Now there is nothing unnatural or extraordinary in de- voting one child to God out of a numerous family, as a sort of first fruits of all one's children, while one still has pica- sure in those who remain alive, who are no small comfort and alleviation of the grief felt for the one who is sacri- ficed. But the man who gives the only beloved son that he is possessed of performs an action beyond all powers of language to praise, as he is giving nothing to his own natural affection, but inclining with his whole will and heart to show his devotion to God. Accordingly this is an extraordinary and almost unprecedented action which was done by Abraham.
For other men, even if they have yielded up their chil- dren to be sacrificed on behalf of the safety of their native land or of their armies, have either remained at home them- selves, or have kept at a distance from the altar of sacri- fice; or at least, if they have been present they have averted their eyes, and left others to strike the blow which they have not endured to witness. But this man, like a priest of sacrifice himself, did himself begin to perform the sacred rite, although he was a. most affectionate father of a son who was in all respects most excellent. And, perhaps, ac- cording to the usual law and custom of burnt offerings lie was intending to solemnise the rite by dividing his son limb by limb. And so he did not divide his feelings and allot one part of his regard to his son and another part to piety to God: but he devoted his whole soul, entire and un- divided, to holiness; thinking but little of the kindred blood which flowed in the victim.
Now of all the circumstances which we have enumerated what is there which others have in common with Abraham r What is there which is not peculiar to him, and excellent beyond all power of language to praise? So that even one who is not by nature envious and a lover of evil musl be struck with amazement and admiration for his excessive piety, even if he should not call at once to mind all th< particulars on which I have been dwelling, but only som< one of the whole number; for the conception of any one o these particulars is sufficient by a brief and faint outline t< display the greatness and loftiness of the father's soul though there is nothing petty in the action of the wise man ON ABRAHAM. 437 XXXVI. But the things which we have here been say- ing do not appear solely in the plain and explicit language of the text of the holy scriptures; but they appear, more- over, to exhibit a nature which is not so evident to the multitude, but which they who place the objects of the in- tellect above those perceptible by the outward senses, and who are able to appreciate them, recognise. And this nature is of the following description.
The victim who was about to be sacrificed is called in the Chaldaean language, Isaac; but if this name be trans- lated into the Grecian language, it signifies "laughter;" and this laughter is not understood to be that laughter of the body which is frequent in childish sport, but is the result of a settled happiness and rejoicing of the mind. This kind of laughter the wise man is appropriately said to offer as a sacrifice to God; showing thus, by a figure, that to rejoice does properly belong to God alone. For the human race is subject to sorrow and to exceeding fear, from evils which are either present or expected, so that men are either grieved at unexpected evils actually pressing upon them, or are kept in suspense, and disquietude, and fear writh respect to those which are impending. But the nature of God is free from grief, and exempt from fear, and I enjoys an immunity from every kind of suffering, and is the I only nature which possesses complete happiness and blesa- . edness.
Now to the disposition which makes this confession in ; sincerity, God is merciful, and compassionate, and kind, driving envy to a distance from him; and to it he gives a gift in return, to the full extent of the power of the person benefited to receive it, and he all but gives such a person this oracular warning, saying " I well know that the whole species of joy and rejoicing is the possession of no other being but me, who am the Father of the universe; nevertheless, though it belongs to me, I have no objection to those who deserve it enjoying a share of it. But who can be deserving to do so, save he who obeys me and my will? for to this man it shall be given to feel as little Ejrief as possible and as little fear as possible, proceeding ilong that road which is inaccessible to passions and vices, (but which is frequented by excellence of soul and virtue."
438 PHILO JUD^US.
438 PHILO JUD^US.
And let no one fancy that that unmixed joy, which is without any alloy of sorrow, descends from heaven to the earth, but rather, that it is a combination of the two, that which is the better being predominant in the mixture; in the same manner as the light in heaven is unalloyed and free from any admixture of darkness, but in the sublunary atmosphere it is mingled with dark air.
