TiLDEN: Philo Judaeus 



17 



way and that and fairly lick up things with their eyes and nostrils, — 

 with their eyes taking in the richness and the quantity of eatables, 

 and with their nostrils drinking in the sweet savor that steams up 

 from them. Then when they are completely surfeited with both the 

 sight and the smell, they begin to urge others to eat, praising extrava- 

 gantly the preparations for the feast and the host for spending so 

 lavishly. 



But why should I prolong the story of such doings as these which 

 are condemned now by many people of the more moderate sort? 

 Such luxuries cause the passions to break out, while the lessening of 

 (M. 480) lusts is the thing to be desired. For one may well pray for 

 thirst and hunger, things usually most deprecated, rather than for 

 the excessive waste of food and drink in banquets such as these. 



VII 



Of the banquets in Greece, the most famous and the most notable 

 are those two at which Socrates was present. One of these was at the 

 house of Callias, and was held to celebrate the winning of the crown 

 of victory by Autolycus. The other was at the home of Agathon. 

 These were banquets which men like Xenophon and Plato, philoso- 

 phers in character and language, thought worthy of commemoration. 

 For they described them as events worth remembering, which they 

 surmised future generations might make use of as models of the 

 proper management of banquets. But yet even these will appear 

 laughable when compared with the banquets of our Therapeutae 

 who have embraced the contemplative life. Each of the banquets 

 just mentioned has its own kind of attractions, but Xenophon's 

 banquet is more human, for flute-girls and dancers and conjurors 

 and professional jokers, who pride themselves on their ability to be 

 funny and to amuse people, are introduced. And there are present 

 also certain other features which induce hilarity. 



But the Platonic Symposium is almost entirely concerned with love, 

 not merely of men madly in love with women, nor of women with men, 

 for these passions pay tribute to the laws of nature, but of men for 

 males who differ only in respect to age. For if anything in this dialog 

 seems to be presented in a dainty manner concerning love and 

 heavenly Aphrodite, it has been dragged in bodily for the sake of 

 cleverness. But the greater part of the dialog is entirely taken up 

 with common and vulgar love^^ which robs one of manhood — that 



^^Athenaeus also condemns Plato's Symposium for introducing the same 

 subject, for we read in Bk. XI, ch. 118 (508): "And as to the disquisitions 



