,libraries7           ,,the             
,,expositor',s ,,bible    ,,edited ,,by 
,,the ,,rev4    ,w4 ,,robertson         
,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4    ,editor of
 ,the ,expositor     ,,authorized       
,,edition1 ,,complete   ,,and           
,,unabridged   ,,bound ,,in             
,,twenty-,,five ,,volumes    ,,new      
,,york   ,,funk  ,,wagnalls ,,company   
,,lafayette ,,place   #aijj    ,,ezra1  
,,nehemiah1   ,,and   ,,esther    ,,by  
,,walter ,f4 ,,adeney1 ,m4,a4           
,,professor ,,of ,,new ,,testament      
,,exegesis ,,and ,,church ,,history1    
,,new ,,college1 ,,london    ,,new      
,,york   ,,funk  ,,wagnalls ,,company   
,,lafayette ,,place   #aijj             
,,contents4     ,,chapter ,i4           
,,page    ,,introductory3 ,,ezra ,,and  
,,nehemiah                #a            
,,chapter ,,ii4    ,,cyrus              
#ab    ,,chapter ,,iii4    ,,the ,,royal
 ,,edict                                
#bd    ,,chapter ,,iv4    ,,the ,,second
 ,,exodus                               

#cf    ,,chapter ,v4    ,,the ,,new     
,,temple                                
#dh    ,,chapter ,,vi4    ,,the ,,limits
 ,,of ,,comprehension                   
#fj    ,,chapter ,,vii4    ,,the        
,,mission ,,of ,,prophecy               
#gb    ,,chapter ,,viii4    ,,new       
,,difficulties ,,met ,,in ,a ,,new      
,,spirit          #hc    ,,chapter ,,ix4
    ,,the ,,dedication ,,of ,,the       
,,temple                  #ie           
,,chapter ,x4    ,,ezra ,,the ,,scribe  
#ajg    ,,chapter ,,xi4    ,,ezra',s    
,,expedition                            
#aai    ,,chapter ,,xii4    ,,foreign   
,,marriages                             
#aca    ,,chapter ,,xiii4    ,,the      
,,home ,,sacrificed ,,to ,,the ,,church 
#adb    ,,chapter ,,xiv4    ,,the ,,cost
 ,,of ,,an ,,idealist',s ,,success      
#aec    ,,chapter ,,xv4    ,,nehemiah   
,,the ,,patriot                         
#afc    ,,chapter ,,xvi4                
,,nehemiah',s ,,prayer                  
#agd    ,,chapter ,,xvii4    ,,the      

,,prayer ,,answered                     
#ahf    ,,chapter ,,xviii4    ,,the     
,,midnight ,,ride                       
#aih    ,,chapter ,,xix4    ,,building  
,,the ,,walls                           
#baj    ,,chapter ,,xx4    ,,mark ,,ye  
,,well ,,her ,,bulwarks                 
#bbc    ,,chapter ,,xxi4    ,,on ,,guard
                                        
#bce    ,,chapter ,,xxii4    ,,usury    
#bdg    ,,chapter ,,xxiii4    ,,wise    
,,as ,,serpents                         
#bei    ,,chapter ,,xxiv4    ,,the ,,law
                                        
#bga    ,,chapter ,,xxv4    ,,the ,,joy 
,,of ,,the ,,lord                       
#bhd    ,,chapter ,,xxvi4    ,,the      
,,religion ,,of ,,history               
#bie    ,,chapter ,,xxvii4    ,,the     
,,covenant                              
#cjg    ,,chapter ,,xxviii4    ,,the    
,,holy ,,city                           
#cag    ,,chapter ,,xxix4               
,,beginnings                            
#cbh    ,,chapter ,,xxx4    ,,the       

,,rigour ,,of ,,the ,,reformer          
#cci    ,,chapter ,,xxxi4    ,,the      
,,book ,,of ,,esther3 ,,introductory    
#cea    ,,chapter ,,xxxii4              
,,ahasuerus ,,and ,,vashti              
#cfa    ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4    ,,haman  
#cga    ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4    ,,queen   
,,esther                                
#chb    ,,chapter ,,xxxv4    ,,mordecai 
#cib     ,,chapter ,i4  ,,introductory3 
,,ezra ,,and ,,nehemiah4   ,though in   
close contact with the most perplexing  
problems of ,old ,testament literature1 
the main history recorded in the books  
of ',ezra' and ',nehemiah' is fixed     
securely above the reach of adverse     
criticism4 ,here the most cautious      
reader may take his stand with the      
utmost confidence1 knowing that his feet
 rest on a solid rock4 ,the curiously   
inartistic process adopted by the writer
 is in itself some guarantee of         
authenticity4 ,ambitious authors who set
 out with the design of creating        
literature--and perhaps building up a   

reputation for themselves by the        
way--may be very conscientious in their 
search for truth2 but we cannot help    
suspecting that the method of melting   
down their materials and recasting them 
in the mould of their own style which   
they usually adopt must gravely endanger
 their accuracy4 ,nothing of the kind is
 attempted in this narrative4 ,in       
considerable portions of it the         
primitive records are simply copied word
 for word1 without the least pretence at
 original writing on the part of the    
historian4 ,elsewhere he has evidently  
kept as near as possible to the form of 
his materials1 even when the plan of his
 work has necessitated some condensation
 or readjustment4 ,the crudity of this  
procedure must be annoying to literary  
epicures who prefer flavour to          
substance1 but it should be an occasion 
of thankfulness on the part of those of 
us who wish to trace the revelation of  
,god in the life of ,israel1 because it 
shows that we are brought as nearly as  

possible face to face with the facts in 
which that revelation was clothed4  ,in 
the first place1 we have some of the    
very writings of ,ezra and ,nehemiah1   
the leading actors in the great drama of
 real life that is here set forth4 ,we  
cannot doubt the genuineness of these   
writings4 ,they are each of them        
composed in the first person singular1  
and they may be sharply distinguished   
from the remainder of the narrative1    
inasmuch as that is in the third        
person--not to mention other and finer  
marks of difference4 ,of course this    
implies that the whole of ,ezra and     
,nehemiah should not be ascribed to the 
two men whose names the books bear in   
our ,english ,bibles4 ,the books        
themselves do not make any claim to be  
written throughout by these great men4  
,on the contrary1 they clearly hint the 
opposite1 by the transition to the third
 person in those sections which are not 
extracted verbatim from one or other of 
the two authorities4  ,it is most       

probable that the ,scripture books now  
known as ,ezra and ,nehemiah were       
compiled by one and the same person1    
that1 in fact1 they originally          
constituted a single work4 ,this view   
was held by the scribes who arranged the
 ,hebrew ,canon1 for there they appear  
as one book4 ,in the ,talmud they are   
treated as one4 ,so they are among the  
early ,christian writers4 ,as late as   
the fifth century of our era ,jerome    
gives the name of ,esdras to both1      
describing ,nehemiah as ,the ,second    
,book of ,esdras4  ,further1 there seem 
to be good reasons for believing that   
the compiler of our ,ezra-,nehemiah was 
no other than the author of ,chronicles4
 ,the repetition of the concluding      
passage of #b ,chronicles as the        
introduction to ,ezra is an indication  
that the latter was intended to be a    
continuation of the ,chronicler's       
version of the ,history of ,israel4     
,when we compare the two works together1
 we come across many indications of     

their agreement in spirit and style4 ,in
 both we discover a disposition to hurry
 over secular affairs in order to dilate
 on the religious aspects of history4   
,in both we meet with the same exalted  
estimation of ,the ,law1 the same       
unwearied interest in the details of    
temple ritual and especially in the     
musical arrangements of the ,levites1   
and the same singular fascination for   
long lists of names1 which are inserted 
wherever an opportunity for letting them
 in can be found4  ,now1 there are      
several things in our narrative that    
tend to show that the ,chronicler       
belongs to a comparatively late period4 
,thus in ,nehemiah xii4 #bb he mentions 
the succession of priests down to the   
reign of ,darius the ,persian4 ,the     
position of this phrase in connection   
with the previous lists of names makes  
it clear that the sovereign here        
referred to must be ,darius ,,iii41     
surnamed ,codommanus1 the last king of  
,persia1 who reigned from ,b4,c4 #ccf to

 ,b4,c4 #ccb4 ,then the title the       
,persian suggests the conclusion that   
the dynasty of ,persia had passed away2 
so does the phrase king of ,persia1     
which we meet with in the ,chronicler's 
portion of the narrative4 ,the simple   
expression the king1 without any        
descriptive addition1 would be          
sufficient on the lips of a             
contemporary4 ,accordingly we find that 
it is used in the first-person sections 
of ,ezra-,nehemiah1 and in those royal  
edicts that are cited in full4 ,again1  
,nehemiah xii4 #aa and #bb give us the  
name of ,jaddua in the series of        
high-priests4 ,but ,jaddua lived as late
 as the time of ,alexander2 his date    
must be about ,b4,c4 #cca4a ,this lands 
us in the ,grecian period4 ,lastly1 the 
references to the days of ,nehemiah#b   
clearly point to a writer in some       
subsequent age4 ,though it is justly    
urged that it was quite in accordance   
with custom for later scribes to work   
over an old book1 inserting a phrase    

here and there to bring it up to date1  
the indications of the later date are   
too closely interwoven with the main    
structure of the composition to admit   
this hypothesis here4    #a ,josephus1  
,ant41 ,,xi4 viii4 #g4    #b ,neh4 xii4 
#bf and #dg4  ,nevertheless1 though we  
seem to be shut up to the view that the 
,grecian era had been reached before our
 book was put together1 this is really  
only a matter of literary interest1     
seeing that it is agreed on all sides   
that the history is authentic1 and that 
the constituent parts of it are         
contemporary with the events they       
record4 ,the function of the compiler of
 such a book as this is not much more   
than that of an editor4 ,it must be     
admitted that the date of the final     
editor is as late as the ,macedonian    
,empire4 ,the only question is whether  
this man was the sole editor and        
compiler of the narrative4 ,we may let  
that point of purely literary criticism 
be settled in favour of the later date  

for the original compilation1 and yet   
rest satisfied that we have all we      
want--a thoroughly genuine history in   
which to study the ways of ,god with man
 during the days of ,ezra and ,nehemiah4
  ,this narrative is occupied with the  
,persian period of the ,history of      
,israel4 ,it shows us points of contact 
between the ,jews and a great ,oriental 
,empire2 but1 unlike the history in the 
dismal ,babylonian age1 the course of   
events now moves forward among scenes of
 hopeful progress4 ,the new dominion is 
of an ,aryan stock--intelligent1        
appreciative1 generous4 ,like the       
,christians in the time of the          
,apostles1 the ,jews now find the       
supreme government friendly to them1    
even ready to protect them from the     
assaults of their hostile neighbours4   
,it is in this political relationship1  
and scarcely1 if at all1 by means of the
 intercommunication of ideas affecting  
religion1 that the ,persians take an    
important place in the story of ,ezra   

and ,nehemiah4 ,we shall see much of    
their official action2 we can but grope 
about vaguely in search of the few hints
 of their influence on the theology of  
,israel that may be looked for on the   
pages of the sacred narrative4 ,still a 
remarkable characteristic of the leading
 religious movement of this time is the 
,oriental and foreign locality of its   
source4 ,it springs up in the breasts of
 ,jews who are most stern in their      
racial exclusiveness1 most relentless in
 their scornful rejection of any        
,gentile alliance4 ,but this is on a    
foreign soil4 ,it comes from ,babylon1  
not ,jerusalem4 ,again and again fresh  
impulses and new resources are brought  
up to the sacred city1 and always from  
the far-off colony in the land of exile4
 ,here the money for the cost of the    
rebuilding of the temple was collected2 
here ,the ,law was studied and edited2  
here means were found for restoring the 
fortifications of ,jerusalem4 ,not only 
did the first company of pilgrims go up 

from ,babylon to begin a new life among 
the tombs of their fathers2 but one     
after another fresh bands of emigrants1 
borne on new waves of enthusiasm1 swept 
up from the apparently inexhaustible    
centres of ,judaism in the ,east to     
rally the flagging energies of the      
citizens of ,jerusalem4 ,for a long     
while this city was only maintained with
 the greatest difficulty as a sort of   
outpost from ,babylon3 it was little    
better than a pilgrim's camp2 often it  
was in danger of destruction from the   
uncongenial character of its            
surroundings4 ,therefore it is          
,babylonian ,judaism that here claims   
our attention4 ,the mission of this     
great religious movement is to found and
 cultivate an offshoot of itself in the 
old country4 ,its beginning is at       
,babylon2 its end is to shape the       
destinies of ,jerusalem4  ,three        
successive embassies from the living    
heart of ,judaism in ,babylon go up to  
,jerusalem1 each with its own           

distinctive function in the promotion of
 the purposes of the mission4 ,the first
 is led by ,zerubbabel and ,jeshua in   
the year ,b4,c4 #ecg4c ,the second is   
conducted by ,ezra eighty years later4  
,the third follows shortly after this   
with ,nehemiah as its central figure4   
,each of the two first-named expeditions
 is a great popular migration of men1   
women1 and children returning home from 
exile2 ,nehemiah's journey is more      
personal--the travelling of an officer  
of state with his escort4 ,the principal
 events of the history spring out of    
these three expeditions4 ,zerubbabel and
 ,jeshua are commissioned to restore the
 sacrifices and rebuild the temple at   
,jerusalem4 ,ezra sets forth with the   
visible object of further ministering to
 the resources of the sacred shrine2 but
 the real end that he is inwardly aiming
 at is the introduction of ,the ,law to 
the people of ,jerusalem4 ,nehemiah's   
main purpose is to rebuild the city     
walls1 and so restore the civic         

character of ,jerusalem and enable her  
to maintain her independence in spite of
 the opposition of neighbouring foes4   
,in all three cases a strong religious  
motive lies at the root of the public   
action4 ,to ,ezra the priest and scribe 
religion was everything4 ,he might      
almost have taken as his motto1 ,perish 
the ,state1 if the ,church may be saved4
 ,he desired to absorb the ,state into  
the ,church3 he would permit the former 
to exist1 indeed1 as the visible vehicle
 of the religious life of the community2
 but to sacrifice the religious ideal in
 deference to political exigencies was a
 policy against which he set his face   
like flint when it was advocated by a   
latitudinarian party among the priests4 
,the conflict which was brought about by
 this clash of opposing principles was  
the great battle of his life4 ,nehemiah 
was a statesman1 a practical man1 a     
courtier who knew the world4 ,outwardly 
his aims and methods were very different
 from those of the unpractical scholar4 

,yet the two men thoroughly understood  
one another4 ,nehemiah caught the spirit
 of ,ezra's ideas2 and ,ezra1 whose work
 came to a standstill while he was left 
to his own resources1 was afterwards    
able to carry through his great         
religious reformation on the basis of   
the younger man's military and political
 renovation of ,jerusalem4    #c        
,allowing some months for the           
preparation of the expedition--and      
this we must do--we may safely say that 
it started in the year after   the      
decree of ,cyrus1 which was issued in   
,b4,c4 #ech4  ,in all this the central  
figure is ,ezra4 ,we are able to see the
 most marked results in the improved    
condition of the city after his capable 
and vigorous colleague has taken up the 
reins of government4 ,but though the    
hand is then the hand of ,nehemiah1 the 
voice is still the voice of ,ezra4      
,later times have exalted the figure of 
the famous scribe into gigantic         
proportions4 ,even as he appears on the 

page of history he is sufficiently great
 to stand out as the maker of his age4  
,for the ,jews in all ages1 and for the 
world at large1 the great event of this 
period is the adoption of ,the ,law by  
the citizens of ,jerusalem4 ,recent     
investigations and discussions have     
directed renewed attention to the       
publication of ,the ,law by ,ezra1 and  
the acceptance of it on the part of     
,israel4 ,it will be especially         
important1 therefore1 for us to study   
these things in the calm and ingenuous  
record of the ancient historian1 where  
they are treated without the slightest  
anticipation of modern controversies4   
,we shall have to see what hints this   
record affords concerning the history of
 ,the ,law in the days of ,ezra and     
,nehemiah4  ,one broad fact will grow   
upon us with increasing clearness as we 
proceed4 ,evidently we have here come to
 the watershed of ,hebrew ,history4 ,up 
to this point all the better teachers of
 ,israel had been toiling painfully in  

their almost hopeless efforts to induce 
the ,jews to accept the unique faith of 
,jehovah1 with its lofty claims and its 
rigorous restraints4 ,that faith itself 
however had appeared in three forms1--as
 a popular cult1 often degraded to the  
level of the local religion of heathen  
neighbours2 as a priestly tradition1    
exact and minute in its performances1   
but the secret of a caste2 and as a     
subject of prophetic instruction1       
instinct with moral principles of       
righteousness and spiritual conceptions 
of ,god1 but too large and free to be   
reached by a people of narrow views and 
low attainments4 ,with the publication  
of ,the ,law by ,ezra the threefold     
condition ceased1 and henceforth there  
was but one type of religion for the    
,jews4  ,the question when ,the ,law was
 moulded into its present shape         
introduces a delicate point of          
criticism4 ,but the consideration of its
 popular reception is more within the   
reach of observation4 ,in the solemn    

sealing of the covenant the citizens of 
,jerusalem--laity as well as            
priests--men1 women1 and children--all  
deliberately pledged themselves to      
worship ,jehovah according to ,the ,law4
 ,there is no evidence to show that they
 had ever done so before4 ,the narrative
 bears every indication of novelty4 ,the
 ,law is received with curiosity2 it is 
only understood after being carefully   
explained by experts2 when its meaning  
is taken in1 the effect is a shock of   
amazement bordering on despair4 ,clearly
 this is no collection of trite precepts
 known and practised by the people from 
antiquity4  ,it must be remembered1 on  
the other hand1 that an analogous effect
 was produced by the spread of the      
,scriptures at the ,reformation4 ,it    
does not fall within the scope of our   
present task to pursue the inquiry      
whether1 like the ,bible in             
,christendom1 the entire law had been in
 existence in an earlier age1 though    
then neglected and forgotten4 ,yet even 

our limited period contains evidence    
that ,the ,law had its roots in the     
past4 ,the venerated name of ,moses is  
repeatedly appealed to when ,the ,law is
 to be enforced4 ,ezra never appears as 
a ,solon legislating for his people4    
,still neither is he a ,justinian       
codifying a system of legislation       
already recognised and adopted4 ,he     
stands between the two1 as the          
introducer of a law hitherto unpractised
 and even unknown4 ,these facts will    
come before us more in detail as we     
proceed4  ,the period now brought before
 our notice is to some extent one of    
national revival2 but it is much more   
important as an age of religious        
construction4 ,the ,jews now constitute 
themselves into a ,church2 the chief    
concern of their leaders is to develop  
their religious life and character4 ,the
 charm of these times is to be found in 
the great spiritual awakening that      
inspires and shapes their history4 ,here
 we approach very near to the ,holy     

,presence of the ,spirit of ,god in ,his
 glorious activity as the ,lord and     
,giver of ,life4 ,this epoch was to     
,israel what ,pentecost became to the   
,christians4 ,pentecost6--,we have only 
to face the comparison to see how far   
the later covenant exceeded the earlier 
covenant in glory4 ,to us ,christians   
there is a hardness1 a narrowness1 a    
painful externalism in the whole of this
 religious movement4 ,we cannot say that
 it lacks soul2 but we feel that it has 
not the liberty of the highest spiritual
 vitality4 ,it is cramped in the fetters
 of legal ordinances4 ,we shall come    
across evidences of the existence of a  
liberal party that shrank from the      
rigour of ,the ,law4 ,but this party    
gave no signs of religious life2 the    
freedom it claimed was not the glorious 
liberty of the sons of ,god4 ,there is  
no reason to believe that the more      
devout people anticipated the standpoint
 of ,st4 ,paul and saw any imperfection 
in their law4 ,to them it presented a   

lofty scheme of life1 worthy of the     
highest aspiration4 ,and there is much  
in their spirit that commands our       
admiration and even our emulation4 ,the 
most obnoxious feature of their zeal is 
its pitiless exclusiveness4 ,but without
 this quality ,judaism would have been  
lost in the cross currents of life among
 the mixed populations of ,palestine4   
,the policy of exclusiveness saved      
,judaism4 ,at heart this is just an     
application--though a very harsh and    
formal application--of the principle of 
separation from the world which ,christ 
and ,his ,apostles enjoined on the      
,church1 and the neglect of which has   
sometimes nearly resulted in the        
disappearance of any distinctive        
,christian truth and life1 like the     
disappearance of a river that breaking  
through its banks spreads itself out in 
lagoons and morasses1 and ends by being 
swallowed up in the sands of the desert4
  ,the exterior aspect of the stern1    
strict ,judaism of these days is by no  

means attractive4 ,but the interior life
 of it is simply superb4 ,it recognises 
the absolute supremacy of ,god4 ,in the 
will of ,god it acknowledges the one    
unquestionable authority before which   
all who accept ,his covenant must bow2  
in the revealed truth of ,god it        
perceives an inflexible rule for the    
conduct of ,his people4 ,to be pledged  
to allegiance to the will and law of    
,god is to be truly consecrated to ,god4
 ,that is the condition voluntarily     
entered into by the citizens of         
,jerusalem in this epoch of religious   
awakening4 ,a few centuries later their 
example was followed by the primitive   
,christians1 who1 according to the      
testimony of the two ,bithynian         
handmaidens tortured by ,pliny1 solemnly
 pledged themselves to lives of purity  
and righteousness2 again1 it was        
imitated1 though in strangely perverted 
guise1 by anchorites and monks1 by the  
great founders of monastic orders and   
their loyal disciples1 and by medival   

reformers of ,church discipline such as 
,st4 ,bernard2 still later it was       
followed more closely by the ,protestant
 inhabitants of ,swiss cities at the    
,reformation1 by the early ,independents
 at home and the ,pilgrim ,fathers in   
,new ,england1 by the ,covenanters in   
,scotland1 by the first ,methodists4 ,it
 is the model of ,church order1 and the 
ideal of the religious organisation of  
civic life4 ,but it awaits the adequate 
fulfilment of its promise in the        
establishment of the ,heavenly ,city1   
the ,new ,jerusalem4     ,,chapter ,,ii4
  ,,cyrus4  ,,ezra i4 ,i4   ,the        
remarkable words with which the ,second 
,book of ,chronicles closes1 and which  
are repeated in the opening verses of   
the ,book of ,ezra1 afford the most     
striking instance on record of that     
peculiar connection between the         
destinies of the little ,hebrew nation  
and the movements of great ,world       
,empires which frequently emerges in    
history4 ,we cannot altogether set it   

down to the vanity of their writers1 or 
to the lack of perspective accompanying 
a contracted1 provincial education1 that
 the ,jews are represented in the ,old  
,testament as playing a more prominent  
part on the world's stage than one to   
which the size of their                 
territory--little bigger than ,wales--or
 their military prowess would entitle   
them4 ,the fact is indisputable4 ,no    
doubt it is to be attributed in part to 
the geographical position of ,palestine 
on the highway of the march of armies to
 and fro between ,asia and ,africa2 but 
it must spring also in some measure from
 the unique qualities of the strange    
people who have given their religion to 
the most civilised societies of mankind4
  ,in the case before us the greatest   
man of his age1 one of the half-dozen   
,founders of ,empires1 who constitute a 
lofty aristocracy even among sovereigns1
 is manifestly concerning himself very  
specially with the restoration of one of
 the smallest of the many subject races 

that fell into his hands when he seized 
the garnered spoils of previous         
conquerors4 ,whatever we may think of   
the precise words of his decree as this 
is now reported to us by a ,hebrew      
scribe1 it is unquestionable that he    
issued some such orders as are contained
 in it4 ,cyrus1 as it now appears1 was  
originally king of ,elam1 the modern    
,khuzistan1 not of ,persia1 although the
 royal family from which he sprang was  
of ,persian extraction4 ,after making   
himself master of ,persia and building  
up an empire in ,asia ,minor and the    
north1 he swept down on to the plains of
 ,chalda and captured ,babylon in the   
year ,b4,c4 #ech4 ,to the ,jews this    
would be the first year of his reign1   
because it was the first year of his    
rule over them1 just as the year ,a4,d4 
#afjc is reckoned by ,englishmen as the 
first year of ,james ,i41 because the   
king of ,scotland then inherited the    
,english throne4 ,in this year the new  
sovereign1 of his own initiative1       

released the ,hebrew exiles1 and even   
assisted them to return to ,jerusalem   
and rebuild their ruined temple4 ,such  
an astounding act of generosity was     
contrary to the precedent of other      
conquerors1 who accepted as a matter of 
course the arrangement of subject races 
left by their predecessors2 and we are  
naturally curious to discover the       
motives that prompted it4  ,like our    
mythical ,king ,arthur1 the ,cyrus of   
legend is credited with a singularly    
attractive disposition4 ,herodotus says 
the ,persians regarded him as their     
father and their shepherd4 ,in          
,xenophon's romance he appears as a very
 kindly character4 ,cicero calls him the
 most just1 wise1 and amiable of rulers4
 ,although it cannot be dignified with  
the name of history1 this universally   
accepted tradition seems to point to    
some foundation in fact4 ,it is entirely
 in accord with the ,jewish picture of  
the ,great ,king4 ,there is some reason 
for believing that the privilege ,cyrus 

offered to the ,jews was one in which   
other nations shared4 ,on a small1      
broken1 clay cylinder1 some four inches 
in diameter1 discovered quite recently  
and now deposited in the ,british       
,museum1 ,cyrus is represented as       
saying1 ,i assembled all those nations1 
and ,i caused them to go back to their  
countries4 ,thus the return of the ,jews
 may be regarded as a part of a general 
centrifugal movement in the new ,empire4
  ,nevertheless1 the peculiar favour    
indicated by the decree issued to the   
,jews suggests something special in     
their case1 and this must be accounted  
for before the action of ,cyrus can be  
well understood4  ,little or no weight  
can be attached to the statement of     
,josephus1 who inserts in the very      
language of the decree a reference to   
the foretelling of the name of ,cyrus by
 the prophets1 as a prime motive for    
issuing it1 and adds that this was known
 to ,cyrus by his reading the book of   
,isaiah4#d ,always more or less         

untrustworthy whenever he touches the   
relations between his people and        
foreigners1 the ,jewish historian is    
even exceptionally unsatisfactory in his
 treatment of the ,persian ,period4 ,it 
may be1 as ,ewald asserts1 that         
,josephus is here following some        
,hellenistic writer2 but we know nothing
 of his authority4 ,there is no         
reference to this in our one authority1 
the ,book of ,ezra2 and if it had been  
true there would have been every reason 
to publish it4 ,some ,jews at court may 
have shown ,cyrus the prophecies in     
question indeed it is most probable that
 men who wished to please him would have
 done so4 ,plato in the ,laws represents
 ,cyrus as honouring those who knew how 
to give good advice4 ,but it is scarcely
 reasonable to suppose1 without a       
particle of evidence1 that a great      
monarch flushed with victory would set  
himself to carry out a prediction       
purporting to emanate from the ,deity of
 one of the conquered peoples1 when that

 prediction was distinctly in their     
interest1 unless he was first actuated  
by some other considerations4    #d     
,ant41 ,,xi4 i4 #a1 #b4  ,until a few   
years ago it was commonly supposed that 
,cyrus was a ,zoroastrian1 who was      
disgusted at the cruel and lustful      
idolatry of the ,babylonians1 and that  
when he discovered a monotheistic people
 oppressed by vicious heathen           
polytheists1 he claimed religious       
brotherhood with them1 and so came to   
show them singular favour4              
,unfortunately for his fame1 this       
fascinating theory has been recently    
shattered by the discovery of the little
 cylinder already referred to4 ,here    
,cyrus is represented as saying that the
 gods have deserted ,nabonidas--the last
 king of ,babylon--because he has       
neglected their service2 and that       
,merodach1 the national divinity of     
,babylon1 has transferred his favour to 
,cyrus2 who now honours him with many   
praises4 ,an attempt has been made to   

refute the evidence of this ancient     
record by attributing the cylinder to   
some priest of ,bel1 who1 it is said1   
may have drawn up the inscription       
without the knowledge of the king1 and  
even in direct opposition to his        
religious views4 ,a most improbable     
hypothesis6 especially as we have       
absolutely no grounds for the opinion   
that ,cyrus was a ,zoroastrian4 ,the    
,avesta1 the sacred collection of hymns 
which forms the basis of the ,parsee    
scriptures1 came from the far ,east1    
close to ,india1 and it was written in a
 language almost identical with         
,sanscrit and quite different from the  
,old ,persian of ,western ,persia4 ,we  
have no ground for supposing that as yet
 it had been adopted in the remote      
south-western region of ,elam1 where    
,cyrus was brought up4 ,that monarch1 it
 would seem1 was a liberal-minded       
syncretist1 as ready to make himself at 
home with the gods of the peoples he    
conquered as with their territories4    

,such a man would be astute enough to   
represent the indigenous divinities as  
diverting their favour from the fallen  
and therefore discredited kings he had  
overthrown1 and transferring it to the  
new victor4 ,we must therefore descend  
from the highlands of theology in our   
search for an explanation of the conduct
 of ,cyrus4 ,can we find this in some   
department of state policy8  ,we learn  
from the latter portion of our ,book of 
,isaiah that the ,jewish captives       
suffered persecution under ,nabonidas4  
,it is not difficult to guess the cause 
of the embitterment of this king against
 them after they had been allowed to    
live in peace and prosperity under his  
predecessors4 ,evidently the policy of  
,nebuchadnezzar1 which may have         
succeeded with some other races1 had    
broken down in its application to a     
people with such tough national vitality
 as that of the ,jews4 ,it was found to 
be impossible to eradicate their        
patriotism--or rather the patriotism of 

the faithful nucleus of the nation1     
impossible to make ,jerusalem forgotten 
by the waters of ,babylon4 ,this ancient
 ,semitic question was the very reverse 
of that which now vexes ,eastern        
,europe1 because in the case of the     
,jews at ,babylon the troublesome aliens
 were only desirous of liberty to       
depart2 but it sprang from the same     
essential cause--the separateness of the
 ,hebrew race4  ,now things often       
present themselves in a true light to a 
new-comer who approaches them with a    
certain mental detachment1 although they
 may have been grievously misapprehended
 by those people among whom they have   
slowly shaped themselves4 ,cyrus was a  
man of real genius2 and immediately he  
came upon the scene he must have        
perceived the mistake of retaining a    
restless1 disaffected population1 like a
 foreign body rankling in the very heart
 of his empire4 ,moreover1 to allow the 
,jews to return home would serve a      
double purpose4 ,while it would free the

 ,euphrates ,valley from a constant     
source of distress1 it would plant a    
grateful1 and therefore loyal1 people on
 the western confines of the            
empire--perhaps1 as some have thought1  
to be used as outworks and a basis of   
operations in a projected campaign      
against ,egypt4 ,thus a far-sighted     
statesman might regard the liberation of
 the ,jews as a stroke of wise policy4  
,but we must not make too much of this4 
,the restored ,jews were a mere handful 
of religious devotees1 scarcely able to 
hold their own against the attacks of   
neighbouring villages2 and while they   
were permitted to build their temple1   
nothing was said in the royal rescript  
about fortifying their city4 ,so feeble 
a colony could not have been accounted  
of much strategic importance by such a  
master of armies as ,cyrus4 ,again1 we  
know from the ,second ,isaiah that1 when
 the ,persian war-cloud was hovering on 
the horizon1 the ,jewish exiles hailed  
it as the sign of deliverance from      

persecution4 ,the invader who brought   
destruction to ,babylon promised relief 
to her victims2 and the lofty strains of
 the prophet bespeak an inspired        
perception of the situation which       
encouraged higher hopes4 ,a second      
discovery in the buried library of      
bricks is that of a small flat tablet1  
also recently unearthed like the        
cylinder of ,cyrus1 which records this  
very section of the history of ,babylon4
 ,here it is stated that ,cyrus         
intrigued with a disaffected party      
within the city4 ,who would be so likely
 as the persecuted ,jews to play this   
part8 ,further1 the newly found         
,babylonian record makes it clear that  
,herodotus was mistaken in his famous   
account of the siege of ,babylon where  
he connected it with the coming of      
,cyrus4 ,he must have misapprehended a  
report of one of the two sieges under   
,darius1 when the city had revolted and 
was recaptured by force1 for we now know
 that after a battle fought in the open 

country ,cyrus was received into the    
city without striking another blow4 ,he 
would be likely to be in a gracious mood
 then1 and if he knew there were exiles1
 languishing in captivity1 who hailed   
his advent as that of a deliverer1 even 
apart from the question whether they had
 previously opened up negotiations with 
him1 he could not but look favourably   
upon them2 so that generosity and       
perhaps gratitude combined with good    
policy to govern his conduct4 ,lastly1  
although he was not a theological       
reformer1 he seems to have been of a    
religious character1 according to his   
light1 and therefore it is not unnatural
 to suppose that he may have heartily   
thrown himself into a movement of which 
his wisdom approved1 and with which all 
his generous instincts sympathised4     
,thus1 after all1 there may be something
 in the old view1 if only we combine it 
with our newer information4 ,under the  
peculiar political circumstances of his 
day1 ,cyrus may have been prepared to   

welcome the prophetic assurance that he 
was a heaven-sent shepherd1 if some of  
the ,jews had shown it him4 ,even       
without any such assurance1 other       
conquerors have been only too ready to  
flatter themselves that they were       
executing a sacred mission4  ,these     
considerations do not in the least      
degree limit the ,divine element of the 
narrative as that is brought forward by 
the ,hebrew historian4 ,on the contrary1
 they give additional importance to it4 
,the chronicler sees in the decree of   
,cyrus and its issues an accomplishment 
of the word of the ,lord by the mouth of
 ,jeremiah4 ,literally he says that what
 happens is in order that the word of   
the ,lord may be brought to an end4 ,it 
is in the fulness of the time1 as the   
advent of ,christ was later in another  
relation4#e ,the writer seems to have in
 mind the passage--,and this whole land 
shall be a desolation1 and an           
astonishment2 and these nations shall   
serve the king of ,babylon seventy      

years4 ,and it shall come to pass1 when 
seventy years are accomplished1 that ,i 
will punish the king of ,babylon1 and   
that nation1 saith the ,lord1 for their 
iniquity1 and the land of the           
,chaldeans2 and ,i will make it desolate
 for ever2#f as well as another         
prophecy--,for thus saith the ,lord1    
,after seventy years be accomplished for
 ,babylon1 ,i will visit you1 and       
perform ,my good word toward you1 in    
causing you to return to this place4#g  
,now if we do not accept the notion of  
,josephus that ,cyrus was consciously   
and purposely fulfilling these          
predictions1 we do not in any way       
diminish the fact that the deliverance  
came from ,god4 ,if we are driven to the
 conclusion that ,cyrus was not solely  
or chiefly actuated by religious        
motives1 or even if we take his action  
to be purely one of state policy1 the   
ascription of this inferior position to 
,cyrus only heightens the wonderful     
glory of ,god's overruling providence4  

,nebuchadnezzar was described as ,god's 
servant#h because1 although he was a bad
 man1 only pursuing his own wicked way1 
yet1 all unknown to him1 that way was   
made to serve ,god's purposes4          
,similarly ,cyrus1 who is not a bad man1
 is ,god's ,shepherd1 when he delivers  
the suffering flock from the wolf and   
sends it back to the fold1 whether he   
aims at obeying the will of ,god or not4
 ,it is part of the great revelation of 
,god in history1 that ,he is seen       
working out ,his supreme purposes in    
spite of the ignorance and sometimes    
even by means of the malice of men4 ,was
 not this the case in the supreme event 
of history1 the crucifixion of our      
,lord8 ,if the cruelty of               
,nebuchadnezzar and the feebleness of   
,pilate could serve ,god1 so could the  
generosity of ,cyrus4    #e ,gal4 iv4   
#d4    #f ,jer4 xxv4 #aa1 #ab4    #g    
,jer4 xxix4 #aj4    #h ,jer4 xxvii4 #f4 
,the question of the chronological      
exactness of this fulfilment of prophecy

 troubles some minds that are anxious   
about ,biblical arithmetic4 ,the        
difficulty is to arrive at the period of
 seventy years4 ,it would seem that this
 could only be done by some stretching  
at both ends of the exile4 ,we must     
begin with ,nebuchadnezzar's first      
capture of ,jerusalem and the first     
carrying away of a small body of royal  
hostages to ,babylon in the year ,b4,c4 
#fjf4 ,even then we have only           
sixty-eight years to the capture of     
,babylon by ,cyrus1 which happened in   
,b4,c4 #ech4 ,therefore to get the full 
seventy years it is proposed to extend  
the exile till the year ,b4,c4 #ecf1    
which is the date of the commencement of
 ,cyrus's sole rule4 ,but there are     
serious difficulties in these           
suggestions4 ,in his prediction of the  
seventy years ,jeremiah plainly refers  
to the complete overthrow of the nation 
with the strong words1 ,this whole land 
shall be a desolation and an            
astonishment4 ,as a matter of fact1 the 

exile only began in earnest with the    
final siege of ,jerusalem1 which took   
place in ,b4,c4 #ehh4 ,then ,cyrus      
actually began his reign over the ,jews 
in ,b4,c4 #ech1 when he took ,babylon1  
and he issued his edict in his first    
year4 ,thus the real exile as a national
 trouble seems to have occupied fifty   
years1 or1 reckoning a year for the     
issuing and execution of the edict1     
fifty-one years4 ,instead of straining  
at dates1 is it not more simple and     
natural to suppose that ,jeremiah gave a
 round figure to signify a period which 
would cover the lifetime of his         
contemporaries1 at all events8 ,however 
this may be1 nobody can make a grievance
 out of the fact that the captivity may 
not have been quite so lengthy as the   
previous warnings of it foreshadowed4   
,tillotson wisely remarked that there is
 this difference between the ,divine    
promises and the ,divine threatenings1  
that while ,god pledges ,his            
faithfulness to the full extent of the  

former1 ,he is not equally bound to the 
perfect accomplishment of the latter4   
,if the question of dates shows a little
 discrepancy1 what does this mean but   
that ,god is so merciful as not always  
to exact the last farthing8 ,moreover it
 should be remarked that the point of   
,jeremiah's prophecy is not the exact   
length of the captivity1 but the certain
 termination of it after a long while4  
,the time is fulfilled when the end has 
come4  ,but the action of ,cyrus is not 
only regarded as the accomplishment of  
prophecy2 it is also attributed to the  
direct influence of ,god exercised on   
the ,great ,king1 for we read the ,lord 
stirred up the spirit of ,cyrus king of 
,persia1 etc4 ,it would indicate the    
radical scepticism which is too often   
hidden under the guise of a rigorous    
regard for correct belief1 to maintain  
that because we now know ,cyrus to have 
been a polytheist his spirit could not  
have been stirred up by the true ,god4  
,it is not the teaching of the ,bible   

that ,god confines ,his influence on the
 hearts of men to ,jews and ,christians4
 ,surely we cannot suppose that the     
,father of all mankind rigidly refuses  
to hold any intercourse with the great  
majority of ,his children--never        
whispers them a guiding word in their   
anxiety and perplexity1 never breathes  
into them a helpful impulse1 even in    
their best moments1 when they are       
earnestly striving to do right4 ,in     
writing to the ,romans ,st4 ,paul       
distinctly argues on the ground that    
,god has revealed ,himself to the       
heathen world1#i and in the presence of 
,cornelius ,st4 ,peter as distinctly    
asserts that ,god accepts the devout and
 upright of all nations4#aj ,here even  
in the ,old ,testament it is recognised 
that ,god moves the king of ,persia4    
,this affords a singular encouragement  
for prayer1 because it suggests that    
,god has access to those who are far out
 of our reach2 that ,he quite sets aside
 the obstruction of                     

intermediaries--secretaries1            
chamberlains1 grand-viziers1 and all the
 entourage of a court2 that ,he goes    
straight into the audience chamber1     
making direct for the inmost thoughts   
and feelings of the man whom ,he would  
influence4 ,the wonder of it is that    
,god condescends to do this even with   
men who know little of ,him2 but it     
should be remembered that though ,he is 
strange to many men1 none of them are   
strange to ,him4 ,the ,father knows the 
children who do not know ,him4 ,it may  
be remarked1 finally1 on this point1    
that the special ,divine influence now  
referred to is dynamic rather than      
illuminating4 ,to stir up the spirit is 
to move to activity4 ,god not only      
teaches2 ,he quickens4 ,in the case of  
,cyrus1 the king used his own judgment  
and acted on his own opinions2 yet the  
impulse which drove him was from ,god4  
,that was everything4 ,we live in a     
,god-haunted world3 why then are we slow
 to take the first article of our creed 

in its full meaning8 ,is it so difficult
 to believe in ,god when all history is 
alive with ,his presence8    #i ,rom4 i4
 #ai4    #aj ,acts x4 #cd1 #ce4         
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,the ,,royal ,,edict4
  ,,ezra i4 #b-d1 #g-aa4   ,it has been 
asserted that the ,scripture version of 
the edict of ,cyrus cannot be an exact  
rendering of the original1 because it   
ascribes to the ,great ,king some       
knowledge of the ,god of the ,jews1 and 
even some faith in ,him4 ,for this      
reason it has been suggested that either
 the chronicler or some previous writer 
who translated the decree out of the    
,persian language1 in which of course it
 must have been first issued1 inserted  
the word ,jehovah in place of the name  
of ,ormazd or some other god worshipped 
by ,cyrus1 and shaped the phrases       
generally so as to commend them to      
,jewish sympathies4 ,are we driven to   
this position8 ,we have seen that when  
,cyrus got possession of ,babylon he had
 no scruple in claiming the indigenous  

divinity ,merodach as his god4 ,is it   
not then entirely in accordance with his
 eclectic habit of mind--not to mention 
his diplomatic art in humouring the     
prejudices of his subjects--that he     
should draw up a decree in which he     
designed to show favour to an           
exceptionally religious people in       
language that would be congenial to     
them8 ,like most men of higher          
intelligence even among polytheistic    
races1 ,cyrus may have believed in one  
supreme ,deity1 who1 he may have        
supposed1 was worshipped under different
 names by different nations4 ,the final 
clause of ,ezra i4 #c is misleading1 as 
it stands in the ,authorised ,version2  
and the ,revisers1 with their habitual  
caution1 have only so far improved upon 
it as to permit the preferable rendering
 to appear in the margin1 where we have 
generally to look for the opinions of   
the more scholarly as well as the more  
courageous critics4 ,yet even the       
,authorised ,version renders the same   

words correctly in the very next verse4 
,there is no occasion to print the      
clause1 ,he is the ,god1 as a           
parenthesis1 so as to make ,cyrus inform
 the world that ,jehovah is the one real
 divinity4 ,the more probable rendering 
in idea is also the more simple one in  
construction4 ,removing the superfluous 
brackets1 we read right on3 ,he is the  
,god which is in ,jerusalem--i4e41 we   
have an indication who ,jehovah is for  
the information of strangers to the     
,jews who may read the edict4 ,with this
 understanding let us examine the       
leading items of the decree4 ,it was    
proclaimed by the mouth of king's       
messengers1 and it was also preserved in
 writing1 so that possibly the original 
inscription may be recovered from among 
the burnt clay records that lie buried  
in the ruins of ,persian cities4 ,the   
edict is addressed to the whole empire4 
,cyrus announces to all his subjects his
 intention to rebuild the temple at     
,jerusalem4 ,then he specialises the aim

 of the decree by granting a licence to 
the ,jews to go up to ,jerusalem and    
undertake this work4 ,it is a perfectly 
free offer to all ,jews in exile without
 exception4 ,who is there among         
you--i4e41 among all the subjects of the
 empire--of all ,his 7,jehovah's7       
people1 his ,god be with him1 and let   
him go up to ,jerusalem1 etc4 ,in       
particular we may observe the following 
points3--  ,first1 ,cyrus begins by     
acknowledging that the ,god of          
,heaven--whom he identifies with the    
,hebrew ,jehovah1 in our version of the 
edict--has given him his dominions4 ,it 
is possible to treat this introductory  
sentence as a superficial formula2 but  
there is no reason for so ungenerous an 
estimate of it4 ,if we accept the words 
in their honest intention1 we must see  
in them a recognition of the hand of    
,god in the setting up of kingdoms4 ,two
 opposite kinds of experience awaken in 
men a conviction of ,god's presence in  
their lives--great calamities and great 

successes4 ,the influence of the latter 
experience is not so often acknowledged 
as that of the former1 but probably it  
is equally effective1 at least in       
extreme instances4 ,there is something  
awful in the success of a               
world-conqueror4 ,when the man is a     
destroyer1 spreading havoc and misery1  
like ,attila1 he regards himself as a   
,scourge of ,god2 and when he is a      
vulgar impersonation of selfish greed   
like ,napoleon1 he thinks he is swept on
 by a mighty tide of destiny4 ,in both  
instances the results are too stupendous
 to be attributed to purely human       
energy4 ,but in the case of ,cyrus1 an  
enlightened and noble-minded hero is    
bringing liberty and favour to the      
victims of a degraded tyranny1 so that  
he is hailed by some of them as the     
,anointed ,king raised up by their ,god1
 and therefore it is not unnatural that 
he should ascribe his brilliant destiny 
to a ,divine influence4  ,secondly1     
,cyrus actually asserts that ,god has   

charged him to build ,him a temple at   
,jerusalem4 ,again1 this may be the     
language of princely courtesy2 but the  
noble spirit which breathes through the 
decree encourages us to take a higher   
view of it1 and to refrain from reading 
minimising comments between the lines4  
,it is probable that those eager1       
patriotic ,jews who had got the ear of  
,cyrus--or he would never have issued   
such a decree as this--may have urged   
their suit by showing him predictions   
like that of ,isaiah xliv4 #bh1 in which
 ,god describes ,himself as ,one that   
saith of ,cyrus1 ,he is ,my shepherd1   
and shall perform all my pleasure3 even 
saying of ,jerusalem1 ,let her be built2
 and1 ,let the foundations of the temple
 be laid4 ,possibly ,cyrus is here      
alluding to that very utterance1        
although1 as we have seen1 ,josephus is 
incorrect in inserting a reference to   
,hebrew prophecy in the very words of   
the decree1 and in suggesting that the  
fulfilment of prophecy was the chief end