For this reason, it seems to me to have been, that Sarah,* the namesake of virtue, who had previously laughed, denied her laughter to the person who questioned her as to the cause of it, fearing lest she might be deprived of her rejoicing, as belonging to no created being, but to God alone; on which account the holy Word encouraged her, and said, "Be not afraid," thou hast laughed a genuine laugh, and thou hast a share in real joy; for the Father has not permitted the race of mankind to be wholly devoured by griefs, and sorrows, and incurable anguish, but has mingled in their existence something of a better nature, thinking it fitting that the soul should sometimes enjoy rest and tranquillity; and he has also designed that the souls of wise men should be pleased and delighted for the greater portion of their existence with the contemplation of the soul.
XXXVII. This is enough to say about the piety of the man, though there is a vast abundance of other things which might be brought forward in praise of it. We must also investigate his skill and wisdom as displayed towards his fellow men; for it belongs to the same character to be pious towards God and affectionate towards man; and both these qualities, of holiness towards God and justice towards man, are commonly seen in the same individual. Xow it would take a long time to go through all the instances and actions which form this; but it is not out of place to record two or three.
Abraham, being rich above most men in abundance of gold and silver, and having numerous herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, and being equal in his affluence and abund- auce to any of the men of the country, or of the original ii. habitants, who were the most wealthy, and being, in fact richer than any sojourner could be expected to be, was never unpopular with any of the people among whom ht * Genesis xviii. 15.
ON ABRAHAM. 439 was dwelling, but was continually praised and beloved by- all who had any acquaintance with him; and if, as is often the case, any contention or quarrel arose between his ser- vants and retinue and those of others, he always endea- voured to terminate it quietly by his gentle disposition, discarding and driving to a distance from his soul all quarrelsome, and turbulent, and disorderly things. And there is no wonder, if he was such towards strangers, who might have agreed together and with a heavy and power- ful hand have repelled him, if he had begun acts of violence, when he behaved with moderation towards those who were nearly related to him in blood, but very far removed from him in disposition, and who were desolate and isolated, and very inferior in wealth to himself, willingly allowing him- self to be inferior to them in the very things in which he might have been superior; for there was his brother's son, when he departed from his country, who went forth with him, an inconstant, variable, whimsical man, inclining now to one side and now to another; and at one time caressing him with friendly salutations, and at another, being restive and obstinate, by reason of the inequality of his disposi- tion; on which account his household also was a quarrelsome and turbulent one, as it had no one to correct it, and especially his shepherds were so, because they were removed to a great distance from their master.
Accordingly, they, in their self.willed manner, behaving as if they claimed complete liberty, were always quarrel- ling with the managers of the flocks of the wise Abraham, who yielded a great many points, because of the gentle dis- position of their master; in consequence of which, the shepherds of his nephew turned to folly and to shameless audacity, and gave way to anger, cherishing ill-temper, and exciting a spirit of irreconcilable enmity in their hearts, until they compelled those whom they injured to turn to their own defence; and when a somewhat violent battle had taken place, the good Abraham, hearing of the attack made by his servants on the others, though only in self- defence, and knowing as he did that his own household was superior both in numbers and in power, would not allow the contest to be protracted till victory declared for his party, in order that he might not grieve his nephew by 440 PHILO JUDiEUS.
the defeat of his men; but standing between the two bodies of combatants, he, by his pacific speeches, reconciled the contending parties, and that not only for the moment, but for all future time too; for he knew that if they continued to dwell together, and to abide in the same place, they would be always differing in opinion and quar- relling with one another, and continually raising up quar- rels and wars with one another. In order that this might not be the case, he thought it desirable to abandon the custom of dwelling together, and to separate his habita- tion from that of his nephew. So, sending for his nephew, he gave him the choice of the better country, cheerfully agreeing himself to abandon whatever portion the other selected, as he should thus acquire the greatest of all gains, namely, peace; and yet, what other man would ever have yielded in any point whatever to one wreaker than himself, while he was stronger? and who that was able to gain the victory would ever have been willing to be de- feated, without availing himself of his power? But this man alone placed the object of his desires, not in strength and superiority, but in a life free from dissension and blessed with tranquillity, as far as depended on himself; for which reason he appears the most admirable of all men.
