V.
Hi ritus quoquo modo (quoquo modo: ‘in whatever way’; quoquo is abl. of quisquis, an iterative rel. pronoun or pronominal adj. The two equal parts of quisquis are both declinable, although only the nominative and ablative forms are found used.) inducti antiquitate defenduntur: cetera instituta, sinistra foeda, pravitate valuere. (pravitate valuere: ‘have prevailed on account of their perversity’) Nam pessimus quisque spretis religionibus patriis tributa et stipes (tributa et stipes: ‘tributes and offerings’: Cicero says (Pro Flacco 66) that every male Jew was required to send a yearly contribution of half a sekel (a silver coin weighing almost half an ounce) towards the upkeep of the Temple.) illuc congerebant, unde auctae Iudaeorum res, et quia apud ipsos fides obstinata, misericordia in promptu, (fides obstinata, misericordia in promptu: ‘stubborn honesty, compassion readily available’) sed adversus omnis alios hostile odium. Separati epulis, discreti cubilibus, proiectissima ad libidinem gens, alienarum concubitu abstinent; (concubitu abstinent: ‘they abstain from intercourse’; cf. sue abstinent in previous chapter.) inter se nihil inlicitum. Circumcidere genitalia instituerunt ut diversitate noscantur. (ut diversitate noscantur: ‘in order that they be recognized by this distinctive sign’) Transgressi (transgressi: the use of the perf. participle as a substantive is rather uncommon; another example ia agnatis, from agnascor, below.) in morem eorum idem usurpant, nec quicquam prius imbuuntur quam contemnere deos, exuere patriam, parentes liberos fratres vilia habere. (nec quicquam prius imbuuntur quam contemnere …, exuere …, habere …: ‘they are not imbued with anything sooner than to scorn …, to reject …, to think nothing of …’; quicquam, alternate spelling of quidquam, appears to be Greek accusative after the reflexive imbuuntur: lit. ‘they are not imbued as to anything at all sooner than with …’; cf. G. 338, A.G. 397, b. Unlike English, the Latin imbuere can be followed by either acc. or abl. of the thing.) Augendae tamen multitudini consulitur; (augendae tamen multitudini consulitur: ‘yet they see to it that their numbers be increasing’. augendae multitudini: cf. note for perdomandae Iudaeae in ch. 1.) nam et necare quemquam ex agnatis nefas, (nam et necare quemquam ex agnatis nefas: nam et is the same as namque: ‘for in fact it is against their laws to suppress any unwanted child’; quemquam ex agnatis: ‘any from amongst the children born after the pater familias has secured a heir, either natural or adopted, i.e. in excess of the family plan, therefore unwanted.) animosque proelio aut suppliciis peremptorum aeternos putant: (animosque proelio aut suppliciis peremptorum aeternos putant: ‘they believe eternal the souls [of those killed] in battle or at the hands of a slayer’; supplicis peremptorum: executions carried out by a hangman, headsman, or other slayer.) hinc generandi amor et moriendi contemptus. Corpora condere quam cremare (corpora condere quam cremare: a rare case of two actions, both positive, being compred through the use of quam only. Cf. A.G. 292, a. Note. condere and cremare are hist. infinitives.) e more Aegyptio, eademque cura et de infernis persuasio, caelestium contra. (eademque cura et de infernis persuasio, caelestium contra: ‘with the same care and understanding of the underworld; [the conceptions (persuasio)] of things heavenly [are] in opposition’. contra is adverb) Aegyptii pleraque animalia effigiesque compositas (effigies compositas: ‘figures mingling human and aimal features: Anubis with the head of a jackal, Thot with the head of an ibis, Serapis with that of a ram) venerantur, Iudaei mente sola unumque numen intellegunt: profanos qui deum (deum: alternate form of deorum) imagines mortalibus materiis in species hominum effingant; ([intellegunt] profanos qui …effingant: ‘[they consider] sacrilegious those who represent …’; effingant is subjunctive because of the causal sense of the rel. clause.) summum illud (illud: refers not to deus, which is masculine, but to some neuter idea of the godhead, such as numen. ) et aeternum neque imitabile (imitabile: ‘that can be represented through images’) neque interiturum. Igitur nulla simulacra urbibus suis, nedum templis sistunt; (nedum templis sistunt: ‘even less are they present in temples’) non regibus haec adulatio, non Caesaribus honor. Sed quia sacerdotes eorum tibia tympanisque concinebant, hedera vinciebantur vitisque aurea templo reperta, (quia sacerdotes … tibia tympanisque concinebant, hedera vinciebantur vitisque aurea templo reperta: ‘because their priests would sing together, encircled with ivy, accompanied by flute and cymbals, and a golden vine was found in the Temple, …’: this rejoicing pertains to the Feast of Tabernacles, the most festive of Jewish celebrations, so timed as to occur at the end of the grape harvest and the start of the wine-making season. The refrence to a golden vine in the Temple is confirmed by Flavius Josephus, who reports that a sculpture with clusters of grapes of enormous size hung over the entrance of Herod’s temple.) Liberum patrem coli, domitorem Orientis, quidam arbitrati sunt, nequaquam congruentibus institutis. (quidam arbitrati sunt, nequaquam congruentibus institutis: ‘some have advanced the view, though the Jewish institutions are not in the least compatible with it, that …’. nequaquam congruentibus institutis is abl abs. of concessive force; lit. ‘the Jewish institution not being at all in agreement [with this view]) Quippe Liber festos laetosque ritus posuit, Iudaeorum mos (Iudaeorum mos: ‘the Jewish religious practice’) absurdus sordidusque.