Calumny Destroys All Good-Will and Natural Affection

These words were written by Flavius Josephus in the book The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem. Josephus tells about the death of Antigonus (the last Hashmonean king of Judea).

Antigonus was killed by a jealous brother. But the death was unwarranted. For the brother heard a lie about Antigonus, which made him angry. And this anger got the better of him, so he responded by killing Antigonus. In short, it was a terrible tragedy.

Josephus gives the reader a moral:

Calumny destroys all good-will and natural affection, and how none of our good affections are strong enough to resist envy perpetually.

I know this to be true.

Major Styles was semi-famous once. And I believed that it would bring good fortune. But instead, I found that jealousy was attacking me. All of a sudden, people that barely noticed me before were now speaking my name: they were telling lies about me, and looking to me for money. My phone was ringing with familiar strangers. They wanted favors and time commitment.

I thought jealousy was a woman’s hustle. But I found that in a professional world, the jealousy of men can often be worse.

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