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Constance Howell

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A *I2G3A!41 of 6esus 0hrist naturally suggests as its se'uel a narrative of the after$life of his apostles"and a history of the 6ews forms an appropriate companionwork to bothE thus the present volumeis a supplement to those that have appeared before" and completesthe series which I ha.vewritten for young ;reethinkers. The three subj acts coverthe whole ground taken by the 2ld and &ew Testa ments" and my three little books are an attempt to substi tute for the *iblical account of 6udaism and 0hristianity an account which shall be less antagonistic to common sense" and so more probable. In dealing with the *ible" destructionis of the first im portanceE but there was no need for me to attempt that which had already been done to perfection by the leaders of the ;reethought party. #y work is more constructive than destructive( I have been less concerned to point out what must certainly be false" than what might possiblybe true. ell aware that I could say nothing that would be new to the minds of matured +ecularists"I yet thought that such a series would be useful" and might be welcome"to the young people in their teens and twenties" and it is for them that I have written it" hoping also to number among my readers those more advancedin years who have only newlyentered into the paths of scepticism. The term =young ;reethinkers= includes both. To those parents whose children have not yet begun the *ible" I submit that these books serve as an introductionto" and a whole somepreparation for it" and that they should therefore be read firstE it is wise to allow the truer side of a story to make the earlier impression.

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+trangely enough" the most prominent character in the whole of 6ewish history is an imaginary one$the god 6ehovah. Throughout the 6ews: career as a nation" their belief in him has ruled them" has influenced the national 'ualities and determined most of the national eventsE his history and their history are inextricably united. This phantom of the 6ewish imaginationis difficultto describe. Taking shape in various ages" shaped by differingminds" his characteristicsare inconsistent"and even incompatible. *eing an inventionof the human brain" he has" of course" improved as humanity improved"and many things which were pleasing to him long ago are offensiveto him nowE he has altered 80 much for the better that" could he look back upon his former self" it would be with wonderment" as one who looks back upon the actions of his infancy. The Gentilesare engaged in adding the finishing touches to 6ehovah:s character. The god of the 5nglish people is a 6ewish godE he has a 6ewish nameE yet already he has ac'uired someof the nobler 'ualities of modem" civilised" educated5nglishmen. It is a pity that his past cannot be forgottenE there are many parts of the 2ld Testament which must be a trial to the better$natured amongthose who undertake to interpret for us now his feelings and his willE when one remembersthat their All$;ather is the brutal 6ehovah whosebiographyis related there with such cruel candor" the incongruity strikes one as immense. They are trying to make a sublimeending to a despicable beginningE for" as a proof that the divine character was not ready$madebut has been the result of slowevolution" the early conceptionsof him remain" and thus there is a record against him of injustice while credit is given him for justice" a record of blood$guiltinesswhilehe is credited with pitifulness. &ever was there such a contradictory" such an impossiblecharacter as that of the onceAsiatic" now 5uropean 6ehovah. The eastern fables in whichhe madehis first appearance passed into western countries. It has been acutely said that a falsehood when recent is called a lie" and when ancient is called a legendE these legends"then$to use the politer term" which yet has the same significationas the other$are even to$day taught to 0hristian children" as soon as they are able to learn anything" serving as a bewil derment to them in later life" and a hindranceto their ao$

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ceptance of the truth. Thus we have the spectacle of educatedpeople reading with grave faces to their sons and daughters the most outrageousstories from the *ible" as not onlytrue but sacredlytrue" deserving not onlyof belief but of reverence. The *ible is sometimessaid to be the oldest literature in the world( this" if correct"would be no advantageE the more anti'uated a book is" the more likely it is to be mis taken" for the world tends to grow wiser as it grows older. ritten by men" copiedby men" printed by men" translated by men" expounded by men" the *ible is emphatically man:s workE and a very sorry piece of work it is. It has never been treated as other books have. It was written in unscientific timesE it was first printed when books were very scarce" and therefore extraordinarily valuedE it is introduced to children" not indeed too soon for them to detect its oddities" but at an age too early for them to pro test against itE the grown$up people it is offered to are chieflysavages" and it is offeredto them backed up by the strongest recommendationfrom men far before themselves in the ranks of civilisation. The savage sees the superi ority of the white man" and the white man assures him it is all owing to a bookE thus advertised and puffed" the *ible is accepted. *ut it makes no way among more en lightened heathenE the 0hinese" 4indoos" and 6apanese %eject itE and of the millionsof men and womenin 5urope" America" and elsewhere"who nowbelieveit" if it had been first put into their hands on their attaining years of discre tion" there is perhaps not one whowouldnot" after reading" have tossed it aside with a contemptuouslaugh. Its fame was made before it had any criticsE it is only within late years that Theists and Atheists" in revolt against the mon strous 6ehovah" have =cut up= his so$called word. Its ancient untruths deserveno veneration on accountof their age" nor any gentle treatment" and in view of the harm they have done and still do" the world at large is indebted to those ;reethinkers who make it the business of their lives to exposeand discreditthem. This is an age of criticism"and even the Almighty has not been able to escape being submitted to that process. Is that a just cause for complaintF +hall not man do what he will with his ownF #an is the creator of God$G truly his creator" for he made him out of nothingE man

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has loved God" served him" had patience with him" spent money on him" fought for him" died for him. It was as if slaveswere to fight and die for their chains. &ow his maker has becomehis judgeE man is dissatisfiedwith God" is beginning to laugh at him" is growing ashamed of him. 6ehovah will never reign over the earthE such dominionas he has had is already passing away again. The phantom has a human partner" 6ewish like itself" of the name of 6esus 0hrist" and the partner has become a rival. 2pposedto the original religionof 6ehovah" stands the religion called 0hristianity. There are many 0hris tianities to disprove. 2f the two great divisions which militant ;reethinkers are attacking" !rotestantism will die the easierdeath( !rotestants concentratetheir piety mostly into one dayE when that day is made as other days to them" there will be little left of it. The faith of many is not based upon reason" and cannot be overthrown by reason ingE they are so accustomedto their religion" that they have lost the power of seeing its falsenessor its absurdi tiesE it is not a matter of the intellect with them" it is a matter of habit and of liking to do as their neighborsdoE the opening of museums" picture$galleries" and theatres on +unday will secularise these more 'uickly than any argument. 3oman 0atholicismwill be harder to destroyE it concerns itself more with every day in the week" and interferes at all hours. hen both these 0hristianities are swept away" nothing worth our having will be lost. 0athedrals will not resound with prayer and praise and preachingE but in them will be spoken better" because truer" wordsE Atheists have manybeautiful beliefs"which will fitlybe expoundedin the grandest buildings. 2ratorios will not be performedE but the music of them will remain" and can be wedded to noble language. 3eligious paint ings will be valueless" and no more seenE but their sub jects consistchieflyof a mother and infant" of a man riding on a donkey escorted by a crowd"of thirteen men sitting at a supper$fable" of three men being crucified" of a corpHebeing carried to its tombE there is only one theme among these worth retainingE mothers and infants could still" and would still" be painted$would it matter that the woman was no longer called #ary" and the baby 6esusF The6ewish religion"and its offshoothe 0hristianreligion" have not a monopolyof error. There are Theists who"

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feeling that there ought to be a God" found their belief upon their preference. +o many things go wrong" he leaves @9 many things undone" that the more thoughtful are obliged to give up the idea of a !rovidence" or of a hearer of prayer" or of a demander of praise" and their god be comes less necessary to them as he becomes less useful and less exactingE he is the great Inactivity" and they hold that he is not bIanieworthy for anything" because he takes no part in anything. *y degrees" he dwindles into such vagueness" and retreats so far into the recesses of their minds" that when he finally departs they do not miss him. 6ehovah has many other rivals" the world overE and between him and them goes on a continual struggle for existence. 4e con'uered the 3oman and Greek divinities" and has con'uered some in modem times" such as the divinities of the +andwich Islands. *elief in deities ceases gradually" so that one god is a necessary forerunner of none. 6ehovah:s followers expect him to survive all" as the most fitE but the great error of the god$idea cannot abide always in the brain of a learning humanityE 6apan and India are not needing the transition stageE parting with their own superstitions" they are choosing pure Atheism. God has been a curse to man. *ut the world shall yet be blessed by the death of the divine. 0an God dieF 1es" as fear dies in the heart of the brave" as ignorance dies in the mind of the wise" as darkness dies in radiant sunshine. 4appy will be the day when from all the countries in the world" and from the lips of ll mankind" goes forth the =glad tidings of great joy= that God is deadI

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6ews have always been the victims of their religion. The history of every nation is obscure and unreliable at its outset" and the history of the 6ewish nation is particu larly so.. because it is concernedso largely with the super natural. e have in it not only narratives of wonderful earthly events" pushing credulity to an extreme"but narra tives of more wonderfuldivine events: hichpass the bounds of all unprejudiced belief. The oldest legendary accounts which survive are to be found in a book called the *ible" and they show that the 6ews were before all things a. religious people. Their god" though he had many aliases" is generallyknown by the name of 6ehovah. +omenations worship animalsE the 6ews imagined their deity in the form of a manE but their crude fancy re'uired that his 'ualities and even his si%eshould be exaggerated"and they paid him the complimentof thinking him #ost 4igh in two sensesof the word. Their earliest ancestor of importance was Abraham. 6osephus" a 6ewish historian" informsus that he was the first who ventured to assert that there was but one god" for which doctrine the people of #esopotamiaraised an outcry against him" and he thought it best to leave that country" and went to live in 0anaan" which is now called 6udea. To Abraham" therefore"may be given the dubious honor of having invented 6ehovah. The 6ews pride them selves to this day on being descended from Abraham" and they take their original title of 4ebrews from a word which signifies passenger" in memoryof his journeyE butJ whether that individual ever really lived is open to great doubt. The record of his life abundantly shows that we are in the region of fable. Accordingto the *ible pamph$
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let called Genesis"his removalwas followed by a bargain between him and his god that his descendants were to possess0anaan for ever" were to becomenumerousand as uncountableas the dust of the earth" and on their part were never to forsake the worship of 6ehovahE his legiti mate son" Isaac" was born when Abraham was a hundred years old" and +arah was ninetyE and one of his ac'uain tances was a personage called #elchi%edek"afterwards describedby the Apostle!aul$his imaginationat a gallop $as =without father" without mother" without genealogy" having neither beginning of days nor end of life =$in which paragraph" !aul seems to have anticipated the schoolboy:ssatirical adviceto =tell a good big one" while you are about it.= 2f Abraham" in short"much is believed but nothing is known. ;ollowingthe courseof this anti'ue story" we will have regard only to what is important and what is possible" bearing in mind that even such parts as are possible may not be actuallytrue. The children of Abraham did not remain in 0anaanE his grandson Israel moved into 5gypt with a large family" and somegenerationsof polygamous marriages developedthem into a completetribe" who took the name of Israelites. The Israelites were hardly treated by the 5gyptians" but eventuallythey left the country"and went forth to seek their fortune" under theIeadership of a man named #oses. The story of their wanderings is told in the pamphlet called 5xodus. It is overlaid with details that cannot be true" yet it sketches for us the character of the tribe" and discloses unawares the means by which #oses ac'uired such a hold over them. They were grosslyignorantE and they were grossly religious. The cleverer among them naturally undertook to interpret the divine will to the others" and thus had the most distinguished positions" enjoying not onlya fictitiousheavenlyinfluence"but a very real worldlypower. Israelites themselves"#osesand his brother Aaron understood those with whom they had to deal. Their authority couldnot rest upon securer founda tions than superstition and pride of raceE accordingly" they supported it on a prophecyof 6ehovah:s that #oses should raise the tribe politically"while Aaron should be chief priest. !ower thus obtainedneeded to be constantly confirmedE and we find grouped around the names of both
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men anecdotesof miracleswhosepurport was to showthat their god approved and helped them. In the ablest of their tricks" #osesand Aaron were far inferior to the (first rate conjurors of the present day. It was an easy matter to rule the Israelites" and yet it was a dangerous matter too" for the same ignorancewhich made them so ready to be awed kept them very helpless" and when things went wrong they turned desperately on their leader to kill him. 6ehovah was" at those times" #oses:sbest friend( that is to say" #oseswouldpacifythe people by representing their trouble as a sign of his anger" and by promising to intercedewith himE then he retired. in safety" considered the matter" and returned to give his orders in God:s name. In the courseof their wandering" the Israelites fought often" and the account of a battle of theirs with the Amalekitesindicatesthe lines on whichtheir leader worked. #oseswas sole ruler then" Aaron had not been taken into partnershipE the priesthood was not yet invented" and it. was #oseswho" after exhorting the warriors" blessedthem and undertook to prevail with 6ehovah to grant success. +eated on an eminencethat overlookedthe tight" and out. of reach of danger"he watchedits varying fortunes( when the Israelites = eregetting the better" he extended his arms supplicatinglytoward the skyE when they were being worsted" he let his arms fall. The bystanders" misplacing cause and effectas he had known they would do" entreated him to keep them stretched out ll the time" but he pleaded (fatigueE until" seeing that the victory was to be theirs" he called upon his brother and his brother$in$lawto support his arms on each side" and remained in that position till the combat cameto an end. 2nthe next day" #oses:praised the fighters" rewarded them with the spoils"feasted them" built an altar which he named The 7ord the 0on'ueror" burned sacrificesof thanksgiving on it" and thus gave the chief credit to 6ehovah" and through 6ehovah to himself. #oseswas a cleverman. In our own day" the 0hristian clergy have not been able to improve upon his tactics.. They commitour armies to the same 6ehovahE they remain in a place of safety and prayE and when the troops return victorious"they give the thanks to God and so take the credit to themselves. <naves cheat and fools are cheated" now as in the olden time.

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e next find #osesand his tribe encampedat the foot of a mountain" called +inai" where many important events were about to happen. 4is father$in$law"3aguel" hearing in what a prosperousconditionhis affairs were"came to see him" and the occasionwas made one of general rejoicing. *ut the visit was a visit of business as well$ as pleasure. 3aguel took #oses aside" and counselled him to devote himself to the cultivation of 6ehovah:s favor" while he shared his secularauthoritywith other leading men. #oses thanked 3aguel for his advice"and followedit" improving on it. 4e had already a plan in his mind" and had chosen the spot purposelyand well. A high mountain" with its effectsof atmosphereand of cloud$grouping"is a majestic sight" attractive to the lover of nature but alarming to the superstitious. Already it was rumored among the Israelites that God lived on the top of +inaiE and #oses" gathering them together" told them that he was going up to conversewith him" to receive an oraclefrom him" and to bring it back. 4e took leave of them and ascended aloneE none dared to follow him" because" the mountain being terrible to them" they sup posed it also inaccessible. They removed their tents as #oseshad bidden them" pitched them nearer" and waited (fortwo days. 2n the third day" at dawn"there wereclouds. wind" and rain" then lightning and thunderE the thunder must be God:s voice"it sounded angry" and they began to (feel afraid that he had killed their daring chief" and that they might expect to be killed too. &othing could have been better for the adventurer:s purpose than the state of apprehension they were in. The storm passed away" the air cleared" and #oses appeared" dignified and smiling. The people came flocking out of their tents to greet him" and he stood upon a rising ground" and made them some such speech as this ($= God has received me gra ciously" 9 4ebrews" and has suggested a happy method of living for you" and an order of political government"and is now present in the camp. It is not to be supposedthat the author of these new institutions is barely #osesE it is the 7ord himself who conveys them to you by me as his interpreter. And let them be to you venerable" and con tended for more earnestly by you than your own children and your own wivesE for if you will followthem" you will enjoy the land fruitful and the sea calm" and you will also

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be terrible to your enemies. I have been admitted into God:s presence" and been made a hearer of his voice. Great is his concern for you.= This is a summary of #oses:sspeechaccordingto 6osephusE and it was a crafty one" appealing to religious awe" to tribal pride" and to desire for an easy life. The inconse'uenceof its promises did not strike either the speaker or the hearersE for them" (it was easy to believethat the sea would be calm because certain political laws were kept. The next incident was theatrical and meant to be sublime" but a sort of hurried stage$asideintervened amusingly" and would have spoiled the scenefor lessunsophisticatedlookers$on. #osespointed to the upper part of the mountain" where" as a proof that 6ehovah was really present" there rose a cloud of smoke. The *ible insists that the smokewas very thick" and so no doubt it was" for damp wood smokesa good deal when set on fire" and Aaron was busy piling it on. *ut the ill used Israelites never guessed the trick. 5xcited and en raptured" after their late fears" at finding their god so near to them and so favorable"they were rushing forward"when #oseshastily stayedthem" sayingthat 6ehovah calledhim E and we need not be surprised that he presently returned" bringing the message that the people must not l/ break through to come up unto the 7ord" lest he break forth upon them.= #oses then recited to the tribe some commandments. The fourth was the most important" because the most. practicalE it set apart +aturday for the especial serviceof 6ehovah. +aturday was supposedin 5gypt to be presided over by the planet +aturn( it was an unlucky day" no marriages took place on it" no journeys or other risky undertakings were begun on itE it was observed by the 5gyptians as a day of rest. The Israelites had lately left 5gypt" and #oses was learned in 5gyptian wisdomand also in that which passed for wisdom in that country. Astronomyis a science"astrologyis only a superstition"but the ancientsbelievedin it" and #oseswas ac'uaintedwith it. ishing to keep an ascendancyover his fellows"he saw it to be advisable that stated periods should be set apart for cultivating the good graces of 6ehovah" whose mood and will were always exactlywhat #oseschosethat
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they should beE and he sensiblyfixed upon the same day that the Israelites were accustomedto see reserved from eecular business" the only differencebeing that +aturn was ignored in the matter" and that +aturday was proclaimed =a day of rest unto the 7ord.= The imposing of the +abbath upon the Israelites was an important achievement for #osesE for" as 6osephus remarks" =when oncehe had brought them to submit to religion" he easily persuaded them to submit in all other things.= hen the command ments had been recited" there was another display high up the mountain$strange noises" a trumpet$blowing"fire" and more smokeE this time" the mood of the spectators had changed" they movedand stood farther off. = +peak thou with us" and we will hear"= said they" obedientthrough their fearsE =but let not God speak with us" lest we die.= #oses readily promised to interpret for them" and again went into the thick darkness of the smoke. Then" as he knew the excitementwas growing intenser" he came back with an invitation for the eldersof the tribe to ascend +inai" and to worship at a certain distanceE only he might draw near" and the rest of the people must not approach at all. /p went the old men" and the only thing recordedof them in that strange situation is that they ate and drank. hen they came down again" they brought the news that they had seen the God of Israel" standing on a pavement of sapphire stoneI They must have been made very tipsy. 4is (first +inaitic venture having proved so successful" #oses shortly made another expedition up the mountain. 4e was absent longer than before" for he had a good deal of mental work to do" and somemanual work as well. It was given out that he fasted all the while" but doubtless Aaron carried up supplies in the night" when he went to confer with his brother impostor. &o interruption was to be dreaded" no in'uisitive lad could discovertheir hiding place and their occupations"for a boundary had been marked round the base of +inai" and any living thing that went beyond was ordered to be put to death. It was be coming clear to the brothers that the way to secure their own power was to take upon themselves the custody of 6ehovah. A god who had no settled habitation was not convenientfor them. 4itherto it had been believed that &'ehovah:s home was in the sky" yet not so far off but that he could easily visit the earth" and it was indeed rumored

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that he had paid several visits" more or less eccentric"to the forefathers of the tribeE lately" the neighborhood of the mountain had caused it to be asserted that he dwelt thereE the popular notionson the subject were changeable" and might be still further changed. It was time to estab lish the priesthood. ;ear began to sei%eupon the 4ebrews" as the weekswent by and #osesdid not returnE someLthe most secular$mindedDsaid that he had fallen a prey to wild beasts" others that he had ascended alive into the skies" and most were melancholy"lest they should never look upon his face again. *ut one day" he appeared" un expectedly and radiant. 4e had a grand idea to com municateE it was that they should make a dwelling for their god" and carry him about with themE then there would be no longer any need for going up #ount +inai" but 6ehovah would live among them and make them alwaysprosperous. To raise the enthusiasmto its utmost" he showed two slabs of stone" on each of which was en graved half of the commandmentsEand the writing" he said" was the writing of GodI e see now what it was that had kept #osesbusy so long upon the mountain. *ut the poor Israelites believedit all. They had beforethem the handwriting of 6ehovahE #oses had seen him grave the wordsupon the stonesE did not #osessay soF hat better proof could they haveF They set to work at once" under his directions. They made a movable place of worship"called a taber nacle. The outer part containedan altar" with the utensils for sacrifice"such as basins" kettles" ashpans" and shovelsE the inner part was the 4oly of 4olies" and nobody might enter it" except #oses and AaronE here was placed a. woodenbox" or ark" on the coverof which 6ehovah was to sit and communewith #osesI At each end of this cover" called the mercy$seat" was the image of a cherubim$a. creature with six wings" which that falsehood$teller declared that he had seen near the throne of God upon the mountainE he was not particular about obeying his own laws"for his secondcommandmenftorbids the making of =any likenessof anything that is in heaven above" or that is in the earth beneath.= 5very detail of the whole work was accordingto the special pleasure of 6ehovah" in theory$of #oses"in fact. 4e even inventedthe shape of a.new trumpet" to be used whenever the tent$tabernacle

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was struck in readiness for the tribe to march onward. The peculiarities of religion persist through many ages" and 0hristianity has given as much importance to the trivial as did primitive 6udaismE the 0hurches of 5astem and estern 5urope had a feud concerning the jrecise shape of a cross"and the 5nglish 0hurch is distracte about candlesand the clergymen:sclothing. 5verything wasmade as handsome and elaborate as the6sraelites: means would admit of. !eculiar garments were$orderedfor the priests" and the high$priest was" of course" to be more decked out than the others. hen all was ready" #oses gave out that God had appeared to him and had chosenAaron for the high$priesthood" the post to be hereditaryE to him and to his sons was to be given over the charge of the taber nacle" both when .stationary and when they journeyed. The ceremonyof consecratingthe tabernacle and the priests lasted several daysE being silly and gory" it was exactly suited to an untaught and a barbarous people. A bullock was killed" and #osessmeared the altar with his hands dipped in bloodE then a ram was killed" and with his dripping finger he touched the right ear" thumb of the right hand" and great toe of the right foot of his brother and his nephews" afterwards sprinkling more blood upon their garments. 5ach time" #osesperformed the butchery" and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the victim. 4e also poured oil upon their hairE and their new clothes" being 'uite stained and spoiled"were declared by him to be hallowed. There were other ceremonies. besides. *read and cake were placed in the priests: hands" and they waved them in the airE the breast of the ram was waved in like manner" and the shoulder was =heaved up"= and these were called wave$offerings and heave offerings to 6ehovahE Aaron and his sons ate the ram:s flesh publicly" #oses having cooked it inside the taber nacleE incense was burnt" lamps were lighted" the altar" ark" and all the furniture were oiled" and the people were informed that the ointment used was holy" and that they must not on pain of death make any like it for themselves. #oseswas now free to make laws" t'y cases" and gener ally direct affairs. 4e had made an improvement on (3aguel:s plan" for those who were admitted to share the chief authority with him were not strangers but hi% own

