The Makers and Teachers of Judaism: From the Fall of Jerusalem to the Death of Herod the GreatKent, Charles Foster
Religion
The Makers and Teachers of Judaism: From the Fall of Jerusalem to the Death of Herod the Great
Kent, Charles Foster
Bible -- History of Biblical events; Jews -- History -- 586 B.C.-70 A.D.
[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, VII, 3:3b]
The succeeding kings also treated them in the same way, so that they
became very numerous, and adorned their temple with ornaments and at
great expense with those things which had been given them. They also
continued to attract a great many of the Greeks to their services, making
them in a sense part of themselves.
[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, VII, 10:2d-3e]
Now Onias, the son of Simon, one of the Jewish high priests, fled from
Antiochus [Epiphanes] the king of Syria, when he made war with the Jews,
and came to Alexandria. And after Ptolemy [Philometor] received him very
kindly on account of his hatred to Antiochus, Onias assured him that if he
would comply with his proposal, he would bring all the Jews to his
assistance. Now when the king agreed to do whatever he was able, Onias
desired him to give him permission to build a temple somewhere in Egypt
and to worship God according to the customs of his own nation. So Ptolemy
complied with his proposals and gave them a place about twenty miles
distant from Memphis. That province was called the province of Heliopolis.
There Onias built a fortress and a temple like that at Jerusalem except
that it resembled a tower. He built it of large stones to the height of
sixty cubits, but he made the structure of the altar an imitation of that
in his own country. In like manner also he adorned it with gifts,
excepting that he did not make a candlestick but had a single lamp
hammered out of a beaten piece of gold, which illuminated the place with
its rays, and which he hung by a chain of gold. The entire temple was
surrounded by a wall of burnt brick, although it had a gateway of stone.
The king also gave him a large territory for a revenue in money, that both
the priests might have plentiful provision for themselves, and that God
might have abundance of those things which were necessary for his worship.
[Sidenote: Jos. Ant. XIII, 10:4]
Now in the days of John Hyrcanus, not only did the Jews in Jerusalem and
Judea enjoy prosperity but also those who were at Alexandria in Egypt and
Cyprus. For Cleopatra the queen was at variance with her son Ptolemy, who
is called Lathyrus, and appointed as her generals Chelcias and Ananias,
the son of that Onias who built the temple in the province of Heliopolis
similar to that of Jerusalem. Cleopatra intrusted these men with her army
and did nothing without their advice. Strabo of Cappadocia also attests
that only those who were called Onias's party, being Jews, continued
faithful to Cleopatra because their countrymen, Chelcias and Ananias, were
in highest favor with the queen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account