This leprosy, therefore, being of a twofold character, and putting forth two complexions, signifies voluntary depravity; for the soul, though it has healthy, and vivifying, and right reason in itself, does not use it for the preservation of its good things, but surrendering itself to persons unskilled in naviga- tion, it overturns the whole bark of life, which might have been saved in calm fine weather; but when it changes so as to assume one uniform white appearance, it displays an involun- tary change; since the mind, entirely deprived of the power of reasoning, not having left in it one single seed to beget understanding, like a man in a mist or in deep darkness, sees nothing that ought to be done; but, like a Ulin4 man, fall- ing without seeing his way before him into all kinds of error, endures continual falls and disasters one after another, in spite of all its efforts.
XXVIII. And like this is the injunction given respecting the house in which it happens that leprosy often arises; for Moses says that, " If there be a taint of leprosy in the house, the owner shall come, and shall tell it to the priest, saying * Leviticus xiii. 11.
ON THE UNCHANGEABLENESS OF GOD. 369 there is something like a taint of leprosy has been seen by me in my house,"* and presently he adds, " And the priest shall command him to dismantle his house, before the priest enters into the house to see it, and all the things that are in the house shall not be impure; and after that the priest shall enter the house to examine it." Therefore, before the priest enters in, the things in the house are pure; but after he has entered in, from that time forth they are all impure. And yet the contrary would have been natural, that when a man thoroughly purified and perfect, who is in the habit of offering up prayers and purifications, and sacrifices for all the people come into a house, all that is therein would be improved by his presence, and would become pure from having been impure; but now they do not even remain in the same condition as before, but they are brought into a worse state by the arrival of the priest.
But whether this is consistent with the literal and obvious order of the words, those men may inquire who are in the habit of, and fond of pursuing such investigations; but we must affirm distinctly, that no one thing can be more consistent with another than the fact, that when the priest enters in, all the things in the house should be polluted; for as long as the divine word has not come to our souls as to a hearth of hospitality, all its actions are blameless; for the overseer, or the father, or the teacher, or whatever else it may be fit to entitle the priest, by whom alone it is possible for it to be admonished and chastened, is at a distance: and those persons are to be pardoned who do wrong from inexperience, out of ignorance what they ought to do: for they do not look upon their deeds in the fight of sins, but even sometimes they believe that they are doing right in cases in which they are erring greatly; but when the real priest, conviction, enters our hearts, like a most pure ray of light, then we think that the designs which we have cherished within our souls are not pure, and we see that our actions are liable to blame, and deserving of reproach, though we did them through ignorance of what was right. All these things, therefore, the priest, that is to say, conviction, pollutes, and orders that they should be taken away and stripped off, in order that he may see the abode of the soul pure.t and, if there are any diseases in it, that he may heal them.
XXIX. And the woman who met the prophet,* in the hook of Kings, resembles this fact: " And she is a widow;" not meaning by that, as we generally use the word, a woman when she is bereft of her husband, but that she is so, from being free from those passions which corrupt and destroy the soul, as Thamar is represented by Moses. For she also being a widow, •vas commanded to sit down in the house of the father, the only Saviour;f on whose account, having forsaken for ever the company and society of men, she is at a distance from and widowhood of all human pleasures, and. receives a divine seed; and being filled with the seeds of virtue, she con- ceives, and is in travail of virtuous actions. And when she has brought them forth, she carries off the prize against her adversaries, and is enrolled as victorious, bearing the palm as the emblem of her victory.
