The Works of Philo (complete)

Now the God and governor of the universe does by himself and alone walk about invisibly and noiselessly in the minds of those who are purified in the highest degree. For there is extant a prophecy which was delivered to the wise man, in which it is said : "I will walk among you, and I will be your God."* But the angels — the words of God — move about in the minds of those persons who are still in a process of being washed, but who have not yet completely washed off the life which defiles them, and which is polluted by the contact of their heavy bodies, making them look pure and brilliant to the eyes of virtue. But it is plain enough what vast numbers of evils are driven out, and what a multitude of wicked inhabitants is expelled in order that one good man may be introduced to dwell there. Do thou, therefore, 0 my soul, hasten to become the abode of God, his holy temple, to become strong from having been most weak, powerful from having been powerless, wise from having been foolish, and very reasonable from having been doting and childless.

And perhaps too the practiser of virtue represents his own life as like to a ladder ; for the practice of anything is naturally an anomalous thing, since at one time it soars up to a height, and at another it turns downwards in a contraiy direction ; and at one time has a fair voyage like a ship, and at another has but an unfavourable passage ; for, as some one says', the life of those who practise virtue is full of vicissitudes : being at one time alive and waking, and at another dead or sleeping.

And perhaps this is no incorrect statement ; for the wise have obtained the heavenly and celestial country as their habitation ; having learnt to be continually mounting upwards, but the wicked have received as their share the dark recesses of hell, having from the beginning to the end of their existence practised dying, and having been from their infancy to their old age familiarised with destruction. But the practisers of virtue, for they are on the boundary between two extremities, are frequently going upwards and downwards as if on a ladder, being either drawn upwards by a more powerful fate, or else being dragged down by that which is worse ; until the umpire of this contention and conflict, namely God, adjudges the victory to the more excellent class and utterly destroys the other.

There is also in this dream another sort of similitude or comparison apparent, which must not be passed over in silence ; the affairs of mankind are naturally compared to a ladder, on account of their irregular motion and progress : for as some one or other has said ; " One day has cast one man down from on high and destroyed him, and another it has raised up, nothing that belongs to our human race being formed by nature so as to remain long in the same condition, but all such things changing with all kinds of alteration. Do not men become rulers from having been private individuals, and private individuals from having been rulers, poor from having been rich, and very rich from having been poor ; glorious from been despised, and most illustrious from having been infamous ?" * * * * A very beautiful way of life : for it is very possible that the being whose habitation is the whole world, may dwell with you also, and take care of your house, so that it may be completely protected and free from injury for ever ; and there is such a way as this in which human affairs move upwards and downwards, meeting with an unstable and variable fortune, the anomalous character of which, unerring time proves by evidence which is not indistinct but manifest and legible.

But the dream also represented the archangel, namely the Lord himself, firmly planted on the ladder ; for wo must imagine that the living God stands above all things, like the charioteer of a chariot, or the pilot of a ship; that is, above bodies, and above souls, and above all creatures, and above the earth, and above the air, and above the heaven, and above all the powers of the outward senses, and above the invisible natures, in short, above all things whether visible or invisible ; for having made the whole to depend upon himself, he governs it and all the vastness of nature. But let no one who hears that he was firmly planted thus suppose that any thing at all assists God, so as to enable him to stand firmly, but let him rather consider this fact that what is here indicated is equivalent to the assertion that the firmest position, and the bulwark, and the strength, and the steadiness of everything is the immoveable God, who stamps the character of immobility on whatever he pleases ; for, in consequence of his supporting and consolidating things, those which he does combine remain firm and indestructible. Therefore he who stands upon the ladder of heaven says to him who is beholding the dream, "

I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac : be not afraid.'"* This oracle and this vision wore also the firmest support of the soul devoted to the practice of virtue, inasmuch as it taught it that the Lord and God of the universe is both these things also to his own race, being entitled both the Lord and God of all men, and of his grandfathers and ancestors, and being called by both names in order that the whole world and the man devoted to virtue might have the same inheritance ; since it is also said, " The Lord himself is his inheritance. "■(•

But do not fancy that it is an accidental thing here for him to be called in this place the God and Lord of Abraham, but only the God of Isaac ; for this latter is the symbol of the knowledge which exists by nature, which hears itself, and teaches itself, and learns of itself ; but Abraham is the symbol of that which is derived from the teaching of others ; and the one again is an indigenous and native inhabitant of his country, but the other is only a settler and a foreigner ; for having forsaken the language of those who indulge in sublime conversations about astronomy, a language imitating that of the Chakheans, foreign and barbarous, he was brought over to that which was suited to a rational being, namely, to the service of the great Cause of all things. Now this disposition stands in need of two powers to take care of it, the power that is of authority, and that of conferring benefits, in order that in accordance with the authority of the governor, it may obey the admonitions which it receives, and also that it may be greatly benefited by bis beneficence.

But the other disposition stands in need of the power of beneficence only ; for it has not derived any improvement from the authority which admonishes it, inasmuch as it naturally claims virtue as its own, but by reason of the bounty which is showered upon it from above, it was good and perfect from the beginning ; therefore God is the name of the beneficent power, and Lord is the title of the royal power. What theu can any one call a more ancient and important good, than to be thought worthy to meet with unmixed and unalloyed beneficence ? And what can be less valuable than to receive a mixture of authority and liberality? And it appears to me that it was because the practiser of virtue saw that he uttered that most admirable prayer that, " the Lord might be to him as God ; "* for he desired no longer to staud in awe of him as a governor, but to honour and love him as a benefactor.

Now is it not fitting that even blind men should become sharp-sighted in their minds to these and similar things, being endowed with the power of sight by the most sacred oracles, so as to be able to contemplate the glories of nature, and not to be limited to the mere understanding of the words ? But even if we voluntarily close the eye of our soul and take no care to understand such mysteries, or if we are unable to look up to them, the hierophant himself stands by and prompts us. And do not thou ever cease through weariness to anoint thy eyes until you have introduced those who are duly initiated to the secret light of the sacred scriptures, and have displayed to them the hidden things therein contained, and their reality, which is invisible to those who are uninitiated. It is becoming then for you to act thus ; but as for ye, O souls, who have once tasted of divine love, as if you had even awakened from deep sleep, dissipate the mist that is before you ; and hasten forward to that beautiful spectacle, putting aside slow and hesitating fear, in order to comprehend all the beautiful sounds and sights which the president of the games has prepared for your advantage.

There are then a countless number of things well worthy of being displayed and demonstrated ; and among them one which was mentioned a little while ago ; for the oracle calls the person who was really his grandfather, the father of the practiser of virtue, and to him who was really his father, it has not given any such title ; for the scripture says, "T am the Lord God of Abraham thy father," but in reality Abraham was his grandfather ; and then proceeds, " And the God of Isaac," and in this case he does not add, " thy father :" is it not then worth while to examine into the cause of this difference ? Undoubtedly it is ; let us then in a careful manner apply ourselves to the consideration of the cause. Philosophers say that virtue exists among men, either by nature, or by practice, or by learning. On which account the sacred scriptures represent the three founders of the nation of the Israelites as wise men ; not indeed originally endowed with the same kind of wisdom, but arriving rapidly at the same end.

For the eldest of them, Abraham, had instruction for his guide in the road which conducted him to virtue ; as we shall show in another treatise to the best of our power. And Isaac, who is the middle one of the three, had a self-taught and selfinstructed nature. And Jacob, the third, arrived at this point by industry and practice, in accordance with which were his labours of wrestling and contention. Since then there are thus three different manners by which wisdom exists among men, it happens that the two extremes are the most nearly and frequently united. For the virtue which is acquired by practice, is the offspring of that which is derived from learning. But that which is implanted by nature is indeed akin to the others, for it is set below them, as the root for them all. But it has obtained its prize without any rivalry or difficulty. So that it is thus very natural for Abraham, as one who had been improved by instruction, to he called the father of Jacob, who arrived at his height of virtue by practice.

By which expression is indicated not so much the relationship of one man to the other, hut that the power which is fond of hearing is very ready for learning ; the power which is devoted to practice being also well suited for wrestling. If, however, this practiser of virtue runs on vigorously towards the end and learns to see clearly what he previously only dreamed of in an indistinct way, being altered and re-stamped with a better character, and being called Israel, that is, "the man who sees God," instead of Jacob, that is, " the supplanter," he then is no longer set down as the son of Abraham, as his father, of him who derived wisdom from instruction, but as the son of Israel, who was born excellent by nature. These statements are not fables of my own invention, but are the oracle written on tbe sacred pillars. For, says the scripture : "

Israel having departed, he and all that he had came to the well of the oath, and there he sacrificed a sacrifice to ]the God of his father Isaac."* Do you not now perceive that this present assertion has reference not to the relationship between mortal men, but, as was said before, to the nature of things ? For look at what is before us. At one time, Jacob is spoken of as the son of his father Abraham, and at another time he is called Israel, the son of Isaac, on account of the reason which we have thus accurately investigated.

