The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of JerusalemJosephus, Flavius
Religion
The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem
Josephus, Flavius
Jews -- History
2 (return) [ These numbers in Josephus of thirty furlongs' ascent to the
top of Mount Tabor, whether we estimate it by winding and gradual, or
by the perpendicular altitude, and of twenty-six furlongs' circumference
upon the top, as also fifteen furlongs for this ascent in Polybius, with
Geminus's perpendicular altitude of almost fourteen furlongs, here noted
by Dr. Hudson, do none of' them agree with the authentic testimony of
Mr. Maundrell, an eye-witness, p. 112, who says he was not an hour in
getting up to the top of this Mount Tabor, and that the area of the top
is an oval of about two furlongs in length, and one in breadth. So I
rather suppose Josephus wrote three furlongs for the ascent or altitude,
instead of thirty; and six furlongs for the circumference at the
top, instead of twenty-six,--since a mountain of only three furlongs
perpendicular altitude may easily require near an hour's ascent, and the
circumference of an oval of the foregoing quantity is near six furlongs.
Nor certainly could such a vast circumference as twenty-six furlongs,
or three miles and a quarter, at that height be encompassed with a
wall, including a trench and other fortifications, [perhaps those still
remaining, ibid.] in the small interval of forty days, as Josephus here
says they were by himself.]
3 (return) [ This name Dorcas in Greek, was Tabitha in Hebrew or Syriac,
as Acts 9:36. Accordingly, some of the manuscripts set it down here
Tabetha or Tabeta. Nor can the context in Josephus be made out by
supposing the reading to have been this: "The son of Tabitha; which, in
the language of our country, denotes Dorcas" [or a doe].]
4 (return) [ Here we may discover the utter disgrace and ruin of the
high priesthood among the Jews, when undeserving, ignoble, and vile
persons were advanced to that holy office by the seditious; which sort
of high priests, as Josephus well remarks here, were thereupon obliged
to comply with and assist those that advanced them in their impious
practices. The names of these high priests, or rather ridiculous
and profane persons, were Jesus the son of Damneus, Jesus the son of
Gamaliel, Matthias the son of Theophilus, and that prodigious ignoramus
Phannias, the son of Samuel; all whom we shall meet with in Josephus's
future history of this war; nor do we meet with any other so much as
pretended high priest after Phannias, till Jerusalem was taken and
destroyed.]
5 (return) [ This tribe or course of the high priests, or priests, here
called Eniachim, seems to the learned Mr. Lowth, one well versed in
Josephus, to be that 1 Chronicles 24:12, "the course of Jakim," where
some copies have "the course of Eliakim;" and I think this to be by no
means an improbable conjecture.]
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