Joseph (II)

II. JOSEPH, the son of Tobias, and a sister of the High-Priest Onias¹. This High-Priest, who governed the Jews as head of the nation, both in Civil and Ecclesiastical affairs, was extremely avaricious, and was withal one of a mean genius, and very little prudence. He had neglected for some years to pay the tribute of twenty talents to the King of Egypt, which had been paid regularly by his predecessors, as a sort of homage to that Crown. The King sent Athenio one of his courtiers to Jerusalem, with a design of compelling the Jews to pay all the arrears, which amounted to a considerable sum, threatning them, if they did not comply with his demands, that he would send soldiers who should drive them out of the country, and divide the lands among them. Onias, who was become almost insensible with age, was not yet moved at these menaces, but they caused a terrible alarm in Jerusalem.

Joseph, Onias’s nephew was at that time at his country house. His mother wrote him an account of what was passing; whereupon he immediately returned to Jerusalem, talked with his uncle Onias, remonstrated to him the danger to which he exposed the whole nation, told him that there was but one resolution to be taken, which was, to go with all speed to Egypt, and endeavour to accommodate the affair, by addressing himself directly to the King. Onias being neither in a condition nor disposition to undertake the journey, Joseph offered to charge himself with the commission, and wait on Ptolemy; to which Onias easily consented.

This consent being thus obtained, he convened the people in the outward court of the Temple, laid before them what he had done with his uncle, and told them, that if they would approve the choice which his uncle had made of him, they might set their hearts at rest, and did not doubt but he should reconcile this matter. The people were very thankful, and in­ treated him to continue his design. When he left the assembly he went to Athenio, carried him to his house, entertained him magnificently, made him considerable pre­sents, and beg’d of him to assure the King, that he would forthwith make a journey to court, and would take care that he should be satisfied.

Athenio returned to Alexandria, charmed with the obliging behaviour of Joseph, and spoke of him in a way so advantageous, that the King was desirous of seeing him, and was prepared to receive him, in the most agreeable manner that was possible.

As soon as Athenio was gone, Joseph borrowed twenty thousand drachmas of a broker of Samaria, which make about ten thousand pound, supposing the drach­mas to be gold, at ten shillings value each; with this money he provided himself an equipage, with which he departed, in order to proceed on his way to Alexan­dria.

Upon the road he met with people of the first quality of Cœle-Syria, and Pa­ lestine, who likewise were going thither, and performed the journey with them. Their design was to take the great farms of these provinces. As they had a mag­nificent train with which they proposed to make a figure at court, they ridiculed that of Joseph, which came not near it. He bore their pleasantries with great spi­rit, observing what they said concerning the quality and revenues of their coun­try, and got such light into them, as ena­bled him to be merry in his turn, for the whole remainder of his life at their expence.

When they came to Alexandria, they understood that the King was gone to make a tour to Memphis. Joseph without losing time set forward on the way to him, and met him as he was returning with the Queen and Athenio in his chariot. A­thenio knew him again, and told the King, that this was the young man, Onias’s Ne­ phew, of whom he had discoursed to him. The King took him up in his cha­riot, and talked to him of his dissatisfaction with Onias, on the score of his bad pay­ment of the tribute money. Joseph excu­sed his uncle in the best manner he could, and wrought so much upon the King, that this Prince ordered an apartment to be provided for him in the royal palace at Alexandria, and obliged him to eat with him at his table.

The day of adjudging the royal farms being come, when those of Cœle-Syria and Phœnicia were in turn, Joseph’s fellow tra­ vellers offered but eight thousand talents for the provinces of Cœle-Syria, Phœni­ cia, Judea and Samaria. Joseph who during his journey had observed all they had said on this subject, and understood by them that these farms were worth double this Sum, reproached them with lowering the King’s revenues, and offered twice as much, or sixteen thousand talents, where­of the farmers were used to make their own ad­vantage, and which he offered to remit into the treasury. Ptolemy extremely pleased to see his revenues so considerably augmented, but fearing that Joseph was not in a condition to pay as proposed, ask­ed him what security he would give him? Sir, replyed he, I will give you such as shall content you, and I flatter myself that you and the Queen will be responsible for me. The King laughed at this unex­pected proposal, and adjudged the Farm to him.

After this he borrowed five hundred ta­ lents at Alexandria, with which he paid the King what his uncle owed him; and having procured himself to be declared receiver general of the King’s taxes in the Provinces above mentioned, he had a guard likewise assigned him of two thousand men, which he demanded for his security in the execution of this new imployment, and immediately left Alexandria, to go and take possession of it. When he came to Ascalon which was in his partition, he required what was due of the King’s mo­ney to be paid him; but he met with in­solent and rude language, and payment was refused. He ordered therefore his soldiers to take twenty of the great­est mutineers, and chastise them as they deserved, and sent the King two thousand talents out of their confiscated estates. This example, and another of the same kind, which he made at Scythopolis, where likewise he met with some re­sistance, so much intimidated all the rest, that he found no more opposition in levy­ing the King’s taxes. He was continued two and twenty years in this employment, probably till these Provinces were con­quered by Antiochus the great King of Sy­ria; about the year of the world 3802. Joseph therefore must have entred upon this imployment in the year 3780.

King Antiochus the Great, having mar­ ried his daughter Cleopatra to Ptolemy Epiphanes King of Egypt in 3812, and en­ dowed her with Cœle-Syria, Phœnicia, Ju­ dea and Samaria: Joseph in all probability resumed his employment of receiver of the King’s tribute money, and kept it still for some time, since upon Queen Cleopa­tra’s lying in of a son, about the year 3817, all the people of quality and distinc­tion in Cœle-Syria and Palestine went to Alexandria, to compliment the King and Queen on this occasion, but Joseph not being in a condition to perform the journey, sent his son Hircanus thither, of whom we have spoken above in the article Hircanus.

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