Antoninus Pius

ANTONINUS PIUS, Emperor of Rome, adopted by Adrian, was originally of Nîmes. The Jews relate many very apocryphal things of him¹. They say he received Circumcision, that he always favoured their Nation, while he persecuted the Christians. He became a Disciple of Judas the Holy, and made himself eminent in the study of the Mosaick Law. He circumcised himself, that he might be qualified to eat the Paschal-Lamb. He dissembled his Religion, and while he worshipped Idols, privately professed himself a Jew. They tell us he was so learned in traditions, that he was employed with his Master in the composition of his Mishna. Antoninus went every day to Judas’s house through a subterraneous passage from his Palace, in order to study with him, and set two Centinels, one at his palace-gate, the other at the Rabbin’s, that no one might perceive his going backward and forward so frequently, and left his guards should reveal this secret, at his return he killed them.

One day he found the Rabbin Chanina at Judas the Holy’s house, and was inclined to kill him, to prevent his discovering the correspondence which the Emperor carried on with this Jew. Chanina hereupon said to him, I am not a man but an angel. Go then, replied Antoninus, and raise him from the dead whom I have killed at the entrance of the subterraneous passage: Chanina went, and raised him. The Emperor in conversation with his Rabbin maintained, that the Soul and Body after death might each excuse themselves, and impute the guilt of their Sin to one another, the Soul affirming, that it was the Body which had finn’d, for from the time of its separation it continued free; and the Body on the contrary, that it had done nothing since Death had made this division. But the Rabbin undeceived him, by producing the parable of a certain Master, who trusted a blind man and one who had no legs with the keeping of his fruit, the blind man took him who was lame upon his shoulders, and the fruit was eaten; their Master discovered their cunning, and punished both of them.

Judas asserted that the Soul was united with the Body in the very instant it was formed. Antoninus on the contrary maintained, that it was united with it much sooner, because a piece of flesh could not be three days without being salted. Judas submitted, and agreed that this union was effected at the moment of Conception.

The Emperor one day asked Judas why the Sun was lower every evening at its sitting. The reason, answered Judas, is, because it pays its adorations to the Lord; but it defers doing so till the evening for the conveniency of labourers and travellers.

The Jews say, Antoninus had a Son whose name was Abasuerus, whom he designed for the Empire; but he died young. All that has been here produced by us is nothing but fable. Capitolinus informs us, that the Jews rebel’d in the reign of Antoninus; that this Prince made war with them, and defeated them, nevertheless he left them the liberty of being circumcised, which he denied the Samaritans; whom he forbad likewise to bring any over to them as Proselytes, and to make themselves Eunuchs.

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