DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6641#0032
18 TELL EL Y
admitted of Tell el Yahoodieh with Onion, the |
city of Onias. Our information on this head is
derived from Josephus, who, in several parts of
his works, relates the history of the foundation of
the city and of the temple, with, however, some
slight differences of detail.
It was in the time of the bloody wars between
Antiochus Eupator and Juda Macchabaeus. The
Syrian king had made peace with the Jews;
but when he entered the temple of Jerusalem and
saw how strong it was, he caused the enclosure
wall to be razed, and he took with him the high
priest Onias, called Menelaus, who was put to
death at Beroea, in Syria, by the advice of
Lisias, first general of Antiochus. The king
replaced him by Alkimos, called also Iakimos,
who was not of the family of high priests. The
Jewish writer seems to regard the death of
Menelaus as a just punishment for his ungod-
liness. Menelaus had a young nephew also called
Onias, son of Onias, an elder brother of Menelaus
who had been high priest. When the young-
man saw that the dignity of high priest was
transferred by the king to another family, he fled
to Egypt, where he was graciously received by
Ptolemy Philometor, and his wife Cleopatra.
Josephus assigns his flight to different motives.
Now it is because Onias despairs of his country,
which is oppressed by the Macedonians, and
because he wishes to become illustrious and
acquire eternal glory. Elsewhere Josephus ex-
plains how Onias was jealous of the Jews who
remained in Jerusalem, and how he wished to
draw away as many of his countrymen as possible,
and to be their high priest, considering himself
destined to fulfil a certain prophecy of Isaiah.
The Jewish writer quotes in full the letter
which Onias wrote to Ptolemy. Onias says that
travelling with the Jews, he reached Lcontopolis
of the Heliopolitan Nome, and other parts of the
country, which is remarkable for the great num-
ber of its temples, and he adds: " Now I have
found a very fit place in a castle that hath its
name from the country Bubastis. This place is
full of materials of several sorts, and replenished
with sacred animals. I desire, therefore, that
you will grant me leave to purge this holy place
which belongs to no master, and is fallen down,
and to build there a temple to Almighty God
after the pattern of that of Jerusalem, and of the
same dimensions; that it may be for the benefit of
thyself and thy wife and children, that those Jews
which dwell in Egypt may have a place whither
they may come and meet together in mutual
harmony one with another, and be subservient
to thy advantages; for the prophet Isaiah foretold
that there should be an altar in Egypt to the
Lord God, and many other things did he
prophesy relating to that place." 1
The sovereigns of Egypt received the request
of Onias most favourably, and gave the following
answer;—
" King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra to Onias
send greeting. We have read thy petition
wherein thou desirest leave to be given thee to
purge that temple which is fallen down at
Leontopolis, in the Nomus of Heliopolis, and
which is named from the country Bubastis, on
which account wre cannot but wonder that it
should be pleasing to God to have a temple
erected in a place so unclean, and so full of sacred
animals. But since thou sayest that Isaiah the
prophet foretold this long ago, we give thee leave
1 " Antiquities of the Jews," xiii. 3.
admitted of Tell el Yahoodieh with Onion, the |
city of Onias. Our information on this head is
derived from Josephus, who, in several parts of
his works, relates the history of the foundation of
the city and of the temple, with, however, some
slight differences of detail.
It was in the time of the bloody wars between
Antiochus Eupator and Juda Macchabaeus. The
Syrian king had made peace with the Jews;
but when he entered the temple of Jerusalem and
saw how strong it was, he caused the enclosure
wall to be razed, and he took with him the high
priest Onias, called Menelaus, who was put to
death at Beroea, in Syria, by the advice of
Lisias, first general of Antiochus. The king
replaced him by Alkimos, called also Iakimos,
who was not of the family of high priests. The
Jewish writer seems to regard the death of
Menelaus as a just punishment for his ungod-
liness. Menelaus had a young nephew also called
Onias, son of Onias, an elder brother of Menelaus
who had been high priest. When the young-
man saw that the dignity of high priest was
transferred by the king to another family, he fled
to Egypt, where he was graciously received by
Ptolemy Philometor, and his wife Cleopatra.
Josephus assigns his flight to different motives.
Now it is because Onias despairs of his country,
which is oppressed by the Macedonians, and
because he wishes to become illustrious and
acquire eternal glory. Elsewhere Josephus ex-
plains how Onias was jealous of the Jews who
remained in Jerusalem, and how he wished to
draw away as many of his countrymen as possible,
and to be their high priest, considering himself
destined to fulfil a certain prophecy of Isaiah.
The Jewish writer quotes in full the letter
which Onias wrote to Ptolemy. Onias says that
travelling with the Jews, he reached Lcontopolis
of the Heliopolitan Nome, and other parts of the
country, which is remarkable for the great num-
ber of its temples, and he adds: " Now I have
found a very fit place in a castle that hath its
name from the country Bubastis. This place is
full of materials of several sorts, and replenished
with sacred animals. I desire, therefore, that
you will grant me leave to purge this holy place
which belongs to no master, and is fallen down,
and to build there a temple to Almighty God
after the pattern of that of Jerusalem, and of the
same dimensions; that it may be for the benefit of
thyself and thy wife and children, that those Jews
which dwell in Egypt may have a place whither
they may come and meet together in mutual
harmony one with another, and be subservient
to thy advantages; for the prophet Isaiah foretold
that there should be an altar in Egypt to the
Lord God, and many other things did he
prophesy relating to that place." 1
The sovereigns of Egypt received the request
of Onias most favourably, and gave the following
answer;—
" King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra to Onias
send greeting. We have read thy petition
wherein thou desirest leave to be given thee to
purge that temple which is fallen down at
Leontopolis, in the Nomus of Heliopolis, and
which is named from the country Bubastis, on
which account wre cannot but wonder that it
should be pleasing to God to have a temple
erected in a place so unclean, and so full of sacred
animals. But since thou sayest that Isaiah the
prophet foretold this long ago, we give thee leave
1 " Antiquities of the Jews," xiii. 3.