XXX Y III. Since then this panegyric, if taken lite- rally, is applied to Abraham as a man, and since the dis- position of the soul is here intimated, it will be well for us to investigate that also, after the fashion of those men who go from the letter to the spirit of any statement. Now there is an infinite variety of dispositions wrhich arise from different circumstances and opportunities in every kind of action and event; but in this instance, we must distinguish between two characters, one of which is the elder and the other the younger.
Now the elder of the two is that disposition which honours those things which are by nature principal and dominant; the younger is that which regards the things which are subject to others, and which are considered in the lowest rank.
Now the principal and more dominant things are wisdom, and temperance, and justice, and courage, and every descrij?- ON ABRAHAM. 441 tion of virtue, and the actions in accordance with virtue; the younger things are wealth, and authority, and glory, and nobility, not real nobility, but that which the multi- tude think so, and all those other things which belong to the third class, next after the things of the soul, and the things of the body; the class which is in fact the last. Each then of these dispositions has, as it were, flocks and herds. The one which desires external things has for its flock, gold and silver, and all those things which are the materials and furniture of wealth; and, moreover, arms, engines, triremes, armies of infantry and cavalry, and fleets of ships, and all kinds of provisions to procure dominion, by which firm authority is secured.
But the lover of excellence has for his flock the doctrines of each individual virtue, and its speculations respecting wisdom. Moreover, there are overseers and superintend- ents of each of these flocks, just as there are shepherds to flocks of sheep. Of the flock of external things, the superintendents are those who are fond of money, those who are fond of glory, those who are eager for war, and all those who love authority over multitudes. And the managers of the flock of things concerning the soul are : all those who are lovers of virtue and of what is honour- i able, and who do not prefer spurious good things to genuine ones, but genuine to spurious good. There is therefore a certain natural contest between them, inasmuch as they [have no opinions in common with one another, but are always at variance and difference respecting the matter which has of all others the greatest influence in the main- tenance of life as it should be, that is to say, the judgment of what things are truly good.
Now, for some time the soul was warred against by some enemy, and was full of this quarrelsome principle, inasmuch as it had not yet been completely pacified, but was still troubled by some passions and diseases which prevailed over sound reason. But from the time when it began to be more powerful, and with its superior force, to destroy the fortification of the opposite opinions, becoming elated and puffed up with pride, it in a most marvellous manner began to separate and detach the disposition in itself, which admires the external materials, and as if conversing 442 philo judjeus.
with man, says to him, Thou art unable to dwell with — it is impossible that thou shouldest be connected by alliance with — a lover, of wisdom and virtue. Come, then, and migrating from thy present abode, depart to a distance. since you have no communion with me, and, indeed, cannot possibly have any. For all the things which you conceive to be on the right he imagines to be on the left; and on tbe contrary, whatever you think is on the left, is looked upon by him as on the right.
XXXIX. Therefore the virtuous man was not only peaceful and a lover of justice, but also a man of courage and of a warlike disposition; not for the sake of making war, for he was not of a contentious and quarrelsome character, but for the sake of a lasting peace for the future, which hitherto his adversaries had destroyed. And the most con- vincing proof of this is to be found in what he did. Four great kings had received for their inheritance the eastern portion of the inhabited world; and they were obeyed by all the eastern nations, both on this and on the other side of the Euphrates. Now all the other parts remained un- harassed by contentions, obeying the commands of these kings, and contributing their yearly taxes and tribute with- out seeking for any excuses; but the land of the inhabitants of Sodom alone before it was destroyed by fire began to break the peace, having been designing to revolt for a long time.