 ,cyrus had in view4  ,it is a          
historical fact that ,cyrus did help to 
build the temple2 he supplied funds from
 the public treasury for that object4   
,we can understand his motives for doing
 so4 ,if he desired the favour of the   
,god of the ,jews1 he would naturally   
aid in restoring ,his shrine4 ,nabonidas
 had fallen1 it was thought1 through    
neglecting the worship of the gods4     
,cyrus seems to have been anxious to    
avoid this mistake1 and to have given   
attention to the cultivation of their   
favour4 ,if1 as seems likely1 some of   
the ,jews had impressed his mind with   
the greatness of ,jehovah1 he might have
 desired to promote the building of the 
temple at ,jerusalem with exceptional   
assiduity4  ,in the next place1 ,cyrus  
gives the captive ,jews leave to go up  
to ,jerusalem4 ,the edict is purely     
permissive4 ,there is to be no expulsion
 of ,jews from ,babylon4 ,those exiles  
who did not choose to avail themselves  
of the boon so eagerly coveted by the   

patriotic few were allowed to remain    
unmolested in peace and prosperity4 ,the
 restoration was voluntary4 ,this free  
character of the movement would give it 
a vigour quite out of proportion to the 
numbers of those who took part in it1   
and would1 at the same time1 ensure a   
certain elevation of tone and spirit4   
,it is an image of the ,divine          
restoration of souls1 which is confined 
to those who accept it of their own free
 will4  ,further1 the object of the     
return1 as it is distinctly specified1  
is simply to rebuild the temple1 not--at
 all events in the first instance--to   
build up and fortify a city on the ruins
 of ,jerusalem2 much less does it imply 
a complete restoration of ,palestine to 
the ,jews1 with a wholesale expulsion of
 its present inhabitants from their     
farms and vineyards4 ,cyrus does not    
seem to have contemplated any such      
revolution4 ,the end in view was neither
 social nor political1 but purely       
religious4 ,that more would come out of 

it1 that the returning exiles must have 
houses to live in and must protect those
 houses from the brigandage of the      
,bedouin1 and that they must have fields
 producing food to support them and     
their families1 are inevitable          
consequences4 ,here is the germ and     
nucleus of a national restoration4      
,still it remains true that the         
immediate object--the only object named 
in the decree--is the rebuilding of the 
temple4 ,thus we see from the first that
 the idea which characterises the       
restoration is religious4 ,the exiles   
return as a ,church4 ,the goal of their 
pilgrimage is a holy site4 ,the one work
 they are to aim at achieving is to     
further the worship of their ,god4      
,lastly1 the inhabitants of the towns in
 which the ,jews have been settled are  
directed to make contributions towards  
the work4 ,it is not quite clear whether
 these ,benevolences are to be entirely 
voluntary4 ,a royal exhortation         
generally assumes something of the      

character of a command4 ,probably rich  
men were requisitioned to assist in     
providing the gold and silver and other 
stores1 together with the beasts of     
burden which would be needed for the    
great expedition4 ,this was to          
supplement what ,cyrus calls the        
free-will offering for the house of ,god
 that is in ,jerusalem--i4e41 either the
 gifts of the ,jews who remained in     
,babylon1 or possibly his own           
contribution from the funds of the      
state4 ,we are reminded of the ,hebrews 
spoiling the ,egyptians at the ,exodus4 
,the prophet ,haggai saw in this a      
promise of further supplies1 when the   
wealth of foreign nations would be      
poured into the temple treasury in      
donations of larger dimensions from the 
heathen4 ,for thus saith the ,lord of   
hosts1 he writes1 ,yet once1 it is a    
little while1 and ,i will shake the     
heavens1 and the earth1 and the sea1 and
 the dry land2 444 and the desirable    
things of all nations shall come1 and ,i

 will fill this house with glory1 saith 
the ,lord of hosts4 ,the silver is mine1
 and the gold is mine1 saith the ,lord  
of hosts4#aa    #aa ,hag4 ii4 #f-h4     
,the assumed willingness of their       
neighbours to contribute at a hint from 
the king suggests that the exiles were  
not altogether unpopular4 ,on the other 
hand1 it is quite possible that1 under  
the oppression of ,nabonidas1 they had  
suffered much wrong from these          
neighbours4 ,a public persecution always
 entails a large amount of private      
cruelty1 because the victims are not    
protected by the law from the greed and 
petty spite of those who are mean enough
 to take advantage of their helpless    
condition4 ,thus it may be that ,cyrus  
was aiming at a just return in his      
recommendation to his subjects to aid   
the ,jews4  ,such was the decree4 ,now  
let us look at the execution of it4  ,in
 the first place1 there was a ready     
response on the part of some of the     
,jews1 seen especially in the conduct of

 their leaders1 who rose up1 bestirring 
themselves to prepare for the           
expedition1 like expectant watchers     
released from their weary waiting and   
set free for action4 ,the social leaders
 are mentioned first1 which is a clear  
indication that the theocracy1 so       
characteristic of the coming age1 was   
not yet the recognised order4 ,a little 
later the clergy will be placed before  
the laity1 but at present the laity are 
still named before the clergy4 ,the     
order is domestic4 ,the leaders are the 
heads of great families--the chief of   
the fathers4 ,for such people to be     
named first is also an indication that  
the movement did not originate in the   
humbler classes4 ,evidently a certain   
aristocratic spirit permeated it4 ,the  
wealthy merchants may have been loath to
 leave their centres of commerce1 but   
the nobility of blood and family were at
 the head of the crusade4 ,we have not  
yet reached the age of the democracy4   
,it is clear1 further1 that there was   

some organisation among the exiles4     
,they were not a mere crowd of refugees4
 ,the leaders were of the tribes of     
,judah and ,benjamin4 ,we shall have to 
consider the relation of the ,ten       
,tribes to the restoration later on2    
here it may be enough to observe in     
passing that representatives of the     
,southern ,kingdom take the lead in a   
return to ,jerusalem1 the capital of    
that kingdom4 ,next come the            
ecclesiastical leaders1 the priests and 
,levites4 ,already we find these two    
orders named separately--an important   
fact in relation to the development of  
,judaism that will meet us again1 with  
some hints here and there to throw light
 upon the meaning of it4  ,there is     
another side to this response4 ,it was  
by no means the case that the whole of  
the exiles rose up in answer to the     
edict of ,cyrus2 only those leaders and 
only those people responded whose spirit
 ,god had raised4 ,the privilege was    
offered to all the ,jews1 but it was not

 accepted by all4 ,we cannot but be     
impressed by the religious faith and the
 inspired insight of our historian in   
this matter4 ,he saw that ,cyrus issued 
his edict because the ,lord had stirred 
up his spirit2 now he attributes the    
prompting to make use of the proffered  
liberty to a similar ,divine influence4 
,thus the return was a movement of      
heaven-sent impulses throughout4        
,ezekiel's vision of the dry bones      
showed the deplorable condition of the  
,northern ,kingdom in his day--stripped 
bare1 shattered to fragments1 scattered 
abroad4 ,the condition of ,judah was    
only second to this ghastly national    
ruin4 ,but now to ,judah there had come 
the breath of the ,divine ,spirit which 
,ezekiel saw promised for ,israel1 and a
 living army was rising up in new       
energy4 ,here we may discover the       
deeper1 the more vital source of the    
return4 ,without this the edict of      
,cyrus would have perished as a dead    
letter4 ,even as it was1 only those     

people who felt the breath of the       
,divine afflatus rose up for the arduous
 undertaking4 ,so to-day there is no    
return to the heavenly ,jerusalem and no
 rebuilding the fallen temple of human  
nature except in the power of the       
,spirit of ,god4 ,regeneration always   
goes hand in hand with redemption--the  
work of the ,spirit with the work of the
 ,christ4 ,in the particular case before
 us1 the special effect of the ,divine  
influence is to raise the spirit--i4e41 
to infuse life1 to rouse to activity and
 hope and high endeavour4 ,a people thus
 equipped is fit for any expedition of  
toil or peril4 ,like ,gideon's little1  
sifted army1 the small band of inspired 
men who rose up to accept the decree of 
,cyrus carried within their breasts a   
superhuman power1 and therefore a       
promise of ultimate success4 ,the aim   
with which they set out confirmed the   
religious character of the whole        
enterprise4 ,they accepted the          
limitations and they gladly adopted the 

one definite purpose suggested in the   
edict of ,cyrus4 ,they proceeded to     
build the house of the ,lord which is in
 ,jerusalem4 ,this was their only       
confessed aim4 ,it would have been      
impossible for patriots such as these   
,jews were not to feel some national    
hopes and dreams stirring within them2  
still we have no reason to believe that 
the returning exiles were not loyal to  
the spirit of the decree of the ,great  
,king4 ,the religious aim was the real  
occasion of the expedition4 ,so much the
 more need was there to go in the       
,spirit and strength of ,god4 ,only they
 whose spirit ,god has raised are fit to
 build ,god's temple1 because work for  
,god must be done in the ,spirit of     
,god4  ,secondly1 the resident          
neighbours fell in with the             
recommendation of the king ungrudgingly1
 and gave rich contributions for the    
expedition4 ,they could not go          
themselves1 but they could have a share 
in the work by means of their gifts--as 

the home ,church can share in the       
foreign mission she supports4 ,the      
acceptance of these bounties by the     
,jews does not well accord with their   
subsequent conduct when they refused the
 aid of their ,samaritan neighbours in  
the actual work of building the temple4 
,it has an ugly look1 as though they    
were willing to take help from all      
sources excepting where any concessions 
in return would be expected on the part 
of those who were befriending them4     
,however1 it is just to remember that   
the aid was invited and offered by      
,cyrus1 not solicited by the ,jews4     
,thirdly1 the execution of the decree   
appears to have been honestly and       
effectively promoted by its author4 ,in 
accordance with his generous            
encouragement of the ,jews to rebuild   
their temple1 ,cyrus restored the sacred
 vessels that had been carried off by   
,nebuchadnezzar on the occasion of the  
first ,chaldan raid on ,jerusalem1 and  
deposited in a temple at ,babylon nearly

 seventy years before the time of the   
return4 ,no doubt these things were     
regarded as of more importance than     
other spoils of war4 ,it would be       
supposed that the patron god of the     
conquered people was humiliated when the
 instruments of his worship were offered
 to ,bel or ,nebo4 ,perhaps it was      
thought that some charm attaching to    
them would bring luck to the city in    
which they were guarded4 ,when          
,nabonidas was seized with frantic      
terror at the approach of the ,persian  
hosts1 he brought the idols of the      
surrounding nations to ,babylon for his 
protection4 ,the reference to the temple
 vessels1 and the careful and detailed  
enumeration of them1 without the mention
 of any image1 is a clear proof that1   
although before the captivity the       
majority of the ,jews may have consisted
 of idolaters1 there was no idol in the 
temple at ,jerusalem4 ,had there been   
one there ,nebuchadnezzar would most    
certainly have carried it off as the    

greatest trophy of victory4 ,in default 
of images1 he had to make the most of   
the gold and silver plate used in the   
sacrificial ceremonies4  ,viewed in this
 connection1 the restitution of the     
stolen vessels by ,cyrus appears to be  
more than an act of generosity or       
justice4 ,a certain religious import    
belongs to it4 ,it put an end to an     
ancient insult offered by ,babylon to   
the ,god of ,israel2 and it might be    
taken as an act of homage offered to    
,jehovah by ,cyrus4 ,yet it was only a  
restitution1 a return of what was ,god's
 before1 and so a type of every gift man
 makes to ,god4  ,it has been noticed   
that the total number of the vessels    
restored does not agree with the sum of 
the numbers of the several kinds of     
vessels4 ,the total is #edjj2 but an    
addition of the list of the vessels only
 amounts to #bdii4 ,perhaps the less    
valuable articles are omitted from the  
detailed account2 or possibly there is  
some error of transcription1 and if so  

the question is1 in which direction     
shall we find it8 ,it may be that the   
total was too large4 ,on the other hand1
 in #a ,esdras nearly the same high     
total is given--viz41 #edfi--;and there 
the details are made to agree with it by
 an evidently artificial manipulation of
 the numbers4#ab ,this gives some       
probability to the view that the total  
is correct1 and that the error must be  
in the numbers of the several items4    
,the practical importance of these      
considerations is that they lead us to a
 high estimate of the immense wealth of 
the ,old ,temple treasures4 ,thus they  
suggest the reflection that much        
devotion and generosity had been shown  
in collecting such stores of gold and   
silver in previous ages4 ,they help us  
to picture the sumptuous ritual of the  
first temple1 with the barbaric         
splendour of a rich display of the      
precious metals4 ,therefore they show   
that the generosity of ,cyrus in        
restoring so great a hoard was genuine  

and considerable4 ,it might have been   
urged that after the treasures had been 
lying for two generations in a heathen  
temple the original owners had lost all 
claim upon them4 ,it might have been    
said that they had been contaminated by 
this long residence among the           
abominations of ,babylonian idolatry4   
,the restoration of them swept away all 
such ideas4 ,what was once ,god's       
belongs to ,him by right for ever4 ,his 
property is inalienable2 ,his claims    
never lapse with time1 never fail       
through change4    #ab #a ,esdras ii4   
#ad4  ,it is not without significance   
that the treasurer who handed over their
 temple-property to the ,jews was named 
,mithredath--a word that means given by 
,mithra1 or devoted to ,mithra4 ,this   
suggests that the ,persian sun-god was  
honoured among the servants of ,cyrus1  
and yet that one who by name at least   
was especially associated with this     
divinity was constrained to honour the  
,god of ,israel4 ,next to ,judaism and  

,christianity1 the worship of ,mithra   
showed the greatest vitality of all     
religions in ,western ,asia1 and later  
even in ,europe4 ,so vigorous was it as 
recently as the commencement of the     
,christian era1 that ,m4 ,renan has     
remarked1 that if the ,roman world had  
not become ,christian it would have     
become ,mithrastic4 ,in those regions   
where the dazzling radiance and burning 
heat of the sun are felt as they are not
 even imagined in our chill1 gloomy     
climate1 it was naturally supposed that 
if any visible ,god existed ,he must be 
found in the great fiery centre of the  
world's light and life4 ,our own day has
 seen the scientific development of the 
idea that the sun's force is the source 
of all the energy of nature4 ,in the    
homage paid by one of the ancient       
followers of ,mithra1 the sun-god1 to   
the ,god of ,israel1 may we not see an  
image of the recognition of the claims  
of the ,supreme by our priests of the   
sun--,kepler1 ,newton1 ,faraday8 ,men   

must be more blind than the slaves of   
,mithra if they cannot recognise an     
awful1 invisible energy behind and above
 the forces of the solar system--nay    
more1 a living ,spirit--,god6           
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,the ,,second         
,,exodus4  ,ezra ii4 #a-fg4   ,the      
journey of the returning exiles from    
,babylon has some points of resemblance 
to the exodus of their fathers from     
,egypt4 ,on both occasions the          
,israelites had been suffering          
oppression in a foreign land4           
,deliverance had come to the ancient    
,hebrews in so wonderful a way that it  
could only be described as a miracle of 
,god3 no material miracle was recorded  
of the later movement2 and yet it was so
 marvellously providential that the     
,jews were constrained to acknowledge   
that the hand of ,god was not less      
concerned in it4  ,but there were great 
differences between the two events4 ,in 
the original ,hegira of the ,hebrews a  
horde of slaves was fleeing from the    

land of their brutal masters2 in the    
solemn pilgrimage of the second exodus  
the ,jews were able to set out with     
every encouragement from the conqueror  
of their national enemy4 ,on the other  
hand1 while the flight from ,egypt led  
to liberty1 the expedition from ,babylon
 did not include an escape from the     
foreign yoke4 ,the returning exiles were
 described as children of the           
province#ac--;i4e41 of the ,persian     
province of ,juda--and their leader bore
 the title of a ,persian governor4#ad   
,zerubbabel was no new ,moses4 ,the     
first exodus witnessed the birth of a   
nation2 the second saw only a migration 
within the boundaries of an empire1     
sanctioned by the ruler because it did  
not include the deliverance of the      
subject people from servitude4    #ac   
,ezra ii4 #a4    #ad ,tirshatha4 ,ezra  
ii4 #fc4  ,in other respects the        
condition of the ,israelites who took   
part in the later expedition contrasts  
favourably with that of their ancestors 

under ,moses4 ,in the arts of           
civilisation1 of course1 they were far  
superior to the crushed ,egyptian       
bondmen4 ,but the chief distinction lay 
in the matter of religion4 ,at length1  
in these days of ,cyrus1 the people were
 ripe to accept the faith of the great  
teachers who hitherto had been as voices
 crying in the wilderness4 ,this fact   
signalises the immense difference       
between the ,jews in every age previous 
to the exile1 and the ,jews of the      
return4 ,in earlier periods they appear 
as a kingdom1 but not as a ,church2 in  
the later age they are no longer a      
kingdom1 but they have become a ,church4
 ,the kingdom had been mainly heathenish
 and idolatrous in its religion1 and    
most abominably corrupt in its morals1  
with only a thin streak of purer faith  
and conduct running through the course  
of its history4 ,but the new ,church1   
formed out of captives purified in the  
fires of persecution1 consisted of a    
body of men and women who heartily      

embraced the religion to which but few  
of their forefathers had attained1 and  
who were even ready to welcome a more   
rigorous development of its cult4 ,thus 
they became a highly developed ,church4 
,they were consolidated into a ,puritan 
,church in discipline1 and a ,high      
,church in ritual4  ,it must be borne in
 mind that only a fraction of the ,jews 
in the ,east went back to ,palestine4   
,nor were they who tarried1 in all      
cases1 the more worldly1 enamoured of   
the fleshpots4 ,in the ,talmud it is    
said that only the chaff returned1 while
 the wheat remained behind4 ,both ,ezra 
and ,nehemiah sprang from families still
 residing in the ,east long after the   
return under ,zerubbabel4  ,it is in    
accordance with these conditions that we
 come across one of the most curious    
characteristics of the ,books of ,ezra  
and ,nehemiah--a characteristic which   
they share with ,chronicles1 viz41 the  
frequent insertion of long lists of     
names4  ,thus the second chapter of     

,ezra contains a list of the families   
who went up to ,jerusalem in response to
 the edict of ,cyrus4 ,one or two       
general considerations arise here4      
,since it was not a whole nation that   
migrated from the plains of ,babylon    
across the great ,syrian desert1 but    
only some fragments of a nation1 we     
shall not have to consider the fortunes 
and destinies of a composite unity1 such
 as is represented by a kingdom4 ,the   
people of ,god must now be regarded     
disjunctively4 ,it is not the blessing  
of ,israel1 or the blessing of ,judah1  
that faith now anticipates2 but the     
blessing of those men1 women1 and       
children who fear ,god and walk in ,his 
ways1 though1 of course1 for the present
 they are all confined to the limits of 
the ,jewish race4  ,on the other hand1  
it is to be observed that this          
individualism was not absolute4 ,the    
people were arranged according to their 
families1 and the names that            
distinguished the families were not     

those of the present heads of houses1   
but the names of ancestors1 possibly of 
captives taken down to ,babylon by      
,nebuchadnezzar4 ,as some of these names
 occur in later expeditions1 it is plain
 that the whole of the families they    
represented were not found in the first 
body of pilgrims4 ,still the people were
 grouped in family order4 ,the ,jews    
anticipated the modern verdict of       
sociology1 that the social unit is the  
family1 not the individual4 ,judaism    
was1 through and through1 a domestic    
religion4  ,further1 it is to be noted  
that a sort of caste feeling was        
engendered in the midst of the domestic 
arrangement of the people4 ,it emerges  
already in the second chapter of ,ezra  
in the cases of families that could not 
trace their genealogy1 and it bears     
bitter fruit in some pitiable scenes in 
the later history of the returned       
people4 ,not only national rights1 but  
also religious privileges1 come more and
 more to depend on purity of birth and  

descent4 ,religion is viewed as a       
question of blood relationship4 ,thus   
even with the very appearance of that   
new-born individualism which might be   
expected to counteract it1 even when the
 recovered people is composed entirely  
of volunteers1 a strong racial current  
sets in1 which grows in volume until in 
the days of our ,lord the fact of a     
man's being a ,jew is thought a         
sufficient guarantee of his enjoying the
 favour of ,heaven1 until in our own day
 such a book as ,daniel ,deronda        
portrays the race-enthusiasm of the     
,israelite as the very heart and essence
 of his religion4  ,we have three copies
 of the list of the returning           
exiles--one in ,ezra ii41 the second in 
,nehemiah vii41 and the third in #a     
,esdras v4 ,they are evidently all of   
them transcripts of the same original   
register2 but though they agree in the  
main1 they differ in details1 giving    
some variation in the names and         
considerable diversity in the           

numbers--,esdras coming nearer to ,ezra 
than to ,nehemiah1 as we might expect4  
,the total1 however1 is the same in     
every case1 viz41 #db1cfj 7besides #gccg
 servants7--a large number1 which shows 
how important the expedition was        
considered to be4  ,the name of         
,zerubbabel appears first4 ,he was the  
lineal descendant of the royal house1   
the heir to the throne of ,david4 ,this 
is a most significant fact4 ,it shows   
that the exiles had retained some latent
 national organisation1 and it gives a  
faint political character to the return1
 although1 as we have already observed1 
the main object of it was religious4 ,to
 fervent readers of old prophecies      
strange hopes would dawn1 hopes of the  
,messiah whose advent ,isaiah1 in       
particular1 had predicted4 ,was this new
 shoot from the stock of ,david indeed  
the ,lord's ,anointed8 ,those who       
secretly answered the question to       
themselves in the affirmative were      
doomed to much perplexity and not a     

little disappointment4 ,nevertheless    
,zerubbabel was a lower1 a provisional1 
a temporary ,messiah4 ,god was educating
 ,his people through their illusions4   
,as one by one the national heroes      
failed to satisfy the large hopes of the
 prophets1 they were left behind1 but   
the hopes still maintained their        
unearthly vitality4 ,hezekiah1 ,josiah1 
,zerubbabel1 the ,maccabees all passed1 
and in passing they all helped to       
prepare for ,one who alone could realise
 the dreams of seers and singers in all 
the best ages of ,hebrew thought and    
life4  ,still the bulk of the people do 
not seem to have been dominated by the  
,messianic conception4 ,it is one       
characteristic of the return that the   
idea of the personal1 ,god-sent1 but    
human ,messiah recedes2 and another1    
older1 and more persistent ,jewish hope 
comes to the front--viz41 the hope in   
,god ,himself as the ,saviour of ,his   
people and their ,vindicator4 ,cyrus    
could not have suspected any political  

designs1 or he would not have made      
,zerubbabel the head of the expedition4 
,evidently ,sheshbazzar1 the prince of  
,judah1 to whom ,cyrus handed over the  
sacred vessels of the temple1 is the    
same man as ,zerubbabel1 because in v4  
#af we read that ,sheshbazzar laid the  
foundation of the temple1 while in iii4 
#h this work is ascribed to ,zerubbabel1
 with whom the origin of the work is    
again connected in v4 #b4  ,the second  
name is ,jeshua4#ae ,the man who bears  
it was afterwards the high-priest at    
,jerusalem4 ,it is impossible to say    
whether he had exercised any sacerdotal 
functions during the exile2 but his     
prominent place shows that honour was   
now offered to his priesthood4 ,still he
 comes after the royal prince4    #ae   
,this name is a later form of ,joshua2  
the older form of the name   is used for
 the same person in ,hag4 i4 #a1 #ad1   
and ,zech4 iii4 #a4  ,then follow nine  
names without any description4#af       
,nehemiah's list includes another name1 

which seems to have dropped out of the  
list in ,ezra4 ,these1 together with the
 two already mentioned1 make an exact   
dozen4 ,it cannot be an accident that   
twelve names stand at the head of the   
list2 they must be meant to represent   
the twelve tribes--like the twelve      
apostles in the ,gospels1 and the twelve
 gates of the ,new ,jerusalem in the    
,apocalypse4 ,thus it is indicated that 
the return is for all ,israel1 not      
exclusively for the ,judan ,hebrews4    
,undoubtedly the bulk of the pilgrims   
were descendants of captives from the   
,southern ,kingdom4#ag ,the dispersion  
of the ,northern ,kingdom had begun two 
centuries earlier than ,nebuchadnezzar's
 invasion of ,juda2 it had been carried 
on by successive removals of the people 
in successive wars4 ,probably most of   
these early exiles had been driven      
farther north than those districts which
 were assigned to the ,judan captives2  
probably1 too2 they had been scattered  
far and wide2 lastly1 we know that they 

had been sunken in an idolatrous        
imitation of the manners and customs of 
their heathen neighbours1 so that there 
was little to differentiate them from   
the people among whom they were         
domiciled4 ,under all these             
circumstances1 is it remarkable that the
 ten tribes have disappeared from the   
observation of the world8 ,they have    
vanished1 but only as the ,goths have   
vanished in ,italy1 as the ,huguenot    
refugees have vanished in ,england--by  
mingling with the resident population4  
,we have not to search for them in      
,tartary1 or ,south ,america1 or any    
other remote region of the four         
continents1 because we have no reason to
 believe that they are now a separate   
people4    #af ,of course the ,nehemiah 
and ,mordecai in this list are different
   persons from those who bear the same 
names in the ,books of ,nehemiah   and  
,esther and belong to later dates4      
#ag ,see ,ezra i4 #e4  ,still a very    
small ,remnant was faithful4 ,this      

,remnant was welcome to find its way    
back to ,palestine with the returning   
,judans4 ,as the immediate object of the
 expedition was to rebuild the temple at
 the rival capital of ,jerusalem1 it was
 not to be expected that patriots of the
 ,northern ,kingdom would be very eager 
to join it4 ,yet some descendants of the
 ten tribes made their way back4 ,even  
in ,new ,testament times the genealogy  
of the prophetess ,anna was reckoned    
from the tribe of ,asher4#ah ,it is most
 improbable that the twelve leaders were
 actually descendants of the twelve     
tribes4 ,but just as in the case of the 
apostles1 whom we cannot regard as thus 
descended1 they represented all ,israel4
 ,their position at the head of the     
expedition proclaimed that the middle   
wall of partition was broken down4 ,thus
 we see that redemption tends to        
liberalise the redeemed1 that those who 
are restored to ,god are also brought   
back to the love of their brethren4     
#ah ,luke ii4 #cf4  ,the list that      

follows the twelve is divisible into two
 sections4 ,first1 we have a number of  
families2 then there is a change in the 
tabulation1 and the rest of the people  
are arranged according to their cities4 
,the most simple explanation of this    
double method is that the families      
constitute the ,jerusalem citizens4     
,the towns named in the second division 
are all situated in the neighbourhood of
 ,jerusalem4 ,the only part of          
,palestine as yet restored to the ,jews 
was ,jerusalem1 with the towns in its   
vicinity4 ,the southern half of ,juda   
remained in the hands of the ,edomites1 
who begrudged to the ,jews even the     
resumption of the northern portion--and 
very naturally1 seeing that the         
,edomites had held it for half a        
century1 a time which gives some        
assurance of permanent possession4 ,this
 must be borne in mind when we come     
across the troubles between the returned
 exiles and their neighbours in         
,palestine4 ,we can never understand a  

quarrel until we have heard both sides4 
,there is no ,edomite history of the    
wars of ,israel4 ,no doubt such a       
history would put another face on the   
events--just as a ,chinese history of   
the ,english wars in the ,east would do1
 to the shame of the ,christian nation4 
,after the leaders and the people       
generally come the successive orders of 
the temple ministry4 ,we begin with the 
priests1 and among these a front rank is
 given to the house of ,jeshua4 ,the    
high-priest himself had been named      
earlier1 next to ,zerubbabel1 among the 
leaders of the nation1 so distinct was  
his position from that of the ordinary  
priesthood4 ,next to the priests we have
 the ,levites1 who are now sharply      
separated from the first order of the   
ministry4 ,the very small number of     
,levites in comparison with the large   
number of priests is startling--over    
four thousand priests and only          
seventy-four ,levites6 ,the explanation 
of this anomaly may be found in what had

 been occurring in ,chalda4 ,ezekiel    
declared that the ,levites were to be   
degraded because of their sinful        
conduct4#ai ,we see from the arrangement
 in ,ezra that the prophet's message was
 obeyed4 ,the ,levites were now         
separated from the priests1 and set down
 to a lower function4 ,this could not   
have been acceptable to them4 ,therefore
 it is not at all surprising that the   
majority of them held aloof from the    
expedition for rebuilding the temple in 
sullen resentment1 or at best in cool   
indifference1 refusing to take part in a
 work the issue of which would exhibit  
their humiliation to menial service4    
,but the seventy-four had grace to      
accept their lowly lot4    #ai ,ezek4   
xliv4 #i-af4  ,the ,levites are not set 
in the lowest place4 ,they are          
distinguished from several succeeding   
orders4 ,the singers1 the children of   
,asaph1 were really ,levites2 but they  
form a separate and important class1 for
 the temple service was to be           

choral--rich and gladsome4 ,the         
door-keepers are a distinct order1 lowly
 but honourable1 for they are devoted to
 the service of ,god1 for whom all work 
is glorious4    ,they also serve who    
only stand and wait4  ,next come the    
,nethinims1 or temple-helots4 ,these    
seem to have been aborigines of ,canaan 
who had been pressed into the service of
 the old ,jerusalem temple1 like the    
,gibeonites1 the hewers of wood and     
drawers of water4 ,after the ,nethinims 
come the children of ,solomon's         
servants1 another order of slaves1      
apparently the descendants of the war   
captives whom ,solomon had assigned to  
the work of building the temple4 ,it    
shows what thorough organisation was    
preserved among the captives that these 
bondsmen were retained in their original
 position and brought back to           
,jerusalem4 ,to us this is not          
altogether admirable4 ,we may be grieved
 to see slavery thus enlisted in the    
worship of ,god4 ,but we must recollect 

that even with the ,christian gospel in 
her hand1 for centuries1 the ,church had
 her slaves1 the monasteries their      
serfs4 ,no idea is of slower growth than
 the idea of the brotherhood of man4    
,so far all was in order2 but there were
 exceptional cases4 ,some of the people 
could not prove their ,israelite        
descent1 and accordingly they were set  
aside from their brethren4 ,some of the 
priests even could not trace their      
genealogy4 ,their condition was regarded
 as more serious1 for the right of      
office was purely hereditary4 ,the      
dilemma brought to light a sad sense of 
loss4 ,if only there were a priest with 
the ,urim and ,thummim1 this antique    
augury of flashing gems might settle the
 difficulty6 ,but such a man was not to 
be found4 ,the ,urim and ,thummim1      
together with the ,ark and the          
,shekinah1 are named by the rabbis among
 the precious things that were never    
recovered4 ,the ,jews looked back with  
regret to the wonderful time when the   

privilege of consulting an oracle had   
been within the reach of their          
ancestors4 ,thus they shared the        
universal instinct of mankind that turns
 fondly to the past for memories of a   
golden age1 the glories of which have   
faded and left us only the dingy scenes 
of every-day life4 ,in this instinct we 
may detect a transference to the race of
 the vaguely perceived personal loss of 
each man as he reflects on those        
far-off1 dream-like child-days1 when    
even he was a mighty prophet1 a seer    
blest1 one who had come into the world  
trailing clouds of glory4 ,alas6 he     
perceives that the mystic splendours    
have faded into the light of common day1
 if they have not even given place to   
the gloom of doubt1 or the black night  
of sin4 ,then1 taking himself as a      
microcosm1 he ascribes a similar fate to
 the race4  ,nothing is more inspiriting
 in the gospel of our ,lord ,jesus      
,christ than its complete reversal of   
this dismal process of reflection1 and  

its promise of the ,golden ,age in the  
future4 ,the most exalted ,hebrew       
prophecy anticipated something of the   
kind2 here and there it lit up its      
sombre pages with the hope of a         
brilliant future4 ,the attitude of the  
,jews in the present instance1 when they
 simply set a question on one side1     
waiting till a priest with ,urim and    
,thummim should appear1 suggests too    
faint a belief in the future to be      
prophetic4 ,but like ,socrates' hint at 
the possibility of one arising who      
should solve the problems which were    
inscrutable to the ,athenians of his    
day1 it points to a sense of need4 ,when
 at length ,christ came as the ,light of
 the ,world1 it was to supply a widely  
felt want4 ,it is true ,he brought no   
,urim and ,thummim4 ,the supreme motive 
for thankfulness in this connection is  
that ,his revelation is so much more    
ample than the wizard guidance men had  
formerly clung to1 as to be like the    
broad sunshine in comparison with the   

shifting lights of magic gems4 ,though  
,he gave no formal answers to petty     
questions such as those for which the   
,jews would resort to a priest1 as their
 heathen neighbours resorted to a       
soothsayer1 ,he shed a wholesome        
radiance on the path of life1 so that   
,his followers have come to regard the  
providing of a priest with ,urim and    
,thummim as at best an expedient adapted
 to the requirements of an age of       
superstition4  ,if the caravan lacked   
the privilege of an oracle1 care was    
taken to equip it as well as the        
available means would allow4 ,these were
 not abundant4 ,there were servants1 it 
is true4 ,there were beasts of burden   
too--camels1 horses1 asses2 but these   
were few in comparison to the numbers of
 the host--only at the rate of one      
animal to a family of four persons4 ,yet
 the expedition set out in a semi-royal 
character1 for it was protected by a    
guard of a thousand horsemen sent by    
,cyrus4 ,better than this1 it possessed 

a spirit of enthusiasm which triumphed  
over poverty and hardship1 and spread a 
great gladness through the people4 ,now 
at length it was possible to take down  
the harps from the willows4 ,besides the
 temple choristers1 two hundred singing 
men and women accompanied the pilgrims  
to help to give expression to the       
exuberant joyousness of the host4 ,the  
spirit of the whole company was         
expressed in a noble lyric that has     
become familiar to us3--    ,when the   
,lord turned again the captivity of     
,zion1   ,we were like unto them that   
dream4   ,then was our mouth filled with
 laughter1   ,and our tongue with       
singing3   ,then said they among the    
nations1   ,the ,lord hath done great   
things for them4   ,the ,lord hath done 
great things for us2   ,whereof we are  
glad4#bj    #bj ,psalm cxxvi4 #a-c4     
,,chapter ,v4  ,,the ,,new ,,temple4    
,,ezra ii4 #fh-;iii4   ,unlike the      
historian of the exodus from ,egypt1 our
 chronicler gives no account of         

adventures of the pilgrims on the road  
to ,palestine1 although much of their   
way led them through a wild and         
difficult country4 ,so huge a caravan as
 that which accompanied ,zerubbabel must
 have taken several months to cover the 
eight hundred miles between ,babylon and
 ,jerusalem2#ba for even ,ezra with his 
smaller company spent four months on    
their journey4#bb ,a dreary desert      
stretched over the vast space between   
the land of exile and the old home of   
the ,jews among the mountains of the    
,west2 and here the commissariat would  
tax the resources of the ablest         
organisers4 ,it is possible that the    
difficulties of the desert were         
circumvented in the most prosaic        
manner--by simply avoiding this barren1 
waterless region1 and taking a long     
sweep round by the north of ,syria4     
,passing over the pilgrimage1 which     
afforded him no topics of interest1     
without a word of comment1 the          
chronicler plants us at once in the     

midst of the busy scenes at ,jerusalem1 
where we see the returned exiles1 at    
length arrived at the end of their      
tedious journey1 preparing to accomplish
 the one purpose of their expedition4   
#ba ,i4e41 if the route was the usual   
one1 by ,tadmor 7,palmyra74 ,the        
easier but roundabout way by ,aleppo    
would have occupied a still longer      
time4    #bb ,ezra vii4 #h1 #i4  ,the   
first step was to provide the means for 
building the temple1 and contributions  
were made for this object by all classes
 of the community--as we gather from the
 more complete account in               
,nehemiah#bc--;from the prince and the  
aristocracy to the general public1 for  
it was to be a united work4 ,and yet it 
is implied by the narrative that many   
had no share in it4 ,these people may   
have been poor originally or            
impoverished by their journey1 and not  
at all deficient in generosity or       
lacking in faith4 ,still we often meet  
with those who have enough enthusiasm to

 applaud a good work and yet not enough 
to make any sacrifice in promoting it4  
,it is expressly stated that the gifts  
were offered freely4 ,no tax was imposed
 by the authorities2 but there was no   
backwardness on the part of the actual  
donors1 who were impelled by a glowing  
devotion to open their purses without   
stint4 ,lastly1 those who contributed   
did so after their ability4 ,this is the
 true proportionate giving4 ,for all to 
give an equal sum is impossible unless  
the poll-tax is to be fixed at a        
miserable minimum4 ,even for all to give
 the same proportion is unjust4 ,there  
are poor men who ought not to sacrifice 
a tenth of what they receive2 there are 
rich men who will be guilty of          
unfaithfulness to their stewardship if  
they do not devote far more than this   
fraction of their vast revenues to the  
service of ,god and their fellow-men4   
,it would be reasonable for some of the 
latter only to reserve the tithe for    
their own use and to give away          

nine-tenths of their income1 for even   
then they would not be giving after     
their ability4    #bc ,neh4 vii4 #gj-gb4
  ,after the preliminary step of        
collecting the contributions1 the       
pilgrims proceed to the actual work they
 have in hand4 ,in this they are        
heartily united2 they gather themselves 
together as one man in a great assembly1
 which1 if we may trust the account in  
,esdras1 is held in an open space by the
 first gate towards the east1#bd and    
therefore close to the site of the old  
temple1 almost among its very ruins4    
,the unity of spirit and the harmony of 
action which characterise the           
commencement of the work are good       
auguries of its success4 ,this is to be 
a popular undertaking4 ,sanctioned by   
,cyrus1 promoted by the aristocracy1 it 
is to be carried out with the full      
co-operation of the multitude4 ,the     
first temple had been the work of a     
king2 the second is to be the work of a 
people4 ,the nation had been dazzled by 

the splendour of ,solomon's court1 and  
had basked in its rays so that the      
after-glow of them lingered in the      
memories of ages even down to the time  
of our ,lord4#be ,but there was a       
healthier spirit in the humbler work of 
the returned exiles1 when1 forced to    
dispense with the king they would gladly
 have accepted1 they undertook the task 
of building the new temple themselves4  
#bd #a ,esdras v4 #dg4    #be ,matt4 vi4
 #bi4  ,in the centre of the mosque     
known as the ,dome of the ,rock there is
 a crag with the well-worn remains of   
steps leading up to the top of it1 and  
with channels cut in its surface4 ,this 
has been identified by recent explorers 
as the site of the great ,altar of      
,burnt-offerings4 ,it is on the very    
crest of ,mount ,moriah4 ,formerly it   
was thought that it was the site of the 
inmost shrine of the temple1 known as   
,the ,holy of ,holies1 but the new view1
 which seems to be fairly established1  
gives an unexpected prominence to the   

altar4 ,this rude square structure of   
unhewn stone was the most elevated and  
conspicuous object in temple4 ,the altar
 was to ,judaism what the cross is to   
,christianity4 ,both for us and for the 
,jews what is most vital and precious in
 religion is the dark mystery of a      
sacrifice4 ,the first work of the temple
 builders was to set up the altar again 
on its old foundation4 ,before a stone  
of the temple was laid1 the smoke of    
sacrificial fires might be seen         
ascending to heaven from the highest    
crag of ,moriah4 ,for fifty years all   
sacrifices had ceased4 ,now with haste1 
in fear of hindrance from jealous       
neighbours1 means were provided to      
re-establish them before any attempt was
 made to rebuild the temple4 ,it is not 
quite easy to see what the writer means 
when1 after saying ,and they set the    
altar upon his bases1 he adds1 for fear 
was upon them because of the people of  
those countries4 ,the suggestion that   
the phrase may be varied so as to mean  

that the awe which this religious work  
inspired in the heathen neighbours      
prevented them from molesting it is     
far-fetched and improbable4 ,nor is it  
likely that the writer intends to convey
 the idea that the ,jews hastened the   
building of the altar as a sort of      
,palladium1 trusting that its sacrifices
 would protect them in case of invasion1
 for this is to attribute too low and   
materialistic a character to their      
religion4 ,more reasonable is the       
explanation that they hastened the work 
because they feared that their          
neighbours might either hinder it or    
wish to have a share in it--an equally  
objectionable thing1 as subsequent      
events showed4  ,the chronicler         
distinctly states that the sacrifices   
which were now offered1 as well as the  
festivals which were established later1 
were all designed to meet the           
requirements of the law of ,moses--that 
everything might be done as it is       
written in the law of ,moses the man of 

,god4 ,this statement does not throw    
much light on the history of the        
,pentateuch4 ,we know that that work was
 not yet in the hands of the ,jews at   
,jerusalem1 because this was nearly     
eighty years before ,ezra introduced it4
 ,the sentence suggests that according  
to the chronicler some law bearing the  
name of ,moses was known to the first   
body of returned exiles4 ,we need not   
regard that suggestion as a reflection  
from later years4 ,deuteronomy may have 
been the law referred to2 or it may have
 been some rubric of traditional usages 
in the possession of the priests4       
,meanwhile two facts of importance come 
out here--first1 that the method of     
worship adopted by the returned exiles  
was a revival of ancient customs1 a     
return to the old ways1 not an          
innovation of their own1 and second1    
that this restoration was in careful    
obedience to the known will of ,god4    
,here we have the root idea of the      
,torah4 ,it announces that ,god has     

revealed ,his will1 and it implies that 
the service of ,god can only be         
acceptable when it is in harmony with   
the will of ,god4 ,the prophets taught  
that obedience was better than          
sacrifice4 ,the priests held that       
sacrifice itself was a part of          
obedience4 ,with both the primary       
requisite was obedience--as it is the   
primary requisite in all religion4  ,the
 particular kind of sacrifice offered on
 the great altar was the burnt-offering4
 ,now we do occasionally meet with      
expiatory ideas in connection with this 
sacrifice2 but unquestionably the       
principal conception attached to the    
burnt-offering1 in distinction from the 
sin-offering1 was the idea of           
self-dedication on the part of the      
worshipper4 ,thus the ,jews             
re-consecrated themselves to ,god by the
 solemn ceremony of sacrifice1 and they 
kept up the thought of renewed          
consecration by the regular repetition  
of the burnt-offering4 ,it is difficult 

for us to enter into the feelings of the
 people who practised so antique a cult1
 even to them archaic in its ceremonies1
 and dimly suggestive of primitive rites
 that had their origin in far-off       
barbaric times4 ,but one thing is clear1
 shining as with letters of awful fire  
against the black clouds of smoke that  
hang over the altar4 ,this sacrifice was
 always a whole offering4 ,as it was    
being completely consumed in the flames 
before their very eyes1 the worshippers 
would see a vivid representation of the 
tremendous truth that the most perfect  
sacrifice is death--nay1 that it is even
 more than death1 that it is absolute   
self-effacement in total and unreserved 
surrender to ,god4  ,various rites      
follow the great central sacrifice of   
the burnt-offering1 ushered in by the   
most joyous festival of the year1 the   
,feast of ,tabernacles1 when the people 
scatter themselves over the hills round 
,jerusalem under the shade of           
extemporised bowers made out of the     

leafy boughs of trees1 and celebrate the
 goodness of ,god in the final and      
richest harvest1 the vintage4 ,then come
 ,new ,moon and the other festivals that
 stud the calendar with sacred dates and
 make the ,jewish year a round of glad  
festivities4  ,thus1 we see1 the full   
establishment of religious services     
precedes the building of the temple4 ,a 
weighty truth is enshrined in this      
apparently incongruous fact4 ,the       
worship itself is felt to be more       
important than the house in which it is 
to be celebrated4 ,that truth should be 
even more apparent to us who have read  
the great words of ,jesus uttered by    
,jacob's well1 ,the hour cometh when    
neither in this mountain1 nor in        
,jerusalem1 shall ye worship the        
,father1 444 when the true worshippers  
shall worship the ,father in spirit and 
truth4#bf ,how vain then is it to treat 
the erection of churches as though it   
were the promotion of a revival of      
religion6 ,as surely as the empty       

sea-shell tossed up on the beach can    
never secrete a living organism to      
inhabit it1 a mere building--whether it 
be the most gorgeous cathedral or the   
plainest village meeting-house--will    
never induce a living spirit of worship 
to dwell in its cold desolation4 ,every 
true religious revival begins in the    
spiritual sphere and finds its place of 
worship where it may--in the rustic barn
 or on the hill-side--if no more seemly 
home can be provided for it1 because its
 real temple is the humble and contrite 
heart4    #bf ,john iv4 #ba1 #bc4       
,still the design of building the temple
 at ,jerusalem was kept constantly in   
view by the pilgrims4 ,accordingly it   
was necessary to purchase materials1 and
 in particular the fragrant cedar wood  
from the distant forests of ,lebanon4   
,these famous forests were still in the 
possession of the ,phoenicians1 for     
,cyrus had allowed a local autonomy to  
the busy trading people on the northern 
sea-board4 ,so in spite of the king's   

favour it was requisite for the ,jews to
 pay the full price for the costly      
timber4 ,now1 in disbursing the original
 funds brought up from ,babylon1 it     
would seem that the whole of this money 
was expended in labour1 in paying the   
wages of masons and carpenters4         
,therefore the ,jews had to export      
agricultural products--such as corn1    
wine1 and olive oil--in exchange for the
 imports of timber they received from   
the ,phoenicians4 ,the question at once 
arises1 how did they come to be         
possessed of these fruits of the soil8  
,the answer is supplied by a            
chronological remark in our narrative4  
,it was in the second year of their     
residence in ,jerusalem and its         
neighbourhood that the ,jews commenced  
the actual building of their temple4    
,they had first patiently cleared1      
ploughed1 and sown the neglected fields1
 trimmed and trained the vines1 and     
tended the olive gardens1 so that they  
were able to reap a harvest1 and to give

 the surplus products for the purchase  
of the timber required in building the  
temple4 ,as the foundation was laid in  
the spring1 the order for the cedar wood
 must have been sent before the harvest 
was reaped--pledging it in advance with 
faith in the ,god who gives the         
increase4 ,the ,phoenician woodmen fell 
their trees in the distant forests of   
,lebanon2 and the massive trunks are    
dragged down to the coast1 and floated  
along the ,mediterranean to ,joppa1 and 
then carried on the backs of camels or  
slowly drawn up the heights of ,judah in
 ox-waggons1 while the crops that are to
 pay for them are still green in the    
fields4  ,here then is a further proof  
of devotion on the part of the ,jews    
from ,babylon--though it is scarcely    
hinted at in the narrative1 though we   
can only discover it by a careful       
comparison of facts and dates4 ,labour  
is expended on the fields2 long weary   
months of waiting are endured2 when the 
fruits of toil are obtained1 these      

hard-earned stores are not hoarded by   
their owners3 they too1 like the gold   
and silver of the wealthier ,jews1 are  
gladly surrendered for the one object   
which kindles the enthusiasm of every   
class of the community4  ,at length all 
is ready4 ,jeshua the priest now        
precedes ,zerubbabel1 as well as the    
rest of the twelve leaders1 in          
inaugurating the great work4 ,on the    
,levites is laid the immediate          
responsibility of carrying it through4  
,when the foundation is laid1 the       
priests in their new white vestments    
sound their silver trumpets1 and the    
choir of ,levites1 the sons of ,asaph1  
clang their brazen cymbals4 ,to the     
accompaniment of this inspiriting music 
they sing glad psalms in praise of ,god1
 giving thanks to ,him1 celebrating ,his
 goodness and ,his mercy that endureth  
for ever toward ,israel4 ,this is not at
 all like the soft music and calm       
chanting of subdued cathedral services  
that we think of in connection with     

great national festivals4 ,the          
instruments blare and clash1 the        
choristers cry aloud1 and the people    
join them with a mighty shout4 ,when    
shrill discordant notes of bitter       
wailing1 piped by a group of melancholy 
old men1 threaten to break the harmony  
of the scene1 they are drowned in the   
deluge of jubilation that rises up in   
protest and beats down all their        
opposition with its triumph of gladness4
 ,to a sober ,western the scene would   
seem to be a sort of religious orgy1    
like a wild ,bacchanalian festival1 like
 the howling of hosts of dervishes4 ,but
 although it is the ,englishman's habit 
to take his religion sombrely1 if not   
sadly1 it may be well for him to pause  
before pronouncing a condemnation of    
those men and women who are more        
exuberant in the expression of spiritual
 emotion4 ,if he finds1 even among his  
fellow-countrymen1 some who permit      
themselves a more lively music and a    
more free method of public worship than 

