XL. And we may find something very much resembling his equality, according to analogy in the case of the festival /Inch is called the passover; and the passover is when the oul is anxious to unlearn its subjection to the irrational •assions, and willingly submits itself to a reasonable mastery ver them. For it is expressly said, " If there be few that are 11 thy house, so as not to be sufficient in number for a sheep, hen thou shalt take thy nearest neighbour in addition, ccording to the number of souls,"f so that each person may eceive a sufficient share in proportion to the number of his unify, being such as he is found to be worthy of and to have leed of.
But when, as if it were some country, he wishes to divide ut virtue among its inhabitants, he then allows the more umerous body to have more, and the less numerous to have 388, thinking it reasonable not to allot a larger share to a * Exodus xvi. 18. t Exodus xii. 16.
K 2 smaller number, nor a smaller share to a larger number; for in such a case they would neither of them be suited to their respective portions.
XLI. But the most manifest instance of equality in respect of number, is exhibited in the sacred offerings of the twelve princes, and again in the portions of those offerings which are distributed among the chiefs. For, says the scripture, " There shall be an equal share allotted to each of the sons of Aaron."* Equality is also very beautifully displayed in respect of the composition of spices for purposes of fumigation; for we read, " Take to thyself sweet odours, stacte, onycha, galbanum, these sweet spices with pure frankincense, all of the most chosen kinds, all of equal weight and thou shalt make of it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, a pure composition, a holy work."f For the Lord enjoins here that each of the separate portions shall be equal to each, with a view to the proper composition of the whole.
And as I imagine these four ingredients of which the entire perfume is composed are emblems of the four elements of which the whole world is made; he likens the stacte to water, the onycha to land, the galbanum to the air, and the pure transparent frankincense to fire; for stacte, which derives its name from the drops (ffTwyovsg) in which it falls is liquid, and onycha is dry and earth-like, the sweet smelling gal- banum is added by way of giving a representation of the air, for there is fragrance in the air; and the transparency which there is in frankincense serves for a representation of fire. On which account also, he has separated the things which have weight from those which are light, uniting the one class by a closely connecting combination, and bringing forth the other in a disunited form; as where he says, " Take to thy- self sweet odours, stacte, onycha," these things being weighty he mentions unconnectedly, being the symbols of earth and water. Afterwards he begins afresh with the other class, which he mentions in combination, saying, " And the sweet spice of galbanum and the transparent frankincense," these again being in their own nature emblems of the light things, air and fire.
And the harmonious composition and mixture of these things is truly his most ancient and most perfect holy work, * Numbers vii. 5. + Exodus xxx. 34 ON WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS. 133 namely, the world; which, speaking of it under the emblem of perfume, he thinks is bound to show gratitude to its Creator. So that in name the composition which has been carefully fabricated by the art of the apothecary may be offered up, but in real fact the whole world which was created by divine wisdom may be consecrated and dedicated, being made a burnt offering of early in the morning and also in the evening. For such a life as this becomes the world, namely, continually and without ceasing to be giving thanks to its Father and Creator, so as to stop short of nothing but evapo- rating and reducing itself into its original element, in order to show that it stores up and conceals nothing, but dedicates itself wholly as a pious offering to God who created it.
XLII. And I marvel also at that sacred word which runs on with zeal, in one continued course, without taking breath, "In order to stand in the midst between the dead and the living; and immediately," says Moses, " the plague was stayed.''* But the evils which grind down and break to pieces and crush our souls were not likely either to be stayed or lightened, unless the reasoning, dear to God, had separated off the holy men who live in sincerity, from the unholy who in real truth are dead; for, owing to the mere fact of being near those wrho are sick, it has often happened that those who were in perfect health have caught their disease, and have been at the point of death: and it was impossible for them any longer to be exposed to this affliction if they once sepa- rated by a strong boundary fixed in the middle between them, which will preserve the better part by keeping off the inroads and attacks of the worse.
And I marvel still more, when listening to the sacred oracles I learn from them in what manner " a cloud came in the midst t" between the army of the Egyptians and the com- pany of the children of Israel; for the cloud no longer permitted the race, which is temperate and beloved by God, to be persecuted by that which was devoted to the passions and a foe to God; being a covering and a protection to its friends, but a weapon of vengeance and chastisement against its enemies; for it gently showers down wisdom on the minds which study virtue — wisdom which cannot be visited by any evil. But on those minds which are ill-disposed and unpro- * Numbers xvi. 48. f Exodus xiv. 19.
134 PHILO JUDjEUS.
ductive of knowledge, it pours forth a whole "body of punish- ments, bringing upon them the most pitiable destruction of the deluge.