Having then said : " I am the Lord God of Abraham, the father and the God of Isaac," he adds : " Be not afraid," very consistently. For how can we any longer be ufraid when we have thee, 0 God, as our armour and defender? Thee, the deliverer from fear and from every painful feeling ? Thee, who hast also fashioned the archetypal forms of our instruction while they were still indistinct, so as to make them visible, teaching Abraham wisdom, and begetting Isaac, who was wise from his birth. For you condescended to be called the guide of the one and the father of the other, assigning to the one the rank of a pupil, and to the other that of a son. For this reason, too, God promised that he would give him the land. I mean by the land here, all-prolific virtue, on which the practiser rests from his contests and sleeps, from the fact of the life according to the outward sense being lulled asleep, and that of the soul being awakened.

Receiving gladly peaceful repose there, which he did not obtain without war, and the afflictions which arise from war, not by means of bearing arms and slaying men ; away with any such notion ! but by overthrowing the array of vices and passions which are the adversaries of virtue. But the race of wisdom is likened to the sand of the sea, by reason of its boundless numbers, and because also the sand, like a fringe, checks the incursions of the sea ; as the reasonings of instruction beat back the violence of wickedness and iniquity. And these reasonings, in accordance with the divine promises, are extended to the very extremities of the universe. And they show that he who is possessed of them is the inheritor of all the parts of the world, penetrating everywhere, to the east, and to the west, to the south, and to the north. For it is said in the scripture : "

He shall be extended towards the sea, and towards the south, and towards the north, and towards the east."* But the wise and virtuous man is not only a blessing to himself, but he is also a common good to all men, diffusing advantages over all from his own ready store. For as the sun is the light of all those beings who have eyes, so also is the wise man light to all those who partake of a rational nature.

" For in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." And this oracle applies to the wise man in respect of himself, and also in respect of others. t For if the mind which is in me is purified by perfect virtue, and if the tribes of that earthly part which is about me are purified at the sime time, which tribes have fallen to the lot of the external senses, and of the greatest channel of all, namely the body ; and if any one, either in his house, or in his city, or in his country, or in his nation, becomes a lover of wisdom, it is inevitable that that house, and that city, and that country, and that nation, must attain to a better life. For, as those spices which are set on fire fill all persons near them with their fragrance, so in the same manner do all those persons who are neighbours of and contiguous to the wise man catch some of the exhalations which reach to a distance from him, and so become improved in their characters.

And it is the greatest of all advantages to a soul engaged in labours and contests, to have for its fellow traveller, God, who penetrates everywhere. " For behold," says God, " I am with thee."| Of what then can we be in need while we have for our wealth Thee, who art the only true and real + The text is very corrupt here. I have followed Mangey's reading and translation. riches, who keepest us in the road which leads to virtue in all its different divisions ? For it is not one portion only of the rational life which conducts to justice and to all other virtue, hut the parts are infinite in number, from which those who desire to arrive at virtue can set out.

Very admirably therefore is it said in the scripture: " I will lead thee back to this laud." For it was fitting that the reason should remain with itself, and should not depart to the outward sense. And if it has departed, then the next best thing is for it to return back again. And perhaps also a doctrine bearing on the immortality of the soul is figuratively intimated by this expression. For the soul, having left the region of heaven, as was mentioned a little while before, came to the body as to a foreign country. Therefore the father who begot it promises that he will not permit it to be for ever held in bondage, but that he will have compassion on it, and will unloose its chains, and will conduct it in safety and freedom as far as the metropolis, and will not cease to assist it till the promises which he has made in words are confirmed by the truth of actions. For it is by all means the peculiar attribute of God to foretell what is to happen.

And why do we say this ? for his words do not differ from his actions ; therefore the soul which is devoted to the practice of virtue, being set in motion, and roused up to the investigations relating to the living God, at first suspected that the living God existed in place ; but after a short space it became perplexed by the difficulty of the question, and began to change itso pinion. '* For," says the scripture, " Jacob awoke and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not ;" and it would have been better, I should have said; not to know it, than to fancy that God existed in any place, he who himself contains all things in a circle.

Very naturally, therefore, was Jacob afraid, and said in a spirit of admiration, " how dreadful is this place."* For, in truth, of all the topics or places in natural philosophy, the most formidable is that in which it is inquired where the living God is, and whether in short he is in any place at all. Since some persons affirm that everything which exists occupies some place or other, and others assign each thing a different place, either in the world or out of the world, in some space between the different bodies of the universe. Others again affirm that the uncreated God resembles no created being whatever, but that he is superior to everything, s"o that the very swiftest conception is outstripped by him, and confesses that it is very far inferior to the comprehension of him ; wherefore it speedily cries out, This is not what I expected, because the Lord is in the place ; for he surrounds everything, but in truth and reason he is not surrounded by anything.

And this thing which is demonstrated and visible, this world perceptible by the outward senses, is nothing else but the house of God, the abode of one of the powers of the true God, in accordance with which he is good ; and he calls this world an abode, and he has also pronounced it with great truth to be the gate of heaven. Now, what does this mean? We cannot comprehend the world which consists of various species, in that which is fashioned in accordance with the divine regulations, appreciable only by the intellect, in any other manner than by making a migration upwards from this other world perceptible by the outward senses and visible ; for it is not possible either to perceive any other existing being which is incorporeal, without deriving our principles of judgment from bodies. For while they are quiet, their place is perceived, and when they are in motion we judge of their time ; but the points, and the lines, and the superficies, and in short the boundaries * as of a garment wrapped externally around it.

According to analogy, therefore, the knowledge of the world appreciable by the intellect is attained to by means of our knowledge of that which is perceptible by the outward senses, which is as it were a gate to the other. For as men who wish to see cities enter in through the gates, so also they who wish to comprehend the invisible world are conducted in their search by the appearance of the visible one. And the world of that essence which is only open to the intellect without any visible appearance or figure whatever, and which exists only in the archetypal idea which exists in the mind, which is fashioned according to its appearance, will be brought on withThe whole of the rest of the chapter is pronounced by Mangey to be obscure and corrupt, and almost unintelligible. out any shade ; all the walls, and all the gates which could impede its progress being removed, so that it is not looked at through any other medium, but by itself, putting forth ^a beauty which is susceptible of no change, presenting an indescribable and exquisite spectacle.

But enough of this. There is another dream also which belongs to the same class, that one I mean about the spotted flock, which the person who beheld it relates after he had awoke, saying, " The angel of God spake unto me in a dream, and said, Jacob ; and I said, What is it ? And he said unto me, Look up with thine eyes, and see the goats and the rams mounting on the flocks, and the she-goats, some white, and spotted, and ring-straked, and speckled : for I have beheld all that Laban does unto thee. I am that God who was seen by thee in the place of God, where thou anointedst the pillar, and vowedst a vow unto me. Now therefore, rise up and depart out of this land, and go into the land of thy birth, and I will be with thee."* You see here, that the divine word speaks of dreams as sent from God ; including in this statement not those only which appear through the agency of the chief cause itself, but those also which are seen through the operation of his interpreters and attendant angels, who are thought by the father who created them to be worthy of a divine and blessed lot : consider, however, what comes afterwards.

The sacred word enjoins some persons what they ought to do by positive command, like a king ; to others it suggests what will be for their advantage, as a preceptor does to his pupils ; to others again, it is like a counsellor suggesting the wisest plans ; and in this way too, it is of great advantage to those who do not of themselves know what is expedient ; to others it is like a friend, in a mild and persuasive manner, bringing forward many secret things which no uninitiated person may lawfully hear. For at times it asks some persons, as for instance, Adam, " Where art thou '? " And any one may properly answer to such a question, "No where?" Because all human affairs never remain long in the same condition, but are moved about and changed, whether we speak of their soul or their body, or of their external circumstances ; for their minds are unstable, not always having the same impressions from the same things, but such as are diametrically contrary to their former ones. The body also is unstable, as all the changes of the different ages from infancy to old age show ; their external circumstances also are variable, being tossed up and down by the impetus of everagitated fortune.

When, however, he comes into an assembly of friends, he does not begin to speak before he has first accosted each individual among them, and addressed him by name, so that they prick up their ears, and are quiet and attentive, listening to the oracles thus delivered, so as never to forget them or let them escape their memory : since in another passage of scripture we read, "Be silent and listen."* In this manner too, Moses is called up to the bush. For, the scripture says, " When he saw that he was turning aside to see, God called him out of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses : and he said, What is it, Lord ?"t And Abraham also, on the occasion of offering up his beloved and only son as a burnt-offering, when he was beginning to sacrifice him, and when he had given proof of his piety, was forbidden to destroy the self-taught race, Isaac by name, from among men ; for at the beginning of his account of this transaction, Moses says that " God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham, Abraham; and he said, Behold, here am I. And he said unto him, Take now thy beloved son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and offer him up."

