Ptolemy (I)

I. PTOLEMY, Son of Lagus, sirnamed Soter, or Saviour, after the Death of Alexander the Great, brought the Body of this Prince into Egypt,¹ in order to be interr’d at Alexandria. In the Distribution of Alexander’s Conquests among his Generals, the Government of Egypt fell to Ptolemy. He at first contented himself with the Title of Governor, nor took upon himself the Title of King, till after the Death of all of Alexander’s Race. Yet he manag’d the Minds of the People of Egypt, and of the neighbouring Princes, with a View of laying a solid Foundation for his future Power. Some Years after he was settled in Egypt,² he bethought himself of reducing Phenicia and Cele-syria. At first he endeavoured to corrupt Laomedon with Money, who govern’d those Provinces under Antipater and Perdiccas. But not succeeding this Way, he sent one of his Generals named Nicanor into this Province, who took Laomedon, and in a little time made himself Master of Cele-syria and Phenicia.

Ptolemy himself marching into Judea, enter’d into Jerusalem, while the Jews were in no other Concern but to observe the Sabbath.³ Appion says, That having brought the City into Subjection, he demolish’d its Walls; and Josephus from Aristeus adds, That this Prince carried away about One hundred thousand Jews from Palestine into Egypt, out of which Number he chose about Thirty thousand, and incorporated them into his Armies, putting them into his Garrisons, Appian. Syriac. p. 119, 121. Joseph. Antiq. l. 12. c. 2. ex Aristæa hist. 70. Interp. Vid. Just. l. 16. Pausan. in Atticis. Lucian. in longævis.as knowing that the Jews were very religious Observers of their Fidelity. He gave up the rest to his Soldiers, that they might make Slaves of them for their necessary Occasions. From hence proceeds that great Number of Jews, that were afterwards to be found in Egypt, Libya, and the Cyreniaca.

Two Years before his Death,⁴ and at the Beginning of the thirty-ninth Year of his Reign, Ptolemy, the Son of Lagus, associated with him in the Kingdom his Son Ptolemy Philadelphus, whom he had by Berenice, after which he reign’d two Years along with him. Justin affirms, That Soter not only associated his Son with him in the Throne, but reduced himself to the Quacity of one of Philadelphus’s Guards, judging it to be more glorious to be the King’s Father, than to be King himself. Pater ei regnum non tantum publice tradidit, sed etiam privatim officium Regi inter satellites fecit; omni regno pulchrius Regis esse Patrem dicens. We are assured, that Demetrius Phalereus had advised him to leave his Kingdom, not to Ptolemy Philadelphus Son of Berenice, but to the Son of Euridice: And this was the Reason that afterwards Philadelphus sent Demetrius into Banishment. See hereafter the Article of the SEVENTY INTERPRETERS. Ptolemy Son of Lagus, died two Years after he had associated his Son with him in the Kingdom, in the Year of the World 3721, before Christ 279, before the vulgar Era 283, in the fortieth Year of his Reign.

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