And it is only lately that I heard an ungodly and impious man mocking and ridiculing these things, who ventured to say " Surely they are great and exceeding gifts which Moses say* that the Ruler of the universe offers, who, by the addition oi one element, the one letter alpha, a superfluous element;* and then again adding another element, the letter rho, appears to have hestowed upon men a most marvellous and greal benefit; for he has called the wife of Abram Sarrah instead oi Sarah, doubling the Rho," and connecting a number of similar arguments without drawing breath, and joking and mocking, he went through many instances. But at no distant period he suffered a suitable punishment for his insane wickedness; for on a very slight and ordinary provocation he hanged himself, in order that so polluted and impure a person might not die by a pure and unpolluted death.
IX. But we may justly, in order to prevent any one else from falling into the same error, eradicate the erroneous notions which have been formed on the subject, arguing the matter on the principle of natural philosophy, and proving that these things which are here said are worthy of all attention. God does not bestow on men mutes and vowels, or, in short, nouns and verbs; since when he created plants and animals, he sum- moned them before man as their governor, that he might give each of them their appropriate names by a reference to the knowledge which he had of all things; for, says the scripture, " Whatever Adam called any thing, that was the name thereof." f Therefore since God did not think fit to take upon himself even the active imposition of the names, but entrusted the task to a wise man, the author of the whole race of mankind, is it reasonable to suppose that he himself gave and arranged the different parts, and syllables, and letters of nouns, disposing not only the vowels, but even the mutes, and that he did this too to make a show of liberality and exceeding beneficence? It is impossible to say so. But such things as these are the * The text here is very corrupt. Mangey adopts the emendations of Markland, and I have followed his translation. + Genesis ii. 19.
ON THE CHANGE OF SCRIPTURE NA3 251 characteristic marks of different powers; small marks of grout powers, marks perceptible b}r the outward senses of powers appreciable only by the intellect, manifest marks of powers which are indistinct; and the powers themselves are discerned i in most excellent doctrines, in true and pure conceptions, in i the improvement of souls.
And it is easy to see a proof of this if we make a beginning with the man who is here spoken of as having his name I changed; for the name Abram, being interpreted, means ("sublime father," but Abraham means the "elect father of sound;" and how these names differ from one another we shall know more clearly if we first of all read what is exhibited under each of them. Now using allegorical language, we call that man sublime who raises himself from the earth to a height, and who devotes himself to the inspection of high things; and we also call him a haunter of high regions, and a meteorolo- gist, inquiring what is the magnitude of the sun, what are his motions, how he influences the seasons of the year, advancing as he does and retreating back again, with revolutions of equal speed, and investigating as he does the subjects of the radiance of the moon, of its shape, of its waning, of its increase, and of the motion of the other stars, whether fixed or wandering; for the inquiry into these matters belongs not to an ill-con- ditioned or barren soul, but to one which is eminently endowed by nature, and which is able to produce an entire and perfect offspring; on which account the scripture calls the meteorolo- gist "father," inasmuch as he is not unproductive of wisdom. X. Now the symbols represented by the name of Abram are thus accurately defined; those conveyed under the name of Abraham are such as wTe shall proceed to demonstrate. The meanings now are three, " the father," and " elect," and " of sound." Now by the word "sound" here, we mean uttered speech; for the sounding organ of the living animal is the organ of speech. Of this faculty we say that the father is the mind, for it is from the mind, as from a fountain, that the stream of speech proceeds. The word " elect " belongs to the mind of the wise man, for whatever is most excellent is found in him; therefore the man devoted to learning and occupied in the contemplation of sublime subjects, was sketched out according to the former characteristic marks, but the philoso- pher, or I should rather say the wise man, was exhibited in 252 PI1IL0 JUD^EUS.
accordance with those of -which we have just given an outline.
