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Flavius
Josephus
The
Antiquities of the Jews
Archaeology
Pillars made by the
people of Seth
1:2:3:70:71 And that their
inventions might not be lost before they were sufficiently known,
upon Adam's prediction that the world was to be destroyed at one
time by the force of fire, and at another time by the violence and
quantity of water, they made two pillars, the one of brick, the
other of stone: they inscribed their discoveries on them both, that
in case the pillar of brick should be destroyed by the flood, the
pillar of stone might remain, and exhibit those discoveries to
mankind; and also inform them that there was another pillar of brick
erected by them. Now this remains in the land of Siriad to this day.
Monument of Haran
1:6:5:151 Now Abram had two
brethren, Nahor and Haran: of these Haran left a son, Lot; as also
Sarai and Milcha his daughters; and died among the Chaldeans, in a
city of the Chaldeans, called Ur; and his monument is shown to this
day.
Pyramids (see footnote
17)
2:9:1:203 for they enjoined them to
cut a great number of channels for the river, and to build walls for
their cities and ramparts, that they might restrain the river, and
hinder its waters from stagnating, upon its running over its own
banks: they set them also to build pyramids, and by all this wore
them out; and forced them to learn all sorts of mechanical arts, and
to accustom themselves to hard labor.
(17)
Of this building of the pyramids of Egypt by the Israelites, see
Perizonius Orig. Aegyptiac, ch. 21. It is not impossible they might
build one or more of the small ones; but the larger ones seem much
later. Only, if they be all built of stone, this does not so well
agree with the Israelites' labors, which are said to have been in
brick, and not in stone, as Mr. Sandys observes in his Travels.
p.127,128.
Petra
3:2:1:40 THE name of the Hebrews
began already to be every where renowned, and rumors about them ran
abroad. This made the inhabitants of those countries to be in no
small fear. Accordingly they sent ambassadors to one another, and
exhorted one another to defend themselves, and to endeavor to
destroy these men. Those that induced the rest to do so, were such
as inhabited Gobolitis and Petra. They were called Amalekites, and
were the most warlike of the nations that lived thereabout; and
whose kings exhorted one another, and their neighbors, to go to this
war against the Hebrews;
Daniel builds a tower,
it's still there in Josephus' day
10:11:7:264-265 Now when Daniel was
become so illustrious and famous, on account of the opinion men had
that he was beloved of God, he built a tower at Ecbatana, in Media:
it was a most elegant building, and wonderfully made, and it is
still remaining, and preserved to this day; and to such as see it,
it appears to have been lately built, and to have been no older than
that very day when any one looks upon it, it is so fresh
flourishing, and beautiful, and no way grown old in so long time;
for buildings suffer the same as men do, they grow old as well as
they, and by numbers of years their strength is dissolved, and their
beauty withered. Now they bury the kings of Media, of Persia, and
Parthia in this tower to this day, and he who was entrusted with the
care of it was a Jewish priest; which thing is also observed to this
day.
Simon builds a monument at Modin to
Jonathan, also builds 7 pyramids
13:6:6:210-212 However, Simon sent
some to the city Basca to bring away his brother's bones, and buried
them in their own city Modin; and all the people made great
lamentation over him. Simon also erected a very large monument for
his father and his brethren, of white and polished stone, and raised
it a great height, and so as to be seen a long way off, and made
cloisters about it, and set up pillars, which were of one stone
apiece; a work it was wonderful to see. Moreover, he built seven
pyramids also for his parents and his brethren, one for each of
them, which were made very surprising, both for their largeness and
beauty, and which have been preserved to this day; and we know that
it was Simon who bestowed so much zeal about the burial of Jonathan,
and the building of these monuments for his relations. Now Jonathan
died when he had been high priest four years and had been also the
governor of his nation. And these were the circumstances that
concerned his death.
More on David's
sepulcher
13:8:4:249 But Hyrcanus opened the
sepulcher of David, who excelled all other kings in riches, and took
out of it three thousand talents. He was also the first of the Jews
that, relying on this wealth, maintained foreign troops.
Masada
14:11:7:296 for Malichus's brother
had made many places to revolt, and kept garrisons in them, and
particularly Masada, the strongest fortress of them all. In the mean
time, Herod was recovered of his disease, and came and took from
Felix all the places he bad gotten; and, upon certain conditions,
dismissed him also.
Herod takes his Mother
to Masada
14:13:8:359 So he was compelled to
let that horrid attempt alone, partly out of shame at what they said
to him, and partly out of regard to the great number of those that
would not permit him to do what he intended. So he encouraged his
mother, and took all the care of her the time would allow, and
proceeded on the way he proposed to go with the utmost haste, and
that was to the fortress of Masada. And as he had many skirmishes
with such of the Parthians as attacked him and pursued him, he was
conqueror in them all.
Herod’s family at
Masada
14:9:3:361 And when he was come to
Idumea, at a place called Thressa, his brother Joseph met him, and
he then held a council to take advice about all his affairs, and
what was fit to be done in his circumstances, since he had a great
multitude that followed him, besides his mercenary soldiers, and the
place Masada, whither he proposed to fly, was too small to contain
so great a multitude; so he sent away the greater part of his
company, being above nine thousand, and bid them go, some one way,
and some another, and so save themselves in Idumea, and gave them
what would buy them provisions in their journey. But he took with
him those that were the least encumbered, and were most intimate
with him, and came to the fortress, and placed there his wives and
his followers, being eight hundred in number, there being in the
place a sufficient quantity of corn and water, and other
necessaries, and went directly for Petra, in Arabia.
Herod goes into
David's tomb
16:7:1:179-182 AS for Herod, he had
spent vast sums about the cities, both without and within his own
kingdom; and as he had before heard that Hyrcanus, who had been king
before him, had opened David's sepulcher, and taken out of it three
thousand talents of silver, and that there was a much greater number
left behind, and indeed enough to suffice all his wants, he had a
great while an intention to make the attempt; and at this time he
opened that sepulcher by night, and went into it, and endeavored
that it should not be at all known in the city, but took only his
most faithful friends with him. As for any money, he found none, as
Hyrcanus had done, but that furniture of gold, and those precious
goods that were laid up there; all which he took away. However, he
had a great desire to make a more diligent search, and to go farther
in, even as far as the very bodies of David and Solomon; where two
of his guards were slain, by a flame that burst out upon those that
went in, as the report was. So he was terribly aftrighted, and went
out, and built a propitiatory monument of that fright he had been
in; and this of white stone, at the mouth of the sepulcher, and that
at great expense also.
Pyramids
20:4:3:95 But Monobazus sent her
bones, as well as those of Izates, his brother, to Jerusalem, and
gave order that they should be buried at the pyramids which their
mother had erected; they were three in number, and distant no more
than three furlongs from the city Jerusalem. But for the actions of
Monobazus the king, which he did during the rest of his life. we
will relate them hereafter.
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Part 2
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