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The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
The Antiquities of the Jews
Written by Flavius Josephus
Translated by William Whiston
Book Three
Chapter 11
Of The Purifications
1. Moses took out the tribe of Levi from communicating with the
rest of the people, and set them apart to be a holy tribe; and
purified them by water taken from perpetual springs, and with
such sacrifices as were usually offered to God on the like
occasions. He delivered to them also the tabernacle, and the
sacred vessels, and the other curtains, which were made for
covering the tabernacle, that they might minister under the
conduct of the priests, who had been already consecrated to God.
2. He also determined concerning animals; which of them might be
used for food, and which they were obliged to abstain from;
which matters, when this work shall give me occasion, shall be
further explained; and the causes shall be added by which he was
moved to allot some of them to be our food, and enjoined us to
abstain from others. However, he entirely forbade us the use of
blood for food, and esteemed it to contain the soul and spirit.
He also forbade us to eat the flesh of an animal that died of
itself, as also the caul, and the fat of goats, and sheep, and
bulls.
3. He also ordered that those whose bodies were afflicted with
leprosy, and that had a gonorrhea, should not come into the
city; nay, he removed the women, when they had their natural
purgations, till the seventh day; after which he looked on them
as pure, and permitted them to come in again. The law permits
those also who have taken care of funerals to come in after the
same manner, when this number of days is over; but if any
continued longer than that number of days in a state of
pollution, the law appointed the offering two lambs for a
sacrifice; the one of which they are to purge by fire, and for
the other, the priests take it for themselves. In the same
manner do those sacrifice who have had the gonorrhea. But he
that sheds his seed in his sleep, if he go down into cold water,
has the same privilege with those that have lawfully accompanied
with their wives. And for the lepers, he suffered them not to
come into the city at all, nor to live with any others, as if
they were in effect dead persons; but if any one had obtained by
prayer to God, the recovery from that distemper, and had gained
a healthful complexion again, such a one returned thanks to God,
with several sorts of sacrifices; concerning which we will speak
hereafter.
4. Whence one cannot but smile at those who say that Moses was
himself afflicted with the leprosy when he fled out of Egypt,
and that he became the conductor of those who on that account
left that country, and led them into the land of Canaan; for had
this been true, Moses would not have made these laws to his own
dishonor, which indeed it was more likely he would have opposed,
if others had endeavored to introduce them; and this the rather,
because there are lepers in many nations, who yet are 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; so that nothing hindered, but if either
Moses himself, or the multitude that was with him, had been
liable to such a misfortune in the color of his skin, he might
have made laws about them for their credit and advantage, and
have laid no manner of difficulty upon them. Accordingly, it is
a plain case, that it is out of violent prejudice only that they
report these things about us. But Moses was pure from any such
distemper, and lived with countrymen who were pure of it also,
and thence made the laws which concerned others that had the
distemper. He did this for the honor of God. But as to these
matters, let every one consider them after what manner he
pleases.
5. As to the women, when they have born a child, Moses forbade
them to come into the temple, or touch the sacrifices, before
forty days were over, supposing it to be a boy; but if she hath
born a girl, the law is that she cannot be admitted before twice
that number of days be over. And when after the before-mentioned
time appointed for them, they perform their sacrifices, the
priests distribute them before God.
6. But if any one suspect that his wife has been guilty of
adultery, he was to bring a tenth deal of barley flour; they
then cast one handful to God and gave the rest of it to the
priests for food. One of the priests set the woman at the gates
that are turned towards the temple, and took the veil from her
head, and wrote the name of God on parchment, and enjoined her
to swear that she had not at all injured her husband; and to
wish that, if she had violated her chastity, her right thigh
might be put out of joint; that her belly might swell; and that
she might die thus: but that if her husband, by the violence of
his affection, and of the jealousy which arose from it, had been
rashly moved to this suspicion, that she might bear a male child
in the tenth month. Now when these oaths were over, the priest
wiped the name of God out of the parchment, and wrung the water
into a vial. He also took some dust out of the temple, if any
happened to be there, and put a little of it into the vial, and
gave it her to drink; whereupon the woman, if she were unjustly
accused, conceived with child, and brought it to perfection in
her womb: but if she had broken her faith of wedlock to her
husband, and had sworn falsely before God, she died in a
reproachful manner; her thigh fell off from her, and her belly
swelled with a dropsy. And these are the ceremonies about
sacrifices, and about the purifications thereto belonging, which
Moses provided for his countrymen. He also prescribed the
following laws to them:
Continue on to
Book
Three,
Chapter 12,
The Antiquities of the Jews
by
Flavius Josephus
Return to
The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
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