The Jewish people have faced that challenge for centuries, and in his work Against Apion, Josephus steps up to the plate to set the record straight against a particularly virulent detractor named… well, Apion.
Apion seems to have had a real talent for twisting facts and spreading misinformation. Josephus tackles these accusations head-on, and in this particular passage, he's dealing with Apion's claims about Jewish interactions with the Macedonian kings and, especially, Cleopatra.
Apion, in his ignorance, apparently downplayed the positive relationships that existed. Josephus reminds us that Ptolemy III Euergetes, after conquering Syria, didn't offer thanks to Egyptian gods. Instead, he came to Jerusalem and offered sacrifices to God according to Jewish law. That’s quite a statement of respect and recognition, wouldn’t you say?
And what about Ptolemy Philometer and his wife Cleopatra? They entrusted their entire kingdom to Jewish generals, Onias and Dositheus. Apion mocks these men, but Josephus argues he should be thanking them! These Jewish generals actually saved Alexandria from ruin during a civil war. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, why Apion was so eager to distort history.
Apion even criticizes Onias for bringing an army to Alexandria when Thorruns, the Roman ambassador, was present. But Josephus defends Onias's actions, explaining that Ptolemy Physco was trying to unjustly seize the kingdom from Cleopatra and her sons. Onias was simply honoring the trust the royal family had placed in him.
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. Josephus recounts a miraculous event, seemingly validated by historical accounts. Ptolemy Physco, in a fit of rage, rounded up the Jews of Alexandria, intending to have them trampled by drunken elephants. But, according to Josephus, God intervened! The elephants turned on Physco’s own people instead. Physco then had a vision and was begged by his concubine to stop the slaughter. The Alexandrian Jews commemorated this deliverance with a special day of celebration. Apion, however, still tried to spin it as Jewish aggression!
Josephus doesn't hold back when discussing Cleopatra, the last queen of Alexandria. He points out the hypocrisy of Apion blaming the Jews for her ingratitude when Cleopatra was known for her "injustice and wicked practices." She murdered family members, desecrated tombs, and betrayed benefactors. Josephus emphasizes how she even betrayed Antony, leading to his downfall. And, in a chilling detail, Josephus claims that when Caesar conquered Alexandria, Cleopatra considered killing the Jews to try and salvage her situation. What a horrifying thought!
Josephus then raises a rhetorical question: can the Jewish people not boast of anything simply because Cleopatra supposedly didn't distribute wheat to them during a famine? He appeals to the record – to Caesar, the Senate, and the letters of Augustus Caesar – to demonstrate Jewish loyalty and service to Rome. He challenges Apion to examine the evidence from Alexander and the Ptolemies, the decrees of the Senate, and the words of the Roman emperors themselves.
He concludes by highlighting that the Jews were entrusted with the custody of the river, a responsibility the kings deemed them worthy of.
Josephus’s defense is passionate and detailed, and it reveals the depth of anti-Jewish sentiment prevalent at the time. It also reminds us that history is often a battleground where truth and falsehood clash. It's up to us to examine the evidence, question the narratives, and strive to understand the complexities of the past. And perhaps, most importantly, to recognize the echoes of these ancient battles in the challenges we face today.