And when he had brought the victim to the altar, then the angel of the Lord called him out of heaven, saying, "Abraham, Abraham," and he answered, " Behold, here am I. And he said, Lay not thy hand upon the child, and do nothing to him:" + Also the practiser of virtue is also called one of this company dear to God, being deservedly accounted worthy of the same honour ; for, says the scripture, "The angel of God said to me in my sleep, Jacob : and I answered, and said, What is it?"§ But after he has been called he exerts his attention, endeavouring to arrive at an accurate knowledge of the symbols which are displayed to him ; and these symbols are the connection and generation of reasonings, as flocks and herds. For, says the scripture, "Jacob, looking up with his eyes, saw the goats and the rams leaping upon the she-goats and J Genesij xxii. 1. § Genesis xxxi. 10. upon the sheep."

Now the he-goat is the leader of the flock of goats, and the ram is the leader of the flock of sheep, and these two animals are symbols of perfect reasonings, one of which purifies and cleanses the soul of sins, and the other nourishes it and renders it fall of good actions. Such then are the leaders of the flocks in us, namely, reasons ; and the flocks themselves, resembling the sheep and goats whose names they bear, rush forwards and hasten with zeal and earnestness towards justice. Therefore, looking up with the eye of his mind, which up to that time had been closed, he saw the perfect and thoroughly sharpened reasons analogically resembling the goats and rams, prepared for the diminution of offences and the increase of good actions. And he beheld how they leap upon the sheep and the goats, that is on those souls which are still young and tender, and in the vigour of youth, and beautiful in the flower of their age ; not pursuing irrational pleasure, but indulging in the invisible sowing of the doctrines of prudence.

For this is a marriage which is blessed in its children ; not uniting bodies, but adapting perfect virtues to well-disposed souls. Therefore do all ye right reasons of wisdom leap up, form connections, sow seed, and pass by no soul which you see rich and fertile, and well-disposed, and virgin ; but inviting it to association and connection with you, render it perfect and pregnant ; for so you will become the parents of all kinds of good things, of a male offspring, white, variegated, ring-straked, and speckled.

But we must now examine what power each of these offspring has. Now those which are purely white (SidXivxoi) are the most beautiful and the most conspicuous ; the word bid being often prefixed in composition by way of adding force to the word, so that the words diddriAo* and bider^ov are commonly used to signify what is very conspicuous (dSjXoi/) and very remarkable (sirlarifiov) ; therefore them eaning here is that the first-born offspring of the soul which has received the sacred seed, is purely white ; being like light in which there is no obscurity, and like the most brilliant radiance : like the unclouded beam which might proceed from the rays of the sun in fine weather at mid-day. Again, by the statement that some are variegated, what is meant is, not that the flocks are marked by such a multiform and various spottedness as to resemble the unclean leprosy, and which is an emblem of a life unsteady and tossed about in any direction by reason of the fickleness of the mind, but only that they have marks drawn in regular lines and different characters, shaped and impressed with all kinds of well approved forms, the peculiarities of which, being mingled together and combined properly, will produce a musical harmony.

For some persons have looked upon the art of variegating as so random and obscure a matter, that they have referred it to weavers. But I admire not only the art itself, but the name likewise, and most especially so when I look upon the divisions of the earth and the spheres in heaven, and the differences between various plants and various animals, and that most variegated texture, I mean the world ; for I am compelled to suppose, that the maker of this universal textile fabric was also the inventor of all varied and variegating science ; and I look with reverence upon the inventor, and I honour the art which he invented, and 1 am amazed at the work which is the result, and this too, though it is but a very small portion of it which I have been able to see, but still, from the portion which has been unfolded to me, if indeed I may say that it has been unfolded, I hope to form a tolerably accurate judgment of the whole, guiding my conjectures by the light of analogy.

Nevertheless I admire the lover of wisdom for having studied the same art, collecting and thinking fit to weave together many things, though different, and proceeding from different sources, into the same web ; for taking the two first elements from the grammatical knowledge imparted to children, that is to say, reading and writing, and taking '_ from the more perfect growth of knowledge the skill which is found among poets, and the comprehension of ancient history, and deriving certainty and freedom from deception from arithmetic and geometry, in which sciences there is need of proportions and calculations ; and borrowing from music rhyme, and metre, and harmonies, and chromatics, and diatonics, and combined and disjoined melodies ; and having derived from rhetoric invention, and language, and arrangement, and memory, and action ; and from philosophy, whatever has been omitted in any of these separate branches, and all the other things of which human life consists, he has put together in one most admirably arranged work, combining great learning of one kind witn great learning of another kind.

Now the sacred scripture calls the maker of this compound work Besaleel, which name, being interpreted, signifies "in the shadow of God ;" for he makes all the copies, and the man by name Moses makes all the models, as the principal architect ; and for this reason it is, that the one only draws outlines as it were, but the other is not content with such sketches, but makes the archetypal natures themselves, and has already adorned the holy places with his variegating art ; but the wise man is called the only adorner of the place ot wisdom in the oracles delivered in the sacred scriptures.

And the most beautiful and varied work of God, this world, has been created in this its present state of perfection by all-wise knowledge ; and how can it be anything but right to receive the art of variegating as a noble effort of knowledge ? the most sacred copy of which is the whole word of wisdom, which will bear about in its bosom the things of heaven and of earth, from which the practiser of virtue elaborates his notions of various things. For after the white sheep he immediately beheld the variegated animals, stamped with the impression of instruction. The third kind are the ring-straked and speckled ; and what man in his senses would deny that these also are, as to their genus, variegated ? but still he is not so very eager about the varieties of the members of the flocks, as about the road which leads to virtue and excellence ; for the prophet intends that he who proceeds along this road shall be besprinkled with dust and water ; because it is related that the earth and water being kneaded together and fashioned into shape by the Creator of man, was formed into one body, not being made by hand, but being the work of invisible nature.

Therefore it is the first principle of wisdom not to forget one's self, and always to keep before one's eyes the materials of which one has been compounded ; for in this way a man will get rid of boasting and arrogance, which of all evils is the one most hated by God ; for who that ever admits into his mind the recollection that the first principles of his formation are dust and water, would ever be so puffed by vanity as to be unduly elated ? On this account the prophet has thought it fit that those who are about to offer sacrifice shall be be sprinkled with the aforesaid things ; thinking no one worthy to appear at a sacrifice who has not first of all learnt to know himself, and to comprehend the nothingness of mankind, and the elements of which he is composed, conjecturing from them that he himself is utterly insignificant.

These three signs, the white, the variegated, and the ring-straked and speckled, are as yet imperfect in the practiser of virtue, who has not himself as yet attained to perfection. But, in the case of him who is perfect, they also appear to be perfect. And in what manner they appear so we will examine. The sacred scripture has appointed that the great High Priest, when he was about to perform the ministrations appointed by the law, should be besprinkled with water and ashes in the first place, that he might come to a remembrance of himself. For the wise Abraham also, when he went forth to converse with God, pronounced himself to be dust and ashes. In the second place, it enjoins him to put on a tunic reaching down to his feet, and the variously-embroidered thing which was called his breast-plate, an image and representation of the light-giving stars which appear in heaven. For there are, as it seems, two temples belonging to God ; one being this world, in which the high priest is the divine word, his own first-born son.

The other is the rational soul, the priest of which is the real true man, the copy of whom, perceptible to the senses, is he who performs his paternal vows and sacrifices, to whom it is enjoined to put on the aforesaid tunic, the representation of the universal heaven, in order that the world may join with the man in offering sacrifice, and that the man may likewise co-operate with the universe. He is now therefore shown to have these two things, the speckled and the variegated character. We will now proceed to explain the third and most perfect kind, which is denominated thoroughly white. When this same high priest enters into the innermost parts of the holy temple, he is clothed in the variegated garment, and he also assumes another linen robe, made of the very finest flax. And this is an emblem of vigour, and incorruptibility, and the most brilliant light. For such a veil is a thing very difficult to be broken, and it is made of nothing mortal, and when it is properly and carefully purified it has a most clear and brilliant appearance.

And these injunctions contain this figurative meaning, that of those who in 33S PHILO JUD^US. a pure and guileless spirit serve the living God, there is no one who does not at first depend upon the firmness and obstinacy of his mind, despising all human affairs, which allure men with their specious bait, and injure them, and produce weakness in them. In the next place, he aims at immortality, laughing at the blind inventions with which mortals delude themselves. And last of all, he shines with the unclouded and most brilliant light of truth, no longer desiring any of the things which belong to false opinion, which prefer darkness rather than light.

