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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 Four
Chapter 3
How Those That Stirred Up This Sedition Were Destroyed,
According To The Will Of God; And How Aaron, Moses's Brother
Both He And His Posterity, Retained The Priesthood
1. When Moses had said this, the multitude left off the
turbulent behavior they had indulged, and the suspicion they had
of Moses, and commended what he had said; for those proposals
were good, and were so esteemed of the people. At that time
therefore they dissolved the assembly. But on the next day they
came to the congregation, in order to be present at the
sacrifice, and at the determination that was to be made between
the candidates for the priesthood. Now this congregation proved
a turbulent one, and the multitude were in great suspense in
expectation of what was to be done; for some of them would have
been pleased if Moses had been convicted of evil practices, but
the wiser sort desired that they might be delivered from the
present disorder and disturbance; for they were afraid, that if
this sedition went on, the good order of their settlement would
rather be destroyed; but the whole body of the people do
naturally delight in clamors against their governors, and, by
changing their opinions upon the harangues of every speaker,
disturb the public tranquillity. And now Moses sent messengers
for Abiram and Dathan, and ordered them to come to the assembly,
and wait there for the holy offices that were to be performed.
But they answered the messenger, that they would not obey his
summons; nay, would not overlook Moses's behavior, who was
growing too great for them by evil practices. Now when Moses
heard of this their answer, he desired the heads of the people
to follow him, and he went to the faction of Dathan, not
thinking it any frightful thing at all to go to these insolent
people; so they made no opposition, but went along with him. But
Dathan, and his associates, when they understood that Moses and
the principal of the people were coming to them, came out, with
their wives and children, and stood before their tents, and
looked to see what Moses would do. They had also their servants
about them to defend themselves, in case Moses should use force
against them.
2. But he came near, and lifted up his hands to heaven, and
cried out with a loud voice, in order to be heard by the whole
multitude, and said, "O Lord of the creatures that are in the
heaven, in the earth, and in the sea; for thou art the most
authentic witness to what I have done, that it has all been done
by thy appointment, and that it was thou that affordedst us
assistance when we attempted any thing, and showedst mercy on
the Hebrews in all their distresses; do thou come now, and hear
all that I say, for no action or thought escapes thy knowledge;
so that thou wilt not disdain to speak what is true, for my
vindication, without any regard to the ungrateful imputations of
these men. As for what was done before I was born, thou knowest
best, as not learning them by report, but seeing them, and being
present with them when they were done; but for what has been
done of late, and which these men, although they know them well
enough, unjustly pretend to suspect, be thou my witness. When I
lived a private quiet life, I left those good things which, by
my own diligence, and by thy counsel, I enjoyed with Raguel my
father-in-law; and I gave myself up to this people, and
underwent many miseries on their account. I also bore great
labors at first, in order to obtain liberty for them, and now in
order to their preservation; and have always showed myself ready
to assist them in every distress of theirs. Now, therefore,
since I am suspected by those very men whose being is owing to
my labors, come thou, as it is reasonable to hope thou wilt;
thou, I say, who showedst me that fire at mount Sinai, and
madest me to hear its voice, and to see the several wonders
which that place afforded thou who commandedst me to go to
Egypt, and declare thy will to this people; thou who disturbest
the happy estate of the Egyptians, and gavest us the opportunity
of flying away from our under them, and madest the dominion of
Pharaoh inferior to my dominion; thou who didst make the sea dry
land for us, when we knew not whither to go, and didst overwhelm
the Egyptians with those destructive waves which had been
divided for us; thou who didst bestow upon us the security of
weapons when we were naked; thou who didst make the fountains
that were corrupted to flow, so as to be fit for drinking, and
didst furnish us with water that came out of the rocks, when we
were in want of it; thou who didst preserve our lives with
[quails, which was] food from the sea, when the fruits of the
ground failed us; thou didst send us such food from heaven as
had never been seen before; thou who didst suggest to us the
knowledge of thy laws, and appoint to us a of government, come
thou, I say, O Lord of the whole world, and that as such a Judge
and a Witness to me as cannot be bribed, and show how I never
admitted of any gift against justice from any of the Hebrews;
