Sibylline Oracles

Historical printed page 389

᾿ * i eee, . | THE SIBYLLINE BOOKS. Book III, Lines 564-633 circling years. [For not even if thou shouldst offer up hecatombs of sacrifices], (64) as many as Hellas offered of old, of kine and bellowing bulls, (65) bringing whole burnt sacrifices to the temple of the Mighty God, (66) not even so wilt thou escape from jarring war and panic (67) and pestilence, and the yoke of bondage again. (68) But so long the race of godless men shall exist, (69) until the day of fate reaches its appointed end. (70) Ye shall not sacrifice to God until all these things come to pass. (71) Whatsoever the one God purposes fails not of its accomplishment. (72) For that all things be accomplished the stress of necessity will insist. (73) There shall be thereafter a holy race of God-fearing men, (74) adhering to the counsels and the mind of the Most High: (75) who pay full honour to the temple of the mighty God, (76) with drink offerings and fat offerings and sacred hecatombs, (77) with sacrifices of lusty bulls and unblemished rams, (78) and piously offer as whole burnt sacrifices rich flocks of firstling sheep and lambs upon the great altar. (80) And in righteousness possessing the law of the Most High, (81) they shall dwell happily in their cities and rich fields, (82) themselves as prophets exalted by the Immortal One, (83) and bringing great joy to all mortals. (84) For to them alone the Mighty God has given discreet counsel, (85) and faith and an excellent understanding in their hearts: (86) in that they give not themselves to vain deceits, nor honour the works of men’s hands, (87) of gold and brass, silver or ivory, (88) idols of dead gods of wood and stone, (89) idols of clay vermilion painted, pictured likenesses of beasts, (90) such things as men with minds void of counsel do honour. (91) But they instead raise heavenwards holy arms, (92) rising early from their bed and ever cleansing their flesh (93) with water, and they honour Him alone who reigns for ever, (94) the Eternal, and after him their parents: and more than any (95) men they are mindful of the purity of marriage. (96) Nor do they hold unholy intercourse with boys, (97) as do the Phoenicians, Egyptians, and Latins, (98) and spactous Hellas, and many nations of other men, (gg) Persians and Galatians and all Asia, transgressing (600) the holy law of the immortal God which he ordained. (601) For which cause the Eternal shall impose on all men (602) retribution and famine and woes and groans, (603) war, too, and pestilence and fearful calamities ; (604) because they would not honour in holiness the eternal Father of all men, (605) but reverenced and honoured idols (606) made by men’s hands, which men themselves shall cast (607) into the crannies of rocks and hide in shame, (608) whensoever a youthful king of Egypt, seventh in line, (609) of his own land reckoned from the Greeks shall reign over (10) an empire, over which the doughty Macedonians shall reign; (11) and there comes from Asia a mighty king, a fiery eagle, (12) who shall darken every land with foot and horse, (13) and shall break up everything and fill everything with miseries: (14) he shall cast down the kingdom of Egypt, and taking all (15) its wealth, shall ride upon the broad surface of the sea. (16) And then at length to God the great King, the Eternal, (17) they shall bend the white knee upon the fruitful earth, (18) and the works of men’s hand shall all fall into the flame of fire. (19) And then God shall give great joy to men. (20) For the earth and the trees and the innumerable flocks of sheep, (21) shall give their true fruit to mankind, (22) of wine and sweet honey and white milk (23) and corn which is to men the most excellent gift of all. (24) But thou, O man of wiles, tarry not with hesitation, (25) but turning round again make inter- cession to God. (26) Sacrifice to God hundreds of bulls and firstling lambs (27) and of goats in the circling seasons. (28) Yea, make intercession to Him, the Immortal God, if perchance He may have mercy upon thee. (29) For He alone is God, and there is none beside. (30) Honour righteousness and oppress no man: (31) for these are the commands of the Eternal to wretched mortals. (32) But do thou beware of the wrath of the mighty God, (33) whenever the consummation of 564. The beginning of the line is quite uncertain. MSS. have ‘ even those which Hellas offered ’. 573 ΤῸΝ happy state of the righteous. The writer has, perhaps, in mind the prosperity of the Jews under Simon Maccabeus. 578. flocks, μῆλα. For this Mendelssohn suggests ‘ thighs’, μῆρα, but the correction is not convincing. one Cf. Wisdom xiii. 14. Such painting was common among the Romans: cf. Pliny, Va¢. H7s¢. xxxv. 45; Virg. él, X. 25. Tictiading is uncertain. Perhaps πήλινα μιλτόχριστ᾽ ἣ Cwypadias τυποειδεῖς (so Volkmann). 591-2. Cf. iv. 165-6. The insistence on lustration is specially Essene. Cf. Joseph. Bed/. Jud. ii. 8.5. For prayer on waking cf. Pss. Sol. vi. 6. 600. The end of the line is a conjecture. (ὅνπερ ἔθηκεν for ὃν παρέβησαν). MSS. ‘ which they transgressed’. 606. Cf, Isa. ii. 18, 19, xxxi. 7. 608. a youthful king, i.e. Ptolemy Philometor, cf. 192. In fleeing from the invasion of Antiochus Epiphanes (170-169 B.C.) he was captured and brought back a prisoner. Antiochus failed to take Alexandria, but captured much booty and returned by sea (615). 613. Cf. supra 188. 616. The writer passes over an interval of years and comes to the prosperous conditions under the later Maccabees. 618. Lact. quotes this line (Dzv. /mst. vii. 19. 9) as ἔργα δὲ χειροποίητα Θεῶν κατακαυθήσονται. He refers it to the Erythraean Sibyl. 625-6. Quoted by Clem. Al. Protreft. vii. 74 as Orphic verses. 389