Think not, then, any longer that the Deity bestows a changi of names, but consider that what he gives is a correction of the moral character by means of symbols; for having invited the man who formerly busied himself about the subject of the nature of heaven, and whom some call a mathematician, to s participation in virtue, he made him wise and called him so, For having given an appropriate name to his transformed dis- position, he named him, as the Hebrews would call it, "Abra- ham," but in the language of the Greeks, " the elect father oj sound;" for says he, On what account dost thou investigate the motions and periods of the stars? and why hast thou bounded up so high from the earth to the heavens? Is it merely that you may indulge your curiosity with respect to those matters? And what advantage could accrue to you from all this curiosity? What destruction of pleasure would it cause? What defeat of appetite? What dissolution ol pain or fear? What eradication of the passions which disturb and agitate the soul? For as there is no advantage in trees unless they are productive of fruit, so in the same way there is no use in the study of natural philosophy unless it is likely to confer upon a man the acquisition of virtue, for that is its proper fruit.
Ou which account some of the ancients have compared the discussion and consideration of philosophy to a field, and have likened the physical portion of it to the plants, the logical part to the hedges and fences, the moral part to the fruit, thinking that the walls which are built around for the sake of protecting the fruit have been erected by the possessors of the land, and that the plants have been created for the sake of the produc- tion of fruit; thus, therefore, they said that in philosophy it is requisite for the consideration of the physical and the logical part of philosophy to be referred to the moral part, by which the moral character is improved, which has a desire at the same time for both the acquisition and the use of virtue. This is the lesson which we have been taught concerning the man who in word indeed had his name changed, but who in reality changed his nature from the consideration of natural tc that of moral philosophy, and who abandoned the contempla- tion of the world itself for the knowledge of the Being wh( ON THE CHANGE OF SCRIPTURE NAMES. 253 ted the world; by which knowledge he acquired piety, the excellent of all possessions.
XI. We will now speak of his wife, Sarah, for she too had name changed to Sarrah by the addition of the one element, the letter rho. These, then, are the names, and we t now explain what they mean. Sarah, being interpreted, :ifies "my authority," but Sarrah signifies "princess;" former name, therefore, is a symbol of specific virtue, but the latter of generic virtue. But in proportion as genus is erior to species in regard of quantity, in the same propor- tion does the latter name excel the former; for species is ething small and perishable, but genus is numerous and immortal, and the intention of God is to bestow great and immortal things instead of such as are small and perishable, and this is a task suited to his dignity.
Now the prudence which exists in the virtuous man is the authority of himself alone, and he who has it wrould not err if In.- were to say, my authority is the prudence which is in me; but that which has stretched out this authority is generic prudence, not any longer the authority of this or that person, but absolute intrinsic authority; therefore that which exists inly in species will perish at the same time with its possessor, but that which, like a seal, has stamped it with an impression, is free from all mortality, and will remain for ever and ever imperishable. Thus also those arts which exist only in species perish along with those who have acquired them, such as geometricians, grammarians, and musicians, but the generic nts remain exempt from destruction. And, again, he gives ni additional sketch of his meaning when he teaches by the same name that every virtue is a princess, and a queen, and a ruleT of all the affairs of life.
XII. But it has also happened that Jacob had his name changed to Israel; and this, too, was a felicitous alteration. Why so? Because the name Jacob means " a supplanter," but the name Israel signifies " the man who sees God." Now it is the employment of a supplanter, who practises virtue, to move, and disturb, and upset the foundations of passion on which it is established, and whatever there is of any strength which is founded on them. But these things are not brought about without a struggle or without severe labour; but only when any one, having gone through all the labours of prudence, 254 PIIILO JUD^US.
254 PIIILO JUD^US.
then proceeds to practise himself in the exercises of the soul and to wrestle against the reasonings which are hostile to it, and which seek to torment it; but it is the part of him who sees God not to depart from the sacred contest without the crown of victory, but rather to carry off the prize of triumph. And what more flourishing and more suitable crown could be woven for the victorious soul than one by which it will be able acutely and clearly to behold the living God? At least a beautiful prize is thus proposed for the soul which delights in the practice of virtue, namely, the being endowed with sight adequate to the clear comprehension of the only thing which is really worth beholding.
XIII. And it is worth while here to raise the question why Abraham, from the time that his name was changed, is always thought worthy of this same appellation, and is no longer called by his former name; but Jacob, who is also called Israel, is nevertheless called Jacob too, as he was before the change of his name; and, indeed, is called Jacob oftener than Israel.