For the name Thamar, being interpreted, means the palm- tree. And every soul that is beginning to be widowed and devoid of evils, says to the prophet, " 0, man of God! hast thou come to me to remind me of my iniquity and of my sin?" | For he being inspired, and entering into the soul, and being filled with heavenly love, and being amazingly ex- cited by the intolerable stimulus of heaven-inflicted frenzy, works in the soul a recollection of its ancient iniquities and offences: not in order that it may commit such again, — but that, greatly lamenting and bitterly bewailing its former error, it may hate its own offspring, and reject them with aversion, and may follow the admonitions of the word of God, the inter- preter and prophet of his will. For the men of old used to call the prophets sometimes men of God, and sometimes seers,§ affixing appropriate andr^becormhgx names to their enthusiasm, and inspiration, and to the foreknowledge of affairs which they enjoyed. \ XXX. Very properly, therefore, the most sacred Moses says that, the earth was corrupted at that time when the virtues of the just Noah were made manifest: " And the whole earth." says he, *' was corrupted, because all flesh had corrupted his (aurou) way upon the earth." || Now to some persons this expression will seem to have been incorrectly used, and that the consistency with the context, and the truth of the fact will ON THE UNCHANGEABLENESS OF GOD. 371 require that we should read rather that, " All flesh had cor- rupted its (ai/r$js) way upon tbe earth." For it does not agree with the feminine noun " flesh " (t9j oagx./), if we subjoin a masculine case, the word ai'rov in connection with it. Hut perhaps, Moses does not mean here to speak of the flesh alone as corrupting his way upon the earth, so that he deserves to be considered to have erred in the expression which he has used, but rather to speak of the things of the flesh, which is cor- rupted, and of that other being whose way the flesh endeavours to injure and to corrupt.
So that we should explain this expression thus: — All flesh corrupted the perfect way of the everlasting and incorruptible being which conducts to God. And know that this way is wisdom. For the mind being guided by wisdom, while the road is straight and level and easy, proceeds along it to the end: and the end of this road is the knowledge and under- standing of God. But every companion of the flesh hates and repudiates, and endeavours to corrupt this way; for there is no one thing so much at variance with another, as knowledge is at variance with the pleasure of the flesh. Accordingly, the earthly Edom is always fighting with those who wish to pro- ceed by this road, which is the royal road for those who partake of the faculty of seeing who are called Israel; for the inter- pretation of the name Edom, is " earthly," and he labours with all earnestness, and by every means in his power, and by threats, to hinder them from this road, and to make it pathless and impracticable for ever.
XXXI. Therefore the ambassadors who are sent speak as follows: — " We will pass on through thy land; we will not pass through thy fields nor through thy vineyards; we will not drink water from thy cistern; we will proceed by the royal road; we will not turn aside out of the way, to the right hand, nor to the left, until we have passed over thy borders. But Edom answered and said, Thou shalt not pass through my land: and if thou dost, I will come against thee in battle to meet thee. And the children of Israel said unto him, We will pass by thy mountain; but if I or my cattle drink of thy water, I will pay thee the price thereof. But it is of no consequence, we will pass by thy mountain. And ho said, " Thou shalt not pass through my land."* * Numbers xx. 17.
372 PHILO JUD.EUS.
372 PHILO JUD.EUS.
It is said of some man of old time, that when he saw a sumptuous procession properly equipped passing by, he looked towards one of his acquaintances and said, " My friends, see how many things there are of which I have no need," in a very few words uttering what was truly a great and heavenly boast. What dost thou say? Were you crowned as conqueror in the Olympic games in opposition to all the wealth arrayed against you; and were you so to that degree there that you took nothing from thence for your enjoyment or for your use? It is a marvellous statement, but the sentiment is more admirable still, which advanced to such a degree of strength, as to be able without any extraordinary exertion, nevertheless to carry off the victory by force.
