VOLUME XXII February 21, 1999 Number 7
HOSPITAL NEWS: Keith Killingsworth -*outpatient surgery*-*SAMC Friday. We continue to remember NORMA AND DORAN DEAL, TAMMY MOSS, BERTHA JOHNSON, TRESSIE FARMER, GRACE STRAIGHT, RUBY MERRIMAN, LEE ALLUMS, CLARICE TURK, CALLIE KILGORE, DENNIS TAYLOR. BRANDON McCARDLE, WENDY KNIGHT and her son, GEORGE BLEVINS' SISTER, as well as several others. Our prayers are with these people for a speedy return to a measure of good health.
TREASURER'S ANNOUNCEMENT: EARL SUGGS donated $100 to the cemetery upkeep and BESSIE HELMS donated $20 to the mailing expenses of the ENON ENDEAVOR. Many thanks to each of these.
MONTHLY MEAL: The monthly meal for February is scheduled for this Sunday after the Evening Worship Service (2-21). Let us plan to stay and enjoy the fellowship.like precious faith.
SPECIAL THANKS: Our appreciation is expressed to WADE WARREN for the excellent work he did on the Minor Prophets over the last several Wednesday nights. We appreciate him taking time while in our area to teach our Adult class. We miss him and his family very much.
WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? Hear the Gospel (Romans 10:17), Believe the Gospel (Hebrews 11:6), Repent of Sins (Acts 2:38), Confess Faith in Christ (Acts 8:37), be baptized (Acts 22:16), and remain faithful, even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10). May we assist you in becoming a faithful Christian?
JOSEPHUS AND THE BIBLE Installment #3 of 4
In Acts 12:19-23 Luke tells us of the death of Herod Agrippa on this wise: "And when Herod had sought for him [Peter], and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judæa to Cæsarea, and there abode. And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost." The account of the same events by Josephus agrees basically with the account recorded by Luke, at least in the general facts of the case. There are some differences in the accounts, as we shall presently see, but these may be explained as philosophical differences largely, as Josephus would never attribute to the God of the Christians such a powerful feat nor would he indicate that the God of the Jews would ever have been responsible for such an occurrence. In ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, Book 19, Chapter VIII, 1-3 we are told of the events immediately before, during, and shortly after the record of Luke. "Now he [Agrippa] was in great esteem among other kings. Accordingly there came to him Antiochus, king of Commagena, Sampsigeramus, king of Emesa, and Cotys, who was king of the lesser Armenia, and Polemo, who was king of Pontus, as also Herod his brother, who was king of Chalcis. All these he treated with agreeable entertainments, and after an obliging manner, and so as to exhibit the greatness of his mind, -- and so as to appear worthy of those respects which the kings paid to him, by coming thus to see him. However, while these kings stayed with him, Marcus, the president of Syria, came thither. So the king, in order to preserve the respect that was due to the Romans, went out of the city to meet him, as far as seven furlongs. But this proved to be the beginning of a difference between him and Marcus; for he took with him in his chariot those other kings as his assessors. But Marcus had a suspicion what the meaning could be of so great a friendship of these kings one with another, and did not think so close an agreement of so many potentates to be for the interest of the Romans. He therefore sent some of his domestics to every one of them, and enjoined them to go their ways home without further delay. This was very ill taken by Agrippa, who after that became his enemy. And now he took the high-priesthood away from Matthias, and made Elioneus, the son of Cantheras, high priest in his stead. 2. Now, when Agrippa had reigned three years over all Judea, he came to the city Cesarea, which was formerly called Strato's Tower; and there he exhibited shows in honour of Cæsar, upon his being informed that there was a certain festival celebrated to make vows for his safety. At which festival, a great multitude was gotten together of the principal persons, and such as were of dignity through his province. On the second day of which shows he put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a contexture truly wonderful, and came into the theatre early in the morning; at which time the silver of his garment being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun's rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a horror over those that looked intently upon him: and presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another, (though not for his good,) that he was a god: and they added, -- 'Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.' Upon this the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery. But, as he presently afterwards looked up, he saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over his head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, as it had once been the messenger of good tidings to him; and fell into the deepest sorrow. A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner. He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, -- 'I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be hurried away by death. But I am bound to accept of what Providence allots, as it pleases God; for we have by no means lived ill, but in a splendid and happy manner.' When he had said this, his pain was become violent. Accordingly he was carried into the palace; and the rumour went abroad everywhere, that he would certainly die in a little time. But the multitude presently sat in sackcloth, with their wives and children, after the law of their country, and besought God for the king's recovery. All places were also full of mourning and lamentation. Now the king rested in a high chamber, and as he saw them below lying prostrate on the ground, he could not himself forbear weeping. And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and the seventh year of his reign; for he reigned four years under Caius Cæsar, three of them were over Philip's tetrarchy only, and on the fourth he had that of Herod added to it; and he reigned besides those, three years under the reign of Claudius Cæsar: in which time he reigned over the fore-mentioned countries, and also had Judea added to them, as also Samaria and Cesarea. The revenues that he received out of them were very great, no less than twelve millions of drachmæ. Yet did he borrow great sums from others; for he was so very liberal, that his expenses exceeded his income; and his generosity was boundless. 3. But before the multitude were made acquainted with Agrippa's being expired, Herod the king of Chalcis, and Helcias the master of his horse, and the king's friend, sent Aristo, one of the king's most faithful servants, and slew Silas, who had been their enemy, as if it had been done by the king's own command." Though the particular means of the death differ between the two accounts, Josephus attributing it to an "omen" in the form of an owl appearing and Luke attributing it to God, the stories are basically the same. Naturally we prefer Luke to Josephus in the details wherein difference is evident, but clearly the accounts of these two men are closely aligned with each other, and yet it is equally clear that they did not draw from each other's information in the formation of their own. F. F. Bruce quoted Eduard Meyer, whom he called "an unbiased historian", on this passage: "In outline, in data, and in the general conception, both accounts are in full agreement. By its very interesting details, which are by no means to be explained as due to a 'tendency' or a popular tradition, Luke's account affords a guarantee that it is at least just as reliable as that of Josephus" (THE NEW TESTAMENT DOCUMENTS: ARE THEY RELIABLE, page 106).