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near relations" chosen by and devoted to himself. The power was kept in the family. *ut #oses and Aaron were not the only clever men among the Israelites. <orah was shrewd enough to see through the schemewhich they had been shrewd enough to concoct. 4e laid it bare to the tribe" and called on the tribesmen to resist the tyranny of rulers who were not superior in age or rioh's"and whowere not even descended from 3euben" the elNiest*on of their forefather Israel. ith tumultuous cries" many responded" and #osessaw that the momentwas critical. Israel had had twelve sons" and he desired the head of each of these families to bring to him a rod marked with the name o6. the *onwho had been its ancestorE they did so" and Aaron:s rod was marked with the name of 7eviE the rods were all laid in the tabernacle. Aaron:s rod was cut from an almond tree" and in the night he replaced it by a live branch with buds and ripe almonds on it" taking care to mark this also 7evi. &ext day" #oses brought out the rods" and showed the miraculous change in Aaron:s. It was to the Israelites a sure proof that 6ehovah would have him and none other for his high$priest. 2pposition to Aaron was at an end" but #oses had yet to make his own rule secure. The Israelites were apt to rebel against the laws that he made from time to time laws which were minute and worrying" which enslaved them" and which tended to prevent any individuality of action or even of character. They liked to copythe customs of other tribes whichthey encounteredin their journeyings" to consort with them" marry their maidens" and sacrificeto their godsE they were not then the exclusivenation they afterwards became. Their inclination to desert 6ehovah was a most serious matter for #oses. It was with him the unpardonable sin. It meant the setting aside of all his legislation" and that again meant the deposing of himself. Oimri was the next rebel" and Oimri:s speech of defence" when #oses accused him" has in it an inspiriting yet pathetic sound. It was the last cry for liberty from a people about to surrender themselves. It is given in the pages of 6osephus" and$abridged$it runs thus( =The 4ebrews are not easilyput upon. Thou shalt not have me one of thy followers"for thou dost nothing but" under pre tence of God" gain dominionto thyself" whilethou deprivest
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us of the sweetnessof life" which consistsin acting accord ing to our own wills. Thou thyself better deservest pun ishment" who aimest to make thy single opinion to have more force than that of all the rest. I have married" as thou sayest" a strange womanE I also sacrificed to those gods towhom you do not think it fit to sacrificeE and I hold it right to comeat truth by in'uiring of many people" nor shall anyone find cause to rejoice who declares himself to have more authority over my actions than myself.= #oses avoided reply" he dismissed the assembly" but that night the brave Oimri was killed in his tent. The tribe by$and$bye arrived within sight of the beauti ful country of 0anaan. Tired of wandering" they coveted it as a place to settle in. It could only become theirs by con'uest" for it was already occupied" and the undertaking was one to which #oses$now in his later days$was not e'ualE but he prepared for it by spreading a belief that the land had been anciently given by 6ehovah to Abraham" and promised to Abraham:s descendants. It was no part of #oses:s idea to die in an ordinary wayH God must preside at his death" and therefore it must be mysterious. 4e ascendeda mountain" accompaniedby all the Israelite chiefs" said farewell to them" embraced the high$priest" and taking advantage of one of those passing clouds which are so commonamong hills" he walked away unseen. It was said that 6ehovah himself buried him. 4ow soon his death followed on his disappearance is not known" and the place of his burial is also unknownE but no doubt the high$priest knew all about the matter. Aaron was already dead. e have seen now how two ambitious men subjugated a whole tribe$by made$up prophecies" by contrived miracles" by pretence of interviews with a god" by murder. hen they died" Aaron:s eldest son took his place" and #oses was succeeded by a warrior named 6oshua" whose instructor he had been in the artificeof governing. There was no risk of any more rebellion. The laws of a #oses might have been resisted" but the laws of God through #oseswere sure to lastE the 'uestion with these religious Israelites was never whether what was ordered was just and right" but whether or no it had been dictated by 6ehovah. ,ominated by their belief in a phantom" and ruled by the proprietors of that phantom" they lost for

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themselves and their descendants every chance of being free. It had been agreed between #oses and 6oshua that immediatelyupon the former:s death" the latter should lead the Israelites against 0anaan. This was wise" for it left no opportunityfor a rival to start up" and 6oshua could not please the people better than by giving them con'uestand possession. 2n the eve of the attack" they were encampedon the other side of 6ordan. It was an exciting momentfor the tribe( their travels were endedE now" for the first time" they were to becomea nation inde pendent and settledE before them lay the landE 6oshua was a great general" and he had promised that the next day the 7ord would do wondersamong them. It was not only love of warfare or of after$ease that animated this ruthless raceE stronger than either worldly motive was the religiousfury that urged them to the struggle. The land was to them the !romised 7andE when they were establishedin it" it would be the 4oly 7and. The morrowcame" and word was given for the striking of the camp. The priests moved forward in advance" bearing the ark upon their shoulders" the army and the people followedwith barbaric songs in praise of 6ehovah" and thus" about to committhe worst of crimesand sure of the approval of their god" the Israelites approached the bank of the river. . The war that followedon their crossing6ordan has been called ever since a sacred war" but it is the 0anaanites: part in it" not the Israelites:" to which the word applies. The:only sacredwar possible is one in defence of liberty and home. !assing over the scenesof massacre in which the *ible revels" we read that 6oshua was successful"that he divided the con'uered territory among the various families of the tribesmen"that he set up the tabernacle at +hiloh"and that he ruled until his death. 4is last address to the Israelites was one long plea for 6ehovah. *egin ning in the god:s own name" he reminded them of every prosperousevent that had befallen them" his speech cul minating in( =.ITId I have given you a land for whichye did not labour" and cities which ye built not" and ye dwell in them ) of the vineyardsand oliveyardswhichye planted not do ye eat.= =0hoose you"= cried 6oshua" speaking now in his own person" =choose you this day whom ye
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will serve. As for me and my house" we will serve the 7ord.= The impressionahle audience declared that they would do the same" but still he could not feel satisfiedE they had been polytheists in 5gypt" and he was leaving them among polytheistic neighbors. "If ye forsake the 7ord" and serve strange gods" then he will turn and do you hurt" and consume you.= And the people said to 6oshua( =&ayE but we will serve the 7ord.= The impossiblenarration of the *ible being translated thus far into common$senselanguage" we begin to emerge into a clearer light" to come out of story into history" although it is onlyveryancient history. The first tradition that ushers in the 6ews to take their place as a nation among other nations is the tradition that assigns to them the con'uestof !alestine. It is probably true. That the 6ews lived long in that country is certainly a factE that they becamepossessedof it by force is an event that has its counterpart" unfortunately" in the histories of several other peoples. e may take it for granted then" that at someremote period" a tribe" called Israelites after a dead leader" came from an easterly direction" and attacked" ravaged" and appropriated the land of !alestine$a savage and deluded race" led on by a priesthood less deluded: and more savage. 4ow ancient the tribe was" where it origi nally came from" and how long it had been nomadic"are unanswerable 'uestions. It had thirteen sub$divisions" mostlybearing the namesof" and professingto be descended from"the supposedsons of the mythical chief" Israel. The invaders were distinctlypiousE they had no idols" but they brought with them an ark in which their god lived" and whichcontainedbesidessomereligiousrelics$such as stones coveredwith rules for their behavior" said to be graven by the finger of the deity. Their policywas one of exter mination" but they were not able to carry it out" and at last they contented themselveswith enslaving someof the inhabitants" exacting tribute from others" and dwelling more or less warlikely among the rest. ;or somehundreds of years" the history of the 4ebrew nation went on with sameness. Their land was divided into twelveportions"onefor eachtribe exceptingthe 7evites" + hose duty was to attend to the priesthoodE and they cultivated it" with interludes of fighting their enemies or each other. 2n the whole" their inclinationwas for peace

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$to intermarry with their foreign neighbors" to adopt foreign customs"to pay respect to foreign gods. They did

not reject their own peculiar 6ehovah" but they were very apt to ignore him. #onotheismwas not acceptableorigi nally to the 6ewish mindE it was onlyuseful to the 6ewish rulersE and the early history of the 6ews in respect to religion was a perpetual struggle between the desire of the former and the re'uirementsof the latter. 4ow the national character would have developed itself" had they been left to liberty of action" must ever remain uncertain" but that it would have been very different from what it actually became doesnot admit of doubt. The resolve of their governors"from the first" was to make them unso ciable and to keep them separate. ;or this purpose" the curious customof circumcisionwas originated$apparently" from the *ible account"6oshua:s invention"though he gave it the sanction of age by referring it back to the time of the legendary Abraham. ;or four or five hundred years after the Israelites took up their abodeon the soil of !ales tine" they were governed by a successionof judges" not hereditary and not elected"but men who severallyraised themselvesto the positionby fighting exploits" and by the use they made of 6ehovah:s name. The instancesof this are monotonous. hen the Israelites were subdued by the #esopotamiansand made to pay tribute" 2thniel arose" destroyedthe #esopotamiangarrison" and was afterwards made judgeE when they were treated in the .eame way by the #oabites"5hud arose" assassinatedthe #oabitishking" and was made judgeE when the 0anaanitesovercamethem and re'uired tribute" *arak arose" defeatedthe 0anaanitish general"and wasmadejudgeE whenthe #idianitesharassed them" Gideonarose" attacked the #idianitishcampat night" routed the surprised army" and was made judge. All these judges were on 6ehovah:s sideE it was their interest to be so. Their devices were always prompted by him" according to their own declarationE it was he who went with them" helping them to the victoryE the adversity that had befallen the nation was always because they had fraternised too much with other nations" had been too deferential to other gods" and had made 6ehovah angryE now that they were oncemore in prosperity" let them keep closerto him" let them not be indolent" let them up and shed the blood of idolators"and all would be well. There$

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with the worshipof 6ehovah went on with renewed Impetus" warfare was plentiful" the Israelites grew rich with spoil and prey" and the priests flourished. After the death of each judge" there was an interval during which the land had rest from fighting" and the Israelites returned to their former indulgences. It is necessaryto see what those laws were which sat so irksomely upon the 6ews all through their national life. They date" in the 6ewish belief"from the era of #osesE but a morelikelytheory is that someare less ancientthan others" and that they were added to from time to time by priestly rulers. #osesmay have been a mythE the anecdotescon nected with his namemay have referred originallyto several Ieaders" or have been the invention of an after dateE but whether he ever lived or no" it is not probable that so elaborate a legislation was the work of one man. The priests had possessionof the book of the lawE the people could only hear it read aloudE it was easy to add new regulations" and to: say nothing about their being newE the listeners of each generation had no security that they were listening only to what had been heard by their fore fathers. In this way" more especially"must have grown the ritual" which in its magnificenceand minuteness could not have been carried out by a wandering tribe in the wilderness. The 6ewish law was political" social"religious" and cere monialE it dealt with important matters and with triviali tiesE and it formedaltogether a completesystemfor making the 6ewish nation distinct fromother nations. The political rules were the fewest" the ceremonialwere the most nume rousE that is" the legislators themselves were the chief consideration" while the people legislated for were least regarded. There were to be seven magistrates for every city. A single witness was not to be creditedE there must be two at least" whoseevidenceagreed. &o womanand no servant was eligible as a witness. If a murder took place and the murderer could not be discovered"the principal men of the nearest town were to lead a heifer into an uncultivated valley" behead it" and wash their hands over it in presence of the priests" declaring themselvesinnocentof the murder. Among the agricultural laws" was one that the planter of a piece of land with fruit trees was not to take the f',it

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for his own use until the fifth year. Among the family laws$any man" tired of his wife" might divorce her in writingE and they might not marry each other again. If a man died without children" his brother must marry the widowE should he refuse" they were to appear before the magistrates and state the refusalE then the womanwas to untie her brother$in$law:ssandals" and to spit in his face" and he was to bear the reproach all his life of having in jured his dead brother. If a son" at any age" was diso bedient"the parents were to bring him outside the city and the bystanders must stonehim to death" the bodyremaining unburied for one day" that it might be seen. Anyone having poison in his possessionwas to: be put to death. The purchaser of a house in a town must restore it" if the seller tendered him the purchase$moneywithin the first yearE there was to be a battlement round the top of every house" to prevent people from rolling overE those who had lately built themselveshouses" and had not lived in them a year" were to be exempt from fighting. There were laws concerningtheft" usury" the finding of moneyor of cattle" and even about such details as not cutting the corners of the beard" and showing the road correctly to en'uiring wayfarers. That the laws were not all made at once is plain from their contradictoriness( altars were to be over thrown" templesburnt" the verymemoryof idol$worshipping nations was to be extinguishedE yet gods were not to be reviled" nor were their temples to be robbed. Also" the fathers were not to be executed for the children:s offences" nor the children for the fathers:E yet it was at one time the commonpractice to kill a wholefamily for the offence of one member. That the laws were not ll made by the same person is clear from their inconsistency( the most savage rules against slaves stand out in contradistinctionto tender thoughtfulness for the poor and fatherless" and to the even sentimental injunctions not to seethe a kid in its mother:s milk" and not to sacrificea. cowor ewe on the same day as her young one. That the laws weremade for a people unwilling to receivethem is shown by the abrupt crueltyof the punishmentsaffixedto them. And that they were priest$madeis evidencedby the positionthey assigned to the priesthood( any causetoo difficultfor the magistrates to decide was to be referred to a religious councilE if anyone was killed unintentionally"the slayer might flee

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into a city of refuge" of which there were several" but he could not safely leave it until the death of the then high priestE sanitary 'uestions were to be determined"not by a doctor"but by the priestE and 'uestions which in our time are brought into the ,ivorce0ourt wereto be decided by the same authority. There is not much room for doubt that an interested person was the author of the following( = Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the 7evite as long as thou livest upon the earth.= That part of the law which related to religion was much more copious$a circumstancewhich" though foolish in it self" was from the point of view of the law$framers ex tremely wise. The *ible informs us that the end of the law is obedience. It was most trueE and 6ehovah was the bogey" by the threat of which the priests coerced the nation. The famous Ten 0ommandments"which are probably very ancient" contain four devotedto the god" and these are put at the beginningE they are curious"as showingthe state of religiousinventionand belief among the very early 6ews. And first we note that there was no denial of the existence of other gods$only a prohibition as to serving themE 6ehovah did not aspire to rule the world"as he does nowE he was a local" a tribal god" and he wanted only the worshipof his own followers. &o image or representation of him was allowed"and this was a decided step towards making his oultus peculiar. 4e was made to call himself jealous" and this again was a new idea in a land where polytheism abounded. 4e was made to institute the +abbath" and at different times to assign two differing reasonsfor itE the people believedboth explanationsE they were accustomedto accept every statement as it came" not comparingthe later with the formerE the mass of them do not seemto have had the averageintellect of a sharp 5ng lish child of the present day. The +abbath was not to be a day of healthful rest" but a day of enforcedstoppage of all secular actionE how it was enforced may be gathered from a dark tradition in the *ible that a man who did but pick up sticks on the +abbath day was stoned to death. Among 0hristians"+undayis the successorof the +abbathE it is the 7ord:s day" and the clergy favor its observance because they want one whole day in the week devoted to themselvesand their own professionalconcerns. The 6ews

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bowed their heads to this commandment"and the acute commandment$makersfastened upon their necks 6ehovah:s yoke. To the abovegeneral rules" numberlessothers wereafter wards added" all redounding professedly to the glory of =6ehovah" ll tending in fact to the subjection of the 6ews. There was to be one holy city" one temple in it" and one altar" and the whole nation was to assemble there three times a year. The value of a tenth part of the agricultural produce was to be spent there in festivals and sacrifices. Another tenth part of the annual income was to be given to the priests and other 7evites. The 7eviteshad no land" . but forty$eight towns were legally made over to them" of which thirteen were to be for the priests. They were set apart as a holy tribe" exemptedfrom war" and to them was confidedthe care of the temple. It was no wonder that the 7evites were %ealous for religion( they found their ad vantage in it. The ceremonialpart of the law was the mostcomplicated= The directions about the ornamentation of the temple" about its service" and about the priestly garments are tediously intricate" yet they are worth careful reading as showing how attention to minutirohelps to bind a people to submission. The whole thing would have been a folly" had there been no under$meaning in it" but for all this puerility there was a grave reasonE outwardly an affair of religion" it was really an affair of gain. The religion of the Israelites was not superior to the contemporaryreligionsE they had no idols" but they treated their god just as if he were an idolE like little girls who pretend to feed their dolls" they offered him meat and drink" and pleased themselveswith the notion that he en joyed the smell of burning fat. The worship of 6ehovah was based upon cruelty to animals. It was to be carried on by sacrifices"and the contrivers of the 6ewish ritual managed to import a good deal of novelty into the matter by their mode of working it. There were burnt$offerings" trespass$offerings"peace$offerings"thank$offerings"heave offerings" and wave$offerings. The sacrificeswere of t+o sorts$those offered for private persons" and those offered for the people in general. 5very day" morning and eve ning" a lamb was to be sacrificedfor the nationE on the +abbath" twoE at the new moon" in addition" two bulls"

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eeven yearling lambs" and a kidE and at the new moon. on the seventh. month" many additional animals. 2n the tenth day of that month" a goat was to be brought forward" $the sinfulness of the multitude confessed over it" and it was to be driven into the wilderness to die slowly of hungerE this was called the scapegoat. 2n the fifteenth day of the eame month" thirteen bulls" fourteen lambs" and fifteen rams were to be sacrificed" and varying numbers of animals for a week afterwards. As regards the private sacrifices( if a sin was committed through ignorance" the sinner must $offer an ewe lamb or a female kidE and for a conscious .sin" the offering was a ram$sin" with the 6ews" meaning not so much what was wrong" as the breaking of the .6ewish law" Those who were unable to purchase ani mals might offer pigeons instead. This religion of the .slaughter$house was suited to the uncultured race for whom it was inventedE and it was suited also to the men who elaborated it. The priests especially delighted in itE they cared nothing for the wicked waste of property" nor for the pain of the victims. Their work had all the disgusting ness of a butcher:s work" without its usefulness. They cut up the eareases" skinned them" salted them" cleaned the feet and the insides" burned the kidneys and the fat and $the liver" waved some of the flesh in the air" and poured the blood here and there" according to ruleE they twisted $off the heads of the pigeons" plucked them" and wrung out their blood at the side of the altarE on certain occasions" the high$priest sprinkled the ceiling" pavement" and altar with his finger seven times" and did the same towards the holiest place" which was concealed from the public by a curtain. Their antics were awful to the spectators. There were other gifts demanded for 6ehovah$wine" oil" flour" frankincense" wool from shearing" and all the first$fruitsE the first$born too of 'uadrupeds" and the flrst$bom of men. The male babies might be bought off by a payment of five shekels" and the female for three shekels. +o degraded were the people by a blood$shed ding religion" that the demand for human sacrifices did not shock them( one of their judges" 6ephtha" was known $to have made a burnt$offering of his only daughterE they had a tradition also that Abraham had once been on the point of offering up his son" and 6osephus" in describing the scene where Isaac was informed of what awaited him"

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goes so far as to say that Isaac was= pleased with this dis$ . courseE= yet 6osephus lived when the history of the 6ews : aswell advanced. The profits of the business went to the priests. They received all the hides" whole lambs" and joints of other meats" and one out of every two pigeons" they took the wool" made cakes and loaves" and drank part of the wine $all this was in accordancewith the law. And they had other per'uisites( whenever a. private feast was held" though it had nothing to do with religion" the breast and right shoulder of the meat killed must be given to themE if a.nyonedesired to release himself from a vow" they must be paid. The same sort of facts pervade all religious histories. The people have believed" and the clergy have profited. The priests were not free" however"to followtheir own pleasureE there were many restrictions on their conduct. :I:hey might not marry captives"slaves"or womenseparated from their husbands" nor might they touch any creeping thingE the high$priest might not marry a widow" nor divorce himself" nor touch a dead body. *ut the object of this was to proclaim them particularly pure" and the result was beneficial to them by exalting their positionE whereas the intention of the law for the people was to make them obedient and subservient. &othing was left to individual inclinationE the law interfered with every action of their lives. Their food was prescribedfor them" they were forbidden to eat fat" sometimes they were made to fastE their doorswereinscribedwith religious sentences" and they wore the same bound upon their arms and fore headsE after the birth of their children"they had to report themselves at the temple and pay lambs and pigeonsE their gifts to their god were ordered" instead of being voluntary. There was here a relentlessschemefor isolating and for over$ruling them. It was not without constant effort that a whole nation was forced into one groove and kept there. It was done partly by cajolery" partly by mystery" partly by threats. !romises were made without stint$that they were to be blessed above all people" and envied by all men" that their posterity were to be as the sand of the sea for number" and that every enemy of theirs was to cometo a bad end. 7ike children" they were pleased by exaggeration" and

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their rulers accommodatedthemE =for ever"= and =to the end of the world= werereadyphrases"whoselargeness and whosevaguenessimpressedtheir primitive nature deeply. It is not possibleto say with assurance at what point of time those promises"which profess to be so ancient" took their riseE they are presentedin the *ible in the form of prophecies uttered by 6ehovah to Abraham" and to his grandson Israel. +upernaturalismwas another and stronger agent used. It awed the nation to feel that their god was near" that he saw them" and that he concernedhimself with everything they did. They were not allowed to make any present ment of him" and this mysteriousnessmade them more afraid. Individuals boasted of having seen himE #oses boldly claimedto have talked with him face to faceE but when the Israelites collectivelywanted to look at him" the non$entity becameshyE #osescould only showthem fire" smoke" darkness Lof which they were childishly afraidD" cloud" mist" $ora shining button on the right shoulderof the high$priest" and they had to take his word for it that the god was present. They were easily put off thusE this faith$full people might be headstrong in action" but they were always docile in belief. +ome 6ews who lived later declared that God never had been seen" and couldnot be seenE and all the assertions on the subject are recorded in the *ible" for e'ual acceptance. The nation were not only unable to see their deity" but they were debarred from pronouncinghis nameE such a fami liarity would have been punished by death. /p to the present moment even" the influence of this idea hangs round 0hristiansE they are disinclinedto say =6ehovah"= they prefer to say =God"= or =the 7ordE= nor do they often speak of = 6esus 0hrist"= they call him habitually =our 7ord"= or =our +avior.= *ut the most potent means of guiding the 6ews was by threatening. 6ehovah was made to vowvengeance upon those who should hate himE and among the wholenation" no nature was refined enough to perceive how futile a demandfor affectionmust be" no voicewas lifted to declare that one cannot be bullied into loving. 4e was made to extend his vengeanceeven to the fourth generationE and the injustice caused no shock of revolt from those who were usQ to seeing punishmentsextended to the second

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generation. Their god was an intensified copy of them selvesE they were cruel and he was more cruel" they were unjust and he was more unjustE 6ehovah:s freaks were privileged" being directed against a people who were in capable of condemningthem. If the priests were desirous that 6ehovah should be loved" they were much more anxious that he should be feared. Their malignancy against any who should disregard his law attests that. They were masters of the art of cursing" and their wishes for the ruin of any breakers of the covenant are set down without shame in the pamphlet called 7eviticus. 6ehovah is made to threaten terror" consumption" burning ague" sorrowof heart" death in battle" political subjection"punish ment seven times repeated" the breaking of pride" an iron heaven" an earth of brass" vain expenditure of strength" a barren land" barren trees" seven times more plagues" wild beasts" destruction of cattle" loss of children" desolate highways" a destroying sword" pestilence" capture by the enemy" no satisfaction from eating" his own contrariness and fury" seven$foldchastisement"cannibalism" the casting down of their idols" and of their carcases" his own ab horrence" waste cities" desolate sanctuaries" his refusal to smell their sweet odors"desolation of the country"astonish ment of their enemies" a scattering of them among the heathen" faintness of heart" fear without cause" perishing" and pining away. A long list$incoherent and disgrace ful. 6ehovah:s pettish refusal to smell the nice odor of the sacrificesis a welcomerelief to the +ecular reader in the midst of these blood$curdlingmisfortunesE there is always a danger that tragedy in unskilful hands may become comic. And what was this covenant which they were thus dared to breakF A covenantmeans an arrangement entered into by two contracting parties" and made secure by a penalty for each. In this case" the 6ews had no power of refusal or even of stipulationE their consent was not askedE and all the penalties were theirs. There could be none for 6ehovah:s broken promisesE they could not reach him to punish him. The dictation was on one side" the dis advantages were on the otherE this one$sided matter was what the priests were impudent enough to call a covenant between 6ehovah and the 6ewish nation. Truly" they are an unfortunate who are a God$riddenpeople. As time went on" all authority in matters of religion did