XXXII. But it is not allowed to one man alone to boast before Moses who has been instructed in the highest perfection of wisdom, but it belongs to the whole of a most populous nation. And this is the proof of that fact. The soul of every one of his friends felt confidence and was bold towards the king of all the apparent good things, the earthly Edom; for in fact all earthly good things are good only in appearance; they then I say were bold, so as to say, " I will now pass by thy land." Oh, the magnanimous and sublime promise! Tell me, will ye be able to surmount, to pass by, to run past all these things which on earth appear to be and are believed to be good? And is there nothing which will be able to check and restrain your forward advance by the power with which it resists you? And when you have beheld all the treasures of riches one after another, and all full, will ye turn from them with aversion, and avert your eyes from them? And will ye look down upon the dignities of your ancestors, and on those which come to your- selves from your father and your mother, and on their nobility which is so celebrated in the mouths of the multitude? And will ye forsake the glory for which men are ready to barter everything, leaving it behind as if it were something most utterly valueless? What more shall I say? Will ye dis- regard the health of the body, and the accurate perfection of the outward senses, and beauty, which is an object of contention to many, and strength such as no one can oppose, and all those other things by which the house or the tomb of the soul, or whatever else one ought to call it is adorned, will ye, I say, di6io0ard all these things, so far as not to class any one of ON THE UNCHANGEABLENESS OF GOD. 373 them among good things? These are mighty deeds of bold- ness for a heavenly and celestial soul, which has utterly for- saken the regions of earth, and which has been drawn up on high, and has its abode among the divine natures. For being filled with the sight of the genuine and incorruptible good, things, it very naturally repudiates those which only last a day and are spurious.
XXXIII. What is the advantage then of passing over all the mortal advantages of mortal man, and passing them by too, not in accordance with right reason, but as some do through their hesitation, or sluggishness, or inexperience; for everything is not honoured everywhere, but different things are esteemed by different persons. On this account, Moses wishing to teach further, that they had become by correctness of reason inclined to despise what was said, adds to the words, " I will pass by," the further description, " through your land." For this is ex- ceedingly necessary, that when surrounded by an abundance of those things which are usually accounted advantages, we should avoid being taken prisoners by any of the toils which are spread by each separate pleasure; and that like fire, we should be able at one onset to break through their attacks which are so con- tinually armed against us.
The Israelites say then that they will pass by this way, but that they will not pass any longer through the fields and vine- yards; for it would be doting simplicity to pass by all the plants in the soul worthy of cultivation and producing eatable fruit, that is to say virtuous discourses and praiseworthy actions. For it would be proper rather to remain, and to gather the fruit, and to feed on it to satiety. For nothing is more beautiful than an insatiable cheerfulness amid perfect virtues, of which cheer- fulness, the aforesaid vineyards are the symbol. But we, on whom God pours and showers his fountains of good things from above, we drank from that cistern, and we were seeking scanty moisture beneath the earth, while the heaven was raining upon us, from above without ceasing, the more excellent food of nectar and ambrosia, far better than that celebrated in the fables of the poets.
XXXIV. Moreover, should we while draining draughts stored up by the contrivance of men through distrust, seek a refuge and place of escape, where the Saviour of the universe Iras opened to us his heavenly treasury for our use and enjoy- 374 PHILO JUD^EUS.
ment? For Moses, the hierophant, prays that " the Lord may open to us his good treasure, his heavenly one, to give us his rain," * and the prayers of the man who loves God are sure to obtain a hearing. And what does he say who neither thinks the heaven, or the rain, or a cistern, or in fact anything what- ever in all creation sufficient to nourish him, but who goes beyond all these things, and relating what he has suffered, says, " The God who has nourished me from my youth up."-!- Does not this man appear to you not to think all the collections of water under the earth put together worthy even of looking at? Nor therefore would he drink out of a cistern to whom God gives draughts of unmixed wine; at one time, by the ministrations of some angel whom he has thought worthy to act as cup- bearer, and at another time by his own means, placing no one between the giver and the receiver.
Let us then, without any delay, attempt to proceed by the royal road, since we think fit to pass by all earthly things; and the royal road is that of which there is no private individual in the world who is master, but he alone who is also the only true king. And this is, as I said a little while ago, wisdom, by which alone suppliant souls can find a way of escaping to the uncreate God; for it is natural that one who goes without any hindrance along the royal road, will never feel weariness before he meets with the king.
But, then, those who have come near to him recognise his blessedness and their own deficiency; for Abraham, when he had placed himself very near to God, immediately perceived that he was but dust and ashes. J And let them turn away out of the royal road, neither to the right hand nor to the left, but let them advance along the middle of it; for any deviation in either direction is blameable, as that on the one side has a ten- dency to excess and that on the other side to deficiency; for the right hand is, in this instance, no less blameable than the left hand. In the case of those who live according to impulse, the right hand is temerity and the left hand cowardice. As regards those who are illiberal in the management of money, on the right hand stands stinginess, and on the left hand extrava- gant prodigality; and those men, who are very subtle in calcu- lating, judge craftiness to be desirable and simplicity to be a thing to be shunned. Again, some persons incline towards • Deut. xxviii. 12. f Genesis xlviii. 15. J Genesis xviii. 27.