And the Father who created the universe has given to his archangelie and most ancient Word a pre-eminent gift, to stand on the confines of both, and separated that which had been created from the Creator. And this same Word is con- tinually a suppliant to the immortal God on behalf of the mortal race, which is exposed to affliction and misery; and is also the ambassador, sent by the Ruler of all, to the subject race. And the Word rejoices in the gift, and, exulting in it, announces it and boasts of it, saying, " And I stood in the midst, between the Lord and you;"* neither being uncreate as God, nor yet created as you, hut being in the midst between these two extremities, like a hostage, as it were, to both parties: a hostage to the Creator, as a pledge and secu- rity that the whole race would never fly off and revolt entirely, choosing disorder rather than order; and to the creature, to lead it to entertain a confident hope that the merciful God would not overlook his own work. For I will proclaim peace- ful intelligence to the creation from him who has determined to destroy wars, namely God, who is ever the guardian of peace.
XLIII. Therefore the sacred Word, having given us instruc- tion respecting the division into equal parts, leads us also to the knowledge of opposites, saying that God placed the divisions " opposite to one another;"f for in fact nearly all the things that exist in the world, are by nature opposite to one another. And we must begin with the first.
Hot is opposite to cold, and dry to wet, and light to heavy, and darkness to light, and night to day; also in heaven that which is fixed is opposite to the wandering planetary motion, and in the air a clear sky is opposite to clouds, winter to summer, autumn to spring, for the one is blooming and the other fading. Again, of things on earth, sweet water is opposite to bitter, and barren to fertile land. Again, there are other things contrary to one another, as visible bodifs to incorporeal, things endowed with vitality to things inanim ite, rational to irrational, mortal to immortal, things discernible by the outward sense to things perceptible only by the intellect; * Numbers xvi. 48. f Genesis xv. 10.
ON WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS. 135 tilings comprehensible to things incomprehensible, elements to things concrete and perfected, beginning to end, generation to destruction, life to death, disease to health, white to black, the right to the left, justice to injustice, wisdom to folly, courage to cowardice, temperance to intemperance, virtue to vice; and all the species of one class to all the species of the other class.
Again, grammatical knowledge is contrary to ignorance of the same subject, musical science to unacquaintance with music, an educated to an illiterate condition; and, in short, skill in art to want of skill. Again, in the different arts there are vocal elements and mute elements, there are sharp and flat sounds, there are straight and circular lines. Once more, in animals and plants, there are some barren and some pro- ductive; some very prolific, others which yield but small increase; animals oviparous and animals viviparous; animals with soft skins, and others with hard shells; some wild and some tractable creatures; some fond of solitude, and others gregarious.
To go on further: poverty is opposite to wealth, glory to want of reputation, baseness of birth to nobility, want to abundance, war to peace, law to lawlessness, a bad to a good disposition, inactivity to labour, youth to old age, power to want of power, weakness to strength. And why need I enumerate every class separately, when these are unlimited and indescribable by reason of their multitude? Very beautifully, therefore, has the interpreter of the writings of nature, taking pity upon our idleness and want of consideration, taught every one of us in an invisible manner, as he does now, to arrange everything in such a way as to produce an exact opposition, not arranging them in wholes, but in equal divisions; for one thing consists of the two opposite parts; and when that one thing is bisected then the opposite parts are easily known. Is not this the thing which the Greeks say that Heraclitus, that great philosopher who is so celebrated among them, put forth as the leading principle of his whole philosophy, and boasted of it as if it were a new discovery? For it is in reality an ancient discoveiy of Moses, that out of the same thing opposite things are produced having the ratio of parts to the whole, as has here been shown.
XL VI. These matters then we will examine into accurately 136 PHILO JUDyEUS.
on another occasion; but there is this other point also, which does not deserve to be passed over in silence. For the divi- sions into two equal parts which have been mentioned become six in number, since three animals were divided, so that the Word which divided them made up the number seven, dividing the two triads and establishing itself in the midst of them. And a thing very similar to this appears to me to be very clearly shown in the matter of the sacred candlestick; for that also was made having six branches, three on each side, and the main candlestick itself in the middle made the seventh, dividing and separating the two triads; for it is made of carved work, a divine work of exquisite skill and highly admired, being made of one solid piece of pure gold. For the unit, being one and single and pure, begot the number seven, which had no mother but is born of itself alone, without taking any additional material whatever to aid him.
