Ptolemy the son of Lagus, or met with the writings of the
succeeding kings, or that pillar which is still standing at
Alexandria, and contains the privileges which the great
[Julius] Caesar bestowed upon the Jews; had this man, I say,
known these records, and yet hath the impudence to write in
contradiction to them, he hath shown himself to be a wicked
man; but if he knew nothing of these records, he hath shown
himself to be a man very ignorant: nay, when lie appears to
wonder how Jews could be called Alexandrians, this is
another like instance of his ignorance; for all such as are
called out to be colonies, although they be ever so far remote
from one another in their original, receive their names from
those that bring them to their new habitations. And what
occasion is there to speak of others, when those of us Jews
that dwell at Antioch are named Antiochians, because
Seleucns the founder of that city gave them the privileges
belonging thereto? After the like manner do those Jews that
inhabit Ephesus, and the other cities of Ionia, enjoy the same
name with those that were originally born there, by the grant
of the succeeding princes; nay, the kindness and humanity of
the Romans hath been so great, that it hath granted leave to
almost all others to take the same name of Romans upon
them; I mean not particular men only, but entire and large
nations themselves also; for those anciently named Iberi, and
Tyrrheni, and Sabini, are now called Romani. And if Apion
reject this way of obtaining the privilege of a citizen of
Alexandria, let him abstain from calling himself an
Alexandrian hereafter; for otherwise, how can he who was
born in the very heart of Egypt be an Alexandrian, if this way
of accepting such a privilege, of which he would have us