CAP. X.
How Iosephus mentioned the bookes of the old testament, and diuers of his owne.
THe bookes of the holy Scripture (sayth he) are not innumerable amongst vs, disagreeing, & dissenting one from an other, but only xxij. contayning the circumstances of all times, and vvorthy of creditt. fiue of these are Moses vvorkes, contayning the lavves, & the state of man, continevved vnto his death. the tyme of them contayneth litle lesse, then three thousand yeares. The Prophetes vvhich liued after Moses, comprised in thirtene bookes, the famous actes of their tymes, from the death of Moses, to Artaxerxes, vvho after the death of Xerxes, vvas king of Persia. The other foure, containe Hymnes vnto God, and admonitions for the amendment of mans life. From Artaxerxes vnto our tymes, there are continuall bookes, yet not of such creditt as the former, in so much there is not diligently layd dovvne a continuall succession of the Pro∣phets. It is very apparent, vvhat affection vve beare vnto our Scriptures, because there is novv so much time past, and yet none of vs dare presume, either to adde any thinge thereto: or to dimi∣nish anything therefro: or to alter any thinge thereof. this is engrassed in the sevves, from their youth vp, that they persvvade them selues, this doctrine to be the vvritinges of God, and to per∣seuere in the same, and vvillingly, if necessity so constrayne, to dye in the quarrell. these wordes I haue thought commodiously to haue bene by vs alleadged out of his commentaryes. this writer hath published one other, and no simple volume of the rule of reason, whiche some haue fathered vppon the Machabees, because it contayneth the combats of the Hebrues, so termed in the bookes of the Machabees, manfully fighting in the defence of their pietye towardes God. And about the ende of the twentieth booke of Iudaicall Antiquities, Iosephus him selfe signifieth, that he wrote foure bookes, of the proper opinions of the Ievves. of God. of his essence. of the lavves. and vvhy according vnto them, certayne thinges are lavvfull, and certayne forbidden. He mentioneth in his workes other treatyes of his. it shall seeme agreable with order, if we recite those thinges, which he wrote about the ende of his Iudaicall Antiquities: that our allegations may the better be confirmed, for he endeuoring to confute Iustus Tyberianus, (who writinge the historye of that tyme, reported many vntruthes,) among others, of his confutations, thus he sayth: I feared not thy censure so much of my vvritings, but that I exhibited my bookes vnto the Emperours them∣selues, vvhen the dedes done, vvere novv fresh in memory, my conscience bare me vvitnes, that Ierred not, but deliuered the trueth, hauing obtayned their testimonies vvhich I hoped for. And to diuers others, I offred my historye, vvhere of some vvere encombred vvith the vvartes, as king Agrippa, and diuers of his kinsfolkes. And the Emperour Tytus him selfe vvoulde haue the cer∣tayne knovvledge of these vvarres, deliuered vnto the vvorlde, by my bookes onely, commaun∣ding them to be published, vvith the priuiledge of his ovvne hande. King Agrippa vvrote three∣score, & tvvo epistles, vvherin he testifieth of the true history deliuered by me. Two of these epi∣stles he alleadgeth. but so farre concerning Iosephus, now we wil proceede to that which foloweth.