fourth is that in which we acquire complete and perfect health and vigour, when rejecting what is bad we appear to endeavour to apply to what is good, which previously wras not in our power.
LX. But up to what time this is to be he tells us himself, when he says, " For the wickednesses of the Amorites are not yet fulfilled."* And such words as these give an occasion to weaker brethren to fancy, that Moses represents fate and ne- cessity as the causes of all things that exist or take place: but we must not be ignorant that he was well acquainted with the consequences, and connection, and reciprocal dependence of the causes of things, inasmuch as he was a philosophical man, accustomed to converse with God: and he does not attribute the causes of things which exist, or which take place, to these powers; for he imagined to himself some other more ancient power, mounted upon the universe, like a charioteer, or like the pilot of a ship; for this power steers the whole common vessel of the world in which all things sail, and he bridles the * Genesis xv. 11.
ON WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS. 155 course of the winged chariot, the entire heaven, exerting an independent and absolute sovereign authority. What then are we to say about these subjects? The name Amorites, being interpreted, means " talkers;" and numbers of those who have received that greatest of all the blessings bestowed upon man by nature, namely speech, have abused and corrupted it, em- ploying it ungratefully and treacherously, to the injury of her who has bestowed it. Such are flatterers, impostors, devisers 3f plausible sophistries, men who rather cultivate the skill to lelude and to cheat, and who have no care to speak truly, and these men study indistinctness. Now indistinctness is equiva- lent to deep darkness in discourse; and darkness is the great assistant of robbers, on which account Moses has adorned the chief priest with distinct demonstration and truth; thinking it proper that the discourse of the virtuous man should be clear, and perspicuous, and true; but men in general pursue that which is indistinct and false, under the banner of which the whole misguided multitude of ordinary careless men enrols itself.
Therefore, as long as " the offences of the Amorites are not fulfilled," that is to say, the evils of sophistical arguments by reason of their not having been refuted, but while they still influence us, having an attractive power by reason of their plausibility, we being unable to turn away and forsake them, remain in their power from being allured by them. But if Dnce^all unreal plausibilities are convicted and refuted by true proofs, and if their offences are shown to be full and running Dver, then we shall flee away without ever turning back, and as it were slipping our cables we shall set sail from the region 3f falsehoods and sophistries, hastening to cast anchor in the safe harbours and havens of truth.
And in this way, I look upon it as sufficiently proved in the spirit of my original proposition that it is impossible for a man to reject, and to hate, and to forsake plausible falsehood, unless the evils arising from it are seen to be full and complete; and they will be shown to be so, by its being refuted in no super- ficial way, by the establishment on the other hand, and by the complete confirmation of truth.
LXI. In the next verse the historian proceeds to say, "and when the sun approached its setting, there was a flame;"* * Genesis xv. 17.
156 rniLO jud^us.
Bhowing that virtue is a thing which is not born till late, and indeed which, as some persons have said, is only confirmed and established at the very setting of life. And he corn]) virtue to a flame; for as the flame consumes what materials are exposed to it, and gives light to all the air in its neighbourhood, in the same manner does virtue burn up all the offences, and fills the whole mind with light. But while discourses, which are neither divided nor properly distributed, prevail over us by reason of their plausibilities, which he here calls the Amorites, we are not able to see the most brilliant and unshaded light. But we are like a furnace which has not a pure flame, but, as he himself says, emits only smoke, being gradually kindled by the sparks of knowledge, but not as yet being able to stand the hardening and test of pure fire.
But we owe great gratitude to him who has scattered those sparks, in order that our mind may not become cold like a lifeless corpse, but being warmed and vivified by the gentle increasing heat of virtue, may feel a glow until it receives the change to holy fire, like Nadab and Abihu. But smoke exists before fire, and compels those who come near it to weep; but both fire and smoke often come together. For, being delighted at the messengers of virtue, we hope to attain perfection therein, and if we are not yet able to arrive at it, then we can scarcely through our grief forbear from tears. For when an excessive desire is implanted in our breasts, they hasten to pursue the desired object, and our faces are full of chagrin until we attain it.