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not remain with the descendants of 7eviE other persons laid claim to it occasionally. The priests had for allies" and yet for formidable rivals" the prophets. These were men who professed to be visited by God" in order to be told his will" and who sought by forecasting the future to gain influence in the present. Any man who was bold enough might be a prophetE any woman too$it was in fact the onlyopeningfor distinctionfor the 4ebrewwomen. In an age of such delusion"the temptationto prophesywas great" and the number of prophets and prophetesseswas so increasing"that a law was made Lin 6ehovah:s name" of courseDthat anyonewhose prophecies did not come true should be put to death. +uch a law wouldnaturallylead to disputes as to who had prompted himE somesaid that he must have been inspired by a lying spirit" while others insisted that he was still the 7ord:s mouthpiece"and that their god was the creator of all evil. The 6ews had no ,evil thenE the despicable6ehovah filled his place. This law" for the killing of a false prophet" led also to excessive vaguenessin the propheciesEthe timefor their accomplish ment was either not indicated or was made remoteE the utterances became more and more mysterious" but they did not lose any of their force for thatE on the contrary" they seemto have ac'uireda fascination"both for 4ebrews in past times and for 5uropeansin modern timesE they were capable of so many interpretations"that they per petually tempted the intellectto interpret them. +amuel was the first prophet of conse'uence. 4e was brought up in the family of 5li" high$priest" who was also governorof the Israelites. They lived at +hiloh"the holy city" a beautiful placein a mountainouspart of the country" where the Israelites had a sort of temple called a taber nacle" to which the whole nation paid visits every year. .5li:s sons had begun to abuse their privilege as priests" and it was their custom" when people offered sacrifices" to send their servant to sei%e portions of the meat as it was cookingE the servant stuck his three$pronged (*.eshhookinto the caldron" and took whatevercameup on itE he also demanded a larger share of raw meat for his masters than they were entitled to by law. The scandal of this conductwas great" and one day a =man of God= appeared to 5li" and threatened him with the destruction of his family. +amuel was a 'uick lad" apt at imitation"

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and unrestrained by any kind feeling for the old manE he made up his mind that he would announce a revelation to the same effect. 4is first prophecy was brought about in this way( three times in the night" he came to 5li:s bed side" pretending to think himself calledE the third time" the high$priest:s curiosity was roused and his fears also" he thought 6ehovah had called the child" and he bade him listen and repeat to him what should be said. 5li" though. a priest" was a believer. +amuel:s fortune$telling was merely a general repetition of the speech made by the stranger" but it sank deeply into 5li:s mind. And +amuel the boy became +amuel the man$pitiless" and seeking his own advancement. 4e ventured on other prophecies :after wards" and his reputation grewE it was said that the 7ord had returned to +hiloh after an offended absence. The Israelites were now spread all over !alestineE they were very polygamous and had increased rapidlyE they inhabited both sides of the 6ordan" but they had not suc ceeded in driving out the earlier occupiers. There were ever so many small nations who lived side by side with themE and there was an abundance of chiefs" for every important town had its king. 5ach native tribe had its own gods" and the Israelites were prone to worship them a88 impartially. +ometimes they even tried to mingle idolatry with their own religion( there is a story of a man who had silver images of 6ehovah made" and who hired . 7evite to act as his private priestE a company of other Israelites stole his images" persuaded the priest to accom pany them" went to 7aish" =unto a people that were 'uiet and secure"= exterminated them by the edge of the sword" set fire to the town" built another on the site" and there established their idolatrous 6udaism" remaining undisturbed for many years. The 7evite is said to have been a grand son of #osesE if/ so" he inherited his grandfather:s absence of scruple in pursuing his own advantage. The !hilistines were the tribe with whom the Israelites were oftenest at warfare. The object of the !hilistines was to get rid of the interlopersE the object of the Israelites was to sei%e territory" to plunder" and to stop idolatry. They had not begun to think of proselytisingE they did not want to con vert" but to destroy. 2nce" when their army was defeated" it occurred to them to fetch the ark from +hiloh" that its presence might ensure a victory. The ark was the most

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worthless thing the Israelites possessed"but they thought it the most preciousE it contained the book of the law" the ten commandments carved on stone" and had once held Aaron:s piece of almond branch" though that must long ago have withered into dustE it was also said to contain 6ehovah" who" like the genii in 5astern fairy tales" could make himself very large or very small" and who" when in the latter condition"condescendedto travel in the ark. It had a handsome appearance" being gilded allover" and through gilt rings were passed two gilt bars by which the priests lifted and carried it. 5li entrusted it to his sons" with a commandto keep it safe" or not to outlive its cap ture. Great was the sensation at the entrance of this box into the campE the Israelite soldiers thought themselves saved" and =shouted with a great shout= that God had arrivedE and the !hilistines were e'ually excited" for they G too thought 6ehovah mighty" and believed in him as firmly as did his own people. *ut they won the next battle after all" the ark was taken" and 5li:s two sons were killed in trying to defend it. +amuel:s prophecy came true" not for the reason he had given" but for an opposite reasonE the young men died" not because they had disobeyed their god" but because they were too devoted to him. 5li fell down on hearing the news" and broke his neck" and +amuel was made judge in his stead. The !hilistines carried off the ark" but after a few months they concluded that its presence was unlucky for them" and they brought it back to the nearest Israelite town. The men of *ethshemeshwere reaping their corn in the valley" when they saw a cart approaching" drawn by two cowsE the golden ark shone in the sun" and several !hilistine lords followedbehindE on camethe cows"lowing as they walked" and stopped beside a large stone in the .(field. The next part of the scene was not so harmlessly pictures'ue" for at once the cart was broken up" the beasts were killed and laid on the wood" and the whole was burnt as a present to 6ehovah. A crowd collected to look at the sacred ark" and they looked into it also" which was a forbidden liberty to take. Those who ad minister religion to the people are always very particular that the religious paraphernalia shall not be meddled withE they know" in their own case" that familiarity pro duces contempt. The 7evites were furiousE they secretly

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did away with some of the offenders"spread a report of" an alarming number of deaths" and asserted that the dead had been smitten by the 7ord. 5nough people had been . killed to make the *ethshemesh men 'uite ready to part with 6ehovah" and they passed on the box to <irjath jearim" where it remained in a private house for twenty years. That the ignominiouscapture of the ark might not lessen its power"and therefore its value" in the eyes of the nation" +amuel proclaimedthat it had failed to give them victory because God. was jealous and wrathfulE but that if they would take him for their only deity" he would be sure to help them. +o they turned from idols" and assembled together at #i%peh"where they poured out water for 6eho vah" and +amuel prayed for them. The !hilistines ad vanced to #i%pehE upon which" +amuel took a sucking lamb and burned the wholeof it" not taking any for himselfE and apparently" 6ehovah was so pleased" either with the lamb or with the water or with the repentanceof his people" that the Israelites won the dayE then +amueltook a stone" set it up on end" and called it 5ben$e%er"or the +tone of !ower" saying( =4itherto hath the 7ord helped us.= +amuel was now prosperous. 4e was the chief judicial authority" and one of the chief religious authoritiesE he was not a priest" but he was judge and prophet" and as such kept himself in the forefront of importance. 4e went on circuit twice a year to judge the people" returning to 3amah where he .lived" and where he had built an altar. It was not until his old age tht +amuel had a rival. 4e had made his sons judges" but they did not give satis faction" and someinfluentialmen of the 4ebrews came to him at 3amah" and demanded in the people:s name to be ruled by a king. =7ike all the nations"= they saidE but whereasthe surrounding kings were mere local chiefs"the monarch for the Israelites was to reign over all Israel. Israel was a name borne by the nation in memoryof their ancient progenitor. +amuel was extremelyannoyedE he saw the danger to himself of petting up a high authority that would be in dependentof him" and even secularlyabove himE he pro tested and expostulated"but in the end gave way. The king was to be chosen by 6ehovah. The king was really chosen by +amuel" who" though old and infirm" had lost o

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none of his shrewdness. 4e understood that" in order to keep the monarch under his influence"he should choose one who was unknownand insignificant"and who for these reasons wouldnot be acceptableto all. +uch a man hap pened to visit himE it was +aul" a *enjamite$that is" descended from *enjamin" youngest son of IsraelE the *enjamites were the smallest of the divisions"or tribes" into which the nation was divided. 4e was young" there fore he would be the more easily controlledE he was t ll and handsome"therefore he would make a creditable ap pearance. +aul:s errand was to en'uire about someasses which he was seekingE having heard that the 7ord told the celebrated +amuel everything" he thought that he would be able to set him in the right road to find themE and" well aware that prophets and seers do nothing for nothing"he was prepared to pay silver for the information. +amuel took him hospitably into the parlor" gave him shoulder of mutton for supper" and afterwards held a consultation with him on the roof of the house. +aul slept there that night" and the next morning +amuel went with him part of the way"then sent the servant on in front" and the two men stopped in a 'uiet spot for the ceremony of closingthe bargain. +amuel poured oil on the young man:s head" kissed him" and saluted him as king. 4e then bade him go on to Gabatha" where was a com pany of prophetsE to be found among them would give him influenceat once. 4e was to undertake prophesying also" and this could not be difficult"since to be compre hensible was not re'uired of him$only to be fluent. +aul met the prophetsin their usual procession"loud$voicedand excitable" and precededby the music of tabrets" pipes" and harpsE there was more noise than sense among them. 4e joined them" shouted and gesticulated"and impressedthe standers$bywonderfully. This done" he returned home. +amuel now called an assemblyat #i%peh"for the elec tion. The Israelites gathered in their thousands" all the tribes being eligible except the 7evites. The choicewas made openlyby lot" but secretlyit was so managed as to fall upon +aul. Then there were loud cries of =God save the <ingI= And +amuelmade a speechto the assemblage" praising +aul" and saying t8Etat6ehovah had chosenhim. In those days" the first duty of a king was to head the army" and +aul set to work by cutting up a coupleof oxen"

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and sending the pieces throughout his domains"with the messagethat if any man wouldnot follow+aul and +amuel" his cattle should be treated in the same way. This bar barous action was a sign to his subjects that the spirit of 6ehovah was on himE the fear of their god fell on them therefore" and they thronged to the battle. They were victorious"and +amuel" now more reconciledto the monar chy" suggested that he should confirmit at GilgalE so they went there with the army" and the usual ceremoniesof sacrificetook place" with rejoicings. *ut the prophet never ceased to be uneasy. 4e always insisted to the peoplethat they had done wrong in asking for a king" and that 6ehovah took the re'uest as a personal affront" and he held the dread of him threateningly over them and +aul. In conse'uenceof this" the latter soon appointed body$guards for himselfE the distrust that he felt was evidentlynot of 6ehovah" but of +amuel. hen" on one urgent occasion"+aul presumed to offer a burnt offering instead of waiting for +amuel to arrive to do it" the prophet did not think it enough to rebuke him" but announced that his royalty should come to an end" and that 6ehovah had chosen another man to take his place a man after his own heart. This prophecywas never ful filled"but as +amuel died before +aul" there was no oppor tunity for punishing the false prophet. After this" we find an alliance between +aul and the priests" who had so long been overshadowedby +amuel:s personality. The priest Ahiah" 5li:s great$grandson" went with him into battle" and was at hand to be consulted about the god:s pleasure and intentions. +aul:s reign recordslittle more than fighting and blood shedE this /nholy7and wasa sceneof slaughter" breaking out at intervals between the Israelites and the various nations who lived so close to them. The Amalekiteswere the tribe whom +amuel specially urged war against" be cause of the rumor that they had been enemies of the 4ebrews in the days of #oses. 0enturieshad passed since then" but the =man of God= cravedrevenge. =Thus saith the 7ord= was of coursethe pretext for this attack on an unoffendlng people. =Thus saith the 7ord"= said +amuel" = go and smite Amalek" and utterly destroy all that they have" and spare them notE but slay both man and woman" infant and suckling" ox and sheep" camel and ass.= +aul
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" went" and destroyed the Amalekites" sparing only <ing Agag and the best of the cattle. This partial disobedience was bitter to the prophetE he regretted again having chosen +aul" as it becameevident to him that he wouldnot be able permanently to control him. Angered and anxious" he spent a bad night" and rose up early the next morning to meet him. The conversationbetween the two was im portant. =*lessed be thou of the 7ord"= said +aul defe rentially. =I have performed the commandmentof the 7ord.= = hat meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears"= answered +amuel sternly" ". and the lowing of the oxen which I hearF= The king excused himself by representing that the cattle had been spared in order to sacrificethemE but +amuel did not believethe excuse"and had it been true it would not have contentedhim. It was not only the thing done that offendedhim" but the doing of it without his permission. = +tay"= said he" =and I will tell thee what the 7ord hath said to me this night.= Then" in 6ehovah:s name" he reminded +aul of the low estate from which he had been raised to his high position" and that to =utterly destroy= was the command he had received. +aul could only repeat that the animals: lives were spared but for a little time. =To obey is better than sacrifice"=cried +amuelpassionately. =*ecause thou hast rejected the word of the 7ord" he hath also rejected thee from being king.= +aul humbled himself" asked for pardon" and begged +amuel to accompany him in the worshiphe was about to perform. = I will not return with thee"= said the obstinate prophet. 4e turned about" to leave" but the king stepped forward" and laid a hand on his mantle to detain himE the movementsof the two men were so energetic" that the mantle tore. This did not im prove +amuel:s temper" or perhaps he saw in the circum.. stance an opportunity of making his threat more impres siveE for" facing his opponent"he solemnlyspoke. =The 7ord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day" and hath givenit to a neigbourof thine" that is better than thou. And also the +trength of Israel will not lie nor re pent( for he is not a man" that he should repent.= +aul was completelysubdued. 4e had not the presenceof mind to remember how often in 6ehovah:s career he had been said to change his mindE he acceptedthe prophet:s asser tions the more humbly perhaps becausethey were so dar$

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ing" and answered( =I have sinned( yet honour me now" I pray thee" before the elders of my people" and turn again with me" that I may worship the 7ord thy God.= +amuel turned with +aul" and they worshipped together. Then he said( =*ring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.= And" with his own hands" +amuel hewed the prisoner in pieces. +uch is the history which 6ews and 0hristians call sacred history$darkened by imposition and ignorance" disfigured by brutality and the shedding of blood. " And 6ehovah is the worst character in it$6ehovah" whom the 0hristians perversely call good. After this open 'uarrel" the reconciliation between +aul and +amuel could not be a real one. +aul went to his palace at Gibeah" and +amuel proceeded to carry out his own prophecy as far as he could" by anointing an obscure lad of *ethlehem as kingE but he did it privately" lest the king in possession should punish him. Then he returned to his own house at 3amah. 8 he youth who was +amuel:s second choice was called ,avid. 4e went to court" and became armor$bearer and son$in$law to +aul" and entered into a friendship with his son 6onathan" a friendship most unselfish on 6onathan: @ part" who favored ,avid:s ambition to his own detriment. +aul distrusted and disliked him$perhaps something in the young man:s bearing betrayed to the king what his aim was$and ,avid (fled from court to save his own life" taking refuge with +amuel" +ith 6onathan" with some :priests at &ob" in caves" with the #oabites" in a forest" in a wilderness" and even with the !hilistines. #ore than once" during these adventures" +aul was by accident in his power" and he spared himE ,avid meant to be king one day himself" and he took every opportunity of impressing on his companions how great a crime regicide would beE 4ere again" 6ehovah was made of useE it was not as the people:s choioe that the king was considered sacred" but as =the 7ord:s anointed.= +aul heard of the help that was given to ,avid at &ob" and he called upon the priests to answer for itE the apology made did not satisfy him" so he ordered his guards to 1ill them" but they refused" and some foreign soldiers did the work for himE then he sent to &ob" which was a city of priests and prophets" and slew its inhabitants and burned it. This act horrified many$

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not on accountof its cruelty" but becauseof the sanctityof the blood that was shed. The war with the !hilistines was still being carried on. ,avid had now six hundred followers"and he went over with them to the !hilistine land" and hired himself to <ing Achish. *ut evenin this treacheryhe wastreacherous again" for he attacked other tribes" killed them man and woman"tooktheir cattle and goods"and falselytold the king that he had been fighting against the Israelites. Achish determinedto have a battle with +aul" and he called upon ,avid and his men to help" promising that if they suc ceeded ,avid should be promoted to be the chief of his body$guard. It happened that +aul had" before this" sent out of his country all the necromancersand fortune$tellers with which it was infested" keeping ouly the prophets"and to the prophets he now tumed to know what the result of the battle would be. There were several ways of =en 'uiring of the 7ord= in those days. It might be done by applying to the priests( sometimes a voicewas heard in answer" proceedingfrom the lid of the ark between tne cherubims"and supposedto be 6ehovah:s own voice$this was simplyventrilo'uismE there were also twelve precious stones in the high priest:s breastplate" and when these stones shone it was a sign that 6ehovah:s people would be lucky in battle. It was easy to make rays of light fall or not fall on the breastplate" but it was not so easy to make the event obey the signE 6osephus tells us that the stones left off shining propheticallytwo thousand years before he wrote$in other and truer words" the priests: guesseshad so often proved wrong" that the imposturewas found to be unworkable. +aul" having massacred so many of the priests and prophets"was not in goodrepute with that class of furtune$tellerE he made application at the temple" but was met by silenceE nor would the prophets return him any answerE nor did he have any informing dreamE in despair" therefore" of an oracle from 6ehovah" he remem bered the wi%ards and witches he had banished" and set out to visit one of the latter at 5ndor. itchcraft is im possible" but the craft of a witch consists in trickery" and thus she resembles priests and prophets" the difference being that they professto be helped by God"while witches are said to be helped by the e'ually imaginary ,evil. In the days of +aul" +atan was not thought of" and the witch

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of 5ndor claimedonlythe supernatural help of a =familiar spirit.II +aul went to her in disguise" and begged her to bring up the then dead +amuel. The proceedingswere of the simplestkind. The womancalledthe name of +amuel" and then cried out that she saw an old man coveredwith a mantle. +aul bowed low to the invisible prophet" and the conversationwent on through her agency. +amuel:s ghost was made to ask why it had been disturbed"+aul explained his errand" and the witch" speaking for +amuel" answered that 6ehovah was his enemy" and had torn the kingdom out of his hand and given it to ,avid" because of his dis obedience about the Amalekites" and that next day he would lose the battle and his life. +he had recognised +aul through his disguise" and took pleasure in predicting ruin for him" after his treatment of her and her colleagues. If the prophecywere to fail" she could escape. hen the forces were arrayed for the fight" the !hilis$: tine lords disapproved of ,avid:s presence"lest he might t,'n against them in the midst of itE Achish therefore dis missed him with many compliments"and he and his men went back to the !hilistine country. +aul:s end was ap propriate to his barbarous character. 4e was seriously woundedby arrows" he impaled himself by falling on his own sword" his head was cut off and his body fastened to a wall by his enemiesE his countrymenrescued it" burned it" and buried the bones. 6onathan fell by the hands of the !hilistine soldieryE and ,avid celebrated his friend:s memoryin a song of lament. The friendship had been one in which ,avid took all the advantage. There was"a touch of hypocrisyin ,avid:s character that made it easy for him to include in the lamentation and the panegyric his old enemy +aul" and even to say that +aul had been = lovely and pleasant= in his lifR$a life" some years of which had been spent in hunting ,avid. The poet:s superstition is well shown in the following verse( =1 e mountains of Gilboa" let there be no dew" neither let there be rain" upon you( for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away" the shield of +aul" as though he had not been anointed with oil.= It had probably been expected by the 4ebrews that the oiling in presence of 6ehovah would act as a charm in making their king fortunate. . There began now a long war betweenthe house of +aul and the house of ,avid. 2ne of +aul:s sons had survived

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him" and was not disposedto yield his claimsto ,avid" @+ 6onathan had been ready to doE this son reigned over the greater part of Israel" while ,avid reigned over the tribe of 6udah only$the tribe to which he by birth belongedE and for sometime" both parties indulged in fighting" and in assassinations and mutilations. At last" when ,avid was thirty$seven"he was waited on at 4ebron by the elders of all the tribes" and anointed king over Israel. 4e moved then to 6erusalemE it was inhabited by a tribe of 0anaanites" but he besieged it" rebuilt it" named it the 0ity of ,avid" and reigned there until he was seventy years old. The Israelites" who judged the righteousness of a cause by its success"concludedthat he was a great favorite of their god:s. 4e was" at all events"a pronounced servant of 6ehovah:s" and very possibly a real believer. It was long since the Israelites had first been informed about 6ehovah" and the wholenation had been 80 educated in belief in him" that" by the time we are now considering" it is likely that the rulers were e'ually deluded with the people. There must have been consciousimposturewhen #oses"high up on #ount +inai" was busily cutting the commandmentson stone" and when he came down with the tablets in his hands and a lie upon his lipsE when Aaron substituted a bloomingbough of almond for a bare rodE when the priests gave answers from the mercy$seat" pretending the voice to be 6ehovah:sE but other priests" not thus activelyemployedin deception"may have believed in the god they sacrificedto" and even the prophets may often have fancied themselves inspired. ,avid:s piety" repulsivethough it is to the +ecularmind" was apparently sincere. It was soon shown that religion was to be a marked feature in his reign. Attributing the misfortunesof +aul:s reign to the absenceof the ark" and to the national neglect in honoring it" ,avid headed a processionto fetch the ark from <irjath$jearim to 6erusalemE it was placed upon . new cart" and preceded by the king and a large concourse of Israelites" playing on harps" timbrels" comets" cymbals" and castanetsE there was shouting and trumpet$blowing" and" allowingfor the differencethat 5astern surroundings made" the march must have resembled a march of the +alvation ArmyE on the way" they stopped to sacrificefat oxen" and left the ground behind them moist with bloodE

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,avid not only played" but danced and leapt" his only garment being a priestly one called an ephod" which was 'uite short and was also open at the chest. It was an unseemlysight$one of the many that are brought about by religion. 4is wife looked out of the window"saw his behavior" and rightly despised himE when the affair was over" she reproached him" but ,avid:s shameful answer is fit for no pages but those of the *ible. The ark was placed in the tent that had been pitched for it" more sacri ficeswere offered"the king blessed the people" and distri buted among them bread" meat" and cake. Then they departed to their own homes. *ut the king was not yet easy in his mindE he had a. house of cedar while the ark dwelt only within curtains" and he remembered that 6ehovah was notorious for jea lousyE he hinted this to the prophet &athan" who took a night to consider"and then gave him a messagefrom the god who" as &athan said" had =gone from tent to tent" and from one tabernacle to anotherE= it was to the effect that ,avid:s son and successormight build a house for him" and it wasaccompaniedby promisesthat the 4ebrews should remain planted in the land and =be moved no more=. that ,avid should have rest from his enemies" and: that the throne should be established for ever in his family. The king was delightedE he went into the taber nacle" sat down"and apostrophisedand complimentedGod" begging him to rememberhis promisesand to keep them. The latter exhortation was very necessary. 3elievedby the assuranceof 6ehovah:s good disposition towards him" ,avid now plunged again into war. The !hilistines" #oabites" +yrians" Ammonites"and 5domites were fought against with success. 4e established garrisons in the defeated territories" exacted tribute" took spoil" extorted presents" and became rich in gold" silver" brass" chariots"and armorE he dedicatedhis treasures to 6ehovah" and was careful to destroy his van'uished enemies:idols" and to cut downtheir sacred groves of trees. 2ne sensible thing that ,avid did was to number his subjects" but his private prophet and seer" a man named Gad" took offence that so important a work should have been accomplished without divine permission being applied for through himE he therefore represented the next diseasethat attacked the Israelites as a. sign of God:s displeasure. The story is

