I. ARISTOBULUS, was a Jew of the 2 Macc. i. 10.Priests family, a Philosopher, and Preceptor to Ptolemy King of Egypt. Clemens of Alexandria1 cites the first book of Aristobulus dedicated to King Philometor, wherein he affirms, that before the Translation procured by Demetrius Phalereus, there was another, out of which Pythagoras and Plato borrowed many of their opinions. Anatolius, who is quoted in Eusebius2, says, that this same Aristobulus was one of the seventy Interpreters, and that he wrote Comments on the books of Moses, which he dedicated to Ptolemy the Son of Lagus, and his Son Ptolemy Philadelphus. The same Clemens and Eusebius3 believe this to be the Aristobulus mentioned in the Preface to the second book of Maccabees, and called there King Ptolemy’s Master, who was of the stock of the anointed Priests; that is to say, of the Priests of the God of Israel, who were consecrated by the holy Unction.
Rom. xvi. 11.It is generally asserted, that the Ptolemy, who had Aristobulus for his Præceptor, was he, who is sirnamed Philometor. The letter wherein we find his name, is dated in the Ibid.hundred four-score and eighth year of the Greeks, which comes to the year of the world 3880. Philometor died in 3860, twenty years before: notwithstanding which Aristobulus may be styled this Prince’s Præceptor. The difficulty does not lye here. But how shall we make it out that Aristobulus lived so long as to the year 3880, since he dedicated books to Ptolemy the Son of Lagus, who died in 3720, that is to say, an hundred and sixty years before ? He must have been at least twenty years of age, when he composed and dedicated these Books; so that in 3880 he would have been an hundred and ten years old, which does not seem to be at all credible. We had better therefore acknowledge, that the true Aristobulus mentioned in the Maccabees is very different from him, whom Clemens of Alexandria and Eusebius speak of; or at least that the latter is a spurious Author, under whose name several works have been published, which were written long since the Maccabees, and were unknown to all the ancients before Clemens of Alexandria. The Reader may consult Dodwel’s Dissertation on the History of Aristeas. Chap. xxviii.
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