And how he has compared the soul of the man, who loves instruction and who cherishes a hope of arirving at perfection, to a furnace, because each is a vessel in which food is cooked, the one being the vessel in which those meats which are perish- able are prepared, and the other that suited to the reception of the imperishable virtues.
And the burning torches of fire which are lighted up are the judgments of God who bears the torch, being bright and radiant, which are accustomed to be always placed in the middle between the divided portions; I mean by this the portions set in opposition to one another, of which the whole world is composed. For we read in the scripture, " The lamp of fire which were in the midst between the divided portions,"* * Genesis xv. 17.
ON SEEKING INSTRUCTION. 157 ;hat you may know that the divine powers which go through lie middle of both bodies and things, destroy none of them; or both the divisions remain unhurt, but only divide and liscrirninate in a most excellent manner between the natures >f each.
LXIL Therefore, the wise man has now been sufficiently jroved to be the inheritor of the knowledge of the subjects ilxnn mentioned. " For," says the historian, " on that day he Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, to thy seed vill I give this land."* But what land does he mean but that vhich has been already mentioned, to which he is now making 'eference? The fruit of which is the safe and most certain ;orn prehension of the wisdom of God, according to which it ^reserves for its dividers all the good things which exist with- jut any admixture or taint of evil, as if they had been ncorruptible from their very beginning. After this he proceeds o add, "from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates." Showing that those men who are perfect have ;heir beginnings in the body, and the outward sense, and the >rganic parts, without which we cannot live, for they are iseful for instruction in the life which is in union with the 3ody; but they have their end with the wisdom of God, which J9 truly the great river, overflowing with joy, and cheerfulness, ind all other blessings. For he has not described the country is reaching from the river Euphrates to the river of Egypt Tor he would never have brought over virtue towards the passions of the body), but on the contrary, he has said from the fiver of Egypt to the river Euphrates. For the migrations ire from mortal things to things incorruptible.
A TREATISE ON THE MEETING FOR THE SAKE OF SEEKING INSTRUCTION.
I. " But Sarah the wife of Abraham had not borne him any child. And she had an Egyptian handmaiden, whose name waa Hagar. And Sarah said unto Abraham, Behold, the Lord * Genesis xv. 18.
158 PHILO JUD.EUS.
has closed me up, so that I should not bear children; go in unto my handmaiden that thou mayest have children by her."* The name Sarah, being interpreted, means "my princedom.'' And the wisdom which is in me, and the temperance which is in me, and the particular justice, and each of the other virtues which belong to me alone, are the princedom of me alone. For such virtue, being a queen from its birth, rules over and governs me who have determined on obeying it.
Now this virtue, Moses (making a most paradoxical assertion) reports, as being both barren and also most prolific, since; he affirms that the most populous of all nations is sprung from it. For, in real truth, virtue is barren with respect to all things which are evil, but is so exceedingly prolific of good things, that it stands in no need of the art of the midwife, for it anticipates it by bringing forth before its arrival. Therefore animals and plants, after considerable intervals and inter- ruptions, bring forth their appropriate fruits, once, or at most twice a year; according to the number of times which nature has appointed each of them, and which is properly adapted to the seasons of the year. But virtue without any interruption, without any interval or any cessation, is continually bringing forth at all times and on all occasions, not indeed children, but virtuous reasonings, and irreproachable counsels, and praise- worthy actions.
II. But neither is wealth, which it is not possible to employ, of any advantage to its possessors, nor is the fertility of wisdom of any service to us, unless it also brings forth such things as are serviceable to us. For some persons it judges to be in every respect worthy of living in its company; but others appear to have not yet arrived at such an age, as to be able to support so highly praised and well regulated a charge; whom, however, it permits to enter upon the preliminaries of marriage, holding out to them a hope that they may hereafter consummate the wedlock.