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differently told in the *ibleE it is so told that" even a few years ago" there were 5nglish people who refused to put their names on the census$paper" on the ground that a census was wickedI The priests made provision that a numbering of the people should in future bring profit to themselves" for we find among the 6ewish laws a command to pay half a shekel a head on such occasionsto God. It is the fashion among 0hristians to praise ,avid" yet a worse man than he was could scarcely be. 4e was brutal" for he tortured men and" houghed horsesE he was implacable" for his last words to his son +olomon were about a msn who had spoken offensively to him years before" and the words were these( =Thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him" and thou shalt bring I2% hoar head down to the grave with bloodE= he was licentious" a falsehood$teller" a drinker" a betrayer of his word. The good action of his life was his showing kind ness to 6onathan:s lame sonE and even here his motive was not purely human" for he had a superstitious fear of angering 6ehovah if he broke his oath of friendship. That God was said to be very fond of him can be nothing in his favor. The idea is easily accounted for. ,avid was a $thorough 6ew of the times in which he livedE 6ehovah was a 6ewish production" of the same race as his makers E the sympathy between them was one of similarity. ,avid:s character was more complex than +aul:s. 0ruel though he was" he was also emotionalE ready to curse" he . was also ready to weepE his love for one of his sons"in spite of the young man:s conspiracy against him" found expression in the cry" = ould God I had died for thee" 9 Absalom" my son" my sonI= And he had literary tastesE he wrote many psalms in poetical prose" parts of which entitle him to the *iblical epithet =sweet psalmist of Israel"= while the greater part are$slaughterous" malicious" rhapsodical" boasting" or abjectE it was a disadvantage to him that his subjects were always closely connected with 6ehovahE a wider range would have prevented much same ness. #ost of these psalms were composed in the later part of his life" when warlike occupations were superseded by religious. 4e taught the 7evites to sing them on +abbath days and other festivals" to the music of the viol and psaltery. They are still sung in 5nglish churches to the organ or harmonium" though the intensely 6ewish

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character of their subjects makes them very Inappro priate. +hortly before his death" ,avid assembled the priests and 7evites publicly together" in the presence of +olomon and of all the chief rulers" to arrange concerning the building of the templeE these persons were as anxious about housing their invisible god as if he had been an idol. ,avid numbered the 7evites" from twenty years old to fifty. appointing some to be judges and scribes" some porters" some doorkeepers" some singers" some to supervise the work of building" and some to be keepers of the treasuresE he also divided the priests into relays" to minister in the temple for a week at a time. All this was decided hy lot. ,avid gave a description and pattern of the temple" and explained that he had prepared a 'uantity of gold" silver" iron" brass" emeralds" onyx stones" timber" and marble" and had carpenters and masons in readiness. /pon this" all promised to give what they could" and presents were made by them of metals and jewels" confided to the care of 6 aehiel" a 7evite. The scene concluded" the next day" with the sacrifice of a thousand bullocks and a thousand lambs" with feasting" blessings from ,avid" with the anointing of +olomon" who had already been pro claimed king once" and with the setting of him on his father:s throne. It is evident that in ,avid:s reign a great stride was made in the religious history of the 6ews. The name of 6ehovah was exalted" his worship was elaborated and strengthenedE he became a wealthy god" and as such grew more powerful" because more feared" and more exten sively believed in. The building of the temple was a vast undertakingE it progressed vigorously under +olomon" and was completed ill seven years. 4e sent a message to 4iram" <ing of Tyre" who had been an ally of ,avid:s" saying that he pur ... posed to build a house for 6ehovah" and asking him to allow his subjects to work for him for hireE they were to hew cedar trees and fi' trees in the mountains of 7ebanon. 4iram:s answer was favorable( =I will do: all thy desire concerning timber of cedar" and concerning timber of fi'. #y servants shall bring them down from 7ebanon unto the sea( and I will make them into rafts to go by sea unto the place that thou shalt appoint me" and will cause them to be broken up there" and thou shalt receive them.= In

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exchange for the great tree$trunks" +olomonsent 4iram ' uantities of wheat and oil. Thousands of Israelite work men were also sent to 7ebanon" while others were occupied in cutting and carrying stone. The temple was made of polished white marble and cedar$wood"and was overlaid with plates of gold" so that it had a da%%ling appearance in the sunshineE it had a porch with ornamental brass pillars" it had galleries" side chambers" winding stairs" and windows of lattice$workE its front was to the east" the entrance doors being of olive and fir. The most holy place was shut off by chains of gold drawn across" by veils of gorgeous color and of embroidered linen" and by doors on whichwere carvedrepresentationsof cherubim" palm trees" and flowersE it contained a golden altar" and two large figuresof cherubimof solid gold" whoseoutstretched wings reached from wall to wall. The floors" ceilings" and the whole inside of the temple were covered with gold even to the door$hinges. There were burnished brass lavers on wheels"for washing the entrails of the beasts" and an especiallylarge one" called a sea from its si%e" in which the priests were to wash their hands and feetE the sea was supported upon twelve bra%en oxen" and the smaller lavers rested on bra%en eagles" lions" and bulls. There were brass pots" shovels"basons" tongs" snuffersE and there were dishes" vials" measures" censers" tables for the shewbread" candlesticks" lamps" cups" and spoons of pure gold" and many more of silver. ,avid:s ill$gotten wealth" which he had dedicated to 6ehovah" was also stowed away in the treasuries. hile the work of building and arranging went on" the priests and prophets encouraged +olomon with mesHagtIsfrom the god" and promisesfor himself and the Israelite nation. hen all wasready" +olomonassem bled the elders" heads of tribes" and royal princes to assist at the bringing of the ark into the temple. The distance traversed by the triumphal procession was about three 'uarters of a mileE (firstcame the king and congregation of the people" then the 7evites" burning incenseand satu rating the ground with blood and wine" then the priests" carrying the old tabernacle" the vessels used in it" and the ark. There was nothing in the ark exceptthe two engraved stones. It was borne on into the temple to the entrance of the most holy placeE there the multitude stayed" and the priests went in alone" and depositedit underneath some of

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the wings of the cherubim. hen they returned from the interior" <ing +olomon made a speech in praise and con gratulation of 6ehovah" ,avid" and himselfE then" taking his stand before the altar" and spreading out his hands upwards" he broke into a long and elo'uent address to the god. !art of it is worth 'uoting. = *ut +ill God in very deed dwell on the earthF behold" heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain theeE how much less this house that I have buildedI 1et have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant" that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant" and of thy people Israel" when they shall pray toward this place( yea" hear thou in heaven thy dwelling placeE and when thou hearest" for give.= The conclusion was delivered kneelingE then the king rose" and with a loud voice blessed the congregation. The victims were next brought forward" killed" and burnt. It was altogether a strange and pitiable scene$at once splendid and revoltingE the new and glittering temple" the jewels and sacerdotal garments which the priests wore" the deafening music" the clouds of incense and smoke of fire" the butchery" the resistance and groans of the animals" the blood that flowedin thick streams" the sickening smells" the joy of the people whose credulity enslaved them" these things formed a contrast which" though pictures'ue" is sad. The ceremonies lasted for many days" until thousands of beasts were sacrified" and the temple was turned into a reeking shamble. +olomon now gave his attention to building a palace for himself" and another for his wifeE she was the daughter of . the <ing of 5gypt" to the borders of which country his own rule extended. 4e also built several cities" among them Tadmor in the ilderness" which afterwards became the renowned !almyra. 4e reigned over united Israel" and he and his people were prosperousE those native tribes which the Israelites had not been able to destroy were re duced by them to the position of bondservants E the nation became maritime also" with 4iram:s assistance" for a navy was made on the shore of the 3ed +ea" piloted and partly . manned by Tyrian sailors" and shiploads of gold" precious stones" sandal$wood" silver" apes" and peacocks began to arrive. +olomonwas a man of great intelligenceE inherit ing the tastes of his father" he composed songs" parables"

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and proverbsE and a collectionof the last forms one of the pamphlets in the *ible. 6osephus says that +olomon and 4iram were accustomedto send riddles to each other" and that he who failed in solving the riddle paid a great deal of money as a fine. Tales of the 4ebrew king:s wisdom and of the magnificenceof his way of living soon travelled into other countries" and visitors came to see him" bringing presents of horses" mules" armor" and purple raiment. The Sueen of +heba was the first to come"with a great train of attendants" and camels laden with spices and rare gemsE she held long conversationswith him" and he showedher all his possessionsE she saw his throne of ivory" on the six steps of which stood twelve ivory lions" she saw his targets and shields of beaten gold" his drinking vessels"his cha riots" and" as the *iblical chronicler 'uaintly remarks" =there was no more spirit in her.= +he was introduced into the temple also" and becameimpressedwith the power of a god who was worshippedwith such grandeur. *ut +olomonwas not so devoted to 6ehovah as ,avid had been. *esidesthe 5gyptian princess"he had an enor mous number of wives and mistresses"belonging to the nations which he and his predecessorshad subduedE these strangers had strange gods" and he favored and helped their worship" in order to please the women. 6ehovah:s own professional servants were alarmed" and indignant prophecies began to reach the king:s ears about the dis membermentof the kingdom. 2ne prophet tried to bring about the evil he had foretold. &otwithstanding all this" +olomon died a natural death" royal" rich" and at peace. As we have now arrived at a more intellectual part of the 6ews: history" it will be well here to ac'uaint ourselves with their ideas on more general subjects than their own national progress and their own national god. It is im possible to fix dates for the rise of these ideasE they were of slow growth" the result of the working of many minds. Cery early in the life of an individual" curiosity awakes" and @9 it is in the life of a raceE naturally" ignorancemust precede knowledge"and" confronted with the mysteries of the origin of the world and of evil" the 4ebrew thinkers called upon their fancy. The explanation they offered remained for some time in an oral form" and was more or less changing" but at last there came a day when it was

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put in writing" and we read it now in our own language in pH(H the 6ewish beliefsconcerningthe universeand humanity form opening chapters of the *ible" and can be studied by anyone who is curious in such matters. +o far as it professesto disclosefacts" the theory is beneath contemptE yet to +ecularist readers it has an interest from its an ti'uity" and even from its very mistakes. The views of the 6ews on these magnificent subjects were petty( their sacred books (fix the year and the day of the week when the universe beganE their sacred writers describe man:s appearance on the earth as an abrupt event" and egotisti cally make the first man an 2riental like themselvesE they thought the planet on which they lived was the centre of importance"and that the sun" moon" and stars existed only to give light to itE they thought the history of the world dated back not much further than the history of their own raceE they thought their nation was among the earliest of nationsE and 6osephus called two thousand years a =vast distance of ages"= having no conception of the ages that had stretched back and back into the beginningless past before the career of his people began. It is a pity that the 6ews ac'uired the art of writing before they had sufficientinformation to write truly. ;or as they advanced nationally" they did not see the folly of these old accounts"they did not smileat them and set them asideE they have always clung to them as to positivetruthE even now" in the face of all that science has taught" they believe them. It is as if the babbling of a little child struggling to express itself were adopted as the language of full$grown men and women. All unaware of the almost world$widemischiefhe was to cause"his mindperhaps filledinstead with a sublimesatisfac tion" someunknown6ew Lor 6ewsD composedthe fivepamph lets of which the authorship is attributed to #oses. *ow muchofthesewasdue to his ownoriginality"wecannotknowE he wrote chiefly"if not entirely" that which was in current belief among his countrymen. A% an instance of this" we find two accounts of the creationE the story was taking shape" and the careful scribe recorded its changing: ver sions" without saying which he preferred. *ut no sooner were they written down" than the 6ews were obliged to believe both" although they contradict each other. =Is

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it not writtenF= was an argument convincing to the 6ewish mindE and the word scripture" which means writings" was thought a sufficient name for the 2ld Testament. 5nglish people are not apt to conclude nowadays that a thing must be true because it is written" nor even because it is printedE yet among 5nglish 0hristians the old 4ebrew idea survives" they are bound to believe what the 4ebrew writers penned" and *ible" which merely means a book" is their favorite name for the 2ld and &ew Testaments. &obody knows who the scribe was. 0ritics deny that it was #oses" and they tell us that the 2ld Testament was not in existence before @99 *.2." the greater part of it ap pearing at a later date. The !entateuch does not read anywhere like an autobiographyE the anonymous author never hints that he was himself the celebrated man he principally writes about" and he includes in his account of #oses an account of #oses:s death. The authorship of the various fragments of the *ible is a momentous 'ues tion for 0hristians" because on it has depended often their obligation to believe or their liberty to disbelieveE the writers: names are not so significant to the +ecularist" yet it is useful to him to know who did not write them" be cause a book which imputes false authorship is proved to be so far an untrue book. In this case" perhaps after all the writer was a #oses" for #oses was a very fre'uent 6ewish name. ;or the present purpose" it is enough that the !entateuch was written by somebody" somehow" some when" and somewhere( our concern is with its contents. The instructed can look far backward" and the wise can look far forward" but the extremes of past and future are alike hidden. The 6ewish theory of the past recognised no limitE with the confidencethat springs from inexperi ence" it assumed a beginning to all things" and ingeniously described that beginning in detail. The first being it in troduces is a supernatural one. 6ehovah sets to work one +unday to create the universe" and Las might be expected from theorists unac'uainted with astronomyD he devotes nearly all his energies to our tiny 5arth. 4is labors Jend on the sixth day" and on the +aturday he rests. 3It did not trouble the inventors of this tale that" as Adam and 5ve were produced last" there could have been nobody to see the process of creation" and therefore nobody competent to describe it.D Tempted by a talking serpent" 5ve and

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her husband steal an apple" whereupon they are turned out of the garden of 5den" and are free to roam about the world. &ot consideringthis punishmentenough$and cer tainly it does not seemto be a punishment at a/$6ehovah declares that all their descendants shall sin" and shall suffer"and shall die. This wasthe way in whichmatter" evil" pain" and death were accountedfor by the 6ewish intellect. It is plain that when this belief arose" the 6ews were pos eeesed of but a low moralityE no feeling of justice in them revolted from a vast revenge upon humanity for a trifling offence committed by its ancestors. Their god had the same defect as themselves"and they were not aware of his faults. The next tradition of importance relates that 6ehovah became angry at the wickedness of menE that he resolved to drown the world" saving only one family" together with specimens of all living creaturesE and that when these had embarked in a coveredship" he openedthe windowsof the firmament"and let the rain through" until the water was three miles high and the earth 'uite invisible under it. This legend shows a laudable striving after truth" impeded by much ignorance. There is no firmament. &or could a88beasts" birds" and insects have lived in one climate and one habitat. hen this story gained credence" no maps had been made" a large part of the world had not been discovered"and the concoctorsof it did not know that in distant countries there were animals 'uite different from those in !alestine" and re'uiring different conditions of life. 1et science tells a story somewhat similar( it tells of a partial deluge which happened thousands of years before the date of &oah:s universal one" a deluge caused not by sin. but by the physicalpositionof the earth towards the sun" a deluge whose waters came not from the sky in the form of rain" but from the melting of ice$seas and mountains of solid snow" submerging the lowlands round the !oles and turning them in due time into scenes of luxuriance and loveliness" a deluge which was not a miracle" but which obeyed the laws of natureE and it points to other deluges at intervals" back through the eternities that are gone. The fact is infinitely grander than the fiction. *ut most 0hristians still believe in the fabulous &oachian Hood, and they know nothing and want to know nothing about the real ones.
D

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The story of the tower of *abel is another effort made to solve a difficult'uestion. The 6ews were aware of a variety of languages" and the more imaginative of them supplied the explanationthat 6ehovah once confusedmen:s speechin order 8 T stopthe building of a tower high enough to reach heavenE they had never heard of the law of gravitation" and their god could not of course be wiser than they who made him were. The ac'uired knowledge of later years has proved these three legends to be false from every point of view. They are mere guessesof chil drenE may man forbid that they should continue much longer to be treated as absolute verityI After +olomon:s death" the rebellion which had been initiated by the prophet beforementionedwasresumedwith better success"and only the two tribes of 6udah and *en jamin acknowledged3ehoboam"+olomon:sson"while6ero boam$who had been in the late monarch:smilitary service $became king of the ten others" called by the compre hensive name of Israel. The thirteenth tribe was that of the 7evitesE 3ehoboam lived in 6erusalem" and they resorted to him because the temple was thereE so "ero boam made two gold calves"and built a little temple for them in two towns" appointing priests for them who were not of 7evi. This he did to dissuade his subjects from journeying to his enemy:s city" to keep the festivals and to worshipE he reminded them that 6ehovah could be any where" and that the heifers were dedicated to him. =It is too much for you to go up to 6erusalem"= he saidE =behold thy gods" 9 Israel.= The peoplewere willingE they had intermarried largely with idol$worshippers"and had never been 'uite content with a deity who could not be seen or touched. And now begins a long and weary chronicle of war. There was strife between the rival kings of Israel and 6udah" and there was strife between them and other nations. The customof the 6ews was to slay the men and married women"dash out the brains of the little ones" and reserve the girls for themselvesE to strip the dead and wounded bodiesE to take the camels"asses" sheep" horses" and cattle" torturing some" sacrificingsome"and making use of some. 6ehovah had his share of the stolen riches" which was placed in the storehouseof the templeE many female captiveswere given to him also. To God" in this

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latter instance" could only mean to the priests. e read of seventy men:s heads being sent away in baskets" and arranged in heaps at the gate of a cityE of ten thousand people being pushed from the top of a rock" until =they all were broken in piecesE= of a woman being thrown out of window" trampled. under foot" and eaten by dogs. This is not sacred history" though it is commonly called soE it records no domestic virtues and happinessE it is religious history" and very evil it is. The priests and the prophets took an eager part in it. The prophets were a dangerous set of men. Their efforts for power and their boldness had no bounds. They meddled in politics" and when one had a new idea" instead of explaining it in an article" as amateur politicians do now" he spoke it aloud" and prefaced it with =Thus saith the 7ord.= They were unscrupulous in working for the fulfilment of their own forecastsE often" by prophecies" they suggested actions and eventsE and occasionally" when the reigning king displeased them" they took upon them to anoint another" very sure that a war for the throne would follow. They were consulted before battles" and their en couragement or discouragement had such influence that it helped to bring about the result they wished. The law for the execution of a false prophet seems never to have been put in practiceE it would not always have been easy to find themE if taxed with their failure" they had only to say that in a later interview God had announced a change of purposeE moreover" the threatened one generally humbled himself" and then they withdrew or lessened their threats. Their deity could be reasoned with and cajoled" his decisions could be altered and improved uponE he was invaluable to them. +ometimes they were stoned or put in prison" be cause their fortune$telling was unfavorable and therefore unpleasantE sometimes they killed each otherE sometimes they were cut off in numbers by a 'ueen who was an idolatressE and yet" so money$making and @9 enticing was the profession" that the prophets were to be reckoned by hundreds. They roamed about the country" interfering and uttering coarse curses" and were a nuisance to it. 5lijah and (glisha were the most dreaded of these wander ing prophetsE they professed to work miracles" and being weatherwise" soon earned fame. 5lijah disappeared" and 5lisha pretended that he had ascended into the sky in a n2

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chariotof fire. This was not consideredveryextraordinaryE the impossible had great charms for the 6ews" and whereas we advertise for peoplemissing" they readily believed that a person who could not be found= was notE for God took him.= The prophets had hard work to keep the monarchs either of Israel or 6udah loyal to 6ehovah. The 'ueens were$many of them$not 4ebrew women" and it was natural that the kings should divide their attentions be tween the god of their fathers and the gods of their mothers. +ome of the kings of 6udah made idols" and even placed them in the templeE others removed them" hewed them in pieces" heat them to powder" killed their priests" burned the bones" and strewed the dust of the images on the graves of those who had sacrificedto them. <ing Asa of 6udah made a covenantwith his subjects that they should serve 6ehovah. and that whoeverwouldnot do so should be put to deathE 6 ehoshaphat of 6udah sent some 7evites and priests to teach from the book of the law in his various citiesE 6 oash of 6udah repaired the templeE but none of them could be dependedon" and each reign saw many vicissitudesof worship. The two kingdoms of Israel and 6udah" though they made =rare alliances with each other" were usually at enmity. Th.e seat of government of the former was at +amaria" and both possessed many fortified cities" castles" and towers. There was much internal warfare( the royal polygamousmarriages led to jealousy among the mothers" who intrigued for the crown for their own sons" and did not hesitate to have their other relations slainE the 4ebrew priests took part in these family rivalries" even to the killing of a reigning 'ueen" the forcible=anointing of her grandson" and the choosing of his wives. There was foreign war also( the 5gyptians besieged 6erusalem" and carried off much treasure from the temple" including +olomon:s gold shields and ,avid:s gold 'uiversE the 5thiopians made a hostile advanceE 5dom" #oab" and other places revoltedE the Arabians and !hilistines were fre'uently attacking or attacked by 6udahE the +yrians from time to time invaded both the 4ebrew kingdomsE and the Assyrians under Tiglath$!ileser fought against Israel" took several cities" exacted tribute" and carried off I,(lnyof the Israelites.