We must say, then, that these facts are characters by which it is seen that the virtue which is taught differs from that which is acquired by practice; for the man who is improved by instruction, having received a happy and virtuous nature, uses that virtue alone which, by means of memory co-operating with it, implants in him an absence of forgetfulness, so that he comprehends and takes firm hold of all the things which he has once learnt; but he who practises virtue, since he is con- tinually exercising himself, stops to take breath, and relaxes his efforts for a while, collecting himself and recovering the vigour which was a little impaired by his exertions, just as those men do who have oiled their bodies for the contests in the arena For these men, also, labouring at their training exercises, in order to prevent their powers being utterly broken down, anoint themselves with oil on account of the violent and continued nature of their exercise Then the man who is improved by instruction, having an immortal monitor, receives from him a harmonious and impe- rishable advantage, without suffering any change; but the practiser of virtue is impelled to action by his own inclinati>j 1 alone, and he exercises himself in it, and labours at it in order to change that passion, which is akin to a created being; and ON THE CHANGE OF SCRIPTURE NAMES. 255 even if he attains to perfection, he still, being fatigued, returns to his ancient kind of labour; for he is more inclined to endure toil, but the other is more fortunate, for he has another person as a teacher. But this man, by his own unassisted efforts, investigates, and inquires, and pushes his examination, investi- gating the mysteries of nature with great earnestness, and exerting continual and incessant labour.
For this reason God, who never changes', altered the name of'Abraham, since he was about to remain in a similar condi- tion, in order that that which was to be firmly established might be confirmed by him who was standing firmly, and who was remaining in the same state in the same manner. But it was an angel who altered the name of Jaco"b, being the Word, :he minister of God; in order that it might be confessed and iscertained, that there is none of the things whose existence is subsequent to that of the living God, which is the cause 01 mchangeable and unvarying firmness but of that uirmony which, as in a musical instrument, contains the ntensity and relaxation of sounds so as to produce an artistical ombination of melody.
XIV. But, there being three leaders and authors of this ace, the two at each extremity of it had their names changed, tamely Abraham and Jacob: but the one in the middle, Isaac, lways retained the same appellation. Why was this? because both that virtue which is derived from teaching and bat which is attained to by practice, admit of improvement nd advancement: for the man who receives instruction esires a knowledge of those matters of which he is ignorant ud he who applies himself to practice desires the crowns of ictory, and the prizes which are proposed to his industrious ad contemplation-loving soul. But the race which is self- tught and which derives all its learning from its own dili- 3nce, inasmuch as it exists rather by nature than by study, as at the very beginning introduced as equal, and perfect, id even, there being no number whatever deficient of those Inch tend to completeness.
ir indeed does Joseph have any such need, he who is the resident of the necessities of the body; for he also changes B name, being called Psonthomphanech by the king of the untry. And what the meaning of these names is we must plain; the name Joseph, being interpreted, signifies "an 256 PHILO JUD.EUS.
addition" For things winch are put by the side arc a addition to those which exist by nature; for instance, gold silver, possessions, revenues, the ministrations of servant? abundant treasure of heirlooms, and furniture, and othe superfluities, and the infinite multitude of the differeD efficients of pleasure which some persons possess; th provider and superintendant of which was called Joseph, o addition, by a very felicitous nomenclature: since he ha undertaken the superintendence of the things which were t be brought in from without, and added to the natural thing previously existing in the course of nature. And the sacre scriptures testify that this is the case, showing that he was th purveyor of the food of all the corporeal region, Egypt, bavin stored it up in his treasure-houses.
XV. Such a person as this, then, Joseph is recognized a being by his distinctive marks and name. Let us now se what sort of person is indicated by the name Psonthomphanech Now this name being interpreted means, "a mouth judginj in an answer; " for every foolish person thinks that the mai who is very rich and overflowing with external possessions must at once be wise and sensible, competent to give ai answer to any question which any one puts to him, aud com petent also of his own head to deliver advantageous an< sagacious opinions. And, in short, by such men prudence i supposed to be identical with good fortune, while one ought on the contrary, to consider good fortune as consisting in bein< prudent; for it is fitting that what is unstable should bi under the direction of that which stands firmly.