The great high priest of the confession, then, may have now been sufficiently described by us, being stamped with the impressions above-mentioned, the white, the variegated, and the ring-straked and speckled. But he who is desirous of the administration of human affairs, by name Joseph, does not, as it appears, claim for himself any of the extreme characteristics, but only that variegated one which is in the middle between the others. For we read that Joseph had a coat of many colours,"* not being sprinkled with the sacred purifications, by means of which he might have known that he himself was only a compound of dust and water, and not being able to touch that thoroughly white and most shining raiment, virtue. But being clothed in the much-vai-iegated web of political affairs, with which the smallest possible portion of truth is mixed up ; and also many and large portions of plausible, probable, and likely falsehoods, from which all the sophists of Egypt, and all the augurs, and ventriloquists, and sorcerers spring ; men skilful in juggling, and in incantations, and in tricks of all 'kinds, from whose treacherous arts it is very difficult to escape.

And it is on this account that Moses very naturally represents this robe as stained with blood ; since the whole life of the man who is mixed up in political affairs is tainted, warring on others and being warred against, and being aimed at, and attacked, and shot at by all the unexpected chances which befall him. Examine now the man who has great influence with the people, on whom the affairs of the city depend. Do not be alarmed at those who look with admiration upon him ; and you will find many diseases lurking within him, and you will see that lie is entangled in many disasters, and that fortune is dragging him violently in different directions, though he bends his neck the other way, and resists, although invisibly, and in fact that fortune is seeking to overthrow and destroy him ; or else the people themselves are impatient at his supremacy, or he is exposed to the attacks of some more powerful rival. And envy is a formidable enemy, and one hard to be shaken off, clinging also to everything that is called good fortune, and it is not easy to escape from it.

What reason is there then for our congratulating ourselves on the administration of political affairs as if we were clothed in a garment of many colours, deceived by its external splendour, and not perceiving its ugliness, which is kept out of sight, and hidden, and full of treachery and guile ? Let us then put off this flowery robe, and put on that sacred one woven with the embroideries of virtue ; for thus we shall escape the snares which want of skill, and ignorance, and want of knowledge, and education lay for us, of which Laban is the companion. For when the sacred word has purified us with the sprinklings prepared beforehand for purification, and when it has adorned us with the select reasonings of true philosophy, and, having led us to that man who has stood the test, has made us genuine, and conspicuous, and shining, it blames the treacherous disposition which seeks to raise itself up to invalidate what is said. For the scripture says : "I have seen what Laban does unto thee,"* namely, things contrary to the benefits which I conferred on you, things impure, wicked, and altogether suited to darkness.

But it is not right for the man who anchors on the hope of the alliance of God to crouch and tremble, to whom God says, " I am the God \vno was seen by thee in. the place of God." A very glorious boast for the soul, that God should think fit to appear to and to converse with it. And do not pass by what is here said, but examine it accurately, and see whether there are really two Gods. For it is said : " I am the God who was seen by thee ; " not in my place, but in the place of God, as if he meant of some other God. What then ought we to say ? There is one true God only : but they who are called Gods, by an abuse of language, are numerous ; on which account the holy scripture on the present z 2 occasion indicates that it is the true God that is meant by the use of the article, the expression being, " I am the God (o ©sog) ; " but when the word is used incorrectly, it is put without the article, the expression being, "

He who was seen by thee in the place," not of the God (rov &zov), but simply "of God" (&sov) ; and what he here calls God is his most ancient word, not having any superstitious regard to the position of the names, but only proposing one end to himself, namely, to give a true account of the matter ; for in other passages the sacred historian, when he considered whether there really was any name belonging to the living God, showed that he knew that there was none properly belonging to him ; but that whatever appellation any one may give him, will be an abuse of terms ; for the living God is not of a nature to be described, but only to be.

And a proof of this may be found in the oracular answer given by God to the person who asked what name he had, " I am that I am,"* that the questioner might know the existence of those things which it was not possible for man to conceive not being connected with God. Accordingly, to tho incorporeal souls which are occupied in his service, it is natural for him to. appear as he is, conversing with them as a friend with his friends ; but to those souls which are still in the body he must appear in the resemblance of the angels, though without changing his nature (for he is unchangeable), but merely implanting in those who behold him an idea of his having another form, so that they fancy that it is his image, not an imitation of him, but the very archetypal appearance itself. There is then an old story much celebrated, that the Divinity, assuming the resemblance of men of different countries, goes round the different cities of men, searching out the deeds of iniquity and lawlessness ; and perhaps, though the fable is not true, it is a suitable and profitable one.

But the scripture, which at all times advances its conceptions with respect to the Deity, in a more reverential and holy tone, and which likewise desires to instruct the life of the foolish, has spoken of God under the likeness of a man, though not of any particular man ; attributing to him, with this view, the possession of a face, and hands, and feet, and of a mouth and voice, and also anger and passion, and moreover, defensive weapons, and goings in and goings out, and motions upwards and downwards, and in every direction, not indeed using all these expressions with strict truth, but having regard to the advantage of those who are to learn from it ; for the writers knew that some men are very dull in their natures, so as to be utterly unable to form any conception whatever of God apart from a body, whom it would be impossible to admonish if they were to speak in any other style than the existing one, of representing God as coming and departing like a man ; and as descending and ascending, and as using his voice, and as being angry with sinne>"s, and being implacable in his anger ; and speaking too of his darts and swords, and whatever other instruments are suitable to be employed against the wicked, as being all previously ready.

For we must be content if such men can be brought to a proper state, by the fear which is suspended over them by such descriptions ; and one may almost say that these are the only two paths taken, in the whole history of the law ; one leading to the plain truth, owing to which we have such assertions as, " God is not as a man ;"* the other, that which has regard to the opinions of foolish men, in reference to whom it is said, "The Lord God shall instruct you, like as if a man instructs his son."f

AVhy then do we any longer wonder, if God at times assumes the likeness of the angels, as he sometimes assumes even that of men, for the sake of assisting those who address their entreaties to him ? so that when he says, " I am the God who was seen by thee in the place of God;"| we must understand this, that he on that occasion took the place of an angel, as far as appearance went, without changing his own real nature, for the advantage of him who was not, as yet, able to bear the sight of the true God ; for as those who are not able to look upon the sun itself, look upon the reflected rays of the sun as the sun itself, and upon the halo around the moon as if it were the moon itself; so also do those who are unable to bear the sight of God, look upon his image, his angel word, as himself. Do you not see that encyclical instruction, that is, Hagar, says to the angel, "Art thou God who seest me?"* for she was not capable of beholding the most ancient cau°e, inasmuch as she was by birth a native of Egypt.

But now the mind begins to be improved, so as to be able to contemplate the governor of all the powers ; on which account he says himself, " I am the Lord God,"t I whose image you formerly beheld instead of me, and whose pillar you set up, engraving on it a most sacred inscription ; and the inscription indicated that I stood alone, and that I established the nature of all things, bringing disorder and irregularity into order and regularity, and supporting the universe firmly, so that it might rest on a firm and solid foundation, my own ministering word.

For the pillar is the symbol of three tbings ; of stauding, of dedication, and of an inscription : now the standing and the inscription have been described, but the dedication it is necessaiy should be explained to all men. For heaven and the world are an offering dedicated to God who made them ; and all the cosmopolitan and God-loving souls, which dedicate and consecrate themselves to him, not allowing any mortal thing to drag them in an opposite direction, are never weary of hallowing their own life, and adorning it with every kind of beauty as a meet offering for him. And he is a foolish man who does not set up a pillar to God, but who erects one to himself instead, attributing stability to the things of creation, which is tossed about in every direction, and thinking those things worthy of inscriptions and panegyrics, which are in reality full of matter for blame and accusation, and which as such had better never have been mentioned in an inscription at all, or if they had, had better have been speedily erased again. On which account the holy scripture says distinctly, " Thou shalt not set up a pillar to thyself ;"

J for in truth there is nothing belonging to man that is stable, no, not though some persons persist even so obstinately in affirming it.

But they not only think that they stand firmly, but also that they are worthy of honours and inscriptions, forgetting him who is alone worthy of honour, and who is alone firmly fixed ; for while they are turning aside and wandering away from the path which leads to virtue, the outward sense leads them still more astray, that is to say, the woman who is akin to them, she also compels them to run ashore ; therefore, the whole soul, like a ship,* being shut in all around, is offered up as a pillar ; for the sacred scriptures tell us that Lot's wife having turned back to look behind her, became a pillar of salt, and this is said very naturally and fitly ; for if any one does not look forwards at those things which are worthy of being seen and heard (and these things are the virtues and the actions done in accordance with virtue), but looks backwards at the things which are behind him, at deaf glory, and blind riches, and senseless vigour of body, and an empty elegance of mind, pursuing these objects only, and such as are akin to them, he will lie as a lifeless pillar melting away by itself ; for salt is not a thing to preserve his firmness.