For as it was a very rich country it was ruled by five kings, who had divided the cities and the land among them, though the district was not an extensive one, but fertile in corn and trees, and abounding in all kinds of fruit. What then their size gives to other cities, that the excellence of its soil gives to Sodom; on which account it had many princes for lovers who admired its beauty. These, on all other occasions, had paid the appointed revenues to the collectors of the taxes, honouring and at the same time fearing those more powerful sovereigns of whom they were the viceroys.
But when they were completely sated with good things, and when, as is ordinarily the case, satiety had begotteD insolence, they, cherishing a pride beyond their power! begar. at first to lift up their heads and to become restive. Then ON ABRAHAM. 4-13 ON ABRAHAM. 4-13 like wicked servants, they set upon their masters, trusting more to their factious spirit than to their strength. But their sovereigns, remembering their own nobleness and being fortified with superior power, went against them with great disdain, as if they would be able to defeat them by the mere cry of battle. And having engaged them in battle, they in a moment put some of them to flight, and others they slew in the flight, and so they destroyed their army to a man. And also they led away a vast multitude captive, which they distributed among themselves with much other booty. Moreover, they led away captive the brother's son jof the wise Abraham, who had a little while before emigrated into one of the cities of the Pentapolis.
XL. This was communicated to Abraham by some one of those who escaped from the defeat of his countrymen, and it grieved him exceedingly, and he would not be quiet any longer, being much concerned at what had happened, and mourning more for him alive and in captivity than if he had heard that he had been killed. For he knew that death (ri}.ivrri) as its very name imports, was the end (rs>.og) of all living beings, and especially of the wicked, and that there are innumerable unexpected evils which lie, as it were, in ambush for the living. But when he was preparing to pursue them for the purpose of delivering his brother's son, jhe found himself in want of allies, inasmuch as he himself was a stranger and a sojourner and as no one could dare to (oppose the irresistible power of such mighty monarchs Hushed with recent victory. And he devised for himself a most novel alliance. For necessity is the mother of invention, and expedients are found in the most difficult circumstances when a man has set his heart on just and humane objects. For having collected together all his servants, and ordering the slaves whom he had purchased to remain at home (for he was afraid of desertion on their part), he assembled all his domestic servants, and divided them into centuries, and marched forward in their battalions; not, indeed, trusting to them, for his was still a most insignificant force, in com- parison with that of the king's, but placing his confidence in the champion and defender of the just, namely in God.
Therefore putting forth all his exertions he hastened on, in nowise relaxing his speed, until, watching his oppor- 444 PHILO JUD.EUS.
tunity, he fell upon the enemy by night, after they had supped, and when they were just on the point of betaking themselves to sleep. And some he slew in their beds, and those who were arrayed against him he utterly destroyed, and with great vigour he defeated them all, more by the courage of his soul than by the adequacy of his means. And he did not cease from attacking them until he had utterly destroyed the hostile army with their kings, and slain them all to a man in front of their camp, and had brought back his brother's son after this splendid and most glorious victory, bringing back also as fair booty all their cavalry, and all the multitude of their beasts of burden, and a most enormous quantity of spoil.
And when the great high priest of the most high God beheld him returning and coming back loaded with trophies, in safety himself, with all his own force uninjured, for he had not lost one single man of all those who went out with him; marvelling at the greatness of the exploit, and, as was very natural, considering that he had never met with this success but through the favour of the divine wisdom and alliance, he raised his hands to heaven, and honoured him with prayers in his behalf, and offered up sacrifices ot thanksgiving for his victory, and splendidly feasted all those who had had a share in the expedition; rejoicing and sym- pathising with him as if the success had been his own, and in reality it did greatly concern him. For as the proverb says: — " All that befalls from friends we common call."
And much more are all instances of good fortune common to those whose main object it is to please God.