But those who praise gold say a great many other things by way of panegyric on it, but dwell on two especial points as most particularly important and excellent; one that it does not receive poison, the other that it can be beaten out or melted out into the thinnest possible plates, while still remaining unbroken. Therefore it is very naturally taken as an emblem of that greater nature, which, being extended and diffused every where so as to penetrate in every direction, is wholly full of everything, and also connects all other things with the most admirable arrangement.
Concerningthe candlestick above mentioned, the artist speaks again a second time and says, that from its different branches there are three arms projecting out on each side, equals in all respects to one another, and having on the top lamps like nuts, in the shape of flowers supporting the lights; * the seventh flower being fashioned on the top of the candlestick of solid gold, and having seven golden places for lights above them; so that in many accounts it has been believed to be fashioned in such a manner because the number six is divided into two triads by the Word, making the seventh and being placed in the midst of them; as indeed is the case now. For the entire candle- stick with its six most entire and principal parts was made so as to consist of seven lamps, and seven flowers, and seven lights; and the six lights are divided by the seventh. And in like * Exodus xxv. 33.
ON WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS. 137 nanner the flowers are divided by that which comes in the liddle; and in the same manner also the lamps are divided by be seventh which comes in the middle. But the six branches, nd the equal number of arms which shoot out are divided by le main trunk itself which makes up the number seven.
XLV. But the long discussion which some people start with aspect to each of these, must be postponed to a subsequent pportunity. Thus much alone we must remind our readers of t this moment, that the sacred candlestick and the seven lights pon it are an imitation of the wandering of the seven planets irough the heaven. How so? some one will say. Because, e will reply, in the same manner as the lights, so also does very one of the planets shed its rays. They therefore, being lore brilliant, do transmit more brilliant beams to the earth, nd brilliant beyond them all is he who is the centre one of the 3ven, the sun. And I call him the centre, not merely because e has the central position, as some have thought, but also ecause he has on many other accounts a right to be ministered nto and attended by the others accompanying him as body- uards on each side, by reason of his dignity and his magnitude, nd the great benefits which he pours upon all earthly things.
But men, being unable completely to comprehend the rrangement of the planets (and in fact what other of the eavenly bodies can they understand with certainty and clear- ess?) speak according to their conjectures. And these persons ppear to me to form the best conjectures on such subjects, who, aving assigned the central position to the sun, say that there an equal number of planets, namely, those above him and elow him. Those above him being Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars; len comes the Sun himself, and next to him Mercury, Venus, id the Moon, which last is close to the air. The Creator lerefore, wishing that there should be a model upon earth mong us of the seven-lighted sphere as it exists in heaven, rdaiued this exquisite work to be made, namely, this candle- ;ick. And its likeness to the soul is often pointed out too; for le soul is divisible into three parts, and each of the parts, as as been already pointed out, is divided into two more. And ms there being six divisions, the sacred and divine Word, the ivider of them all, very naturally makes up the number seven.
XLVI. This other point also is too important to deserve to 3 passed over in silence: that, as there are three vessels 138 piiilo juDiEus.
138 piiilo juDiEus.
among the sacred furniture, a candlestick, a bath, and an altar of incense; the altar of incense has reference to that grati- tude which is exhibited for the bestowal of the elements, as has been shown before, since it does itself also receive a por- tion from these four, receiving wood from the earth, and the spices which are burnt from the water; for, being first of all liquefied, they are dissolved into drops of moisture, and vapour from the air, and form the fire the spark which kindles the whole; and the composition of frankincense, and galbanum, and onycha, and stacte, is a symbol of the four elements; and the table is referred to the gratitude which is displayed for the mortal things which are made out of the elements, for loaves and libations are placed upon it, which the creatures who stand in need of nourishment must of necessity use. And the candlestick has reference to the gratitude exhibited for all the things existing in heaven, in order that no portion of the world may lie under the imputation of ingratitude; but that we may see that every single part of it gives thanks, the ele- ments, the things made of them, and not those only which are made on earth, but also those in heaven.
XL VII. And it is worth while to consider why, after having explained the measures of the table and of the altar of incense, he has given no such description of the candlestick; may it not be, perhaps, for the reason that the elements and all the mortal things which are compounded of them, of which the table and the altar of incense are symbols, have been measured, inasmuch as they are terminated in heaven? For that which surrounds anything is invariably the measure of that which is surrounded; but the heaven, of which the candlestick is the symbol, is of infinite magnitude; for it is indeed sur- rounded, but not, according to the account of Moses, by a vacuum, nor by any substance, nor by anything which is of equal magnitude with itself, nor by anything of unlimited size, in accordance with the marvellous fables which we touched upon when speaking of the building of the tower; but its boun- dary is God, and he also is its ruler and the director of its course.