Very admirably therefore does the practiser of virtue, having learnt by continued study that creation is a thing in its own nature moveable, but that the uncreated God is unchangeable and immoveable, erect a pillar to God, and anoint it after he has erected it ; for God says, " Thou hast anointed my pillar."t But do not fancy that that stone was anointed with oil, but understand rather that that opinion, that God is the only being who stands firmly, was thoroughly hardened by exercise, and established in the soul by the science of wrestling, not that science by which bodies are made fat, but that by which the mind acquires strength and irresistible vigour ; for the man who is eager in the pursuit of good studies and virtuous objects is fond of labours, and fond of exercises ; so that very naturally, having worked out the science of training which is the sister of the art of medicine, he anoints and brings to perfection all the reasonings of virtue and piety, and dedicates them, as a most beautiful and lasting offering to God. For this reason, after mentioning the dedication of the pillar, God adds that, " Thou vowedst avow to me."

Now a vow also is, to speak properly, a dedication, since he who makes a vow is said to offer up, as a gift to God, not only his own possessions, but himself likewise, who is the owner of them ; for says the scripture, " the man is holy who nourishes the locks of the hair of his head ; who has vowed a vow." But if he is holy he vaf'c into airvovc,, "dead," but it seems unnecessary, t Genesis xxxi. 13. is undoubtedly an offering to God, no longer meddling with anything unholy or profane ; and there is an evidence in favour of my argument, in the conduct of the prophetess, and mother of a prophet, Hannah, whose name being translated, signifies grace ; for she says that she gives her son, " Samuel, as a gift to the Holy One,"* not dedicating him more as a human being, than as a disposition full of inspiration, and possessed by a d vinely sent impulse; and the name Samuel being interpreted means, " appointed to God."

Why then, O my soul, do you any longer waste yourself in vain speculations and labours? and why do you not go as a pupil to the practiser of virtue, taking up arras against the passions, and against vain opinion, to learn from him the way to wrestle with them ? For as soon as you have learnt this art, you will become the leader of a flock, not of one which is destitute of marks, and of reason, and of docility, but of one which is well approved, and rational, and beautiful, of which, if you become the leader, you will pity the miserable race of mankind, and will not cease to reverence the Deity ; and you will never be weary of blessing God, and moreover you will engrave hymns suited to your sacred subject upon pillars, that you may not only speak fluently, but may also sing musically the virtues of the living God ; for by these means you will be able to return to your father's house, being delivered from a long and profitless wandering in a foreign land.

In describing the third species of dreams which are sent from God, we very naturally call on Moses as an ally, in order that as he learnt, having previously been ignorant, so he may instruct us who are also ignorant, concerning these signs, illustrating each separate one of them. Now this third species of dreams exists, whenever in sleep the mind being set in motion by itself, and agitating itself, is rilled with frenzy and inspiration, so as to predict future events by a certain prophetic power. For the first kind of dreams which we mentioned, was that which proceeded from God as the author of its motion, and, as some invisible manner prompted us what was indistinct to us, but well known to himself. The second kind was when our own intellect was set in motion simultaneously with the soul of the universe, and became filled with divine madness, by means of which it is allowed to prognosticate events which are about to happen ; and for this reason the interpreter of the sacred will very plainly and clearly speaks of* dreams, indicating by this expression the visions which appear according to the first species, as if God, by means of dreams, gave suggestions which were equivalent to distinct and precise oracles.

Of the visions according to the second species he speaks neither very clearly nor very obscurely ; an instance of which is afforded by the vision which was exhibited of the ladder reaching up to heaven ; for this vision was an enigmatical one ; nevertheless, the meaning was not hidden from those who were able to see with any great acuteness. But these visions which are afforded according to the third species of dreams, being less clear than the two former kinds by reason of their having an enigmatical meaning deeply seated and fully coloured, require the science of an interpreter of dreams. At all events all the dreams of this class, which are recorded by the lawgiver, are interpreted by men who are skilled in the aforesaid art. Whose dreams then am I here alluding to ? Surely every one must see to those of Joseph, and of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to those which the chief baker and the chief butler saw themselves ; and it may be well at all times to begin our instruction with the first instances. Now the first dreams are those which Joseph beheld, receiving two visions from the two parts of the world, heaven and earth.

From the earth the dream about the harvest ; and that is as follows, " I thought that we were all binding sheaves in the middle of the field; and my sheaf stood up."* And the other relates to the circle of the zodiac, and is, " They worshipped me as the sun and the moon and the eleven stars.'' And the interpretation of the former one, which was delivered with great violence of reproof, is as follows, " Shall you be a king and reign over us? or shall you be a lord and lord it over us?" The interpretation of the second is again full of just indignation, " Shall I, and thy mother, and thy brethren come and fall down upon the ground and worship thee ?"

Let these things be laid down first by way of foundation ; and on this foundation let us raise up the rest of the building, following the rules of that wise architect, allegory, and accurately investigating each particular of the dreams ; but first we must mention what it is requisite should be attended to before the dreams. Some persons have extended the nature of good over many things, and others have attributed it to the most excellent Being alone ; some again have mixed it with other things, while others have spoken of it as unalloyed. Those then who have called only what is honourable good, have preserved this nature free from alloy, and have attributed it only to what is most excellent, namely to the reason that is in us ; but those who have mixed it have combined it with three things, the soul, the body, and external circumstances. And they who act thus are persons of a somewhat effeminate and luxurious way of life, being bred up the greater part of their time, from their earliest infancy, in the women's apartments and among the effeminate race which is found in the women's apartments.

But those who argue differently are men inclined to a harder regimen, being bred up from their boyhood among men, and being themselves men in their minds, embracing what is right in preference to what is pleasant, and devoting themselves to nourishment fit for athletes for the sake of strength and vigour, not of pleasure. Moses moreover represents two persons as leaders of these two companies. The leader of the noble and good company is the self-taught and self-instructed Isaac ; for he records that he was weaned, not choosing to avail himself at all of tender, and milk-like, and childish, and infantine food, but only of such as was vigorous and perfect, inasmuch as he was formed by nature, from his very infancy, for acts of virtue, and was always in the prime and vigour of youth and energy.

But the leader of the company, v,hich yields and which is inclined to softer measures, is Joseph ; for he does not indeed neglect the virtues of the soul, but he likewise shows anxiety about the stability and permanence of the body, and also desires an abundance of worldly treasures ; and it is in strict accordance with natural truth, that he is represented as drawn in different directions, since he proposes to himself many different objects in life ; and being attracted by each of them, he is kept in a state of commotion and agitation, without being able to stand firm.

And his case is not like that of cities, which having made a truce enjoy peace, and yet after a time are again attacked, so as to gain the victory and to be defeated alternately ; for at times a great influx of riches and glory coming upon them, subdues all their cares for the body and the soul, but afterwards, being repelled by both these things, they are conquered by the adversary ; and in the same manner all the pleasures of the body coming upon the soul in a compact array overwhelm and efface all the objects of the intellect one after the other; and then, after a short time, wisdom, changing its course and blowing in the opposite direction with a fresh and violent breeze, causes the stream of the pleasures to slacken, and altogether moderates all the eagerness, and impetuosity, and rivalry of the external senses.

Such a circle then of never-ending war revolves around the soul, subject as it is to so many changes; for when one enemy has been destroyed, then immediately there springs up another more powerful, after the fashion of the many-headed hydra ; for they say, that in the case of this monster, instead of the head which was cut off another sprung up, by which statement they mean to intimate the multiform, and prolific, and almost invincible character of undying wickedness. Do not, therefore, answer Joseph * but know that he is the image of multiform and mixed knowledge.

For there appears in him a rational species of continence, which is of the masculine kind, being fashioned in accordance with his father Jacob ; and also that kind which is devoid of reason is likewise visible, that of the outward sense I mean, being made in the likeness of his maternal race, according to Rachel. There appears in him also the seed of bodily pleaabout the beginning of this book. sure, which his association with the chief butlers, and chief bakers, and chief cooks has stamped upon him. Tbere is, also visible the seed of vain opinion, on which he mounts as on a chariot by reason of his levity, being puffed up, and elated, and raising himself to a height to the destruction of equality.