and have never condemned a man that ought to have been
acquitted, on account of one that was rich; and have never
attempted to hurt this commonwealth. I am now and am suspected
of a thing the remotest from my intentions, as if I had given
the preisthood to Aaron, not at thy command, but out own favor
to him; do thou at this time demonstrate that all things are
administered by thy providence and that nothing happens by
chance, but is governed by thy will, and thereby attains its
end: as also demonstrate that thou takest care that have done
good to the Hebrews; demonstrate this, I say, by the punishment
of Abiram and Dathan, who condemn thee as an insensible Being,
and one overcome by my contrivances. This thou do by inflicting
such an open punishment on these men who so madly fly in the
face of thy glory, as will take them out of the world, not in an
manner, but so that it may appear they do die after the manner
of other men: let that ground which they tread upon open about
them and consume them, with their families and goods. This will
be a demonstration of thy power to all and this method of their
sufferings will be an instruction of wisdom for those that
entertain profane sentiments of thee. By this means I shall be a
good servant, in the precepts thou hast given by me. But if the
calumnies they have raised against me be true, mayst thou
preserve these men from every evil accident, and bring all that
destruction on me which I have imprecated upon them. And when
thou hast inflicted punishment on those that have endeavored to
deal unjustly with this people, bestow upon them concord and
peace. Save this multitude that follow thy commandments, and
preserve them free from harm, and let them not partake of the
punishment of those that have sinned; for thou knowest thyself
it is not just, that for the wickedness of those men the whole
body of the Israelites should suffer punishment."
3. When Moses had said this, with tears in his eyes, the ground
was moved on a sudden; and the agitation that set it in motion
was like that which the wind produces in waves of the sea. The
people were all aftrighted; and the ground that was about their
tents sunk down at the great noise, with a terrible sound, and
carried whatsoever was dear to the seditious into itself, who so
entirely perished, that there was not the least appearance that
any man had ever been seen there, the earth that had opened
itself about them, closing again, and becoming entire as it was
before, insomuch that such as saw it afterward did not perceive
that any such accident had happened to it. Thus did these men
perish, and become a demonstration of the power of God. And
truly, any one would lament them, not only on account of this
calamity that befell them, which yet deserves our commiseration,
but also because their kindred were pleased with their
sufferings; for they forgot the relation they bare to them, and
at the sight of this sad accident approved of the judgment given
against them; and because they looked upon the people about
Dathan as pestilent men, they thought they perished as such, and
did not grieve for them.
4. And now Moses called for those that contended about the
priesthood, that trial might be made who should be priest, and
that he whose sacrifice God was best pleased with might be
ordained to that function. There attended two hundred and fifty
men, who indeed were honored by the people, not only on account
of the power of their ancestors, but also on account of their
own, in which they excelled the others: Aaron also and Corah
came forth, and they all offered incense, in those censers of
theirs which they brought with them, before the tabernacle.
Hereupon so great a fire shone out as no one ever saw in any
that is made by the hand of man, neither in those eruptions out
of the earth that are caused by subterraneous burn-rags, nor in
such fires as arise of their own accord in the woods, when the
agitation is caused by the trees rubbing one against another:
but this fire was very bright, and had a terrible flame, such as
is kindled at the command of God; by whose irruption on them,
all the company, and Corah himself, were destroyed, (2) and this
so entirely, that their very bodies left no remains behind them.
Aaron alone was preserved, and not at all hurt by the fire,
because it was God that sent the fire to burn those only who
ought to be burned. Hereupon Moses, after these men were
destroyed, was desirous that the memory of this judgment might
be delivered down to posterity, and that future ages might be
acquainted with it; and so he commanded Eleazar, the son of
Aaron, to put their censers near the brazen altar, that they
might be a memorial to posterity of what these men suffered, for
supposing that the power of God might be eluded. And thus Aaron
was now no longer esteemed to have the priesthood by the favor
of Moses, but by the public judgment of God; and thus he and his
children peaceably enjoyed that honor afterward.
Continue on to
Book
Four,
Chapter 4,
The Antiquities of the Jews
by
Flavius Josephus
Return to
The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
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