he is accustomed to1 is it not a mark of
 insular narrowness for him to visit    
these unconventional people with        
disapprobation8 ,in abandoning the      
severe manners of their race1 they are  
only approaching nearer to the time-old 
methods of ancient ,israel4  ,in this   
clangour and clamour at ,jerusalem the  
predominant note was a burst of         
irrepressible gladness4 ,when ,god      
turned the captivity of ,israel1        
mourning was transformed into laughter4 
,to understand the wild excitement of   
the ,jews1 their pan of joy1 their very 
ecstasy1 we must recollect what they had
 passed through1 as well as what they   
were now anticipating4 ,we must remember
 the cruel disaster of the overthrow of 
,jerusalem1 the desolation of the exile1
 the sickness of weary waiting for      
deliverance1 the harshness of the       
persecution that embittered the later   
years of the captivity under ,nabonidas2
 we must think of the toilsome          
pilgrimage through the desert1 with its 

dismal wastes1 its dangers and its      
terrors1 followed by the patient work on
 the land and gathering in of means for 
building the temple4 ,and now all this  
was over4 ,the bow had been terribly    
bent2 the rebound was immense4 ,people  
who cannot feel strong religious        
gladness have never known the heartache 
of deep religious grief4 ,these         
,israelites had cried out of the depths2
 they were prepared to shout for joy    
from the heights4 ,perhaps we may go    
further1 and detect a finer note in this
 great blast of jubilation1 a note of   
higher and more solemn gladness4 ,the   
chastisement of the exile was past1 and 
the long-suffering mercy of             
,god--enduring for ever--was again      
smiling out on the chastened people4    
,and yet the positive realisation of    
their hopes was for the future4 ,the    
joy1 therefore1 was inspired by faith4  
,with little accomplished as yet1 the   
sanguine people already saw the temple  
in their mind's eye1 with its massive   

walls1 its cedar chambers1 and its      
adornment of gold and richly dyed       
hangings4 ,in the very laying of the    
foundation their eager imaginations     
leaped forward to the crowning of the   
highest pinnacles4 ,perhaps they saw    
more2 perhaps they perceived1 though but
 dimly1 something of the meaning of the 
spiritual blessedness that had been     
foretold by their prophets4  ,all this  
gladness centred in the building of a   
temple1 and therefore ultimately in the 
worship of ,god4 ,we take but a         
one-sided view of ,judaism if we judge  
it by the sour ideas of later           
,pharisaism4 ,as it presented itself to 
,st4 ,paul in opposition to the gospel1 
it was stern and loveless4 ,but in its  
earlier days this religion was free and 
gladsome1 though1 as we shall soon see1 
even then a rigour of fanaticism soon   
crept in and turned its joy into grief4 
,here1 however1 at the founding of the  
temple1 it wears its sunniest aspect4   
,there is no reason why religion should 

wear any other aspect to the devout     
soul4 ,it should be happy2 for is it not
 the worship of a happy ,god8           
,nevertheless1 in the midst of the      
almost universal acclaim of joy and     
praise1 there was the note of sadness   
wailed by the old men1 who could        
recollect the venerable fane in which   
their fathers had worshipped before the 
ruthless soldiers of ,nebuchadnezzar had
 reduced it to a heap of ashes4         
,possibly some of them had stood on this
 very spot half a century before1 in an 
agony of despair1 while they saw the    
cruel flames licking the ancient stones 
and blazing up among the cedar beams1   
and all the fine gold dimmed with black 
clouds of smoke4 ,was it likely that the
 feeble flock just returned from        
,babylon could ever produce such a      
wonder of the world as ,solomon's temple
 had been8 ,the enthusiastic younger    
people might be glad in their ignorance2
 but their sober elders1 who knew more1 
could only weep4 ,we cannot but think   

that1 after the too common habit of the 
aged1 these mournful old men viewed the 
past in a glamour of memory1 magnifying 
its splendours as they looked back on   
them through the mists of time4 ,if so1 
they were old indeed2 for this habit1   
and not years1 makes real old age4 ,he  
is aged who lives in bygone days1 with  
his face ever set to the irreparable    
past1 vainly regretting its retreating  
memories1 uninterested in the present1  
despondent of the future4 ,the true     
elixir of life1 the secret of perpetual 
youth of soul1 is interest in the       
present and the future1 with the forward
 glance of faith and hope4 ,old men who 
cultivate this spirit have young hearts 
though the snow is on their heads4 ,and 
such are wise4 ,no doubt1 from the      
standpoint of a narrow common sense1    
with its shrunken views confined to the 
material and the mundane1 the old men   
who wept had more reason for their      
conduct than the inexperienced younger  
men who rejoiced4 ,but there is a       

prudence that comes of blindness1 and   
there is an imprudence that is sublime  
in its daring1 because it springs from  
faith4 ,the despair of old age makes one
 great mistake1 because it ignores one  
great truth4 ,in noting that many good  
things have passed away1 it forgets to  
remember that ,god remains4 ,god is not 
dead6 ,therefore the future is safe4 ,in
 the end the young enthusiasts of       
,jerusalem were justified4 ,a prophet   
arose who declared that a glory which   
the former temple had never known should
 adorn the new temple1 in spite of its  
humble beginning2 and history verified  
his word when the ,lord took possession 
of ,his house in the person of ,his     
,son4     ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,the        
,,limits ,,of ,,comprehension4  ,,ezra  
iv4 #a-e1 #bd4   ,the fourth chapter of 
the ,book of ,ezra introduces the vexed 
question of the limits of comprehension 
in religion by affording a concrete     
illustration of it in a very acute form4
 ,communities1 like individual          

organisms1 can only live by means of a  
certain adjustment to their environment1
 in the settlement of which there       
necessarily arises a serious struggle to
 determine what shall be absorbed and   
what rejected1 how far it is desirable  
to admit alien bodies and to what extent
 it is necessary to exclude them4 ,the  
difficulty thus occasioned appeared in  
the company of returned exiles soon     
after they had begun to rebuild the     
temple at ,jerusalem4 ,it was the seed  
of many troubles4 ,the anxieties and    
disappointments which overshadowed the  
subsequent history nearly all of them   
sprang from this one source4 ,here we   
are brought to a very distinguishing    
characteristic of the ,persian period4  
,the idea of ,jewish exclusiveness which
 has been so singular a feature in the  
whole course of ,judaism right down to  
our own day was now in its birth-throes4
 ,like a young ,hercules1 it had to     
fight for its life in its very cradle4  
,it first appeared in the anxious       

compilation of genealogical registers   
and the careful sifting of the          
qualifications of the pilgrims before   
they left ,babylon4 ,in the events which
 followed the settlement at ,jerusalem  
it came forward with determined         
insistence on its rights1 in opposition 
to a very tempting offer which would    
have been fatal to its very existence4  
,the chronicler introduces the          
neighbouring people under the title ,the
 adversaries of ,judah and ,benjamin2   
but in doing so he is describing them   
according to their later actions2 when  
they first appear on his pages their    
attitude is friendly1 and there is no   
reason to suspect any hypocrisy in it4  
,we cannot take them to be the remainder
 of the ,israelite inhabitants of the   
,northern ,kingdom who had been         
permitted to stay in their land when    
their brethren had been violently       
expelled by the ,assyrians1 and who were
 now either showing their old enmity to 
,judah and ,benjamin by trying to pick a

 new quarrel1 or1 on the other hand1    
manifesting a better spirit and seeking 
reconciliation4 ,no doubt such people   
existed1 especially in the north1 where 
they became1 in part at least1 the      
ancestors of the ,galileans of ,new     
,testament times4 ,but the men now      
referred to distinctly assert that they 
were brought up to ,palestine by the    
,assyrian king ,esar-haddon4 ,neither   
can they be the descendants of the      
,israelite priests who were sent at the 
request of the colonists to teach them  
the religion of the land when they were 
alarmed at an incursion of lions2#bg for
 only one priest is directly mentioned  
in the history1 and though he may have  
had companions and assistants1 the small
 college of missionaries could not be   
called the people of the land 7ver4 #d74
 ,these people must be the foreign      
colonists4 ,there were ,chaldans from   
,babylon and the neighbouring cities of 
,cutha and ,sepharvaim 7the modern      
,mosaib71 ,elamites from ,susa1         

,phoenicians from ,sidon--if we may     
trust ,josephus here#bh--;and ,arabs    
from ,petra4 ,these had been introduced 
on four successive occasions--first1 as 
the ,assyrian inscriptions show1 by     
,sargon1 who sent two sets of colonists2
 then by ,esar-haddon2 and1 lastly1 by  
,ashur-banipal4#bi ,the various         
nationalities had had time to become    
well amalgamated together1 for the first
 colonisation had happened a hundred and
 eighty years1 and the latest           
colonisation a hundred and thirty years1
 before the ,jews returned from         
,babylon4 ,as the successive            
exportations of ,israelites went on side
 by side with the successive            
importations of foreigners1 the two     
classes must have lived together for    
some time2 and even after the last      
captivity of the ,israelites had been   
effected1 those who were still left in  
the land would have come into contact   
with the colonists4 ,thus1 apart from   
the special mission of the priest whose 

business it was to introduce the rites  
of sacrificial worship1 the popular     
religion of the ,israelites would have  
become known to the mixed heathen people
 who were settled among them4    #bg #b 
,kings xvii4 #be-bh4    #bh ,ant41      
,,xii4 v4 #e4    #bi ,the ,osnappar of  
,ezra iv4 #aj4  ,these neighbours assert
 that they worship the ,god whom the    
,jews at ,jerusalem worship1 and that   
they have sacrificed to ,him since the  
days of ,esar-haddon1 the ,assyrian king
 to whom1 in particular1 they attribute 
their being brought up to ,palestine1   
possibly because the ancestors of the   
deputation to ,jerusalem were among the 
colonists planted by that king4 ,for a  
century and a half they have            
acknowledged the ,god of the ,jews4     
,they therefore request to be permitted 
to assist in rebuilding the temple at   
,jerusalem4 ,at the first blush of it   
their petition looks reasonable and even
 generous4 ,the ,jews were poor2 a great
 work lay before them2 and the          

inadequacy of their means in view of    
what they aimed at had plunged the less 
enthusiastic among them into grief and  
despair4 ,here was an offer of          
assistance that might prove most        
efficacious4 ,the idea of centralisation
 in worship of which ,josiah had made so
 much would be furthered by this means1 
because instead of following the example
 of the ,israelites before the exile who
 had their altar at ,bethel1 the        
colonists proposed to take part in the  
erection of the one ,jewish temple at   
,jerusalem4 ,if their previous habit of 
offering sacrifices in their own        
territory was offensive to rigorous     
,jews1 although they might speak of it  
quite naively1 because they were        
unconscious that there was anything     
objectionable in it and even regard it  
as meritorious1 the very way to abolish 
this ancient custom was to give the     
colonists an interest in the central    
shrine4 ,if their religion was          
defective1 how could it be improved     

better than by bringing them into       
contact with the law-abiding ,jews8     
,while the offer of the colonists       
promised aid to the ,jews in building   
the temple1 it also afforded them a     
grand missionary opportunity for        
carrying out the broad programme of the 
,second ,isaiah1 who had promised the   
spread of the light of ,god's grace     
among the ,gentiles4  ,in view of these 
considerations we cannot but read the   
account of the absolute rejection of the
 offer by ,zerubbabel1 ,jeshua1 and the 
rest of the twelve leaders with a sense 
of painful disappointment4 ,the less    
pleasing side of religious intensity    
here presents itself4 ,zeal seems to be 
passing into fanaticism4 ,a selfish     
element mars the picture of             
whole-hearted devotion which was so     
delightfully portrayed in the history of
 the returned exiles up to this time4   
,the leaders are cautious enough to     
couch their answer in terms that seem to
 hint at their inability to comply with 

the friendly request of their           
neighbours1 however much they may wish  
to do so1 because of the limitation     
imposed upon them in the edict of ,cyrus
 which confined the command to build the
 temple at ,jerusalem to the ,jews4 ,but
 it is evident that the secret of the   
refusal is in the mind and will of the  
,jews themselves4 ,they absolutely      
decline any co-operation with the       
colonists4 ,there is a sting in the     
carefully chosen language with which    
they define their work3 they call it    
building a house unto our ,god4 ,thus   
they not only accept the polite phrase  
,your ,god employed by the colonists in 
addressing them2 but by markedly        
accentuating its limitation they        
disallow any right of the colonists to  
claim the same divinity4  ,such a curt  
refusal of friendly overtures was       
naturally most offensive to the people  
who received it4 ,but their subsequent  
conduct was so bitterly ill-natured that
 we are driven to think they must have  

had some selfish aims from the first4   
,they at once set some paid agents to   
work at court to poison the mind of the 
government with calumnies about the     
,jews4 ,it is scarcely likely that they 
were able to win ,cyrus over to their   
side against his favourite protgs4 ,the 
king may have been too absorbed with the
 great affairs of his vast dominions for
 any murmur of this business to reach   
him while it was being disposed of by   
some official4 ,but perhaps the matter  
did not come up till after ,cyrus had   
handed over the government to his son   
,cambyses1 which he did in the year     
,b4,c4 #ecb--three years before his     
death4 ,at all events the calumnies were
 successful4 ,the work of the temple    
building was arrested at its very       
commencement--for as yet little more had
 been done beyond collecting materials4 
,the ,jews were paying dearly for their 
exclusiveness4  ,all this looks very    
miserable4 ,but let us examine the      
situation4  ,we should show a total lack

 of the historical spirit if we were to 
judge the conduct of ,zerubbabel and his
 companions by the broad principles of  
,christian liberalism4 ,we must take    
into account their religious training   
and the measure of light to which they  
had attained4 ,we must also consider the
 singularly difficult position in which 
they were placed4 ,they were not a      
nation2 they were a ,church4 ,their very
 existence1 therefore1 depended upon a  
certain ecclesiastical organisation4    
,they must have shaped themselves       
according to some definite lines1 or    
they would have melted away into the    
mass of mixed nationalities and debased 
eclectic religions with which they were 
surrounded4 ,whether the course of      
personal exclusiveness which they chose 
was wisest and best may be fairly       
questioned4 ,it has been the course     
followed by their children all through  
the centuries1 and it has acquired this 
much of justification--it has succeeded4
 ,judaism has been preserved by ,jewish 

exclusiveness4 ,we may think that the   
essential truths of ,judaism might have 
been maintained by other means which    
would have allowed of a more gracious   
treatment of outsiders4 ,meanwhile1     
however1 we must see that ,zerubbabel   
and his companions were not simply      
indulging in churlish unsociability when
 they rejected the request of their     
neighbours4 ,rightly or wrongly1 they   
took this disagreeable course with a    
great purpose in mind4  ,then we must   
understand what the request of the      
colonists really involved4 ,it is true  
they only asked to be allowed to assist 
in building the temple4 ,but it would   
have been impossible to stay here4 ,if  
they had taken an active share in the   
labour and sacrifice of the construction
 of the temple1 they could not have been
 excluded afterwards from taking part in
 the temple worship4 ,this is the more  
clear since the very grounds of their   
request were that they worshipped and   
sacrificed to the ,god of the ,jews4    

,now a great prophet had predicted that 
,god's house was to be a home of prayer 
for all nations4#cj ,but the ,jews at   
,jerusalem belonged to a very different 
school of thought4 ,with them1 as we    
have learnt from the genealogies1 the   
racial idea was predominant4 ,judaism   
was for the ,jews4    #cj ,isa4 lvi4 #g4
  ,but let us understand what that      
religion was which the colonists        
asserted to be identical with the       
religion of the returned exiles4 ,they  
said they worshipped the ,god of the    
,jews1 but it was after the manner of   
the people of the ,northern ,kingdom4   
,in the days of the ,israelites that    
worship had been associated with the    
steer at ,bethel1 and the people of     
,jerusalem had condemned the degenerate 
religion of their northern brethren as  
sinful in the sight of ,god4 ,but the   
colonists had not confined themselves to
 this4 ,they had combined their old     
idolatrous religion with that of the    
newly adopted indigenous divinity of    

,palestine4 ,they feared the ,lord1 and 
served their own gods4#ca ,between them1
 they adored a host of ,pagan           
divinities1 whose barbarous names are   
grimly noted by the ,hebrew             
historian--,succoth-benoth1 ,nergal1    
,ashima1 etc4#cb ,there is no evidence  
to show that this heathenism had become 
extinct by the time of the rebuilding of
 the ,jerusalem temple4 ,at all events1 
the bastard product of such a worship as
 that of the ,bethel steer and the      
,babylonian and ,phoenician divinities1 
even when purged of its most gross      
corruption1 was not likely to be after  
the mind of the puritan pilgrims4 ,the  
colonists did not offer to adopt the    
traditional ,torah1 which the returned  
exiles were sedulously observing4    #ca
 #b ,kings xvii4 #cc4    #cb #b ,kings  
xvii4 #cj1 #ca4  ,still it may be said1 
if the people were imperfect in         
knowledge and corrupt in practice1 might
 not the ,jews have enlightened and     
helped them8 ,we are reminded of the    

reproach that ,bede brings so sternly   
against the ancient ,british ,christians
 when he blames them for not having     
taught the gospel to the ,saxon heathen 
who had invaded their land4 ,how far it 
would have been possible for a feeble   
people to evangelise their more powerful
 neighbours1 in either case1 it is      
impossible to say4  ,it cannot be       
denied1 however1 that in their refusal  
the ,jews gave prominence to racial and 
not to religious distinctions4 ,yet even
 in this matter it would be unreasonable
 for us to expect them to have surpassed
 the early ,christian ,church at        
,jerusalem and to have anticipated the  
daring liberalism of ,st4 ,paul4 ,the   
followers of ,st4 ,james were reluctant 
to receive any converts into their      
communion except on condition of        
circumcision4 ,this meant that ,gentiles
 must become ,jews before they could be 
recognised as ,christians4 ,now there   
was no sign that the mixed race of      
colonists ever contemplated becoming    

,jews by humbling themselves to a rite  
of initiation4 ,even if most of them    
were already circumcised1 as far as we  
know none of them gave an indication of 
willingness to subject themselves wholly
 to ,jewish ordinances4 ,to receive     
them1 therefore1 would be contrary to   
the root principle of ,judaism4 ,it is  
not fair to mete out a harsh            
condemnation to ,jews who declined to do
 what was only allowed among ,christians
 after a desperate struggle1 which      
separated the leader of the liberal     
party from many of his brethren and left
 him for a long while under a cloud of  
suspicion4  ,great confusion has been   
imported into the controversy on ,church
 comprehension by not keeping it        
separate from the question of tolerance 
in religion4 ,the two are distinct in   
many respects4 ,comprehension is an     
ecclesiastical matter2 tolerance is     
primarily concerned with the policy of  
the state4 ,whilst it is admitted that  
nobody should be coerced in his religion

 by the state1 it is not therefore to be
 assumed that everybody is to be        
received into the ,church4              
,nevertheless we feel that there is a   
real and vital connection between the   
ideas of toleration and ,church         
comprehensiveness4 ,a ,church may become
 culpably intolerant1 although she may  
not use the power of the state for the  
execution of her mandates2 she may      
contrive many painful forms of          
persecution1 without resorting to the   
rack and the thumb-screw4 ,the question 
therefore arises1 ,what are the limits  
to tolerance within a ,church8 ,the     
attempt to fix these limits by creeds   
and canons has not been wholly          
successful1 either in excluding the     
unworthy or in including the most       
desirable members4 ,the drift of thought
 in the present day being towards wider 
comprehensiveness1 it becomes           
increasingly desirable to determine on  
what principles this may be attained4   
,good men are weary of the little garden

 walled around1 and they doubt whether  
it is altogether the ,lord's peculiar   
ground2 they have discovered that many  
of the flowers of the field are fair and
 fragrant1 and they have a keen         
suspicion that not a few weeds may be   
lurking even in the trim parterre2 so   
they look over the wall and long for    
breadth and brotherhood1 in a larger    
recognition of all that is good in the  
world4 ,now the dull religious lethargy 
of the eighteenth century is a warning  
against the chief danger that threatens 
those who yield themselves to this      
fascinating impulse4 ,latitudinarianism 
sought to widen the fold that had been  
narrowed on one side by sacerdotal      
pretensions and on the other side by    
puritan rigour4 ,the result was that the
 fold almost disappeared4 ,then religion
 was nearly swallowed up in the swamps  
of indifference4 ,this deplorable issue 
of a well-meant attempt to serve the    
cause of charity suggests that there is 
little good in breaking down the        

barriers of exclusiveness unless we have
 first established a potent centre of   
unity4 ,if we have put an end to        
division simply by destroying the       
interests which once divided men1 we    
have only attained the communion of     
death4 ,in the graveyard friend and foe 
lie peaceably side by side1 but only    
because both are dead4 ,wherever there  
is life two opposite influences are     
invariably at work4 ,there is a force of
 attraction drawing in all that is      
congenial1 and there is a force of a    
contrary character repelling everything 
that is uncongenial4 ,any attempt to    
tamper with either of these forces must 
result in disaster4 ,a social or an     
ecclesiastical division that arbitrarily
 crosses the lines of natural affinity  
creates a schism in the body1 and leads 
to a painful mutilation of fellowship4  
,on the other hand1 a forced            
comprehension of alien elements produces
 internal friction1 which often leads to
 an explosion1 shattering the whole     

fabric4 ,but the common mistake has been
 in attending to the circumference and  
neglecting the centre1 in beating the   
bounds of the parish instead of         
fortifying the citadel4 ,the liberalism 
of ,st4 ,paul was not latitudinarian1   
because it was inspired by a vital      
principle which served as the centre of 
all his teaching4 ,he preached liberty  
and comprehensiveness1 because he had   
first preached ,christ4 ,in ,christ he  
found at once a bond of union and an    
escape from narrowness4 ,the middle wall
 of partition was broken down1 not by a 
,vandal armed with nothing better than  
the besom of destruction1 but by the    
,founder of a new kingdom1 who could    
dispense with artificial restrictions   
because ,he could draw all men unto     
,himself4  ,unfortunately the returned  
captives at ,jerusalem did not feel     
conscious of any such spiritual centre  
of unity4 ,they might have found it in  
their grandly simple creed1 in their    
faith in ,god4 ,but their absorption in 

sacrificial ritual and its adjuncts     
shows that they were too much under the 
influence of religious externalism4     
,this being the case1 they could only   
preserve the purity of their communion  
by carefully guarding its gates4 ,it is 
pitiable to see that they could find no 
better means of doing this than the     
harsh test of racial integrity4 ,their  
action in this matter fostered a pride  
of birth which was as injurious to their
 own better lives as it was to the      
extension of their religion in the      
world4 ,but so long as they were        
incapable of a larger method1 if they   
had accepted counsels of liberalism they
 would have lost themselves and their   
mission4 ,looking at the positive side  
of their mission1 we see how the ,jews  
were called to bear witness to the great
 principle of separateness4 ,this       
principle is as essential to            
,christianity as it was to ,judaism4    
,the only difference is that with the   
more spiritual faith it takes a more    

spiritual form4 ,the people of ,god must
 ever be consecrated to ,god1 and       
therefore separate from sin1 separate   
from the world--separate unto ,god4     
,,note4--,for the section iv4 #f-bc see 
,chapter ,,xiv4 ,this      section is   
marked by a change of language2 the     
writer adopts      ,aramaic at iv4 #h1  
and he continues in that language down  
to      vi4 #ah4 ,the decree of         
,artaxerxes in vii4 #ab-bf is also in   
,aramaic4     ,,chapter ,,vii4  ,,the   
,,mission ,,of ,,prophecy4  ,,ezra v4   
#a1 #b4   ,the work of building the     
temple at ,jerusalem1 which had been but
 nominally commenced in the reign of    
,cyrus1 when it was suddenly arrested   
before the death of that king1 and which
 had not been touched throughout the    
reigns of the two succeeding kings1     
,cambyses and ,pseudo-,bardes1 was taken
 up in earnest in the second year of    
,darius1 the son of ,hystaspes 7,b4,c4  
#eba74 ,the disorders of the empire were
 then favourable to local liberty4      

,cambyses committed suicide during a    
revolt of his army on the march to meet 
the ,pretender who had assumed the name 
of his murdered brother1 ,bardes4 ,seven
 months later the usurper was           
assassinated in his palace by some of   
the ,persian nobles4 ,darius1 who was   
one of the conspirators1 ascended the   
throne in the midst of confusion and    
while the empire seemed to be falling to
 pieces4 ,elam1 the old home of the     
house of ,cyrus1 revolted2 ,syria       
revolted2 ,babylon revolted twice1 and  
was twice taken by siege4 ,for a time   
the king's writ could not run in        
,palestine4 ,but it was not on account  
of these political changes that the     
,jews returned to their work4 ,the      
relaxing of the supreme authority had   
left them more than ever at the mercy of
 their unfriendly neighbours4 ,the      
generous disposition of ,darius might   
have led them to regard him as a second 
,cyrus1 and his religion might have     
encouraged them to hope that he would be

 favourable to them1 for ,darius was a  
monotheist1 a worshipper of ,ormazd4    
,but they recommenced their work without
 making any appeal to the ,great ,king  
and without receiving any permission    
from him1 and they did this when he was 
far too busy fighting for his throne to 
attend to the troubles of a small1      
distant city4  ,we must look in another 
direction for the impetus which started 
the ,jews again upon their work4 ,here  
we come upon one of the most striking   
facts in the history of ,israel1 nay1   
one of the greatest phenomena in the    
spiritual experience of mankind4 ,the   
voice of prophecy was heard among the   
ruins of ,jerusalem4 ,the               
,cassandra-like notes of ,jeremiah had  
died away more than half a century      
before4 ,then ,ezekiel had seen his     
fantastic visions1 a captive by the     
river of ,chebar1 and the ,second       
,isaiah had sounded his trumpet-blast in
 the ,east summoning the exiles to a    
great hope2 but as yet no prophet had   

appeared among the pilgrims on their    
return to ,jerusalem4 ,we cannot account
 for the sudden outburst of prophecy4   
,it is a work of the ,spirit that       
breathes like the wind1 coming we know  
not how4 ,we can hear its sound2 we can 
perceive the fact4 ,but we cannot trace 
its origin1 or determine its issues4 ,it
 is born in mystery and it passes into  
mystery4 ,if it is true that poeta      
nascitur1 non fit1 much more must we    
affirm that the prophet is no creature  
of human culture4 ,he may be cultivated1
 after ,god has made him2 he cannot be  
manufactured by any human machinery4 ,no
 ,school of the ,prophets ever made a   
true prophet4 ,many of the prophets     
never came near any such institution2   
some of them distinctly repudiated the  
professional order4 ,the lower prophets 
with which the ,northern ,kingdom once  
swarmed were just dervishes who sang and
 danced and worked themselves into a    
frenzy before the altars on the high    
places2 these men were quite different  

from the truly inspired messengers of   
,god4 ,their craft could be taught1 and 
their sacred colleges recruited to any  
extent from the ranks of fanaticism4    
,but the rare1 austere souls that spoke 
with the authority of the ,most ,high   
came in a totally different manner4     
,when there was no prophet and when     
visions were rare men could only wait   
for ,god to send the hoped-for guide2   
they could not call him into existence4 
,the appearance of an inspired soul is  
always one of the marvels of history4   
,great men of the second rank may be the
 creatures of their age4 ,but it is     
given to the few of the very first order
 to be independent of their age1 to     
confront it and oppose it if need be1   
perhaps to turn its current and shape   
its course4  ,the two prophets who now  
proclaimed their message in ,jerusalem  
appeared at a time of deep depression4  
,they were not borne on the crest of a  
wave of a religious revival1 as its     
spokesmen to give it utterance4 ,pagan  

orators and artists flourished in an    
,augustan age4 ,the ,hebrew prophets    
came when the circumstances of society  
were least favourable4 ,like painters   
arising to adorn a dingy city1 like     
poets singing of summer in the winter of
 discontent1 like flowers in the        
wilderness1 like wells in the desert1   
they brought life and strength and      
gladness to the helpless and despondent1
 because they came from ,god4 ,the      
literary form of their work reflected   
the civilisation of their day1 but there
 was on it a light that never shone on  
sea or shore1 and this they knew to be  
the light of ,god4 ,we never find a true
 religious revival springing from the   
spirit of the age4 ,such a revival      
always begins in one or two choice      
souls--in a ,moses1 a ,samuel1 a ,john  
the ,baptist1 a ,st4 ,bernard1 a        
,jonathan-,edwards1 a ,wesley1 a        
,newman4 ,therefore it is vain for weary
 watchers to scan the horizon for signs 
of the times in the hope that some      

general improvement of society or some  
widespread awakening of the ,church will
 usher in a better future4 ,this is no  
reason for discouragement1 however4 ,it 
rather warns us not to despise the day  
of small things4 ,when once the spring  
of living water breaks out1 though it   
flows at first in a little brook1 there 
is hope that it may swell into a great  
river4  ,the situation is the more      
remarkable since the first of the two   
prophets was an old man1 who even seems 
to have known the first temple before   
its destruction by ,nebuchadnezzar4#cc  
,haggai is called simply the prophet1   
perhaps because his father's name was   
not known1 but more likely because he   
himself had attained so much eminence   
that the title was given to him par     
excellence4 ,still this may only apply  
to the descriptions of him in the age of
 the chronicler4 ,there is no indication
 that he prophesied in his earlier days4
 ,he was probably one of the captives   
who had been carried away to ,babylon in

 his childhood1 and who had returned    
with ,zerubbabel to ,jerusalem4 ,yet all
 this time and during the first years of
 his return1 as far as we know1 he was  
silent4 ,at length1 in extreme old age1 
he burst out into inspired              
utterance--one of ,joel's old men who   
were to dream dreams1#cd like ,john the 
,evangelist1 whose greatest work dates  
from his last years1 and ,milton1 who   
wrote his great epic when affliction    
seemed to have ended his life-work4 ,he 
must have been brooding over the bitter 
disappointment in which the enthusiasm  
of the returned captives had been       
quenched4 ,it could not be ,god's will  
that they should be thus mocked and     
deceived in their best hopes4 ,true     
faith is not a will-o'-the-wisp that    
lands its followers in a dreary swamp4  
,the hope of ,israel is no mirage4 ,for 
,god is faithful4 ,therefore the despair
 of the ,jews must be wrong4    #cc     
,hag4 i4 #a1 ii4 #i4    #cd ,joel ii4   
#bh4  ,we have a few fragments of the   

utterances of ,haggai preserved for us  
in the ,old ,testament ,canon4 ,they are
 so brief and bald and abrupt as to     
suggest the opinion that they are but   
notes of his discourses1 mere outlines  
of what he really said4 ,as they are    
preserved for us they certainly convey  
no idea of wealth of poetic imagination 
or richness of oratorical colouring4    
,but ,haggai may have possessed none of 
these qualities1 and yet his words may  
have had a peculiar force of their own4 
,he is a reflective man4 ,the long      
meditation of years has taught him the  
value of thoughtfulness4 ,the burden of 
his message is ,consider your ways4#ce  
,in short1 incisive utterances he       
arrests attention and urges             
consideration4 ,but the outcome of all  
he has to say is to cheer the drooping  
spirits of his fellow-citizens1 and urge
 on the rebuilding of the temple with   
confident promises of its great future4 
,for the most part his inspiration is   
simple1 but it is searching1 and we     

perceive the triumphant hopefulness of  
the true prophet in the promise that the
 latter glory of the house of ,god shall
 be greater than the former4#cf    #ce  
,hag4 i4 #e1 #g4    #cf ,hag4 ii4 #i4   
,haggai began to prophesy on the first  
day of the sixth month of the second    
year of ,darius4#cg ,so effective were  
his words that ,zerubbabel and his      
companions were at once roused from the 
lethargy of despair1 and within three   
weeks the masons and carpenters were    
again at work on the temple4#ch ,two    
months after ,haggai had broken the long
 silence of prophecy in ,jerusalem      
,zechariah appeared4 ,he was of a very  
different stamp2 he was one of the young
 men who see visions4 ,familiar with the
 imagery of ,babylonian art1 he wove its
 symbols into the pictures of his own   
exuberant fancy4 ,moreover1 ,zechariah  
was a priest4 ,thus1 like ,jeremiah and 
,ezekiel1 he united the two rival       
tendencies which had confronted one     
another in marked antagonism during the 

earlier periods of the history of       
,israel4 ,henceforth the brief return of
 prophetism1 its soft after-glow among  
the restored people1 is in peaceable    
alliance with priestism4 ,the last      
prophet1 ,malachi1 even exhorts the     
,jews to pay the priests their dues of  
tithe4 ,zechariah1 like ,haggai1 urges  
on the work of building the temple4     
#cg ,hag4 i4 #a4    #ch ,hag4 ii4 #a    
seq4  ,thus the chronicler's brief note 
on the appearance of two prophets at    
,jerusalem1 and the electrical effect of
 their message1 is a striking           
illustration of the mission of prophecy4
 ,that mission has been strangely       
misapprehended by succeeding ages4      
,prophets have been treated as          
miraculous conjurers1 whose principal   
business consisted in putting together  
elaborate puzzles1 perfectly            
unintelligible to their contemporaries1 
which the curious of later times were to
 decipher by the light of events4 ,the  
prophets themselves formed no such idle 

estimate of their work1 nor did their   
contemporaries assign to them this      
quaint and useless rle4 ,though these   
men were not the creatures of their     
times1 they lived for their times4      
,haggai and ,zechariah1 as the          
chronicler emphatically puts it1        
prophesied to the ,jews that were in    
,jerusalem1 444 even unto them4 ,the    
object of their message was immediate   
and quite practical--to stir up the     
despondent people and urge them to build
 the temple--and it was successful in   
accomplishing that end4 ,as prophets of 
,god they necessarily touched on eternal
 truths4 ,they were not mere            
opportunists2 their strength lay in the 
grasp of fundamental principles4 ,this  
is why their teaching still lives1 and  
is of lasting use for the ,church in all
 ages4 ,but in order to understand that 
teaching we must first of all read it in
 its original historical setting1 and   
discover its direct bearing on          
contemporary needs4  ,now the question  

arises1 ,in what way did these prophets 
of ,god help the temple-builders8 ,the  
fragments of their utterances which we  
possess enable us to answer this        
question4 ,zerubbabel was a             
disappointing leader4 ,such a man was   
far below the expected ,messiah1        
although high hopes may have been set   
upon him when he started at the head of 
the caravan of pilgrims from ,babylon4  
,cyrus may have known him better1 and   
with the instinct of a king in reading  
men may have entrusted the lead to the  
heir of the ,jewish throne1 because he  
saw there would be no possibility of a  
dangerous rebellion resulting from the  
act of confidence4 ,haggai's            
encouragement to ,zerubbabel to be      
strong is in a tone that suggests some  
weakness on the part of the ,jewish     
leader4 ,both the prophets thought that 
he and his people were too easily       
discouraged4 ,it was a part of the      
prophetic insight to look below the     
surface and discover the real secret of 

failure4 ,the ,jews set down their      
failure to adverse circumstances2 the   
prophets attributed it to the character 
and conduct of the people and their     
leaders4 ,weak men commonly excuse their
 inactivity by reciting their           
difficulties1 when stronger men would   
only regard those difficulties as       
furnishing an occasion for extra        
exertion4 ,that is a most superficial   
view of history which regards it as     
wholly determined by circumstances4 ,no 
great nation ever arose on such a       
principle4 ,the ,greeks who perished at 
,thermopyl within a few years of the    
times we are now considering are        
honoured by all the ages as heroes of   
patriotism just because they refused to 
bow to circumstances4 ,now the courage  
which patriots practised in pagan lands 
is urged upon the ,jews by their        
prophets from higher considerations4    
,they are to see that they are weak and 
cowardly when they sit in dumb despair1 
crushed by the weight of external       

opposition4 ,they have made a mistake in
 putting their trust in princes4#ci     
,they have relied too much on           
,zerubbabel and too little on ,god4 ,the
 failure of the arm of flesh should send
 them back to the never-failing         
out-stretched arm of the ,almighty4     
#ci ,psalm cxviii4 #h1 #i4  ,have we not
 met with the same mistaken             
discouragement and the same deceptive   
excuses for it in the work of the       
,church1 in missionary enterprises1 in  
personal lives8 ,every door is shut     
against the servant of ,god but one1 the
 door of prayer4 ,forgetting this1 and  
losing sight of the key of faith that   
would unlock it1 he sits1 like ,elijah  
by ,kerith1 the picture of abject       
wretchedness4 ,his great enterprises are
 abandoned because he thinks the        
opposition to them is insuperable4 ,he  
forgets that1 though his own forces are 
small1 he is the envoy of the ,king of  
kings1 who will not suffer him to be    
worsted if only he appeals to ,heaven   

for fresh supplies4 ,a dead materialism 
lies like a leaden weight on the heart  
of the ,church1 and she has not faith   
enough to shake it off and claim her    
great inheritance in all the spiritual  
wealth of the ,unseen4 ,many a man      
cries1 like ,jacob1 ,all these things   
are against me1 not perceiving that1    
even if they are1 no number of things   
should be permitted to check the course 
of one who looks above and beyond what  
is seen and therefore only temporal to  
the eternal resources of ,god4  ,this   
was the message of ,zechariah to        
,zerubbabel3 ,not by might1 nor by      
power1 but by ,my spirit1 saith the     
,lord of hosts4 ,who art thou1 ,o great 
mountain8 before ,zerubbabel thou shalt 
become a plain3 and he shall bring forth
 the head stone with shoutings of       
,grace1 grace unto it6#dj    #dj ,zech4 
iv4 #f1 #g4  ,here1 then1 is the secret 
of the sudden revival of activity on the
 part of the ,jews after they had been  
slicing for years in dumb apathy1 gazing

 hopelessly on the few stones that had  
been laid among the ruins of the old    
temple4 ,it was not the returning favour
 of the court under ,darius1 it was not 
the fame of the house of ,david1 it was 
not the priestly dignity of the family  
of ,zadok that awakened the slumbering  
zeal of the ,jews2 the movement began in
 an unofficial source1 and it passed to 
the people through unofficial channels4 
,it commenced in the meditations of a   
calm thinker2 it was furthered by the   
visions of a rapt seer4 ,this is a clear
 indication of the fact that the world  
is ruled by mind and spirit1 not merely 
by force and authority4 ,thought and    
imagination lie at the springs of       
action4 ,in the heart of it history is  
moulded by ideas4 ,big battalions1 the  
sinews of war1 blood and iron1 are      
phrases that suggest only the most      
external and therefore the most         
superficial causes4 ,beneath them are   
the ideas that govern all they          
represent4  ,further1 the influence of  

the prophets shows that the ideas which 
have most vitality and vigour are moral 
and spiritual in character4 ,all        
thoughts are influential in proportion  
as they take possession of the minds and
 hearts of men and women4 ,there is     
power in conceptions of science1        
philosophy1 politics1 sociology4 ,but   
the ideas that touch people to the      
quick1 the ideas that stir the hidden   
depths of consciousness and rouse the   
slumbering energies of life1 are those  
that make straight for the conscience4  
,thus the two prophets exposed the shame
 of indolence2 they rallied their gloomy
 fellow-citizens by high appeals to the 
sense of right4  ,again1 this influence 
was immensely strengthened by its       
relation to ,god4 ,the prophets were    
more than moralists4 ,the meditations of
 ,marcus ,aurelius could not touch any  
people as the considerations of the calm
 ,haggai touched the ,jews1 for the     
older prophet1 as well as the more      
rousing ,zechariah1 found the spell of  

his message in its revelation of ,god4  
,he made the ,jews perceive that they   
were not deserted by ,jehovah2 and      
directly they felt that ,god was with   
them in their work the weak and timid   
citizens were able to quit them like    
men4 ,the irresistible might of         
,cromwell's ,ironsides at ,marston ,moor
 came from their unwavering faith in    
their battle-cry1 ,the ,lord of ,hosts  
is with us6 ,general ,gordon's          
immeasurable courage is explained when  
we read his letters and diaries1 and see
 how he regarded himself as simply an   
instrument through whom ,god wrought4   
,here1 too1 is the strong side of       
,calvinism4  ,then this impression of   
the power and presence of ,god in their 
destinies was deepened in the ,jews by  
the manifest ,divine authority with     
which the prophets spake4 ,they         
prophesied in the name of the ,god of   
,israel--the one ,god of the people of  
both kingdoms now united in their       
representatives4 ,their ,thus saith the 

,lord was the powder that drove the shot
 of their message through the toughest  
hide of apathy4 ,except to a ,platonist1
 ideas are impossible apart from the    
mind that thinks them4 ,now the ,jews1  
as well as their prophets1 felt that the
 great ideas of prophecy could not be   
the products of pure human thinking4    
,the sublime character1 the moral force1
 the superb hopefulness of these ideas  
proclaimed their ,divine origin4 ,as it 
is the mission of the prophet to speak  
for ,god1 so it is the voice of ,god in 
,his inspired messenger that awakes the 
dead and gives strength to the weak4    
,this ultimate source of prophecy       
accounts for its unique character of    
hopefulness1 and that in turn makes it a
 powerful encouragement for the weak and
 depressed people to whom it is sent4   
,wordsworth tells us that we live by    
admiration1 love1 and hope4 ,if one of  
these three sources of vitality is lost1
 life itself shrinks and fades4 ,the man
 whose hope has fled has no lustre in   

his eye1 no accent in his voice1 no     
elasticity in his tread2 by his dull and
 listless attitude he declares that the 
life has gone out of him4 ,but the      
ultimate end of prophecy is to lead up  
to a gospel1 and the meaning of the word
 gospel is just that there is a message 
from ,god bringing hope to the          
despairing4 ,by inspiring a new hope    
this message kindles a new life4        
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,new ,,difficulties 
,,met ,,in ,a ,,new ,,spirit4  ,,ezra v4
 #c-vi4 #e4   ,it is in keeping with the
 character of his story of the returned 
,jews throughout1 that no sooner has the
 chronicler let a ray of sunshine fall  
on his page--in his brief notice of the 
inspiriting mission of the two          
prophets--than he is compelled to plunge
 his narrative again into gloom4 ,but he
 shows that there was now a new spirit  
in the ,jews1 so that they were prepared
 to meet opposition in a more manly     
fashion4 ,if their jealous neighbours   
had been able to paralyse their efforts 

for years1 it was only to be expected   
that a revival of energy in ,jerusalem  
should provoke an increase of antagonism
 abroad1 and doubtless the ,jews were   
prepared for this4 ,still it was not a  
little alarming to learn that the       
infection of the anti-,jewish temper had
 spread over a wide area4 ,the original 
opposition had come from the            
,samaritans4 ,but in this later time the
 ,jews were questioned by the ,satrap of
 the whole district east of the         
,euphrates--the governor beyond the     
river1#da as the chronicler styles him1 
describing his territory as it would be 
regarded officially from the standpoint 
of ,babylon4 ,his ,aramaic name1        
,tattenai1 shows that he was not a      
,persian1 but a native ,syrian1         
appointed to his own province1 according
 to the ,persian custom4 ,this man and  
one ,shethar-bozenai1 whom we may assume
 to be his secretary1 must have been    
approached by the colonists in such a   
way that their suspicions were roused4  

,their action was at first only just and
 reasonable4 ,they asked the ,jews to   
state on what authority they were       
rebuilding the temple with its massive  
walls4 ,in the ,hebrew ,bible the answer
 of the ,jews is so peculiar as to      
suggest a corruption of the text4 ,it is
 in the first person plural--,then said 
we unto them1 etc4#db ,in the           
,septuagint the third person is         
substituted--,then said they1 etc41 and 
this rendering is followed in the       
,syriac and ,arabic versions4 ,it would 
require a very slight alteration in the 
,hebrew text4 ,the ,old ,testament      
,revisers have retained the first       
person--setting the alternative reading 
in the margin4 ,if we keep to the       
,hebrew text as it stands1 we must      
conclude that we have here a fragment   
from some contemporary writer which the 
chronicler has transcribed literally4   
,but then it seems confusing4 ,some have
 shaped the sentence into a direct      
statement1 so that in reply to the      

inquiry for their authority the ,jews   
give the names of the builders4 ,how is 
this an answer8 ,possibly the name of   
,zerubbabel1 who had been appointed     
governor of ,jerusalem by ,cyrus1 could 
be quoted as an authority4 ,and yet the 
weakness of his position was so evident 
that very little would be gained in this
 way1 for it would be the right of the  
,satrap to inquire into the conduct of  
the local governor4 ,if1 however1 we    
read the sentence in the third person1  
it will contain a further question from 
the ,satrap and his secretary1 inquiring
 for the names of the leaders in the    
work at ,jerusalem4 ,such an inquiry    
threatened danger to the feeble         
,zerubbabel4    #da ,ezra v4 #c4    #db 
,ezra v4 #d4  ,the seriousness of the   
situation is recognised by the grateful 
comment of the chronicler1 who here     
remarks that the eye of their ,god was  
upon the elders of the ,jews4#dc ,it is 
the peculiarity of even the dryest      
records of ,scripture that the writers  

are always ready to detect the presence 
of ,god in history4 ,this justifies us  
in describing the ,biblical narratives  
as sacred history1 in contrast to the   
so-called secular history of such       
authors as ,herodotus and ,livy4 ,the   
narrow conception of the difference is  
to think that ,god was with the ,jews1  
while ,he left the ,greeks and ,romans  
and the whole ,gentile world to their   
fate without any recognition or         
interference on ,his part4 ,such a view 
is most dishonouring to ,god1 who is    
thus regarded as no better than a tribal
 divinity1 and not as the ,lord of      
heaven and earth4 ,it is directly       
contradicted by the ,old ,testament     
historians1 for they repeatedly refer to
 the influence of ,god on great world   
monarchies4 ,no doubt a claim to the    
,divine graciousness as the peculiar    
privilege of ,israel is to be seen in   
the ,old ,testament4 ,as far as this was
 perverted into a selfish desire to     
confine the blessings of ,god to the    