Now the character of Joseph is sketched out by the foregoing outlines. But each of his dreams must be investigated with accuracy ; and first of all we must examine the one about the sheaves. " I tbought," says he, " that Ave were all binding sheaves." The expression, " I thought," is clearly that of a person who is not certain, but who is hesitating and supposing with some amount of indistinctness, not of one who sees positively and clearly ; for it is very natural for persons just awakening out of a deep sleep, and still dozing as it were, to say, " I thought;" but not so for people who are thoroughly awake, and who can see distinctly. And the practiser of virtue, Jacob, does not say, " I thought," but his language is, " Behold, a ladder firmly set, the head of which reached up to heaven."* And again he says, when " the sheep conceived and the rams leapt upon the ewes and upon the she-goats, white, and variegated, and ring-straked, and speckled." f For it happens of necessity that the sleeping conceptions also of those who think what is honourable eligible for its own sake are more distinct and more pure, just as their waking actions are also more deserving of approbation.

But when I hear Joseph relating his dream I marvel at his having fancied that he was binding up the sheaves, and not reaping the corn ; for the one is the task of the lower classes and of servants, but the other is the occupation of the employers, and of men more skilled in agriculture. For to be able to distinguish what is necessary from what is mischievous, and what is nutritious from what is not so, and what is genuine from what is spurious, and useful fruit from a worthless root, not only in reference to those things which the land bears, but also in those which the intellect bears, is the work of most perfect virtue. Accordingly the holy scripture represents those who see, that is the sons of Israel, as reaping, and what is a most extraordinary thing, as reaping not barley or wheat, but the harvest itself ; accordingly the language of Moses is, "

When you reap your harvest, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your harvest."* For he means here that the virtuous man is not merely the judge of things which differ from one another, and that he does not only distinguish the things from which some produce is derived from the produce itself ; bat that he is able also to distinguish while reaping the harvest, to remove this opinion of his ability to distinguish, and to eradicate a man's own opinion of himself ; because he is firmly persuaded, and believes Moses when he affirms that "judgment belongs to God alone," f with whom are the comparisons and distinctions between all things ; to whom it is well for a man to confess that he is inferior, a confession more glorious than the most renowned victory.

Now the reaping a harvest is like cutting a second time what has been cut already ; which when some persons fond of novelty applied themselves to they found a circumcision of circumcision, and a purification of purification ;| that is to say, they found that the purification of the soul was itself purified, attributing the power of making bright to God, and never fancying that they themselves were competent, without the assistance of the divine wisdom, to wash and cleanse a life which is full of stains. Akin to this is the double cave, which is a symbol of the twofold and excellent recollections (the one existing in reference to the creature, and the other to the Creator), in which the virtuous man is bred up, contemplating the things which are in the world, and being also fond of inquiring about the father who made them ; and it is owing to these twofold recollections, in my opinion, that the double symphony in music, that of the double diapason, was invented. For it was necessary that the work and the creator should be made happy in two most perfect melodies, and not both in the same one.

For since the excellencies which were to be celebrated by them differed from one another, it followed of necessity that the melodies and symphonies should likewise differ from one another. The combined symphony being assigned to the world, which is a compound creation, composed of many different parts ; and the disjoined melody being appropriated to him who, as to his essence, is separated from every creature, namely, to God.

Moreover, the interpreter of the sacred will again enunciates an opinion friendly to virtue, saying that it is not proper " to thoroughly reap every corner of the harvest field ;" remembering the original proposition, according to which he agreed that " the tribute belonged to the Lord,"* to whom the authority and the conformation of these things also belong ; but he who is uninitiated in reaping boasts, so far as to say, " I thought that I was with the others binding up the sheaves which I had reaped."f And he does 'not consider that this is the occupation of servants and of unskilful hands, as I have said a little while ago. But this word sheaves is an allegorical expression by which affairs are really meant, such as each man takes in hand for the support of his house, in which he hopes to live and dwell for ever.

There are, therefore, an infinite number of differences between sheaves, that is to say, between such affairs as support a house. There are also a countless host of differences between those who gather and take up the sheaves in their hand, so that it is impossible to mention or even to imagine them all. Still it is not out of place to describe a few of them by way of example, which he too mentioned, when he was recounting his dream. For he says to his brethren, " I thought that we were binding up sheaves." Now, of brethren he has ten, who are sons of the same father as himself, and one who is by the same mother ; afid the name of each individual among them is an emblem of some most necessary thing. Reuben is an emblem of natural acuteness, for he is called " the son who sees," being in so far as he is a son not perfect, but in so far as he is endowed with the faculty of sight and sees acutely, he is naturally well qualiefid. Simeon is an emblem of learning, for his name being interpreted means, " listening. " Levi is a symbol of virtuous energies and actions, and of holy ministrations.

Judas is an emblem of songs and hymns addressed to God. Issachar, of wages which are given for good works ; but perhaps the works themselves are their own perfect reward. Zabulon is a symbol of light, since his name means the departure of night ; and when the night departs and leaves us, then of necessity light arises. Dan is a symbol of the distinction between, and division of, different things. Gad is an emblem of the invasion of pirates, and of a counter attack made upon them. Asser is a symbol of natural wealth, for his name being interpreted, signifies " a calling blessed," since wealth is accounted a blessed possession. Napthali is a symbol of peace, for all things are opened and extended by peace, as on the other hand they are closed by war ; and his name being interpreted means, "widening," or "that which is opened." Benjamin is an emblem of young and old time ; for being interpreted his name means " the son of days," and both young time and old time are measured by days and nights.

Accordingly, every one of them takes up in his hand what belongs to himself ; and having taken it up, binds all the parts together; the man well endowed by nature taking up the parts of dexterity, and perseverance, and memory, of which good natural endowments consist ; the man who has learnt well takes up the parts of listening, tranquillity, and attention ; the man willing to endeavour takes up courage and a happy confidence which does not shrink from danger ; the man inclined to gratitude takes up praises, panegyrics, hymns, and blessings, both in speaking and in singing ; the man who is eager for wages takes up unhesitating industry, most enduring gratitude, and care, armed with a promptitude which is not to be despised • he who pursues light rather than darkness takes up wakefulness and acuteness of sight ; the man who is an admirer of the division of and distinction between things takes up well-sharpened reasons so as not to be deceived by things similar to one another as if they were identical, impartiality so as hot to be led away by favour, and incorruptibility ; he who, in something of a piratical fashion, lays ambuscades against those who counterplot against him, takes up deceit, cajolery, trickery, sophistry, pretence, and hypocrisy, which being in their own nature blamable, are nevertheless praised when employed against an enemy ; he who studies to be rich in the riches of nature takes up temperance and frugality ; he who loves peace takes up obedience to law, a good reputation, freedom from pride, and equality.

It is of these things, then, that the sheaves of his brethren by the same father are composed and bound up ; but the sheaf of his uterine brother is composed of clays and of time, which are the causes of nothing, as if they were the causes of all things. But the dreamer and interpreter of dreams himself, for he united both characters, makes a sheaf of empty opinion as of the greatest and most brilliant of possessions and the most useful to life. For -which reason it is originally by his dreams, which are things dear to night, that he is made known to the king of the bodily country, and not by any performance of conspicuous actions, which require day for their exhibition. After that, he is appointed overseer or governor of all Egypt, and is honoured with the second rank in the kingdom, and made inferior in honour only to the king. All which things are in the eye of wisdom, if that were the judge, more inglorious and more ridiculous than even defeat and dishonour.

After that he puts on a golden necklace, a most illustrious halter, the circlet and wheel of interminable necessity, not the consequence and regular order of things in life, nor the connection of th eaffairs of nature as Thamar was ; for her ornament was not a necklace, but an armlet. Moreover, he assumes a ring, a royal gift which is no gift, a pledge devoid of good faith, the very contrary gift to that which was given to the same Thamar by Judah the son of the seeing king, Israel ; for God gives to the soul a seal, a very beautiful gift, to show that he has invested with shape the essence of all tilings which was previously devoid of shape, and has stamped with a particular character that which previously had no character, and has endowed with form that which had previously no distinctive form, and having perfected the entire world, he has impressed upon it an image and appearance, namely, his own word. But Joseph also mounts the second chariot, being puffed up with elation of mind and vain arrogance. And he is regulator of the provisions, laying up and preserving the treasures for the body, and providing it with food from all quarters : and this is a very formidable fortification against the soul.

Moreover, his deliberate choice of life, and the life which he admires, is testified to in no slight degree by his name ; for Joseph, being interpreted, means '' addition ;" and vain opinion is always adding what is spurious to what is genuine, and what is the property of others to what is one's own, and what is false to what is true, and what is superfluous to what is adequate, and luxury to what is sufficient to support existence, and pride to life.

Consider now what it is which I am here desirous to prove. We are nourished by meat and drink, even though the meat be the most ordinary corn, and the drink plain water from the stream. Moreover, besides this, vain opinion has added to it an infinite number of varieties of cakes, and cheese-cakes, and sweetmeats, and costly and various mixtures of an indescribable multitude of wines, for the enjoyment of pleasure rather than for a participation in necessary food properly prepared. Again, the necessary seasonings for eating, are leeks,* and vegetables, and many fruits of trees, and cheese, and other things of that sort ; and if you wish to include carnivorous men, we must, besides, add fish and meat to these items. Would it not, then, have been sufficient to broil these things upon the coals, or to roast them at the fire, and then eat them at once, after the fashion of those true heroes of old time ? But the epicure is eager not only for such things as these, but he takes vain opinion for his ally, and excites the gluttonous passions which are within him, and seeks out and hunts all about for confectioners and pastrycooks of high reputation in their art.

