登陆注册
5190200000538

第538章

concerning the glorious miracles which Elisha wrought, which indeed in our Bibles are not a few, 2 Kings 6-9., but of which we have several omitted in Josephus's present copies.One of those histories, omitted at present, was evidently in his Bible, I mean that of the curing of Nanman's leprosy, 2 Kings 5.; for he plainly alludes to it, B.III.ch.11.sect.4, where he observes, that "there were lepers in many nations who yet have been in honor, and not only free from reproach and avoidance, but who have been great captains of armies, and been intrusted with high offices in the commonwealth, and have had the privilege of entering into holy places and temples." But what makes me most regret the want of that history in our present copies of Josephus is this, that we have here, as it is commonly understood, one of the greatest difficulties in all the Bible, that in 2 Kings 5:18, 19, where Naaman, after he had been miraculously cured by a prophet of the true God, and had thereupon promised (ver.17)that "he would henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord," adds, "In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimnu to worship there, and he leaneth on my hands, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmort; when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmort, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing.And Elisha said, Go in peace." This looks like a prophet's permission for being partaker in idolatry itself, out of compliance with an idolatrous court.

(9) Upon occasion of this stratagem of Elisha, in Josephus, we may take notice, that although Josephus was one of the greatest lovers of truth in the world, yet in a just war he seems to have had no manner of scruple upon him by all such stratagems possible to deceive public enemies.See this Josephus's account of Jeremiah's imposition on the great men of the Jews in somewhat like case, Antiq.B.X.ch.7.sect.6; 2 Samuel 16:16, &c.

(10) This son of a murderer was Joram, the son of Ahab, which Ahab slew, or permitted his wife Jezebel to slay, the Lord's prophets, and Naboth, 1 Kings 18:4; 21:19; and he is here called by this name, I suppose, because he had now also himself sent an officer to murder him; yet is Josephus's account of Joram's coming himself at last.as repenting of his intended cruelty, much more probable than that in our copies, 2 Kings 6:33, which rather implies the contrary.

(11) This law of the Jews, for the exclusion of lepers out of the camp in the wilderness, and out of the cities in Judea, is a known one, Leviticus 13:46; Numbers 5:14.

(12) Since Elijah did not live to anoint Hazael king of Syria himself, as he was empowered to do, 1 Kings 19:15, it was most probably now done, in his name, by his servant and successor Elisha.Nor does it seem to me otherwise but that Benhadad immediately recovered of his disease, as the prophet foretold;and that Hazael, upon his being anointed to succeed him though he ought to have staid till he died by the course of nature, or some other way of Divine punishment, as did David for many years in the like case, was too impatient, and the very next day smothered or strangled him, in order to come directly to the succession.

(13) What Mr.Le Clerc pretends here, that it is more probable that Hazael and his son were worshipped by the Syrians and people of Damascus till the days of Josephus, than Benhadad and Hazael, because under Benhadad they had greatly suffered, and because it is almost incredible that both a king and that king's murderer should be worshipped by the same Syrians, is of little force against those records, out of which Josephus drew this history, especially when it is likely that they thought Benhadad died of the distemper he labored under, and not by Hazael's treachery.

Besides, the reason that Josephus gives for this adoration, that these two kings had been great benefactors to the inhabitants of Damascus, and had built them temples, is too remote from the political suspicions of Le Clerc; nor ought such weak suspicions to be deemed of any force against authentic testimonies of antiquity.

(14) This epistle, in some copies of Josephus, is said to come to Jotare from Elijah, with this addition," for he was yet upon earth," which could not be true of Elijah, who, as all agree, was gone from the earth about four years before, and could only be true of Elisha; nor perhaps is there any more mystery here, than that the name of Elijah has very anciently crept into the text instead of Elisha, by the copiers, there being nothing in any copy of that epistle peculiar to Elijah.

(15) Spanheim here notes, that this putting off men's garments, and strewing them under a king, was an Eastern custom, which he had elsewhere explained.

(16) Our copies say that this "driving of the chariots was like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously,"2 Kings 9:20; whereas Josephus's copy, as he understood it, was this, that, on the contrary, Jehu marched slowly, and in good order.Nor can it be denied, that since there was interval enough for king Joram to send out two horsemen, one after another, to Jehu, and at length to go out with king Ahaziah to meet him, and all this after he was come within sight of the watchman, and before he was come to Jezreel, the probability is greatly on the side of Josephus's copy or interpretation.