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All this was the effect of a desire for powerand wealth on the part of the surrounding nations$a desire which the 4ebrews had shown strongly too$but the prophets Linterested personsD were never tired of representing it as a punishment direct from 6ehovah for idolatry. They swarmed throughout the land" evil$tongued men" de nouncing the people" the priests" and each other. They shall describe themselves. 2ne says that he will =wail and howl" I will go stripped and naked( I will make a wailing like the jackals" and a mourning like the ostriches.= Another says that =the prophet is a fool" the man that hath the spirit is mad.= A third calls his brethren= foolish prophets"= =seeing vanity and divin ing lies" saying" Thus saith the 7ord Liod" when the 7ord hath not spoken.= The prophets and the priests had been antagonisticto each other ever since$and perhaps beforeU$+amuelut tered the famous axiom" =To obey is better than to sacrifice.= 4is reason for this opinionis obviousE sacri fices gave status and occupation to the priest" while obedienceincreasedthe conse'uenceof the prophet. 4un dreds of years after +amuel:s death" one of the latter improvedupon that sentence. 4e said( = ill the 7ord be pleased with thousandsof rams" or with ten thousands of rivers of oilF +hall I give my firstborn for my trans gressions" the fruit of my bodyfor the sin of my soul F 4e hath shewed thee" 9 man" what is goodE and what doth the 7ord re'uire of thee" but to do justly" and to love mercy" and to walk humbly with thy GodF = This state ment goesfurther than the ordinary inconsistencythat is in the *ible" for it struck at the temple$worship$a worshipwhichafterwardsbecamecherishedby every6ewE yet" with a complacencycommonto religious minds" the 6ews have never seemed to perceive its significance. It was met by no astonishmentand as little oppositionE it was accepted and ignoredE it was placed among their sacred words" allowed to form part of them" but never acted upon. The idea that God does not re'uire sacrifice remains a part of the *ible" where it contradicts all the previous*ible teaching" shining there like a bit of truth shines in the midst of the blunderings of ignorance. It made no impressionon the 6ewish mind" which had been hopelessly misdirected all through the lifetime of the

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nation on that point. The priests taught punishment for wrong$doingE they spoke of atonement and forgivenessE they never urged a steady reformation" they said nothing about an escaping from sin by sinning no moreE is it wonderfulthen that the 6ewish nation improvedso littleF that the 6ews of the ;all of 6erusalem were 80 like to the 6ews of early traditionF that the national 'ualities persisted during all the years of their existenceas a sepa rate nationF A people in the grasp of its priests is a people that improvesbut very slowly" if at all. The pro phet spoke"uncontradicted"but the seorifloesin the temple went on the same as everE still the animals struggled" shrieked" and died" still the woodcrackled"the fleshburned" and the smokewent up. The usual complaintof the prophets against the priests was that they did not sacrificeenough and did not sacri fice the best" that they dared to offer imperfect animals. = And when ye offer the blind for sacrifice"it is no evilI and when ye offer the lame and sick" it is no evilI= = A son honoureth his father" and a servant his master( if then I be a father" where is mine honourF and if I be a master" where is my fearF saith the 7ord of hosts unto you" / priests" that despisemy name. And ye say" herein have we despised thy nameF 1e offer polluted bread upon mine altar.= =1e say also" *ehold" what a weariness is it I= =I have no pleasure in you" saith the 7ord of hosts" neither +ill I accept an offering at your hand.= And the people were instructed in the same strain. =2urs"ed be the deceiver"which hath in his flock a male" and voweth" and sacrificethunto the 7ord a blemishedthing.= =;rom the days of your fathers ye have turned aside from mine ordinances" and have not kept them. 3eturn unto me" and I +ill return unto you. *ut ye say" herein shall we returnF ill a man rob GodF yet ye rob me. *ut ye say" herein have we robbed theeF In tithes and offerings. *ring ye the wholetithe into the storehouse"that there may be meat in mine house" and prove me now herewith if I will not open you the windows of heaven" and pour you out a blessing. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes" he shall not destroy the fruits of your groundE neither shall your vinecast her fruit before the time in the field. And all nations shall call you happy( for ye shall be H delightsome laud" saith the 7ord of hosts.= It is

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strange that the 6ews did not see the low cunning behind these words$did not *ee that when 6ehovah begged" it was really the priests who were begging for themselves. The prophets had certainly much to try them. It was the fashion among all those superstitious nations for the defeated nation to honor the gods of whichever happened to be victoriousE thus 6ehovah had considerable respect from foreigners" and the prophets boasted of itE in like manner" when <ing Aha% of 6udah was overcome hy the +yrians" he worshipped their idols" saying( =*ecause the gods of the kings of +yria helped them" therefore +ill I sacrifice to them" that they may help meE= and when the Assyrians came to his aid" and drove away the enemy" he transferred his devotion to their gods. +o angry was he" and contemptuous of 6ehovah" who had been of no use to him" that he shut up the temple" deprived it of the gifts that had been made to it" and took them to ,amascus as a present for Tiglath$!ileser. 4e copied the pattern of the altar at ,amascus" and set up a similar one at 6eru salem. The priests accommodatingly officiatedat the new altarE but the prophets were in despair. =Gird yourselves with sackcloth" and lament" ye priestsE howl" ye ministers of the altarE come" lie all night in sackcloth" ye ministers of my God( for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.= Aba% was succeeded by 4e%ekiah" whose first action was to open the temple doors" bring in the 7evites" and harangue them. =4ear me" ye 7evitesE now sanctify yourselves" and sanctify the house of the 7ord. ;or our fathers have trespassed" and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the 7ord" and turned their backs. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch" and put out the lamps" and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. &ow it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the 7ord" that his fierce anger may turn away from us. #y sons" be not now negligent.= After this speech$shortened from the *ible report$the 7evites set to work" and put everything in order. Then 4e%ekiah and the princes attended" and a sin$offering was made for the nationE there was a great scene of butchery" trumpeting" and sing ing. The priests were too few to flay all the animals" so the other 7evites helped them till the work was ended.

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4e%ekiah next sent messengersto the wholebody of the 4ebrews" calling on them to return to their ancient practices" and gather together at 6erusalem to keep a festivalE someof the tribes laughed at the summons"but others consentedto go" and 6erusalem became thronged with worshippers. It was as if the times of ,avid had comeback. Tithes were strictly demanded"and the store roomsof the temple were filled again with flour" wood"oil" ointment" salt" frankincense"spices" honey" and wine. As the high$priest remarked( =+ince the people began to bring the oblations into the house of the 7ord" we have eaten and had enough" and have left plenty.= A con siderable share of the good things was also distributed to the wivesand children of the 7evites. A fewyears later" the kingdomof Israel fell into troubleE +halmaneser" <ing of Assyria" invaded it. A lengthy war ended in the overthrow of the Israelite government and the transplanting of the people into Assyria" #edia" and !ersia. :8:he ten tribes were removedfrum !alestine about eight hundred years after they had entered it. This has alwaysbeen representedas an extraordinaryjudgment of the jealous and irate 6ehovahE but the fact remains that the sad fate was a very commonone. It was a fre'uent custom in those days for con'uerorsto carry to their own land the inhabitants of a con'uered city or country" and to replacethem by their own subjects. The more pious kingdom of 6udah did not fare much better. 4e%ekiah had reigned fourteen years when +e88$ nacherib" who was then <ing of the Assyrians"made an expedition against him" took all the cities of 6udah and *enjamin" and received gold and silver from the palace and the temple as tribute. 4e was about to lay siege to 6erusalem" but 4e%ekiah" after a council of war" cut o(ft the supply of water outside the city. rebuilt the outer walls" and prepared for defence. The want of water causedan epidemicto break out among the A+Ayriansa"nd the army was withdrawn. The *ible historian mentions with horror that the enemy= spake of the God of 6eru salem" @+ of the gods of the peoples of the earth" which are the work of men:s hands.= There was but little differenceE the idols and 6ehovah were alike man$madeE they were the work of men:s hands" and he was the work of men:s brains.

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It was at this epoch"and later" that the most famouspro phets lived. They were of uncleanlyhabits and ridiculous behaviorE Isaiah walked naked in the streets" 5%ekiel were a rotten girdle" and 6eremiah carried a. woodenyoke upon his shoulders. +ome of the prophets wrote down their own utterances" which is a circumstanceto be much regretted" for far more attention has been accordedto these mad effusionsthan they deserved"and many sane persons have wearied their brains with trying to understand and explain them. The burden of them was = oe" woeE = they were most melancholy. They consisted of revolting denunciations" absurd dreams" and of words piled upon words without any correspondingmeaning. They began with =The word of the 7ord came unto me" saying"= and 6ehovah was thus made the author of all sorts of contra dictions. The folly reached its height when the prophets took to prophesyingin the present and past tensesI or per haps the folly was that of their interpreters" who thought such sentences referred to a distant future. It re'uires more than the ingenuity of the most ingeniouscommenta tor to make the *ible prophecies fit the after eventsE yet they had all the advantage that ambiguity gives. A pre diction"to be worth anything" should be preciseE it should be so wordedthat it could only be understoodin one way" and it should mentionnames" time" and place. = A great day of the 7ord is near"= =*ehold" the days come"= =In that day"= "It shall cometo pass"=$such were the exces sively vague dates that the 4ebrew prophets affixed to their announcements.: The contemporarypriests were not of much help in re commending6ehovah to a reluctant peopleE they even lost the book of the law" and did not disturb themselvesabout the loss. It was 6osiah" one of the kings of 6udah" who indirectlycaused it to be found by instituting a thorough renovation of the temple. The high$priest showed the book to a scribe"who studied it" and then carried it to the king. 6osiah ordered it to be read aloud to him" and on hearing the commandsand the curses" he fell nearly into despair. 4e sent for the chief men of his kingdom"the inhabitants of 6erusalem" the prophets" and the priests" and informed them of the laws" exhorting them to obey themE he appealed also to such of the Israelites as had escapedcaptivityunder the Aisyrians"to turn to their own

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6ehovahE and he searched the towns"villages" and houses" for idols or any other thing that might be worshippedas a god. . It was during the reigns of some of his successorsthat disaster and destruction came upon the kingdom of 6udah. The 0haldeansmade three expeditions against 6erusalem" under &ebuchadne%%ar"the <ing of *abylon. The 2hal deans are described by one of the prophets as =that bitter and hasty nationE which march through the breadth of the earth" to possessdwelling places that are not theirsE = it was a true description"and one that would have applied e'ually to the 4ebrews since their entering !alestine. 2n the first occasion"the 6ewish king was slain" his son was made king in his stead" and some thousands of captives were taken to *abylon. The result of the secondinvasion was that the king" with his mother" wives"and friends" was carried prisoner to *abylon" and his unclewas left to reign instead of him. &ine years after" &ebuchadne%%ar be sieged 6erusalem for the third time" took <ing Oedekiah in fetters to *abylon" pillaged the temple" carried off its treasures" burned the temple" palace" and every great house" broke down the city wall" and took away the chief men of the capital" the officers" soldiers" craftsmen" and smiths" leaving only the poorest inhabitants. A governor was appointed to take charge of the country" and a yearly tribute was imposed. ,uring all this adversity" the clamoring of the prophets as they poured out their curses upon foreigners" country men" and each other" was not one of the least misfortunes that the 6ews endured. +ome foretold victoryE others foretold defeat. 6eremiah and 5%ekiel were of the latter sortE the formerwas loud against = backsliding Israel and treacherous 6udah"= and the latter$an early captiveUeent word from *abylon that there was to be =a great shaking in the land of IsraelE so that the fishes of the sea" and the fowls of the heaven" and the beasts of the field" and all creeping things that creep upon the earth" shall shake" and the mountains shall be thrown down" and the steep places shall fall.= 1et 5%ekiel and 6eremiah did not agree" and the point on which they differed was the origin of the opposing prophecies. 5%ekiel kept to the old idea. =And if the prophet be deceived and speaketh a word" I the 7ord have deceivedthat prophet" and I will stretch

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out my hand upon him" and will destroy him.= Thus he spoke" in 6ehovah:s name" and did not know what wicked words he es.idE there was nobody to teach him that in e'uity ill ini'uity. &or did 6eremiah resent the evil attributed to GodE he only denied the fact. =The pro phetslrophesy lies in my name( I sent them not" neither have commanded them" neither spake I unto them.= This was his contention" speaking for 6ehovahE and that his sense of justice was no clearer th n 5%ekiel:s is shown by the curse that he made his god pronounce on any de luded persons. 6eremiah:s outcry against his rivals was perpetual. = *ehold" I am against the prophets" saith the 7ord" that use their tongues" and say" 4e saith" *ehold" I am against them that prophesy lying dreams".saith the 7ord" and do tell them" and cause my people to err by their hes" and by their vain boasting.= And" no doubt" the opposing prophets said the same of him. hat were the harassed people to believeF 6eremiah was one of those fanatics who could not be 'uieted( he exasperated the priests" prophets" and populace to such a degree that he narrowly escaped with his lifeE he dictated to the scribe *aruch a rigmarole of threats against Israel" 6udah" and other nationsE the king" after listening to three or four pages" cut it with a penknife and threw it into the fireE but 6eremiah took another roll" and handed it to *aruch" who wrote down from his mouth all the words of the manuscript which 6ehoiakin had burnt" and many more besidesE he was imprisoned in Oedekiah:s reign" and the princes wished him to be executed" because he =weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city" and the hands of all the people" in speaking such words unto them( for this man seeketh not the wel fare of this people" but the hurt.= It was well said. The 6ews needed leaders who would give them energy in war" and would show manly endurance in defeat. There was no manliness about the prophetsE they were extravagant in every mood" and they met adversity by wailing" howling" and =wallowing in ashes.= +plit into two divisions" weakened by internal war" im poverished by the costly demands of the temple worship" distracted by the threats of the prophets" and besieged by nations stronger than itself" the once famous 4ebrew king dom % n1 into insignificance and disappeared" The two

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remaining tribes were scattered" a remnant fled to 5gypt" and 6udea becamealmost deserted. It was during this *abylonian captivity that the 6ewish supernatural beliefs were enlarged. /ntil now" +atan had been an angel" on familiar terms with 6ehovah" and sent here and there by him to execute his judgments. The 4ebrews had had no need for a devil" becausetheir god was so bad. *ut they found in the countriesof their pre sent sojourn a !ersian devil" named"Ahriman" and they adopted him" and by degreeshe becameidenticalwith their own +atan" and the two phantasies$originally so different $ were made one. The ,evil was a grand addition to the 6ewish mythology. Thenceforwardhe was to be respon sible for the evil in the world" while 6ehovah was credited with the goodE yet old ideas are so slowlygot rid of" that the god:s improvementwas not sudden but gradual. Ahri man had been turned into a serpent" and it is in the form of a serpent that the *iblical ,evil is first introduced. The legend of the ;all" which is almost at the beginning of the *ible" must thereforebe late in point of composition$much later than the legend of the 0reation" which is alluded to in the !salms" and even in the ;ourth 0ommandment. It was from !ersia too that the doctrinesof the resurrection" and of heaven and hell cameE the 6ews had believedthat 6ehovah lived up above" but for themselvesthere was only +he98"the abode of departed spirits" corresponding to the Greek 4adesE they did not expect a second and eternal lifeE the pamphlet called 5cclesiastesis explicit as to that. &ow" however"their religion was growing by contactwith foreign ideasE heaven. and hell were added to it" and 6ehovah reigned over the one" while +atan presided over the other. The sacred literature of the 4ebrews had increased. The law" psalms" proverbs" and prophecies were written" and a few more pamphlets" such as the adventures of 6ob and 6onah" the +ong of +ongs" and the 7amentationsE there was also a journal of the tribe" kept in the tabernacle in the days of +amuel" from which the narrative and his torical portions of the 2ld Testament were probably com piled. A skilful editor" with the future doctrine of the inspiration of the 4oly +criptures before his eyes" would have struck out the irreconcileablepassages and made the whole volume consistentE but with the 6ews" what was

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written remainedE and the result is a book interesting to the evolutionist" who regards 6ehovah as a fiction and accepts him as the manufacture of various intellects" but most embarrassing to the believer in his real existence. 6ehovah is not the conception of one improving mind" his creators were many" each unconsciously contributed some thing of himself" the later writers did not erase the earlier statements but only added their own" all these descriptions are retained in the *ible" and thus the 6ewish god is not only nothing else than a magnified 6ew" but he is a 6ew of differing and conflicting times. The same book tells us that people could go = out from the presence of the 7ord"= and makes him say( =,o not I fill heaven and earthF= It represents him as the patron of ,avid and of 6acob" and states that he =abhorreth the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.= It asserts that he hated 5sau before he was born" and claims that= God is a righteous judge.= It accuses him of =visiting the ini'uity of the fathers upon the children"= and declares that he =hateth them that shed innocent blood.= It says that ." men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts"= and that= his tender mercies are over all his worksE = it saya that =he hath made the wicked for the day of evil"= and that =his I,V($l=01 endureth for ever.= The writers of the 2ld Testament were in too great a hurryE they should have fully formed their deity bofore they wrote about him. #any years later" a 6ew of a gentler disposition than any of these" said( =*e ye merciful" even as your ;ather is merciful"= and described him as = kind toward the unthankful and evil"= declaring that =none is good save one" even God.= e are asked to believe this of 6ehovahI It is impossible. 4e is no new and untried godE his misdeeds are recorded against him in too many *ible textsE and the mass of contradictions related of him are fatal to any reasonable belief in him at all. It was not only about the character of their god that the *ible authors differedE they were undecided as to whether there should be one or more. The 4ebrews were for long imbued with the polytheism that they sawall round themE it seems to have had a fascination for themE and traces of this are to be seen in the story of the 0rea tion" where 6ehovah says( =7et us make man in our image" after our likenessE= in the story of the ;all" where he says( =*ehold" the man is become as one of usE= and

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in the story of the Tower of *abel" where he says( =Go to" let us go down" and there confound their language.= The struggle of the 5lohim" or plural gods" for existence in the 6ewish belief was but shortE they vanished" and 6ehovah was single. *ut while his people acknowledged him as the only deity for themselves" they long believed that there were other deities just as real for foreigners. It was 6eremiah who took the (fi.nalstepinto monotheism" when he had the hardihood to say( =+hall a man make unto himself gods" which yet are no godsF= This was an advance from 6ehovah:s earlier claim of being only =above all gods.= Though nationally degraded" the 6ews seem to have been otherwise prosperous during their exile. +ome of them had appointments in the palace at *abylon" and the monarchs spoke reverentially of 6ehovah" having already 80 many divinities" that one more or less could make no difference to them. The 6ews about the court took every opportunity to exalt him in the opinion of their royal masters" and the result was that in the first year of the reign of 0yrus" <ing of *abylonia and !ersia" a decree went forth that a new house was to be built for the 4ebrew god at 6erusalem" and that such of the 4ebrews as chose to do so might return to 6udea and inhabit the land again. This was the only occasion on whieh 6ehovah was ever of use to his people. The heads of the houses of 6udah and *enjamin" with the 7evites" immediately departed" taldng with them presents of precious metals" goods" and beasts from their countrymen" and many chargers" bowls" and other vessels of gold and silver which had been taken by &ebuchadne%%ar from the temple" and put in the houses of his gods" and which were now given back by 0yrus. 0yrus also gave a considerable grant for the building of the new temple. It was a revival of the old 6ewish gloriesE again workmen were set at work" again the cedars were cut down in 7ebanon" again the foundation of a vast edifice was laid" and apparelled priests made noisy music" and the throng =shouted with a great shout.= The captivity had lasted seventy years" and there were some old men present who recollected the first templeE these wept" thinking$as the old are apt to do$that the present and future could never e'ual the past. There were considerable hindrances to the work of re$

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storation. The city was in processof building" the founda tions wererepaired and the wallsfinished"whenrepresenta tions reached <ing 0ambysesthat 6erusalem had been in former times a rebellious city" that for this cause it had been laid waste" and that if the 6ews were lermitted to re$inhahit it they would not pay tribute an would give much trouble. These representations came from the +amaritans" who had been brought over from other countriesto take the place of the ten tribes of Israel" long ago" when the Israelites were carried off by +halmaneser. 2ambysescommandedthat the work should cease" and it was not resumed until the reign of ,arius. 4aggai and Oechariah were the prophets then" and their language was no milder than that of their predecessorshad been. = And this shall be the plague wherewith the 7ord will smite all the peoples that have warred against 6erusalem"= cried Oechariah( =their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet" and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets"and their tongue shall consumeaway in their mouth.= 4aggai was eager for the building to go on. =Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your cieledhousesHwhilethis house lieth wasteF= and the usual threats followed"till =the peopledid fear before the 7ord.= /nder favor of ,arius" the temple was completed"and its dedication was an occasionof much joy. #ore and more 6ews began to go up from *abylon" and the leader of one of these parties was 5%ra" a ready scribe" and a man well thought of at the court of ,arius:s successor. 4e arrived at 6erusalem in charge of treasures of silver" wheat" wine" and oil" and with authority to appoint magis trates to judge the peopleaccordingto the laws of 6ehovah and of the king. 4e foundthe templesplendidlyappointed" and the sacrificesgoing on as they used to doE there were some things missing however" for the brass pillars" sea" and lavers had been broken up by &ebuchadne%%ar"and the precious ark was lostI &ever more would 6ehovah sit between its cherubim"nor upon themE the poor old box had probably decayedand fallen to pieces"for it was only made of acacia$wood. A second ark was made after the return from *abylon" but the contents of the former one were gone" and the newark was empty. It professed to hold 6ehovah and it contained nothing$a fact of which the f,ll significancewas lost upon the 6ews.

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5%ra found that the 6 ewe were continuing the" practice of taking wives from surrounding nations" and he made a proclamation that they should assemble at 6erusalem within three days" on pain of having their substance forfeited and their names struck off the list of the congregation. hen all were present" he demanded that those who had married strange wives should put them away" together with the children who had been born of them. To this unnatural order" the hapless men replied ( =As thou hast said con cerning us" so must we do.= &ehemiah" a contemporary of 5%ra:s" speaks of these mixed marriages" and says of himself proudly( =And I contended with them" and cursed them" and smote certain of them" and plucked off their hair" and made them swear by God" saying" 1e shall not give your daughters unto their sons" nor take their daughters for your sons" or for yourselves.= And he follows this up by( =3emember me" 9 my God" for good.= 3eligion had hardened him as it had hardened 5%raE what mat tered to them injustice or heartbreak" if only 6 ehovah were kept in good .humor ! 5%ra:s next move was to read the book of the law before the congregation. 4e stood on a broad open space in front of one of the city gates" and read from dawn till mid$day. The ceremony began with his invoking a blessing /ptl, GodE =Amen" amen"= answered the people" lifting up their hands" then bowed themselves" and worshipped with their faces to the groundE it was a condition of mind very favorable for the meek reception of laws. *ut when they found what was written in the book" they wept. They accepted the commands" believing them to be #oaaio and divinely dictatedE but it is likely that the greater part were not due to #oses" and certain that none were originated by 6ehovah. ,ay after day" for a week" the reading went onE and daily after the reading" the people were dismissed" to eat" drink" make merry" and forget their dismay at what tbey bad heard. The concluding ceremony" on the eighth day" was one of penitence and promiseE dressed in sack cloth and sprinkled with earth" they stood and publicly confessed their forefathers: sins against 6ehovah" and took an oath to order their own conduct according to the law. The chances were that during this their second experience of national life the 4ebrews would be more amenable to rule. It had been persistently impressed upon the genera$

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tion then alive that their captivity was the result of 6eho vah:s angerE and that he had been made angry because their fathers had been idolators" becausethey had ignored the +abbath" because they had made foreign marriages. In reality" the 6ews had been taken captive because the Assyrians were a greater military power than theyE they saw the same fate overtake many other weak peoples"and yet they could not reason for themselves"they had not the ability to reject the foolish teaching of the prophets" they returned to 6udea convinced that their prosperity would dependupontheir obedienceto and their flatteryof 6ehovah. They were prepared to lead their children in the sameway. They readily kept the fasts" festivals" and ordinances re 'uired of themE they brought tithes and first$fruits of all kinds to the temple" denying themselves that they might have the more to giveE they even brought their first$born sons and daughters" becauseit was so written in the law. True" these wereto be redeemedfor money"but that parents should submit to the form of bringing them for such a purpose showsthat they were god$enslaved. The rebuilding of 6erusalemwent on"though &ehemiah" the governor" informs us that the workers were obliged to be protected by armed men" and that the masonsand load carriers had each a weapon in one hand or a sword at his side$so opposed were the neighboring races to the restoration of the 4ebrews among them. The wall of the capital was dedicatedto God" as soon as it was finished. It is at this point that the so$called sacred history of the 6ews endsE the *ible records no more. A% their history progresses" 6ehovah appears personally less and less in it" whencewe may infer that it is getting reliableE it connects itself also with the known histories of other nations" and is corroboratedby themE in becomingsecular" it becomesmore real. The 6 e @never recoveredthe power they are rumored to have had in the days of ,avid and +olomonE though their national piety dated from their return to 6udea" their national subjection continued and became permanent$a fact in direct contradictionof the priests: and prophets: theory. +tronger con'uerorsarose" one after another" and" +ith the exception of an interval during the #accabean monarchy" the only change they experiencedfor the better was a changeof foreign masters. !tolemy +oter took 6erusalem" and carried many 6ews
6Ii6