ON THE UNCHANGEABLENESS OF GOD. 375 superstition as being placed on the right hand, and flee from impiety as a thing to be avoided on the left.
XXXV. But that we may not, through deviating from the right road, be compelled to yield to one of two rival faults, let us desire and pray to be able to proceed straight along the middle of the road. Now, the middle between temerity and cowardice, is courage; the mean between profuse extravagance and illiberal stinginess, is temperance; that between crafty unscrupulousness and folly, is prudence; and the proper path between superstition and impiety, is piety. These lie in the middle between the deviations on either side, and are all roads easily travelled, and level, and plain, which we must walk upon not with our bodily organs, but with the motions of a soul con- tinually desiring what is best.
At this, the earthly Edom, being excessively indignant (for he is afraid of the overthrow and confusion of his own doctrines), will threaten us with irreconcilable wars, if we attempt to force our way along it, cutting down and clearing away continually as we advance the fruitful trees of his soul, which he planted for the destruction of wisdom, but has not gathered the fruit thereof; for he says, " Thou shalt not pass by me; and if thou dost, I will come forth in battle against thee to meet thee." But let us regard none of his threats, but make answer that we will pass by his mountain; that is to say, we being accustomed to associate with high and sublime powers and to investigate everything according to its true definition, and being used to inquire into the reason of everything whatever, of every kind, by means of which the knowledge is attained of what anything is, hold in utter contempt everything which is external and which affects the body alone; for such things are lowly and grovelling in the ground, dear indeed to you, but hated by us, for which reason we will not have anything to do with any one of them. For if, as the proverb says, we only touch this with the tip of our finger, we shall be giving honour and dignity to you; for then you will give yourself airs and will boast, as if we who are lovers of virtue had been brought over to you by the allurements of pleasure.
XXXVI. " For if," says Israel, " I and my cattle drink of thy water, I will pay you a price for it." Not meaning by that such price as is spoken of by the poets, money of silver or gold, or anything else; such among dealers is accustomed to be given S76 PHILO JUD^US.
to those who sell wares in exchange for their wares, but the price will be the honour which he now claims; for, in reality, every intemperate, or unjust, or cowardly man, when he sees any one who is more austere either avoiding labour, or subdued by gain, or yielding to any one of the allurements of pleasure, rejoices and exults, and thinks that he himself has received honour. And, moreover, going on in his rejoicing and display- ing his exultation to the multitude, he begins to philosophise about his own errors as very unavoidable and not useless, saying that if they were not of such a character, that respectable man, so and so, would never have indulged in them.
Let us, then, say to every wicked man, if we drink of thy water, if we touch anything, whatever that is yours, owing to an indiscreet impetuosity, we shall be giving you honour, and accept- ance, instead of dishonour and rejection (for these are what you deserve to receive); and, in truth, the matters about which you are anxious are absolutely nothing. Do you think that anything mortal has any real being and existence, and that it is not rather something borne up and suspended by the rope of some false and untrustworthy opinion, resting on empty air, and in no respect differing from deceitful dreams? And if you are unwilling to contemplate the fortunes of particular men, think upon the changes, whether for the better or for the worse, of whole countries and nations.
