, of considerable length and of great merit, which he wrote in the name of the church at Rome, to that of Corinth, at the time when there was a dissension in the latter. This we know to have been publicly read for common benefit, in most of the churches, both in former times and in our own; and that at the time mentioned a sedition did take place at Corinth, is abundantly attested by Hegesippus.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE PERSECUTION OF THE CHRISTIANS UNDER DOMITIAN.

DOMITIAN, indeed, having exercised his cruelty against many, and unjustly slain no small number of noble and illustrious men at Rome, and having, without cause, punished vast numbers of honourable men with exile and the confiscation of their property, at length established himself as the successor of Nero, in his hatred and hostility to God. He was the second that raised a persecution against us, although his father Vespasian had attempted nothing to our prejudice