Syria, hoping as he told his story to awaken the sage’s interest in his visit to Jerusalem.  The Sadducees did not believe that Jahveh had resolved to end the world and might be expected to appear in his chariot surrounded by angels blowing trumpets, bidding the dead to rise.  But the Pharisees did believe in the resurrection—­unfortunately including that of the corruptible body, which seemed to present many difficulties.  He was about to enter on an examination of these difficulties, but the philosopher moved them aside contemptuously, and Joseph understood that he could not demean himself to the point of discussing the fallacies of the Pharisees, who, Joseph said, hope to stem the just anger of God on the last day by minute observances of the Sabbath.  Mathias raised his eyes, and it was a revulsion of feeling, Joseph continued, against hypocrisy and fornication, that put me astride my mule as soon as I heard of the Essenes, the most enlightened sect of the Jews in Palestine.  That you should be among them is testimony of their enlightenment....  Mathias raised his hand, and Joseph’s face dropped into an expression of attention.  Mathias was willing to accede that much, but certain circumlocutions in his language led Joseph to suspect that Mathias was not altogether satisfied with the Essenes.  He seemed to think that they were too prone to place mere piety above philosophy:  a mistake; for our intellect being the highest gift we have received from God, it follows that we shall please him best by using it assiduously.  He spoke about the prayers before sunrise and asked Joseph if they did not seem to him somewhat trite and trivial and if he did not think that the moment would be more profitably spent by instituting a comparison between the light of the intellect and that of the sun?

Mathias turned to Joseph, and waited for him to confess his perplexities.  But it was hard to confess to Mathias that philosophy was useless if the day of judgment were at hand!  He dared not speak against philosophy and it was a long time before Mathias guessed his trouble, but as soon as it dawned on him that Joseph was in doubt as to the utility of philosophy, his face assumed so stern an expression that Joseph began to feel that Mathias looked upon him as a fool.  It may have been that Joseph’s consternation, so apparent on his face, restored Mathias into a kindly humour.  Be that as it may, Mathias pointed out, and with less contempt than Joseph expected, that the day of judgment and philosophy had nothing in common.  We should never cease to seek after wisdom, he said.  Joseph concurred.  It was not, however, pleasing to Joseph to hear prophecy spoken of as the outpourings of madmen, but—­having in mind the contemptuous glance that would fall upon him if he dared to put prophecy above philosophy—­he held his peace, venturing only to remark that no prophets were found in Judea for some hundreds of years.  Except Manahem, he added hurriedly.  But his remembrance of Manahem