Sarah therefore, the virtue which rules over my soul, has brought forth, but, she has not brought forth for me (for I should never as yet have been able, since I am quite young, to receive her offspring); she has brought forth, I say, wisdom, and the doing of just actions, and piety, by reason of the multitude of illegitimate children whom the vain opinions * Genesis xvi. 1.
ON SEEKING INSTRUCTION. 159 have brought forth to me. For the education of the offspring, and the constant superintendence and incessant care which ;they require, have compelled me to neglect the legitimate children, who are really citizens. It is well, therefore, to pray . that virtue may not only bring forth, siuce she is prolific even without a prayer, but that she also may bring for us; in j order that we, receiving a share of her seed and of her offspring, may be happy. For she is accustomed to bring forth children to God alone, restoring with burning gratitude the first fruits of all the blessings which she has received, to him, who, as Closes says, "opened her womb,"* which was at all times virgin. For he also says that the lamp, that archetypal model after which the copy is made, shines in one part, that is to say, in the part which is turned towards God.t For since that completes the number of seven, and stands iD the middle of the six branches, which are divided into two lots of three each, acting as body-guards to it on either side, it sends its rays upwards toward that one being, namely God, thinking its light too brilliant for mortal sight to be able to stand its proximity. III. On this account he does not say that Sarah did not bring forth at all, but only that she did not bring forth for him, for Abraham. For we are not as yet capable of becoming the fathers of the offspring of virtue, unless we first of all have a connection with her handmaiden; and the handmaiden of wisdom is the encyclical knowledge of music and logic, arrived at by previous instruction. For as in houses there are vesti- bules placed in front of staircases, and as in cities there are suburbs, through which one must pass in order to enter into the cities; so also the encyclical branches of instruction are placed in front of virtue, for they are the road which conducts to her. And as you must know that it is common for there to be great preludes to great propositions, and the greatest of all propositions is virtue, for it is conversant about the most' important of all materials, namely, about the universal life of man; very naturally, therefore, that will not employ any short preface, but rather it will use as such, grammar, geometry, astronomy, rhetoric, music, and all the other sorts of contem- plation which proceed in accordance with reason; of which 1 1 agar, the handmaid of Sarah, is an emblem, as we will proceed to show.
* Genesis xxix. 31. t Exodus xxv. 31.
100 PHILO JUD^US.
" For Sarah," says Moses, "said unto Abraham, Behold, the Lord has closed me up, so that 1 may not bear children. in unto my handmaiden, that thou mayest have children by her." Now, we must take out of the present discussion those c< injunctions and connections of body with body which hava pleasure for their end. For this is the connection of the mind with virtue, which is desirous to have children by her, and which, if it cannot do so at once, is at all events taught to espouse her handmaid, namely, intermediate instruction.
IV. And here it is worth while to admire wisdom, by reason of its modesty, which has not thought fit to reproach us with the slowness of our generation, or our absolute barrenness. And this, too, though the oracle says truly that she brought forth no child, not out of envy, but because of the unsuitable- nesa of our own selves. For, says she, " The Lord has closed me up so, that I may not bear children." And she no longer adds the words, " to you," that she may not appear to mention the misfortunes of others, or to reproach them with theirs. " Therefore," says she, " go thou in to my handmaiden," that is to say, to the intermediate instruction of the intermediate and encyclical branches of knowledge, " that you may first have children by her;" for hereafter you shall be able to enjoy a connection with her mistress, tending to the procreation of legitimate children. For grammar, by teaching you the histories which are to be found in the works of the poets and historians, will give you intelligence and abundant learning; and, moreover, will teach you to look with contempt on all the vain fables which erroneous opinious invent, on account of the ill success which history tells us that the heroes and demigods who are celebrated among those writers, meet with.