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into 5gypt. 4is successor"!tolemy !hiladelphus" set free the 6ewish captives. 4e was curiousabout the law" and had it translated from 4ebrew into Greek for his library" writing to the high$priest to send him elders of ability to undertake the workE the old men arrived with their books" which were of fine membrane exactlyjoined together" so as to form long rolls" and the lawswere written on them in gold lettersE they were treated with respect" and at supper 5lea%ar was desired to say grace instead of one of the heathen priests. !tolemy !hiladelphus also sent presents to the temple" among them a gold table of ex'uisitework manship" and inlaid with carbunclesand other stones. The next person to sei%e upon 6udea was Antiochusthe Great" who was at war with !tolemy !hilopater and his sonE the inhabitants of 6erusalem went over to him of their own accord"received him into the city" and helped him to besiege the 5gyptian garrisonE to reward them" Anti ochus granted manyfavors"and forbade foreignersto come within the temple precincts"or any meat to be brought into the capital that the 6ews were forbidden by their religion to eatE after this" he made a league with the <ing of 5gypt" gave him his daughter as a wife" and 6udea was one of the places includedin her dowry. 1ears went on" and another #acedonianking" Antiochus 5pi phanes" took 6erusalem" plundered it" and left the temple bare" taking even the scarlet veils of finest linen. &ow began a terrible time of persecution( vast numbers of 6ews were hurried into exile" while those that remained were ordered not to circumcisetheir sons"to destroytheir holy books" to cease the usual sacrifices"to build temples and altars for idols in every village" and offer pigs upon them every day 8 those who refused were beaten" cruci fied" strangled" or tom to pieces. That any were found to refusemarks a changein the nationaldisposition.&aturally polytheistic" the 6ews had been made artificially mono theisticE and from the day of their return from *abylon" 6ehovah reigned triumphantly over them. 4e reigned" though he did not exist. #any of the persecuted took refuge in the desert" and hid in caves"but the soldiersof Antiochus pursued them there" and on one +abbath day set fire to the caves without stopping up the entra.nces" for those inside made no resistance because the da.ywas one of rest to them" or

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$rather of inaction. These 6ews were of very clliferent behavior from their ancestorsE the prophets had accused their contemporarycountrymen of always profaning the +abbaths" but these %ealots choseto be smothered rather than exert themselves on a holy day by fighting. The institutor of the +abbath$whoever he may have been was the primary murderer of these deludedfamilies. It was the persecution by Antiochus 5piphanes that caused the book of ,aniel to be written. Authority was only granted by 6ewish belief then to ancient writings" and its author therefore ante$dated it considerably. Its pur port was to showthat the present adversityhad been fore told" and that better times were in store. !art of it was easyto write" sinceit describedwhathad alreadyhappenedE the part which related to the future was encumbered by a mass of nonsenseand wrapped in a ma%e of words"but its leading idea was that deliverancewould cometo the 6ews" and that they would triumph over the nations which now oppressed them. A= +on of man= was introduced in a vision" who came with clouds"and to whom was given a kingdom which should never be destroyed. The term =+on of man= was not new" it was a name by which 6ehovah had habitually addressedthe prophet 5%ekiel" ac 0o'ding to the latter:s own account"and it was one which might be e'ually applied to any masculinehuman beingE since ,aniel:s +on of man appeared in clouds"it may be fairly supposedthat he was not human but supernatural" but he was seen only in a dream and we hear no more of himE he is as unexplainedas the =Ancient of days"= who made his first and last appearancein the same dream. In another vision" a prince called #ichael was to be the deliverer" but when ,aniel en'uired" =4ow long shall it be to the end of these wondersF= a man clothed in linen told him that it should be =for a time" times"and an half"= upon which the en'uirer remarks( =And I heard" but I understood not.= Altogether" it is plain that none but a very mystery$lovingpeople could have drawn comfort from such a compositionas the apocryphalpamphletwhich bears the name of ,aniel. It was not a supernatural being" nor a prince called #ichael"who came to the rescueof the 6ews in their a8*.ic tion. 6udas #accabeuswas the name of their general in this war. 4e drove the enemyout of the countryE !2 put to

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death many of those who" under pressure of persecution" had transgressedthe lawsE and restored the temple"which had remained deserted so long that it was overgrownwith weedsand shrubs. *ut the #acedoniansreturned. They were not the only foes the 6ews had to contend againstE there were the +amaritans also" and they were nearer neighbors. The +amaritans were the descendants of a colonyof #edesand !ersians" who had been sent to occupy the country of +amaria in place of the ten tribes removed by +halmaneserE they had a temple on #ount Geri%%im" where they worshippedsometimes6ehovah and sometimes 6upiterE their fathers had been instructed in the 4ebrew faith" but they were not of kin to the 6ews" and they chose generally to live after the Greek customs" and to act as enemiesof the 4ebrew nation. The desire of Antiochus was to con'uer 6udea" take its inhabitants for slaves" destroy its capital" and abolish the whole national life. The war went on" year after year" but the 6ews were pre pared to lose their lives soonerthan their liberty" and they had the successthat desperation often gives. The king died" and was succeededby his son Antiochus 5upator" who advancedto 6erusalem and besiegedit" being assisted by his soldiersin the citadel" and by those 6ews who pre ferred the religion that they had been commanded to adoptE 6erusalem might have been taken" but that other afiairs and other wars called the king away" and he accordingly made peace with #accabeus" and withdrew his army. 6udas #accabeuswas raised to the high$priest hood" and placed thus at the head of the government. 2n hearing of the power of the 3omans" he resolved to enter into a friendly league with them" and sent ambassa dors to 3omeE the senate granted the decree asked for" and a copy of it was brought into 6udea. This was the first time the 6ews had political dealings with the nation which was to prove so fatal to them. 6udas #accabeuswas succeededby his brothers" 6ona than being high$priest" and +imon general of the forces. Their earliest work was to restore the walls of temple and city"to improvethe buildingsof 6erusalem"and tostrengthen all the fortressesin the land. They were occupiedin sup pressing the 6ewish religious deserters" and in wars" either defensiveor offensive. 2n the death of 6onathan" +imon became high$priest and had sole power. The 6ews pros$

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pered under him" for he freed them from the necessity of paying tribute to #acedoniaE he took the citadel" which was held by #acedoniansoldiers"pulled it down"and even had the hill levelled upon which it had stood" so that nothing should be higher than the temple" and no foreign garrison should be able again to overawe it. 4e was styled= +imonthe benefactor"and ethnarch 98 the 6ews.= 4is son 4yrcanuswas his successorin the high$priesthood" and he revived a few of the old priestly and prophetic tricksE he pretendedto hear the voiceof God in the temple" and to see him and hold a conversationwith him in a dream" and occasionallyhe forecast events. !rophecywas"however"a fa.ilingprofessionat this epoch. The nation was pious" power and prosperity centred in the priests" and priests and prophets could not both flourish at the same time. The golden days of the latter had been when 6ehovah was neglected"and they had volublytaken his part. Those days weregone for ever"for the 6ews had learnt by their captivitythe lessonof monotheism. 6ehovah was now essential to their patriotism" he held the chief position in each of their national anniversaries"to ignore him wouldhave been to abandon everypast record of their race. Their temple stood on #ount #oriah" where Abra ham oncenearly sacrificedIsaacE the ;east of the !assover was a reminder of the God$sent plague which brought about their exodus from 5gyptE the ,ay of !entecost commemoratedthe divine revelation to #oseson #ount +inaiE there weremany other festivalsand fasts" all closely connectedwith their ancestorsand with 6ehovah. As the nation grew older" it became necessarily conservative( these legends were embodied in its written historyE they were" indeed" the leading events of :that historyE they were referred to in many of the psalms which the 6ews sangE .they were rehearsed in the hearing and by the lips of every 6ew from childhood upwards" with a persistency that couldnot but have effecton his beliefE when he had performed his duty in the temple" and was about to go home" he must first stand in front of the holy house" return thanks to God aloud that he had given a good land to his own" and entreat him for further benefits. There was early implanted in the 6ews the convictionthat they were the chosenand favorite people of their deity. 6eho vah:s chosenpeopleF 4e was not even their chosengod.

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The change in the nation:s tendency" from polytheism towards monotheism"was illustrated by their new policy in con'uestE up to the time of the #accabees"their religion had been of the family and the tribe" but now they took to proeelytieingvigorously. 4yrcanus con'ueredIdumea" which lay to the south of 6udea" and made the inhabitants circumcisethemselvesand obey the 6ewish lawE at a later period" the 6ews possessed many cities that had belonged to the +yrians and !hoenioiansE these citi%ens were not of 4ebrew blood" but they were called 6ews because they lived perforce accordingto the 4ebrew customsE had they refused" they would have been removed or destroyed. It was from the Idumean race that the next 6ewish monarchy sprang. A missionaryspirit was not the only ill$effect produced on the 6ews by monotheismE schismwas another. Those who have many gods are disposedto latitude and toleranceE those who have only one form dogmas" and 'uarrel over them to the death. There were now three sects$the !harisees" +adducees"and 5ssenes. They diftered chiefly about immortality. The !harisees held that the souls of the wicked were eternally tormented under the earth" and that the souls of the good went into other bodiesE the +adduceesrejected future punishments and rewardsE the 5ssenes believed in heaven and a cold dark hell. The !harisees had collected from tradition a number of obser vances which were not written in the law" and they were followed by the commonpeople" while the +adducees per suaded the rich" and the 5ssenes practised a severer disci pline th n eitherE commerceand navigationwereforbidden to them E they had no private property" disapproved of pleasure" and avoidingmarriage preferred to adopt children" they studied the holy books and especiallythe prophecies" observed the +abbath with strictness" and condemned to death anyone who spoke evil of #oses. /nder the family of the #accabees"the 4ebrews had many variations of fortune. They were now flourishing" not onlyin 6udea" but in Alexandria"5gypt" and elsewhereE the 5gyptian 6ews had a temple served by 7evites" and in every respect like the one at 6erusalem" except that it was smaller. *ut on the death of 4yrcanus" a change took place in the style of governmentE his eldestsonAristobulus" stimulated perhaps by the prophecy attributed to ,aniel

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that = the saints of the #ost 4igh= should have a kingdom again" took the title of king" while retaining the functions of the high$priesthood. It was over five hundred years since the earlier 6ewish monarchy had been destroyed. Aristobulu* was followed by his brother Alexander" a tyrant" who spent his time in wars with the !tolemies of 5gypt" with the Arabians" and with the 6ews themselves" who did not want royal masters" and whose piety inclined them to submit to none but priestly authority. Alexander:s two sons" 4yrcanus and Aristobulus" disputed long as to which should govern" and at last applied to the 3oman !ompey to settle the matter. 4e declared in favor of the elder" and advanced upon 6erusalemE both parties were represented in the city" so that !ompey found himself admitted and the palace delivered up" while the temple held out against him. 4e pitched his camp on the north side" which was the most practicable" but even it was defended by towers" and begirt by a deep ditch that was almost a valley. !ompey:s soldiers filled up the ditch" raised a bank" and attacked the temple with battering rams" hurling great stones at it. The 6ews had made up their minds by this time that to fight in defence was per missible on the +abbath" but not to make any assaultE accordingly" the 3omans worked safely at the earthen banks on +aturdays" while the sacrifices were going on inside the building. The 6ews suffered" @+ always" for their religionE the temple was taken" the 3omans poured in. and the place was full of slaughter" the priests: throats were cut" for they preferred to be killed rather th n omit any part of their daily practices by running away" and many 6ews threw themselves down the precipices in despair. hat touched them most was that !ompey and his Htaff went over the holy house" and saw all that it was not lawful for anyone except the high$priests to see. 6udea was now made subject to 3ome" its con'uests were given back to the native inhabitants" 3oman garrisons were placed in the capital" Aristobulus was carried away bound" and 4yr canus was established in the kingship and the high$priest hood" having the care of the temple" and being assisted in government by five councils in five different cities. The supreme council was at 6 erusa6emE it consisted of seventy one 7evite members" and was called the % nhed'im.. *ut the country was by no means left to peace. Aristo$

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bulus escaped" and he and his sons kept up a constant struggle for powerE many 6ews joined them" and many battles were fought with the commander of the 3oman forces. hen Aristobulus was dead" and when !ompey was dead" 6ulius 0oosarconfirmed4yrcanus in his 7o%i tion" and govemors were appointed for 6erusalem and GalileeE these young men" !hasaelus and 4erod" were brothersE they had the real power" while 4yrcanus had the appearance of reigningE any 'uestion about 6ewish customswas determined by the latter. The two govemors were unpopular" but 4erod was about to marry into the family of the king" and 4yrcanus always stood his friend" and took his part against his own subjectsE the brothers prospered" and were made respectivelytetrarchs of 6 erusa lem and Galilee. 4yrcanus was of a mild disposition"and needed all the help that they could give him" for though Aristobulus was dead" his son Antigonus carried on the rebellion. Antigonus bribed the !arthians to take up his cause" by a promiseof a thousand talents and five hundred womenof the principal 6 ewish familiesE there were daily skirmishes about 6erusalem" ending with a considerable battle" after which the !arthian general was admitted" !hasaelus and 4yrcanus were persuaded by him to go as ambassadors to the !arthian king" 4erod took to 8light" and the enemy plundered the city and adjoining country. Antigonus received!hasaelus and 4yrcanus as his priso ners" and he cut off the ears of 4yrcanus to prevent him. from ever being high$priest againE the law re'uired that every priest should be =without blemish.= !hasaelus committedsuicide. 4erod hastened to 3ome" and related his misfortunesto AntonyE a senate was convened"and the senators decreed that 4erod should be the <ing of the 6ews. As 4erod made his way back to 6udea" he got together an army" both of strangers and of countrymenE nearly all Galilee joined him" for the men of those parts thought him likely to succeed" and they hoped for rewards when he should be firmly establishedE the countriesof +amaria and 6udea also came over to him by degreesE but the war was a protracted one" evenwith the help of the 3oman legions" and it was three years after he had been decreed king" when 4erod neared 6erusalem. The unfortunate city was %ealouslydefendedE the 6ews were a fighting nation" and

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their religion made them incline to the sacerdotal family of the #accabeesE 4erod was only half a 6ew" for the place of his birth was Idumea" which" though 6ewish by custom for sometime past" had never been 6ewish by race. The besiegedwere animated by their piety" but they were l%o hindered by it" for this was a +abbatic year and they were not well provisionedE every seventh year" the nation was obliged to leave the ground unsownE the land rested" and they rested from cultivating it. Attacked by a mighty army" and placedat a disadvantageby being short of food" the city was taken by 4erod" twenty$sevenyears after its former capture by !ompey. 0rowds of strange soldiers ran into the temple" to see it and its sacred contentsE plunder and murder went onE but at last the troops were 'uieted" the 3oman general was dismissedwith a present of money"Antigonuswas taken away by him to 3ome and afterwards beheaded" and 4erod was left to begin his reign. The 6ewish crownpassed out of the high$priestly family" it rested on the head of a private man" and the #accabean governmentcame to an end after a hundred and twenty$sixyears of power. This is the same 4erod who was surnamed the GreatE he was great chieflyin crimeE he ordered the death of his wife #ariamne" of her brother" mother" and grandfather 4yrcanus" and of other relatives"until not one of the royal family of the #accabeeswas alive to endanger his rule. The 6ews hated him" and it re'uired the execution of Antigonus to induce them to call him their king. 4e began his reign by robbing the wealthymenof 6erusalemE he was cruelE he was imposed upon the nation by the 3omansE and most of all" his birth was against him. *eing only an Idumean 6ew" his sympathies were really pagan" and he did not hesitate to break the law in a manner which exasperated his subjects. 4e showedhis contempt for their religioussusceptibilitiesby sending for an obscure priest from *abylonia" and bestowingthe high$priesthood upon himE there were great numbersof 6ews living beyond the 5uphrates" descendantsof those who had been captives there" and who had not chosento come away when per missionwas given. 4e built a theatre at 6erusalemE and this was something'uite new. 4e built an amphitheatre also" where every fifth year he celebrated gaines after the 3oman fashionE that is" he invited wrestlers from other

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countries" and had chariot$races"and fights between gladi ators and wild beasts. These were costly works" but the citi%enstook no pride in themE they were un$6ewish. The tastes of the 6ews" like their beliefs and disbeliefs" had been settled for them hundreds and hundreds of years beforeE they inherited their parents: ideas as they inheri ted their featuresE it was not the brutality but the novelty of these sports that offendedthemE even the harmless ones were sinful to them" because heathenish. Times were past when pagan customs could be pleasant to the 6ews. The national career had been a long educationin fanati cism$so successful"that the 6ews of 4erod:s time disliked change" especially any change which diverted attention from their religion. The inscriptions in the theatre in praise of the 3oman 0msarremindedthem that they were a con'ueredpeople"and the trophies of those nationswhich 4erod had subdued" instead of making them feel proud" roused their frantic bigotryE they took them for images" than which nothing could now be more hateful in their sight" and 4erod was obliged to showthem that under the armor and garmentswere no fi;es of men but onlypieces of wood. &otwithstanding this" a few of the citi%ens de termined to kill him" and there were disturbances" which he 'uelled with a strong hand. 4erod was fond of building" partly to make himself safe during life" and partly to make himself famous after death. 4e fortified the capitalE restored the fortress of Antonia" which was beside the temple and protected itE made a stronghold of the town of +amaria" decorated it" and re$named it +ebasteE erected a new palace for himself in the upper part of 6erusalem" and built the grand city of 2esarea"and made a harbor for it in spite of the natural difficultiesof the situation. *ut all this did not reconcile the 6ews to him. 4e was still a balf$foreigner$of the same religion but of different blood" a 6ew but not a 4ebrew. They saw that he set up many heathen temples" with idols in themE not in 6udea" for that they would not have borne" but in the countrybeyondE he excusedhimself by saying that he did this to please the 3omans" but the excusewas an injury the more. The only time that he was at all popular was during a famine that lasted through the years KP and K?" *.2. There had beentoomuch d'y weather"and the conse'uences.

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were insufficient and improper food" bringing on disease. At such times of natural distress" the 6ews: religion made them especially pitiableE it had a paralysing effect" both positively and negatively" for it taught them that the misfortune was sent by God in his anger" and it prevented their curing themselves. They knew nothing of the medical scienceE since 6ehovah sent all illness" only 6ehovah could remove illnessE there were 6ewish doctors" but they were doctors of the 6ewish law. #ade helpless by their igno rance of facts" and still more helpless by the fancies they were so convinced of" without medicines and with only an offended and malicious deity to turn to" the 6ews easily fell into despair. 2n this occasion"their religion did them more than usual harm" for the two years of famine were a +abbatic year and a year of 6ubilee" during neither of which might they plough or sow the landE the 6ubilee occurred after seven +abbatic years had passed$that is" once in every fifty years. There was a tradition that !rovidence had been used to avoid all want by providing a triple crop beforehand" but this tradition only served to lessen their failing courage" for there was certainly no such convenient arrangement made now. 4erod saw that thi% famine might becomeeither dangerous or useful to himselfE his subjects were in the mood to consider him @+ the cause of their punishment" it being a trait of God:s character to make the innocent suffer instead of the guilty" and they would have been ready to 1ill him to please the outraged 6ehovah. 4e exerted himself therefore in every way to relieve them. Their hatred changed to gratitude" they forgave him. for his many offences against their time hallowed customs" and once more he was safe. *ut his popularity did not last. &othing could really recencile the 6ews to a govemor whose religious sympathies were doubtful. ;or many a long century back" the rulers of the 6ewish nation had striven to make them religious E the task was accomplished" and they lived in the super naturalE they regretted their priest$kingsE they could tolerate no govemment which was not one with the govem ment of 6ehovah. 4erod could not be high$priest" because he was not a 7eviteE he did not" in fact" belong to any of the tribesE for his fathers were foreigners and forced. proselytes. The 6ews wanted a king after their own heart" a deliverer" revenge upon the 3omans who had reduced.

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them to dependence"pre$eminence over the races which now despised or ignored them. The demand created a supply$$of promises. ;oreknowledge of events" which was a power thought to comefrom God" began again to revive among the people" or rather to profess to revive" and propheciesabounded which exactly answered to the national desires. There was to be a #essiah" a 0hrist L#essiah means prince" and 0hrist means anointed oneE they were therefore two names for the same personDE he was to be of the tribe of 6udah" of the house of ,avid" born in *ethlehemE he was to be a king" a priest" and a prophetE he was to lead his nation to the con'uest" not only of 3ome" but of the world" the whole human race were to become6ews" and 6erusalem was to be the capital .of the earth. The authority of anti'uity was wanted for this new ideaE the scriptures were searched"old prophecies relating to a then near future were declared to refer to the present state of things" even vague remarks in the psalms were interpreted in the same way. &eedless to say that no such prince or king ever did 80 rescue and elevate the .6ews. The idea was the outgrowth of national pride defying national humiliation. Though he was a 6ew" 4erod of course did not share in the great hope of his nation. 4e was friendly to the 3oman rule" and he wanted no king for the 6ews except those of his ownline. 4e had no desireto convertthe world. The idea of a #essiah was nothing but an uneasiness to himE and it estranged him still more from his people" who were in a very passion of patriotism and theism. The prophecy produced the usual effect$namely" attempts. at accomplishmentE one adventurer after another announced himself as the #essiah" drew many followers" and was finallycaught and executed. The countrywas in a ferment. 4erod was anxious" and with reason( he wished to extort an oath of allegiance" but the !harisees and the 5ssenes objected to oath$taking of any kind" and he abandoned the ideaE he tried to please his subjectsby remitting taxes E he tried to divert their minds and 4atter them by building more cities and fortressesE he kept them as much as pos sible at work" forbade them to meet together" sent spies among them" mixed with them himself in disguises" tor tured those who spoke against his government" and put many privately or openly to death. &either his m gnif'8

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cencenor his severity could influencesuch minds. 4erod likedobse'uiousnessEhefavoredthe pagan notionof treating kings and emperors with divine honorsE but the 6ews erected no temples to him" made no statues of him. The nation had been brought up strictly in the way that its rulers wished it to go" and now that it was two thousand years old it did not depart from it. /nder the 3oman and 4erodian rule" this was inconvenient. 4erod had reigned eighteen years when he undertook to rebuild the temple at 6erusalem. The inhabitants were taken aback by the proposal" fearing lest it should be only an excuse for pulling the edifice downE but he made such preparations as showed that he meant to keep his word" and a third temple" muchlarger and higher than the others" rose by degrees in the mountain city" and was visible a long way off. It stood" as its predecessorhad done" upon #ount +ion Lthe #ount #oriah of oldD" a hill faced on the east and south sides with stone walls rising perpendicularly from the ravine. *uilt of enormous blocks of white marble" it looked eastward" and its front was coveredwith plates of gold which shone fiercelywhen the sun roseE its roof was golden" and covered with spikes to keep the birds off. The innermost part of the temple was called the 4oly of 4olies" and was an empty chamberE only 6ehovah:s head butcher" the high$priest" might enter this" and he only once yearly" on the ,ay of Atonement" which was the most important day in the 6ewish year. &ext came the body of the temple" called the 4oly !lace" and only for the priests. 2utside this was an open court called the 0ourt of !riestsE then a stone wallE then the 0ourt of Israelites" called the +anctuaryE then another wallE then the 0ourt of Gentiles" which was the outermost" and also surrounded by a wall. +trangers might enter here" but they must not go any farther on pain of death" the prohibition being engraved on pillars in 4ebrew and Greek. 4erod had access only to this court and the nextE he was an Israelite" but not a priest. 5ach court was ascendedto by steps" so that each as one went inside was higher than the last" and could be seen by those who stood without. These courts were popularly called the temple" and it was in them that the worship and all the business connectedwith the worship took place$that the money$changershad their tables" that

