wful pleasures, and had no regard to God in his actions. But [as
for Apion], he hath done whatever his extravagant love of lying hath
dictated to him, as it is most easy to discover by a consideration of
his writings; for the difference of our laws is known not to regard the
Grecians only, but they are principally opposite to the Egyptians, and
to some other nations also for while it so falls out that men of all
countries come sometimes and sojourn among us, how comes it about that
we take an oath, and conspire only against the Grecians, and that by the
effusion of their blood also? Or how is it possible that all the Jews
should get together to these sacrifices, and the entrails of one man
should be sufficient for so many thousands to taste of them, as Apion
pretends? Or why did not the king carry this man, whosoever he was, and
whatsoever was his name, [which is not set down in Apion's book,] with
great pomp back into his own country? when he might thereby have been
esteemed a religious person himself, and a mighty lover of the Greeks,
and might thereby have procured himself great assistance from all men
against that hatred the Jews bore to him. But I leave this matter;
for the proper way of confuting fools is not to use bare words, but to
appeal to the things themselves that make against them. Now, then, all
such as ever saw the construction of our temple, of what nature it was,
know well enough how the purity of it was never to be profaned; for it
had four several courts [12] encompassed with cloisters round about,
every one of which had by our law a peculiar degree of separation
from the rest. Into the first court every body was allowed to go, even
foreigners, and none but women, during their courses, were prohibited
to pass through it; all the Jews went into the second court, as well as
their wives, when they were free from all uncleanness; into the third
court went in the Jewish men, when they were clean and purified; into
the fourth went the priests, having on their sacerdotal garments; but
for the most sacred place, none went in but the high priests, clothed in
their peculiar garments. Now there is so great caution used about these
offices of religion, that the priests are appointed to go into the
temple but at certain hours; for in the morning, at the opening of the
inner temple, those that are to officiate receive the sacrifices, as
they do again at noon, till the doors are shut. Lastly, it is not so
much as law