(224) I will now, however, make mention of a few of our laws which belong to purifications, and the like sacred offices, since I am incidentally come to this matter of sacrifices. These sacrifices were of two sort; of those sorts one was offered for private persons, and other for the people in general; and they are done in two different ways. (225) In the one case, what is killed is burned, as a whole burnt offering, thus that name is given to it; but the other is a thank offering, and is designed for feasting those that sacrifice. I will speak of the former. (226) Suppose a private man offer a burnt offering, he must slay either a bull, a lamb, or a kid of the goats, and the two latter of the first year, though of bulls he is permitted to sacrifice those of a greater age; but all burnt offerings are to be of males. When they are killed, the priests sprinkle the blood around the altar; (227) they then cleanse the bodies, and divide them into parts, and salt them with salt, and lay them upon the altar, while the pieces of wood are piled one upon another, and the fire is burning; hey next cleanse the feet of the sacrifices, and the inner parts, in an accurate manner and so lay them next to the rest to be purged by the fire, while the priests receive the hides. This is the way of offering a burnt offering. (228) But those that offer thank offerings do indeed sacrifice the same creatures, but such as are unblemished, and above a year old; however, they may take either males or females. They also sprinkle the altar with their blood; but they lay upon the altar the kidneys and the caul, and all the fat, and the lobe of the liver, together with the rump of the lamb; (229) then, giving the breast and right shoulder to the priests, the offerers feast upon the remainder of the flesh for two days; and what remain they burn.

(230) The sacrifices for sins are offered in the same manner as is the thank offering. But those who are unable to purchase complete sacrifices, offer two pigeons, or turtle doves; the one of which is made a burnt offering to God, the other they give as food to the priests. But we shall treat more accurately the offering of these creatures in our discourse concerning sacrifices. (231) but if a person fall into sin by ignorance, he offers a ewe lamb, or a female kid of the goats, of the same age; and priests sprinkle the blood at the altar, not after the former manner, but at the corners of it. They also bring the kidneys and the rest of the fat, together with the lobe of the liver, to the altar, while the priests bear away the hides and the flesh, and spend it in the holy place, on the same day; for the law dose not permit them to leave of it until the morning. (232) But if anyone sin, and is conscious of it himself, but has nobody than can prove it upon him, he offers a ram, the law enjoining him so to do; the flesh of which the priests eat, as before, in the holy place, on the same day. And if the rulers offer sacrifices for their sins, they bring the same offerings that private men do; only they so far differ, that they are to bring for sacrifices a bull or a kid of the goats, both males. (233) Now the law requires both in private and public sacrifices, that the finest flour be also brought; for a lamb the measure of one tenth deal, for a ram two, and for a bull three. This they consecrate upon the altar, when it is mingle with oil; (234) for oil is also brought by those that sacrifice; for a bull the half of a hin, and for a ram the third part of the same measure, and one quarter of it for a lamb. This hin is an ancient Hebrew measure, and is equivalent to two Athenian choas (or congiuses). They bring the same quantity of oil which they do of wine, and they pour the wine about the altar; (235) but if anyone does not offer a complete sacrifice of animals, but brings fine flour only for a vow, he throws a handful upon the altar as its firstfuits, while the priests take the rest for their food, either boiled or mingled with oil, but made into cakes or bread. But whatever it be that a priest himself offers, it must of necessity be all burned. (236) Now the law forbids us to sacrifice any animal at the same time with its dam; and, in other cases, not until the eighth day after its birth. Other sacrifices there are also appointed for escaping distempers, or for other occasions, in which meat offerings are consumed, together with the animals that are sacrificed; of which it is not lawful to leave any part until the next day, only the priests are to take their own share. (237) The law requires, that out of the public expenses a lamb of the first year be killed every day, at the beginning and at the ending of the day; but on the seventh day, which is called the Sabbath, they kill two, and sacrifice them in the same manner. (238). At the new moon, they both perform the daily sacrifices, and slay two bulls, with seven lambs of the first year, and a kid of the goats also, for the atonement of sins; that is, if they have sinned through ignorance. (239) but on the seventh month, which the Macedonian call Hyperberetaeus, they make an addition to those already mentioned, and sacrifice a bull, a ram, and seven lambs, and a kid of the goats, for sins. (240) On the tenth day of the same lunar month, they fast until the evening; and this day they sacrifice a bull, and two rams, and seven lambs and a kid of the goats, for sins. (241) And, beside these, they bring two kids of the goats; the one ox which is sent alive out of the limits of the camp into the wilderness for the scapegoat, and to be an atonement for the sins of the whole multitude; but the other is brought into a place of great cleanness, within the limits of the camp, and is there burned, with its skin, without any sort of cleansing. (242) With this goat was burned a bull, not brought by the people, but by the high priest, as his own charges; which, when it was killed, he brought of the blood into the holy place, together with the blood of the kid of the goats, and sprinkled the ceiling with his finger seven times, (243) as also its pavement, and again as often toward the most holy place, and about the golden altar: he also at last brings it into the open court, and sprinkles it about the great altar. Besides this, they set the extremities, and the kidneys, and the fat, with the lobe of the liver, upon the altar. The high priest likewise presents a ram to God as a burnt offering.

