Against Apion | Page 9

is between us. Now when I shall
have made my assertions good, so far as concerns the others, I will demonstrate that some
of the Greek writers have made mention of us Jews also, that those who envy us may not
have even this pretense for contradicting what I have said about our nation.
14. I shall begin with the writings of the Egyptians; not indeed of those that have written
in the Egyptian language, which it is impossible for me to do. But Manetho was a man
who was by birth an Egyptian, yet had he made himself master of the Greek learning, as
is very evident; for he wrote the history of his own country in the Greek tongue, by
translating it, as he saith himself, out of their sacred records; he also finds great fault with
Herodotus for his ignorance and false relations of Egyptian affairs. Now this Manetho, in
the second book of his Egyptian History, writes concerning us in the following manner. I
will set down his very words, as if I were to bring the very man himself into a court for a
witness: "There was a king of ours whose name was Timaus. Under him it came to pass, I
know not how, that God was averse to us, and there came, after a surprising manner, men
of ignoble birth out of the eastern parts, and had boldness enough to make an expedition
into our country, and with ease subdued it by force, yet without our hazarding a battle
with them. So when they had gotten those that governed us under their power, they
afterwards burnt down our cities, and demolished the temples of the gods, and used all
the inhabitants after a most barbarous manner; nay, some they slew, and led their children
and their wives into slavery. At length they made one of themselves king, whose name
was Salatis; he also lived at Memphis, and made both the upper and lower regions pay
tribute, and left garrisons in places that were the most proper for them. He chiefly aimed
to secure the eastern parts, as fore-seeing that the Assyrians, who had then the greatest
power, would be desirous of that kingdom, and invade them; and as he found in the Saite
Nomos, [Sethroite,] a city very proper for this purpose, and which lay upon the Bubastic
channel, but with regard to a certain theologic notion was called Avaris, this he rebuilt,
and made very strong by the walls he built about it, and by a most numerous garrison of

two hundred and forty thousand armed men whom he put into it to keep it. Thither Salatis
came in summer time, partly to gather his corn, and pay his soldiers their wages, and
partly to exercise his armed men, and thereby to terrify foreigners. When this man had
reigned thirteen years, after him reigned another, whose name was Beon, for forty-four
years; after him reigned another, called Apachnas, thirty-six years and seven months;
after him Apophis reigned sixty-one years, and then Janins fifty years and one month;
after all these reigned Assis forty-nine years and two months. And these six were the first
rulers among them, who were all along making war with the Egyptians, and were very
desirous gradually to destroy them to the very roots. This whole nation was styled Hycsos,
that is, Shepherd-kings: for the first syllable Hyc, according to the sacred dialect, denotes
a king, as is Sos a shepherd; but this according to the ordinary dialect; and of these is
compounded Hycsos: but some say that these people were Arabians." Now in another
copy it is said that this word does not denote Kings, but, on the contrary, denotes Captive
Shepherds, and this on account of the particle Hyc; for that Hyc, with the aspiration, in
the Egyptian tongue again denotes Shepherds, and that expressly also; and this to me
seems the more probable opinion, and more agreeable to ancient history. [But Manetho
goes on]: "These people, whom we have before named kings, and called shepherds also,
and their descendants," as he says, "kept possession of Egypt five hundred and eleven
years." After these, he says, "That the kings of Thebais and the other parts of Egypt made
an insurrection against the shepherds, and that there a terrible and long war was made
between them." He says further, "That under a king, whose name was Alisphragmuthosis,
the shepherds were subdued by him, and were indeed driven out of other parts of Egypt,
but were shut up in a place that contained ten thousand acres; this place was named
Avaris." Manetho says, "That the shepherds built a wall round all this place, which was a
large and a strong wall, and this in order to keep all their possessions