"He was a person of great sagacity, both for understanding all things and persuading his hearers, and not taken in his opinions; for which reason he began to have higher notions of virtue than others had, and he determined to renew and to change the opinion all men happened then to have concerning God; for he was the first that ventured to publish this notion, That there was but one God, the Creator of the universe; and that, as to other (gods), if they contributed any thing to the happiness of men, that each of them afforded it only according to his appointment, and not by their own power. This his opinion was derived from the irregular phenomena that were visible both at land and sea, as well as those that happens to the sun, and moon, and all the heavenly bodies, thus: "If (said he) these bodies had power of their own, they would certainly take care of their own, they would certainly take care of their own regular motions; but since they do not preserve such regularity, they make it plain, that in so far as they co operate to our advantage, they do it not of their own abilities, but as they subservient to Him that commands them, to whom alone we ought justly to offer our honor and thanksgiving."
Written by
Josephus about Abraham
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