Egyptian, the (Hastings' Dictionary)

In Ac 21» Claudius Lysias the chief captain (Chiliarch) is represented as saying to St. Paul, 'Art thou not then the Ej^ptian, wMiich before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?' This E. is mentioned by Jo.sephus in both his works. While describing the procuratorsliip of Felix, he mentions the Sicarii or Assassin.s, then in distinction to these the religious impostors, then a certain Egyptian. The latter profcf.

scd to bo a propliet, and collected together a body of 30,000 persons, whom he led to the Mount of (Jlives, assert- ing that the wall of Jerus. would fall down before him, and that liu could capture tlie city. I'VIix attacked him with a considerable force, and dis- persed his followers, slaying 400, and taking prisoner 200. Tlie Egyptian himself escaped.

668 EGYPTIAN VERSIONS EGYPTIAN VERSIONS Krenkel, followTng HoUzmann, Hausrath, Keim, mnd the author of Supernatural Religion, attempts to show that the author of the Acts is indebted to Josephus for his knowledge of this event. He is quite unsuccessful. There are no signs of literary obligation, and very definite discrepancies.

Josephus gives difl'erent numbers ; he does not definitely connect the Egyptian with the Sicarii, but rather contrasts him ; and he does not represent the wilderness as the place to which the people were led, but the Mount of Olives. It may be quite possible to explain these discrepancies so as to save the historical accuracy of both writers, but they are fatal to our regarding Josephus as the source of information.

The only rea-sonable opinion that can be held is that we have two independent and contemporary accounts of the same event, and that the resemblances arise from this fact. LiTRRATTRK. — Jos. Ant. XX. viii. 6 ; BJ n. xiii. 5 ; Schurer, EJP L iL 180 ; Kreakel, Josephua und Lucas, p. 240. A. C. Headlam.