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pigeons were soldE and in the third court" that of the priests" was the altar where they sacrificed"removedfrom the people by a partition. wall less than two feet high. Those priests who might not minister" because of some bodily defect" stoodwith the others but in private clothesE the unblemishedpriests wore fine linen. The temple was the show$placeof 6erusalemE it was adorned with spoils taken from the Arabians and other nations" and presented by 4erodE the strangers: cloister was of course the most thronged" and the 3oman rulers" when they visited the city" attended there" and made complimentaryofferingsto the 6ewish god and his house. They half believed in him. The gorgeousness of the new building recommended 4erod to his peoplefor awhile" and more permanentlyto those 6ews who inhabited other countries. There was a strong tie between these latter and the 6ewish capital. Absence from their own land did not affect their piety adverselyE though distant from their temple" they had synagogues which served a different and yet similar purposeE the synagogues were for public prayer" for the reading of the law" and for instructionin it. It was part of their religion to send moneyto the temple every year. The 6ews of Ionia and 0yrenecomplainedthat they were often robbed of this sacred money"that they were sum moned into courts of law on their holy days" that they were forcedinto the armywherethey were obliged to fight and travel on the +abbath" which was an impious thing for them to doE they appealedto the 3oman government" and when these matters were composedto their satisfac tion" they accommodatedthemselvesto foreign rule. Time was changing 6udaism" as it changes all things. The 7evites occupieda less prominent positionE they had no cities of their ownE nominally at the head of the 6ewish religion" they were really supersededas leaders by the rabbis. And rigid though the 4ebrew beliefswere as regards monotheism"they developedand altered in otb.er directions. +ynagogues were commonin 6udea as elsa. where" many copies were made of the sacred books" the +abbaths were intolerable" and the law became an intricate study" harassing the minds and enslaving the lives of the unhappy 6ews. They believed in angels and devils" and they feared bothE they felt that no written

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rules could provide for every contingency" and that yet any detail of daily life might contain matter of offence. Then a new set of teachers arose"the rabbis$or ise #en $who explained" 'uoted" and applied the written law for ll 'uestioners"and who gave decisionsin casesnot men tioned by it. Their decisions did not agreeE school disputed with schoolE 3abbi +hammai and 3abbi 4illel differed as to whether a devout 6ew" having washed his hands" ought to put the napkin on a table or on a cushionE these were the sort of burning 'uestions that distracted the popular guides" and so like were they in character to the nonsensicalrules said to have been made by 6ehovah" that a maxim was put forth and believed in( =The voice of the rabbi" the voiceof God.= It was he who calculated the proper days for festivals and fastsE who settled the cumbersome ritual" any departure from which would make a sacrifice worthless. 3abbinism beoame a great power" and the unwritten traditionary law was a worse tyranny even than the written one. /nder this active religious influence" the 6ews grew moreunsocialthan ever. They 'uarrelledwith the +amari tans" despised the Galileans"and spoke of all the world except6udea as =outside the land E= incessantpilgrimages were madeto 6erusalemE 6ewish boys began to learn from the 2ld Testament at the age of five yearsE when asked what time should be given to Grecian science" a rabbi answered there could be no time for that" =since it is written of the law" Thou shalt study it day and night.= Is it any wonder that" nourished on such literature" the bent of the national mind wastowards an utter" unbounded credulityF A century before" 7ucretius had taught that everything happened by natural laws" unchangeable"and in which the interventionof gods had no shareE but 6 ew ish ears had been so stuffedwith falsehoodsthat they could not take in the truth. The holy books of the 6ews called him a fool who said there is no god$that was answer sufficientfor themE they were in no mood of calm studi ousnessE their nationallife was a life of expectation. #any tried to calculatewhen the #essiahwouldcome. Into the midst of this turmoil was born 6esus" son of 6oseph and #ary$6esus" a man profoundlyinfluencedby the ideas prevalent around him" with but little originality of word and none of action" the best part of whose moral

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teaching was the counterpart of teachings he had heard" whose career was a copyof the career of earlier pretenders" whose claim to the title of 0hrist was no whit better than theirs" who at the outset meant well by his fellow$men" but whose intellect was too weak for a public life" who conspicuouslylacked the talent to make himself anything but a failure" who achievednothing while alive but whose posthumous success was enormous" a man whose fame was made for him by other men" and notably by 0onstan tine who recognised in the religion called 0hristianity a means for making his subjects more submissive. The &ew Testament relates that" at his birth" 4erod sent to *ethle hem and ordered all the infants in the town to be massa cred" meaning thus to put an end to the little <ing of the 6ewsE the #essiahship of 6esus was not thought of until he was grown up. and no such massacreis mentioned in 6ewish historyE but had any baby been spoken of as the <ing of the 6ews" no doubt 4erod would have acted in the manner described. Affairs in 6udea were getting worse$the monarch more tyrannical" the people more dissatisfied. 4e condemned two of his sons to be strangled for a reported conspiracy against him" and the 6ews resented this becausethe young men were #accabeeson their mother:s sideE he made a law that burglars should be sold out of the country" and the 6ews objected to this because the banishment might result in their changing their religionE he several times capriciouslychanged the high$priest" and the 6ews found fault with him for this becauseit was contrary to custom and therefore an insult. The !harisees prophesiedagainst him" and when he fell ill at seventy years of age" they declared it was a judgment on him from 6ehovah. 5n couraged by hearing that his disease was incurable" two of the rabbis incited the young men who attended their lectures every day to pull downeverything that 4erod had unlawfully erected"the principal cause of offencebeing a large gold eagle" dedicatedto the temple" and set up over the chief temple$gate. They did not need much persua sionE they rushed to the place"climbedup" and cut the eagle to pieces with their axes" while a crowd of people in the temple looked on.. They were stoppedby 4erod:s soldiers" and forty of them were arrestedE they died" and were con tent to die" for the sake of the second0ommandment.

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2n the death of 4erod" disordersincreased. The approach of !entecost brought a multitude of 6ews from all parts into 6erusalemE they came from Idumea" Galilee" and beyond 6ordan" and the festival did not pass without a battle between 6ews and 3omansE the temple suffered as usual" fighting being carried on round the cloistersof its outer courtE the 3omans set fire to these" and stole the sacred money out of the treasury" which was the only pub lic money that the nation possessed. Grieved at this loss" and at the devastation of their valuable works" the 6ews killed themselves in great numbers" by rushing into the fire or falling upon their swords. It is remarkable that the 4ebrews were not at all afraid of deathE 6esus had a horror of and a shrinking from it" but he was an .exception to the rule of his raceE and suicide was very commonwith them" nor did they feel the smallest misgiving that such a way of ending their lives might be displeasing to their god. It is difficultto tell whencethe 2hristians get that idea" for there is not a word to support it throughout their *ible. +everal cases of suicide are mentioned$those of . Ahithophel" +amson"+aul" and 6udas$but without any blame ) the writers of the epistles give long lists of sins" but self$killing is not among themE and once" when 6esus was mistakenly thought by his disciplesto be intending to 1ill himself" he explained his real meaning"but did not say that such an intention would have been wrong. The 0hristian opinion of suicide was never shared by 2hrist. This battle was only one of many that took place about this timeE. the country was full of insurrection and robberiesE +imon" Athronges" and many others set up as king" and came to a violent endE the #essianic prophecy was bearing its ill fruit. Am embassage of 6ews was sent at last to Augustus 2resar at 3ome" to complain of thE dead 4erod and his family" and to re'uest that they migh be relieved from a monarchical form of government and added to +yriaE they were so restless and despairing" that a pagan governor seemed to them preferable to a king who was not of their blood and only half$heartedly of their faith" 4erod the Great was eventually succeeded by his sons Archelaus" !hilip" and 4erod Antipas" !olygamy was still practised by the 6ews" and he had had ten wivesE the mother of Archelaus and Antipas was a +amaritan" and
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!hilip:s mother was a 6ewess. Archelaushad half of his father:s possessions$ namely" Idumea" +amaria" and 6udea" with the title of ethnarch" and the promise of royalty afterwards if he governed wellE 4erod Antipas had Galilee and !ereaE and !hilip was tetrarch of Trachonitis" Iturea" Gaulanitis" Auranitis" and *ataneaE his tetrarchy was on the east of 6ordan. The arrange ment did not last long. Archelauswas banished after ten years" and his country becamea +yrian province. The internal conditionof 6udea was in a strange state. !arty spirit" the diseaseof every religion"was conspicuous thereE and the sects were agreed only in hatred of their 3oman con'uerors. The !harisees professedthe greatest skill in the lawE they wore slips of parchment inscribed with sentencesfrom it on their foreheadsand the border of their garments$these were called phylacteriesE they prayed in the public roadsE they were the orthodox. :I:he +adducees were fewerE they were the heretics"for they deniedthe resurrection":immortality"and angelsE and those in the sanhedrim were inclined to severe punishments" becausethey held that there would be no judgment after death. The 5sseneswere dissentersE they contributedto the temple" but offered no sacrificesin it" and did not attend the festivals. There was now a fourth sect added to the divisionsamongthe 6ewsE it was headed by 6udas of Gamala" and was attractive to the younger generation" being foundedon a desire for libertyE its tenets were that 6ehovah was the onlylord over his ownpeople"that it was degrading to them to allowthe 3oman rule" and that the paying of tribute ought to be resistedE it was political therefore" as well as religious" and threatened the public 'uiet. The whole nation was deludedE every year they celebratedthe memoryof eventsthat had never happened" every day they looked for a mighty #essiah who never cameE prophecies"miracles"good and bad spirits" visions" dreams$these were the follies that engaged their atten tionE excitementfilledthe airE loud discussionstook place even in the streetsE and the chief priests showed more prudence than the rest" only because they feared lest the tempIe should be endangered. !ontius !ilate was now governor of 6udea" and he made some attempts to disregard the peculiar 6ewish laws$for instance" by expending the temple$moneyin

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public worksE then the peopleraised a clamor"much blood was shed" and !ilate was generally obliged to give way. The +amaritans"too" had their religious tumults. And a new prophet appeared in Galilee" invented baptism" and was called 6ohn the *aptist. 4is career didnot last longE when 4erod Antipas" tetrarch of Galilee" married his own niece" 6ohn loudly disapprovedthe marriage" and for his interferencewas beheaded. It was at this epochthat a fifth 6ewish sect took its riseE its founder was 6esus" and it had comparativelyfew followersE they were named &a%arenes"from &a%areth his dwelling$ place"whichname .was afterwards changed to that of 0hristians. 6esus was a prophet" most of whose predictions did not come trueE he professed to work miracles$it was a necessity of his times. 4e claimedto be the 0hrist or #essiahE the claim was preposterous"for he raised no army even" as other pretenders had done. 4e is known by those titles now nearly ll over the world" yet he was never anointed either as a king or as a priest" and he lived and died an artisan. 4e talked a great deal about 6ehovah" present ing him to his hearers in the character of a divine ;atherE it was a kindly idea" but the 6ewish scriptures contradict itE and in proportion as human parents improve" it will become more difficultfor their children to believein such a ;ather as the god of the 2ld and &ew Testaments. 4e went to. 6erusalem" as all 6ews did" and joined in the disputes" and many untrue stories are told of his adven tures there. 4is opinions not agreeing with those of the more powerful sects" he was accused by them of blas phemy" and handed over to !ilate" who had him executed because he called himself the <ing of the 6ews. 7ong: after his death" a claim was set up that he was divine" and that he had died to save mankind from hell. *ut the true death of God" which will regenerate the world" is not the death by torture of a poor man$godE it is the death of the god$idea by the disbelief of an instructed people. +ome6ews addedthe superstitionsof 0hristianity to their other superstitions" but on the whole the new branch of 6udaism" gradually developing into a new reli gion" found more credence among Gentiles than 6ews. 6osephus" whose history was published A.,. M?" makes no mention :of the 0hristian doctrines"nor does he even in clude the sect in his account of 6ewish sectsE the great
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movementwas not thought of much importance in its first century. hat is morestrange is that 6osephus is almost silent on the subject of the national longing for . #essiahE the word itself is not in his worksE he merely .saysthat an ambiguouspromisewas found in their sacred writings that =one from their country should become .governor of the earth"= and he asserts that the oracle pointed to Cespasian"5mperor of 3omeI 1et it was the thought of a native #essiah that colored 6ewish politics for many a long year$a visionary thought" but one that the 6ews have not given up yet. Citellius succeeded !ontius !ilate. 4e pleased the priests by giving back to them the custodyof the high priestly vestments and ornaments. *efore the reign of 4erod the Great" they had been kept by the high$priest in a tower adjoining the templeE it was he alone who had the right to wear themE 4erod rebuilt the tower" called it Antonia" and finding the robes and jewels there" retained them as a pledge of the people:s good behavior. 2n the $departure of Archelaus"the 3oman governor took posses .sionof them" removedthem to a stone chamber"and placed them in the care of the captainof the temple$guard. They were delivered to the priests a week before the great festivals Lthe !assover" !entecost" and ;east of Taber naclesD" and also before the great fast Lthe ,ay of Atone mentDE they were then purified from heathen touch" worn by the high$priest" and next day returned to the 3oman captain. The outer and more showygarmentsconsistedof $first" a sleevelessblue robe" with a hole for the head" and fitting round the neck with a rich border" the skirt of it reaching to the feet and finished off at the edge with fringes" and golden pomegranates"and bells that tinkled as the wearer walkedE over this was worn an ephod" of mingled blue" purple" red" and gold threads" made in two pieces hanging like flaps in front and behind" kept in its place by a broad girdle" and fastened on the shoulders by sardonyxes. The names of the twelve sons of Israel were engraved on these buttons" six on each" and the elder sons: names were on the right shoulder. The high$priest wore a breastplate alsoE on his head was a blue mitre" sur mounted by a polished gold crownE and his forehead was coveredwith a golden plate" with the inscription( 4oli ness to the 7ord. 3eligion being a product of the child$
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ishness of the world" dressing$tip has always had a great part in it. A petition was made to the governor about these holy things" and he forwarded the re'uest to Tibe rius 2eesar"who granted itE the priests took charge of them gladly" and laid them up in the templeE and Citel Iius:s act was felt to be an obliging one by the whole nation. The next 3oman emperor was 0aligula. 4e banished 4erod Antipas" and gave his possessionsand the tetrarchy of !hilip$who was dead$to 4erod Agrippa" their nephew. 4e also replaced Citellius by another governor named !etronius" and ordered him to invade 6udea with a body of troops" and set up his statue L0aligula:sD in the templeE if the 6ews resisted" he was to con'uer them and then do it. !etronius was met on his march by tens of thousands of 6ews" who had heard what his intentions were" and who were as faithful to their own laws as even #oseshimself could have wished. = ill you then make war with 0resarF= asked the governor" when he had listened to what they had to say. They answered( = e +ill not by any means make war with himE but still we +ill die before we see our laws transgressed.= They then threw themselves on the ground upon their faces" and bared their necks" as ready to be killed. !etronius hesi tated at such wholesale slaughterE and for more than a month this state of things went on" while the land was neglected" and there seemedevery chance that the annual tribute would not be forthcoming. !etronius wrote to the emperor" remonstrating. *ut it was the re'uest of 4erod Agrippa" who was living in 3omeand was a favorite of 0aligula:s" that decidedthe matter in the 6ews: favor. 0laudius succeeded 0aligula. 4e confirmed 4erod Agrippa in his kingdom" added 6udea and +amaria to it" and made a league of friendshipwith him. 4erod Agrippa was now in the same position that his grandfather" 4erod the Great" had beenE he owned all !alestineE and being descended through his grandmother from 4yrcanus the #accabee" was acceptable to the 6ewish portion of his subjects. 4e took up his abode at 6erusalem" where he sacrificedpunctually" and was liberal and humane. 4e left a son" Agrippa" onlysixteen years of age" and 0laudius thought this boy too young to manage a large kingdomE he kept him therefore at 3ome"and sent a governor to rule in

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6udea. 4erod" <ing of 0halcis"the lad:s uncle" obtained from the emperor authority over the temple and sacred treasury" and alsothe privilegeof choosingthe high$priests. After his death" the young Agrippa.$then twenty$was made <ing of 2halois" and appointed the high$priests himself. The 3oman governorswere oppressive. This had been well known to Tiberius 2eesar"who compared them to flies sucking blood from *oreplaces" and who changed them seldom because he feared that" if they expected to be recalled *oon"they would be in a greater hurry to rob the people. At the present time" however" they were replaced more fre'uently. They cared not at all for the religious side of the disputes that disturbed the country" but they cared to preserve the public subjection. 6udea was infested with 6ewish and 0hristian magicians$im postors whom the poorer people heard gladlyE prophets ran wild" miracles were common"and common$sensewas nowhere. 2ne man persuadeda crowd to take their pos sessions and follow him to the river 6ordan" promising to divide the water and give them a d'y passageE the governorsent a troop of horsemen after them" and there was much bloodshed. The festival days were often turned into days of mourning"bythe combatsof 6ews and 3omans in the temple. A 3oman soldieronce tore up a copyof the 7aws of #osespublicly"in one of the villagesE the 6ews hurried to the governorat 0esarea"and cried franti cally for revenge" saying that they could not bear to live if their God was to be so affronted. The soldierwas be headed. It was the customof the Galilean6ews" on their journeys to 6erusalem" to go through the +amaritan country" and here again were disagreements" only to be 'uelled by 3oman regiments. 2n one occasion" when 0umanusthe governorhad taken part with the +amaritans" the principal menof 6erusalem dressedthemselvesin sack cloth" put ashes on their heads" and entreated the 6ewish populace to disperse 'uietly" lest their country" temple" and families should be involved in one utter ruin. They did so" but both 6ews and +amaritans appealed to the !resident of +yria"the former accusing0umanusof having taken a bribeE they were referred to the 5mperor 0laudius of 3ome" who decidedin favor of the 6ews to please <ing Agrippa"recalled0umanus"and sent ;elix to take his place"

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6udea was f,ll of robbers. They were called +iearii" from the shape of their daggers. They set fire to the villages"plundered them" and became so bold that they assassinated their own enemies in the temple" or anyone whomthey were hired to killE they concealedtheir weapon undemeath their robes" and no man was safe from an uneasy feeling that his next neighbor in the crowd might stab him. In this way" one of the high$ priests met his death" and it was said that ;elix himself paid for the deed to be done. These robbers" murderers" and prophets were the more successfulin getting followers"because of the belief so widely spread that the #essiah was about to arriveE they promised deliverance and freedom. Acting like madmen"they were thought to be divinelysent" and many people accompaniedthem out into the wilderness" expecting to be shownsomewonderfulthing. ;elix" fore seeing a revolt" brought them all back" and punished them. *ut still the folly went on H even an 5gyptian was able to= draw away thousands to the #ount of 2lives"to see how .at his commandthe walls of 6erusalem would fall downE he really intended to break into it by force" but ;elix *ent soldiers after him" there was a battle" and the 5gyptian escaped and disappeared. The II$extevent was a distur bance between the 6ewish and +yrian inhabitants of 0esarea( the former claimedsuperior civil rights because 0esareahad been rebuilt by 4erod the Great" a 6ewE the latter retorted that they were the earlier occupiers"that the city had been formerlycalled +trate:s Tower"and that then there was not a 6ew in itE they said too that 0esarea was a Grecian city" and that he who had filled it with templesand sculpturescould not have intended it for 6ews. The dispute rose into a kind of war" and ;elix tried to settle it by sending his men to slay" capture" and despoil the 6ewish citi%ens. ,issatisfactionstill being shown"he choseambassadorsfrom both sides" and sent them to Italy to argue the case before the 5mperor &ero. *y bribing the emperor:s secretary" the +yrians gained their wish" and an imperial letter was written which deprived the 6ews of the e'ual privilegesthey had hitherto enjoyed in 0esarea. &ero now sent ;estus to govem 6udea instead of ;elix. 4e found everythingmostdisorderly"and it did not become less so under him. The 0hristians were doing all they

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couldto insult the popular hopeof a #essiahby preaching that he had already come and had been executed. The 6ews$whether 0hristian or otherwise$were much exer cised in their minds about heaven and hellE there was little in their scripturesto guide their notionsabout either. *ut 6esus had talked familiarly of heaven" deolaringthat he had comefrom thence" and his apostles becameexcited on the subject" and tried to describe it minutelyE their ideal of beauty was the temple" and they gave to heaven a like barbaric noise and splendorE this comfortlessregion is still called a place of bliss" and is promised to devout 5uropeans"whosetastes wouldlead them to wish for some thing verydifierent. The !harisees"5ssenes"and 0hristians believedin hell. They thought that the souls of the good descended into 4ades" at whosegate stood an archangelE passing through" they were taken to the right" and led by hymn$singingangels to a light place called the *osomof Abraham" to wait for the resurrection and their ascension into heavenE the souls of the bad and of all idolators were dragged by threatening angels to the left" and taken to a "gloomyplace"wherethey had temporarypunishmentsE in their view was an empty lake of un'uenchable fire" prepared for them to go into on the judgment$day"and to remain in for everE this lake was hell" and they were near enough to hear its leaping flamesand feel its hot vaporE there was a gulf between the two abodes"but each could be seen from the other. All bodies were to rise and be comeimmortal" and the souls were to be clothedwith their ownbodies"the goodreceivingtheirs pure and glorious"and the evil receivingtheirs unchanged and liable to all sorts of diseases. This hideous belief had had a fascination for 6esus" and it was continuallybrought forward in the discoursesof his apostles. It angered the +adducees"and led to somecommotion. The priesthood was at its worstE and it continued so until its end came. The priests were avaricious"luxurious. and drunken. 2ne had the high$priesthoodbought for him by his wife" others raised the price of pigeons" and the superior priests extorted from their inferiorsthe tithes due to them" until the poorest among them died from want of food. It was not moral but religious offencesthat displeased the 6ewish mind. hen <ing Agrippa built a dining$

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room in his palace"where he couldlie at easeand eat and at the same time overlookall that was being done inside the temple" the chief inhabitants of 6erusalem were so indignant" that they erected a wall to cut off the view. ;estus ordered them to pull it down again" but they begged for leave to appeal to &ero" and ten men with the high$priest and the keeper of the treasury went to 3ometo represent them. &ero determined that the wall should remain. <ing Agrippa was hated by his subjectsE he had tastes like his ancestor" 4erod the Great" and gave offencein the same way" by building cities for foreigners and adorning them with statuary. 4e changed the high priest often$it was lit fashion set by 4erod" and had grown into a customE it causedmany disturbances"for the rival high$priests headed groups of the citi%ens" and loud reproachesended in stone$throwing. Thoseof the 7evites who were professional singers of hymns petitioned the king to let them wear such linen garments as the priests wore" and he assembleda sanhedrim"and leave was grantedE this also was against the strict law. It was about this time that a rustic began suddenlyto call out in the temple( =A voice from the east" a voice from the west" a voicefrom the four winds"a voiceagainst. 6erusalem and the holy house" a voice against the bride grooms and the brides" and a voice against this whole peopleI = 4e wandered about the lanes of the city" repeating this" day and night" till he was taken up and floggedE he made no defenceto his 'uestioners"but went on with the same words" at each stroke of the whip crying dismally( = oe" woe to 6erusalemI= 4e was dismissed" as a madman. The affairs of 6udea grew worseE successivegovernors burdened the nation with taxes" plundered the rich openly" and released from prison those who bribed them" thus filling the countrywith malefactorsE crucifixions"beatings" and torturings took placeE and the people were divided in choicebetween tyranny and sedition. The great rebellion of the 6 ewe began under the rule of ;lorus" and he was glad of it" becauseit woulddivert attention from his crimes of governmentE he increased his oppression"in order to drive them to war. +uch a war could but end in the de structionof the 6 ewishmonarchyc" apital"and temple. 0hris tians foolishly explain the calamitousfate of the 4ebrews.