As, therefore, the living God is incomprehensible, so also that which is bounded by him is not measured by any mea- sures which come within the range of our intellect; and, perhaps, inasmuch as it is of circular form and skilfully ON WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS. 139 fashioned into a perfect sphere, it has no participation in either length or breadth.
XLV1II. Therefore, after he has said what is becoming on this subject, he proceeds to add, " But the birds he did not divide;"* meaning, by the term birds, the two reasonings which are winged and inclined by nature to soar to the investi- gation of sublime subjects; one of them being the archetypal pattern and above us, and the other being the copy of the former and abiding among us. And Moses calls the one which is above us the image of God, and the one which abides among us the impression of that image, " For," says he, "God made man," not an image, " but after the image."! So that the mind which is in each of us, which is in reality and truth the man, is a third image proceeding from the Creator. But the inter- mediate one is a model of the one and a copy of the other. But by nature our mind is indivisible; for the Creator, having divided the irrational part of the soul into six portions, has made six divisions of it, namely, sight, taste, hearing, smell- ing, touch, and voice; but the rational part, which is called the mind he has left undivided, according to the likeness of the entire heaven. For in this, also, there is is a report that the outermost sphere, which is destitute of motion, is preserved without being divided, but that the inner one is divided into six portions, and thus completes the seven circles of what are called the planets: for I imagine the heaven is in the world the same thing that the soul is in the human being. They say, therefore, that these two natures, full of reason and comprehension — that, I mean, which exists in man and that which exists in the world — are both at all times entire and indivisible.
On this account, therefore, it is that the scriptures tell us, " He did not divide the birds." For our own mind is here compared to a dove, since that is a creature which is tame and domesticated among us; and the turtle dove is compared to the model presented by the other, that is to say, by the mind of the world, the heaven; for the word of God is fond of retirement, and solitude, and privacy; not mixing itself up with the crowd of things which have been created and will be destroyed, but being at all times accustomed to roam on high, and being anxious to be an attendant only on the one supreme Being.
140 PIIILO JUDiEUS.
Therefore, the two natures are indivisible; the nature, I mean, of the reasoning power in us, and of the divine Word above us; but though they are indivisible themselves, they divide an innumerable multitude of other things. For it is the divine Word which divided and distributed every tiling in nature; and it is our own mind which divides every thing and every body which it comprehends, by the exertion of its intel- lect in an infinite manner, into an infinite number of parts, and which, in fact, never ceases from dividing. And this happens by reason of its resemblance to the Creator and Father of the universe; for the divine nature, being unmin- gled, uncombined with any thing else, and most completely destitute of parts, has been to the whole world the cause of mixture, and combination, and of an infinite variety of parts: so that, very naturally, the two things which thus resemble each other, both the mind which is in us and that which is above us, being without parts and indivisible, will still be able in a powerful manner to divide and distribute all existing things.
XLIX. Therefore, after Moses has mentioned the facts of birds not being cut in two pieces or divided, he proceeds to say, " And the birds came down and descended upon the bodies which were divided;"* using indeed expressions which are synonymous, but still representing the variance which exists in the facts in a most visible manner to those who are able to see. For it is contrary to nature that birds should come down, when they have been given wings for the purpose of soaring on high. For, as the earth is the most appropriate place for land animals, and above all for reptiles, which do not endure even to crawl upon it, but seek caves and lurking places, avoiding the regions which are above, on account of their kindred with the things which are below; so, in the same manner, the air is the appro- priate abode for the winged race, the element which is by nature light is the proper home for those creatures which are light by reason of their being feathered.
When, therefore, those creatures, whose nature it is to traverse the air and who ought to roam through the aether, descend and come down upon the land, they are unable to live a life according to their nature. On the other hand, Moses approves, in no ordinary degree, of whatever reptiles are able * Genesis xv. 1 1.
ON WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS. Hi to take a leap in an upward direction. At all events he says, " Ye shall eat of these winged reptiles which go upon four feet, and which have legs above their feet so as to be able by them to leap up from the ground."* But these reptiles are the emblems of souls, which like reptiles being rooted in the earthly body, when they are raised up, get strength to soar on high, taking the heaven in exchange for the earth, and immortality in exchange for destruction. We must, therefore, think that they are full of every description of misery, which, having been brought up in the air, and in the aether which is the purest of all tilings, have changed their abode (not being able to bear the satiety of divine things), and have descended to that mortal and evil district, the earth.