Josephus also mentions John the Baptist, agreeing in some points with
the biblical record and disagreeing in others; though the disagreements
seem to me to be more those of one uninformed with the doctrinal tenets
of John personally than serious issues. The story begins with a quarrel
between Aretas, king of Petrea, and Herod. Hear Josephus, from ANTIQUITIES
OF THE JEWS, Book 18, Chapter 5, 1: "...Herod the tetrarch had married
the daughter of Aretas, and had lived with her a great while; but when
he was once at Rome, he lodged with Herod, [probably Herod Philip], who
was his brother indeed, but not by the same mother...he fell in love with
Herodias...This man ventured to talk to her about a marriage between them;
which address when she admitted, an agreement was made for her to change
her habitation, and come to him as soon as he should return from Rome:
one article of this marriage also was this, that he should divorce Aretas's
daughter." This much agrees in principle with the biblical account,
as Herod has married illicitly his brother's wife. Aretas was angered
by the rejection of his daughter, and enmity prevailed on both sides:
"So they raised armies on both sides, and prepared for war, and sent their
generals to fight instead of themselves; and, when they had
joined battle, all Herod's army was destroyed by the treachery of some
fugitives, though they were of the tetrarchy of Philip, joined with Aretas's
army." This destruction is the subject of rumors, and on this Josephus
continues (ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, Book 18, Chapter 5, 2), "Now, some
of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God,
and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that
was called the Baptist; for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded
the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another,
and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing
[with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in
order to the putting away, [or the remission] of some sins [only,] but
for the purification of the body: supposing still that the soul was
thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now, when [many]
others came to crowd about him, for they were greatly moved [or pleased]
by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had
over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a
rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise,) thought
it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause,
and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make
him repent of it when it should be too late. Accordingly he was sent
a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I
before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an
opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon
Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure against him." There are some
differences, as we mentioned above, in the account of Josephus and the
biblical writers, namely the purpose of John's baptism (Mark 1:4 says that
it was for the remission of sins whereas Josephus says that it was not),
and the biblical writers give more detail about the participation of Herod's
illicit wife and her lascivious daughter and the dance and their request
that John be killed whereas Josephus omits this, but the essential facts
agree. The biblical records are earlier in their publication than
Josephus and the Antiquities of the Jews, the latter not being published
until about A.D. 93, and the purpose of the biblical record is to record
what actually happened with special reference to the spiritual implications,
whereas Josephus probably put a more political/historical spin on the events.
F. F. Bruce comments: "It is quite likely that Herod thought he could kill
two birds with one stone by imprisoning John; and as for the discrepancy
about the significance of John's baptism, the independent traditions which
we can trace in the New Testament are impressively unanimous, and besides
being earlier than the account in Josephus...they give what is a more probable
account from the religious-historical point of view" (THE NEW TESTAMENT
DOCUMENTS: ARE THEY RELIABLE, page 107). There does seem to
be a mixing up on the part of Josephus of the baptism practiced by John
and that practiced by the Essenes, the third great sect of first century
Judaism, on whom much light has been shed by the discovery of the "Dead
Sea Scrolls", otherwise known as the "Quamran texts". They did indeed
practice regular baptisms for the purification of the flesh, and were heavily
influenced by gnosticism, which held that the flesh was wholly evil and
in need of constant purification. Be that as it may, it is interesting
to read parallel accounts of the life of the great forerunner of the Lord.
(We will take this up again week-after-next.)
TIM SMITH 1272 Enon Road, Webb, AL 36376 (334) 899-8131