,jews1 it was vigorously rebuked in the 
,book of ,jonah4 ,still it is           
indisputable that those who truly sought
 ,god's grace1 acknowledged ,his        
authority1 and obeyed ,his will1 must   
have enjoyed privileges which such of   
the heathen as ,st4 ,paul describes in  
the first chapter of his ,epistle to the
 ,romans could not share4 ,thus the     
chronicler writes as though the leaders 
of the ,jews in their difficulties were 
the special objects of the ,divine      
notice4 ,the eye of ,god was on them1   
distinctively4 ,god is spoken of as     
their ,god4 ,they were men who knew1    
trusted1 and honoured ,god1 and at the  
present moment they were loyally        
carrying out the direction of ,god's    
prophets4 ,all this is special4         
,nevertheless1 it remains true that the 
chief characteristic of ,biblical       
history is its recognition of the       
presence of ,god in the affairs of      
mankind generally1 and this applies to  
all nations1 although it is most marked 

among those nations in which ,god is    
known and obeyed4    #dc ,ezra v4 #e4   
,the peculiar form of ,providence which 
is brought before us in the present     
instance is the ,divine observation4 ,it
 is difficult to believe that1 just as  
the earth is visible to the stars       
throughout the day while the stars are  
invisible to the earth1 we are always   
seen by ,god although we never see ,him4
 ,when circumstances are adverse--and   
these circumstances are only too        
visible--it is hard not to doubt that   
,god is still watching all that happens 
to us1 because although we cry out in   
our agony no answer breaks the awful    
silence and no hand comes out of the    
clouds to hold us up4 ,it seems as      
though our words were lost in the void4 
,but that is only the impression of the 
moment4 ,if we read history with the    
large vision of the ,hebrew chronicler1 
can we fail to perceive that this is not
 a ,god-deserted world8 ,in the details 
,his presence may not be discerned1 but 

when we stand back from the canvas and  
survey the whole picture1 it flashes    
upon us like a sunbeam spread over the  
whole landscape4 ,many a man can        
recognise the same happy truth in the   
course of his own life as he looks back 
over a wide stretch of it1 although     
while he was passing through his        
perplexing experience the thicket of    
difficulties intercepted his vision of  
the heavenly light4  ,now it is a most  
painful result of unbelief and cowardice
 working on the consciousness of guilt  
lurking in the breast of every sinful   
man1 that the eye of ,god has become an 
object of terror to the imagination of  
so many people4 ,poor ,hagar's          
exclamation of joy and gratitude has    
been sadly misapprehended4 ,discovering 
to her amazement that she is not alone  
in the wilderness1 the friendless1      
heart-broken slave-girl looks up through
 her tears with a smile of sudden joy on
 her face1 and exclaims1 ,thou ,god     
seest me6#dd ,and yet her happy words   

have been held over terrified children  
as a menace6 ,that is a false thought of
 ,god which makes any of ,his children  
shrink from ,his presence1 except they  
are foul and leprous with sin1 and even 
then their only refuge is1 as ,st4      
,augustine found1 to come to the very   
,god against whom they have sinned4 ,we 
need not fear lest some day ,god may    
make a miserable discovery about us4 ,he
 knows the worst1 already4 ,then it is a
 ground of hope that while ,he sees all 
the evil in us ,god still loves ,his    
children--that ,he does not love us1 as 
it were1 under a misapprehension4 ,our  
,lord's teaching on the subject of the  
,divine observation is wholly           
reassuring4 ,not a sparrow falls to the 
ground without our ,father's notice1 the
 very hairs of our head are all         
numbered1 and the exhortation based on  
these facts is not ,beware of the       
all-seeing ,eye6 but ,fear not4#de      
#dd ,gen4 xvi4 #ac4    #de ,luke xii4   
#g4  ,the limitation of the chronicler's

 remark is significant4 ,he speaks of   
the eye of ,god1 not of ,god's mighty   
hand1 nor of ,his outstretched arm4 ,it 
was not yet the time for action2 but    
,god was watching the course of events4 
,or if ,god was acting1 ,his procedure  
was so secret that no one could perceive
 it4 ,meanwhile it was enough to know   
that ,god was observing everything that 
was transpiring4 ,he could not be       
thought of as an ,epicurean divinity1   
surveying the agony and tragedy of human
 life with a stony gaze of supercilious 
indifference1 as the proud patrician    
looks down on the misery of the dim     
multitude4 ,for ,god to see is for ,god 
to care2 and for ,god to care is for    
,god to help4 ,but this simple statement
 of the ,divine observation maintains a 
reserve as to the method of the action  
of ,god1 and it is perhaps the best way 
of describing ,providence so that it    
shall not appear to come into collision 
with the free will of man4  ,the        
chronicler distinctly associates the    

,divine observation with the continuance
 of the ,jews in their work4 ,because   
the eye of ,god was on them their       
enemies could not cause them to cease   
until the matter had been referred to   
,darius and his answer received4 ,this  
may be explained by some unrecorded     
juncture of circumstances which arrested
 the action of the enemies of ,israel2  
by the overruling ,providence according 
to which the ,satrap was led to perceive
 that it would not be wise or just for  
him to act until he had orders from the 
king2 or by the new zeal with which the 
two prophets had inspired the ,jews1 so 
that they took up a bold position in the
 calm confidence that ,god was with     
them4 ,account for it as we may1 we see 
that in the present case the ,jews were 
not hindered in their work4 ,it is      
enough for faith to perceive the result 
of the ,divine care without discovering 
the process4  ,the letter of the ,satrap
 and his secretary embodies the reply of
 the ,jews to the official inquiries1   

and that reply clearly and boldly sets  
forth their position4 ,one or two points
 in it call for passing notice4  ,in the
 first place1 the ,jews describe        
themselves as servants of the ,god of   
heaven and earth4 ,thus they start by   
mentioning their religious status1 and  
not any facts about their race or       
nation4 ,this was wise1 and calculated  
to disarm suspicion as to their motives2
 and it was strictly true1 for the ,jews
 were engaged in a distinctly religious 
work4 ,then the way in which they       
describe their ,god is significant4     
,they do not use the national name      
,jehovah4 ,that would serve no good     
purpose with men who did not know or    
acknowledge their special faith4 ,they  
say nothing to localise and limit their 
idea of ,god4 ,to build the temple of a 
tribal god would be to further the ends 
of the tribe1 and this the jealous      
neighbours of the ,jews supposed they   
were doing4 ,by the larger title the    
,jews lift their work out of all        

connection with petty personal ends4 ,in
 doing so they confess their true faith4
 ,these ,jews of the return were pure   
monotheists4 ,they believed that there  
was one ,god who ruled over heaven and  
earth4  ,in the second place1 with just 
a touch of national pride1 pathetic     
under the circumstances1 they remind the
 ,persians that their nation has seen   
better days1 and that they are          
rebuilding the temple which a great king
 had set up4 ,thus1 while they would    
appeal to the generosity of the         
authorities1 they would claim their     
respect1 with the dignity of men who    
know they have a great history4 ,in view
 of this the next statement is most     
striking4 ,reciting the piteous story of
 the overthrow of their nation1 the     
destruction of their temple1 and the    
captivity of their fathers1 the ,jews   
ascribe it all to their national sins4  
,the prophets had long ago discerned the
 connection of cause and effect in these
 matters4 ,but while it was only the    

subject of prediction1 the proud people 
indignantly rejected the prophetic view4
 ,since then their eyes had been opened 
by the painful purging of dire national 
calamities4 ,one great proof that the   
nation had profited by the fiery ordeal 
of the captivity is that it now humbly  
acknowledged the sins which had brought 
it into the furnace4 ,trouble is        
illuminating4 ,while it humbles men1 it 
opens their eyes4 ,it is better to see  
clearly in a lowly place than to walk   
blindfold on perilous heights4  ,after  
this explanatory preamble1 the ,jews    
appeal to the edict of ,cyrus1 and      
describe their subsequent conduct as a  
direct act of obedience to that edict4  
,thus they plead their cause as loyal   
subjects of the ,persian empire4 ,in    
consequence of this appeal1 the ,satrap 
and his secretary request the king to   
order a search to be made for the edict1
 and to reply according to his pleasure4
  ,the chronicler then proceeds to      
relate how the search was prosecuted1   

first among the royal archives at       
,babylon--in the house of books4#df ,one
 of ,mr4 ,layard's most valuable        
discoveries was that of a set of        
chambers in a palace at ,koyunjik1 the  
whole of the floor of which was covered 
more than a foot deep with terra-cotta  
tablets inscribed with public           
records4#dg ,a similar collection has   
been recently found in the neighbourhood
 of ,babylon4#dh ,in some such          
record-house the search for the edict of
 ,cyrus was made4 ,but the cylinder or  
tablet on which it was written could not
 be found4 ,the searchers then turned   
their attention to the roll-chamber at  
the winter palace of ,ecbatana1 and     
there a parchment or papyrus copy of the
 edict was discovered4    #df ,ezra vi4 
#a4    #dg ,nineveh and ,babylon1 p4    
#cde4    #dh ,bertheau-,ryssel1         
,kurzgefasstes exegetisches ,handbuch1  
p4 #gd4  ,one of the items of this edict
 as it is now given is somewhat         
surprising1 for it was not named in the 

earlier account in the first chapter of 
the ,book of ,ezra4 ,this is a          
description of the dimensions of the    
temple which was to be built at         
,jerusalem4 ,it must have been not a    
little humiliating to the ,jews to have 
to take these measurements from a       
foreign sovereign1 a heathen1 a         
polytheist4 ,possibly1 however1 they had
 been first supplied to the king by the 
,jews1 so that the builders might have  
the more explicit permission for what   
they were about to undertake4 ,on the   
other hand1 it may be that we have here 
the outside dimensions1 beyond which the
 ,jews were not permitted to go1 and    
that the figures represent a limit for  
their ambitions4 ,in either case the    
appearance of the details in the decree 
at all gives us a vivid conception of   
the thoroughness of the ,persian        
autocracy1 and of the perfect subjection
 of the ,jews to ,cyrus4  ,some         
difficulty has been felt in interpreting
 the figures because they seem to point 

to a larger building than ,solomon's    
temple4 ,the height is given at sixty   
cubits1 and the breadth at the same     
measurement4 ,but ,solomon's temple was 
only thirty cubits high1 and its total  
breadth1 with its side-chambers1 was not
 more than forty cubits4#di ,when we    
consider the comparative poverty of the 
returned ,jews1 the difficulties under  
which they laboured1 the disappointment 
of the old men who had seen the former  
building1 and the short time within     
which the work was finished--only four  
years#ej--;it is difficult to believe   
that it was more than double the size of
 the glorious fabric for which ,david   
collected materials1 on which ,solomon  
lavished the best resources of his      
kingdom1 and which even then took many  
more years in building4 ,perhaps the    
height includes the terrace on which the
 temple was built1 and the breadth the  
temple adjuncts4 ,perhaps the temple    
never attained the dimensions authorised
 by the edict4 ,but even if the full    

size were reached1 the building would   
not have approached the size of the     
stupendous temples of the great ancient 
empires4 ,apart from its courts         
,solomon's temple was certainly a small 
building4 ,it was not the size1 but the 
splendour of that famous fabric that led
 to its being regarded with so much     
admiration and pride4    #di #a ,kings  
vi4 #b4    #ej ,ezra iv4 #bd1 vi4 #ae4  
,the most remarkable architectural      
feature of all these ancient temples was
 the enormous magnitude of the stones   
with which they were built4 ,at the     
present day the visitor to ,jerusalem   
gazes with wonder at huge blocks1 all   
carefully chiselled and accurately      
fitted together1 where parts of the old 
foundations may still be discerned4 ,the
 narrative in ,ezra makes several       
references to the great stones--stones  
of rolling#ea it calls them1 because    
they could only be moved on rollers4    
,even the edict mentions three rows of  
great stones1 together with a row of new

 timber1#eb--;an obscure phrase1 which  
perhaps means that the walls were to be 
of the thickness of three stones1 while 
the timber formed an inner pannelling2  
or that there were to be three storeys  
of stone and one of wood2 or yet another
 possibility1 that on three tiers of    
stone a tier of wood was to be laid4 ,in
 the construction of the inner court of 
,solomon's temple this third method     
seems to have been followed1 for we     
read1 ,and he built the inner court with
 three rows of hewn stone and a row of  
cedar beams4#ec ,however we regard      
it--and the plan is confusing and a     
matter of much discussion--the          
impression is one of massive strength4  
,the jealous observers noted especially 
the building of the wall of the         
temple4#ed ,so solid a piece of work    
might be turned into a fortification4   
,but no such end seems to have been     
contemplated by the ,jews4 ,they built  
solidly because they wished their work  
to stand4 ,it was to be no temporary    

tabernacle2 but a permanent temple      
designed to endure to posterity4 ,we are
 struck with the massive character of   
the ,roman remains in ,britain1 which   
show that when the great world          
conquerors took possession of our island
 they settled down in it and regarded it
 as a permanent property4 ,the same     
grand consciousness of permanence must  
have been in the minds of the brave     
builders who planted this solid         
structure at ,jerusalem in the midst of 
troubles and threatenings of disaster4  
,to-day1 when we look at the stupendous 
,phoenician and ,jewish architecture of 
,syria1 we are struck with admiration at
 the patience1 the perseverance1 the    
industry1 the thoroughness1 the         
largeness of idea that characterised the
 work of these old-world builders4      
,surely it must have been the outcome of
 a similar tone and temper of mind4 ,the
 modern mind may be more nimble1 as the 
modern work is more expeditious4 ,but   
for steadfastness of purpose the races  

that wrought so patiently at great      
enduring works seem to have excelled    
anything we can attain4 ,and yet here   
and there a similar characteristic is   
observable--as1 for example1 in the     
self-restraint and continuous toil of   
,charles ,darwin1 when he collected     
facts for twenty years before he        
published the book which embodied the   
conclusion he had drawn from his wide   
induction4    #ea ,ezra v4 #h4    #eb   
,ezra vi4 #d4    #ec #a ,kings vi4 #cf4 
#ed ,ezra v4 #i4  ,the solid character  
of the temple-building is further       
suggestive1 because the work was all    
done for the service of ,god4 ,such work
 should never be hasty1 because ,god has
 the leisure of eternity in which to    
inspect it4 ,it is labour lost to make  
it superficial and showy without any    
real strength1 because ,god sees behind 
all pretences4 ,moreover1 the fire will 
try every man's work of what sort it is4
 ,we grow impatient of toil2 we weary   
for quick results2 we forget that in    

building the spiritual temple strength  
to endure the shocks of temptation and  
to outlast the decay of time is more    
valued by ,god than the gourd-like      
display which is the sensation of the   
hour1 only to perish as quickly as it   
has sprung up4     ,,chapter ,,ix4      
,,the ,,dedication ,,of ,,the ,,temple4 
,,ezra vi4 #f-bb4   ,the chronicler's   
version of the edict in which ,darius   
replies to the application of the       
,satrap ,tattenai is so very friendly to
 the ,jews that questions have been     
raised as to its genuineness4 ,we cannot
 but perceive that the language has been
 modified in its transition from the    
,persian terra-cotta cylinder to the    
roll of the ,hebrew chronicler1 because 
the ,great ,king could not have spoken  
of the religion of ,israel in the       
absolute phrases recorded in the ,book  
of ,ezra4 ,but when all allowance has   
been made for verbal alterations in     
translation and transcription1 the      
substance of the edict is still         

sufficiently remarkable4 ,darius fully  
endorses the decree of ,cyrus1 and even 
exceeds that gracious ordinance in      
generosity4 ,he curtly bids ,tattenai   
let the work of the house of ,god alone4
 ,he even orders the ,satrap to provide 
for this work out of the revenues of his
 district4 ,the public revenues are also
 to be used in maintaining the ,jewish  
priests and in providing them with      
sacrifices--that they may offer         
sacrifices of sweet savour unto the ,god
 of heaven1 and pray for the life of the
 king and of his sons4#ee    #ee ,ezra  
vi4 #aj4  ,on the other hand1 it cannot 
be doubted that ,darius sent a reply    
that was favourable to the ,jews1 for   
all opposition to their work was        
stopped1 and means were found for       
completing the temple and maintaining   
the costly ritual4 ,the ,jews gratefully
 acknowledged the influence of ,god on  
the heart of ,darius4 ,surely they were 
right in doing so4 ,they were gifted    
with the true insight of faith4 ,it is  

no contradiction to add that--in the    
earthly sphere and among the human      
motives through which ,god works1 by    
guiding them--what we know of ,darius   
will account to some extent for his     
friendliness towards the ,jews4 ,he was 
a powerful ruler1 and when he had       
quelled the serious rebellions that had 
broken out in several quarters of his   
kingdom1 he organised his government in 
a masterly style with a new and thorough
 system of satrapies4#ef ,then he pushed
 his conquests farmer afield1 and       
subsequently came into contact with     
,europe1 although ultimately to suffer a
 humiliating defeat in the famous battle
 of ,marathon4 ,in fact1 we may regard  
him as the real founder of the ,persian 
,empire4 ,cyrus1 though his family was  
of ,persian origin1 was originally a    
king of ,elam1 and he had to conquer    
,persia before he could rule over it2   
but ,darius was a prince of the ,persian
 royal house4 ,unlike ,cyrus1 he was at 
least a monotheist1 if not a            

thoroughgoing ,zoroastrian4 ,the        
inscription on his tomb at              
,naksh-i-,rustem attributes all that he 
has achieved to the favour of ,ormazd4  
,when ,ormazd saw this earth filled with
 revolt and civil war1 then did he      
entrust it to me4 ,he made me king1 and 
,i am king4 ,by the grace of ,ormazd ,i 
have restored the earth4 ,all that ,i   
have done ,i have done through the grace
 of ,ormazd4 ,ormazd brought help to me 
until ,i had completed my work4 ,may    
,ormazd protect from evil me and my     
house and this land4 ,therefore ,i pray 
unto ,ormazd1 ,may ,ormazd grant this to
 me4 ,o ,man6 ,may the command of       
,ormazd not be despised by thee3 leave  
not the path of right1 sin not6#eg ,such
 language implies a high religious      
conception of life4 ,although it is a   
mistake to suppose that the ,jews had   
borrowed anything of importance from    
,zoroastrianism during the captivity or 
in the time of ,cyrus--inasmuch as that 
religion was then scarcely known in     

,babylon--when it began to make itself  
felt there1 its similarity to ,judaism  
could not fail to strike the attention  
of observant men4 ,it taught the        
existence of one supreme ,god--though it
 co-ordinated the principles of good and
 evil in ,his being1 as two subsidiary  
existences1 in a manner not allowed by  
,judaism--and it encouraged prayer4 ,it 
also insisted on the dreadful evil of   
sin and urged men to strive after       
purity1 with an earnestness that        
witnessed to the blending of morality   
with religion to an extent unknown      
elsewhere except among the ,jews4 ,thus1
 if ,darius were a ,zoroastrian1 he     
would have two powerful links of        
sympathy with the ,jews in opposition to
 the corrupt idolatry of the            
heathen--the spiritual monotheism and   
the earnest morality that were common to
 the two religions4 ,and in any case it 
is not altogether surprising to learn   
that when he read the letter of the     
people who described themselves as the  

servants of the ,god of heaven and      
earth1 the worshipper of ,ormazd should 
have sympathised with them rather than  
with their semi-pagan opponents4        
,moreover1 ,darius must have known      
something of ,judaism from the ,jews of 
,babylon4 ,then1 he was restoring the   
temples of ,ormazd which his predecessor
 had destroyed4 ,but the ,jews were     
engaged in a very similar work2         
therefore the king1 in his antipathy to 
the idolaters1 would give no sanction to
 a heathenish opposition to the building
 of the temple at ,jerusalem by a people
 who believed in ,one ,spiritual ,god4  
#ef ,herodotus1 iii4 #hi4    #eg ,sayce1
 ,introduction1 pp4 #eg1 #eh4  ,darius  
was credited with a generous            
disposition1 which would incline him to 
a kindly treatment of his subjects4 ,of 
course we must interpret this according 
to the manners of the times4 ,for       
example1 in his edict about the         
temple-building he gives orders that any
 one of his subjects who hinders the    

work is to be impaled on a beam from his
 own house1 the site of which is to be  
used for a refuse heap4#eh ,darius also 
invokes the ,god of the ,jews to destroy
 any foreign king or people who should  
attempt to alter or destroy the temple  
at ,jerusalem4 ,the savagery of his     
menace is in harmony with his conduct   
when1 according to ,herodotus1 he       
impaled three thousand men at ,babylon  
after he had recaptured the city4#ei    
,those were cruel times--,herodotus     
tells us that the besieged ,babylonians 
had previously strangled their own wives
 when they were running short of        
provisions4#fj ,the imprecation with    
which the edict closes may be matched by
 one on the inscription of ,darius at   
,behistum1 where the ,great ,king       
invokes the curse of ,ormazd on any     
persons who should injure the tablet4   
,the ancient despotic world-rulers had  
no conception of the modern virtue of   
humanitarianism4 ,it is sickening to    
picture to ourselves their methods of   

government4 ,the enormous misery        
involved is beyond calculation4 ,still  
we may believe that the worst threats   
were not always carried out2 we may make
 some allowance for ,oriental           
extravagance of language4 ,and yet1     
after all has been said1 the conclusion 
of the edict of ,darius presents to us a
 kind of state support for religion     
which no one would defend in the present
 day4 ,in accepting the help of the     
,persian sovereign the ,jews could not  
altogether dissociate themselves from   
his way of government4 ,nevertheless it 
is fair to remember that they had not   
asked for his support4 ,they had simply 
desired to be left unmolested4    #eh   
,ezra4 vi4 #aa4    #ei ,herodotus1 iii4 
#aei4    #fj ,ibid4  ,tattenai loyally  
executed the decree of ,darius2 the     
temple-building proceeded without       
further hindrance1 and the work was     
completed about four years after its    
recommencement at the instigation of the
 prophet ,haggai4 ,then came the joyous 

ceremony of the dedication4 ,all the    
returned exiles took part in it4 ,they  
are named collectively the children of  
,israel--another indication that the    
restored ,jews were regarded by the     
chronicler as the representatives of the
 whole united nation as this had existed
 under ,david and ,solomon before the   
great schism4 ,similarly there are      
twelve he-goats for the                 
sin-offering--for the twelve tribes4#fa 
,several classes of ,israelites are     
enumerated1--first the clergy in their  
two orders1 the priests and the         
,levites1 always kept distinct in ,ezra2
 next the laity1 who are described as   
the children of the captivity4 ,the     
limitation of this phrase is            
significant4 ,in the dedication of the  
temple the ,israelites of the land who  
were mixed up with the heathen people   
are not included4 ,only the returned    
exiles had built the temple2 only they  
were associated in the dedication of it4
 ,here is a strictly guarded ,church4   

,access to it is through the one door of
 an unimpeachable genealogical record4  
,happily the narrowness of this         
arrangement is soon to be broken        
through4 ,in the meanwhile it is to be  
observed that it is just the people who 
have endured the hardship of separation 
from their beloved ,jerusalem to whom   
the privilege of rejoicing in the       
completion of the new temple is given4  
,the tame existence that cannot fathom  
the depths of misery is incapable of    
soaring to the heights of bliss4 ,the   
joy of the harvest is for those who have
 sown in tears4    #fa ,ezra vi4 #ag4   
,the work was finished1 and yet its very
 completion was a new commencement4 ,the
 temple was now dedicated--literally    
initiated--for the future service of    
,god4  ,this dedication is an instance  
of the highest use of man's work4 ,the  
fruit of years of toil and sacrifice is 
given to ,god4 ,whatever theories we may
 have about the consecration of a       
building--and surely every building that

 is put to a sacred use is in a sense a 
sacred building--there can be no        
question as to the rightness of         
dedication4 ,this is just the surrender 
to ,god of what was built for ,him out  
of the resources that ,he had supplied4 
,a dedication service is a solemn act of
 transfer by which a building is given  
over to the use of ,god4 ,we may save it
 from narrowness if we do not limit it  
to places of public assembly4 ,the home 
where the family altar is set up1 where 
day by day prayer is offered1 and where 
the common round of domestic duties is  
elevated and consecrated by being       
faithfully discharged as in the sight of
 ,god1 is a true sanctuary2 it too1 like
 the ,jerusalem temple1 has its ,holy of
 ,holies4 ,therefore when a family      
enters a new house1 or when two young   
lives cross the threshold of what is to 
be henceforth their home1 there is as   
true a ground for a solemn act of       
dedication as in the opening of a great 
temple4 ,a prophet declared that        

,holiness to the ,lord was to           
characterise the very vessels of        
household use in ,jerusalem4#fb ,it may 
lift some of the burden of drudgery     
which presses on people who are         
compelled to spend their time in common 
house-toil1 for them to perceive that   
they may become priests and priestesses 
ministering at the altar even in their  
daily work4 ,in the same spirit truly   
devout men of business will dedicate    
their shops1 their factories1 their     
offices1 the tools of their work1 and   
the enterprises in which they engage1 so
 that all may be regarded as belonging  
to ,god1 and only to be used as ,his    
will dictates4 ,behind every such act of
 dedication there must be a prior act of
 self-consecration1 without which the   
gift of any mere thing to ,god is but an
 insult to the ,father who only seeks   
the hearts of ,his children4 ,nay1      
without this a real gift of any kind is 
impossible4 ,but the people who have    
first given their own selves to the     

,lord are prepared for all other acts of
 surrender4    #fb ,zech4 xiv4 #ba4     
,according to the custom of their       
ritual1 the ,jews signalised the        
dedication of the temple by the offering
 of sacrifices4 ,even with the help of  
the king's bounty these were few in     
number compared with the lavish         
holocausts that were offered in the     
ceremony of dedicating ,solomon's       
temple4#fc ,here1 in the external aspect
 of things1 the melancholy archologists 
might have found another cause for      
lamentation4 ,but we are not told that  
any such people appeared on the present 
occasion4 ,the ,jews were not so foolish
 as to believe that the value of a      
religious movement could be ascertained 
by the study of architectural           
dimensions4 ,is it less misleading to   
attempt to estimate the spiritual       
prosperity of a ,church by casting up   
the items of its balance-sheet1 or      
tabulating the numbers of its           
congregations8    #fc #a ,kings viii4   

#fc4  ,looking more closely into the    
chronicler's description of the         
sacrifices1 we see that these were      
principally of two distinct kinds4#fd   
,there were some animals for burnt      
offerings1 which signified complete     
dedication1 and pledged their offerers  
to it4 ,then there were other animals   
for sin-offerings4 ,thus even in the    
joyous dedication of the temple the sin 
of ,israel could not be forgotten4 ,the 
increasing importance of sacrifices for 
sin is one of the most marked features  
of the ,hebrew ritual in its later      
stages of development4 ,it shows that in
 the course of ages the national        
consciousness of sin was intensified4   
,at the same time it makes clear that   
the inexplicable conviction that without
 shedding of blood there could be no    
remission of sins was also deepened4    
,whether the sacrifice was regarded as a
 gift pleasing and propitiating an      
offended ,god1 or as a substitute       
bearing the death-penalty of sin1 or as 

a sacred life1 bestowing1 by means of   
its blood1 new life on sinners who had  
forfeited their own lives2 in any case1 
and however it was interpreted1 it was  
felt that blood must be shed if the     
sinner was to be freed from guilt4      
,throughout the ages this awful thought 
was more and more vividly presented1 and
 the mystery which the conscience of    
many refused to abandon continued1 until
 there was a great revelation of the    
true meaning of sacrifice for sin in the
 one efficacious atonement of ,christ4  
#fd ,ezra vi4 #ag4  ,a subsidiary point 
to be noticed here is that there were   
just twelve he-goats sacrificed for the 
twelve tribes of ,israel4 ,these were   
national sin-offerings1 and not         
sacrifices for individual sinners4      
,under special circumstances the        
individual could bring his own private  
offering4 ,but in this great temple     
function only national sins were        
considered4 ,the nation had suffered as 
a whole for its collective sin2 in a    

corresponding way it had its collective 
expiation of sin4 ,there are always     
national sins which need a broad public 
treatment1 apart from the particular    
acts of wickedness committed by separate
 men4  ,all this is said by the         
chronicler to have taken place in       
accordance with ,the ,law--,as it is    
written in the book of ,moses4#fe ,here1
 as in the case of the similar statement
 of the chronicler in connection with   
the sacrifices offered when the great   
altar of burnt-offerings was set up1#ff 
we must remember1 in the first place1   
that we have to do with the reflections 
of an author writing in a subsequent    
age1 to whom the whole ,pentateuch was a
 familiar book4 ,but then it is also    
clear that before ,ezra had startled the
 ,jews by reading ,the ,law in its later
 revelation there must have been some   
earlier form of it1 not only in         
,deuteronomy1 but also in a priestly    
collection of ordinances4 ,it is a      
curious fact that no full directions on 

the division of the courses of the      
priests and ,levites is now to be found 
in the ,pentateuch4 ,on this occasion   
the services must have been arranged on 
the model of the traditional priestly   
law4 ,they were not left to the caprice 
of the hour4 ,there was order2 there was
 continuity2 there was obedience4    #fe
 ,ezra vi4 #ah4    #ff ,ezra iii4 #b4   
,the chronicler concludes this period of
 his history by adding a paragraph#fg on
 the first observance of the ,passover  
among the returned ,jews4 ,the national 
religion is now re-established1 and     
therefore the greatest festival of the  
year can be enjoyed4 ,one of the        
characteristics of this festival is made
 especially prominent in the present    
observance of it4 ,the significance of  
the unleavened bread is pointedly       
noticed4 ,all leaven is to be banished  
from the houses during the week of the  
,passover4 ,all impurity must also be   
banished from the people4 ,the priests  
and ,levites perform the ceremonial     

purifications and get themselves legally
 clean4 ,the franchise is enlarged2 and 
the limitations of genealogy with which 
we started are dispensed with4 ,a new   
class of ,israelites receives a         
brotherly welcome in this time of       
general purification4 ,in distinction   
from the returned captives1 there are   
now the ,israelites who had separated   
themselves unto them from the filthiness
 of the heathen of the land1 to seek the
 ,lord4 ,jehovah is pointedly described 
as the ,god of ,israel--i4e41 the ,god  
of all sections of ,israel4#fh ,these   
people cannot be proselytes from        
heathenism--there could be few if any   
such in exclusive times4 ,they might    
consist of ,jews who had been living in 
,palestine all through the captivity1   
,israelites also left in the ,northern  
,kingdom1 and scattered members of the  
ten tribes from various regions4 ,all   
such are welcome on condition of a      
severe process of social purging4 ,they 
must break off from their heathen       

associations4 ,we may suspect a spirit  
of ,jewish animosity in the ugly phrase 
the filthiness of the heathen4 ,but it  
was only too true that both the         
,canaanite and the ,babylonian habits of
 life were disgustingly immoral4 ,the   
same horrible characteristic is found   
among most of the heathen to-day4 ,these
 degraded people are not simply         
benighted in theological error2 they are
 corrupted by horrible vices4           
,missionary work is more than the       
propagation of ,christian theology2 it  
is the purging of ,augean stables4 ,st4 
,paul reminds us that we must put away  
the old leaven of sinful habits in order
 to partake of the ,christian           
,passover1#fi and ,st4 ,james that one  
feature of the religious service which  
is acceptable to ,god is to keep oneself
 unspotted from the world4#gj ,though   
unfortunately with the externalism of   
the ,jews their purification too often  
became a mere ceremony1 and their       
separation an ungracious                

race-exclusiveness1 still1 at the root  
of it1 the ,passover idea here brought  
before us is profoundly true4 ,it is the
 thought that we cannot take part in a  
sacred feast of ,divine gladness except 
on condition of renouncing sin4 ,the joy
 of the ,lord is the beatific vision of 
saints1 the blessedness of the pure in  
heart who see ,god4    #fg ,here1 at    
,ezra vi4 #ah1 the author drops the     
,aramaic   language--which was          
introduced at iv4 #h--;and resumes the  
,hebrew4 ,see   page #ga4    #fh ,ezra  
vi4 #ba4    #fi #a ,cor4 v4 #g4    #gj  
,james i4 #bg4  ,on this condition1 for 
the people who were thus separate1 the  
festival was a scene of great gladness4 
,the chronicler calls attention to three
 things that were in the mind of the    
,jews inspiring their praises           
throughout4#ga ,the first is that ,god  
was the source of their joy--the ,lord  
had made them joyful4 ,there is joy in  
religion2 and this joy springs from     
,god4 ,the second is that ,god had      

brought about the successful end of     
their labours by directly influencing   
the ,great ,king4 ,he had turned the    
heart of the king of ,assyria--a title  
for ,darius that speaks for the         
authenticity of the narrative1 for it   
represents an old form of speech for the
 ruler of the districts that had once   
belonged to the king of ,assyria4 ,the  
third fact is that ,god had been the    
source of strength to the ,jews1 so that
 they had been able to complete their   
work4 ,the result of the ,divine aid was
 to strengthen their hands in the work  
of the house of ,god1 the ,god of       
,israel4 ,among his own people joy and  
strength from ,god1 in the great world a
 providential direction of the mind of  
the king--this was what faith now       
perceived1 and the perception of so     
wonderful a ,divine activity made the   
,passover a festival of boundless       
gladness4 ,wherever that ancient ,hebrew
 faith is experienced in conjunction    
with the ,passover spirit of separation 

from the leaven of sin religion always  
is a well of joy4    #ga ,ezra vi4 #bb4 
,,chapter ,x4  ,,ezra ,,the ,,scribe4   
,,ezra vii4 #a-aj4   ,although the      
seventh chapter of ,ezra begins with no 
other indication of time than the vague 
phrase ,now after these things1 nearly  
sixty years had elapsed between the     
events recorded in the previous chapter 
and the mission of ,ezra here described4
 ,we have no history of this long       
period4 ,zerubbabel passed into         
obscurity without leaving any trace of  
his later years4 ,he had accomplished   
his work2 the temple had been built2 but
 the brilliant ,messianic anticipations 
that had clustered about him at the     
outset of his career were to await their
 fulfilment in a greater ,son of ,david1
 and people could afford to neglect the 
memory of the man who had only been a   
sort of temporary trustee of the hope of
 ,israel4 ,we shall come across         
indications of the effects of social    
trouble and religious decadence in the  

state of ,jerusalem as she appeared at  
the opening of this new chapter in her  
history4 ,she had not recovered a       
vestige of her ancient civic splendour2 
the puritan rigour with which the       
returned exiles had founded a ,church   
among the ruins of her political        
greatness had been relaxed1 so that the 
one distinguishing feature of the humble
 colony was in danger of melting away in
 easy and friendly associations with    
neighbouring peoples4 ,when it came1 the
 revival of zeal did not originate in   
the ,holy ,city4 ,it sprang up among the
 ,jews at ,babylon4 ,the earlier        
movement in the reign of ,cyrus had     
arisen in the same quarter4 ,the best of
 ,judaism was no product of the soil of 
,palestine3 it was an exotic4 ,the      
elementary ,torah of ,moses emerged from
 the desert1 with the learning of ,egypt
 as its background1 long before it was  
cultivated at ,jerusalem to blossom in  
the reformation of ,josiah4 ,the final  
edition of ,the ,law was shaped in the  

,valley of the ,euphrates1 with the     
literature and science of ,babylon to   
train its editors for their great task1 
though it may have received its         
finishing touches in ,jerusalem4 ,these 
facts by no means obscure the glory of  
the inspiration and ,divine character of
 ,the ,law4 ,in its theology1 in its    
ethics1 in its whole spirit and         
character1 the ,pentateuch is no more a 
product of ,babylonian than of ,egyptian
 ideas4 ,its purity and elevation of    
character speak all the more            
emphatically for its ,divine origin when
 we take into account its corrupt       
surroundings2 it was like a white lily  
growing on a dung-heap4  ,still it is   
important to notice that the great      
religious revival of ,ezra's time sprang
 up on the plains of ,babylon1 not among
 the hills of ,judah4 ,this involves two
 very different facts--the peculiar     
spiritual experience with which it      
commenced1 and the special literary and 
scientific culture in the midst of which

 it was shaped4  ,first1 it originated  
in the experience of the captivity1 in  
humiliation and loss1 and after long    
brooding over the meaning of the great  
chastisement4 ,the exiles were like     
poets who learn in sorrow what they     
teach in song4 ,this is apparent in the 
pathetic psalms of the same period1 and 
in the writings of the visionary of     
,chebar1 who contributed a large share  
to the new movement in view of the      
re-establishment of religious worship at
 ,jerusalem4  ,thus ,jerusalem was loved
 by the exiles1 the temple pictured in  
detail to the imagination of men who    
never trod its sacred courts1 and the   
sacrificial system most carefully       
studied by people who had no means of   
putting it in practice4 ,no doubt ,the  
,law now represented an intellectual    
rather than a concrete form of religion4
 ,it was an ideal4 ,so long as the real 
is with us1 it tends to depress the     
ideal by its material bulk and weight4  
,the ideal is elevated in the absence of

 the real4 ,therefore the pauses of life
 are invaluable2 by breaking through the
 iron routine of habit1 they give us    
scope for the growth of larger ideas    
that may lead to better attainments4    
,secondly1 this religious revival       
appeared in a centre of scientific and  
literary culture4 ,the ,babylonians had 
cultivated arithmetic1 astronomy1       
history1 chronology1 geography1         
comparative philology1 and grammar4#gb  
,in astronomy they were so advanced that
 they had mapped out the heavens1       
catalogued the fixed stars1 calculated  
eclipses1 and accounted for them        
correctly4 ,their enormous libraries of 
terra-cotta1 only now being unearthed1  
testify to their literary activity4 ,the
 ,jews brought back from ,babylon the   
names of the months1 the new form of    
letters used in writing their books1 and
 many other products of the learning and
 science of the ,euphrates4 ,internally 
the religion of ,israel is solitary1    
pure1 ,divine4 ,externally the literary 

form of it1 and the physical conception 
of the universe which it embodies1 owe  
not a little to the light which ,god had
 bestowed upon the people of ,babylon2  
just as ,christianity1 in soul and      
essence the religion of ,jesus of       
,nazareth1 was shaped in theory by the  
thought1 and in discipline by the law   
and order1 with which ,god had endowed  
the two great ,european races of ,greece
 and ,rome4    #gb ,rawlinson1 ,ezra and
 ,nehemiah1 p4 #b4  ,the chronicler     
introduces ,ezra with a brief sketch of 
his origin and a bare outline of his    
expedition to ,jerusalem4#gc ,he then   
next transcribes a copy of the edict of 
,artaxerxes which authorised the        
expedition4#gd ,after this he inserts a 
detailed account of the expedition from 
the pen of ,ezra himself1 so that here  
the narrative proceeds in the first     
person--though1 in the abrupt manner of 
the whole book1 without a word of       
warning that this is to be the case4#ge 
#gc ,ezra vii4 #a-aj4    #gd ,ezra vii4 

#aa-bf4    #ge ,ezra vii4 #bg-;ix4  ,in 
the opening verses of ,ezra vii4 the    
chronicler gives an epitome of the      
genealogy of ,ezra1 passing over several
 generations1 but leading up to ,aaron4 
,ezra1 then1 could claim a high birth4  
,he was a born priest of the select     
family of ,zadok1 but not of the later  
house of high-priests4 ,therefore the   
privileges which are assigned to that   
house in the ,pentateuch cannot be      
accounted for by ascribing ignoble      
motives of nepotism to its publisher4   
,though ,ezra is named ,the ,priest1 he 
is more familiarly known to us as ,the  
,scribe4 ,the chronicler calls him a    
ready scribe 7or1 a scribe skilful7 in  
the law of ,moses1 which the ,lord ,god 
of ,israel had given4 ,originally the   
title ,scribe was used for town         
recorders and registrars of the census4 
,under the later kings of ,judah1       
persons bearing this name were attached 
to the court as the writers and         
custodians of state documents4 ,but     

these are all quite distinct from the   
scribes who appeared after the exile4   
,the scribes of later days were         
guardians and interpreters of the       
written ,torah1 the sacred law4 ,they   
appeared with the publication and       
adoption of the ,pentateuch4 ,they not  
only studied and taught this complete   
law2 they interpreted and applied its   
precepts4 ,in so doing they had to      
pronounce judgments of their own4       
,inasmuch as changing circumstances     
necessarily required modifications in   
rules of justice1 while ,the ,law could 
not be altered after ,ezra's day1 great 
ingenuity was required to reconcile the 
old law with the new decisions4 ,thus   
arose sophistical casuistry4 ,then in   
fencing ,the ,law the scribes added     
precepts of their own to prevent men    
from coming near the danger of          
transgression4  ,scribism was one of the
 most remarkable features of the later  
days of ,israel4 ,its existence in so   
much prominence showed that religion had

 passed into a new phase1 that it had   
assumed a literary aspect4 ,the art of  
writing was known1 indeed1 in ,egypt and
 ,babylon before the exodus2 it was even
 practised in ,palestine among the      
,hittites as early as ,abraham4 ,but at 
first in their religious life the ,jews 
did not give much heed to literary      
documents4 ,priestism was regulated by  
traditional usages rather than by       
written directions1 and justice was     
administered under the kings according  
to custom1 precedent1 and equity4 ,quite
 apart from the discussion concerning   
the antiquity of the ,pentateuch1 it is 
certain that its precepts were neither  
used nor known in the time of ,josiah1  
when the reading of the roll discovered 
in the temple was listened to with      
amazement4 ,still less did prophetism   
rely on literary resources4 ,what need  
was there of a book when the ,spirit of 
,god was speaking through the audible   
voice of a living man8 ,at first the    
prophets were men of action4 ,in more   

cultivated times they became orators1   
and then their speeches were sometimes  
preserved--as the speeches of           
,demosthenes were preserved--for future 
reference1 after their primary end had  
been served4 ,jeremiah found it         
necessary to have a scribe1 ,baruch1 to 
write down his utterances4 ,this was a  
further step in the direction of        
literature2 and ,ezekiel was almost     
entirely literary1 for his prophecies   
were most of them written in the first  
instance4 ,still they were prophecies2  
i4e41 they were original utterances1    
drawn directly from the wells of        
inspiration4 ,the function of the       
scribes was more humble--to collect the 
sayings and traditions of earlier ages2 
to arrange and edit the literary        
fragments of more original minds4 ,their
 own originality was almost confined to 
their explanations of difficult         
passages1 or their adaptation of what   
they received to new needs and new      
circumstances4 ,thus we see theology    

passing into the reflective stage3 it is
 becoming historical2 it is being       
transformed into a branch of archology4 
,ezra the ,scribe is nervously anxious  
to claim the authority of ,moses for    
what he teaches4 ,the robust spirit of  
,isaiah was troubled with no such       
scruple4 ,scribism rose when prophecy   
declined4 ,it was a melancholy          
confession that the fountains of living 
water were drying up4 ,it was like an   
aqueduct laboriously constructed in     
order to convey stored water to a       
thirsty people from distant reservoirs4 
,the reservoirs may be full1 the        
aqueduct may be sound2 still who would  
not rather drink of the sparkling stream
 as it springs from the rock8 ,moreover 
scribism degenerated into rabbinism1 the
 scholasticism of the ,jews4 ,we may see
 its counterpart in the ,catholic       
scholasticism which drew supplies from  
patristic tradition1 and again in       
,protestant scholasticism--which came   
nearer to the source of inspiration in  

the ,bible1 and yet which stiffened into
 a traditional interpretation of        
,scripture1 confining its waters to iron
 pipes of orthodoxy4  ,but some men     
refuse to be thus tied to               
antiquarianism4 ,they dare to believe   
that the ,spirit of ,god is still in the
 world1 whispering in the fancy of      
little children1 soothing weary souls1  
thundering in the conscience of sinners1
 enlightening honest inquirers1 guiding 
perplexed men of faith4 ,nevertheless we
 are always in danger of one or other of
 the two extremes of formal             
scholasticism and indefinite mysticism4 
,the good side of the scribes' function 
is suggestive of much that is valuable4 
,if ,god did indeed speak to men of old 
in divers portions and in divers        
manners1#gf what ,he said must be of the
 greatest value to us1 for truth in its 
essence is eternal4 ,we ,christians have
 the solid foundation of a historical   
faith to build upon1 and we cannot      
dispense with our gospel narratives and 

doctrinal epistles4 ,what ,christ was1  
what ,christ did1 and the meaning of all
 this1 is of vital importance to us2 but
 it is chiefly important because it     
enables us to see what ,he is to-day--a 
,priest ever living to make intercession
 for us1 a ,deliverer who is even now   
able to save unto the uttermost all who 
come unto ,god by ,him1 a present ,lord 
who claims the active loyalty of every  
fresh generation of the men and women   
for whom ,he died in the far-off past4  
,we have to combine the concrete        
historical religion with the inward1    
living1 spiritual religion to reach a   
faith that shall be true both           
objectively and subjectively--true to   
the facts of the universe1 and true to  
personal experience4    #gf ,heb4 i4 #a4
  ,ezra accomplished his great work1 to 
a large extent1 because he ventured to  
be more than a scribe4 ,even when he was
 relying on the authority of antiquity1 
the inspiration which was in him saved  
him from a pedantic adherence to the    

letter of the ,torah as he had received 
it4 ,the modification of ,the ,law when 
it was reissued by the great scribe1    
which is so perplexing to some modern   
readers1 is a proof that the religion of
 ,israel had not yet lost vitality and  
settled down into a fossil condition4   
,it was living2 therefore it was        
growing1 and in growing it was casting  
its old shell and evolving a new vesture
 better adapted to its changed          
environment4 ,is not this just a signal 
proof that ,god had not deserted ,his   
people8  ,ezra is presented to us as a  
man of a deeply devout nature4 ,he      
cultivated his own personal religion    
before he attempted to influence his    
compatriots4 ,the chronicler tells us   
that he had prepared 7directed7 his     
heart1 to seek the law of the ,lord and 
to do it4 ,with our haste to obtain     
results in ,christian service1 there is 
danger lest the need of personal        
preparation should be neglected4 ,but   
work is feeble and fruitless if the     

worker is inefficient1 and he must be   
quite as inefficient if he has not the  
necessary graces as if he had not the   
requisite gifts4 ,over and above the    
preparatory intellectual culture--never 
more needed than in our own day--there  
is the all-essential spiritual training4
 ,we cannot effectually win others to   
that truth which has no place in our own
 hearts4 ,enthusiasm is kindled by      
enthusiasm4 ,the fire must be first     
burning within the preacher himself if  
he would light it in the breasts of     
other men4 ,here lies the secret of the 
tremendous influence ,ezra exerted when 
he came to ,jerusalem4 ,he was an       
enthusiast for the law he so zealously  
advocated4 ,now enthusiasm is not the   
creation of a moment's thought2 it is   
the outgrowth of long meditation1       
inspired by deep1 passionate love4 ,it  
shows itself in the experience expressed
 by the ,psalmist when he said1 ,while  
,i mused the fire burned4#gg ,ours is   
not an age of musing4 ,but if we have no

 time to meditate over the great        
verities of our faith1 the flames will  
not be kindled1 and in place of the     
glowing fire of enthusiasm we shall have
 the gritty ashes of officialism4    #gg
 ,psalm xxxix4 #c4  ,ezra turned his    
thoughts to the law of his ,god2 he took
 this for the subject of his daily      
meditation1 brooding over it until it   
became a part of his own thinking4 ,this
 is the way a character is made4 ,men   
have larger power over their thoughts   
than they are inclined to admit2 and the
 greatness or the meanness1 the purity  
or the corruption of their character    
depends on the way in which that power  
is used4 ,evil thoughts may come        
unbidden to the purest mind--for ,christ
 was tempted by the devil2 but such     
thoughts can be resisted1 and treated as
 unwelcome intruders4 ,the thoughts that
 are welcomed and cherished1 nourished  
in meditation1 and sedulously           
cultivated--these bosom friends of the  
inner man determine what he himself is  

to become4 ,to allow one's mind to be   
treated as the plaything of every idle  
reverie--like a boat drifting at the    
mercy of wind and current without a hand
 at the helm--is to court intellectual  
and moral shipwreck4 ,the first         
condition of achieving success in       
self-culture is to direct the course of 
the thinking aright4 ,st4 ,paul         
enumerated a list of good and honourable
 subjects to bid us think on such       
things4#gh    #gh ,phil4 iv4 #h4  ,the  
aim of ,ezra's meditation was threefold4
 ,first1 he would seek the law of the   
,lord1 for the teacher must begin with  
understanding the truth1 and this may   
involve much anxious searching4         
,possibly ,ezra had to pursue a literary
 inquiry1 hunting up documents1         
comparing data1 arranging and           
harmonising scattered fragments4 ,but   
the most important part of his seeking  
was his effort to find the real meaning 
and purpose of ,the ,law4 ,it was in    
regard to this that he would have to    

exercise his mind most earnestly4       
,secondly1 his aim was to do it4 ,he    
would not attempt to preach what he had 
not tried to perform4 ,he would test the
 effect of his doctrine on himself      
before venturing to prescribe it for    
others4 ,thus he would be most sure of  
escaping a subtle snare which too often 
entraps the preacher4 ,when the godly   
man of business reads his ,bible1 it is 
just to find light and food for his own 
soul2 but when the preacher turns the   
pages of the sacred book1 he is haunted 
by the anxiety to light upon suitable   
subjects for his sermons4 ,every man who
 handles religious truths in the course 
of his work is in danger of coming to   
regard those truths as the tools of his 
trade4 ,if he succumbs to this danger it
 will be to his own personal loss1 and  
then even as instruments in his work the
 degraded truths will be blunt and      
inefficient1 because a man can never    
know the doctrine until he has begun to 
obey the commandment4 ,if religious     

teaching is not to be pedantic and      
unreal1 it must be interpreted by       
experience4 ,the most vivid teaching is 
a transcript from life4 ,thirdly1 ,ezra 
would teach in ,israel statutes and     
judgments4 ,this necessarily comes      
last--after the meditation1 after the   
experience4 ,but it is of great         
significance as the crown and finish of 
the rest4 ,ezra is to be his nation's   
instructor4 ,in the new order the first 
place is not to be reserved for a king2 
it is assigned to a schoolmaster4  ,this
 will be increasingly the case as       
knowledge is allowed to prevail1 and as 
truth is permitted to sway the lives of 
men and fashion the history of          
communities4  ,so far we have ,ezra's   
own character and culture4 ,but there   
was another side to his preparation for 
his great life-work of which the        
chronicler took note1 and which he      
described in a favourite phrase of      
,ezra's1 a phrase so often used by the  
scribe that the later writer adopted it 

quite naturally4 ,ezra's request to be  
permitted to go up to ,jerusalem with a 
new expedition is said to have been     
granted him by the king according to the
 hand of the ,lord his ,god upon him4#gi
 ,thus the chronicler here acknowledges 
the ,divine hand in the whole business1 
as he has the inspired insight to do    
again and again in the course of his    
narrative4 ,the special phrase thus     
borrowed from ,ezra is rich in meaning4 
,in an earlier passage the chronicler   
noticed that the eye of their ,god was  
upon the elders of the ,jews4#hj ,now1  
in ,ezra's phrase1 it is the hand of his
 ,god that is on ,ezra4 ,the expression 
gives us a distinct indication of the   
,divine activity4 ,god works1 and1 so to
 speak1 uses ,his hand4 ,it also        
suggests the nearness of ,god4 ,the hand
 of ,god is not only moving and acting2 
it is upon ,ezra4 ,god touches the man1 
holds him1 directs him1 impels him2 and1
 as he shows elsewhere1 ,ezra is        
conscious of the influence1 if not      

immediately1 yet by means of a devout   
study of the providential results4 ,this
 ,divine power even goes so far as to   
move the ,persian monarch4 ,the         
chronicler ascribes the conduct of      
successive kings of ,persia to the      
immediate action of ,god4 ,but here it  
is connected with ,god's hand being on  
,ezra4 ,when ,god is holding and        
directing ,his servants1 even external  
circumstances are found to work for     
their good1 and even other men are      
induced to further the same end4 ,this  
brings us to the kernel1 the very       
essence of religion4 ,that was not found
 in ,ezra's wisely chosen meditations2  
nor was it to be seen in his devout     
practices4 ,behind and beneath the man's
 earnest piety was the unseen but mighty
 action of ,god2 and here1 in the hand  
of his ,god resting upon him1 was the   
root of all his religious life4 ,in     
experience the human and the ,divine    
elements of religion are inextricably   
blended together2 but the vital element1

 that which originates and dominates the
 whole1 is the ,divine4 ,there is no    
real1 living religion without it4 ,it is
 the secret of energy and the assurance 
of victory4 ,the man of true religion is
 he who has the hand of ,god resting    
upon him1 he whose thought and action   
are inspired and swayed by the mystic   
touch of the ,unseen4    #gi ,ezra vii4 
#f4    #hj ,ezra v4 #e4     ,,chapter   
,,xi4  ,,ezra',s ,,expedition4  ,,ezra  
vii4 #aa-viii4   ,like the earlier      
pilgrimage of ,zerubbabel and his       
companions1 ,ezra's great expedition was
 carried out under a commission from the
 ,persian monarch of his day4 ,the      
chronicler simply calls this king       
,artaxerxes 7,artahshashta71 a name     
borne by three kings of ,persia2 but    
there can be no reasonable doubt that   
his reference is to the son and         
successor of ,xerxes--known by the      
,greeks as ,macrocheir1 and by the      
,romans as ,longimanus--,artaxerxes of  
the long hand1 for this ,artaxerxes     

alone enjoyed a sufficiently extended   
reign to include both the commencement  
of ,ezra's public work and the later    
scenes in the life of ,nehemiah which   
the chronicler associates with the same 
king4 ,artaxerxes was but a boy when he 
ascended the throne1 and the mission of 
,ezra took place in his earlier years1  
while the generous enthusiasm of the    
kindly sovereign--whose gentleness has  
become historic--had not yet been       
crushed by the cares of empire4 ,in     
accordance with the usual style of our  
narrative1 we have his decree concerning
 the ,jews preserved and transcribed in 
full2 and yet here1 as in other cases1  
we must make some allowance either for  
the literary freedom of the chronicler1 
or for the ,jewish sympathies of the    
translator2 for it cannot be supposed   
that a heathen1 such as ,artaxerxes     
undoubtedly was1 would have shown the   
knowledge of the ,hebrew religion1 or   
have owned the faith in it1 which the   
edict as we now have it suggests4       

