§1.8Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ ἃ προσφέρεις τῷ λόγῳ ἐγκλήματα.
But let us also look at the charges you bring against the story.
Καὶ πρῶτόν γε ἀρξώμεθα ἀπὸ τοῦ δυνηθέντος ἂν δυσωπῆσαι πρὸς τὸ μὴ παραδέξασθαι τὴν ἱστορίαν (47)· ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν παρωνυμίαν πρίνου μὲν πρὸς, πρίσιν, σχίνου δὲ πρὸς σχίσιν·
And first let us begin with what might have been able to persuade [one] not to accept the history (47); which is the matter concerning the play on words of the holm-oak with sawing, and the mastic tree with splitting.
περὶ οὗ σὺ μὲν ἀπεφήνω, ὡς καταλαβὼν τίνα τρόπον ἐν μὲν ἑλληνικαῖς φωναῖς τοιαῦτα ὁμοφωνεῖν συμβαίνει, ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἑβραΐδι τῷ παντὶ (48) διέστηκεν·
About this you declared, as having understood how in Greek words such similar sounds happen to occur, but in the Hebrew tongue it is entirely (48) different.
ἐγὼ δὲ ἕτι ἀμφιβάλλω· ἐπείπερ φροντίσας τῶν κατὰ τὸν τόπον, τῷ καὶ αὐτὸς ἠπορηκέναι ἐν αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ὀλίγοις Ἑβραίοις ἀνεθέμην πυνθανόμενος, πῶς παρ ʼαὐτοῖς ὀνομάζεται πρῖνος, καὶ πῶς λέγουσι τὸ πρίζειν· ἕτι δὲ εἰς τί μεταλαμβάνουσι (49) τὴν σχῖνον τὸ φυτὸν, καὶ πῶς τὸ σχίζειν ὀνομάζουσιν.
But I still have doubts; since, having cared for the things concerning the passage, because I myself was also perplexed in them, I consulted not a few Hebrews, inquiring how the holm-oak is named among them, and how they say "to saw"; and further, into what they translate (49) the mastic tree, and how they name "to split".
Οἱ δὲ τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν ἔφασκον ἀγνοεῖν φωνὴν τὴν πρίνου καὶ τὴν σχίνου· ἀπῄτουν δὲ αὐτοῖς δειχθῆναι τὰ δένδρα, ἵνʼ εἵδειεν ποίας ἐπὶ τούτων αὐτοὶ (50) τάσσουσι φωνάς.
But they said they did not know the Greek words for the holm-oak and the mastic tree, and they demanded that the trees be shown to them, so that they might know what words they themselves (50) assign to them.
Καὶ (φίλη γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια), οὐκ ἠπόρησα αὐτοῖς ὅψει παραστῆσαι τὰ ξύλα.
And (for truth is dear), I was not slow to present the wood to their sight.
Ἄλλος δὲ ἕφασκε τὰ μὴ ὀνομασθέντα τῶν Γραφῶν ποὺ οὐκ ἕχειν διαβεβαιώσασθαι, ὅπως Ἑβραῖστὶ λέγεται· προπετὲς δὲ εἶναι, τὸν ἀπορήσαντα φωνῇ τῇ Συριακῇ χρήσασθαι ἀντὶ τῆς Ἑβραΐδος (51)·
But another said that concerning things not named anywhere in the Scriptures, he could not affirm how they are said in Hebrew; and that it was rash for one who was perplexed to use the Syrian tongue instead of the Hebrew (51).
καὶ ἕλεγε, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς πάνυ σοφοῖς ἐνίοτε λέξεις τινὰς ζητεῖσθαι.
And he said that even among the very wise, some words are sometimes sought after.