At one time Greece was flourishing, but the Macedonians took away the power of that land; then, in turn, Macedonia became mighty, but that, being divided into small portions be- came weak, until at last it was entirely extinguished. Before the time of the Macedonians the Persians prospered, but one day overthrew their exceeding and extensive prosperity. And now the Parthians are more powerful than the Persians, who a little while ago were their masters, ever were; and those who were their subjects are now masters. Once, and for a very long time, Egypt was a mighty empire, but its great dominion and glory have passed away like a cloud. What has become of the Ethiopians, and of Carthage, and of the kingdoms of Libya? Where now are the kings of Pontus? What has be- come of Europe and Asia, and, in short, of the whole of the inhabited world? Is it not tossed up and down and agitated like a ship that is tossed by the sea, at one time enjoying a fair wind and at another time being forced to battle against ON THE UNCHANGEABLENESS OF GOD. 377 contrary gales? For the divine Word brings round its opera- tions in a circle, which the common multitude of men call fortune. And then, as it continually flows on among cities, and nations, and countries, it overturns existing arrangements and gives to one person what, has previously belonged to another, changing the affairs of individuals only in point of time, in order that the whole world may become, as it were, one city, and enjoy the most excellent of constitutions, a democracy.
XXXVII. No one, therefore, of all the objects of human anxiety or of human labour, is of any importance or value; but every such thing is a mere shadow or breath, disappearing be- fore it can get any firm footing; for it comes and then again it departs, like the ebbing tide. For the sea, in its ebb and flow, is at one time borne forwards with great violence, and roaring, and noise, and overflowing its bounds makes a lake of what has previously been dry land; and, at another time, it recedes and makes a large portion of what has been sea, dry land. In the same manner, at times, prosperity overflows a mighty and populous nation, but afterwards turns the impetuosity of its stream in the opposite direction, and does not leave even the slightest drop, so as to suffer no trace whatever to remain of its former richness. But it is not everybody who receives the complete and full meaning of these events, but only those re- ceive it who are accustomed always to proceed in accordance with true and solid reason and limitation; for we find the same men saying both these things, " All the affairs of the created world are absolutely nothing;" and, " We will go by thy mountain." For it is impossible for one who is not in the habit of using high and mountainous roads to repudiate all mortal affairs, and to turn aside and change his paths for what is immortal.
Therefore the earthly Edom thinks it right to blockade the heavenly and royal road of virtue, and the divine reason block- ades his road, and that of all who follow his opinions; among whom we must enroll Balaam, for he also is a child of the earth, and not a shoot of heaven, and a proof of this is, that he, being influenced by omens and false prophecies, not even when the eye of his soul, which had been closed, recovered its sight, and " saw the angel of God standing against him in the way;"* not even then did he turn back and desist from doing * Numbers xxii. 31.
378 PHILO JCJD.EUS.
wrong, but giving way to a mighty torrent of folly, he was washed away and swallowed up by it.
For then the diseases of the soul are truly not only difficult of cure, but even utterly incurable, when, though conviction is present to us (and this is the word of God, coming as his angel and as our guide, and removing the obstacles before our feet, so that we may travel without stumbling along the level road), we nevertheless prefer our own indiscreet opinions, to the ex- planations and injunctions which he is accustomed to address to us for our admonition, and for the chastening and regu- lating of our whole life. On this account he who is not per- suaded by, and who shows no respect to, conviction, when it thus opposes him, will, in his turn, incur destruction with the wounded,* whom the passions have wounded and overthrown; and his calamity will be a most sufficient lesson for all those who are not utterly impure, to endeavour to keep the judge, that is within them, favourable to them, and he will be so if they do not reverse what has been rightly decided by him.
A TEEATISE TILLING OF THE EARTH BY NOAH.
I. " And Noah began to be a husbandman; and he planted a vineyard, and he drank of the wine, and he was drunk in his house. "f The generality of men not understanding the nature of things, do also of necessity err with respect to the compo- sition of names; for those who consider affairs anatomically, as it were, are easily able to affix appropriate names to things, but those who look at them in a confused and irregular way are in- capable of such accuracy. But Moses, through the exceeding ab ndance of his knowledge of all things, was accustomed to affix the most felicitous and expressive appellations to them. Accordingly, in many passages of the law, we shall find this opinion, which we have expressed, confirmed by the fact, and not least in the passage which we have cited at the beginning of this treatise, in which the just Noah is represented as a hus- * Numbers xxxi. 8. t Genesis ix. 20.
ON THE TILLING OF THE EARTH BY NOAH. 379