,nevertheless1 here again1 there is no  
reason to doubt the substantial accuracy
 of the document1 for it is quite in    
accord with the policy of the previous  
kings ,cyrus and ,darius1 and in its    
special features it entirely agrees with
 the circumstances of the history4      
,this edict of ,longimanus goes beyond  
any of its predecessors in favoring the 
,jews1 especially with regard to their  
religion4 ,it is directly and personally
 addressed to ,ezra1 whom the king may  
have known as an earnest1 zealous leader
 of the ,hebrew community at ,babylon1  
and through him it grants to all ,jewish
 exiles who wish to go up to ,jerusalem 
liberty to return to the home of their  
fathers4 ,it may be objected that after 
the decree of ,cyrus any such fresh     
sanction should not have been needed4   
,but two generations had passed away    
since the pilgrimage of the first body  
of returning captives1 and during this  
long time many things had happened to   
check the free action of the ,jews and  

to cast reproach upon their movements4  
,for a great expedition to start now    
without any orders from the reigning    
monarch might excite his displeasure1   
and a subject people who were dependent 
for their very existence on the         
good-will of an absolute sovereign would
 naturally hesitate before they ventured
 to rouse his suspicions by undertaking 
any considerable migration on their own 
account4  ,but ,artaxerxes does much    
more than sanction the journey to       
,jerusalem2 he furthers the object of   
this journey with royal bounty1 and he  
lays a very important commission on     
,ezra1 a commission which carries with  
it the power1 if not the name1 of a     
provincial magistrate4 ,in the first    
place1 the edict authorises a state     
endowment of the ,jewish religion4 ,ezra
 is to carry great stores to the        
poverty-stricken community at           
,jerusalem4 ,these are made up in part  
of contributions from the ,babylonian   
,jews1 in part of generous gifts from   

their friendly neighbours1 and in part  
of grants from the royal treasury4 ,the 
temple has been rebuilt1 and the funds  
now accumulated are not like the bulk of
 those collected in the reign of ,cyrus 
for a definite object1 the cost of which
 might be set down to the ,capital      
,account in the restoration of the      
,jews2 they are destined in some measure
 for improvements to the structure1 but 
they are also to be employed in         
maintenance charges1 especially in      
supporting the costly services of the   
temple4 ,thus the actual performance of 
the daily ritual at the ,jerusalem      
sanctuary is to be kept up by means of  
the revenues of the ,persian ,empire4   
,then1 the edict proceeds to favour the 
priesthood by freeing that order from   
the burden of taxation4 ,this clerical  
immunity1 which suggests an analogy with
 the privileges the ,christian clergy   
prized so highly in the ,middle ,ages1  
is an indirect form of increased        
endowment1 but the manner in which the  

endowment is granted calls especial     
attention to the privileged status of   
the order that enjoys it4 ,thus the     
growing importance of the ,jerusalem    
hierarchy is openly fostered by the     
,persian king4 ,still further1          
,artaxerxes adds to his endowment of the
 ,jewish religion a direct legal        
establishment4 ,ezra is charged to see  
that the law of his ,god is observed    
throughout the whole region extending up
 from the ,euphrates to ,jerusalem4     
,this can only be meant to apply to the 
,jews who were scattered over the wide  
area1 especially those of ,syria4 ,still
 the mandate is startling enough1       
especially when we take into account the
 heavy sanctions with which it is       
weighted1 for ,ezra has authority given 
him to enforce obedience by             
excommunication1 by fine1 by            
imprisonment1 and even by the           
death-penalty4 ,the law of his ,god is  
named side by side with the law of the  
king4#ha and the two are to be obeyed   

equally4 ,fortunately1 owing to the     
unsettled condition of the country as   
well as to ,ezra's own somewhat         
unpractical disposition1 the reformer   
never seems to have put his great powers
 fully to the test4    #ha ,ezra vii4   
#bf4  ,now1 as in the previous cases of 
,cyrus and ,darius1 we are confronted   
with the question1 ,how came the        
,persian king to issue such a decree8   
,it has been suggested that as ,egypt   
was in revolt at the time1 he desired to
 strengthen the friendly colony at      
,jerusalem as a western bulwark4 ,but1  
as we have seen in the case of ,cyrus1  
the ,jews were too few and feeble to be 
taken much account of among the gigantic
 forces of the vast empire2 and1        
moreover1 it was not the military       
fortification of ,jerusalem--certainly a
 valuable stronghold when well          
maintained--but the religious services  
of the temple and the observance of ,the
 ,law that this edict aimed at aiding   
and encouraging4 ,no doubt in times of  

unsettlement the king would behave most 
favourably towards a loyal section of   
his people4 ,still1 more must be        
assigned as an adequate motive for his  
action4 ,ezra is charged as a special   
commissioner to investigate the         
condition of the ,jews in ,palestine4   
,he is to inquire concerning ,judah and 
,jerusalem4#hb ,inasmuch as it was      
customary for the ,persian monarchs to  
send out inspectors from time to time to
 examine and report on the condition of 
the more remote districts of their      
extensive empire1 it has been plausibly 
suggested that ,ezra may have been      
similarly employed4 ,but in the         
chronicler's report of the edict we     
read1 immediately after the injunction  
to make the investigation1 an important 
addition describing how this was to be  
done1 viz41 ,according to the law of thy
 ,god which is in thine hand1#hc which  
shows that ,ezra's inquiry was to be of 
a religious character1 and as a         
preliminary to the exaction of obedience

 to the ,jewish law4 ,it may be said    
that this clause was not a part of the  
original decree2 but the drift of the   
edict is religious throughout rather    
than political1 and therefore the clause
 in question is fully in harmony with   
its character4 ,there is one sentence   
which is of the deepest significance1 if
 only we can believe that it embodies an
 original utterance of the king         
himself--,whatsoever is commanded by the
 ,god of heaven1 let it be done exactly 
for the house of the ,god of heaven2 for
 why should there be wrath against the  
realm of the king and his sons8#hd      
,while his empire was threatened by     
dangerous revolts1 ,artaxerxes seems to 
have desired to conciliate the ,god whom
 the most devout of his people regarded 
with supreme awe4    #hb ,ezra vii4 #ad4
    #hc ,ezra4 vii4 #ad4    #hd ,ezra   
vii4 #bc4  ,what is more clear and at   
the same time more important is the     
great truth detected by ,ezra and       
recorded by him in a grateful burst of  

praise4 ,without any warning the        
chronicler suddenly breaks off his own  
narrative1 written in the third person1 
to insert a narrative written by ,ezra  
himself in the first person--beginning  
at ,ezra vii4 #bg and continued down to 
,ezra x4 ,the scribe opens by blessing  
,god--the ,lord ,god of our fathers1 who
 had put such a thing in the king's     
heart as to beautify the house of the   
,lord which is in ,jerusalem4#he ,this1 
then1 was a ,divine movement4 ,it can   
only be accounted for by ascribing the  
original impulse to ,god4 ,natural      
motives of policy or of superstition may
 have been providentially manipulated1  
but the hand that used them was the hand
 of ,god4 ,the man who can perceive this
 immense fact at the very outset of his 
career is fit for any enterprise4 ,his  
transcendent faith will carry him       
through difficulties that would be      
insuperable to the worldly schemer4     
#he ,ezra vii4 #bg4  ,passing from the  
thought of the ,divine influence on     

,artaxerxes1 ,ezra further praises ,god 
because he has himself received mercy   
444 before the king and his counsellors1
 and before all the king's mighty       
princes4#hf ,this personal thanksgiving 
is evidently called forth by the        
scribe's consideration of the part      
assigned to him in the royal edict4     
,there was enough in that edict to make 
the head of a self-seeking1 ambitious   
man swim with vanity4 ,but we can see   
from the first that ,ezra is of a higher
 character4 ,the burning passion that   
consumes him has not a particle of      
hunger for self-aggrandisement2 it is   
wholly generated by devotion to the law 
of his ,god4 ,in the narrowness and     
bigotry that characterise his later     
conduct as a reformer1 some may suspect 
the action of that subtle self-will     
which creeps unawares into the conduct  
of some of the noblest men4 ,still the  
last thing that ,ezra seeks1 and the    
last thing that he cares for when it is 
thrust upon him1 is the glory of earthly

 greatness4    #hf ,ezra vii4 #bh4      
,ezra's aim in leading the expedition   
may be gathered from the reflection of  
it in the royal edict1 since that edict 
was doubtless drawn up with the express 
purpose of furthering the project of the
 favoured ,jew4 ,ezra puts the          
beautifying of the temple in the front  
of his grateful words of praise to ,god4
 ,but the personal commission entrusted 
to ,ezra goes much further4 ,the decree 
significantly recognises the fact that  
he is to carry up to ,jerusalem a copy  
of the ,sacred ,law4 ,it refers to the  
law of thy ,god which is in thine       
hand4#hg ,we shall hear more of this    
hereafter4 ,meanwhile it is important to
 see that the law1 obedience to which   
,ezra is empowered to exact1 is to be   
conveyed by him to ,jerusalem4 ,thus he 
is both to introduce it to the notice of
 the people1 and to see that it does not
 remain a dead letter among them4 ,he is
 to teach it to those who do not know   
it4#hh ,at the same time these people   

are distinctly separated from others1   
who are expressly described as all such 
as know the laws of thy ,god4#hi ,this  
plainly implies that both the ,jerusalem
 ,jews1 and those west of the ,euphrates
 generally1 were not all of them        
ignorant of the ,divine ,torah4 ,some of
 them1 at all events1 knew the laws they
 were to be made to obey4 ,still they   
may not have possessed them in any      
written form4 ,the plural term laws is  
here used1 while the written compilation
 which ,ezra carried up with him is     
described in the singular as ,the ,law4 
,ezra1 then1 having searched out ,the   
,law and tested it in his own           
experience1 is now eager to take it up  
to ,jerusalem1 and get it executed among
 his fellow-countrymen at the religious 
metropolis as well as among the         
scattered ,jews of the provincial       
districts4 ,his great purpose is to make
 what he believes to be the will of ,god
 known1 and to see that it is obeyed4   
,the very idea of a ,torah implies a    

,divine will in religion4 ,it presses   
upon our notice the often-forgotten fact
 that ,god has something to say to us   
about our conduct1 that when we are     
serving ,him it is not enough to be     
zealous1 that we must also be obedient4 
,obedience is the keynote of ,judaism4  
,it is not less prominent in            
,christianity4 ,the only difference is  
that ,christians are freed from the     
shackles of a literal law in order that 
they may carry out the law of liberty1  
by doing the will of ,god from the heart
 as loyal disciples of ,jesus ,christ1  
so that for us1 as for the ,jews1       
obedience is the most fundamental fact  
of religion4 ,we can walk by faith in   
the freedom of sons2 but that implies   
that we have the obedience of faith4    
,the ruling principle of our ,lord's    
life is expressed in the words ,i       
delight to do ,thy will1 ,o ,my ,god1   
and this must be the ruling principle in
 the life of every true ,christian4     
#hg ,ezra vii4 #ad4    #hh ,ezra vii4   

#be4    #hi ,ibid4  ,equipped with a    
royal edict1 provided with rich         
contributions1 inspired with a great    
religious purpose1 confident that the   
hand of his ,god was upon him1 ,ezra    
collected his volunteers1 and proceeded 
to carry out his commission with all    
practicable speed4 ,in his record of the
 journey1 he first sets down a list of  
the families that accompanied him4 ,it  
is interesting to notice names that had 
occurred in the earlier list of the     
followers of ,zerubbabel1 showing that  
some of the descendants of those who    
refused to go on the first expedition   
took part in the second4 ,they remind us
 of ,christiana and her children1 who   
would not join the ,pilgrim when he set 
out from the ,city of ,destruction1 but 
who subsequently followed in his        
footsteps4  ,but there was little at    
,jerusalem to attract a new expedition2 
for the glamour which had surrounded the
 first return1 with a son of ,david at  
its head1 had faded in grievous         

disappointments2 and the second series  
of pilgrims had to carry with them the  
torch with which to rekindle the flames 
of devotion4  ,ezra states that when he 
had marshalled his forces he spent three
 days with them by a river called the   
,ahava1 apparently because it flowed by 
a town of that name4 ,the exact site of 
the camp cannot be determined1 although 
it could not have been far from         
,babylon1 and the river must have been  
either one of the tributaries of the    
,euphrates or a canal cut through its   
alluvial plain4 ,the only plausible     
conjecture of a definite site settles   
upon a place now known as ,hit1 in the  
neighbourhood of some bitumen springs2  
and the interest of this place may be   
found in the fact that here the usual   
caravan route leaves the fertile ,valley
 of the ,euphrates and plunges into the 
waterless desert4 ,even if ,ezra decided
 to avoid the difficult desert track1   
and to take his heavy caravan round     
through ,northern ,syria by way of      

,aleppo and the ,valley of the          
,orontes--an extended journey which     
would account for the three months spent
 on the road--it would still be natural 
for him to pause at the parting of the  
ways and review the gathered host4 ,one 
result of this review was the startling 
discovery that there were no ,levites in
 the whole company4 ,we were struck with
 the fact that but a very small and     
disproportionate number of these        
officials accompanied the earlier       
pilgrimage of ,zerubbabel1 and we saw   
the probable explanation in the         
disappointment if not the disaffection  
of the ,levites at their degradation by 
,ezekiel4 ,the more rigid arrangement of
 ,ezra's edition of ,the ,law1 which    
gave them a definite and permanent place
 in a second rank1 below the priesthood1
 was not likely to encourage them to    
volunteer for the new expedition4       
,nothing is more difficult than         
self-effacement even in the service of  
,god4  ,there was a community of        

,levites at a place called ,casiphia1#ij
 under the direction of a leader named  
,iddo4 ,it would be interesting to think
 that this community was really a sort  
of ,levitical college1 a school of      
students of the ,torah2 but we have no  
data to go upon in forming an opinion4  
,one thing is certain4 ,we cannot       
suppose that the new edition of ,the    
,law had been drawn up in this community
 of the ,levites1 because ,ezra had     
started with it in his hand as the      
charter of his great enterprise2 nor1   
indeed1 in any other ,levitical college1
 because it was not at all according to 
the mind of the ,levites4    #ij ,the   
site of this town has not been          
identified4 ,it could not have   been   
far from ,ahava4  ,after completing his 
company by the addition of the ,levites1
 ,ezra made a solemn religious          
preparation for his journey4 ,like the  
,israelites after the defeat at ,gibeah 
in their retributive war with           
,benjamin2#ia like the penitent people  

at ,mizpeh1 in the days of ,samuel1 when
 they put away their idols2#ib like     
,jehoshaphat and his subjects when      
rumours of a threatened invasion filled 
them with apprehension1#ic--;,ezra and  
his followers fasted and humbled        
themselves before ,god in view of their 
hazardous undertaking4 ,the fasting was 
a natural sign of the humiliation1 and  
this prostration before ,god was at once
 a confession of sin and an admission of
 absolute dependence on ,his mercy4     
,thus the people reveal themselves as   
the poor in spirit to whom our ,lord    
directs his first beatitude4 ,they are  
those who humble themselves1 and        
therefore those whom ,god will exalt4   
#ia ,judges xx4 #bf4    #ib #a ,sam4    
vii4 #f4    #ic #b ,chron4 xx4 #c4  ,we 
must not confound this state of         
self-humiliation before ,god with the   
totally different condition of abject   
fear which shrinks from danger in       
contemptible cowardice4 ,the very       
opposite to that is the attitude of     

these humble pilgrims4 ,like the        
,puritan soldiers who became bold as    
lions before man in the day of battle1  
just because they had spent the night in
 fasting and tears and self-abasement   
before ,god1 ,ezra and his people rose  
from their penitential fast1 calmly     
prepared to face all dangers in the     
invincible might of ,god4 ,there seems  
to have been some enemy whom ,ezra knew 
to be threatening his path1 for when he 
got safely to the end of his journey he 
gave thanks for ,god's protection from  
this foe2#id and1 in any case1 so       
wealthy a caravan as his was would      
provoke the cupidity of the roving      
hordes of ,bedouin that infested the    
,syrian wastes4 ,ezra's first thought   
was to ask for an escort2 but he tells  
us that he was ashamed to do so1 as this
 would imply distrust in ,god4#ie       
,whatever we may think of his logic1 we 
must be struck by his splendid faith1   
and the loyalty which would run a great 
risk rather than suffer what might seem 

like dishonour to his ,god4 ,here was   
one of ,god's heroes4 ,we cannot but    
connect the preliminary fast with this  
courageous attitude of ,ezra's4 ,so in  
tales of chivalry we read how knights   
were braced by prayer and fast and vigil
 to enter the most terrible conflicts   
with talismans of victory4 ,in an age of
 rushing activity it is hard to find the
 hidden springs of strength in their    
calm retreats4 ,the glare of publicity  
starts us on the wrong track1 by        
tempting us to advertise our own        
excellences1 instead of abasing         
ourselves in the dust before ,god4 ,yet 
is it not now as true as ever that no   
boasted might of man can be in any way  
comparable to the ,divine strength which
 takes possession of those who          
completely surrender their wills to     
,god8 ,happy are they who have the grace
 to walk in the valley of humiliation1  
for this leads to the armoury of        
supernatural power6    #id ,ezra viii4  
#ca4    #ie ,ezra viii4 #bb4            

,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,foreign ,,marriages4
  ,,ezra ix4   ,the successful issue of 
,ezra's undertaking was speedily        
followed by a bitter disappointment on  
the part of its leader1 the experience  
of which urged him to make a drastic    
reformation that rent many a happy home 
asunder and filled ,jerusalem with the  
grief of broken hearts4  ,during the    
obscure period that followed the        
dedication of the temple--a period of   
which we have no historical remains--the
 rigorous exclusiveness which had marked
 the conduct of the returned exiles when
 they had rudely rejected the proposal  
of their ,gentile neighbours to assist  
them in rebuilding the temple was       
abandoned1 and freedom of intercourse   
went so far as to permit intermarriage  
with the descendants of the ,canaanite  
aborigines and the heathen population of
 neighbouring nations4 ,ezra gives a    
list of tribal names closely resembling 
the lists preserved in the history of   
early ages1 when the ,hebrews first     

contemplated taking possession of the   
promised land2#if but it cannot be      
imagined that the ancient tribes        
preserved their independent names and   
separate existence as late as the time  
of the return--though the presence of   
the gypsies as a distinct people in     
,england to-day shows that racial       
distinction may be kept up for ages in a
 mixed society4 ,it is more probable    
that the list is literary1 that the     
names are reminiscences of the tribes as
 they were known in ancient traditions4 
,in addition to these old inhabitants of
 ,canaan1 there are ,ammonites and      
,moabites from across the ,jordan1      
,egyptians1 and1 lastly1 most           
significantly separate from the         
,canaanite tribes1 those strange folk1  
the ,amorites1 who are discovered by    
recent ethnological research to be of a 
totally different stock from that of the
 ,canaanite tribes1 probably allied to a
 light-coloured people that can be      
traced along the ,libyan border1 and    

possibly even of ,aryan origin4 ,from   
all these races the ,jews had taken them
 wives4 ,so wide was the gate flung     
open6    #if ,ezra4 ix4 #a4  ,this      
freedom of intermarriage may be viewed  
as a sign of general laxity and         
indifference on the part of the citizens
 of ,jerusalem1 and so ,ezra seems to   
have regarded it4 ,but it would be a    
mistake to suppose that there was no    
serious purpose associated with it1 by  
means of which grave and patriotic men  
attempted to justify the practice4 ,it  
was a question whether the policy of    
exclusiveness had succeeded4 ,the temple
 had been built1 it is true2 and a city 
had risen among the ruins of ancient    
,jerusalem4 ,but poverty1 oppression1   
hardship1 and disappointment had settled
 down on the little ,judan community1   
which now found itself far worse off    
than the captives in ,babylon4 ,feeble  
and isolated1 the ,jews were quite      
unable to resist the attacks of their   
jealous neighbours4 ,would it not be    

better to come to terms with them1 and  
from enemies convert them into allies8  
,then the policy of exclusiveness       
involved commercial ruin2 and men who   
knew how their brethren in ,chalda were 
enriching themselves by trade with the  
heathen1 were galled by a yoke which    
held them back from foreign intercourse4
 ,it would seem to be advisable1 on     
social as well as on political grounds1 
that a new and more liberal course      
should be pursued1 if the wretched      
garrison was not to be starved out4     
,leading aristocratic families were     
foremost in contracting the foreign     
alliances4 ,it is such as they who would
 profit most1 as it is such as they who 
would be most tempted to consider       
worldly motives and to forgo the        
austerity of their fathers4 ,there does 
not seem to have been any one recognised
 head of the community after            
,zerubbabel2 the princes constituted a  
sort of informal oligarchy4 ,some of    
these princes had taken foreign wives4  

,priests and ,levites had also followed 
the same course4 ,it is a historical    
fact that the party of rigour is not    
generally the official party4 ,in the   
days of our ,lord the priests and rulers
 were mostly ,sadducean1 while the      
,pharisees were men of the people4 ,the 
,english ,puritans were not of the      
,court party4 ,but in the case before us
 the leaders of the people were divided4
 ,while we do not meet any priests among
 the purists1 some of the princes       
disapproved of the laxity of their      
neighbours1 and exposed it to ,ezra4    
,ezra was amazed1 appalled4 ,in the     
dramatic style which is quite natural to
 an ,oriental1 he rent both his tunic   
and his outer mantle1 and he tore his   
hair and his long priestly beard4 ,this 
expressed more than the grief of        
mourning which is shown by tearing one  
garment and cutting the hair4 ,like the 
high-priest when he ostentatiously rent 
his clothes at what he wished to be     
regarded as blasphemy in the words of   

,jesus1 ,ezra showed indignation and    
rage by his violent action4 ,it was a   
sign of his startled and horrified      
emotions2 but no doubt it was also      
intended to produce an impression on the
 people who gathered in awe to watch the
 great ambassador1 as he sat amazed and 
silent on the temple pavement through   
the long hours of the autumn afternoon4 
,the grounds of ,ezra's grief and anger 
may be learnt from the remarkable prayer
 which he poured out when the stir      
occasioned by the preparation of the    
vesper ceremonies roused him1 and when  
the ascending smoke of the evening      
sacrifice would naturally suggest to him
 an occasion for drawing near to ,god4  
,welling up1 hot and passionate1 his    
prayer is a revelation of the very heart
 of the scribe4 ,ezra shows us what true
 prayer is--that it is laying bare the  
heart and soul in the presence of ,god4 
,the striking characteristic of this    
outburst of ,ezra's is that it does not 
contain a single petition4 ,there is no 

greater mistake in regard to prayer than
 the notion that it is nothing more than
 the begging of specific favours from   
the bounty of the ,almighty4 ,that is   
but a shallow kind of prayer at best4   
,in the deepest and most real prayer the
 soul is too near to ,god to ask for any
 definite thing2 it is just unbosoming  
itself to the ,great ,confidant1 just   
telling out its agony to the ,father who
 can understand everything and receive  
the whole burden of the anguished       
spirit4  ,considering this prayer more  
in detail1 we may notice1 in the first  
place1 that ,ezra comes out as a true   
priest1 not indeed officiating at the   
altar with ceremonial sacrifices1 but   
identifying himself with the people he  
represents1 so that he takes to his own 
breast the shame of what he regards as  
the sin of his people4 ,prostrate with  
self-humiliation1 he cries1 ,o my ,god1 
,i am ashamed and blush to lift up my   
face to ,thee1 my ,god1#ig and he speaks
 of the sins which have just been made  

known to him as though he had a share in
 them1 calling them our iniquities and  
our trespass4#ih ,have we not here a    
glimpse into that mystery of vicarious  
sin-bearing which is consummated in the 
great intercession and sacrifice of our 
,lord8 ,though himself a sinful man1 and
 therefore at heart sharing the guilt of
 his people by personal participation in
 it1 as the holy ,jesus could not do1   
still in regard to the particular       
offence which he is now deploring1 ,ezra
 is as innocent as an unfallen angel4   
,yet he blushes for shame1 and lies     
prostrate with confusion of face4 ,he is
 such a true patriot that he completely 
identifies himself with his people4 ,but
 in proportion as such an identification
 is felt1 there must be an involuntary  
sense of the sharing of guilt4 ,it is   
vain to call it an illusion of the      
imagination4 ,before the bar of strict  
justice ,ezra was as innocent of this   
one sin1 as before the same bar ,christ 
was innocent of all sin4 ,god could not 

really disapprove of him for it1 any    
more than ,he could look with disfavour 
on the great ,sin-bearer4 ,but          
subjectively1 in his own experience1    
,ezra did not feel less poignant pangs  
of remorse than he would have felt if he
 had been himself personally guilty4    
,this perfect sympathy of true          
priesthood is rarely experienced2 but   
since ,christians are called to be      
priests1 to make intercession1 and to   
bear one another's burdens1 something   
approaching it must be shared by all the
 followers of ,christ2 they who would go
 forth as saviours of their brethren    
must feel it acutely4 ,the sin-bearing  
sacrifice of ,christ stands alone in its
 perfect efficacy1 and many mysteries   
crowd about it that cannot be explained 
by any human analogies4 ,still here and 
there we come across faint likenesses in
 the higher experiences of the better   
men1 enough to suggest that our ,lord's 
passion was not a prodigy1 that it was  
really in harmony with the laws by which

 ,god governs the moral universe4    #ig
 ,ezra ix4 #f4    #ih ,ibid4  ,in thus  
confessing the sin of the people before 
,god1 but in language which the people  
who shared with him a reverence for ,the
 ,law could hear1 no doubt ,ezra hoped  
to move them also to share in his       
feelings of shame and abhorrence for the
 practices he was deploring4 ,he came   
dangerously near to the fatal mistake of
 preaching through a prayer1 by praying 
at the congregation4 ,he was evidently  
too deeply moved to be guilty of an     
insincerity1 a piece of profanity1 at   
which every devout soul must revolt4    
,nevertheless the very exercise of      
public prayer--prayer uttered audibly1  
and conducted by the leader of a        
congregation--means that this is to be  
an inducement for the people to join in 
the worship4 ,the officiating minister  
is not merely to pray before the        
congregation1 while the people kneel as 
silent auditors4 ,his prayer is designed
 to guide and help their prayers1 so    

that there may be common prayer         
throughout the whole assembly4 ,in this 
way it may be possible for him to       
influence men and women by praying with 
them1 as he can never do by directly    
preaching to them4 ,the essential point 
is that the prayer must first of all be 
real on the part of the leader--that he 
must be truly addressing ,god1 and then 
that his intention with regard to the   
people must be not to exhort them       
through his prayer1 but simply to induce
 them to join him in it4  ,let us now   
inquire what was the nature of the sin  
which so grievously distressed ,ezra1   
and which he regarded as so heavy a slur
 on the character of his people in the  
sight of ,god4 ,on the surface of it1   
there was just a question of policy4    
,some have argued that the party of     
rigour was mistaken1 that its course was
 suicidal1 that the only way of         
preserving the little colony was by     
means of well-adjusted alliances with   
its neighbours--a low view of the       

question which ,ezra would not have     
glanced at for a moment1 because with   
his supreme faith in ,god no            
consideration of worldly expediency or  
political diplomacy could be allowed to 
deflect him from the path indicated1 as 
he thought1 by the ,divine will4 ,but a 
higher line of opposition has been      
taken4 ,it has been said that ,ezra was 
illiberal1 uncharitable1 culpably       
narrow1 and heartlessly harsh4 ,that the
 man who could pour forth such a prayer 
as this1 every sentence of which throbs 
with emotion1 every word of which       
tingles with intense feeling--that this 
man was heartless cannot be believed4   
,still it may be urged that ,ezra took a
 very different view from that suggested
 by the genial outlook across the       
nations which we meet in ,isaiah4 ,the  
lovely idyll of ,ruth defends the course
 he condemned so unsparingly4 ,the ,book
 of ,jonah was written directly in      
rebuke of one form of ,jewish           
exclusiveness4 ,ezra was going even     

further than the ,book of ,deuteronomy1 
which had allowed marriages with the    
heathen1#ii and had laid down definite  
marriage laws in regard to foreign      
connections4#ajj ,it cannot be          
maintained that all the races named by  
,ezra were excluded4 ,could it be just  
to condemn the ,jews for not having     
followed the later and more exacting    
edition of ,the ,law1 which ,ezra had   
only just brought up with him1 and which
 had not been known by the offenders8   
#ii ,deut4 xxi4 #ac4    #ajj ,deut4     
xxiii4 #a-h4  ,in trying to answer these
 questions1 we must start from one clear
 fact4 ,ezra is not merely guided by a  
certain view of policy4 ,he may be      
mistaken1 but he is deeply              
conscientious1 his motive is intensely  
religious4 ,whether rightly or wrongly1 
he is quite persuaded that the social   
condition at which he is so grievously  
shocked is directly opposed to the known
 will of ,god4 ,we have forsaken ,thy   
commandments1 he exclaims4 ,but what    

commandments1 we may ask1 seeing that   
the people of ,jerusalem did not possess
 a law that went so far as ,ezra was    
requiring of them8 ,his own language    
here comes in most appositely4 ,ezra    
does not appeal to ,deuteronomy1 though 
he may have had a passage from that book
 in mind1#aja neither does he produce   
the ,law ,book which he has brought up  
with him from ,babylon and to which     
reference is made in our version of the 
decree of ,artaxerxes2#ajb but he turns 
to the prophets1 not with reference to  
any of their specific utterances1 but in
 the most general way1 implying that his
 view is derived from the broad stream  
of prophecy in its whole course and     
character4 ,in his prayer he describes  
the broken commandments as those which  
,thou hast commanded by ,thy servants   
the prophets4 ,this is the more         
remarkable because the prophets did not 
favour the scrupulous observance of     
external rules1 but dwelt on great      
principles of righteousness4 ,some of   

them took the liberal side1 and         
expressed decidedly cosmopolitan ideas  
in regard to foreign nations as ,ezra   
must have been aware4 ,he may have      
mentally anticipated the excuses which  
would be urged in reliance on isolated  
utterances of this character4 ,still1 on
 a survey of the whole course of        
prophecy1 he is persuaded that it is    
opposed to the practices which he       
condemns4 ,he throws his conclusion into
 a definite sentence1 after the manner  
of a verbal quotation1#ajc but this is  
only in accordance with the vivid1      
dramatic style of ,semitic literature1  
and what he really means is that the    
spirit of his national prophecy and the 
principles laid down by the recognised  
prophets support him in the position    
which he has taken up4 ,these prophets  
fought against all corrupt practices1   
and in particular they waged ceaseless  
war with the introduction of heathenish 
manners to the religious and social life
 of ,israel4 ,it is here that ,ezra     

finds them to be powerful allies in his 
stern reformation4 ,they furnish him1 so
 to speak1 with his major premiss1 and  
that is indisputable4 ,his weak place is
 in his minor premiss1 viz41 in the     
notion that intermarriage with ,gentile 
neighbours necessarily involves the     
introduction of corrupt heathenish      
habits4 ,this he quietly assumes4 ,but  
there is much to be said for his        
position1 especially when we note that  
he is not now concerned with the        
,samaritans1 with whom the              
temple-builders came into contact and   
who accepted some measure of the ,jewish
 faith1 but in some cases with known    
idolaters--the ,egyptians for instance4 
,the complex social and moral problems  
which surround the quarrel on which     
,ezra here embarks will come before us  
more fully as we proceed4 ,at present it
 may suffice for us to see that ,ezra   
rests his action on his conception of   
the main characteristics of the teaching
 of the prophets4    #aja ,deut4 vii4   

#c4    #ajb ,ezra vii4 #ad4    #ajc     
,ezra ix4 #aa4  ,further1 his reading of
 history comes to his aid4 ,he perceives
 that it was the adoption of heathenish 
practices that necessitated the severe  
chastisement of the captivity4 ,god had 
only spared a small remnant of the      
guilty people4 ,but ,he had been very   
gracious to that remnant1 giving them a 
nail in ,his holy place2#ajd i4e41 a    
fixture in the restored sanctuary1      
though as yet1 as it were1 but at one   
small point1 because so few had returned
 to enjoy the privileges of the sacred  
temple worship4 ,now even this nail     
might be drawn4 ,will the escaped       
remnant be so foolish as to imitate the 
sins of their forefathers1 and risk the 
slight hold which they have as yet      
obtained in the renewed centre of       
,divine favour8 ,so to repudiate the    
lessons of the captivity1 which should  
have been branded irrevocably by the hot
 irons of its cruel hardships1 what was 
this but a sign of the most desperate   

depravity8 ,ezra could see no hope even 
of a remnant escaping from the wrath    
which would consume the people who were 
guilty of such wilful1 such open-eyed   
apostasy4    #ajd ,ezra ix4 #h4  ,in the
 concluding sentences of his prayer     
,ezra appeals to the righteousness of   
,god1 who had permitted the remnant to  
escape at the time of the ,babylonian   
,captivity1 saying1 ,o ,lord1 the ,god  
of ,israel1 ,thou art righteous2 for we 
are left a remnant that is escaped1 as  
it is this day4#aje ,some have supposed 
that ,god's righteousness here stands   
for ,his goodness1 and that ,ezra really
 means the mercy which spared the       
remnant4 ,but this interpretation is    
contrary to usage1 and quite opposed to 
the spirit of the prayer4 ,ezra has     
referred to the mercy of ,god earlier1  
but in his final sentences he has       
another thought in mind4 ,the prayer    
ends in gloom and despondency--behold1  
we are before ,thee in our guiltiness2  
for none can stand before ,thee because 

of this4#ajf ,the righteousness of ,god1
 then1 is seen in the fact that only a  
remnant was spared4 ,ezra does not plead
 for the pardon of the guilty people1 as
 ,moses did in his famous prayer of     
intercession4#ajg ,as yet they are not  
conscious of their sin4 ,to forgive them
 before they have owned their guilt     
would be immoral4 ,the first condition  
of pardon is confession4 ,if we confess 
our sins1 ,he is faithful and righteous 
to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse  
us from all unrighteousness4#ajh ,then1 
indeed1 the very righteousness of ,god  
favours the pardon of the sinner4 ,but  
till this state of contrition is        
reached1 not only can there be no       
thought of forgiveness1 but the         
sternest1 darkest thoughts of sin are   
most right and fitting4 ,ezra is far too
 much in earnest simply to wish to help 
his people to escape from the           
consequences of their conduct4 ,this    
would not be salvation4 ,it would be    
moral shipwreck4 ,the great need is to  

be saved from the evil conduct itself4  
,it is to this end that the very passion
 of his soul is directed4 ,here we      
perceive the spirit of the true         
reformer4 ,but the evangelist cannot    
afford to dispense with something of the
 same spirit1 although he can add the   
gracious encouragements of a gospel2 for
 the only true gospel promises          
deliverance from sin itself in the first
 instance as from the greatest of all   
evils1 and deliverance from no other    
evil except on condition of freedom from
 this4    #aje ,ezra ix4 #ae4    #ajf   
,ezra ix4 #ae4    #ajg ,exod4 xxxii4    
#ca1 #cb4    #ajh #a ,john i4 #i4       
,chapter ,,xiii4  ,,the ,,home          
,,sacrificed ,,to ,,the ,,church4       
,,ezra x4   ,ezra's narrative1 written  
in the first person1 ceases with his    
prayer1 the conclusion of which brings  
us to the end of the ninth chapter of   
our ,book of ,ezra2 at the tenth chapter
 the chronicler resumes his story1      
describing1 however1 the events which   

immediately follow4 ,his writing is here
 as graphic as ,ezra's1 and if it is not
 taken from notes left by the scribe1 at
 all events it would seem to be drawn   
from the report of another eye-witness2 
for it describes most remarkable scenes 
with a vividness that brings them before
 the mind's eye1 so that the reader     
cannot study them even at this late day 
without a pang of sympathy4  ,ezra's    
prayer and confession1 his grievous     
weeping and prostrate humiliation before
 ,god1 deeply affected the spectators2  
and as the news spread through the city1
 a very great congregation of men1      
women1 and children assembled together  
to gaze at the strange spectacle4 ,they 
could not gaze unmoved4 ,deep emotion is
 contagious4 ,the man who is himself    
profoundly convinced and intensely      
concerned with his religious ideas will 
certainly win disciples4 ,where the     
soundest arguments have failed to       
persuade1 a single note of sincere faith
 often strikes home4 ,it is the passion 

of the orator that rouses the multitude1
 and even where there is no oratory the 
passion of true feeling pleads with     
irresistible eloquence4 ,ezra had not to
 speak a word to the people4 ,what he   
was1 what he felt1 his agony of shame1  
his agony of prayer--all this melted    
them to tears1 and a cry of lamentation 
went up from the gathered multitudes in 
the temple courts4 ,their grief was more
 than a sentimental reflection of the   
scribe's distress1 for the ,jews could  
see plainly that it was for them and for
 their miserable condition that this    
ambassador from the ,persian court was  
mourning so piteously4 ,his sorrow was  
wholly vicarious4 ,by no calamity or    
offence of his own1 but simply by what  
he regarded as their wretched fall1     
,ezra was now plunged into heart-broken 
agony4 ,such a result of their conduct  
could not but excite the keenest        
self-reproaches in the breasts of all   
who in any degree shared his view of the
 situation4 ,then the only path of      

amendment visible before them was one   
that involved the violent rupture of    
home ties2 the cruel severance of       
husband and wife1 of parent and child2  
the complete sacrifice of human love on 
what appeared to be the altar of duty to
 ,god4 ,it was indeed a bitter hour for 
the ,jews who felt themselves to be     
offenders1 and for their innocent wives 
and children who would be involved in   
any attempted reformation4  ,the        
confusion was arrested by the voice of  
one man1 a layman named ,shecaniah the  
son of ,jehiel1 who came to the         
assistance of ,ezra as a volunteer      
spokesman of the people4 ,this man      
entirely surrendered to ,ezra's view1   
making a frank and unreserved confession
 of his own and the people's sin4 ,so   
far then ,ezra has won his point4 ,he   
has begun to gain assent from among the 
offenders4 ,shecaniah adds to his       
confession a sentence of some ambiguity1
 saying1 ,yet now there is hope for     
,israel concerning this thing4#aji ,this

 might be thought to mean that ,god was 
merciful1 and that there was hope in the
 penitent attitude of the congregation  
that ,he would take pity on the people  
and not deal hardly with them4 ,but the 
similarity of the phraseology to the    
words of the last verse of the previous 
chapter1 where the expression because of
 this#aaj plainly points to the offence 
as the one thing in view1 shows that the
 allusion here is to that offence1 and  
not to the more recent signs of         
penitence4 ,shecaniah means1 then1 that 
there is hope concerning this matter of 
the foreign marriages--viz41 that they  
may be rooted out of ,israel4 ,the hope 
is for a reformation1 not for any       
condoning of the offence4 ,it means     
despair to the unhappy wives1 the end of
 all home peace and joy in many a       
household--a lurid hope surely1 and     
hardly worthy of the name except on the 
lips of a fanatic4 ,shecaniah now       
proceeds to make a definite proposal4   
,he would have the people enter into a  

solemn covenant with ,god4 ,they are not
 only to undergo a great domestic       
reformation1 but they are to take a vow 
in the sight of ,god that they will     
carry it through4 ,shecaniah shows the  
unreflecting zeal of a raw convert2 an  
officious person1 a meddler1 he is too  
bold and forward for one whose place is 
the penitent's bench4 ,the covenant is  
to pledge the people to divorce their   
foreign wives4 ,yet the unfeeling man   
will not soften his proposal by any     
euphemism1 nor will he hide its more    
odious features4 ,he deliberately adds  
that the children should be sent away   
with their mothers4 ,the nests are to be
 cleared of the whole brood4    #aji    
,ezra x4 #b4    #aaj ,ezra ix4 #ae4     
,ezra had not ventured to draw out such 
a direful programme4 ,but ,shecaniah    
says that this is according to the      
counsel of my lord1#aaa using terms of  
unwonted obsequiousness--unless1 as     
seems less likely1 the phrase is meant  
to apply to ,god1 i4e41 to be read1     

,according to the counsel of ,the ,lord4
 ,shecaniah evidently gathered the      
unexpressed opinion of ,ezra from the   
language of his prayer and from his     
general attitude4 ,this was the only way
 out of the difficulty1 the logical     
conclusion from what was now admitted4  
,ezra saw it clearly enough1 but it     
wanted a man of coarser fibre to say it4
 ,shecaniah goes further1 and claims the
 concurrence of all who tremble at the  
words of the ,god of ,israel4 ,these    
people have been mentioned before as    
forming the nucleus of the congregation 
that gathered about ,ezra4#aab ,then    
this outspoken man distinctly claims the
 authority of ,the ,law for his         
proposition4 ,ezra had based his view of
 the heathen marriages on the general   
character of the teaching of the        
prophets2 ,shecaniah now appeals to ,the
 ,law as the authority for his scheme of
 wholesale divorce4 ,this is a huge     
assumption of what has never been       
demonstrated4 ,but such people as       

