Tilden: Philo Judaeus 



21 



for the inequality which is the beginning of evil, has yoked (and 

 so, subdued), and then attached the power of the weaker to the 

 stronger. 



In this holy banquet then, as I said, there is no slave, but free 

 men serve the guests, performing the office of servants not from 

 compulsion nor executing orders, but of their own free will with 

 eagerness, and zeal anticipating orders. Nor is it any and every free 

 man who is appointed to these services, but novices selected from 

 their order with all care according to merit, acting in the manner 

 in which noble and well-born youths should act, and those who aim 

 at the height of virtue. These, like genuine sons, wait upon their 

 fathers and mothers in friendly rivalry and cheerfulness, regarding 

 these as their common parents, and as more closely related 

 to them than blood relatives; since to men who have the right ideas 

 nothing is more nearly related to them than true righteousness.^^ 



And they come in to serve without girdles and with their tunics 

 (M. 483) let . down to avoid any resemblance of a slavish garb. 

 I know that some will laugh when they hear about this banquet, 

 but those who laugh will be those who do what is worthy rather 

 of tears and dirges! — wine is not introduced into the banquet 

 on these days, but the most translucently clear water, cold for the 

 majority, but hot for those of the elders accustomed to live daintily. 

 And the table is free from bloody food (i.e. animal food), but on 

 the table is bread for nourishment, and salt for a relish, to which 

 hyssop is added sometimes as a seasoning, because of those accus- 

 tomed to luxuries. For as good sense induces the priests to offer 

 wineless sacrifices, so it leads these to live soberly. For wine is the 

 drug of folly, and costly dainties excite passion which is the most 

 insatiable of wild beasts. 



X 



So much for the preliminaries of the banquet. Now after the ban- 

 queters have taken their places on the couches in the order in which I 

 have explained, and when those who are to wait upon them have 

 taken their stand in order ready for service, their leader when silence 

 has become general — but when is it not? one might ask — but now 

 more than ever is it true, so that one does not even utter a squeak 



Compare Matthew 12, 47: "Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother 

 and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered 

 and said unto them that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my 

 brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, 

 Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my 

 Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister and mother." 



3—21026 