And music will teach what is inharmonious in the way of rhythm, and what is ill arranged in harmony, and, rejecting all that is out of tune and all that is inconsistent with melody, will guide what was previously discordant to concord. And geometry, sowing the seeds of equality and just proportion in the soul, which is fond of learning, will, by means of the beauty of continued contemplation, implant in you an admiration of justice. And rhetoric, having sharpened the mind for contemplation in general, and having exercised and trained the faculties of speech in interpretation and explanation, will make man really rational, taking care of that peculiar and especial ON SEEKING INSTRUCTION. 161 duty which nature has bestowed upon it, but upon no other animal whatever. And dialectic science, which is the sister, the twin sister of rhetoric, as some persons have called it, i rating true from false arguments, and refuting the plausibilities of sophistical arguments, will cure the great disease of the soul, deceit.
It is profitable, therefore, to abide among these and other sciences resembling them, and to devote one's especial atten- tion to them. For perhaps, I say, as has happened to many, we shall become known to the queenly virtues by means of their subjects and handmaidens. Do you not see that our bodies do not use solid and costly food before they have first, in their age of infancy, used such as had no variety, and consisted merely of milk? And, in the same way, think also that infantine food is prepared for the soul, namely the encyclical sciences, and the contemplations which are directed to each of them; but that the more perfect and becoming food, namely the virtues, is prepared for those who are really full-grown men.
V. Now the first characteristics of the intermediate instruc- tion are represented by two symbols, the race and the name. As to race, the handmaiden is an Egyptian, and her name is 1 [agar; and this name, being interpreted, means "emigration." For it follows of necessity that the man who delights in the encyclical contemplations, and who joins himself as a companion to varied learning, is as such enrolled under the banners of the earthly and Egyptian body; and that he stands in need of eyes in order to see and to read, and of ears in order to attend and to hear, and of his other external senses, in such a manner as to be able to unfold each of the objects of the external sense. For it is not natural to suppose that the subject of judgmeut can possibly be comprehended without some power which is to judge; and the power which judges of the objects of the external sense is the external sense, so that without the external sense it would not be possible for any thing in that world which is perceptible by the external sense to be accurately known, though those are the matters which are the principal field for philosophical speculation.
But the external sense, being that portion of the soul which most resembles the body, is deeply rooted in the entire vessel of the soul; and the vessel of the soul is, by a figurative way vol. 11. M 162 PIIILO JUDiEUS.
of speaking, called Egypt. And there is this one characteristic derived from her race, which the handmaiden of virtue possesses. But what or what kind of characteristic that is which is derived from the name, we must now proceed to consider.
The intermediate instruction has the same rank and classi- fication as a sojourner. For all knowledge, and wisdom, and virtue, are the only real native and original inhabitants and citizens of the universe. And all the other kinds of instruction, which obtain the second, and third, and lowest honours, are on the confines, between foreigners and citizens. For they are not connected with either race without some alloy, and yet again they are connected with both according to a certain community and participation. For they are sojourners from the fact of their passing their time among citizens; but from the fact of their not being settled inhabitants, they also resemble foreigners. In the same manner, according to my idea, as adopted children, inasmuch as they inherit the property of those who have adopted them, resemble real legitimate children; but inasmuch as they were not begotten by them, they resemble strangers. The same relation, then, that a mistress has to her handmaidens, or a wife, who is a cititzn, to a concubine, that same relation has virtue, that is Sarah, to education, that is Hagar. So that very naturally, since the husband, by name Abraham, is one who has an admiration for contemplation and knowledge; virtue, that is Sarah, would be his wife, and Hagar, that is all kinds of encylical accomplishment, would be his concubine. Whoever, therefore, has acquired wisdom from his teachers, would never reject Hagar. For the acquisition of all the preliminary branches of education is wholly necessary.