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by calling it God:s punishment for their rejection of 6esus as a #essiahE we do not need to find such a fantastic reason for itE it was the result of cruelty on the part of the 3omans and of religion on the part of. the 6ews. e have seen that each dispute" each disturbance was from one or the other causeE and it was the smaller risings that culminated in the final rebellion. The immediate motive of their outbreak was a demand made by ;lorus for seventeen talents for 0eesar out of the treasuryE it was not the value of the money but its sacredness that made them refuse. &ever was there a people more closely guided by religion" and when they were most religious their ruin came .. The war which deprived the 6ews of !alestine better deserved the epithet of holy on their side than did the war by which they introduced themselves into that land. That was one of aggression" this was one of self$defenceE it was an effort for liberty" and commands so far the sympathy of +ecularists" though its leaders were sordid in their motives and faulty in their actions. Its result was a foregone conclusionE the rebels had no allies" and 3ome was then the great powerE a nation which had succumbed in turn to Assyria" 5gypt" #acedonia" and !arthia" could not hope to con'uer the 3oman masters of almost the known habitable earth. 0ould not ha.ve hoped" in its sober sensesE but the 6ews were seldom in their sober sensesE their religion intoxicated them" and the boasting promise of a #essiah confused their perceptions of the possible and impossible. As usual on such occasions" there was a peace$party as well .as a war$party. The former was led by the priests" who had no wish for political freedom" and who saw in the war danger to their temple and their own prosperity. They were at their old tricks( a light shone one night round the altar and the holy house$a light that was sup posed to be miraculous because it was mysteriousE but most people persisted in thinking the sign favorable" so the priests" at the next festival" told a story of having heard voices in the dark say to them in the inner court ( =7et us remove hence.= And once they brought out the holy vessels and ornamental garments" and the harpers and singers brought out their instruments" and they threw $dust on their heads" and tore their clothes" and fell down

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:before crowd"off begging them not !riests to: provoke the 3omansthe to carry these treasures. +ill urge $troopsforward to con'uest"but they have little sympathy with a war for independence. *ut the person most interested in averting the revolt was perhaps Agrippa" who now arrived at 6 erusalem"and calling the multitude together in a large gallery near the temple" made them a speech of warningE *ernice" his eister" was present" overlooking the scene from a house" and he and she shed tears. 4e argued that it was too late for the 6 ews to think of freeing themselvesE it should have beendonein!ompey:stime. 4e enumeratedthe nations which were not ashamedto submit to 3oman governance" from the 3hine on the north to 7ibya on the south" from $thebordersof India on the east to the Atlantic oceanon the west. =Are you richer than the Gauls" stronger than the Germans" wiser than the Greeks"more numerousthan all men upon the habitable earthF = 4e asked them to have pity on their wivesand children" on their holy metropolis" and on its temple. Agrippa:s interposition did no goodE the :populacethrew stones at him" and drove him out of the city. The next event was that the governor of the temple" %on of a high$priest" persuaded those who officiatedto receiveno gifts or animals for sacrificefrom heathens" and to leave off the sacrificesthat used to be offeredfor 2eesar. The priests were divided on the subject" and summoned the citi%ensin front of the brass eastern gate of the inner court to discussitE the proposalwas assentedto" and those who feared it would give wideoffencesent ambassadorsto ;lorus and <ing Agrippa" asking them to bring an army and stop the revolt at once. ;lorus made no answer" be cause he wished for a great rebellion" but Agrippa sent six thousand men. The more peaceable party now had #ount +ion"while the others held the templeand the lower city. A: festival came on" upon which it was customary for everyone to present woodfor the altarE those in the temple .eluded the opposite party" and$joined by the +icariiG=:ove them from the upper city" and burned the palacesof Agrippa and *ernice. The war was now fairly begun" and civil war was added to it. The 6ews were everywherein arms. They rose in all the +yrian cities" and fought with the Gentile inhabitants.

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The leaders in 6erusalem chose generals for their armies in various parts of the country" and 6osephus was the one chosen for Galilee. 6osephus was not heartily for the warE he thought it rash" foresaw its failure" liked the 3omans" and disapproved of =.innovations.= 0estius was the 3oman general who" with Agrippa.:s help" tried to defeat the rebellionE he besieged 6erusalem" but was repulsed. &ero then sent Cespasian to settle the affair" which was becoming threatening" if not alarming. 4e met <ing Agrippa at Antioch" and they marched to !tolemais" where he was joined by his son Titus. 4e began operations in Galilee and +amaria" some of the cities in which came over to him of their own accord. 6osephus was made prisoner at the taking of 6otapata" and treated kindly by the two 3oman commanders" in considerationof the brave defence he had made" and also because he was shrewd enough to prophesy in the (first interview that Cespasianwould bemade 5mperor of 3ome. The last place taken in Galilee was a town called Gis ehala" whose general escapedto 6erusalem" and became a prominent person there. All Galilee being garrisoned" Cespasian proceededinto 6udea and Idumea" and was met at 6ericho by Trajan" one of his generals" with the forces from !erea" all the places beyond 6ordan having been con'uered. Cespasian had delayed attacking 6erusalem" in the hope that it would be easier to take later" for he heard from deserters how the 6ews were fighting there among them selves. The city was without a governor. A party under 5lea%ar" called the Oealots" and composedof the youth of 6erusalem" held the temple" and took upon them to appoint the high$priestsE this they did by lot" so that the officeno longer ran in certain families as heretoforeE choosing by lot was a time$honored custom among the 6ews" it was thus that their (firstking" +aul" was electedE but it had not been applied till now to the choiceof a high$priest" and the practice was thought by many to be wicked because novel. The fre'uent changing of the high$priests" too" during late years" had produced a number of deposedones" of whom Ananus headed the populace against the Oealots. It was a grievance with them that when a Oealot was wounded" he retired into the temple" and its sacred floor was defiled with hi% bloodE blood of animals was deemed

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by all 6ews to be in its right place there" but human blood was consideredto pollute it. Ananus got possessionof the outer court" and his enemies fled into the second court" shut the gates" and threw stones and javelins at his army from aboveE he did not think it right to attack the holy gates" nor to introducehis men into that place" which was holier than the 0ourt of GentilesE he contented himself therefore with stationing guards round the cloisters that he held. 4e then sent 6ohn of Gisohala to parley with the Oealots. 6ohn informed them that Ananus had dis patehed messengersto Cespasianinviting him to take the cityE and knowingAnanus to be against the rebellion"the Oealots believed this. They wrote letters to the 6ews of Idumea" calling them to their assistanceand to the defence of their commoncapital. A large army responded to the call. Ananus in alarm ordered the city gates to be locked" and one of the high$priests harangued the Idumeans from a tower" refusing to let them enter until they had laid down their arms. There was a great storm.that night" and the silly 6ews interpreted it as foreshowing some catastropheE the Idumeans" being most exposed to it" as they lay encampedoutside the walls" thought that 6ehovah was angry with themE but the Oealots" who were much less religious" made use of the eventE under coverof the noise of wind and thunder" they cut the bars of the gates with saws belongingto the temple$used for cutting up wood$and admitted their allies. A general battle followed"and Ananus was killed. The Idumeans retired from 6erusalem shortly after" finding no proof that the 3omans had been invited" nor any indication that they were coming. The Oealots were more enlightenedthan the mass of the peopleE they laughed at the so$calledlaws of God" and at the juggling tricks of the prophets. These prophets were as contradictoryas the earlier fraternity had been in the days before the captivityE they were open to hire" and some encouraged the citi%ens becauseit was made worth their whileto do @9" whileothers enjoyedfrightening them. The madman still daily uttered his cry of = oe" woe to 6erusalemI= +omepeoplebeat him" somegave him food" but to nobody did he *aya word beyond his formula of woe. There was a comet that year" and the 6ews" whose religion kept them backward in knowledge" thought it

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must be a sign from GodE a sheep brought forth a lamb at one of the festivals"just as the high$priest was leading her to be sacrificed$this also was declared to mean some thing dreadful by those scribeswho made it their business to interpret signs. There was one prediction" however" that the inhabitants of 6erusalem would have done wisely to acknowledge the truth ofE namely" that it would be taken" and the temple burnt by right of war" when anyone should begin to slay his countrymen in its streets. +o obviousa warning did not need a professionalprophetE it should have been plain to ll men of sensethat civil war" combinedwith war against the 3omans"must be fatal to any cityE but unfortunately" the rebel leaders were actu ated by low motives of ambition" and dislike of them prevented many from helping in the gallant effort to be free. All other places in the kingdom having either surren dered or been con'uered"there was nothing to interrupt Cespasianin his siege of the capitalE he went to 0esarea" and began to prepare for the great undertaking. *ut at this moment" he heard of the death of &ero" and the successionof Galba" and his plans were changed. 4e sent Titus to the new emperor"to ask for his instructions about the 6ewish war" and <ing Agrippa sailed on the same errandE they heard on their way that Galba waH murdered" so Titus returned to his father" while Agrippa continued his voyage to 3ome. hile Cespasianwas in this suspense"war brokeout again in 6udea" and he marched back to it. Idumea was being overrunby an upstart called +imon" a !erean" born in GerasaE he soon collected an army" and approached 6erusalem" whose inhabitants were still fighting against each other. 6ohn of Gischala had broken off from 5lea%ar" with a faction of the OealotsE the party of the deposed high$priests admitted +imon"in order to overthrow 6ohnE he entered" and as usual the battle raged about the temple precincts. Cespasian had returned to 0esarea"when he was saluted emperor by the 3omanarmiesin 6udea and 5gypt. 4e left for Alexandria" and thence went to 3ome" sending his son :I:itus to reduce 6erusalem. It was then twoyears sinceCespasian:sarrival in !alestine. The positionof affairs in the capital was now as follows( there were three partiesE 5lea%ar with his Oealots had

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possessionof the inner and mostsacred court of the temple" 6ohn with a larger number of Oealots had the two outer courts" and +imonhad the upper city and a great part of the lower city. 5lea%ar:s advantage was in plenty of pro visions"for the temple$housewas a collectionof storehouses containing first$fruits of all kindsE 6ohn" occupying the middle situation" received great damage from his enemies above" and inflictedgreat damage on his enemiesbeneathE he and +imon got food from the city by making sallies" forcing their way into the corn$granaries and burning them down. The slaughtered lay in heaps in the streets and templeE arrows were thick in the airE and the blood of priests"citi%ens"strangers"and animalscollectedin pools. 5lea%ar admitted all who cameto sacrifice"though he had his own countrymen searched and watchedE and many persons cameE for that there was one god" and that he delighted in dying beasts and burnt meat" was the funda mental principle of the 6ewish religion" and it remained untouched by the mass of controversies. ,istressed in turn by all these parties" the 'uieter and aged inhabitants welcomedin their hearts the arrival of the 3omans. Titus marched through +amaria" and advanced upon the city from the north. 6erusalem was very strongE it was built on two opposite hills" it was partly encompassedby valleys" and was fortified besides by a wall" and by three walls on its weaker sideE the walls were strengthened by high towers" some of which were like palaces for si%e and grandeurE the city had natural and artificial channels for such a supply of water as wouldbe wanted for long sieges"or in time of peace for thousands of worshippers. 6erusalem was now extremely fullE the feast of !assover was going on" and 6ews and proselytes from all parts of the world were visiting it. 5lea%ar allowed the gate of the 0ourt of !riests to be opened" but 6ohn:s men entered with weapons hidden under their outer robe" and when they had got in threw off this garment and appeared in armorE while the people stood trembling near the altar" or were trampled on in the crush" 6ohn sei%ed upon the inner temple" and thus the three parties were reducedto two$those of 6 om and +imon. 5lea%ar:s men were still commandedby him" but they ceased to be a separate faction. +imonhad the upper and lower cities" and 6ohn had the whole temple"

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and the tower of Antonia which was a 'uarter as large" and which stood higher than it at its north$west comer. In presence of the 3oman besiegers" these two parties united to repel them. The 3omans were disciplined" accustomed to victory" and stimulated by fighting under the eye of their emperor:s sonE the 6ews were full of fury" and cared so little about death that they were said to be =fond of dyingE = the 3omans fought for pride of dominion" the 6ews fought for their liberty. Titus took the first and secondwalls of the city" but entering it with a thousand of his soldierswhere the market for cloth and woolwas".they became entangled among the narrow lanes that the 6ews knew so well" and were beaten back and obliged to retreat. 2n the fourth day from that" he possessed himself again of the walls" and pulled them down. 4e then paused before attacking the last. 4e was aware that to destroy the city would be a 89@@ to the 3oman empireE so he sent 6osephus to speak( with the defenders in their own language. 6osephus had been released from chains on Cespasian:s becoming emperor" and he had accompanied Titus:s camp. <nowing the religious temper of his countrymen" he .urged that they ought to = committhe disposal of all things to God"= and =disregard the assistance of menE= he pleaded on the 3omans: behalf that they had reverencedthe templeE and he gave it as his opinionthat 6ehovah had fled away" and was= now settled in Italy.= *ut such arguments" though acceptable to the people" had no effect upon the 6ewish armiesE they were gallantly brave" many of them were not religious men" many felt that they had: done too much to expect pardon" and many had. an undying resolve to make their nation independent. Titus:s next effort was to force the city to yield through fear" @9 he crucifiedthose who were caught outside" in all sorts of grotes'ue atti tudes" sometimes five hundred in one day" until as 6osephus expressesit" =room was wanting for the crosses" and crosses wanting for the bodies.= This also was of $no use. +ieges are always f,ll of horrors" and the siege of 6 eru salem was no exception. +o much com had been burnt" that famine came on 'uickly" and Titus built a wall round the city" +ith thirteen places for holding garrisons" so that all escapewas cut off. 5ncouraged to do @9 by 6osephus"

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large numbers of hungry wretchesdesertedto the 3omans" but did not improvetheir conditionthereby" for some died of eating inconsiderately"and others were killed by the soldiersfor the sake of the gold they brought. It was six months after the beginning of the siege that a terrific battle was fought at the entrance of the temple. The 3omans were repulsed" and Titus again employed 6osephus to mediateE his desire was to preservethe city and world$famoustemple" and he had often made delays in order to give the enemy time to bethink themselves. 6osephus stoodwhere he could be heard by a large crowd" and addressed them in 4ebrew. 4e remindedthem that the daily sacrificehad failed for want of men to offer it" and gave them leave in Titus:s name to go on with itE he also adjured 6ohn not to pollute the holyplacewith human bloodshed"but to comeout with his men and fight else where. *ut 6ohn" who was secularlyinclined"did not care whether 6ehovah were offendedor not" perhaps thinking such offence$takinga mere caprice in one who rejoiced in animal bloodsheddingE he knew that the temple was the strongest and safest place to fight in. 6ohn seemsto have been somethingof a sceptic"eating food unlawfulfor 6ews" and neglecting the petty daily ceremonies of ordinary 6ewish lifeE he had already melted down many of the utensils which were made of gold or silver" and had dis tributed the wine and oil which the priests kept to pour over the burnt$offerings"saying to those about him that they who fought for the ,ivinity might use divine things" and that those whosewarfare was for the temple should live of the temple. It was the same styIe of argument by which the priests had alwaysjustifiedtheir ownuse of such things" but it horrified them when it was not made pro fitable to themselves. 6ohn used pious phrases in speak ing to those who were piousE his reply to 6osephus was that the city could not be taken becauseit was 6ehovah:s city" and he declinedaltogether to move. Titus unwillingly gave the order to storm the temple again" and the war went on" day by day" mounting higher" until$to the horror of even the 3oman troops$$it reached the house itself. The mad prophet was still haunting the scene with his lamentable cry" = oe" woe" to the city again" and to the people" and to the holy houseI= +uddenlyhe altered it to = oe" woe to myself alsoI =
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and was struck by a stone from one of the engines"and killed. The last battle was being fought" the cloisters were hot and smoking"the noisewas great" as everynow and thenJ men in armor slipped and fell on the smooth pavementinlaid with coloredmarble. The building now @9 closeto them seemedawful to the 3oman soldiers"but the passion for destructionthat sei%esupon men in battle provedtoo strong for their reluctance to be impiousE one snatched up a bla%ing fragment from the groundE lifted by a comrade"he thrust it into a golden window of the houseE Titus came running" and shouted out orders to 'uench the flamesE but the confusionwas too great" and the fire and the fight raged together. ;inding that he could not stay the destruction":titus went into the house to see for himselfwhat it was likeE he penetrated into the 4oly of 4olies" whereto his surprise there was nothing at all. This hasty view was one that he could never have forgottenE the building had everythingto make it interest ing exceptage$it had curiousstructure"riches"mysterious ness"and a reputation for sanctityall overthe knownworld. And now the 4amesburst out of the house"and 6ews and 3omans could only stand back and look on. The last 6ewish templewas destroyedin +eptember"A.,. B9" eleven hundred and thirty years after its first foundation had been laid by <ing Holomon. The war did not last much longer after that. 6ohn and +imonsurrendered themselvesE the peoplewere slain" till the 3oman soldiers grew tired of slaying :them E many died by their own handE an immensenumber were sold as slavesE the handsomest young men were reserved for the triumph at 3omeE and crowdsof others were sent into the provincesto fight as gladiatorsin the theatrical games" with each other or with wild beasts. The priests were killed" because$as Titus said$it was agreeable to their officethat they should perish with the houseto whichthey belongedE but one was spared on conditionof giving up somegold gobletsand other vessels"curtains"and jewelled robesE and the treasurer also saved himself by showinga place where the coats and girdles of the priests were hidden" with a 'uantity of cinnamon" cassia" and other spices to make incense. The spoils from the temple$its golden table for shewbread" its candlestick with seven branches" its silver trumpets" its censer" and its *ook of

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the 7aw$were carried in the triumph of Cespasian and Titus. There is a representationof these" and of the pro cessionof 6ews" on the reliefsof the Arch of Titus" which stands in the ;orum at 3ome"and is almostentire nowE it was erectedto celebratethe con'uestof !alestine. The rolls of the law and the purple veils were kept in the royal palace" the other relics were placed in a temple to !eaceE and in the sixth century" they were all deposited in the 7atin church of 6erusalem. The 6 ewe had no national history after their defeat. Ten of the tribes had been removed by +halmaneserin the past misty days of anti'uityE they died in exile" and succeedinggenerationsbecame absorbed into other races by marriage. They are generallycalled =the lost tribesE= it is an incorrectterm" for thousands of people could not lose themselveslike a straying childE they were no more lost than the *ritons" +axons",anes" and &ormanswhose descendantsare the 5nglishof to$day. Imaginativepeople profess to have= found= them again in the Afghans" or the 3ed Indians" or the 5nglishI and much argument has been wasted on the uninterestingand uselesscontroversy. The prophet 5%ekiel indulged the belief that they would be brought back" and that Israel wouldform one kingdom as beforeE calling 6ehovah as a witness on his side" he declared( =Thus saith the 7ord God( *ehold"I will take the children of Israel from among the nations" whither they be gone" and will gather them on every side" and " bring them into their own land( and I will make them one nation in the land" upon the mountains of IsraelE and one king shall be king to them all( and they shall be no more two nations" neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.= This" like many other *ible prophecies" never happened. 2nly the tribes of 6udah" *enjamin"and 7evi returned" and theirs had been a separate and later captivityeffectedby &ebuchadne%%ar. This partial national life of the 6ews was now at an end( their 4oly 7and" long reduced to a mere province of 3ome" was theirs no moreE 6erusalem was demolished" and its site ploughed up. Their history became mingled with that of other countries"and it has never since extri cated itself.

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1et the 6ews are still a distinct people. 0hristian writers *aythis is so wonderful"that 6ehovah must .have had some intention as to the future of his old favorites. +ecularists account for the fact more simply. 4istory shows nation after nation rising" flourishing"decaying"and either dying out or being absorbed in other nations by marriage with themE the 4ebrew nation" following the usual course" rose" flourished" fellE but its religious preju dices" and the religious prejudices of 0hristians" forbade a sociableintercourseE the 6ews" though living in 0hristian countries" live very much apart" and intermarry. Their religion has done this for them$it has kept them separate" and has thus perpetuated their misfortunes. The fall of 6erusalem brought a great change upon 6udaismE the temple was gone" the priesthood was extinct" the sacrifices were at an end. *ut 6ehovah A.@ not deserted$ not even neglectedE he was too old established a god. The 6ews tormented themselves more and more to keep the whole law. If only one 6ew could keep it" for only one day" then the #essiah would comeE that was what the rabbis taught and the people believed. They circumcisedtheir sons"they abstained from= unclean= meats" they ate no animal food that had not been killed by a 6ew" they woke up before dawn to lament 6erusalemE their rising" their manner of dressing"their washing$each act of each hour was done under regulation. The books of #oseswere pored over and every letter countedE every dot in the manuscript was held to be of deepest meaning. The #asora was acceptedwith as much aweE it had been received by #osesfrom 6ehovah on #ount +inai$so the rabbis said. Guided by it" a 6ew re'uired the attendance of a rabbi at his circumcision$feasteight days after birth" at his marriage" at his sick$bed" at his burial. As time went on" more theological books appeared. The object of the #ischna was to put in writing the unwritten law( it contained the maxims of =wise men"= and the disputations of the schools and opinions of individual rabbisE there were rules in it for prayer and thanksgiving" there were authorities given for saying one grace or three graces when three kinds of fruit were eatenE it told which crops might be sown together and which might notE it laid down that a lamp might be extinguished on the +abbath to accommodatean invalid who was asleep" or on account

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of robbers or an evil spirit" but that it must not be ex.tinguishedfor the sake of economyE it apportioned the guilt or innocenceof many more such$like actsE it gave laws for vows" oaths" witnesses" offerings" for marriage and for divorce" countenancing polygamy though most 6ews were becomingmonogamous. There wasno decision" no agreement even thonE interpreters were re'uired for the #ischna" and they contradicted each other. The Talmud succeededit" and was longer and more diffuse. The 6ews scarcelymurmuredE if any did disobey"he was met by anathema" ex.communicationp"unishments"even by executionE just @.@" in olden days" if any cursed 6ehovah he was killed. And still the #essiah did not come. There were pretenders to the title" one of whom breathed flames"for he had a trick of keeping lighted straw in his mouthE he knew the craving of his countrymen for marvels. *ut the would$ be#essiahsdied without having accomplishedthe prophecy. They were all false 0hrists" 6esus includedE no #essiahhas comeyet" and no #essiah ever will come. The *ible is instructiveto those who can read between the lines. +addest of books that ever were written" it affords a terrible warning to nations to avoid religion. The old covenantof 6ehovah and the 6ews is still une'ualE they have done their part" but his promisesare all broken. The religion that made them such magnificent promises is the same religion which has prevented the realising of those promises. It has enslaved them to the name of #oses$the name either of a fiction"or of a coarselyambi tious man. It has befooled them" making them act in as silly a way as if we 5nglish were to give our wholebelief to the legends of <ing Arthur" and were to rule our lives by laws said to have been made by him. It has deluded them( their past is a fable" their future is a prophecy. It has cramped them( it engrossed them in triflesE it pre vented freedom of thought" in'uiry" and inventionE it kept them ignorant of the sciences"and forbade them the arts of painting and sculptureE their music was religious" their poetry was religious"their danceswere religious" and so there was a monotonyabout all three. It has frightened them( because they were God$fearing"they were helpless in the hands of such rogues as priests" prophets" rabbis" and miracle$workers. It has spoiledthem( it commanded

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them to be unsocial"fanatical"credulous"and old$ fashioned" and kept them at the two extremes of docility and un manageablenessE the character of some races is .formed largely by climate"that of the 6ews was formed by their religionE they had a god full of defectsand they copied himE how could a people"believing in a brutal god" be gentleF believing in a god who wilfully deceived"it was hard for them to be honorable. 7a.stly"it has brought persecutionon them( the pagan world had been tolerant of 6udaism and polite to 6ehovah" but when 0hristianity rose to power there was au end of complimentand even justineE the 6ews have been treated cruellyfrom that day to this" becauseof their religionE through all this persecu tion" they have remainedfaithful to the graceless6ehovah" who has done nothing for them except bring them into trouble. The dream is that the 6ews and 6 udsism will dominate the world some dayE the fact is that only by setting aside 6 udaismcan a 6ew distinguish himself. The 6ews are" and have always been" victims to their religion.

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