Εἰ μὲν οὖν, φησὶ, ἕχεις τι παραστῆσαι τὴν σχῖνον ὅπως ποτὲ ὀνομασθεῖσαν ἔν τινι Γραφῇ, ἢ τὴν πρῖνον, ἐκεῖθεν ἂν εὕροιμεν τὸ ζητούμενον, καὶ τὴν παρʼ αὐτὰ παρωνυμίαν· εἰ δὲ μηδαμοῦ ὠνομάσθη, καὶ ἡμᾶς διαλανθάνει τὸ τοιοῦτον. Τούτων οὖν ὅσον ἐπὶ μὴ ἱστορίᾳ ὑπὸ Ἑβραίων, οἷς συνέμιξα, εἰρημένων, ἐγὼ μὲν εὐλαβῶς ἕχω ἀποφήνασθαι, πότερον καὶ παρʼ Ἑβραίοις ἡ ἰσοδυναμία τῶν κατὰ ταῦτα παρωνυμιῶν σώζεται, ἢ οὔ· σὺ δὲ ὅπως διεβεβαιώσω, αὐτὸς σἶδας ἴσως.
"If, therefore," he said, "you can present the mastic tree as named in some way in some Scripture, or the holm-oak, from there we might find what is sought, and the play on words based on them; but if it is named nowhere, such a thing escapes us also." Since these things have been said by the Hebrews with whom I conversed, regarding the story's not being in their language, I for my part am cautious to declare whether the equivalence of the wordplays in these things is preserved among the Hebrews or not; but as for how you made yourself certain, you perhaps know yourself.
§1.9Μέμνημαι μέν τοί γε φιλομαθεῖ Ἑβραίῳ, καὶ χρηματίχοντι (52) παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς σοφοῦ υἱῷ, ἀνατραφέντι ἐπὶ τὸ διαδέξασθκι τὸν πκτέρα,σθμμίξας πτρὶ πλειόνων·
Indeed, I remember having conversed on many matters with a certain learned Hebrew, who was recognized among them as a son of a wise man and had been brought up to succeed his father (52).
ἀφʼ οὖ ὡς μὴ ἀθετουμένης τῆς περὶ Σωσάννης ἱστορίας ἐμάνθανον καὶ τὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ὀνέματα, ὡς παρὰ τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ κείμενα τοῦτον ἔχοντα τὸν τρόπον· « Ποιήσαι σε Κύριος, ὡς Σεδεκίαν ἐποίησε, καὶ ὡς Ἀχιὰβ (53), οὕς ἀπετηγάνισε βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐν πυρὶ διʼ ἥν ἐποίησαν ἀνομίαν ἐν Ἰσραήλ. » Πῶς ὁ μὲν ὑπʼ ἀγγέλου πρίζεται, ὁ δὲ σχίζεται;
From him, as though the story of Susanna were not rejected, I also learned the names of the elders, as being found in Jeremiah in this manner: "The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab (53), whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, because they committed iniquity in Israel." How then is one sawed by an angel, and the other split?
λεκτέον, οὐ κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα αἰῶνα ταῦτα αὐτοῖς προφητεύεσθαι, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὴν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἕξοδον κρίσιν.
It must be said that these things were not prophesied of them in the present age, but in the judgment by God after the departure from here.
Ὡς γὰρ τὸν πονηρὸν οἰκονόμον λέγοντα· « Χρονίζει ὁ κύριός μου ἕρχεσθαι· » καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μέθαις σχολάζοντα, καὶ ἐσθίοντα καὶ πί. , νοντα μετὰ τῶν μεθυόντων. καὶ τύπτοντα τοὺς συνδούλους, ὁ κύριος ἐλθὼν « διχοτομήσει, καὶ τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀπίστων θήσει· » οὕτω καὶ τούτους πρεσβυτέρους μὲν χρηματίσαντας, κακῶς δὲ τὴν οἰκο νομίαν οἰκονομήσαντας, ἀναλόγως τῷ ἐκεῖ διχοτομεῖ σθαι τὸν μοχθηρὸν οἰκονόμον,ἅγ ελοι ἐπὶ τῶν κολάσεων τεταγμένοι τινὲς ταῦτα διαθήσουσι (54)·
For just as the master of the evil steward who says, "My lord delayeth his coming," and therefore devotes himself to drunkenness, eating and drinking with the drunken, and beating his fellow servants, will come and "cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers"; so also these, having acted as elders but having badly managed their stewardship, corresponding to the cutting asunder of the wicked steward there, certain angels appointed over punishments will so deal with them (54).