,shecaniah do not wait for niceties of  
proof before making their sweeping      
proposals4    #aaa ,ezra x4 #c4    #aab 
,ezra ix4 #d4  ,the bold adviser        
followed up his suggestion by rallying  
,ezra and calling upon him to be of good
 courage1 seeing that he would have     
supporters in the great reformation4    
,falling in with the proposed scheme1   
,ezra there and then extracted an oath  
from the people--both clergy and        
laity--that they would execute it4 ,this
 was a general resolution4 ,some time   
was required and many difficulties had  
to be faced before it could be carried  
into practice1 and meanwhile ,ezra      
withdrew into retirement1 still fasting 
and mourning4  ,we must now allow for an
 interval of some months4 ,the          
chronological arrangement seems to have 
been as follows4 ,ezra and his company  
left ,babylon in the spring1 as         
,zerubbabel had done before him--at the 
same season as that of the great exodus 
from ,egypt under ,moses4 ,each of these

 three great expeditions began with the 
opening of the natural year1 in scenes  
of bright beauty and hopefulness4       
,occupying four months on his journey1  
,ezra reached ,jerusalem in the heat of 
,july4 ,it could not have been very long
 after his arrival that the news of the 
foreign marriages was brought to him by 
the princes1 because if he had spent any
 considerable time in ,jerusalem first  
he must have found out the state of     
affairs for himself4 ,but now we are    
transported to the month of ,december   
for the meeting of the people when the  
covenant of divorce is to be put in     
force4 ,possibly some of the powerful   
leaders had opposed the summoning of    
such a gathering1 and their hindrance   
may have delayed it2 or it may have     
taken ,ezra and his counsellors some    
time to mature their plans4 ,long       
brooding over the question could not    
have lessened the scribe's estimate of  
its gravity4 ,but the suggestion of all 
kinds of difficulties and the clear     

perception of the terrible results which
 must flow from the contemplated        
reformation did not touch his opinion of
 what was right1 or his decision1 once  
reached1 that there must be a clearing  
away of the foreign elements1 root and  
branch1 although they had entwined their
 tendrils about the deepest affections  
of the people4 ,the seclusion and       
mourning of ,ezra is recorded in ,ezra  
x4 #f4 ,the next verse carries us on to 
the preparation for the dreadful        
assembly1 which1 as we must conclude1   
really took place some months later4    
,the summons was backed up by threats of
 confiscation and excommunication4 ,to  
this extent the great powers entrusted  
to ,ezra by the king of ,persia were    
employed4 ,it looks as if the order was 
the issue of a conflict of counsels in  
which that of ,ezra was victorious1 for 
it was exceedingly peremptory in tone   
and it only gave three days notice4 ,the
 people came1 as they were bound to do1 
for the authority of the supreme        

government was behind the summons2 but  
they resented the haste with which they 
had been called together1 and they      
pleaded the inconvenience of the season 
for an open-air meeting4 ,they met in   
the midst of the winter rains2 cold and 
wet they crouched in the temple courts1 
the picture of wretchedness4 ,in a hot1 
dry country so little provision is made 
for inclement weather1 that when it     
comes the people suffer from it most    
acutely1 so that it means much more     
distress to them than to the inhabitants
 of a chill and rainy climate4 ,still it
 may seem strange that1 with so terrible
 a question as the complete break-up of 
their homes presented to them1 the ,jews
 should have taken much account of the  
mere weather even at its worst4         
,history1 however1 does not shape itself
 according to proportionate proprieties1
 but after the course of very human     
facts4 ,we are often unduly influenced  
by present circumstances1 so that what  
is small in itself1 and in comparison   

with the supreme interests of life1 may 
become for the moment of the most       
pressing importance1 just because it is 
present and making itself felt as the   
nearest fact4 ,moreover1 there is a sort
 of magnetic connection between the     
external character of things and the    
most intangible of internal experiences4
 ,the ,november gloom is more than a    
meteorological fact2 it has its         
psychological aspect4 ,after all1 are we
 not citizens of the great physical     
universe8 and is it not therefore       
reasonable that the various phases of   
nature should affect us in some degree1 
so that the common topic of             
conversation1 the weather1 may really be
 of more serious concern than we        
suspect8 ,be that as it may1 it is clear
 that while these ,jews1 who usually    
enjoyed brilliant sunshine and the fair 
blue ,syrian sky1 were shivering in the 
chill ,december rains1 wet and          
miserable1 they were quite unable to    
discuss a great social question1 or to  

brace themselves up for an act of       
supreme renunciation4 ,it was a season  
of depression1 and the people felt limp 
and heartless1 as people often do feel  
at such a season4 ,they pleaded for     
delay4 ,not only was the weather a great
 hindrance to calm deliberation1 but1 as
 they said1 the proposed reformation was
 of a widespread character4 ,it must be 
an affair of some time4 ,let it be      
regularly organised4 ,let it be         
conducted only before appointed courts  
in the several cities4 ,this was        
reasonable enough1 and accordingly it   
was decided to adopt the suggestion4 ,it
 is easy to be a reformer in theory2 but
 they who have faced a great abuse in   
practice know how difficult it is to    
uproot it4 ,this is especially true of  
all attempts to affect the social order4
 ,wild ideas are floated without an     
effort4 ,but the execution of these     
ideas means far more toil and battle1   
and involves a much greater tumult in   
the world1 than the airy dreamers who   

start them so confidently and who are so
 surprised at the slowness of dull      
people to accept them ever imagine4     
,not only was there a successful plea   
for delay4 ,there was also direct       
opposition to ,ezra's stern             
proposal--although this did not prove to
 be successful4 ,the indication of      
opposition is obscured by the imperfect 
rendering of the ,authorised ,version4  
,turning to the more correct translation
 in the ,revised ,version we read1 ,only
 ,jonathan the son of ,asahel and       
,jahzeiah the son of ,tikvah stood up   
against this matter3 and ,meshullam and 
,shabbethai the ,levite helped them4#aac
 ,here was a little knot of champions of
 the poor threatened wives1 defenders of
 the peaceful homes so soon to be       
smitten by the ruthless axe of the      
reformer1 men who believed in the       
sanctity of domestic life as not less   
real than the sanctity of ecclesiastical
 arrangements1 men perhaps to whom love 
was as ,divine as law1 nay1 was law1    

wherever it was pure and true4    #aac  
,ezra x4 #ae4  ,this opposition was     
borne down2 the courts sat2 the divorces
 were granted2 wives were torn from     
their husbands and sent back to their   
indignant parents2 and children were    
orphaned4 ,priests1 ,levites1 and other 
temple officers did not escape the      
domestic reformation2 the common people 
were not beneath its searching scrutiny2
 everywhere the pruning knife lopped off
 the alien branches from the vine of    
,israel4 ,after giving a list of        
families involved1 the chronicler       
concludes with the bare remark that men 
put away wives with children as well as 
those who had no children4#aad ,it is   
baldly stated4 ,what did it mean8 ,the  
agony of separation1 the lifelong       
division of the family1 the wife worse  
than widowed1 the children driven from  
the shelter of the home1 the husband    
sitting desolate in his silent          
house--over all this the chronicler     
draws a veil2 but our imaginations can  

picture such scenes as might furnish    
materials for the most pathetic         
tragedies4    #aad ,ezra x4 #dd4  ,in   
order to mitigate the misery of this    
social revolution1 attention has been   
called to the freedom of divorce which  
was allowed among the ,jews and to the  
inferior status assigned to women in the
 ,east4 ,the wife1 it is said1 was      
always prepared to receive a bill of    
divorce whenever her husband found      
occasion to dismiss her3 she would have 
a right to claim back her dowry2 and she
 would return to her father's house     
without the slightest slur upon her     
character4 ,all this may be true enough2
 and yet human nature is the same all   
the world over1 and where there is the  
strong mutual affection of true wedded  
love1 whether in the ,england of our    
,christian era or in the ,palestine of  
the olden times1 to sever the tie of    
union must mean the agony of torn       
hearts1 the despair of blighted lives4  
,and was this necessary8 ,even if it was

 not according to the ordinance of their
 religion for ,jews to contract         
marriages with foreigners1 having       
contracted such marriages and having    
seen children grow up about them1 was it
 not a worse evil for them to break the 
bonds by violence and scatter the       
families8 ,is not the marriage law      
itself holy8 ,nay1 has it not a prior   
right over against ,levitical           
institutions or prophetic ordinances1   
seeing that it may be traced back to the
 sweet sanctities of ,eden8 ,what if the
 stern reformer had fallen into a       
dreadful blunder8 ,might it not be that 
this new ,hildebrand and his fanatical  
followers were even guilty of a huge    
crime in their quixotic attempt to purge
 the ,church by wrecking the home8      
,assuredly from our point of view and   
with our ,christian light no such       
conduct as theirs could be condoned4 ,it
 was utterly undiscriminating1 riding   
roughshod over the tenderest claims4    
,gentile wives such as ,ruth the        

,moabitess might have adopted the faith 
of their husbands--doubtless in many    
cases they had done so--yet the         
sweeping1 pitiless mandate of separation
 applied to them as surely as if they   
had been heathen sorceresses4 ,on the   
other hand1 we must use some historical 
imagination in estimating these         
sorrowful scenes4 ,the great idea of    
,ezra was to preserve a separate people4
 ,he held that this was essential to the
 maintenance of pure religion and morals
 in the midst of the pagan abominations 
which surrounded the little colony4     
,church separation seemed to be bound up
 with race separation4 ,this ,ezra      
believed to be after the mind of the    
prophets1 and therefore a truth of      
,divine inspiration4 ,under all the     
circumstances it is not easy to say that
 his main contention was wrong1 that    
,israel could have been preserved as a  
,church if it had ceased to keep itself 
separate as a race1 or that without     
,church exclusiveness religious purity  

could have been maintained4  ,we are not
 called upon to face any such terrible  
problem1 although ,st4 ,paul's warning  
against ,christians becoming unequally  
yoked with unbelievers#aae reminds us   
that the worst ill-assortment in        
marriage should not be thought of as    
only concerned with diversity of rank1  
wealth1 or culture2 that they are most  
ill-matched who have not common         
interests in the deepest concerns of the
 soul4 ,then1 too1 it needs to be       
remembered in these days1 when ease and 
comfort are unduly prized1 that there   
are occasions on which even the peace   
and love of the home must be sacrificed 
to the supreme claims of ,god4 ,our     
,lord ominously warned ,his disciples   
that ,he would send a sword to sever the
 closest domestic ties--to set a man at 
variance against his father1 and the    
daughter against her mother1 etc41#aaf  
and ,he added1 ,he that loveth father or
 mother more than ,me is not worthy of  
,me4#aag ,in times of early ,christian  

persecution it was necessary to choose  
between the cross of ,christ and the    
nearest domestic claims1 and then       
faithful martyrs accepted the cross even
 at the cost of the dear love of home   
and all its priceless jewels1 as1 for   
instance1 in the familiar story of      
,perpetua and ,felicitas4 ,the same     
choice had to be made again under       
,catholic persecution among the         
,huguenots1 as we are reminded by       
,millais' well-known picture1 and even  
in a quasi-protestant persecution in the
 case of ,sir ,thomas ,more4 ,it faces  
the convert from ,hindooism in ,india   
to-day4 ,therefore whatever opinion we  
may form of the particular action of    
,ezra1 we should do well to ponder      
gravely over the grand principle on     
which it was based4 ,god must have the  
first place in the hearts and lives of  
,his people1 even though in some cases  
this may involve the shipwreck of the   
dearest earthly affections4    #aae     
,cor4 vi4 #ad4    #aaf ,matt4 x4 #ce4   

#aag ,matt4 x4 #cg4     ,,chapter ,,xiv4
  ,,the ,,cost ,,of ,,an ,,idealist',s  
,,success4  ,,ezra iv4 #f-bc4   ,the    
fourth chapter of the ,book of ,ezra    
contains an account of a correspondence 
between the ,samaritan colonists and two
 kings of ,persia1 which follows sharply
 on the first mention of the intrigues  
of the enemies of ,judah and ,benjamin  
at the ,persian court in the later days 
of ,cyrus1 and which precedes the       
description of the fortunes of the ,jews
 in the reign of ,darius4 ,if this has  
its right chronological position in the 
narrative1 it must relate to the        
interval during which temple-building   
was in abeyance4 ,in that case the two  
kings of ,persia would be ,cambyses1 the
 son and successor of ,cyrus1 and       
,pseudo-,bardes4 ,but the names in the  
text are ,ahasuerus 7,ahashverosh7 and  
,artaxerxes 7,artahshashta74 ,it has    
been suggested that these are second    
names for the predecessors of ,darius4  
,undoubtedly it was customary for       

,persian monarchs to have more than one 
name4 ,but elsewhere in the ,biblical   
narratives these two names are          
invariably applied to the successors of 
,darius--the first standing for the     
well-known ,xerxes and the second for   
,artaxerxes ,longimanus4 ,the           
presumption therefore is that the same  
kings are designated by them here4      
,moreover1 when we examine the account  
of the correspondence with the ,persian 
court1 we find that this agrees best    
with the later period4 ,the opening     
verses of the fourth chapter of ,ezra   
deal with the building of the temple2   
the last verse of that chapter and the  
succeeding narrative of the fifth       
chapter resume the same topic4 ,but the 
correspondence relates to the building  
of the walls of the city4 ,there is not 
a word about any such work in the       
context4 ,then in the letter addressed  
to ,artaxerxes the writers describe the 
builders of the walls as the ,jews which
 came up from thee4#aah ,this           

description would not fit ,zerubbabel   
and his followers1 who migrated under   
,cyrus4 ,but it would apply to those who
 accompanied ,ezra to ,jerusalem in the 
reign of ,artaxerxes4 ,lastly1 the reign
 of ,pseudo-,bardes is too brief for all
 that would have to be crowded into it4 
,it only occupied seven months4 ,yet a  
letter is sent up from the enemies of   
the ,jews2 inquiry is made into the     
history of ,jerusalem by ,persian       
officials at the court2 a reply based on
 this inquiry is transmitted to         
,palestine2 in consequence of this reply
 an expedition is organised which       
effectually stops the works at          
,jerusalem1 but only after the exercise 
of force on the spot4 ,it is nearly     
impossible for all this to have happened
 in so short a time as seven months4    
,all the indications therefore concur to
 assign the correspondence to the later 
period4    #aah ,ezra iv4 #ab4  ,the    
chronicler must have inserted this      
section out of its order for some reason

 of his own4 ,probably he desired to    
accentuate the impression of the        
malignant and persistent enmity of the  
colonists1 and with this end in view    
described the later acts of antagonism  
directly after mentioning the first     
outbreak of opposition4 ,it is just     
possible that he perceived the          
unfavourable character of his picture of
 the ,jews in their curt refusal of     
assistance from their neighbours1 and   
that he desired to balance this by an   
accumulation of weighty indictments     
against the people whom the ,jews had   
treated so ungraciously4  ,in his       
account of the correspondence with the  
,persian court the chronicler seems to  
have taken note of three separate       
letters from the unfriendly colonists4  
,first1 he tells us that in the         
beginning of the reign of ,ahasuerus    
they wrote an accusation against the    
,jews4#aai ,this was before the mission 
of ,ezra2 therefore it was a continuance
 of the old opposition that had been    

seen in the intrigues that preceded the 
reign of ,darius2 it shows that after   
the death of that friendly monarch the  
slumbering fires broke out afresh4      
,next1 he names certain men who wrote to
 ,artaxerxes1 and he adds that their    
letter was translated and written in the
 ,aramaic language--the language which  
was the common medium of intercourse in 
trade and official affairs among the    
mixed races inhabiting ,syria and all   
the regions west of the ,euphrates4#abj 
,the reference to this language probably
 arises from the fact that the          
chronicler had seen a copy of the       
translation4 ,he does not tell us       
anything either of the nationality of   
the writers or of the subject of their  
letter4 ,it has been suggested that they
 were ,jews in ,jerusalem who wrote to  
plead their cause with the ,persian     
king4 ,the fact that two of them bore   
,persian names--viz41 ,bishlam and      
,mithredath--does not present a serious 
difficulty to this view1 as we know that

 some ,jews received such names1        
,zerubbabel1 for example1 being named   
,sheshbazzar4 ,but as the previous      
passage refers to an accusation against 
the ,jews1 and as the following         
sentences give an account of a letter   
also written by the inimical colonists1 
it is scarcely likely that the          
intermediate colourless verse which     
mentions the letter of ,bishlam and his 
companions is of a different character4 
,we should expect some more explicit    
statement if that were the case4        
,moreover1 it is most improbable that   
the passage which follows would begin   
abruptly without an adversative         
conjunction--as is the case--if it      
proceeded to describe a letter provoked 
by opposition to another letter just    
mentioned4 ,therefore we must regard    
,bishlam and his companions as enemies  
of the ,jews4 ,now some who have        
accepted this view have maintained that 
the letter of ,bishlam and his friends  
is no other than the letter ascribed to 

,rehum and ,shimshai in the following   
verses4 ,it is stated that the former   
letter was in the ,aramaic language1 and
 the letter which is ascribed to the two
 great officials is in that language4   
,but the distinct statement that each   
group of men wrote a letter seems to    
imply that there were two letters       
written in the reign of ,artaxerxes1 or 
three in all4    #aai ,ezra iv4 #f4     
#abj ,ezra iv4 #g4  ,the third letter is
 the only one that the chronicler has   
preserved4 ,he gives it in the ,aramaic 
language1 and from ,ezra iv4 #h1 where  
this is introduced1 to vi4 #ah1 his     
narrative proceeds in that language1    
probably because he found his materials 
in some ,aramaic document4  ,some have  
assigned this letter to the period of   
the reign of ,artaxerxes prior to the   
mission of ,ezra4 ,but there are two    
reasons for thinking it must have been  
written after that mission4 ,the first  
has been already referred to--viz41 that
 the complaint about the ,jews which    

came up from thee points to some large  
migration during the reign of           
,artaxerxes1 which must be ,ezra's      
expedition4 ,the second reason arises   
from a comparison of the results of the 
correspondence with the description of  
,jerusalem in the opening of the ,book  
of ,nehemiah4 ,the violence of the      
,samaritans recorded in ,ezra iv4 #bc   
will account for the deplorable state of
 ,jerusalem mentioned in ,nehemiah i4   
#c1 the effects of the invasion referred
 to in the former passage agreeing well 
with the condition of the dismantled    
city reported to ,nehemiah4 ,but in the 
history of ,ezra's expedition no        
reference is made to any such miserable 
state of affairs4 ,thus the             
correspondence must be assigned to the  
time between the close of ,ezra and the 
beginning of ,nehemiah4  ,it is to      
,ezra's company1 then1 that the         
correspondence with ,artaxerxes refers4 
,there were two parties in ,jerusalem1  
and the opposition was against the      

active reforming party1 which now had   
the upper hand in the city4 ,immediately
 we consider this1 the cause of the     
continuance and increase of the         
antagonism of the colonists becomes     
apparent4 ,ezra's harsh reformation in  
the expulsion of foreign wives must have
 struck the divorced women as a cruel   
and insulting outrage4 ,driven back to  
their paternal homes with their burning 
wrongs1 these poor women must have      
roused the utmost indignation among     
their people4 ,thus the reformer had    
stirred up a hornets' nest4 ,the        
legislator who ventures to interfere    
with the sacred privacy of domestic life
 excites the deepest passions1 and a    
wise man will think twice before he     
meddles in so dangerous a business4     
,only the most imperative requirements  
of religion and righteousness can       
justify such a course1 and even when it 
is justified nobody can foresee how far 
the trouble it brings may spread4  ,the 
letter which the chronicler transcribes 

seems to have been the most important of
 the three4 ,it was written by two great
 ,persian officials4 ,in our ,english   
versions the first of these is called   
the chancellor1 and the second the      
scribe4 ,the chancellor was probably the
 governor of a large district1 of which 
,palestine was but a provincial section2
 and the scribe his secretary4          
,accordingly it is apparent that the    
persistent enmity of the colonists1     
their misrepresentations1 and perhaps   
their bribes1 had resulted in           
instigating opposition to the ,jews in  
very high places4 ,the action of the    
,jews themselves may have excited       
suspicion in the mind of the ,persian   
,satrap1 for it would seem from his     
letter that they had just commenced to  
fortify their city4 ,the names of the   
various peoples who are associated with 
these two great men in the title of the 
letter also show how far the opposition 
to the ,jews had spread4 ,they are given
 as the peoples whom ,osnappar          

7,esar-bani-pal7 had brought over and   
set in the city of ,samaria1 and in the 
rest of the country beyond the          
river4#aba ,that is to say1 the settlers
 in the vast district west of the       
,euphrates are included4 ,here were     
,apharsathchites--who cannot be the     
,persians1 as some have thought1 because
 no ,assyrian king ever seems to have   
penetrated to ,persia1 but may be the   
,partaceni of ,herodotus1#abb a ,median 
people2 ,tarpelites-- probably the      
people named among the ,hebrews after   
,tubal2#abc ,apharsites--also wrongly   
identified by some with the ,persians1  
but probably another ,median people2    
,archevites1 from the ancient ,erech    
7,uruk72#abd ,babylonians1 not only from
 the city of ,babylon1 but also from its
 neighbourhood2 ,shushanchites1 from    
,shusan 7,susa71 the capital of         
,susiana2 ,dehaites--possibly the ,dai  
of ,herodotus1#abe because1 though these
 were ,persians1 they were nomads who   
may have wandered far2 ,elamites1 from  

the country of which ,susa was capital4 
,a terrific array6 ,the very names would
 be imposing4 ,all these people were now
 united in a common bond of enmity to   
the ,jews of ,jerusalem4 ,anticipating  
the fate of the ,christians in the      
,roman ,empire1 though on very different
 grounds1 the ,jews seem to have been   
regarded by the peoples of ,western     
,asia with positive antipathy as enemies
 of the human race4 ,their anti-social  
conduct had alienated all who knew them4
 ,but the letter of indictment brought a
 false charge against them4 ,the        
opponents of the ,jews could not        
formulate any charge out of their real  
grievances sufficiently grave to secure 
an adverse verdict from the supreme     
authority4 ,they therefore trumped up an
 accusation of treason4 ,it was untrue1 
for the ,jews at ,jerusalem had always  
been the most peaceable and loyal       
subjects of the ,great ,king4 ,the      
search which was made into the previous 
history of the city could only have     

brought to light any evidence of a      
spirit of independence as far back as   
the time of the ,babylonian invasions4  
,still this was enough to supplement the
 calumnies of the irritated opponents   
which the ,satrap and his secretary had 
been persuaded to echo with all the     
authority of their high position4       
,moreover1 ,egypt was now in revolt1 and
 the king may have been persuaded to    
suspect the ,jews of sympathy with the  
rebels4 ,so ,jerusalem was condemned as 
a bad city2 the ,persian officials went 
up and forcibly stopped the building of 
the walls1 and the ,jews were reduced to
 a condition of helpless misery4    #aba
 ,ezra iv4 #aj4    #abb ,herodotus1 i4  
#aja4    #abc ,gen4 x4 #b4    #abd ,gen4
 x4 #aj4    #abe ,herodotus1 i4 #abe4   
,this was the issue of ,ezra's          
reformation4 ,can we call it a success8 
,the answer to such a question will     
depend on what kind of success we may be
 looking for4 ,politically1 socially1   
regarded from the standpoint of material

 profit and loss1 there was nothing but 
the most dismal failure4 ,but ,ezra was 
not a statesman2 he did not aim at      
national greatness1 nor did he aim even 
at social amelioration4 ,in our own day1
 when social improvements are regarded  
by many as the chief ends of government 
and philanthropy1 it is difficult to    
sympathise with conduct which ran       
counter to the home comforts and        
commercial prosperity of the people4 ,a 
policy which deliberately wrecked these 
obviously attractive objects of life in 
pursuit of entirely different aims is so
 completely remote from modern habits of
 thought and conduct that we have to    
make a considerable effort of           
imagination if we would understand the  
man who promoted it4 ,how are we to     
picture him8  ,ezra was an idealist4    
,now the success of an idealist is not  
to be sought for in material prosperity4
 ,he lives for his idea4 ,if this idea  
triumphs he is satisfied1 because he has
 attained the one kind of success he    

aimed at4 ,he is not rich2 but he never 
sowed the seed of wealth4 ,he may never 
be honoured3 he has determined to set   
himself against the current of popular  
fashion2 how then can he expect popular 
favour8 ,possibly he may meet with      
misapprehension1 contempt1 hatred1      
death4 ,the greatest ,idealist the world
 ever saw was excommunicated as a       
heretic2 insulted by ,his opponents1 and
 deserted by most of ,his friends2      
tortured and crucified4 ,the best of    
,his disciples1 those who had caught the
 enthusiasm of ,his idea1 were treated  
as the offscouring of the earth4 ,yet we
 now recognise that the grandest victory
 ever achieved was won at ,calvary2 and 
we now regard the travels of ,st4 ,paul 
through stoning and scourging1 through  
,jewish hatred and ,christian jealousy1 
on to the block1 as nothing less than a 
magnificent triumphant march4 ,the      
idealist succeeds when his idea is      
established4  ,judged by this           
standard--the only fair                 

standard--,ezra's work cannot be        
pronounced a failure4 ,on the contrary1 
he accomplished just what he aimed at4  
,he established the separateness of the 
,jews4 ,among ourselves1 more than two  
thousand years after his time1 his great
 idea is still the most marked feature  
of his people4 ,all along the ages it   
has provoked jealousy and suspicion2 and
 often it has been met by cruel         
persecution4 ,the separate people have  
been treated as only too separate from  
the rest of mankind4 ,thus the history  
of the ,jews has become one long        
tragedy4 ,it is infinitely sad4 ,yet it 
is incomparably more noble than the     
hollow comedy of existence to which the 
absence of all aims apart from personal 
pleasure reduces the story of those     
people who have sunk so low that they   
have no ideas4 ,moreover1 with ,ezra the
 racial idea was really subordinate to  
the religious idea4 ,to secure the      
worship of ,god1 free from all          
contamination--this was his ultimate    

purpose4 ,in accomplishing it he must   
have a devoted people also free from    
contamination1 a priesthood still more  
separate and consecrated1 and a ritual  
carefully guarded and protected from    
defilement4 ,hence arose his great work 
in publishing the authoritative codified
 scriptures of the ,jews4 ,to a         
,christian all this has its             
defects--formalism1 externalism1        
needless narrowness4 ,yet it succeeded  
in saving the religion of the ,jews1 and
 in transmitting that religion to future
 ages as a precious casket containing   
the seed of the great spiritual faith   
for which the world was waiting4 ,there 
is something of the schoolmaster in     
,ezra2 but he is like the law he loved  
so devoutly--a schoolmaster who brings  
us to ,christ4 ,he was needed both for  
his times and also in order to lay the  
foundation of coming ages4 ,who shall   
say that such a man was not sent of     
,god8 ,how can we deny to his unique    
work the inspiration of the ,holy       

,spirit8 ,the harshness of its outward  
features must not blind us to the       
sublimity of its inner thought or the   
beneficence of its ultimate purpose4    
,,chapter ,,xv4  ,,nehemiah ,,the       
,,patriot4  ,,nehemiah i4 #a-c4   ,the  
,book of ,nehemiah is the last part of  
the chronicler's narrative4 ,although it
 was not originally a separate work1 we 
can easily see why the editor1 who broke
 up the original volume into distinct   
books1 divided it just where he did4 ,an
 interval of twelve or thirteen years   
comes between ,ezra's reformation and   
the events recorded in the opening of   
,nehemiah4 ,still a much longer period  
was passed over in silence in the middle
 of ,ezra4#abf ,a more important reason 
for the division of the narrative may be
 found in the introduction of a new     
character4 ,the book which now bears his
 name is largely devoted to the actions 
of ,nehemiah2 and it commences with an  
autobiographical narrative1 which       
occupies the first six chapters and part

 of the seventh4    #abf ,at ,ezra vii4 
#a4  ,nehemiah plunges suddenly into his
 story1 without giving us any hints of  
his previous history4 ,his father1      
,hacaliah1 is only a name to us4 ,it was
 necessary to state this name in order  
to distinguish the writer from other men
 named ,nehemiah4#abg ,there is no      
reason to think that his privileged     
position at court indicates high family 
connections4 ,the conjecture of ,ewald  
that he owed his important and lucrative
 office to his personal beauty and      
youthful attractions is enough to       
account for it4 ,his appointment to the 
office formerly held by ,zerubbabel is  
no proof that he belonged to the ,jewish
 royal family4 ,at the despotic ,persian
 court the king's kindness towards a    
favourite servant would override all    
claims of princely rank4 ,besides1 it is
 most improbable that we should have no 
hint of the ,davidic descent if this had
 been one ground of the appointment4    
,eusebius and ,jerome both describe     

,nehemiah as of the tribe of ,judah4    
,jerome is notoriously inaccurate2      
,eusebius is a cautious historian1 but  
it is not likely that in his late       
age--as long after ,nehemiah as our age 
is after ,thomas  ,becket--he could have
 any trustworthy evidence beyond that of
 the ,scriptures4 ,the statement that   
the city of ,jerusalem was the place of 
the sepulchres of his ancestors#abh     
lends some plausibility to the          
suggestion that ,nehemiah belonged to   
the tribe of ,judah4 ,with this we must 
be content4    #abg ,e4g41 the ,nehemiah
 of ,ezra ii4 #b1 who is certainly      
another   person4    #abh ,neh4 ii4 #c4 
,it is more to the point to notice that1
 like ,ezra1 the younger man1 whose     
practical energy and high authority were
 to further the reforms of the somewhat 
doctrinaire scribe1 was a ,jew of the   
exile4 ,once more it is in the ,east1   
far away from ,jerusalem1 that the      
impulse is found for furthering the     
cause of the ,jews4 ,thus we are again  

reminded that wave after wave sweeps up 
from the ,babylonian plains to give life
 and strength to the religious and civic
 restoration4  ,the peculiar            
circumstances of ,nehemiah deepen our   
interest in his patriotic and religious 
work4 ,in his case it was not the       
hardships of captivity that fostered the
 aspirations of the spiritual life1 for 
he was in a position of personal ease   
and prosperity4 ,we can scarcely think  
of a lot less likely to encourage the   
principles of patriotism and religion   
than that of a favourite upper servant  
in a foreign1 heathen court4 ,the office
 held by ,nehemiah was not one of       
political rank4 ,he was a palace slave1 
not a minister of state like ,joseph or 
,daniel4 ,but among the household       
servants he would take a high position4 
,the cup-bearers had a special privilege
 of admission to the august presence of 
their sovereign in his most private     
seclusion4 ,the king's life was in their
 hands2 and the wealthy enemies of a    

despotic sovereign would be ready enough
 to bribe them to poison the king1 if   
only they proved to be corruptible4 ,the
 requirement that they should first pour
 some wine into their own hands1 and    
drink the sample before the ,king1 is an
 indication that fear of treachery      
haunted the mind of an ,oriental        
monarch1 as it does the mind of a       
,russian czar to-day4 ,even with this   
rough safeguard it was necessary to     
select men who could be relied upon4    
,thus the cup-bearers would become      
favourites4 ,at all events1 it is plain 
that ,nehemiah was regarded with        
peculiar favour by the king he served4  
,no doubt he was a faithful servant1 and
 his fidelity in his position of trust  
at court was a guarantee of similar     
fidelity in a more responsible and far  
more trying office4  ,nehemiah opens his
 story by telling us that he was in the 
palace1#abi or rather the fortress1 at  
,susa1 the winter abode of the ,persian 
monarchs--an ,elamite city1 the         

stupendous remains of which astonish the
 traveller in the present day--eighty   
miles east of the ,tigris and within    
sight of the ,bakhtiyari ,mountains4    
,here was the great nail of audience1   
the counterpart of another at           
,persepolis4 ,these two were perhaps the
 largest rooms in the ancient world next
 to that at ,karnak4 ,thirty-six fluted 
columns1 distributed as six rows of six 
columns each1 slender and widely spaced1
 supported a roof extending two hundred 
feet each way4 ,the month ,chislev1 in  
which the occurrence ,nehemiah proceeds 
to relate happened1 corresponds to parts
 of our ,november and ,december4 ,the   
name is an ,assyrian and ,babylonian    
one1 and so are all the names of the    
months used by the ,jews4 ,further1     
,nehemiah speaks of what he here        
narrates as happening in the twentieth  
year of ,artaxerxes1 and in the next    
chapter he mentions a subsequent event  
as occurring in the month ,nisan#acj in 
the same year4 ,this shows that he did  

not reckon the year to begin at ,nisan1 
as the ,jews were accustomed to reckon  
it4 ,he must have followed the general  
,asiatic custom1 which begins the year  
in the autumn1 or else he must have     
regulated his dates according to the    
time of the king's accession4 ,in either
 case we see how thoroughly un-,jewish  
the setting of his narrative is--unless 
a third explanation is adopted1 viz41   
that the ,jewish year1 beginning in the 
spring1 only counts from the adoption of
 ,ezra's edition of ,the ,law4 ,be this 
as it may1 other indications of         
,orientalism1 derived from his court    
surroundings1 will attract our attention
 in our consideration of his language   
later on4 ,no writer of the ,bible      
reflects the influence of alien culture 
more clearly than ,nehemiah4 ,outwardly1
 he is the most foreign ,jew we meet    
with in ,scripture4 ,yet in his and     
character he is the very ideal of a     
,jewish patriot4 ,his patriotism shines 
all the more splendidly because it      

bursts out of a foreign environment4    
,thus ,nehemiah shows how little his    
dialect and the manners he exhibits can 
be taken as the gauge of a man's true   
life4    #abi ,neh4 i4 #a4    #acj ,neh4
 ii4 #a4  ,nehemiah states that1 while  
he was thus at ,susa1 in winter         
residence with the court1 one of his    
brethren1 named ,hanani1 together with  
certain men of ,judah1 came to him4#aca 
,the language here used will admit of   
our regarding ,hanani as only a more or 
less distant relative of the cup-bearer2
 but a later reference to him at        
,jerusalem as my brother ,hanani#acb    
shows that his own brother is meant4    
#aca ,neh4 i4 #b4    #acb ,neh4 vii4 #b4
  ,josephus has an especially graphic   
account of the incident4 ,we have no    
means of discovering whether he drew it 
from an authentic source1 but its       
picturesqueness may justify the         
insertion of it here3 ,now there was one
 of those ,jews who had been carried    
captive1 who was cup-bearer to ,king    

,xerxes2 his name was ,nehemiah4 ,as    
this man was walking before ,susa1 the  
metropolis of the ,persians1 he heard   
some strangers that were entering the   
city1 after a long journey1 speaking to 
one another in the ,hebrew tongue2 so he
 went to them and asked from whence they
 came2 and when their answer was1 that  
they came from ,juda1 he began to       
inquire of them again in what state the 
multitude was1 and in what condition    
,jerusalem was3 and when they replied   
that they were in a bad state1 for that 
their walls were thrown down to the     
ground1 and that the neighbouring       
nations did a great deal of mischief to 
the ,jews1 while in the day-time they   
over-ran the country and pillaged it1   
and in the night did them mischief1     
insomuch that not a few were led away   
captive out of the country1 and out of  
,jerusalem itself1 and that the roads   
were in the day-time found full of dead 
men4 ,hereupon ,nehemiah shed tears1 out
 of commiseration of the calamities of  

his countrymen2 and1 looking up to      
heaven1 he said1 ',how long1 ,o ,lord1  
wilt thou overlook our nation1 while it 
suffers so great miseries1 and while we 
are made the prey and the spoil of all  
men8' ,and while he staid at the gate1  
and lamented thus1 one told him that the
 king was going to sit down to supper2  
so he made haste1 and went as he was1   
without washing himself1 to minister to 
the king in his office of cup-bearer1   
etc4#acc    #acc ,josephus1 ,ant41 ,,xi4
 v4 #f4  ,evidently ,nehemiah was       
expressly sought out4 ,his influence    
would naturally be valued4 ,there was a 
large ,jewish community at ,susa1 and   
,nehemiah must have enjoyed a good      
reputation among his people2 otherwise  
it would have been vain for the         
travellers to obtain an interview with  
him4 ,the eyes of these ,jews were      
turned to the royal servant as the      
fellow-countryman of greatest influence 
at court4 ,but ,nehemiah anticipated    
their message and relieved them of all  

difficulty by questioning them about the
 city of their fathers4 ,jerusalem was  
hundreds of miles away across the       
desert2 no regular methods of           
communication kept the ,babylonian      
colony informed of the condition of the 
advance guard at the ancient capital2   
therefore scraps of news brought by     
chance travellers were eagerly devoured 
by those who were anxious for the rare  
information4 ,plainly ,nehemiah shared  
this anxiety4 ,his question was quite   
spontaneous1 and it suggests that amid  
the distractions of his court life his  
thoughts had often reverted to the      
ancient home of his people4 ,if he had  
not been truly patriotic1 he could have 
used some device1 which his palace      
experience would have readily suggested1
 so as to divert the course of this     
conversation with a group of simple men 
from the country1 and keep the painful  
subject in the background4 ,he must have
 seen clearly that for one in his       
position of influence to make inquiries 

about a poor and distressed community   
was to raise expectations of assistance4
 ,but his questions were earnest and    
eager1 because his interest was genuine4
  ,the answers to ,nehemiah's inquiries 
struck him with surprise as well as     
grief4 ,the shock with which he received
 them reminds us of ,ezra's startled    
horror when the lax practices of the    
,jewish leaders were reported to him1   
although the trained court official did 
not display the abandonment of emotion  
which was seen in the student suddenly  
plunged into the vortex of public life  
and unprepared for one of those dread   
surprises which men of the world drill  
themselves to face with comparative     
calmness4  ,we must now examine the news
 that surprised and distressed          
,nehemiah4 ,his brother and the other   
travellers from ,jerusalem inform him   
that the descendants of the returned    
captives1 the residents of ,jerusalem1  
are in great affliction and reproach2   
and also that the city walls have been  

broken down and the gates burnt4 ,the   
description of the defenceless and      
dishonoured state of the city is what   
most strikes ,nehemiah4 ,now the        
question is to what calamities does this
 report refer8 ,according to the usual  
understanding1 it is a description of   
the state of ,jerusalem which resulted  
from the sieges of ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,but
 there are serious difficulties in the  
way of this view4 ,nehemiah must have   
known all about the tremendous events1  
one of the results of which was seen in 
the very existence of the ,jewish colony
 of which he was a member4 ,the         
inevitable consequences of that         
notorious disaster could not have come  
before him unexpectedly and as startling
 news4 ,besides1 the present distress of
 the inhabitants is closely associated  
with the account of the ruin of the     
defences1 and is even mentioned first4  
,is it possible that one sentence should
 include what was happening now1 and    
what took place a century earner1 in a  

single picture of the city's misery8    
,the language seems to point to the     
action of breaking through me walls     
rather than to such a general demolition
 of them as took place when the whole   
city was razed to the ground by the     
,babylonian invaders4 ,lastly1 the      
action of ,nehemiah cannot be accounted 
for on this hypothesis4 ,he is plunged  
into grief by the dreadful news1 and at 
first he can only mourn and fast and    
pray4 ,but before long1 as soon as he   
obtains permission from his royal       
master1 he sets out for ,jerusalem1 and 
there his first great work is to restore
 the ruined walls4 ,the connection of   
events shows that it is the information 
brought to him by ,hanani and the other 
,jews from ,jerusalem that rouses him to
 proceed to the city4 ,all this points  
to some very recent troubles1 which were
 previously unknown to ,nehemiah4 ,can  
we find any indication of those troubles
 elsewhere8  ,the opening scene in the  
patriotic career of ,nehemiah exactly   

fit in with the events which came under 
our consideration in the previous       
chapter4 ,there we saw that the         
opposition to the ,jews which is        
recorded as early as ,ezra iv41 but     
attributed to the reign of an           
,artaxerxes1 must have been carried into
 effect under ,artaxerxes               
,longimanus--,nehemiah's master4 ,this  
must have been subsequent to the mission
 of ,ezra in the seventh year of        
,artaxerxes1 as ,ezra makes no mention  
of its distressful consequences4 ,the   
news reached ,nehemiah in the twentieth 
year of the same reign4 ,therefore the  
mischief must have been wrought some    
time during the intervening thirteen    
years4 ,we have no history of that      
period4 ,but the glimpse of its most    
gloomy experiences afforded by the      
detached paragraph in ,ezra iv4 exactly 
fits in with the description of the     
resulting condition of ,jerusalem in the
 ,book of ,nehemiah4 ,this will fully   
account for ,nehemiah's surprise and    

grief2 it will also throw a flood of    
light on his character and subsequent   
action4 ,if he had only been roused to  
repair the ravages of the old           
,babylonian invasions1 there would have 
been nothing very courageous in his     
undertaking4 ,babylon itself had been   
overthrown1 and the enemy of ,babylon   
was now in power4 ,anything tending to  
obliterate the destructive glory of the 
old fallen empire might be accepted with
 favour by the ,persian ruler4 ,but the 
case is quite altered when we think of  
the more recent events4 ,the very work  
,nehemiah was to undertake had been     
attempted but a few years before1 and it
 had failed miserably4 ,the rebuilding  
of the walls had then excited the       
jealousy of neighbouring peoples1 and   
their gross misrepresentations had      
resulted in an official prohibition of  
the work4 ,this prohibition1 however1   
had only been executed by acts of       
violence1 sanctioned by the government4 
,worse than all else1 it was from the   

very ,artaxerxes whom ,nehemiah served  
that the sanction had been obtained4 ,he
 was an easy-going sovereign1 readily   
accessible to the advice of his         
ministers2 in the earlier part of his   
reign he showed remarkable favour       
towards the ,jews1 when he equipped and 
despatched ,ezra on his great           
expedition1 and it is likely enough that
 in the pressure of his multitudinous   
affairs the ,king would soon forgot his 
unfavourable despatch4 ,nevertheless he 
was an absolute monarch1 and the lives  
of his subjects were in his hands4 ,for 
a personal attendant of such a sovereign
 to show sympathy with a city that had  
come under his disapproval was a very   
risky thing4 ,nehemiah may have felt    
this while he was hiding his grief from 
,artaxerxes4 ,but if so1 his frank      
confession at the first opportunity     
reflects all the more credit on his     
patriotism and the courage with which he
 supported it4  ,patriotism is the most 
prominent principle in ,nehemiah's      

conduct4 ,deeper considerations emerge  
later1 especially after he has come     
under the influence of an enthusiastic  
religious teacher in the person of      
,ezra4 ,but at first it is the city of  
his fathers that moves his heart4 ,he is
 particularly distressed at its desolate
 condition1 because the burial-place of 
is ancestors is there4 ,the great       
anxiety of the ,jews about the bodies of
 their dead1 and their horror of the    
exposure of a corpse1 made them look    
with peculiar concern on the tombs of   
their people4 ,in sharing the sentiments
 that spring out of the habits of his   
people in this respect1 ,nehemiah gives 
a specific turn to his patriotism4 ,he  
longs to guard and honour the last      
resting-place of his people2 he would   
hear of any outrage on the city where   
their sepulchres are with the greatest  
distress4 ,thus filial piety mingles    
with patriotism1 and the patriotism     
itself is localised1 like that of the   
,greeks1 and directed to the interests  

of a single city4 ,nehemiah here        
represents a different attitude from    
that of ,mordecai4 ,it is not the ,jew  
that he thinks of in the first instance1
 but ,jerusalem2 and ,jerusalem is dear 
to him primarily1 not because of his    
kinsmen who are living there1 but       
because it is the city of his fathers'  
sepulchres1 the city of the great past4 
,still the strongest feelings are always
 personal4 ,patriotism loves the very   
soil of the fatherland2 but the depth   
and strength of the passion spring from 
association with an affection for the   
people that inhabit it4 ,without this   
patriotism degenerates into a flimsy    
sentiment4 ,at ,jerusalem ,nehemiah     
develops a deep personal interest in the
 citizens4 ,even on the ,susa acropolis1
 where the very names of these people   
are unknown to him1 the thought of his  
ancestry gives a sanctity to the far-off
 city4 ,such a thought is enlarging and 
purifying4 ,it lifts a man out of petty 
personal concerns2 it gives him         

unselfish sympathies2 it prepares       
demands for sacrifice and service4      
,thus1 while the mock patriotism which  
cares only for glory and national       
aggrandisement is nothing but a vulgar  
product of enlarged selfishness1 the    
true patriotism that awakens large human
 sympathies is profoundly unselfish1 and
 shows itself to be a part of the very  
religion of a devoted man4     ,,chapter
 ,,xvi4  ,,nehemiah',s ,,prayer4        
,,nehemiah i4 #d-aa4   ,nehemiah records
 the twofold effect of the melancholy   
news which his brother and the other    
travellers from ,jerusalem brought him4 
,its first consequence was grief2 its   
second prayer4 ,the grief was expressed 
in the dramatic style of the ,oriental  
by weeping1 lamentations1 fasting1 and  
other significant acts and attitudes    
which the patriot kept up for some days4
 ,demonstrative as all this appears to  
us1 it was calm and restrained in       
comparison with ,ezra's frantic         
outburst4 ,still it was the sign and    

fruit of heartfelt distress1 for        
,nehemiah was really and deeply moved4  
,had the incident ended here1 we should 
have seen a picture of patriotic        
sentiment1 such as might be looked for  
in any loyal ,jew1 although the position
 of ,nehemiah at court would have proved
 him loyal under exceptional            
circumstances4 ,but the prayer which is 
the outcome of the soul-stirring        
thoughts and feelings of devout         
patriotism lifts the scene into a much  
higher interest4 ,this prayer is        
singularly penetrating1 revealing a keen
 insight into the secret of the         
calamities of ,israel1 and an exact     
perception of the relation of ,god to   
those calamities4 ,it shows a knowledge 
of what we may call the theology of     
history1 of the ,divine laws and        
principles which are above and behind   
the laws and principles indicated by the
 expression the philosophy of history4  
,in form it is a combination of three   
elements1--the language of devotion     

cultivated by ,persian sages2           
expressions culled from the venerated   
,hebrew law-book1 ,deuteronomy2 and new 
phrases called out by the new needs of  
the immediate occasion4 ,nehemiah shows 
how natural it is for a person to fall  
into an accepted dialect of worship1    
even in an original prayer the end of   
which is novel and special4  ,he opens  
his prayer with an expression that seems
 to be more ,persian than ,jewish4 ,he  
does not make his appeal to ,jehovah as 
the ,god of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and       
,jacob1 but after the sacred name he    
adds the descriptive title ,god of      
heaven4 ,this is quite a favourite      
phrase of ,nehemiah's4 ,thus in         
describing his interview with           
,artaxerxes he says1 ,so ,i prayed to   
the ,god of heaven2#acd and at          
,jerusalem he answers the mockery of his
 opponents by exclaiming1 ,the ,god of  
heaven1 ,he will prosper us4#ace ,now   
the same expression is found repeatedly 
in the chronicler's version of royal    

edicts--in the edict of ,cyrus1#acf in  
the edict of ,darius1#acg in the edict  
of ,artaxerxes4#ach ,if it is indeed of 
,persian origin1 the use of it by       
,nehemiah is most significant4 ,in this 
case1 while it indicates the speaker's  
unconscious adoption of the language of 
his neighbours and shows him to be a    
,jew of ,oriental culture1 it also      
illustrates a far-reaching process of   
,providence4 ,here is an exalted name   
for ,god1 the origin of which is        
apparently ,gentile1 accepted and used  
by a devout ,jew1 and through his       
employment of it passing over into the  
,scriptures1#aci so that the religion of
 ,israel is enriched by a phrase from   
abroad4 ,it would be but a poor         
championship of the truth of the ,hebrew
 revelation that would lead us to close 
our eyes to whatever of good is to be   
found outside its borders4 ,certainly we
 honour ,god by gladly perceiving that  
,he has not left ,himself entirely      
without witness in the dim-lit temple of

