The Biblical Antiquities of Philo, Chapter 60
THE BIBLICAL ANTIQUITIES OF PHILO
TRANSLATED FROM THE OLD LATIN VERSION
BY
M. R. JAMES, LITT.D., F.B.A.
CHAPTER LX.
LX. And at that time the spirit of the Lord was taken away from Saul, and an evil spirit oppressed (lit. choked) him. And Saul sent and fetched David, and he played a psalm upon his harp in the night. And this is the psalm which he sang unto Saul that the evil spirit might depart from him.
1 Sam. 16:14
2. There were darkness and silence before the world was, and the silence spake, and the darkness became visible. And then was thy name created, even at the drawing together of that which was stretched out, whereof the upper was called heaven and the lower was called earth. And it was commanded to the upper that it should rain according to its season, and to the lower that it should bring forth food for man that should be made. And after that was the tribe of your spirits made.
3. Now therefore, be not injurious, whereas thou art a second creation, but if not, then remember Hell (lit. be mindful of Tartarus) wherein thou walkedst. Or is it not enough for thee to hear that by that which resoundeth before thee I sing unto many? Or forgettest thou that out of a rebounding echo in the abyss (or chaos) thy creation was born? 1 But that new womb shall rebuke thee, whereof I am born, of whom shall be born after a time of my loins he that shall subdue you. And when David sung praises, the spirit spared
Saul.
1 Sam. 16:23
Footnotes
233:1 LX. 3. evil spirits born of an echo in chaos: de resultatione in chaomate. In the Testament of Solomon a female demon, Onoskelis, says that she was born ἀπὸ ἀκαίρου τῆσ καλουμένησ ἤχου οὐρανοῦ μολύβδου φωνὴν ἀφέντοσ ἐν ὕλῃ. Again, in a text on the Creation in the Leyden magical papyrus, of which Dieterich gives an edition in Abraxas, p. 17 seq., are several such phrases as this: God laughed seven times, and when he laughed seven gods were born . . . He laughed the second time . . . and the earth heard the echo (ἤχουσ) . . . and a god appeared: p. 19, καὶ ἐγεννήθη ἐκ τοῦ ἤχουσ μέγασ θεόσ κ.τ.λ.
That evil spirits (Mazzikin) were created on the second day (as our text states) is the view expressed in some texts of Pirke R. Eliezer 3, and in Jerahmeel I. 3: c. 18 of Pirke R. E. and later books say they were created on the eve of the first Sabbath day.