(244) Upon the fifteenth day of the same month, when the season of the year is changing for winter, the law enjoins us to erect tabernacles in every one of our houses, as if to preserve ourselves from the cold of that time of the year; (245) as also to commemorate when we arrived at our own country, and come to that city which we could have then for our metropolis, because of the temple therein to be built, and keep a festival for eight days, and offer burnt offerings, and sacrifice thank offerings, that we should then carry in our hands a branch of myrtle, and willow, and bough of the palm tree, with the addition of the pome citron: (246) That the burnt offering on the first of those days was to be a sacrifice of thirteen bulls, and fourteen lambs, and fifteen rams, with the addition of a kid of the goats, as an atonement for sins; and on the following days the same number of lambs, and of rams, with the kids of the goats; but reducing by one the number of bulls every day until only seven were left. (247) On the eighth day all work was laid aside, and then, as we said before, they sacrificed to god a bullock, a ram, and seven lambs, with a kid of the goats, for an atonement of sins, And this is the accustomed ritual of the Hebrew, when they pitch their tabernacles. (248) In the month of Xanthicus, which is by us called Nisan, and is the beginning of our year, on the fourteenth day of the lunar month, when the sun is in Areis (for in this month it was that we were delivered from bondage under the Egyptians), the law ordained that we should every year slay that sacrifice which I before told you we killed when we came out of Egypt, and which was called the Passover; and so we do celebrate this passover in companies, leaving nothing of what we sacrifice until the day following. (249) The Feast of Unleavened Bread succeeds that of the Passover, and falls on he fifteenth day of the month, and continues seven days, wherein they feed on unleavened bread; on every one of which days two bulls are killed, and one ram, and seven lambs. Now these lambs are entirely burned, besides the kid of the goats which is added to all the rest, for sins; for it is intended as a feast for the priest on every one of those days. (250) But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first eat of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them. And while they suppose it proper to honor God, from whom they obtain this plentiful provision, in the first place, they offer the firstfruits of their barley, and that in the manner following: (251) They take a handful of the ears, and dry them, then beat them small and separate the barley from the bran; they then bring one tenth deal to the altar, to God; and casting one handful of it upon the fire, they leave the rest for the use of the priest. And after this it is that they may publicly or privately reap their harvest. They also at this participation of the firstfruits of the earth, sacrifice a lamb, as a burnt offering to God. (252) When a week of weeks has passed over after this sacrifice (which weeks contain forty and nine days), on the fiftieth day, which is Pentecost, but is called by the Hebrews Asartha, which signifies Pentecost, they bring to God a loaf, made of wheat flour, of two tenth deals, with leaven; and for sacrifices they bring two lambs; and when they have only presented them to God, they are made ready for supper for the priests; nor is it permitted to leave any thing of them until the day following. They also slay three bullocks for a burnt offering, and two rams; and fourteen lambs, with two kids of the goats, for sins; (254) nor is there a festivals for which there is not a burnt offering; they also allow themselves to rest on each one of them. Accordingly, the law prescribes in them what they are to sacrifice, and how they are to rest entirely, and must slay sacrifices, in order to feast upon them. (255) However, out of the common charges, baked bread [was set on the table of showbread], without leaven, of twenty-four tenth deal of flour, for so much is spent upon this bread; two heaps of these were baked, they were baked the day before the Sabbath, but were brought into the holy place on the morning of the Sabbath, and set upon the holy table, six on a heap, one loaf still standing near to another; (256) where two golden cups full of frankincense were also set upon them, and there they remained until another Sabbath, and then other loaves were brought in to replace them, while the loaves were given to the priests for their food, and the frankincense was burned in that sacred fire wherein all their offerings were burned also; and so other frankincense was set upon the loaves instead of what was there before. (257) The [high priest] also, at his own expense, offered a sacrifice, and that twice every day. I was made of flour mingled with oil, and gently baked by the fire; the quantity was one tenth deal of flour; he brought the half of it to the fire in the morning, and the other half at night. The account of these sacrifices I shall give more accurately hereafter; but I think I have presented what for the present may be enough concerning them.