It's an age-old problem, and one that the historian Josephus tackled head-on in his work, Against Apion. We're going to delve into one specific accusation hurled against the Jews in that text, a claim so bizarre it's almost comical, yet so insidious in its intent that it demanded a response.

Josephus is responding to claims made by Apion, an Egyptian intellectual known for his anti-Jewish sentiments. Apion, and others like Posidonius and Apollonius Molo (figures Josephus calls out directly), accused the Jews of not worshipping the same gods as everyone else. Okay, fair enough, we're monotheistic! But then they went further, fabricating outrageous stories about the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. And what was this wild accusation?

Apion claimed that the Jews kept an ass's head in their Holy of Holies, the most sacred space within the Temple! He even alleged that Antiochus Epiphanes, the Seleucid king who notoriously desecrated the Temple, discovered this golden ass's head during his plunder. Can you imagine?

Josephus is understandably indignant. He points out the hypocrisy: these accusers, while criticizing Jewish "impiety," are perfectly happy to spread blatant lies. He rightly states that it's shameful for free people to lie, especially about something as sacred and universally renowned as the Jewish Temple.

Josephus's first line of defense is almost sarcastic. He retorts that even if there were an ass's head, Egyptians shouldn't be the ones to complain! After all, they worshipped various animals, some of which (he delicately alludes to certain creatures using the Latin term "Furones," the exact meaning of which is now lost to us) are arguably less impressive than an ass.

But then he gets to the heart of the matter: the accusation is demonstrably false. "How comes it about that Apion does not understand this to be no other than a palpable lie?" he asks. The Jews, Josephus stresses, are consistent in their laws and practices. Despite numerous foreign powers conquering Jerusalem – Theos [Epiphanes], Pompey the Great, Licinius Crassus, and, finally, Titus Caesar – none of them ever found anything resembling an ass's head in the Temple. They found what was consistent with Jewish piety, though Josephus says "what they found we are not at liberty to reveal to other nations."

He reminds his readers that Antiochus Epiphanes's desecration was motivated by greed, not religious zeal. He lists several historians – Polybius of Megalopolis, Strabo of Cappadocia, Nicolaus of Damascus, Timagenes, Castor the chronotoger, and Apollodorus – all of whom, according to Josephus, attest that Antiochus attacked the Temple for its gold and silver, not because he discovered some bizarre idol. Sadly, those specific accounts are now lost to us, but it is plain that Josephus perused them as extant in his time.

Josephus then turns up the heat. Apion, he says, must have an "ass's heart or a dog's impudence" to spread such falsehoods. The reference to dogs is likely a jab at Egyptian animal worship. He underscores the absurdity of the claim: Jews don't venerate asses! They use them as beasts of burden, and if the animals misbehave, they are punished, as they should be.

Ultimately, Josephus concludes that Apion's attack is a failure. His lies are unconvincing, his arguments weak. He writes that Apion was "perfectly unskillful in the composition of such fallacious discourses."

So, what can we take away from this ancient exchange? Beyond the specific (and frankly bizarre) accusation, it highlights the persistent danger of prejudice and misinformation. It also shows the importance of defending truth and challenging those who seek to demonize others through lies and distortion. It is a lesson just as relevant today as it was in the time of Josephus.