XLI. These things, then, are what are contained in the plain words of the scriptures. But as many as are able tc contemplate the facts related in them in their incorporeal and naked state, living rather in the soul than in the body, will say that of the nine kings the four are the powers of tht four passions which exist within us, the passion of pleasure of desire, of fear, and of grief; and that the other five kings are the outward senses, being equal in number, tht * Genesis xiv. 23.
ON ABRAHAM. 445 *ense of sight, of hearing, of smell, of taste, and of touch. For these in some degree are sovereigns and rulers, having icquired a certain power over us, but not all to an equal 'xtent; for the five are subordinate to the four, and are •oinpelled to pay them taxes and tribute, such as are ippointed by nature. For it is from the things which we see, or hear, or smell, or taste, or touch, that pleasures, and oains, and fears, and desires arise; as there is no one of the lassions which has any power to exist of itself, if it were lot supplied by the materials furnished by the outward ■ruses.
For it is in these things that their powers consist, either n figures and in colours, or in the faculty of speaking or learing which depends on the voice, or in flavours, or in )dours, or by the subjects of touch, whether they are soft >r hard, or rough, or smooth, or hot, or cold. For all these /hings are supplied to each of the passions by means of the putward senses. And as long as the taxes beforementioned ire paid the alliance among the kings remains; but when hey are no longer contributed, as they were before, then romediately do quarrels and wars arise. And this appears 0 happen when painful old age supervenes, in which none )f the passions becomes weaker, but rather perhaps stronger han their ancient power; but the sight becomes dim, and he ears hard of hearing, and every one of the other out- vard senses more blunt, being no longer equally able as )efore to judge and decide accurately of every subject sub- nitted to them, nor any longer to pay a tribute which will ie equal to the number of the passions.
So that it happened very naturally that they being horoughly exhausted and laid prostrate by them were easily nit to flight by the adverse passions; and the statement hat follows is in strict consistency with what might be laturally expected, namely, that of the five kings two fell ttto wells, and three took to flight. For touch and taste each to the very deepest portions of the body, sending down uto the entrails those things which are suitable for diges- imi: but the eyes, and the ears, and the smell, roaming broad for the most part, escape the slavery of the body.
The good man — threatening to attack all of these, when 6 saw that those who had lately been friends and con- 446 PHILO JUD.EUS.
federates were now in a state of disease, and that there was war instead of peace arising among the nine kingdoms, as the four kings were contending with the five for sovereignty and dominion — on a sudden, having watched his opportunity, attacked them; being desirous of the establishment of de- mocracy in the soul, the most excellent of constitutions instead of tyrannies and absolute sovereignties, and wishing also to introduce law and justice instead of lawlessness and injustice, which had prevailed up to that time. And what is here said is not a cunningly devised fable, but is rather one of the most completely true facts, which may be seen tc be true in our own selves. For it very often happens that the outward senses observe a sort of confederacy which they have formed with the passions, supplying them witt objects perceptible by the outward senses; and very ofter also, they raise contentions, no longer choosing to pay the tribute fairly due from them, or else being unable to do so by reason of the presence of corrective reason; which wher it has taken up its complete armour, namely, the virtues and their doctrines and contemplations, which form ai irresistible power, conquers all things in the most vigorou: manner. For it is not lawful for perishable things to dwel with what is immortal. Therefore the nine sovereignties o the four passions and the five outward senses are botl perishable themselves and also the causes of mortality But the truly sacred and divine word, which uses the virtue as a starting place, being placed in the number ten, tha perfect number, when it descends into the contest am exerts that more vigorous power which it has in accordant with G-od, subdues by main force all the aforesaid powers. XLII. And at a subsequent period his wife dies, she wh< was most dear to his mind and most excellent in all respect* having given innumerable proofs of her affection toward her husband in leaving all her relations together with him and in her unhesitating migration from her own countn and in her continued and uninterrupted wanderings in foreign land, and in her endurance of want and scarcity and in her accompanying him in his warlike expedition; For she was always with him at all times, and in all place*