And iudeed his father gave to his own uterine brother thi name of Benjamin:* but his mother called him the son of he sorrow, speaking most completely in accordance with nature For the name Benjamin being interpreted means, "the son o days:" and the day is illuminated by that light of the sin which is perceptible by the outward senses: and to this w< liken vain glory. For that has a certain brilliancy appreciabl by the outward senses in the praises which it receives from th multitude and from the common herd of men, in formall enrolled decrees, in the erection of statues and images, i: purple robes and golden crowns, in chariots and teams of fou horses, and processions of the multitude. He therefore wh * Genesis xxxv. 18.
OX THE CHANGE OF SCRIPTURE NAMES. 257 is an admirer and desirer of such things is very appropriately called a son of days: that is to say, of that light which is per- ceptible by the outward senses and of the brilliancy which at- tends vain glory. This felicitous and appropriate name the elder word and real father imposes on him; but the soul which has suffered gives him a name suited to what she has suffered. For she calls him the son of her sorrow. Why so? Because those men who are borne about by vain glory are supposed in- deed to be happy, but in real truth are unhappy. For the things which oppose their happiness are numerous, envy, discontent, emulation, continual strife, irreconcileable enmities lasting till death, hostilities handed down in succession to one's children's children — a destiny not at all to be desired. Very necessarily therefore did the divinely inspired prophet represent that vain glory as dying in the very act of bringing forth; for says he, " Rachel died, having had a bad delivery."* Since, in truth and reality, the sowing and generation of vain glory per- ceptible by the outward senses is the death of the soul.
XVI. And what shall we say of the sons of Joseph, Ephra- im and Manasseh? Are they not, in strict accordance with nature, compared to the two eldest sons of Jacob, Reuben and Simeon? For the scripture says, " Thy two sons who were born in Egypt, before that I came into Egypt, belong to me; lEphraim and Manasseh shall be to me as Reuben and as :>imeon."f Let us now then see in what manner the one pair ire likened to the other pair.
Reuben is the symbol of a good natural disposition, for the lame being interpreted means, "A seeing son;" since every »ne who is endowed with tolerable acuteness of mind and a rood disposition is capable of seeing; and Ephraim, as we lave already frequently said in other places, is a symbol of nemory, for his name being interpreted signifies, " produc- iveness of fruit," and the most excellent fruit of the soul is ■lemory; and there is no one thing so nearly akin to another Is remembering is to a man of good natural endowments, '^gairi, the name of Simeon is a symbol of learning and in- Itruetion; for, being interpreted, it signifies " listening," and i is the especial part of a learner to listen and attend to what i said. Rut Manasseh is a symbol of " recollection," for liUfl that art is called, from forgetfulness; for it must of ne- * Genesis xxxv. 16. f Genesis xlviii. 5.
VOL. II. S 258 PHILO JUD^US.
cessity happen to the man who has advanced out of forget fulness to recollect, and recollecting especially belongs U learning, for very often his notions escape from the man wh< is learning, as out of weakness he is unable to retain them and then again they return to him as at the beginning.
The condition therefore which arises from this escaping o: his notions is denominated forgetfulness, and that which arise? from their returning to him is called recollection. Now is nol memory very naturally spoken of as connected with good natural endowments, and recollection as akin to learning \ And, indeed, the same relation which Simeon bears to lieu- ben, that is to say, learning to natural endowment, the same does Manasseh bear to Ephraim, and the same does recollec- tion bear to memory. For as the man of good natural endow- ments is better than he who is only a learner, for the one resembles the sense of seeing, the other that of hearing, and hearing is always reckoned as entitled to a lesser honour than seeing; so also, he who is endowed with a good memory is at all times superior to him who only recollects, because the one is combined with forgetfulness, but the other continues unal- loyed and unadulterated from beginning to end.,.
XVII. And indeed the scriptures at one time call the father-in-law of the first of the prophets Jother, and at another time Raguel-Jother, when pride is flourishing and at its height; for the name Jother being interpreted means " super- fluous," and pride is superfluous in an honest and sincere life, turning into ridicule, as it does, all that is equal and necessary to life, and honouring the unequal things of excess and covetousness. This passion honours human things above divine, and customs above laws, and profane above sacred things, and mortal above immortal things, and, in short, appearances above reality; and it even ventures of its own accord to pass on into the rank of counsellors, suggesting to the wise man not to teach those things which alone are worthy to be known, namely, " the commandments of God, and the law,"* but to study the covenants and contracts of men witr. one another, which are almost the causes of the society whicl exists among them being so little sociable.