VI. But if any one, having determined on perse veringly enduring labours in the cause of virtue, devotes himself to continued study, practising and meditating without intermis- sion, that man will marry two citizens, and also an equal number of concubines, the handmaidens of the citizens. And each of these has a different appearance and a different nature. For instance, of the two citizen wives, one is a most healthy and well established and peaceful motion, whom from the circumstances the historians called Leah: and the other resembles a whetstone and is called Rachel, in the pursuit of ON SEEKING INSTRUCTION. 163 whom the mind, which is fond of labour and fond of exercises, is much sharpened and excited; and the name, being inter- preted, means the "sight of profanation;"' not because she sees profanely, but, on the contrary, because she thinks the things which are seen and which are the objects of the external senses, not brilliant but common and profane in comparison of the pure and untainted nature of those things which are invi- sible and which are only discernible by the intellect.
For since our soul is composed of two parts, and since the one contains the rational faculties, and the other the irrational ones, it follows that each part must have its own peculiar virtue, Leah being the virtue of the rational part, and Rachel of the irra- tional. For the one trains us, by means of the external senses and the parts of speech, to look contemptuously upon all things which it is proper to disregard, such as glory, and wealth, and pleasure, which the principal and general multitude of common men look upon as things to be admired and striven for, their sense of hearing being corrupted, and the tribunal of all the other external senses being corrupted likewise. But the other teaches us to turn away from that uneven and rough road which is never approached by souls that love virtue, and to go smoothly along the smooth road without any stumbling and without meeting any hindrances in the path. Therefore the handmaiden of the former of the two citizen wives will neces- sarily be the power of interpretation as exercised by means of the organs of speech, and also the rational invention of sophisms, deceiving man by a well-imagined plausibility; and its necessary nourishment is meat and drink.
The historian has recorded for us the names of the two handmaidens, calling them Zilpah and Billah.* The name Zilpah, being interpreted, means " a mouth going forth," a symbol of that nature which interprets and speaks. But Billah means " a swallowing," which is the first and most necessary support of all mortal animals. For it is by swallow- ing that our bodies are established firmly, and the cables of life are attached to this action as to a sure foundation. Accord- ingly the practiser of virtue lives with all the aforesaid powers, with some as with free women and citizens, and with others as slaves and concubines. For he is enamoured of the motion of Leah; and a smooth (Xsia) motion existing in a body would 1G4 PIIILO JUD.EUS.
be calculated to produce health, and, when existing in a soul, it would produce virtue and justice. But he loves Rachel, wrest- ling with his passions, and preparing himself for a struggle of temperance, arraying himself in opposition to all the object^ of the external senses. For there are two kinds of advantage, either that according to which we enjoy blessings, as in peace, or else that which comes from arraying one's self in opposition to and from removing evils as in war. Now Leah is the wife according to whom it happens to the husband to enjoy the elder, and more important, and dominant blessings; and Rachel the wife, according to whom he obtains what resemble the sports of war. Such then is his way, if left with his citizen wives.
But the practiser of virtue also wants Billah, that is, swallow- ing, but as a slave and a concubine; for without food and vitality, living well could not possibly be the lot of the man, since things indifferent are always the foundation of what is better; and he also wants Zilpah, that is to say, interpre- tation by means of utterance, in order that the rational part itself may, in a twofold manner, contribute to perfection, both from the fountain existing in the intellect, and also from the stream flowing therefrom in the organ of the voice.
VII. But these men were husbands of many wives and con- cubines, not only of such as were citizens, as the sacred scriptures tell us. But Isaac had neither many wives nor any concubine at all, but only his first and wedded wife, who lived with him all his life. Why was this? Because the virtue acquired by teaching, which Abraham pursues, requires many things, both such as are legitimate according to prudence, and such also as are illegitimate according to the exegetical con- templations of preliminary instruction. And there is also a virtue which is made perfect by practice, to which Jacob ap- pears to have been devoted; for exercises consist of many and various dogmas and doctrines, some leading and others follow- ing, some leading the way, and others arriving later, and bringing at one time more serious, and at other times lighter labours. But the self-instructed race, of which Isaac was a partaker, the excellent country of the mastery over the pas- sions, has received as its share a nature simple, and unmixed, and unalloyed, standing in no need of either practice or instruction in which there is need of the concubine sciences, ON SEEKING INSTRUCTION. 165