And they, bringing forward the different baits for his miserable stomach, which have been invented after long consideration, and preparing all kinds of peculiar flavours, and arranging them in due order, tickle, and allure, and subdue the tongue. Then, immediately they circumvent that foundation of the outward senses, the taste, by means of which the banquethunter in a very short time is rendered a slave instead of a free man. For who is there who does not know that clothes were originally made as a defence against the injuries which might arise to the body from cold and heat ? as the poets say somewhere : — " Taming the wind in the winter." Who, therefore, thinks of costly purple garments ? Who cares about transparent and thin summer robes '? Who wishes for a garment delicate as a spider's web ? Who is eager to have embroidered for him apparel flowered over with dyes and brocaded figures, by those who are skilful in sewing and weaving cunning embroidery, and are superior in their handiwork to the imitative skill of the painter? Who, I say? Who, but vain opinion ?

And, indeed, it is for these same reasons that we bad need of houses, requiring them also for protection against the attacks of wild beasts, or of men more savage in their nature than even wild beasts. Why is it, then, that we adorn the pavements and floors with costly stones ? And why do we travel over Asia, and Africa, and all Europe, and the islands, searching for pillars and capitals, and architraves, and selecting them with reference to their superior beauty ? And why are we anxious for, and why do we vie with one another in specimens of Doric, and Ionic, and Corinthian sculpture, and in all the refinements which luxurious men have devised in addition to the existing customs, adorning the capitals of their pillars V And whv do we furnish our chambers for men and for women with golden ornaments ? Is it not all from our being influenced by vain opinion ?

And yet, for sound sleep, the mere ground was sufficient (since, even to the present day, the accounts tell us that the gymnosophists, among the Indians, sleep on the ground in accordance with their ancient customs); and if it were not, at all events a couch made of carefully chosen stones or plain pieces of wood, would be a sufficient bed ; but now the poles of our ladders are ornamented with ivory feet, and workmen inlay our beds with' costly mother-ofpearl and variegated tortoise-shell, at great expense of labour, and money, and time : and some beds are even made of solid silver or solid gold, and inlaid with precious stones, with all kinds of flowery work, and embossed golden ornaments strewed about them, as if for mere display and magnificence, and not for daily use. The contriver of all which is again the same vain opinion. Again : why need we seek for more in the way of ointment than the juice pressed out of the fruit of the olive ?

For that softens the limbs, and relieves the labour of the body, and produces a good condition of the flesh ; and if anything has got relaxed or flabby, it binds it again, and makes it firm and solid, and it fills us with vigour and strength of muscle, no Jess than any other unguent. But the pleasant unguents of vain opinion, are set up in opposition to those that are merely useful, on which the perfumers work, and to which vast regions contribute, such as Syria, Babylon, the Indians, and the Scythians ; in which nations the origins of all perfumes are found.

Again, with respect to drinking ; what more could man really have need of than the cup of nature wrought with the perfection of art ? Now such a cup our own hands supply, which, if any one brings together and forms into a hollow, applying them closely to his mouth, while another pours in the liquid to be drank, lie gets not only a remedy for his thirst, but also a most indescribable pleasure. Still, if one were absolutely in need of something else, would not the ivy cup of the agricultural labourer be sufficient ? and why should it be requisite to have recourse to the arts of other eminent artists ? And what can be the use of providing a countless multitude of gold and silver goblets, if it be not for the gratification of boastful and vain-glorious arrogance, and of vain opinion raising itself to an undue height ?

Again, when men wear crowns, they are not content with fragrant garlands of laurel, or ivy, or violets, or lilies, or roses, or of any tree whatever, or of any flower, neglecting all the gifts of God, which he bestows upon us at the various seasons of the year, but they put golden crowns on their heads, which are a very grievous weight, wearing them in the middle of the crowded market-place without any shame. And what can we think of such men, but that they are slaves of vain opinion, in spite of their asserting themselves not only to be free, but even to be rulers over many other persons ? The day would fail me if I were to go through all the varieties of human life ; and yet, why need I dwell on the subject with prolixity ? For who is there who has not heard, or who has nof. seen, such men as these ? Who is there who does not associate with, and who is not familiar with them ?

So that the sacred scripture has very appropriately named " addition " the enemy of simplicity and the companion of pride ; for as superfluous shoots do grow on trees, which are a great injury to the genuine useful branches, and which the cultivators destroy and cut out from a prudent foreknowledge of what is necessary : so likewise the life of falsehood and arrogance often grows up by the side of the true life devoid of pride, of which, to this^ay, no cultivator has been found who has been able to cut away the injurious superfluous growth by the rooos. Therefore the practisers of wisdom, knowing this in the first instance by the outward sense, and secondly, pursuing it by the mind, cry out loudly and say, " A wicked beast has seized and devoured Joseph."* But does not that most ferocious beast, the various pride which springs up in the life of men living in irregularity and confusion, whose chief workmen are covetousness and unscrupulous cunning, devour every one who comes within his reach ? Therefore grief will be added to them, even while they are alive, as though they were dead, since they have a life worthy of lamentation and mourning, since Jacob mourns for Joseph, even while he is alive.

But Moses will not allow the sacred reasonings about Nadab to be bewailed ; t for they have not been carried off by a savage beast, but have been taken up by unextinguishable violence and imperishable light ; because, having discai'ded all fear and hesitation, they had duly consecrated the fervent and fiery zeal, consuming the flesh, and very easily and vehemently excited towards piety, which is unconnected with creation, but is akin to God, not going up to the altar by the regular steps, for that was forbidden by law, but proceeding rapidly onwards with a favourable gale, and being conducted up even to the threshold of heaven, becoming dissolved into ethereal beams like a whole burnt-offering.

Therefore, 0 thou soul, that art obedient to thy teacher! thou must cut off thine hand and thy power when it begins to take hold of the parts of generation ; that is to say, of things created, or of human pursuits ; for very often . . . to cut off the hand which has laid hold of the privy parts, "J in the first place, because it has gladly received the pleasure which it ought rather to hate ; and, secondly, because it has thought that the faculty of propagating seed was in our own power, and also, because it has attributed to the creature the power which belongs to the Creator. Dost thou not see that the earthly mass, Adam, when it lays its hand upon the two trees, dies, because it has preferred the number two to the unit, and because it has admired the creature in preference to the Creator ? But do thou go forth beyond the reach of the smoke and the tempest, and flee from the ridiculous pursuits of mortal life as a fearful whirlpool, and do not, as the proverb has it, touch them even with the tip of thy finger.

And when thou hast girded thyseif up for the sacred ministrations, having made broad thy whole hand and thy whole power, then take a firm hold of the speculations of instruction and wisdom ; for the command is of this kind, "If a soul brings a gift or a sacrifice, the gift shall be of fine wheaten flour."* After that the lawgiver adds : " And when he has taken a full handful of the fine wheaten flour, with the oil, and with all the frankincense, he places the memorial on the altar of sacrifice." Is not this a very beautiful and appropriate expression of Moses, to call that soul incorporeal which is about to offer sacrifice, but not to call the double mass which cousists of mortality and immortality by any such name ? For that which vows the vow — that which is full of gratitude — that which offers such sacrifices as are truly without spot, is one thing only, namely, the soul. What then is the offering of the incorporeal soul ? What is he fine wheaten flour, a symbol of the mind purified by the suggestions of instruction, which is able to render the friend of education free from all disease, and life free from all reproach ?

From which the priest taking a handful with his whole hand, that is to say, with the whole grasp of his mind, is commanded to offer up the whole soul itself, full of the most unalloyed and pure doctrines, as the most excellent of sacrifices, fat and in good condition, rejoicing in divine light, and redolent of the exhalations which are given forth by justice, and by the other virtues, so as always to enjoy a most fragrant, and delicious, and happy life; for the oil and the frankincense, of which the priest takes a handful with the white wheat, contain a figurative assertion of this. - XI. It is on this account that Moses set apart an especial festival for the sheaf ; however, not for every sheaf, but for that which came from the sacred land. "

For when," says he, "you come into the land which I give unto you, and when you reap its harvest, you shall bring sheaves as a first fruit of your harvest to the priest."f And the meaning of this injunction is, when, O mind, you come into the country of virtue, which it is fitting should be offered up to God alone, being a land good for pasture, a land of rich soil, a land which beareth fruit, and when you reap the fruit (either that afforded by the land spontaneously or that which thou hast sown), which has been brought to perfection by the God who gives perfection ; carry it not home to thy house ; that is to say, do not store it up, and do not attribute to thyself the cause of the crop which has arisen to thee, before thou hast offered the first fruits to the Cause of all wealth, and to him who persuaded thee to study the operations which confer riches. And it is enjoined that you shall offer the " first fruits of your own harvest ; " not of the harvest of the land, in order that we may reap and gather in the harvest for ourselves; dedicating to God all good and nutritious, and beneficial fruits.