同类推荐
  • PROTAGORAS

    PROTAGORAS

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 贞白遗稿

    贞白遗稿

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 送韦十六评事充同谷

    送韦十六评事充同谷

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Historia Calamitatum

    Historia Calamitatum

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 寄四明山子

    寄四明山子

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 惊世魔妃:废柴二小姐

    惊世魔妃:废柴二小姐

    一部凤吟决,男友夺她家产,害她爷爷,将她囚禁起来折磨三年。三年隐忍,本以为大仇得报,却不曾想那才是真正的末日…一朝穿越,她是没有灵力人人唾弃的废物。可事实上,她聪慧有心机,冰冷且无情,手段利落狠辣,杀人于无形。独一无二的凤吟决,双灵印,废物二字,从来都不是她的代名词。宫殿之中,她一袭红衣妖娆似火,一双漆黑星眸却是冷若冰霜,“世于我不仁,我留世何用!”那些曾经欺她辱她、伤她害她的人,她一个都不会放过!无意间救回的邪魅男子,从第一次见面就对她百般呵护,万般宠爱,一次次接近她,却被她一次次推开。“我不信一个人会无缘无故地对一个陌生人好,所以,我不信你。”这场爱的角逐,是真的一见钟情?还是另有所图?
  • 冷面王爷:美艳侧妃不好留

    冷面王爷:美艳侧妃不好留

    穿越年年有,今朝落她头!欧阳晓晓做梦都没有想到穿越到清朝,好巧不巧的居然是姓年的!不会是那个雍正的年贵妃吧!那个没有一个孩子能活着长大的可怜女人?才不要嘞!“四爷,今天来可是为了商讨什么事情啊?”年依然悠哉的喝着茶看着对面坐着的面瘫王爷。“谈婚事。”三个字足矣!年依然有些疑惑的说道:“哦?恭喜王爷,不知道看上了哪家的姑娘,我去给你说媒去?”“年家幼女,年依然!”六个字没有什么感情的从四阿哥的嘴里飘了出来,年依然一口茶水吐在了地上!什么情况!王爷面冷却只疼她一个,可惜咱们这位侧妃就是闲不住的,虽然还是得嫁给这个人!但是本宝宝就偏偏的不相信命!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 大唐第一杠精

    大唐第一杠精

    网络杠精李大德魂穿隋末,成为李渊三子李玄霸。那一年,杨广三征高句丽,国内民不聊生,烽烟四起。李渊还是长安城一名四品小官,平阳昭公主刚做了妈妈,千古一帝也才十七岁。那一年,历史的角落里,蝴蝶煽动翅膀,掀开了新的一页。
  • 至尊狂医

    至尊狂医

    慕清然,七曜大陆的平凡修炼者,一朝拒婚,引得家庭巨变,父亲残废。为救父亲,悬崖采药,不慎跌落山崖,香消玉殒。苏璟瑄,二十一世纪医学世家的天才医女,医术冠古绝今,一手银针可医天下疾病。当两者灵魂合二为一,必将掀起大陆风暴!魔凰相伴,强敌环饲,面对重重阻挠,她锋芒毕露,孤身勇闯逆天路!天才之斗,门派之争,强敌纷至沓来,且看她如何在这强者为尊的世界踏破天下,立足山巅,迈上更高之境!◆◇◇【情深篇】◇◇◆“早在当初她向我伸出手时,我便认定世间唯有她能走进我心。此生,我注定为她而活。”“我愿为她,承受涅盘之苦,步过修罗之路,摘除废物之名,只为守护在她身旁。”“世间,没有什么比她的笑容更珍贵,只要她安好,纵然万劫不复,我亦愿意。”
  • 水晶猫妖

    水晶猫妖

    瞳如水晶的美丽精灵,正试图从帝国下沉的深渊中拖出深爱的人……是出于单纯的目的,是爱,是信赖,还是为了那一点所剩的感恩之心。——但她仿佛听见山对面的人在欢声笑语,而她终究只是能听到而已。
  • 腹黑校草,少惹我

    腹黑校草,少惹我

    曾经的一切美好青春,如今只能够留在回忆中,当我们再去回想的时候,不知道是否还有遗憾……
  • 妖夫霸宠:总裁大人不是人

    妖夫霸宠:总裁大人不是人

    第一次看到他,她就觉得那家伙不是人,人类怎么可能有这么完美的存在!再一次看到他,她撞破了他的秘密,那家伙果然不是人,而是一只千年狐妖,好吧,他自己说是狐仙。“你只有一个选择:成为我的禁脔!”他邪魅一笑,将她高压咚在墙上,霸道地宣布着她的未来。本以为那只是个意外,后来她才发现她这辈子走得最长的路就是那个妖孽总裁的套路!
  • 小苑春望宫池柳色

    小苑春望宫池柳色

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 霸剑灭武

    霸剑灭武

    剑道没落的世界,少年偶得远古七剑之一的破天剑,从此一人一剑,斩破天地,逍遥天外!
  • 我只是一只召唤兽

    我只是一只召唤兽

    当龙宇以召唤兽的形式重生到御兽星球中,还附带一个系统,会发生什么样的事情?是会苟延残喘的活下去?还是登上兽神巅峰?亦或者统领御兽星球?然而龙宇却表示:做这些太累了,我还是好好当召唤兽吧,反正我只是一只召唤兽!喜欢本书的可以加入书友群来一起互相嗨皮哦,群号码:554372020