But the great man is obedient in all things, thinking tha little things are adapted to little people, and that great thing * Exodus xviii. 11.
ON THE CHANGE OF SCRIPTURE NAMES. 259 are justly added to the great; but very often this man who is in his own conceit, and who, passing over from the herds winch the blind had assigned to him for him to guide, having sought out the divine herd, becomes no small portion of it; idmiring the leader of nature, and marvelling at his way of leading which he employs in his care of his own flocks, for the Kline Raguel being interpreted, signifies the " pastoral care of Sod."* XVIII. The main part has now been explained; we will low proceed to adduce the proofs. In the first place the icripture represents him as the cultivator of judgment and of ustice, for the name Midian, being interpreted, means " out )f judgment." And this is said in a twofold sense, for some mes it signifies both selection and rejection, such as usually mppens to those who are competitors in those contests vlhch are called sacred; for numbers as they appear not Hialified, are rejected by the masters of the games. These are he men who have been initiated in the unholy rites of Beel- )hegor,f and having widened all the mouths of the body to nable them to receive the streams which are poured into hem from without, for the name Beelphegor is interpreted ' the mouth above the skin," for they have overwhelmed the mud, the governor of the body, and have sunk it down to the 3\vest depth, so that it can never emerge, nor even hold up ts head in ever so slight a degree.
And it suffered this until Phinehas, the lover of peace and lanifcst priest of God, came as a champion of his own accord, eing by nature a hater of all that is evil, and filled with an dmiration and desire for what is good; and as he took a oadjutor, that is to say, the well sharpened and sharp-edged ord, competent to investigate and examine everything, he ould not be deceived, but exerting a vigorous strength, he ierced passion through her womb, that it might not hereafter ring forth any divinely caused evil. Now between these men nd the seeing race there is a terrible war, in which no one of le combatants differed in language,^ but each returned home Qwounded and safe, crowned with the garlands of victory.
XIX. This now is one of the things which are shown by the ame of Midian; another is that more excellent and judicial secies which by the affinity of marriage is connected with the Exodus ii. 18. f Numbers xxv. 1. J Exodus xxxi. 29.
S 2 .
260 PHILO JUDiEUS.
prophetic race. The scripture then says, " The priest of judg- ment and justice " (that is to say, of Midian) " has seven daughters;"* by which seven daughters are frequently inti- mated the powers of the irrational part of the soul, the power of generation and the voice, and the five outward senses, tend- ing the flocks of their father; for by means of these seven powers it is that all the progresses and increases of their father, the mind, exist in the perceptions which are produced from him. These, then, coming each to its appropriate ob- ject, the power of sight to colours and shapes, the sense of hearing to sounds, the faculty of smelling to scents, taste to flavours, and all the other faculties to those objects which are adapted for their exercise do in a manner imbibe some of the external objects of the outward senses, until they have filled all the channels of the soul, and from these channels they give drink to the sheep of their father; I mean by these sheep that most pure flock of the reason which bears safety and ornament at the same time.
But the companions of envy and jealousy, the leaders of the wicked herd coming up, drive them away from that use of their powers which is in accordance with nature, for some conduct these things which are without, inwards to the mind as to a judge and a king, in order that they may do well from having the most excellent of governors; but others take the opposite side, pursuing and proclaiming the exact contrary, while it is possible for the mind to be drawn towards them, and to give up the flock which was entrusted to it to feed.f Until the. good disposition, devoted to virtue and inspired by God, which for awhile has appeared to be resting in inactivity, by name Moses, holds his shield over them and defends them from those who would attack them, nourishing the flock of his father on wholesome words, and they having escaped the attack of the enemies of intellect who admire only the external appendages, like people in tragedies, go no longer to Jother but to Raguel, for they have abandoned all connection with pride, and have connected themselves with lawful persua- sion, choosing to become a portion of the sacred flock, of * Exodus ii. 16.