καὶ ὁ μὲν σχίσει «πεπαλαιωμένον ἡμερῶν κακῶν, κρίναντα κρίσεις ἀδίκους, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀθώους κατακρίναντα, ἀπολύοντα δὲ τοὺς αἰτίους· » ὁ δὲ πρίσει ὡς « σπέρμα λαναὰν ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ οὐκ Ἰούδα, τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ κάλλους ἐξηπατημένον, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας διαστραφέντα τὴν καρδίαν. » §1.10Καὶ ἕτερον δὲ οἷδα Ἑβραῖον, περὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τούτων τοιαύτας παραδόσεις φέροντα (55), ὅτι τοῖς ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἐλπίζουσιν διὰ τῆς Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίας ἐλευθερωθήσεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπὸ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς δουλείας προσεποιοῦντο οἱ πρεσβύτεροι οὗτοι ὡς εἰδότες τὰ περὶ Χριστοῦ σαφηνίζειν· καὶ ἑκάτερος αὐτῶν ἀνὰ μέρος ᾗ περιετύγχανε γυναικὶ, καὶ ἥν διαφθεῖραι ἐβούλετο, ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ δῆθεν ἔφασκεν, ὡς ἅρα δέδοται αὐτῷ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν Χριστόν·
And one will split him who "waxed old in evil days, who passed unjust judgments, condemning the innocent and letting the guilty go free"; and the other will saw him who is "the seed of Canaan, and not of Judah, whom beauty deceived, and whose heart lust perverted." And I know another Hebrew who brings forward such traditions (55) concerning these elders: that to those in captivity who hoped to be liberated from slavery under their enemies through the coming of Christ, these elders pretended as if they knew how to make clear the things concerning Christ; and each of them in turn, to whichever woman he met and wished to corrupt, said in secret that it was granted to him by God to sow the seed of Christ.
εἶτ᾿ ἀπατωμένη (56) τῇ ἐλπίδι τοῦ γεννῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν ἡ γυνὴ, ἐπεδίδου ἑαυτὴν τῷ ἀπατῶντι· καὶ οὕτως ἐμοιχῶντο τὰς γυναῖκας τῶν πολιτῶν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι Ἀχιὰβ καὶ Σεδεκίας.
Then, the woman being deceived (56) by the hope of giving birth to Christ, surrendered herself to the deceiver; and thus the elders Ahab and Zedekiah committed adultery with the wives of the citizens.
Διὸ καλῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Δανιὴλ ὁ μὲν εἴρηται « πεπαλαιωμένος ἡμερῶν κακῶν· » ὁ δὲ ἤκουσε τό· « Οὕτως ἐποιεῖτε ταῖς θυγατράσιν Ἰσραὴλ, κἀκεῖναι φοβούμεναι ὡμίλουν ὑμῖν· ἀλλʼ οὐ θυγάτηρ Ἰούδα ὑπέμεινε τὴν ἀνομίαν ὑμῶν. » Τάχα γὰρ ἀπάτη καὶ φόβος δυνάμενα ἐν ταῖς γυναιξὶν, ἐποἰει αὐτὰς παρέχειν ἑαυτῶν τὰ σώματα τοῖς λεγομένοις τοὐτοις πρεσβυτέροις.
Therefore, one was fitly addressed by Daniel as "waxed old in evil days"; and the other heard the words: "Thus did ye with the daughters of Israel, and they for fear conversed with you; but a daughter of Judah would not abide your iniquity." For perhaps deception and fear, working in the women, caused them to yield their bodies to these so-called elders.