 ,pagan thought4 ,it is a ground for    
rejoicing that1 while the science of    
,comparative ,religion has not touched  
the unique pre-eminence of the ,hebrew  
and ,christian ,faith1 that science has 
been able to recover scattered pearls of
 truth that lay strewn over the waste of
 the world's wide thinking4 ,if in a few
 rare cases some such gems had been     
found earlier and even set in the crown 
of ,israel1 we can only be thankful that
 the ,one ,spirit who is the source of  
all revelation has thus evinced the     
breadth of ,his activity4 ,nor should it
 disturb our faith if it could be proved
 that more important elements of our    
religion did not originate among the    
,jews1 but came from ,babylonian1       
,persian1 or ,greek sources2 for why    
should not ,god speak through a ,gentile
 if ,he chooses so to do8 ,this is not a
 point of dogma4 ,it is simply a        
question of fact to be determined by    
historical inquiry4    #acd ,neh4 ii4   
#d4    #ace ,neh4 ii4 #bj4    #acf ,ezra

 i4 #b4    #acg ,ezra vi4 #aj4    #ach  
,ezra vii4 #ab1 #ba1 #bc4    #aci ,it is
 used by the chronicler1 and it is found
 in ,jonah and   ,daniel1 and once even 
in our recension of ,genesis 7,gen4     
xxiv4 #g74  ,we cannot say for certain1 
however1 that ,nehemiah's phrase was    
coined in a ,persian mint4 ,its novelty1
 its absence from earlier ,hebrew       
literature1 and its repeated appearance 
in the edicts of ,persian kings favour  
the notion4 ,but we know that before    
reaching us these edicts have been more 
or less translated into ,hebrew forms of
 thought1 so that the phrase may        
possibly be ,jewish after all4 ,still   
even in that case it seems clear that it
 must have been first used in the ,east 
and under the ,persian rule4 ,the       
widening of his horizon and the         
elevation of his idea of ,providence    
which resulted from the experience of   
the exile helped to enlarge and exalt   
the ,jew's whole conception of ,god4    
,jehovah could no longer be thought of  

as a tribal divinity4 ,the greater      
prophets had escaped from any such      
primitive notion much earlier1 but not  
the bulk of the nation4 ,now the exiles 
saw that the domain of their ,god could 
not be limited to the hills and valleys 
of ,palestine4 ,they perceived how ,his 
arm reached from the river to the ends  
of the earth2 how ,his might was        
everywhere supreme1 directing the       
history of empires1 overthrowing great  
monarchies1 establishing new            
world-powers4  ,a more subtle movement  
of thought has been detected in the     
appearance of this suggestive phrase1   
,god of heaven4 ,the idea of the        
transcendence of ,god is seen to be     
growing in the mind of the ,jew4 ,god   
appears to be receding into remote      
celestial regions--,his greatness       
including distance4 ,as yet this is only
 vaguely felt2 but here we have the     
beginning of a characteristic of        
,judaism which becomes more and more    
marked in course of time1 until it seems

 as though ,god were cut off from all   
direct connection with men on earth1 and
 only administering the world through a 
whole army of intermediaries1 the       
angels4  ,after this phrase with the    
,persian flavour1 ,nehemiah adds        
expressions borrowed from the ,hebrew   
,book of ,deuteronomy1 a book with ideas
 and words from which his prayer is     
saturated throughout4 ,god is described 
on the one hand as great and terrible4  
and on the other hand as keeping        
covenant and mercy for them that love   
,him and observe ,his commandments4#adj 
,the ,deuteronomist adds to a thousand  
generations--a clause not needed by     
,nehemiah1 who is now only concerned    
with one special occasion4 ,the first   
part of the description is in harmony   
with the new and exalted title of ,god1 
and therefore it fits in well here4 ,it 
is also suitable for the circumstances  
of the prayer1 because in times of      
calamity we are impressed with the power
 and terror of ,providence4 ,there is   

another side to these attributes1       
however4 ,the mention of them suggests  
that the sufferers have not fallen into 
the hand of man4 ,hanani and his        
fellow-,jews made no allusion to a      
,divine action2 they could not see      
beyond the jealousy of neighbouring     
people in the whole course of events4   
,but ,nehemiah at once recognised ,god's
 hand4 ,this perception would calm him  
as he watched the solemn movement of the
 drama carried up into heavenly regions4
 ,then1 aided by the cheering thought   
which came to him from the book of      
,divine revelation on which his prayer  
was moulded1 ,nehemiah turns to the     
covenant-keeping mercy of ,god4 ,the    
covenant which he appeals to here must  
be that of the ,book of ,deuteronomy2   
his subsequent references to the        
contents of that book make this quite   
clear4    #adj ,neh4 i4 #e4 ,see ,deut4 
vii4 #i4  ,it is important to see that  
,nehemiah recognises the relation of    
,god's mercy to ,his covenant4 ,he      

perceives that the two go together1 that
 the covenant does not dispense with the
 need of mercy any more than it         
forecloses the action of mercy4 ,when   
the covenant people fall into sin1 they 
cannot claim forgiveness as a right2 nor
 can they ever demand deliverance from  
trouble on the ground of their pact with
 ,god4 ,god does not bargain with ,his  
children4 ,a ,divine covenant is not a  
business arrangement1 the terms of which
 can be interpreted like those of a deed
 of partnership1 and put into force by  
the determinate will of either party4   
,the covenant is1 from the first1 a     
gracious ,divine promise and            
dispensation1 conditioned by certain    
requirements to be observed on man's    
side4 ,its very existence is a fruit of 
,god's mercy1 not an outcome of man's   
haggling1 and its operation is just     
through the continuance of that mercy4  
,it is true a promise1 a sort of pledge1
 goes with the covenant2 but that is a  
promise of mercy1 a pledge of grace4 ,it

 does not dispense with the mercy of    
,god by converting what would otherwise 
be an act of pure grace on ,his part    
into a right which we possess and act   
upon of our own sole will4 ,what it does
 is to afford a channel for the mercy of
 ,god1 and to assure us of ,his mercy1  
which1 however1 remains mercy           
throughout4  ,from another point of view
 the covenant and the mercy go together4
 ,the mercy follows the covenant4 ,the  
expression the uncovenanted mercies of  
,god has been used in bitter irony1 as  
though any hope that depended on such   
mercies was poor indeed1 a bare refuge  
of despair4 ,but so to treat the unknown
 goodness of ,god is to discredit that  
ceaseless1 unexhausted love which has   
given us the latest and highest and best
 name of ,god4 ,we do not know how far  
the vast ocean of the lovingkindness of 
,god extends4 ,on the other hand1       
certain definite assurances of mercy are
 given along the lines of a covenant4   
,therefore it is clearly wise and right 

for people who possess the covenant to  
follow those lines4 ,other people who   
are outside the covenant may meet with  
wonderful surprises in the infinite     
,fatherhood of ,god2 but those of ,his  
children who are in the home must expect
 to be treated according to the         
established order of the house4 ,no     
doubt they too will have their grand    
surprises of ,divine grace1 for ,god    
does not tie ,himself to forms and rules
 at home while ,he exercises liberty    
abroad4 ,to do so would be to make the  
home a prison4 ,but still ,his          
revelation of methods of grace is a     
clear indication that it is our duty to 
observe those methods1 and that we have 
no ground of complaint if we do not     
receive the grace we seek when we       
wilfully neglect them4 ,here then we see
 the necessity of studying the          
revelation of the will and mind of ,god4
 ,that prayer has most ground of hope in
 it which keeps nearest to the thought  
and spirit of ,scripture4  ,the terms of

 the covenant quoted by ,nehemiah       
require obedience on the part of those  
who would receive mercy under it1 and   
this obedience is needed in those who   
are seeking restoration and forgiveness 
as well as in those who have not fallen 
from the covenant throughout4 ,the      
reference to mercy makes that clear4    
,the penitent submits1 and in the       
surrender of his will he is made the    
recipient of the ,divine mercy4 ,but    
behind the obedience is the spirit of   
love that prompts it4 ,the mercy is for 
them that love ,god and observe ,his    
commandments4 ,love is the fulfilling of
 the law from the first4 ,it is expected
 in the ,old ,testament as well as in   
the ,new2 it is prescribed by the       
,deuteronomist as decidedly as by ,st4  
,john1 for it is the only ground of real
 obedience4 ,the slavish terror of the  
lash which squeezes out a reluctant     
utterance of submission will not open   
the door for the mercy of ,god4 ,the    
,divine covenant secures mercy only for 

those who return to their allegiance in 
a spirit of love4  ,having thus set     
forth the grounds of his prayer in his  
address to ,god and his plea of the     
covenant1 ,nehemiah proceeds to invoke  
the ,divine attention to his petition4  
,there is an echo of the courtier1      
perhaps1 in his request that ,god's ear 
should be attentive and ,his eyes       
open2#ada but his whole conduct forbids 
the idea of servile obsequiousness4 ,his
 prayer1 he here says1 is offered day   
and night2 so his report of it may be   
regarded as a sort of final summing up  
of a long1 persevering succession of    
prayers4 ,the unwearying persistence of 
the man reveals two favourable features 
in his character--his earnestness of    
purpose and his unflagging faith4 ,our  
,lord denounces vain                    
repetitions#adb--;i4e41 repetitions the 
very value of which is thought to reside
 in their number1 as though prayer could
 be estimated arithmetically4 ,but the  
prayer that is repeated simply because  

the worshipper is too persistent to be  
satisfied till it is answered does not  
come into the category of vain          
repetitions2 it is anything but empty4  
#ada ,neh4 i4 #f4    #adb ,matt4 vi4 #g4
  ,immediately after his invocation of  
,god's gracious attention ,nehemiah     
plunges into a confession of sin4       
,ezra's great prayer was wholly occupied
 with confession1#adc and this mournful 
exercise takes a large place in         
,nehemiah's prayer4 ,but the younger man
 has one special ground of confession4  
,the startling news of the ruinous      
condition of the recently restored city 
of ,jerusalem rouses a sort of national 
conscience in his breast4 ,he knows that
 the captivity was brought about as a   
chastisement for the sins of the ,jews4 
,that great lesson--so recklessly       
ignored when it was insisted on by      
,jeremiah--had been burnt into the      
deepest convictions of the exiles4      
,therefore ,nehemiah makes no complaint 
of the cruel behaviour of the enemies of

 ,israel4 ,he does not whine about the  
pitiable plight of the ,jews4 ,their    
real enemies were their sins1 and the   
explanation of their present distress   
was to be found in their own bad        
conduct4 ,thus ,nehemiah goes to the    
root of the matter1 and that without a  
moment's hesitation4    #adc ,ezra ix4  
#f-ae4  ,further1 it is interesting to  
see how he identifies himself with his  
people in this confession4 ,living far  
from the seat of the evil1 himself a    
,god-fearing1 upright man1 he might have
 been tempted to treat the citizens of  
,jerusalem as ,job's comforters treated 
the patriarch of ,uz1 and denounce their
 sins from the secure heights of his own
 virtue4 ,in declining to assume this   
pharisaic attitude1 ,nehemiah shows that
 he is not thinking of recent specific  
sins committed by the returned exiles4  
,the whole history of ,israel's apostasy
 is before him2 he feels that the later 
as truly as the earlier calamities flow 
from this one deep1 foul fountain of    

iniquity4 ,thus he can join himself with
 his fathers and the whole nation in the
 utterance of confession4 ,this is      
different from the confession of ,ezra1 
who was thinking of one definite sin    
which he did not share1 but which he    
confessed in a priestly sympathy4       
,nehemiah is less concerned with formal 
legal precepts4 ,he is more profoundly  
moved by the wide and deep course of his
 people's sin generally4 ,still it is a 
mark of self-knowledge and true         
humility1 as well as of patriotism1 that
 he honestly associates himself with his
 fellow-countrymen4 ,he perceives that  
particular sins1 such as those found in 
the recent misconduct of the ,jews1 are 
but symptoms of the underlying sinful   
character2 and that while circumstances 
may save the individual from the        
temptation to exhibit every one of these
 symptoms1 they are accidental1 and they
 cannot be set to his credit4 ,the      
common sin is in him still2 therefore he
 may well join himself to the penitents1

 even though he has not participated in 
all their evil deeds4 ,the solidarity of
 the race is1 unhappily1 never more     
apparent than in its sin4 ,this sin is  
especially the one touch of fallen      
nature that makes the whole world kin4  
,it was to a trait of frailty that      
,shakespeare was alluding when he coined
 his famous phrase1 as the context      
proves4#add ,the trail of the serpent is
 over every human life1 and in this ugly
 mark we have a terrible sign of human  
brotherhood4 ,of all the elements of    
,common ,prayer1 confession can be most 
perfectly shared by every member of a   
congregation1 if only all the           
worshippers are in earnest and know     
their own hearts4    #add ,troilus and  
,cressida1 ,act iii41 ,scene #c4        
,nehemiah does not enter much into      
detail with this confession4 ,it is     
sweeping and widely comprehensive4 ,two 
points1 however1 may be noticed4 ,first1
 he refers to the ,godward aspect of    
sin1 its personal character as an       

offence against ,god4 ,thus he says1 ,we
 have dealt very corruptly against      
,thee4#ade ,so the prodigal first       
confesses that he has sinned against    
heaven4#adf ,secondly1 he makes mention 
more than once of the commandments of   
,moses4 ,the name of ,moses is often    
appealed to with reverence in the       
history of this period of ,ezra and     
,nehemiah4 ,evidently the minds of men  
reverted to the great founder of the    
nation at the time of national penitence
 and restoration4 ,under these          
circumstances no new edition of ,the    
,law could have been adopted unless it  
was believed to have embodied the       
substance of the older teaching4    #ade
 ,neh4 i4 #g    #adf ,luke xv4 #ah4     
,after his confession ,nehemiah goes on 
to appeal to the ,divine promises of    
restoration made to the penitent in the 
great national covenant4 ,he sums them  
up in a definite sentence1 not quoting  
any one utterance of ,deuteronomy1 but  
garnering together the various promises 

of mercy and dovetailing almost the very
 language of them together1 so as to    
present us with the total result4 ,these
 promises recognise the possibility of  
transgression and the consequent        
scattering of the people so often       
insisted on by the prophets and         
especially by ,jeremiah4 ,they then go  
on to offer restoration on condition of 
repentance and a return to obedient     
allegiance4 ,it is to be observed that  
this is all laid down on national lines4
 ,the nation sins2 the nation suffers2  
the nation is restored to its old home4 
,this is very much a characteristic of  
,judaism1 and it gives a breadth to the 
operation of great religious principles 
which would otherwise be unattainable   
when almost all regard for a future life
 is left out of account4 ,christianity  
dwells more on individualism1 but it    
obtains space at once by bringing the   
future life into prominence4 ,in the    
,old ,testament the future of the nation
 takes much the same place as that      

occupied by the future of the individual
 in the ,new ,testament4  ,in reviewing 
the history of ,god's way with ,israel  
,nehemiah lays his finger on the great  
fact of redemption4 ,the ,jews are the  
people whom ,god had redeemed by ,his   
great power and ,his strong hand4#adg   
,universal usage compels us to fix upon 
the exodus under ,moses1 and not        
,zerubbabel's pilgrimage1 as the event  
to which ,nehemiah here alludes4 ,that  
event1 which was the birth of the       
nation1 always comes out in ,hebrew     
literature as the supreme act of ,divine
 grace4 ,in some respects its position  
in the religion of ,israel may be       
likened to that of the cross of ,christ 
in ,christianity4 ,in both cases ,god's 
great work of redeeming ,his children is
 the supreme proof of ,his mercy and the
 grand source of assurance in praying to
 ,him for new help4 ,on the ground of   
the great redemption ,nehemiah advances 
to the special petition with which his  
prayer closes4 ,this is most definite4  

,it is on behalf of his own need2 it is 
for immediate help--this day2 it is for 
one particular need--in his proposed    
approach to ,artaxerxes to plead the    
cause of his people4 ,here then is an   
instance of the most special prayer4 ,it
 is to the point1 and for most pressing 
present requirements4 ,we cannot but be 
struck with the reality of such a       
prayer4 ,having reached this definite   
petition ,nehemiah closes abruptly4     
#adg ,neh4 i4 #aj4  ,when we glance back
 over the prayer as a whole1 we are     
struck with its order and progress4 ,as 
in our ,lord's model prayer1 the first  
part is absorbed with thoughts of ,god2 
it is after uplifting his thoughts to   
heaven that the worshipper comes down to
 human need4 ,then a large place is     
given to sin4 ,this comes first in the  
consideration of man after the          
worshipper has turned his eyes from the 
contemplation of ,god and felt the      
contrast of darkness after light4       
,lastly1 the human subjects of the      

prayer begin in the wider circle of the 
whole nation2 only at the very last1 in 
little more than a sentence1 ,nehemiah  
brings forward his own personal         
petition4 ,thus the prayer gradually    
narrows down from the ,divine to the    
human1 and from the national to the     
individual3 as it narrows it becomes    
more definite1 till it ends in a single 
point2 but this point is driven home by 
the weight and force of all that        
precedes4     ,,chapter ,,xvii4  ,,the  
,,prayer ,,answered4  ,,nehemiah ii4    
#a-h4   ,nehemiah's prayer had commenced
 on celestial heights of meditation     
among thoughts of ,divine grace and     
glory1 and when it had stooped to earth 
it had swept over the wide course of his
 nation's history and poured out a      
confession of the whole people's sin2   
but the final point of it was a definite
 request for the prospering of his      
contemplated interview with the king4   
,artaxerxes was an absolute despot1     
surrounded with the semi-divine honours 

that ,orientals associate with the regal
 state1 and yet in speaking of him      
before the ,god of heaven1 the great and
 terrible ,god1 ,nehemiah loses all awe 
for his majestic pomp1 and describes him
 boldly as this man4#adh ,in the supreme
 splendour of ,god's presence all       
earthly glory fades out of the          
worshipper's sight1 like a glow-worm's  
spark lost in the sunlight4 ,therefore  
no one can be dazzled by human          
magnificence so long as he walks in the 
light of ,god4 ,here1 however1 ,nehemiah
 is speaking of an absent king4 ,now it 
is one thing to be fearless of man when 
alone with ,god in the seclusion of     
one's own chamber1 and quite another to 
be equally imperturbable in the world   
and away from the calming influence of  
undisturbed communion with ,heaven4 ,we 
must remember this if we would do       
justice to ,nehemiah1 because otherwise 
we might be surprised that his          
subsequent action did not show all the  
courage we should have expected4    #adh

 ,neh4 i4 #aa4  ,four months passed away
 before ,nehemiah attempted anything on 
behalf of the city of his fathers4 ,the 
,jewish travellers probably thought that
 their visit to the court servant had   
been barren of all results4 ,we cannot  
tell how this interval was occupied1 but
 it is clear that ,nehemiah was brooding
 over his plans all the time1 and       
inwardly fortifying himself for his     
great undertaking4 ,his ready reply when
 he was suddenly and quite unexpectedly 
questioned by the king shows that he had
 made the troubles of ,jerusalem a      
subject of anxious thought1 and that he 
had come to a clear decision as to the  
course which he should pursue4 ,time    
spent in such fruitful thinking is by no
 means wasted4 ,there is a hasty        
sympathy that flashes up at the first   
sign of some great public calamity1     
eager to do something1 but too blind in 
its impetuosity to consider carefully   
what ought to be done2 and this is often
 the source of greater evils1 because it

 is inconsiderate4 ,in social questions 
especially people are tempted to be     
misled by a blind1 impatient            
philanthropy4 ,the worst consequence of 
yielding to such an influence--and one  
is strongly urged to yield for fear of  
seeming cold and indifferent--is that   
the certain disappointment that follows 
is likely to provoke despair of all     
remedies1 and to end in cynical         
callousness4 ,then1 in the rebound1     
every enthusiastic effort for the public
 good is despised as but the froth of   
sentimentality4  ,very possibly         
,nehemiah had no opportunity of speaking
 to the king during these four months4  
,a ,persian sovereign was waited on by  
several cup-bearers1 and it is likely   
enough that ,nehemiah's terms of service
 were intermittent4 ,on his return to   
the court in due course he may have had 
the first occasion for presenting his   
petition4 ,still it is not to be denied 
that he found great difficulty in       
bringing himself to utter it1 and then  

only when it was dragged out of him by  
the king4 ,it was a petition of no      
common kind4 ,to request permission to  
leave the court might be misconstrued   
unfavourably4 ,herodotus says that      
people had been put to death both by    
,darius and by ,xerxes for showing      
reluctance to accompany their king4     
,then had not this very ,artaxerxes     
sanctioned the raid upon ,jerusalem     
which had resulted in the devastation   
which ,nehemiah deplored and which he   
desired to see reversed8 ,if the king   
remembered his rescript to the ,syrian  
governors1 might he not regard a        
proposal for the reversal of its policy 
as a piece of unwarrantable impertinence
 on the part of his household           
slave--nay1 as an indication of         
treasonable designs8 ,all this would be 
apparent enough to ,nehemiah as he      
handed the wine-cup on bended knee to   
the ,great ,king4 ,is it wonderful then 
that he hesitated to speak1 or that he  
was very sore afraid when the king      

questioned him about his sadness of     
countenance8  ,there is an apparent     
contradiction in ,nehemiah's statement  
concerning this sad appearance of his   
countenance which is obscured in our    
,english translation by the             
unwarrantable insertion of the word     
beforetime in ,nehemiah ii4 #a1 so that 
the sentence reads1 ,now ,i had not been
 beforetime sad in his presence4 ,this  
word is a gloss of the translators4     
,what ,nehemiah really says is simply1  
,now ,i had not been sad in his         
presence--a statement that evidently    
refers to the occasion then being       
described1 and not to previous times nor
 to the cup-bearer's habitual bearing4  
,yet in the very next sentence we read  
how the king asked ,nehemiah the reason 
for the sadness of his countenance4 ,the
 contradiction would be as apparent to  
the writer as it is to us2 and if he    
left it ,nehemiah meant it to stand1 no 
doubt intending to suggest by a dramatic
 description of the scene that he       

attempted to disguise his sorrow1 but   
that his attempt was ineffectual--so    
strong1 so marked was his grief4 ,it was
 a rule of the court etiquette1         
apparently1 that nobody should be sad in
 the king's presence4 ,a gloomy face    
would be unpleasant to the monarch4     
,shakespeare's ,csar knew the security  
of cheerful associates when he said3--  
,let me have men about me that are fat2 
,sleek-headed men1 and such as sleep o' 
nights3   ,yond' ,cassius has a lean and
 hungry look2   ,he thinks too much2    
such men are dangerous4  ,besides1 was  
not the sunshine of the royal           
countenance enough to drive away all    
clouds of trouble from the minds of his 
attendants8 ,nehemiah had drilled       
himself into the courtier's habitual    
pleasantness of demeanour4              
,nevertheless1 though passing1          
superficial signs of emotion may be     
quite reined in by a person who is      
trained to control his features1        
indications of the permanent conditions 

of the inner life are so deeply cut in  
the lines and curves of the countenance 
that the most consummate art of an actor
 cannot disguise them4 ,nehemiah's grief
 was profound and enduring4 ,therefore  
he could not hide it4 ,moreover1 it is a
 king's business to understand men1 and 
long practice makes him an expert in it4
 ,so ,artaxerxes was not deceived by the
 well-arranged smile of his servant2 it 
was evident to him that something very  
serious was troubling the man4 ,the     
sickness of a favourite attendant would 
not be unknown to a kind and observant  
king4 ,nehemiah was not ill1 then4 ,the 
source of his trouble must have been    
mental4 ,sympathy and curiosity combined
 to urge the king to probe the matter to
 the bottom4 ,though alarmed at his     
master's inquiry1 the trembling         
cup-bearer could not but give a true    
answer4 ,here was his great             
opportunity--thrust on him since he had 
not had the courage to find it for      
himself4 ,artaxerxes was not to be      

surprised that a man should grieve when 
the city of his ancestors was lying     
desolate4 ,but this information did not 
satisfy the king4 ,his keen eye saw that
 there was more behind4 ,nehemiah had   
some request which as yet he had not    
been daring enough to utter4 ,with real 
kindness ,artaxerxes invited him to     
declare it4  ,the critical moment had   
arrived4 ,how much hangs upon the next  
sentence--not the continuance of the    
royal favour only1 but perhaps the very 
life of the speaker1 and1 what is of far
 more value to a patriot1 the future    
destiny of his people6 ,nehemiah's      
perception of its intense importance is 
apparent in the brief statement which he
 here inserts in his narrative3 ,so ,i  
prayed to the ,god of heaven4#adi ,he is
 accustomed to drop in suggestive notes 
on his own private and behaviour along  
the course of his narrative4 ,only a few
 lines earlier we came upon one of these
 characteristic autobiographical touches
 in the words1 ,now ,i had not been sad 

in his presence1#aej soon followed by   
another1 ,then ,i was very sore         
afraid4#aea ,such remarks vivify the    
narrative1 and keep up an interest in   
the writer4 ,in the present case the    
interjection is peculiarly suggestive4  
,it was natural that ,nehemiah should be
 startled at the king's abrupt question1
 but it is an indication of his devout  
nature that as the crisis intensified   
his fear passed over into prayer4 ,this 
was not a set season of prayer2 the     
pious ,jew was not in his temple1 nor at
 any proseuch1 there was no time for a  
full1 elaborate1 and orderly utterance1 
such as that previously recorded4 ,just 
at the moment of need1 in the very      
presence of the king1 with no time to   
spare1 by a flash of thought1 ,nehemiah 
retires to that most lonely of all      
lonely places1 the inner city of the    
mind1 there to seek the help of the     
,unseen ,god4 ,and it is enough3 the    
answer is as swift as the prayer2 in a  
moment the weak man is made strong for  

his great effort4    #adi ,neh4 ii4 #d4 
#aej ,neh4 ii4 #a4    #aea ,neh4 ii4 #b4
  ,such a sudden uplifting of the soul  
to ,god is the most real of all prayers4
 ,this at least is genuine and          
heartfelt1 whatever may be the case with
 the semi-liturgical composition the    
thought and beauty of which engaged our 
attention in the previous chapter4 ,but 
then the man who can thus find ,god in a
 moment must be in the habit of         
frequently resorting to the ,divine     
,presence2 like the patriarchs1 he must 
be walking with ,god4 ,the brief and    
sudden prayer reaches heaven as an arrow
 suddenly shot from the bow2 but it goes
 right home1 because he who lets it off 
in his surprise is a good marksman1 well
 practised4 ,this ready prayer only     
springs to the lips of a man who lives  
in a daily habit of praying4 ,we must   
associate the two kinds of prayer in    
order to account for that which is now  
before us4 ,the deliberate exercises of 
adoration1 confession1 and petition     

prepare for the one sudden ejaculation4 
,there we see the deep river which      
supplies the sea of devotion from which 
the momentary prayer is cast up as the  
spray of a wave4 ,therefore it was in a 
great measure on account of his         
deliberate and unwearying daily prayers 
that ,nehemiah was prepared with his    
quick cry to ,god in the crisis of need4
 ,we may compare his two kinds of prayer
 with our ,lord's full and calm         
intercession in ,john xvii4 and the     
short agonised cry from the cross4 ,in  
each case we feel that the sudden appeal
 to ,god in the moment of dire necessity
 is the most intense and penetrating    
prayer4 ,still we must recognise that   
this comes from a man who is much in    
prayer4 ,the truth is that beneath both 
of these prayers--the calm1 meditative  
utterance1 and the simple cry for       
help--there lies the deep1 true essence 
of prayer1 which is no thing of words at
 all1 but which lives on1 even when it  
is voiceless1 in the heart of one of    

whom it can be said1 as ,tennyson says  
of ,mary1--    ,her eyes are homes of   
silent prayer4  ,fortified by his       
moment's communion with ,god1 ,nehemiah 
now makes known his request4 ,he asks to
 be sent to ,jerusalem to repair its    
ruins and fortify the city4 ,this       
petition contains more than lies on the 
surface of the words4 ,nehemiah does not
 say that he wishes to be appointed     
,governor of ,jerusalem in the high     
office which had been held by           
,zerubbabel1 but the subsequent         
narrative shows that he was assigned to 
this position1 and his report of the    
king's orders about the house he was to 
dwell in at ,jerusalem almost implies as
 much4#aeb ,for one of the royal        
household servants to be appointed to   
such a position was doubtless not so    
strange an anomaly in the ,east in      
,nehemiah's day1 as it would be with us 
now4 ,the king's will was the fountain  
of all honour1 and the seclusion in     
which the ,persian monarchs lived gave  

unusual opportunities for the few       
personal attendants who were admitted   
into their presence to obtain great     
favours from them4 ,still ,nehemiah's   
attitude seems to show some             
self-confidence in a young man not as   
yet holding any political office4 ,two  
or three considerations1 however1 will  
give a very different complexion to his 
request4 ,in the first place1 his city  
was in a desperate plight3 deliverance  
was urgently needed2 no help appeared to
 be forthcoming unless he stepped into  
the breach4 ,if he failed1 things could 
hardly become worse than they were      
already4 ,was this an occasion when a   
man should hold back from a sense of    
modesty8 ,there is a false modesty which
 is really a product of the             
self-consciousness that is next door to 
vanity4 ,the man who is entirely        
oblivious of self will sometimes forget 
to be modest4 ,moreover1 ,nehemiah's    
request was at the peril of his life4   
,when it was granted he would be        

launched on a most hazardous            
undertaking4 ,the ambition--if we must  
use the word--which would covet such a  
career is at the very antipodes of that 
of the vulgar adventurer who simply     
seeks power in order to gratify his own 
sense of importance4 ,seekest thou great
 things for thyself8 seek them not4#aec 
,that humbling rebuke may be needed by  
many men2 but it was not needed by      
,nehemiah1 for he was not seeking the   
great things for himself4    #aeb ,neh4 
ii4 #h4    #aec ,jer4 xlv4 #e4  ,it was 
a daring request2 yet the king received 
it most favourably4 ,again1 then1 we    
have the pleasing spectacle of a        
,persian monarch showing kindness to the
 ,jews4 ,this is not the first time that
 ,artaxerxes has proved himself their   
friend1 for there can be no doubt that  
he is the same sovereign as the         
,artaxerxes who despatched ,ezra with   
substantial presents to the aid of the  
citizens of ,jerusalem some twelve or   
thirteen years before4  ,here1 however1 

a little difficulty emerges4 ,in the    
interval between the mission of ,ezra   
and that of ,nehemiah an adverse decree 
had been extracted from the compliant   
sovereign--the decree referred to in    
,ezra iv4 ,now the semi-divinity that   
was ascribed to a ,persian monarch      
involved the fiction of infallibility1  
and this was maintained by a rule making
 it unconstitutional for him to withdraw
 any command that he had once issued4   
,how then could ,artaxerxes now sanction
 the building of the walls of           
,jerusalem1 which but a few years before
 he had expressly forbidden8 ,the       
difficulty vanishes on a very little    
consideration4 ,the king's present      
action was not the withdrawal of his    
earlier decree1 for the royal order to  
the ,samaritans had been just to the    
effect that the building of the walls of
 ,jerusalem should be stopped4#aed ,this
 order had been fully executed2 moreover
 it contained the significant words1    
until another decree shall be made by   

me4#aee ,therefore a subsequent         
permission to resume the work1 issued   
under totally different circumstances1  
would not be a contradiction to the     
earlier order2 and now that a trusty    
servant of the king was to superintend  
the operations1 no danger of            
insurrection need be apprehended4 ,then 
the pointed notice of the fact that the 
chief wife--described as ,the           
,queen--was sitting by ,artaxerxes1 is  
evidently intended to imply that her    
presence helped the request of          
,nehemiah4 ,orientalists have discovered
 her name1 ,damaspia1 but nothing about 
her to throw light on her attitude      
towards the ,jews4 ,she may have been   
even a proselyte1 or she may have simply
 shown herself friendly towards the     
young cup-bearer4 ,no political or      
religious motives are assigned for the  
conduct of ,artaxerxes here4 ,evidently 
,nehemiah regarded the granting of his  
request as a direct result of the royal 
favour shown towards himself4 ,put not  

your trust in princes#aef is a wholesome
 warning1 born of the melancholy        
disappointment of the pilgrims who had  
placed too much hope in the ,messianic  
glamour with which the career of poor   
,zerubbabel opened2 but it does not mean
 that a man is to fling away the        
advantages which accrue to him from the 
esteem he has won in high places4 ,ever 
since the ,israelites showed no scruple 
in spoiling the ,egyptians--and who     
could blame them for seizing at the     
eleventh hour the overdue wages of which
 they had been defrauded for            
generations8--the people of ,god have   
not been slow to reap harvests of       
advantage whenever persecution or cold  
indifference has given place to the     
brief1 fickle favour of the world4 ,too 
often this has been purchased at the    
price of the loss of liberty--a ruinous 
exchange4 ,here is the critical point4  
,the difficulty is to accept aid without
 any compromise of principle4           
,sycophancy is the besetting snare of   

the courtier1 and when the ,church turns
 courtier she is in imminent danger of  
that1 in her1 most fatal fault4 ,but    
,nehemiah affords a splendid example to 
the contrary4 ,in his grand independence
 of character we have a fine instance of
 a wise1 strong use of worldly          
advantages1 entirely free from the      
abuses that too commonly accompany them4
 ,thus he anticipates the idea of the   
,apocalypse where it is said1 ,the earth
 helped the woman4#aeg    #aed ,ezra iv4
 #ba4    #aee ,ibid4    #aef ,psalm     
cxlvi4 #c4    #aeg ,rev4 xii4 #af4  ,the
 interest of the king in his cup-bearer 
is shown by his repeated questions1 and 
by the determined manner in which he    
drags out of ,nehemiah all his plans and
 wishes4 ,every request is granted4 ,the
 favourite servant is too much valued to
 get his leave of absence without some  
limit of time1 but even that is fixed in
 accordance with ,nehemiah's desire4 ,he
 asks and obtains letters of            
introduction to the governors west of   

the ,euphrates4 ,the letters were most  
necessary1 because these very men had   
bestirred themselves to obtain the      
adverse decree but a very few years     
before4 ,it is not likely that they had 
all veered round to favour the hated    
people against whom they had just been  
exhibiting the most severe antagonism4  
,nehemiah therefore showed a wise       
caution in obtaining a sort of safe     
conduct4 ,the friendliness of           
,artaxerxes went still further4 ,the    
king ordered timber to be provided for  
the building and fortifying operations  
contemplated by his cup-bearer2 this was
 to be furnished from a royal hunting   
park--a ,paradise1 to use the ,persian  
word--probably one which formerly       
belonged to the royal demesne of ,judah1
 somewhere in the neighbourhood of      
,jerusalem1 as the head-forester bore a 
,hebrew name1 ,asaph4#aeh ,costly cedars
 for the temple had to be fetched all   
the way from the distant mountains of   
,lebanon1 in ,phoenician territory2 but 

the city gates and the castle and house 
carpentry could be well supplied from   
the oaks and other indigenous timber of 
,palestine4    #aeh ,neh4 ii4 #h4  ,all 
these details evince the practical      
nature of ,nehemiah's patriotism4 ,his  
last word on the happy conclusion of the
 interview with ,artaxerxes1 which he   
had anticipated with so much            
apprehension1 shows that higher thoughts
 were not crushed out by the anxious    
consideration of external affairs4 ,he  
concludes with a striking phrase1 which 
we have met with earlier on the lips of 
,ezra4#aei ,and the king granted me1    
according to the good hand of my ,god   
upon me4#afj ,here is the same          
recognition of ,divine ,providence1 and 
the same graphic image of the hand of   
,god laid on the writer4 ,it looks as   
though the younger man had been already 
a disciple of the ,great ,scribe4 ,but  
his utterance is not the less genuine   
and heartfelt on that account4 ,he      
perceives that his prayer has been heard

 and answered4 ,the strength and beauty 
of his life throughout may be seen in   
his constant reference of all things to 
,god in trust and prayer before the     
event1 and in grateful acknowledgment   
afterwards4    #aei ,ezra vii4 #bh4     
#afj ,neh4 ii4 #h4     ,,chapter        
,,xviii4  ,,the ,,midnight ,,ride4      
,,nehemiah ii4 #i-bj4   ,nehemiah's     
journey up to ,jerusalem differed in    
many respects from ,ezra's great        
expedition1 with a host of emigrants1   
rich stores1 and all the accompaniments 
of a large caravan4 ,burdened with none 
of these encumbrances1 the newly        
appointed governor would be able to     
travel in comparative ease4 ,yet while  
,ezra was ashamed to ask for a military 
escort to protect his defenceless       
multitude and the treasures which were  
only too likely to attract the vulture  
eyes of roving hordes of ,bedouin1      
because1 as he tells us1 he feared such 
a request might be taken as a sign of   
distrust in his ,god1 ,nehemiah accepted

 a troop of cavalry without any         
hesitation4 ,this difference1 however1  
does not reflect any discredit on the   
faith of the younger man4  ,in the first
 place1 his claims on the king were     
greater than those of ,ezra1 who would  
have had to petition for the help of    
soldiers if he had wanted it1 whereas   
,nehemiah received his body-guard as a  
matter of course4 ,ezra had been a      
private subject previous to his         
appointment1 and though he had          
subsequently been endowed with large    
authority of an indefinite character1   
that authority was confined to the      
execution of the ,jewish law2 it had    
nothing to do with the general concerns 
of the ,persian government in ,syria or 
,palestine4 ,but ,nehemiah came straight
 from the court1 where he had been a    
favourite servant of the king1 and he   
was now made the official governor of   
,jerusalem4 ,it was only in accordance  
with custom that he should have an      
escort assigned him when he went to take

 possession of his district4 ,then1     
probably to save time1 ,nehemiah would  
travel by the perilous desert route     
through ,tadmor1 and thus cover the     
whole journey in about two months--a    
route which ,ezra's heavy caravan may   
have avoided4 ,when he reached ,syria   
the fierce animosity which had been     
excited by ,ezra's domestic             
reformation--and which therefore had    
broken out after ,ezra's                
expedition--would make it highly        
dangerous for a ,jew who was going to   
aid the hated citizens of ,jerusalem to 
travel through the mixed population4    
,nevertheless1 after allowing their full
 weight to these considerations1 may we 
not still detect an interesting trait of
 the younger man's character in         
,nehemiah's ready acceptance of the     
guard with which ,ezra had deliberately 
dispensed8 ,in the eyes of the world the
 idealist ,ezra must have figured as a  
most unpractical person4 ,but ,nehemiah1
 a courtier by trade1 was evidently well

 accustomed to affairs4 ,naturally a    
cautious man1 he was always anxious in  
his preparations1 though no one could   
blame him for lack of decision or       
promptness at the moment of action4 ,now
 the striking thing about his character 
in this relation--that which lifts it   
entirely above the level of purely      
secular prudence--is the fact that he   
closely associated his careful habits   
with his faith in ,providence4 ,he would
 have regarded the rashness which       
excuses itself on the plea of faith as  
culpable presumption4 ,his religion was 
all the more real and thorough because  
it did not confine itself to unearthly  
experiences1 or refuse to acknowledge   
the ,divine in any event that was not   
visibly miraculous4 ,no man was ever    
more impressed with the great truth that
 ,god was with him4 ,it was this truth1 
deeply rooted in his heart1 that gave   
him the joy which became the strength1  
the very inspiration of his life4 ,he   
was sure that his commonest secular     

concerns were moulded by the hand of his
 ,god4 ,therefore to his mind the       
detachment of ,persian cavalry was as   
truly assigned to him by ,god as if it  
had been a troop of angels sent straight
 from the hosts of heaven4  ,the highly 
dangerous nature of his undertaking and 
the necessity for exercising the utmost 
caution were apparent to ,nehemiah as   
soon as he approached ,jerusalem4       
,watchful enemies at once showed        
themselves annoyed that there was come a
 man to seek the welfare of the children
 of ,israel4#afa ,it was not any direct 
injury to themselves1 it was the        
prospect of some favour to the hated    
,jews that grieved these people2 though 
doubtless their jealousy was in part    
provoked by dread lest ,jerusalem should
 regain the position of pre-eminence in 
,palestine which had been enjoyed during
 her depression by the rival city of    
,samaria4 ,under these circumstances    
,nehemiah followed the tactics which he 
had doubtless learnt during his life    

among the treacherous intrigues of an   
,oriental court4 ,he did not at first   
reveal his plans4 ,he spent three days  
quietly in ,jerusalem4 ,then he took his
 famous ride round the ruins of the city
 walls4 ,this was as secret as ,king    
,alfred's exploration of the camp of the
 ,danes4 ,without breathing a word of   
his intention to the ,jews1 and taking  
only a horse or an ass to ride on       
himself and a small body of trusty      
attendants on foot1 ,nehemiah set out on
 his tour in the dead of night4 ,no     
doubt the primary purpose of this       
secrecy was that no suspicion of his    
design should reach the enemies of the  
,jews4 ,had these men suspected it they 
would have been beforehand with their   
plans for frustrating it2 spies and     
traitors would have been in the field   
before ,nehemiah was prepared to receive
 them2 emissaries of the enemy would    
have perverted the minds even of loyal  
citizens4 ,it would be difficult enough 
under any circumstances to rouse the    

dispirited people to undertake a work of
 great toil and danger4 ,if they were   
divided in counsel from the first it    
would be hopeless4 ,moreover1 in order  
to persuade the ,jews to fortify their  
city1 ,nehemiah must be prepared with a 
clear and definite proposal4 ,he must be
 able to show them that he understands  
exactly in what condition their ruined  
fortifications are lying4 ,for his      
personal satisfaction1 too1 he must see 
the ruins with his own eyes4 ,ever since
 the travellers from ,jerusalem who met 
him at ,susa had shocked him with their 
evil tidings1 a vision of the broken    
walls and charred gates had been before 
his imagination4 ,now he would really   
see the very ruins themselves1 and      
ascertain whether all was as bad as it  
had been represented4    #afa ,neh4 ii4 
#aj4  ,the uncertainty which still      
surrounds much of the topography of     
,jerusalem1 owing to its very           
foundations having been turned over by  
the ploughshare of the invader1 while   

some of its sacred sites have been      
buried under huge mounds of rubbish1    
renders it impossible to trace          
,nehemiah's night ride in all its       
details4 ,if we are to accept the latest
 theory1 according to which the gorge   
hitherto regarded as the ,tyropoeon is  
really the ancient ,valley of ,hinnom1  
some other sites will need considerable 
readjustment4 ,the ,gate of the ,valley 
seems to be one near the head of the    
,valley of ,hinnom2 we know nothing of  
the ,dragon ,well2 the ,dung ,port would
 be a gateway through which the city    
offal was flung out to the fires in the 
,valley of ,hinnom2 the ,king's ,pool is
 very likely that afterwards known as   
the ,pool of ,siloam4 ,the main         
direction of ,nehemiah's tour of        
inspection is fairly definite to us4 ,he
 started at the western exit from the   
city and passed down to the left1 to    
where the ,valley of ,hinnom joins the  
,valley of the ,kidron2 ascending this  
valley1 he found the masses of stones   

and heaps of rubbish in such confusion  
that he was compelled to leave the      
animal he had been riding hitherto and  
to clamber over the ruins on foot4      
,reaching the north-eastern corner of   
the ,valley of the ,kidron1 he would    
turn round by the northern side of the  
city1 where most of the gates had been  
situated1 because there the city1 which 
was difficult of access to the south and
 the east on account of the encircling  
ravines1 could be easily approached4    
,and what did he gain by his journey8   
,he gained knowledge4 ,the reformation  
that is planned by the student at his   
desk1 without any reference to the      
actual state of affairs1 will be1 at    
best1 a ,utopian dream4 ,but if the     
dreamer is also a man of resources and  
opportunities1 his impracticable schemes
 may issue in incalculable mischief4    
,nothing is more terrible1 says ,goethe1
 than active ignorance4 ,we can smile at
 a knight-errant ,don ,quixote2 but a   
,don ,quixote in power would be as      

dangerous as a ,nero4 ,most schemes of  
socialism1 though they spring from the  
brains of amiable enthusiasts1 break up 
like empty bubbles on the first contact 
with the real world4 ,it is especially  
necessary1 too1 to know the worst4      
,optimism is very cheering in idea1 but 
when it is indulged in to the neglect of
 truth1 with an impatient disregard for 
the shady side of life1 it simply leads 
its devotees into a fools' paradise4    
,the highest idealist must have         
something of the realist in him if he   
would ever have his ideas transformed   
into facts4  ,further1 it is to be noted
 that ,nehemiah would gather his        
information for himself2 he could not be
 content with hearsay evidence4 ,here   
again he reveals the practical man4 ,it 
is not that he distrusts the honesty of 
any agents he might employ1 nor merely  
that he is aware of the deplorable      
inaccuracy of observers generally and   
the inability of nearly all people to   
give an uncoloured account of what they 

have seen2 but he knows that there is an
 impression to be obtained by personal  
observation which the most correct      
description cannot approach4 ,no map or 
book will give a man a right idea of a  
place that he has never visited4 ,if    
this is true of the external world1 much
 more is it the case with those         
spiritual realities which the eye hath  
not seen1 and which therefore it has not
 entered into the heart of man to       
conceive4 ,wordsworth frequently refers 
to his sensations of surprise and       
disappointment passing over into a new  
delight when he first beheld scenes long
 ago described to him in verse of       
legend4 ,he finds ,yarrow visited very  
unlike ,yarrow unvisited4 ,one          
commonplace distinction we must all have
 noticed under similar                  
circumstances--viz41 that the           
imagination is never rich and varied    
enough to supply us with the            
complications of the reality4 ,before we
 have looked at it our idea of the      

landscape is too simple1 and an         
invariable impression produced by the   
actual sight of it is to make us feel   
how much more elaborate it is4 ,indeed a
 personal investigation of most         
phenomena reveals an amount of          
complication previously unsuspected4    
,where the investigation is1 like       
,nehemiah's1 concerned with an evil we  
propose to attack1 the result is that we
 begin to see that the remedy cannot be 
so simple as we imagined before we knew 
all the facts4  ,but the chief effect of
 ,nehemiah's night ride would be to     
impress him with an overwhelming sense  
of the desolation of ,jerusalem4 ,we may
 know much by report1 but we feel most  
keenly that of which we have had        
personal experience4 ,thus the news of a
 gigantic cataclysm in ,china does not  
affect us with a hundredth part of the  
emotion that is excited in us by a      
simple street accident seen from our own
 windows4 ,the man whose heart will be  
moved enough for him to sacrifice       

himself seriously in relieving misery is
 he who will first visit the fatherless 
and widows in their affliction4#afb     
,then the proof that the impression is  
deep and real1 and not a mere idle      
sentiment1 will be seen in the fact that
 it prompts action4 ,nehemiah was moved 
to tears by the report of the ruinous   
condition of ,jerusalem1 which reached  
him in the far-off palace beyond the    
,euphrates4 ,what the scene meant to him
 as he slowly picked his way among the  
huge masses of masonry is seen by his   
conduct immediately afterwards4 ,it must
 have stirred him profoundly4 ,the      
silence of the sleeping city1 broken now
 and again by the dismal howls of packs 
of dogs scouring the streets1 or perhaps
 by the half-human shrieks of jackals on
 the deserted hills in the outlying     
country2 the dreary solitude of the     
interminable heaps of ruins2 the mystery
 of strange objects half-descried in the
 distance by starlight1 or1 at best1 by 
moonlight2 the mournful discovery1 on   

