30. But lest any should ask us in objection, what prevents Witness
History of the Prophetic hooks, and their evidence.
mind with himself; and I do not think it irrelevant to Apol. allude in this place even to Antinoiis, who is lately dead, ^••^^^^^'' whom all were eager with fear to worship as a god^, although they knew both who he was, and what was his origin.
30. But lest any should ask us in objection, what prevents Witness Him Whom we call Christ from being a man, of men, who^^^^ J"' performed what we term miracles by magic craft, and thereChrist, fore appeared to be the Son of God, I will now offer my proof, not trusting to the words of those who affirm these things, but necessarily believing those who foretold what should happen before it came to pass, for we see with our very eyes that events have happened, and are happening, as was foretold ; and this will, I think, appear, even to you, the greatest and truest proof.
31. There were then certain persons among the Jews, Writwho were prophets of God, by whom the Spirit of Prophecy [hfVl-oforetold events that were about to happen, before they came P^^ts to pass.
And the prophecies of these persons, the kings of laied.
Judah for the time being acquired and took care of, as they were spoken, when uttered prophetically in their own Hebrew language, and arranged in books by the Prophets themselves.
But when Ptolemy king of Egypt was forming his library, and endeavouring to collect the works of every author, he heard also about these prophetic writings, and sent to Herod, who was then king of the Jews^ entreating that the books of the prophecies might be transmitted to him ; on which, Herod the king sent them written in their Hebrew language mentioned before ; but when their contents were not understood by the Egyptians, he sent a second time to request the presence of persons to translate them into Greek ; when this was done, the books remained in the possession of the Egyptians even to the present time, and they are in the hands of all the Jews throughout the world; but although
« '' As a god."
(Is e^hv Sm (p6$ov chronism of this assertion, Grabe pro- (Tf^eiu &pfM-nuTo.
Eusebius reads Si^ posed to read tepeT for 'HpciSr, ; and <p6^ou, which Valesius translates " per Philo relates, that the high priest, to vim et metum:" the Benedictine prewhom Ptolemy sent, held the kingdom fers the first reading, since it was not together with the high priesthood, lib.
Adrian himself, he says, who terrified 2. de Vit. Moses.
This appears to be men by the authority of his power, but the best emendation yet proposed ot the fear of him, as of some great god, the passage.
Usher suggests a second which took possession of men's minds. occasion, the restoration of the library
'^ Herod, who was then king of the by Cleopatra.
Jews.
To obviate the manifest ana-