The Letter Of Aristeas
1926 anthology, complete selected publisher reading text
Rutherford H. Platt
62 And our law forbids us to injure any one either by word or deed.
63 My brief account of these matters ought to have convinced you, that all our regulations have been drawn up with a view to righteousness, and that nothing has been enacted in the Scripture thoughtlessly or without due reason, but its purpose is to enable us throughout our whole life and in all our actions to practise righteousness before all men, being mindful of Almighty God.
64 And so concerning meats and things unclean, creeping things, and wild beasts, the whole system aims at righteousness and righteous relationships between man and man.’
65 He seemed to me to have made a good defence on all the points; for in reference also to the calves and rams and goats which are offered, he said that it was necessary to take them from the herds and flocks, and sacrifice tame animals and offer nothing wild, that the offerers of the sacrifices might understand the symbolic meaning of the lawgiver and not be under the influence of an arrogant self-consciousness.
66 For he, who offers a sacrifice, makes an offering also of his own soul in all its moods.
67 I think that these particulars with regard to our discussion are worth narrating, and on account of the sanctity and natural meaning of the law, I have been induced to explain them to you clearly, Philocrates, because of your own devotion to learning.
CHAP. VII.
The arrival of the envoys with the manuscript of the precious book and gifts. Preparations for a royal banquet. The host immediately upon being seated at table entertains his guests with questions and answers. Some sage comments on sociology.
AND Eleazar, after offering the sacrifice, and selecting the envoys, and preparing many gifts for the king, despatched us on our journey in great security.
2 And when we reached Alexandria, the king was at once informed of our arrival.
3 On our admission to the palace, Andreas and I warmly greeted the king and handed over to him the letter written by Eleazar.
4 The king was very anxious to meet the envoys, and gave orders that all the other officials should be dismissed and the envoys summoned to his presence at once.
5 Now this excited general surprise, for it is customary for those who come to seek an audience with the king on matters of importance to be admitted to his presence on the fifth day, while envoys from kings or very important cities with difficulty secure admission to the Court in thirty days--but these men he counted worthy of greater honour, since he held their master in such high esteem, and so he immediately dismissed those whose presence he regarded as superfluous and continued walking about until they came in and he was able to welcome them.
6 When they entered with the gifts which had been sent with them and the valuable parchments, on which the law was inscribed in gold in Jewish characters, for the parchment was wonderfully prepared and the connexion between the pageshad been so effected as to be invisible, the king as soon as he saw them began to ask them about the books.
7 And when they had taken the rolls out of their coverings and unfolded the pages, the king stood still for a long time and then making obeisance about seven times, he said:
8 ‘I thank you, my friends, and I thank him that sent you still more, and most of all God, whose oracles these are.’
9 And when all, the envoys and the others who were present as well, shouted out at one time and with one voice: ‘God save the King!’ he burst into tears of joy.
10 For his exaltation of soul and the sense of the overwhelming honour which had been paid him compelled him to weep over his good fortune.
11 He commanded them to put the rolls back in their places and then after saluting the men, said: ‘It was right, men of God, that I should first of all pay my reverence to the books for the sake of which I summoned you here and then when I had done that, to extend the right-hand of friendship to you.
12 It was for this reason that I did this first.
13 I have enacted that this day, on which you arrived, shall be kept as a great day and it will be celebrated annually throughout my life time.
14 It happens also that it is the anniversary of my naval victory over Antigonus. Therefore I shall be glad to feast with you to-day.
15 Everything that you may have occasion to use,’ he said, ‘shall be prepared for you in a befitting manner and for me also with you.’
16 After they had expressed their delight, he gave orders that the best quarters near the citadel should be assigned to them, and that preparations should be made for the banquet.
17 And Nicanor summoned the lord high steward, Dorotheus, who was the special officer appointed to look after the Jews, and commanded him to make the necessary preparation for each one.
18 For this arrangement had been made by the king and it is an arrangement which you see maintained to-day.
19 For as many cities as have special customs in the matter of drinking, eating, and reclining, have special officers appointed to look after their requirements.
20 And whenever they come to visit the kings, preparations are made in accordance with their own customs, in order that there may be no discomfort to disturb the enjoyment of their visit.
21 The. same precaution was taken in the case of the Jewish envoys.
22 Now Dorotheus who was the patron appointed to look after Jewish guests was a very conscientious man.
23 All the stores which were under his control and set apart for the reception of such guests, he brought out for the feast.
24 He arranged the seats in two rows in accordance with the king’s instructions.
25 For he had ordered him to make half the men sit at his right hand and the rest behind him, in order that he might not withhold from them the highest possible honour.
26 When they had taken their seats he instructed Dorotheus to carry out everything in accordance with the customs which were in use amongst his Jewish guests.
27 Therefore he dispensed with the services of the sacred heralds and the sacrificing priests and the others who were accustomed to offer the prayers, and called upon one of our number, Eleazar, the oldest of the Jewish priests, to offer prayer instead.
28 And he rose up and made a remarkable prayer. ‘May Almighty God enrich you, O king, with all the good things which He has made and may He grant you and your wife and your children and your comrades the continual possession of them as long as you live!’
29 At these words a loud and joyous applause broke out which lasted for a considerable time, and then they turned to the enjoyment of the banquet which had been prepared.
30 All the arrangements for service at table were carried out in accordance with the injunction of Dorotheus.
31 Among the attendants were the royal pages and others who held places of honour at the king’s court.
32 Taking an opportunity afforded by a pause in the banquet the king asked the envoy who sat in the seat of honour (for they were arranged according to seniority), how he could keep his kingdom unimpaired to the end?