But the man who is at the same time initiated in dreams and also an interpreter of dreams, is bold to say that his sheaf rose and stood upright ; for in real truth, as spirited horses lift their necks high, so all who are companions of vain opinion place themselves above all things, above all cities, and laws, and national customs, and above all the circumstances which affect each individual of them. Then proceeding onwards from being demagogues to being leaders of the people, and overthrowing the things which belong to their neighbours, and setting up and establishing on a solid footing what belongs to themselves, that is to say, all such dispositions as are free and by nature impatient of slavery, they attempt to reduce these also under their power ; on which account the dreamer adds, " And your sheaves turning towards my sheaf made obeisance unto it."* For the lover of modesty marvels at and fears the stiffnecked, and the cautious person fears the self-willed man, and he who reverences holiness fears that which is impious both for himself and for others. And is not this reasonable ?

For inasmuch as the good man is a spectator, not only of human life but also of all the things which exist in the world, he knows how many things are accustomed to be caused by necessity, and chance, and opportunity, and violence, and authority ; and what numbers of propositions, and what great instances of prosperity proceeding onwards with rapidity towards heaven, the same causes have shaken and overthrown ; so that he will of necessity take up caution as a shield, as a protection to prevent Ins suffering any sudden and unexpected evil ; for as I imagine what a wall is to a city, that caution is to an individual. Do not these men then talk foolishly, are they not mad, who desire to display their inexperience and freedom of speech to kings and tyrants, at times daring to speak and to do things in opposition to their will ? Do they not perceive that they have not only put their necks under the yoke like brute beasts, but that they have also surrendered and betrayed their whole bodies and souls likewise, and their wives and their children, and their parents, and all the rest of the numerous kindred and community of their other relations ?

And it is lawful for the charioteer, and also for the passenger, with all freedom to spur, and to urge forward, and to check, and to hold back, according as he desires to arrange things, so as to make them greater or smaller. Therefore, being pricked with goads, and flogged, and mutilated, and suffering all the cruelties which can be inflicted in an inhuman and pitiless manner before death, all together, they are led away to execution and put to death.

These are the rewards of unseemly freedom of speech, not of that which is accounted such by right-thinking judges, but of that license which is full of folly, and insanity of mind, and of incurable distemper. What do you mean ? Does anyone, when he sees a storm at its height, and a violent gale opposing him, and a hurricane raging tempestuously, and the sea full of vast waves, when he ought to anchor his ship, does anyone, I say, at such a moment weigh anchor and put to sea ? What pilot, or what captain of a ship, was ever so drunk and intoxicated, as, while all the dangers which I have just enumerated were threatening him, to be willing to set sail, lest, if his vessel became water-logged by the sea breaking over it from above, it might be swallowed up with all its crew ? For, if he had been inclined to meet with a voyage free from danger, it was in his power to wait for calm weather and a smooth and favourable breeze.

What would one say, suppose anyone were to see a bear or a lion coming on with violence, and, while he might pacify and tame him, were to provoke him and make him savage, in order to give up himself as an unpitied meal and feast to those ravenous monsters ? Unless indeed anyone will assert that it is of no use to anyone to oppose the asps and serpents of Egypt, and all the other things which . . . destructive poison . . . inflict inevitable death on those who are once bitten by them ; for that men must be content to use incantations, and so to tame those beasts, and by such means to avoid suffering any evil from them. Moreover, are there not certain men who are more savage and more treacherous than boars, or serpents, or asps ? whose treacherous and malignant disposition it is impossible to escape otherwise than by gentleness and caresses ? Therefore the wise Abraham will offer adoration to the sons of Cheth, and their name being interpreted, means " admiring," because the occasion persuades him to do so.

For he has not come to this action of adoration because he honours persons who, by nature, and by hereditary qualities, and by their own habits, are enemies to reason, and who miserably waste that coinage of the soul, namely instruction, corrupting, and adulterating, and clipping it, but because he fears their present power and their scarcely conquerable strength, and is on his guard not to provoke them, he takes refuge in that great and powerful possession and weapon of virtue, that most excellent place of abode for wise souls, the double cave, which he could not occupy while warring and fighting, but only by acting as a champion and servant of reason. What ? Do not we also, when we are spending our time in the market-place, frequently wonder at the masters, and also at the beasts of burden ?

But we wonder at these two classes, with different and not the same feelings. For we look upon the masters with honour, and upon the beasts of burden with fear, lest some injury should be done to us by them. And when an opportunity offers, it is a good thing to attack our enemies and put down their power ; but when we have no such opportunity, it is better to be quiet ; but if we wish to find perfect safety as far as they are concerned, it is advantageous to caress them.

On which account it is even now proper to praise those persons who do not yield to the president of vain opinion but who withstand him and say, " Shall you be a king and rule over us?'"* For they do not as yet see him actually in possession of kingly power, they do not see him as yet kindled like aflame, and shining and blazing in the unlimited fuel, but only smouldering like a spark, dreaming of glory, and not visibly having attained to it ; for they also suggest favourable hopes to themselves as if they will not be able to be overcome by him ; for which reason they say, " Shall you reign over us ?" Which is equivalent to saying, Do you expect to be a king over us while we are living, existing, strong, and breathing ? Perhaps, indeed, you may make yourself master of such as are weak people, but with respect to us who are strong you will be looked upon by us as a subject. And, indeed, this is the natural state of the case. For when right reason is powerful in the soul, vain opinion is put down ; but when right reason is weak, vain opinion is strong.

As long, therefore, as the soul has its own power still safe, and as long as it is not mutilated in any part of it, it may well have confidence to attack and aim its arrows at the pride which resists it, and it may indulge in freedom of speech, saying, " You shall not be a 'king, you shall not be a lord either over us, or during our lifetime over others ; but we, with our bodyguards and shield-bearers, the offspring of wisdom, will overthrow your attacks and baffle your threats with one single sally of ours. In reference to which circumstances it is said, " They began to hate him because of his dreams and because of his words." But are not all the images which pride sets up and worships mere words and dreams, while, on the contrary, those things alone deserve to be called actions and real energies which are referable to correct life and right reason? And the one class are worthy of hatred as being false, and the other class deserve friendship as being full of desirable and lovely truth.

Let no one, therefore, venture to bring accusations against the virtues of such men, as if they exhibited a specimen of an inhuman and unbrotherly disposition ; but let any one who is disposed to do so, learn that it is not a man who is now being judged of, but the disposition which exists in the soul of each individual, which is mad on the subject of glory and arrogant pride ; let him embrace these men who have adopted irreconcileable enmity and hatred towards this disposition, and let him never love what is hated by them. Knowing thoroughly that such judges are never deceived so as to wander from a sound opinion, but that, having learnt from the beginning to understand 3G2 PHILO JUD.EUS. who is the true king, namely, the Lord, they indignantly refuse to worship him who deprives God of his honour, and seeks to appropriate it to himself, and who invites his fellow servants to do him service.

On which account they say with confidence, " Shall you he a king and reign over us ?" Are you ignorant that we are not independent, but that we are under the government of an immortal king, the only God? And why should you be a lord and lord it over us ? for are we not under domination, and have we not now, and shall we not have for ever, and ever the same one Lord ? in being whose servants we rejoice more than any one else can do in his liberty ; for to be the servant of God is the most excellent of all things which are honoured in creation. I, therefore, should pray that I myself also might be able to abide firmly in the things which have been decided by these men ; for they are accurate investigators, and superintendents, and overseers of tilings, not of bodies, and just, and sober all their lives, so as never to be deceived by any of those things which are accustomed to deceive mankind.

But up to this time I am in a state of intoxication, and I am labouring under much uncertainty, and I have need of a staff and of a guide like a blind man ; for if I had a staff to support me, then, perhaps, I might neither stumble nor fall. But if any persons who are conscious that they are but inconsiderate and precipitate, pay no attention to and do not care to follow' those who have investigated ail necessary matters with diligence and circumspection, nor, though they themselves are ignorant of the road, submit to the guidance of those who are acquainted with it, let them know that they have entered a course which it is very difficult to travel through, and that they are entangled in it, and will not be able to advance further ; but I am am so bound by treaties to these men, the moment I have a little recovered from my intoxication, that I think the same person both a friend and an enemy.