And there are innumerable imaginations concerning an innumerable variety of things which roam about upon it also; some voluntary, and some out of ignorance, which are in no respect different from winged creatures, and which Moses compares to the birds that come clown. And of these imagina- tions those which take the upward course belong to the better class, since virtue, which conducts the mind towards heaven and the divine country, travels with them. But those which take the downward course belong to the worse class, since wickedness guides them and drags them in the contrary direction by force. And their very names do, to a great extent, show the opposite character of the places. For virtue (upsrfi) has derived its name not only from the word (ui gs6/g) choice, but also from the fact of its being lifted up (crag>a rb cugeedou), for it is lifted up (a/gsra/) and borne on high because it always loves heavenly things; but wickedness (xaxiu) is so called from its tendency to go downwards (ocrb rou xarw xs^w^'/jjcsva/), and also because it compels those who practise it to fall down to the bottom (xara<7ri<7rrsiv).
Accordingly the thoughts of the soul which are at variance with one another, flying towards and descending upon the earth, both come down themselves and also throw the mind down too, mingling with bodies in a disgraceful degree, and with things which are perceptible by the outward senses, not discernible by the intellect, imperfect not entire, perishable and not living. For they mix themselves up not only with bodies, but also with the divisions of the bodies which have * Leviticus xi. 21.
U2 PHILO JUD.EUS.
been divided in two parts. And it is quite impossible that things which have been divided in this way should ever again admit of adaptation and union; since the nerves of the spirit, which were the strongest natural bond in them, are cut in two.
L. Moreover, Moses introduces a very true opinion when he teaches us that justice and every virtue loves the soul, but that wickedness and every vice is attached to the body; and that what is friendly to the one is in every case of necessity hostile to the other, as is the case even now. For having figuratively represented the wars of the soul, he then intro- duces birds as eager to involve themselves with and to cling to the bodies, and to satiate themselves with the flesh, the inroads and attacks of which the virtuous man, desiring to check, is said to sit by them as if he were a sort of curator or overseer of them. For when his domestic affairs were thrown into con- fusion by domestic sedition, and when the armies of the enemy were proceeding against him, he collected a wise council and deliberated with respect to the adversaries; in order that if he could possibly do so, using persuasion he might both put an end to the foreign war, and also remove the domestic confusion; for it was desirable to disperse those enemies who were gathering over him like a cloud, and who were full of irre- concileable enmity to him; and equally so to re-establish with the other party the relations which had previously existed.
Now those who are irreconcilable and implacable enemies are set down thus; the follies and intemperances of the soul, cowardice and injustice, and all the other irrational appetites which are accustomed to be generated by luxuriant and impo- tent appetite, raising their heads high and becoming res tiff, and preventing the mind from proceeding in its straight course; and very often throwing its whole system into confusion and beating it down.
But the attacks and conflicts of those powTers which are not irreconcilable resemble the frequent effect of the discussions and quarrels about doctrines which arise among the Sophists. For inasmuch as they all labour for one end, namely the con- templation of the things of nature, they may be said to be friends; but inasmuch as they do not agree in their particular investi- gations they may be said to be in a state of domestic sedition; as, for instance, those who affirm the universe to be uncreated ON WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS 143 are at variance with those who insist upon its creation; and again those who urge that it will be destroyed are at strife with those who affirm that it is indeed perishable by nature but that it never will be destroyed, because it is held together by a more powerful chain, the will of the Creator. And again, those who affirm that there is nothing self-existent, but that everything has been created, are at variance with those who are of a contrary opinion, Those too, who say that man is he measure of all things, differ from those who would restrain the judicial faculties of the outward senses and of the intellect. And, in short, to sum up all these differences in a few words, those who represent everything as incomprehensible are at variance with those who say that a great number of things are properly understood.
And the sun, and the moon, and the whole heaven, and the earth, and the air, and the water, and all the things that are connected with them, afford subject for strife and contention to those who are fond of examining into such subjects, and who investigate their essences, and distinctive qualities, and changes, and alterations, and moreover their origin and the method of their destruction; and making no superficial investigation into the magnitude and motion of the heavenly bodies, they adopt all sorts of different opinions, never agreeing together, until some man, who is at the same time skilful at disentangling controversies and calculated to judge, takes his seat on the tribunal, and comes to a clear perception of the progeny of each individual's soul, and discards those which do not deserve to be maintained, and preserves those which are good, and which he pronounces worthy of suitable providential care. And all the controversies of philosophy are full of disagreement, since the truth escapes the intellect which is given to plausibilities and conjectures: for it is the very difficulty of discovering and seizing hold of the nature of truth that, in my opinion, has given rise to so many quarrels.