nearer view1 of huge building stones    
tumbled over and strewn about on        
mountainous heaps of dust and rubbish2  
the gloom1 the desolation1 the          
terror1--all this was enough to make the
 heart of a patriot faint with despair4 
,was it possible to remedy such huge    
calamities8    #afb ,james i4 #bg4      
,nehemiah does not despair4 ,he has no  
time to grieve4 ,we hear no more of his 
weeping and lamentation and fasting4    
,now he is spurred on to decisive       
action4  ,fortified by the knowledge he 
has acquired in his adventurous night   
ride1 and urged by the melancholy sights
 he has witnessed1 ,nehemiah loses no   
time in bringing his plans before the   
oligarchy of nobles who held the rule in
 ,jerusalem previous to his coming1 as  
well as the rest of the ,jews4 ,though  
he is now the officially appointed      
governor1 he cannot arrange matters with
 a high hand4 ,he must enlist the       
sympathy and encourage the faith1 both  
of the leaders and of the people        

generally4  ,the following points in his
 speech to the ,jews may be noticed4    
,first1 he calls attention to the       
desolate condition of ,jerusalem4#afc   
,this is a fact well known4 ,ye see the 
evil case that we are in1 he says1 how  
,jerusalem lieth waste1 and the gates   
thereof are burned with fire4 ,the      
danger was that apathy would succeed to 
despair1 for it is possible for people  
to become accustomed to the most        
miserable condition4 ,the reformer must 
infuse a ,divine discontent2 and the    
preliminary step is to get the evil     
plight well recognised and heartily     
disliked4 ,in the second place1         
,nehemiah exhorts the nobles and people 
to join him in building the walls4 ,so  
now he clearly reveals his plan4 ,the   
charm in his utterance here is in the   
use of the first person plural3 not the 
first person singular--he cannot do the 
work alone1 nor does he wish to2 not the
 second person--though he is the        
authoritative governor1 he does not     

enjoin on others a task the toil and    
responsibility of which he will not     
share himself4 ,in the genuine use of   
this pronoun we there lies the secret of
 all effective exhortation4 ,next       
,nehemiah proceeds to adduce reasons for
 his appeal4 ,he calls out the sense of 
patriotic pride in the remark1 that we  
be no more a reproach2 and he goes      
further1 for the ,jews are the people of
 ,god1 and for them to fail is for      
reproach to be cast on the name of ,god 
,himself4 ,here is the great religious  
motive for not permitting the city of   
,god to lie in ruins1 as it is to-day   
the supreme motive for keeping all taint
 of dishonour from the ,church of       
,christ4    #afc ,neh4 ii4 #ag1 #ah4    
,but direct encouragements are needed4  
,a sense of shame may rouse us from our 
lethargy1 and yet in the end it will be 
depressing if it does not give place to 
the inspiration of a new hope4 ,now     
,nehemiah has two fresh grounds of      
encouragement4 ,he first names that     

which he esteems highest--the presence  
and help of ,god in his work4 ,i told   
them1 he says1 of the hand of my ,god   
which was good upon me4 ,how could he   
despair1 even at the spectacle of the   
ruined walls and gateways1 with the     
consciousness of this great and         
wonderful truth glowing in his heart8   
,not that he was a mystic weaving       
fantastic dreams out of the filmy       
substance of his own vague feelings4 ,it
 is true he felt impelled by the strong 
urging of his patriotism1 and he knew   
that ,god was in that holy passion4 ,yet
 his was an objective mind and he       
recognised the hand of ,god chiefly in  
external events--in the ,providence that
 opens doors and indicates paths1 that  
levels mountains of difficulty and fills
 up impassable chasms1 that even bends  
the wills of great kings to do its      
bidding4 ,this action of ,providence he 
had himself witnessed2 his very presence
 at ,jerusalem was a token of it4 ,he1  
once a household slave in the jealous   

seclusion of an ,oriental palace1 was   
now the governor of ,jerusalem1         
appointed to his post for the express   
purpose of restoring the miserable city 
to strength and safety4 ,in all this    
,nehemiah felt the hand of ,god upon    
him4 ,then it was a gracious and        
merciful ,providence that had led him4  
,therefore he could not but own further 
that the hand of ,god was good4 ,he     
perceived ,god's work1 and that work was
 to him most wonderfully full of        
lovingkindness4 ,here indeed was the    
greatest of all encouragements to       
proceed4 ,it was well that ,nehemiah had
 the devout insight to perceive it2 a   
less spiritually minded man might have  
received the marvellous favour without  
ever discovering the hand from which it 
came4 ,following the example of the     
miserable1 worldly ,jacob1 some of us   
wake up in our ,bethel to exclaim with  
surprise1 ,surely the ,lord is in this  
place2 and ,i knew it not4#afd ,but even
 that is better than to slumber on in   

dull indifference1 too dead to recognise
 the ,presence that guides and blesses  
every footstep1 provoking the melancholy
 lamentation3 ,the ox knoweth his owner1
 and the ass his master's crib3 but     
,israel doth not know1 ,my people doth  
not consider4#afe    #afd ,gen4 xxviii4 
#af4    #afe ,isa4 i4 #c4  ,lastly1     
,nehemiah not only perceived the hand of
 ,god and took courage from his         
assurance of the fact2 he made this     
glorious fact known to the nobles of    
,jerusalem in order to rouse their      
enthusiasm4 ,he had the simplicity of   
earnestness1 the openness of one who    
forgets self in advocating a great      
cause4 ,is not reticence in religion too
 often a consequence of the habit of    
turning one's thoughts inward8 ,such a  
habit will vanish at the touch of a     
serious purpose4 ,the man who is in dead
 earnest has no time to be              
self-conscious2 he does not indulge in  
sickly reflections on the effect of what
 he says on other people's opinions     

about himself2 he will not care what    
they think about him so long as he moves
 them to do the thing it is laid on his 
soul to urge upon them4 ,but it is      
difficult to escape from the selfish    
subjectivity of modern religion1 and    
recover the grand naturalness of the    
saints alike of ,old and of ,new        
,testament times4  ,after this          
revelation of the ,divine ,presence1    
,nehemiah's second ground of            
encouragement is of minor interest2 it  
can be but one link in the chain of     
providential leading4 ,yet for a man who
 had not reached his lofty point of     
view1 it would have filled the whole    
horizon4 ,the king had given permission 
to the ,jews to rebuild the walls2 and  
he had allowed ,nehemiah to visit       
,jerusalem for the very purpose of      
carrying out the work4 ,this king1      
,artaxerxes1 whose firman had stopped   
the earlier attempt and even sanctioned 
the devastating raid of the enemies of  
the ,jews1 was now proving himself the  

friend and champion of ,jerusalem6 ,here
 was cheering news6  ,it is not         
surprising that such a powerful appeal  
as this of ,nehemiah's was successful4  
,it was like the magic horn that awoke  
the inmates of the enchanted castle4    
,the spell was broken4 ,the long1       
listless torpor of the ,jews gave place 
to hope and energy1 and the people      
braced themselves to commence the work4 
,these ,jews who had been so lethargic  
hitherto were now the very men to       
undertake it4 ,nehemiah brought no new  
labourers2 but he brought what was      
better1 the one essential requisite for 
every great enterprise--an inspiration4 
,he brought what the world most needs in
 every age4 ,we wait for better men to  
arise and undertake the tasks that seem 
to be too great for our strength2 we cry
 for a new race of ,god-sent heroes to  
accomplish the ,herculean labours before
 which we faint and fail4 ,but we might 
ourselves become the better men2 nay1   
assuredly we should become ,god's       

heroes1 if we would but open our hearts 
to receive the ,spirit by the breath of 
which the weakest are made strong and   
the most indolent are fired with a      
,divine energy4 ,to-day1 as in the time 
of ,nehemiah1 the one supreme need is   
inspiration4     ,,chapter ,,xix4       
,,building ,,the ,,walls4  ,,nehemiah   
iii4   ,the third chapter of the ,book  
of ,nehemiah supplies a striking        
illustration of the constructive        
character of the history of the ,jews in
 the ,persian period4 ,nor is that all4 
,a mechanical1 ,chinese industry may be 
found side by side with indications of  
moral littleness4 ,but the activity     
displayed in the restoration of the city
 walls is more than industrious1 more   
than productive4 ,we must be struck with
 the breadth of the picture4 ,this      
characteristic was manifest in the      
earlier work of building the temple1 and
 it pervades the subsequent religious   
movement of the shaping of ,judaism and 
the development of ,the ,law4 ,here it  

is apparent in the fact that the ,jews  
unite in a great common work for the    
good of the whole community4 ,it was    
right and necessary that they should    
rebuild their private houses2 but though
 it would appear that some of these     
houses must have been in a very ruinous 
condition1 for this was the case even   
with the governor's residence1#aff the  
great scheme now set on foot was for the
 public advantage4 ,there is something  
almost socialistic about the execution  
of it2 at all events we meet with that  
comprehensiveness of view1 that         
elevation of tone1 that sinking of self 
in the interests of society1 which we   
should look for in true citizenship4    
#aff ,neh4 ii4 #h4  ,this is the more   
noteworthy because the object of the    
,jews in the present undertaking was    
what is now called secular4 ,the earlier
 public building operations carried out 
by their fathers had been confessedly   
and formally religious4 ,zerubbabel and 
,jeshua had led a band of pilgrims up to

 ,jerusalem for the express purpose of  
rebuilding the temple1 and at first the 
returned exiles had confined their      
attention to this work and its          
associated sacrificial rites1 without   
revealing any political ambition1 and   
apparently without even coveting any    
civic privileges4 ,subsequently some    
sense of citizenship had begun to appear
 in ,ezra's reformation1 but every      
expression of it had been since checked 
by jealous and hostile influences from  
without4 ,at length ,nehemiah succeeded 
in rousing the spirit of citizenship by 
means of the inspiration of religious   
faith4 ,the new enthusiasm was not      
directly concerned with the temple2 it  
aimed at fortifying the city4 ,yet it   
sprang from prayer and faith4 ,thus the 
,jews were feeling their way to that    
sacredness of civic duties which we in  
the freer air of ,christianity have been
 so slow to acknowledge4  ,the special  
form of this activity in the public     
interest is also significant4 ,the      

process of drawing a line round         
,jerusalem by enclosing it within the   
definite circuit of a wall helped to    
mark the individuality and unity of the 
place as a city1 which an amorphous     
congerie of houses could not be1        
according to the ancient estimate1      
because the chief distinction between a 
city and a village was just this1 that  
the city was walled while the village   
was unwalled4 ,the first privilege      
enjoyed by the city would be its        
security--its strength to withstand     
assaults4 ,but the walls that shut out  
foes shut in the citizens--a fact which 
seems to have been present to the mind  
of the poet who wrote1--    ,our feet   
are standing   ,within thy gates1 ,o    
,jerusalem2   ,jerusalem1 that art      
builded   ,as a city that is compact    
together4#afg    #afg ,psalm cxxii4 #b1 
#c4  ,the city is compact together4     
,city life is corporate life4 ,it is not
 at all easy for us to appreciate this  
fact while our idea of a city is only   

represented by a crowd of men1 women1   
and children crammed into a limited     
space1 but with scarcely any sense of   
common life and aims2 still less when we
 look behind the garish splendour of the
 streets to the misery and degradation1 
the disease and famine and vice1 that   
make their nests under the very shadow  
of wealth and pleasure4 ,naturally we   
turn with loathing from such sights1 and
 long for the fresh1 quiet country life4
 ,but this accidental conglomerate of   
bricks and human beings is in no sense a
 city4 ,the true city--such a city as   
,jerusalem1 or ,athens1 or ,rome in its 
best days--is a focus of the very       
highest development of life known to    
man4 ,the word civilisation should      
remind us that it is the city which     
indicates the difference between the    
cultivated man and the savage4          
,originally it was the civis1 the       
citizen1 who marched in the van of the  
world's progress4 ,nor is it difficult  
to account for his position4            

,intercommunication of ideas sharpening 
intelligence--as iron sharpeneth        
iron1--division of labour permitting the
 specialisation of industry1 combination
 in work making it possible for great   
undertakings to be carried out1 the     
necessity for mutual considerateness    
among the members of a community and the
 consequent development of the social   
sympathies1 all tend to progress4 ,and  
the sense of a common life realised in  
this way has weighty moral issues4 ,the 
larger the social unit becomes1 the more
 will people be freed from pettiness of 
thought and selfishness of aim4 ,the    
first step in this direction is made    
when we regard the family rather than   
the individual as the true unit4 ,if we 
pass beyond this in modern times1 we    
commonly advance straight on to the     
whole nation for our notion of a compact
 community4 ,but the stride is too      
great4 ,very few people are able to     
reach the patriotism that sinks self in 
the larger life of a nation4 ,with a    

,mazzini1 and even with smaller men who 
are magnetised by the passion of such an
 enthusiast in times of excitement1 this
 may be possible4 ,but with ordinary men
 in ordinary times it is not very       
attainable4 ,how many ,englishmen leave 
legacies for the payment of the         
,national ,debt8 ,still more difficult  
is it to become really cosmopolitan1 and
 acquire a sense of the supreme duty of 
living for mankind4 ,our ,lord has come 
to our aid here in giving us a new      
unit--the ,church2 so that to be a      
citizen of this ,city of ,god is to be  
called out of the circle of the narrow1 
selfish interests into the large place  
where great1 common duties and an       
all-comprehensive good of the whole body
 are set before us as the chief aims to 
be pursued4  ,in rebuilding the city    
walls1 then1 ,nehemiah was accomplishing
 two good objects2 he was fortifying the
 place1 and he was restoring its organic
 unity4 ,the two advantages would be    
mutually helpful1 because the weakness  

of ,jerusalem was destroying the        
peculiar character of her life4 ,the    
aristocracy1 thinking it impossible to  
preserve the community in isolation1 had
 encouraged and practised intermarriage 
with neighbouring people1 no doubt from 
a politic regard to the advantage of    
foreign alliances4 ,although ,nehemiah  
was not yet prepared to grapple with    
this great question1 his fortification  
of ,jerusalem would help the citizens to
 maintain their ,jewish separateness1   
according to the principle that only the
 strong can be free4  ,the careful      
report which ,nehemiah has preserved of 
the organisation of this work shows us  
how complete it was4 ,the whole circuit 
of the walls was restored4 ,of course it
 was most necessary that nothing less   
should be attempted1 because1 like the  
strength of a chain1 the strength of a  
fortress is limited to that of its      
weakest part4 ,and yet--obvious as it   
is--probably most failures1 not only in 
public works1 but also in private lives1

 are directly attributable to the       
neglect of this elementary principle of 
defence4 ,the difficulty always is to   
reach that kind of perfection which is  
suggested by the circle1 rather than the
 pinnacle--the perfection of            
completeness4 ,now in the present       
instance the completion of the circuit  
of the walls of ,jerusalem testifies to 
the admirable organising power of       
,nehemiah1 his tact in putting the right
 men in the right places--the most      
important and difficult duty of a leader
 of men1 and his perseverance in        
overcoming the obstacles and objections 
that must have been thrust in his       
path--all of them what people call      
secular qualities1 yet all sustained and
 perfected by a noble zeal and by that  
transparent unselfishness which is the  
most powerful solvent of the selfishness
 of other people4 ,there are more moral 
qualities involved in the art of        
organisation than they would suppose who
 regard it as a hard1 mechanical        

contrivance in which human beings are   
treated like parts of a machine4 ,the   
highest form of organisation is never   
attained in that brutal manner4         
,directly we approach men as persons    
endowed with rights1 convictions1 and   
feelings1 an element of sympathy is     
called for which makes the organising   
process a much more delicate concern4   
,another point calls for remark here4   
,nehemiah's description of his          
organisation of the people for the      
purpose of building the walls links the 
several groups of men who were          
responsible for the different parts with
 their several districts4 ,the method of
 division shows a devolution of         
responsibility4 ,each gang had its own  
bit of wall or its own gate to see to4  
,the rule regulating the assignment of  
districts was that1 as far as           
practicable1 every man should undertake 
the work opposite his own house4 ,he was
 literally to do the thing that lay     
nearest to him in this business4 ,it was

 in every way a wise arrangement4 ,it   
would prevent the disorder and vexation 
that would be excited if people were    
running about to select favourite       
sites--choosing the easiest place1 or   
the most prominent1 or the safest1 or   
any other desirable spot4 ,surely there 
is no principle of organisation so      
simple or so wise as that which directs 
us to work near home in the first       
instance4 ,with the ,jews this rule     
would commend itself to the instinct of 
self-interest4 ,nobody would wish the   
enemy to make a breach opposite his own 
door1 of all places4 ,therefore the most
 selfish man would be likely to see to  
it that the wall near his house was     
solidly built4 ,if1 however1 no other   
inducements had been felt in the end1   
the work would have failed of any great 
public good1 as all purely selfish work 
must ultimately fail4 ,there would have 
been gaps which it was nobody's interest
 in particular to fill4  ,next it is to 
be observed that this building was done 

by piece work1 and that with the names  
of the workmen attached to it1 so that  
if any of them did their work ill the   
fact would be known and recorded to     
their lasting disgrace2 but also so that
 if any put an extra amount of finish on
 their work this too should be known and
 remembered to their credit4 ,the idle  
and negligent workman would willingly be
 lost in the crowd2 but this escape was 
not to be permitted1 he must be dragged 
out and set in the pillory of notoriety4
 ,on the other hand1 the humble and     
devoted citizen would crave no          
recognition1 doing his task lovingly for
 the sake of his ,god and his city1     
feeling that the work was               
everything--the worker nothing4 ,for his
 own sake one who labours in this       
beautiful spirit seems to deserve to be 
sheltered from the blaze of admiration  
at the thought of which he shrinks back 
in dismay4 ,and yet this is not always  
possible4 ,st4 ,paul writes of the day  
when every man's work shall be made     

manifest4#afh ,if the honour is really  
offered to ,god1 who inspires the work1 
the modesty which leads the human agent 
to seek the shade may be overstrained1  
for the servant need not blush to stand 
in the light when all eyes are directed 
to his ,master4 ,but when honour is     
offered to the servant also1 this may   
not be without its advantages4 ,rightly 
taken it will humble him4 ,he will feel 
that his unworthiness would not have    
permitted this if ,god had not been very
 gracious to him4 ,then he will feel    
also that he has a character to         
maintain4 ,if it is ruinous to lose a   
reputation--the better part of me1 as   
poor ,cassio exclaims in his agony of   
remorse--it must be helpful to have one 
to guard from reproach4 ,a good name is 
rather to be chosen than great          
riches1#afi not only because of the     
indirect advantages it brings from the  
consideration of the world--its mere    
purchasing power in the market of human 
favour2 this is its least advantage4    

,its chief value is in the very         
possession of it by one whose honour is 
involved in living worthily of it4      
#afh #a ,cor4 iii4 #ac4    #afi ,prov4  
xxii4 #a4  ,from another point of view  
the record of the names of people who   
have rendered good service may be       
valuable4 ,it will be a stimulus to     
their successors4 ,the ,early ,church   
preserved the names of her confessors   
and martyrs in the diptychs which were  
expressly provided for use in public    
worship1 that ,god might be praised for 
their noble lives1 and that the living  
might be stimulated to follow their     
example4 ,here is one of the great uses 
of history4 ,we cannot afford to forget 
the loyal service of the past1 because  
out of it we draw inspiration for the   
present4 ,the people with a great       
history have come into a rich heritage4 
,to be a child of a really noble house1 
to spring from a family truly without   
reproach--a family all whose sons are   
pure and all whose daughters are        

brave--surely this is to receive a high 
commission to cherish the good name     
unsullied4 ,as the later ,jews gazed at 
the towers of ,jerusalem and marked well
 her bulwarks1 with the thought that    
this massive strength was the fruit of  
the toil and sacrifice of their own     
forefathers--so that the very names of  
individual ancestors were linked with   
exact spots on the grey walls--they     
would hear a call to loyal service      
worthy of their noble predecessors4  ,to
 proceed1 we may observe further that   
the groups of builders fall into several
 classes4 ,the first place is given to  
the priestly order--the high-priest and 
his brethren the priests4#agj ,this is  
quite in accordance with the sacerdotal 
spirit of the times1 when the theocracy 
was emerging into power to take the     
place left vacant by the decay of the   
house of ,david4 ,but the priests are   
not only named first4 ,nehemiah states  
that they were the first to respond to  
his appeal4 ,then--i4e41 after he had   

addressed the assembled ,jews--,then    
,eliashib the high-priest rose up1 etc4 
,this man--the grandson of ,jeshua1 from
 whom so much was expected by           
,zechariah--was the first to set his    
hand to the tremendous task4 ,first in  
honour1 he was first in service4 ,the   
beauty of his action lies in its        
silence4 ,not a word is recorded as     
spoken by him4 ,but he was not satisfied
 to sanction the work of humbler men4   
,he led the people in the best possible 
way1 by beginning the work himself1 by  
directly taking upon him his share of   
it4 ,in this noble simplicity of service
 ,eliashib was followed by the          
priesthood generally4 ,these men put    
forth no claims to immunity from the    
obligation of civic duties or secular   
occupations4 ,it never occurred to them 
to object that such employments were in 
the least degree inconsistent with their
 high office4 ,the priestly order was   
hampered by the strictest rules of      
artificial separation2 but the quaint   

notion--so common in the ,east1 and not 
quite unknown in the ,west--that there  
is something degrading in hard work did 
not enter into them4    #agj ,neh4 iii4 
#a4  ,there are two points to be noticed
 in the special work of the priests4    
,first1 its locality4 ,these ministers  
of the temple set up the ,sheep ,gate1  
which was the gate nearest to the       
temple4 ,thus they made themselves      
responsible for their own quarters1     
guarding what was especially entrusted  
to their care4 ,this was in accordance  
with the plan observed all round the    
city1 that the inhabitants should work  
in the neighbourhood of their respective
 houses4 ,the priests1 who have the     
honour of special connection with the   
temple1 feel that a special charge      
accompanies that honour2 and rightly1   
for responsibility always follows       
privilege4 ,second1 its consecration4   
,the priests sanctified their           
work--i4e41 they dedicated it to ,god4  
,this was not in the sacred             

enclosure--the ,haram as it is now      
called4 ,nevertheless1 their gate and   
wall1 as well as their temple1 were to  
be reckoned holy4 ,they did not hold the
 strange modern notion that while the   
cemetery1 the city of the dead1 is to de
 consecrated1 the city of the living    
requires no consecration4 ,they saw that
 the very stones and timbers of         
,jerusalem belonged to ,god1 and needed 
,his presence to keep them safe and     
pure4 ,they were wise1 for is ,he not   
the ,god of the living and of all the   
concerns of life8  ,the next class of   
workmen is comprised of men who were    
taken according to their families4      
,these would probably be all of them    
citizens of ,jerusalem1 some present by 
right of birth as descendants of former 
citizens1 others perhaps sprung from the
 inhabitants of distant towns not yet   
restored to ,israel who had made        
,jerusalem their home4 ,their duty to   
fortify their own city was indubitable4 
,but now1 as in the earlier lists1 there

 is another class among the laity1      
consisting of the inhabitants of        
neighbouring towns1 who are arranged1   
not according to families1 but according
 to their residence4 ,most likely these 
men were living in ,jerusalem at the    
time2 and yet it is probable that they  
retained their interest in their        
provincial localities4 ,but ,jerusalem  
was the capital1 the centre of the      
nation1 the ,holy ,city4 ,therefore the 
inhabitants of other cities must care   
for her welfare4 ,in a great scheme of  
religious centralisation at ,jerusalem  
,josiah had found the best means of     
establishing unity of worship1 and so of
 impressing upon the worshippers the    
idea of the unity of ,god4 ,the same    
method was still pursued4 ,people were  
not yet ripe for the larger thoughts of 
,god and ,his worship which ,jesus      
expressed by ,jacob's well4 ,until that 
was reached1 external unity with a      
visible centre was essential if a       
multiplex division of divinity was to be

 avoided4 ,after these neighbours who   
thus helped the metropolis we have two  
other groups--the temple servants and   
the trade guilds of goldsmiths and      
merchants4  ,now1 while on all sides    
ready volunteers press forward to the   
work1 just one painful exception is     
found to mar the harmony of the scene1  
or rather to lessen its volume--for this
 was found in abstention1 not in active 
opposition4 ,to their shame it is       
recorded that the nobles of ,tekoa put  
not their necks to the work of their    
,lord4#aga ,the general body of citizens
 from this town took part4 ,we are not  
told why the aristocracy held back4 ,did
 they consider the labour beneath their 
dignity8 or was there a breach between  
them and the townsfolk8 ,the people of  
,tekoa may have been especially         
democratic4 ,ages before1 a herdsman    
from this same town1 the rough prophet  
,amos1 had shown little respect for the 
great ones of the earth4 ,possibly the  
,tekoites had vexed their princes by    

showing a similar spirit of             
independence4 ,but if so1 ,nehemiah     
would regard their conduct as affording 
the princes no excuse4 ,for it was the  
,lord's work that these nobles refused  
to undertake1 and there is no           
justification for letting ,god's service
 suffer when a quarrel has broken out   
between ,his servants4 ,yet how common  
is this miserable result of divisions   
among men who should be united in the   
service of ,god4 ,whatever was the      
cause--whether it was some petty        
personal offence or some grave          
difference of opinion--these nobles go  
down the ages1 like those unhappy men in
 the early days of the ,judges who      
earned the curse of ,meroz1 disgraced   
eternally1 for no positive offence1 but 
simply because they left undone what    
they ought to have done4 ,nehemiah      
pronounces no curse4 ,he chronicles the 
bare fact4 ,but his ominous silence in  
regard to any explanation is severely   
condemnatory4 ,the man who builds his   

house on the sand in hearing ,christ's  
words and doing them not1 the servant   
who is beaten with many stripes because 
he knows his lord's will and does not   
perform it1 that other servant who      
buries his talent1 the virgins who      
forget to fill their vessels with oil1  
the people represented by goats on the  
left hand whose sole ground of          
accusation is that they refused to      
exercise the common charities--all these
 illustrate the important but neglected 
truth that our ,lord's most frequent    
words of condemnation were expressed for
 what we call negative evil--the evil of
 harmless but useless lives4    #aga    
,neh4 iii4 #e4  ,happily we may set     
exceptional devotion in another quarter 
over against the exceptional remissness 
of the nobles of ,tekoa4 ,brief as is   
his summary of the division of the work1
 ,nehemiah is careful to slip in a word 
of praise for one ,baruch the son of    
,zabbai1 saying that this man earnestly 
repaired his portion4#agb ,that one word

 earnestly is a truer stamp of worth    
than all the honours claimed by the     
abstaining nobles on grounds of rank or 
pedigree2 it goes down the centuries as 
the patent of true nobility in the realm
 of industry4    #agb ,neh4 iii4 #bj4   
,,chapter ,,xx4  ,,mark ,,ye ,,well     
,,her ,,bulwarks4  ,,nehemiah iii4      
,the ,book of ,nehemiah is our principal
 authority for the ancient topography of
 ,jerusalem4 ,but1 as we have been      
already reminded1 the sieges from which 
the city has suffered1 and the repeated 
destruction of its walls and buildings1 
have obliterated many of the old        
landmarks beyond recovery4 ,in some     
places the ground is now found to be    
raised sixty feet above the original    
surface2 and in one spot it was even    
necessary to dig down a hundred and     
twenty feet to reach the level of the   
old pavement4 ,it is therefore not at   
all wonderful that the attempt to       
identify the sites here named should    
have occasioned not a little perplexity4

 ,still the explorations of underground 
,jerusalem have brought some important  
facts to light1 and others can be fairly
 divined from a consideration of the    
historical record in the light of the   
more general features of the country1   
which no wars or works of man can alter4
  ,the first1 because the most obvious1 
thing to be noted in considering the    
site of ,jerusalem is its mountainous   
character4 ,jerusalem is a mountain     
city1 as high as a ,dartmoor tor1 some  
two thousand feet above the             
,mediterranean1 with a drop of nearly   
four thousand feet on the farther side1 
beyond the ,mount of ,olives1 towards   
the deep pit where the ,dead ,sea steams
 in tropical heat4 ,looked at from the  
wilderness1 through a gap in the hills  
round ,bethlehem1 she soars above us1   
with her white domes and towers         
clean-cut against the burning sky1 like 
a city of clouds4 ,in spite of the      
blazing southern sunshine1 the air bites
 keenly on that fine altitude4 ,it would

 be only reasonable to suppose that the 
vigour of the highlanders who dwelt in  
,jerusalem was braced by the very       
atmosphere of their home4 ,and yet we   
have had to trace every impulse of zeal 
and energy after the restoration to the 
relaxing plains of the ,euphrates and   
the ,tigris6 ,in all history the moral  
element counts for more than the        
material4 ,race is more than habitat2   
and religion is more than race4         
,closely associated with this           
mountainous character of ,jerusalem is a
 second feature4 ,it is clear that the  
site for the city was chosen because of 
its singularly valuable ready-made      
defences4 ,jerusalem is a natural       
fortress4 ,protected on three sides by  
deep ravines1 it would seem that she    
could be easily made impregnable4 ,how  
awful1 then1 is the irony of her        
destiny6 ,this city1 so rarely favoured 
by nature for security against attack1  
has been more often assaulted and       
captured1 and has suffered more of the  

horrors of war1 than any other spot on  
earth4  ,the next fact to be noticed is 
the small size of ,jerusalem4 ,the      
dimensions of the city have varied in   
different ages4 ,under the ,herods the  
buildings extended far beyond the       
ancient limits1 and villas were dotted  
about on the outlying hills4 ,but in    
,nehemiah's day the city was confined   
within a surprisingly contracted area4  
,the discovery of the ,siloam           
inscription1 leading to the             
identification of the gorge known to the
 ,romans as the ,tyropoeon with the     
ancient ,valley of ,hinnom or ,tophet1  
cuts off the whole of the modern ,zion  
from the site of the ancient city1 and  
points to the conclusion that the old   
,zion must have been nearer ,moriah1 and
 all ,jerusalem crowded in the little   
space to the east of the chasm which was
 once thought to have run up through the
 middle of the city4 ,no doubt the      
streets were narrow2 the houses may have
 been high4 ,still the population was   

but slender1 for after the walls had    
been built ,nehemiah found the space he 
had enclosed too large for the          
inhabitants4#agc ,but our interest in   
,jerusalem is in no way determined by   
her size1 or by the number of her       
citizens4 ,a little town in a remote    
province1 she was politically           
insignificant enough when viewed from   
the standpoint of ,babylon1 and in      
comparison with the many rich and       
populous cities of the vast ,persian    
dominions4 ,it is the more remarkable1  
then1 that successive ,persian          
sovereigns should have bestowed rare    
favours on her4 ,from the day when      
,solomon built his temple1 the unique   
glory of this city had begun to appear4 
,josiah's reformation in concentrating  
the national worship at ,jerusalem      
advanced her peculiar privileges1 which 
the rebuilding of the temple before the 
restoration of the city further         
promoted4 ,jerusalem is the religious   
metropolis of the world4 ,to be first in

 religious honour it was not necessary  
that she should be spacious or populous4
 ,size and numbers count for very little
 in religion4 ,its valuation is         
qualitative1 not quantitative4 ,even the
 extent of its influence1 even the size 
and mass of this1 depends mainly on its 
character4 ,moreover1 in ,jerusalem1 as 
a rule1 the really effective religious  
life was confined to a small group of   
the pious2 sometimes it was gathered up 
in a single individual--a ,jeremiah1 an 
,ezra1 a ,nehemiah4 ,this is a fact     
replete with encouragement for faith4   
,it is an instance of the way in which  
,god chooses the weak things--weak as to
 this world--to confound the strong4 ,if
 a small city could once take the unique
 position held by ,jerusalem1 then why  
should not a small ,church now8 ,and if 
a little knot of earnest men within the 
city could be the nucleus of her        
character and the source of her         
influence1 why should not quite a small 
group of earnest people give a character

 to their ,church1 and1 through the     
,church1 work wonders in the world1 as  
the grain of mustard seed could move a  
mountain8 ,the secret of the miracle is1
 like the secret of nature1 that ,god is
 in the city and the ,church1 as ,god is
 in the seed4 ,when once we have        
discovered this truth as a certain fact 
of life and history1 our estimate of the
 relative greatness of things is        
revolutionised4 ,the map and the census 
then cease to answer our most pressing  
questions4 ,the excellence we look for  
must be spiritual--vigour of faith1     
self-abnegation of love1 passion of     
zeal4    #agc ,neh4 xi4 #a4  ,as we     
follow ,nehemiah round the circuit of   
the walls the more special features of  
the city are brought under our notice4  
,he begins with the ,sheep ,gate1 which 
was evidently near the temple1 and the  
construction of which was undertaken by 
the priests as the first piece of work  
in the great enterprise4 ,the name of   
this gate agrees well with its          

situation4 ,opening on the ,valley of   
the ,kidron1 and facing the ,mount of   
,olives and the lonely pass over the    
hills towards ,jericho1 it would be the 
gate through which shepherds would bring
 in their flocks from the wide pasturage
 of the wilderness4 ,possibly there was 
a market at the open space just inside4 
,the vicinity of the temple would make  
it easy to bring up the victims for the 
sacrifices by this way4 ,as the         
,passover season approached1 the whole  
neighbourhood would be alive with the   
bleating of thousands of lambs4 ,rich   
associations would thus cluster round   
the name of this gate4 ,it would be     
suggestive of the pastoral life so much 
pursued by the men of ,judah1 whose     
favourite king had been a shepherd lad2 
and it would call up deeper thoughts of 
the mystery of sacrifice and the joy of 
the ,paschal redemption of ,israel4 ,to 
us ,christians the situation of the     
,sheep ,gate has a far more touching    
significance4 ,it seems to have stood   

near where the ,st4 ,stephen's ,gate now
 stands2 here1 then1 would be the way   
most used by our ,lord in coming to and 
fro between ,jerusalem and ,bethany1 the
 way by which ,he went out to           
,gethsemane on the last night1 and      
probably the way by which ,he was       
brought back as a sheep among her       
shearers1 as a lamb led to the          
slaughter4  ,going round from this spot 
northwards1 we have the part of the wall
 built by the men of ,jericho1 which    
would still look east1 towards their own
 city1 so that they would always see    
their work when they got their first    
glimpse of ,jerusalem as they passed    
over the ridge of the ,mount of ,olives 
on their pilgrimages up to the feasts4  
,the task of the men of ,jericho ended  
at one of the northern gates1 the       
construction of which1 together with the
 fitting of its ponderous bolts and     
bars1 was considered enough for another 
group of builders4 ,this was called the 
,fish ,gate4 ,since it faced north1 it  

would scarcely have been used by the    
traders who came up from the sea        
fisheries in the ,mediterranean2 it must
 have received the fish supply from the 
,jordan1 and perhaps from as far as the 
,sea of ,galilee4 ,still its name       
suggests a wider range of commerce than 
the ,sheep ,gate1 which let in flocks   
chiefly from neighbouring hills4        
,jerusalem was in a singularly isolated 
spot for the capital of a country1 one  
chosen expressly on account of its      
inaccessibility--the very opposite      
requisite from that of most capitals1   
which are planted by navigable rivers4  
,nevertheless she maintained            
communication1 both political and       
commercial1 with distant towns all along
 the ages of her chequered history4     
,after passing the work of one or two   
,jewish families and that of the        
,tekoites1 memorable for the painful    
fact of the abstention of the nobles1 we
 come to the ,old ,gate4 ,that a gate   
should bear such a name would lead us to

 think that once gates had not been so  
numerous as they were at this time4 ,yet
 most probably the ,old ,gate was really
 new1 because very little of the        
original city remained above ground4    
,but men love to perpetuate memories of 
the past4 ,even what is new in fact may 
acquire a flavour of age by the force of
 association4 ,the wise reformer will   
follow the example of ,nehemiah in      
linking the new on to the old1 and      
preserving the venerable associations of
 antiquity wherever these do not hinder 
present efficiency4  ,next we come to   
the work of men from the northern       
,benjamite towns of ,gibeon and         
,mizpah1#agd whose volunteer service was
 a mark of their own brotherly spirit4  
,it should be remembered1 however1 that 
,jerusalem originally belonged to the   
tribe of ,benjamin4 ,working at the     
northern wall1 in accordance with the   
rule observed throughout that all the   
,jews from outlying places should build 
in the direction of their own cities1   

these ,benjamites carried it on as far  
as the districts of the goldsmiths and  
apothecaries1#age whose principal       
bazaars seem to have occupied the north 
quarter of the city--the quarter most   
suitable for trade1 because first       
reached by most travellers4 ,there1     
however--if we are to accept the        
generally received emendation of the    
text mentioned in the margin of the     
,revised ,version--they found a bit of  
wall that had escaped destruction1 and  
also probably the ,ephraim ,gate1 which 
is not named here1 although it existed  
in the days of ,nehemiah4#agf ,inasmuch 
as the invasions had come from the      
north1 and the recent ,samaritan raid   
had also proceeded from the same        
quarter1 it seems likely that the city  
had been taken on this side4 ,if so1 the
 enemy1 after having got in through a   
gate which they had burnt1 or through a 
breach in the wall1 did not think it    
necessary to waste time in the heavy    
labour of tearing down the wall in their

 rear4 ,perhaps as this was the most    
exposed quarter1 the wall was most solid
 here--it was known as the broad wall4  
,the wealthy goldsmiths would have been 
anxious that their bazaars should not be
 the first parts of the city to         
entertain a marauding host through any  
weakness in the defences4 ,the next bit 
of wall was in the hands of a man of    
some importance1 known as the ruler of  
half the district of ,jerusalem2#agg    
i4e41 he had the management of half the 
land belonging to the city--either a    
sort of police supervision of private   
estates1 or the direct control of land  
owned by the municipality1 and possibly 
farmed for the time being on communal   
principles4    #agd ,neh4 iii4 #g4      
#age ,neh4 iii4 #h4    #agf ,neh4 viii4 
#af4    #agg ,neh4 iii4 #i4  ,still     
following the northern wall1 we pass the
 work of several ,jerusalem families1   
and so on to the potteries1 as we may   
infer from the remark about the tower of
 the furnaces4#agh ,here we must be at  

the ,corner ,gate1#agi which1 however1  
is not now named2 the tower of the      
furnaces may have been part of its      
fortifications4 ,evidently this was an  
important position4 ,the manager of the 
second half of the city estates and the 
villages on them--known as his          
daughters--had the charge of the work   
here4 ,it was four hundred cubits from  
the ,ephraim ,gate to the corner4#ahj   
,at this point the long north wall ends1
 and the fortifications take a sharp    
turn southwards4 ,following the new     
direction1 we pass by the course of the 
,valley of ,hinnom1 leaving it on our   
right4 ,the next gate we meet is named  
after this ravine of evil omen the      
,valley ,gate4 ,it would be here that   
the poor children1 victims to the savage
 ,moloch worship1 had been led out to   
their fate4 ,the name of the gate would 
be a perpetual reminder of the darkest  
passage in the old city's history of sin
 and shame4 ,the gate would face west1  
and1 in accordance with the arrangement 

throughout1 the inhabitants of ,zanoah1 
a town lying out from ,jerusalem ten    
miles in that direction1 undertook the  
erection of it4 ,they also had charge of
 a thousand cubits of wall--an          
exceptionally long piece2 but the gates 
were fewer on this side1 and here       
possibly the steepness of the cliff     
rendered a slighter wall sufficient4    
#agh ,neh4 iii4 #aa4    #agi #b ,chron4 
xxvi4 #i2 ,jer4 xxxi4 #ch4    #ahj #b   
,kings xiv4 #ac4  ,this long1 unbroken  
stretch of wall ends at the ,dung ,gate1
 through which the refuse of the city   
was flung out to the now degraded valley
 which once had been so famous for its  
pleasure gardens4 ,sanitary regulations 
are of course most necessary4 ,we admire
 the minuteness with which they are     
attended to in the ,pentateuch1 and we  
regard the filthy condition of modern   
eastern cities as a sign of neglect and 
decay4 ,still the adornment of a grand  
gateway by the temple1 or the solid     
building of a noble approach to the city

 along the main route from the north1   
would be a more popular undertaking than
 this construction of a ,dung ,gate4 ,it
 is to the credit of ,nehemiah's        
admirable skill in organisation that no 
difficulty was found in filling up the  
less attractive parts of his programme1 
and it is even more to the credit of    
those who accepted the allotment of them
 that1 as far as we know1 they made no  
complaint4 ,a common zeal for the public
 good overcame personal prejudices4 ,the
 just and firm application of a         
universal rule is a great preventative  
of complaints in such a case4 ,when the 
several bands of workers were to        
undertake the districts opposite their  
own houses if they were inhabitants of  
the city1 or opposite their own towns if
 they were provincial ,jews1 it would be
 difficult for any of them to frame a   
complaint4 ,the builders of the ,dung   
,gate came1 it would seem1 from the most
 conspicuous eminence in the wilderness 
of ,southern ,juda--that now known as   

the ,frank ,mountain4 ,the people who   
would take to such an out-of-the-world  
place of abode would hardly be such as  
we should look to for work requiring    
fineness of finish4 ,perhaps they were  
more suited to the unpretentious task   
which fell to their lot4 ,still this    
consideration does not detract from the 
credit of their good-natured            
acquiescence1 for self-seeking people   
are the last to admit that they are not 
fit for the best places4  ,the next gate
 was in a very interesting position at  
the south-west corner1 where the        
,tyropoeon runs down to the ,valley of  
the ,kidron4 ,it was called the         
,fountain ,gate1 perhaps after the one  
natural spring which ,jerusalem         
possesses--that now known as the        
,virgin's ,fountain1 and near to the    
,pool of ,siloam1 where the precious    
water from this spring was stored4 ,the 
very name of the gate would call up     
thoughts of the value of its site in    
times of siege1 when the fountain had to

 be sealed or covered over1 to save it  
from being tampered with by the enemy4  
,close by is a flight of steps1 still   
extant1 that formerly led down to the   
king's garden4 ,we are now near to      
,zion1 in what was once the favourite   
and most aristocratic portion of the    
town4 ,the lowering of the top of ,zion 
in the time of the ,maccabees1 that it  
might not overlook the temple on ,mount 
,moriah1 and the filling up of the      
ravines1 considerably detract from the  
once imposing height of this quarter of 
the city4 ,here ancient ,jerusalem had  
looked superb--like an eagle perched on 
a rock4 ,with such a fortress as ,zion  
her short-sighted citizens had thought  
her impregnable2 but ,nehemiah's        
contemporaries were humbler and wiser   
men than the infatuated ,jews who had   
rejected the warnings of ,jeremiah4     
,the adjoining piece of wall brings us  
round to the tombs of the kings1 which1 
according to the custom of antiquity1 as
 we learn from a cuneiform inscription  

at ,babylon1 were within the city walls1
 although the tombs of less important   
people were outside--just as to this day
 we bury our illustrious dead in the    
heart of the metropolis4 ,nehemiah had  
been moved at the first report of the   
ruin of ,jerusalem by the thought that  
his fathers' sepulchres were there4     
,from this spot it is not so easy to    
trace the remainder of the wall4 ,the   
mention of the ,levites has given rise  
to the opinion that ,nehemiah now takes 
us at once to the temple again2 but this
 is hardly possible in view of his      
subsequent statements4 ,we must first   
work round by ,ophel1 the ,water1 the   
,east1 and the ,horse ,gates--all of    
them apparently leading out towards the 
,valley of the ,kidron4 ,levites and    
,priests1 whose quarters we are         
gradually approaching1 and other        
inhabitants of houses in this district1 
together with people from the ,jordan   
,valley and the east country1 carried   
out this last piece of work as far as a 

great tower standing out between ,ophel 
and the corner of the temple wall1 a    
tower so massive that some of its       
masonry can be seen still standing4 ,but
 the narrative is here so obscure1 and  
the sites have been so altered by the   
ravages of war and time1 that the       
identification of most of them in this  
direction baffles inquiry4  ,mark ye    
well her bulwarks4 ,alas6 they are      
buried in a desolation so huge that the 
utmost skill of engineering science     
fails to trace their course4 ,the latest
 great discovery1 which has simply      
revolutionised the map by identifying   
the ,tyropoeon with the ,old ,testament 
,valley of ,hinnom or ,tophet1 is the   
most striking sign of these             
topographical difficulties4 ,the valley 
itself has been filled up with masses of
 rubbish1 the sight of which to-day     
confirms the dreadful tragedy of the    
history of ,jerusalem1 the most tragic  
history on record4 ,no city was ever    
more favoured by ,heaven1 and no city   

was ever more afflicted4 ,hers were the 
most magnificent endowments1 the highest
 ideals1 the fairest promises2 hers too 
was the most miserable failure4 ,her    
beauty ravaged1 her sanctity defiled1   
her light extinguished1 her joy turned  
into bitterness1 ,heaven's bride has    
been treated as the scum of the streets4
 ,and now1 after being abused by her own
 children1 shattered by the ,babylonian1
 outraged by the ,syrian1 demolished by 
the ,roman1 the city which stoned her   
prophets and clamoured successfully for 
the death of her ,saviour has again     
revived in poverty and misery--the pale 
ghost of her past1 still the victim of  
the oppressor4 ,the witchery of this    
wonderful city fascinates us to-day1 and
 the very syllables of her name         
,,jerusalem sound strangely sweet and   
ineffably sad--    ,most musical1 most  
melancholy4  ,it was fitting that the   
tenderest1 most mournful lament ever    
uttered should have been called forth by
 our ,lord's contemplation of such a    

city--a city which1 deeming herself     
destined to be the joy of all the earth1
 became the plague-spot of history4     
,,chapter ,,xxi4  ,,on ,,guard4         
,,nehemiah ii4 #aj1 #ai2 iv4   ,all his 
arrangements for rebuilding the walls of
 ,jerusalem show that ,nehemiah was     
awake to the dangers with which he was  
surrounded4 ,the secrecy of his night   
ride was evidently intended to prevent a
 premature revelation of his plans4 ,the
 thorough organisation1 the mapping out 
of the whole line of the wall1 and the  
dividing of the building operations     
among forty-two bands of workpeople1    
secured equal and rapid progress on all 
sides4 ,evidently the idea was to rush  
the work1 and to have it fairly well    
advanced1 so as to afford a real        
protection for the citizens1 before any 
successful attempts to frustrate it     
could be carried out4 ,even with all    
these precautions1 ,nehemiah was        
harassed and hindered for a time by the 
malignant devices of his enemies4 ,it   

was only to be expected that he would   
meet with opposition4 ,but a few years  
before all the ,syrian colonists had    
united in extracting an order from      
,artaxerxes for the arrest of the       
earlier work of building the walls1     
because the ,jews had made themselves   
intensely obnoxious to their neighbours 
by sending back the wives they had      
married from among the ,gentile peoples4
 ,the jealousy of ,samaria1 which had   
taken the lead in ,palestine so long as 
,jerusalem was in evidence1 envenomed   
this animosity still more4 ,was it      
likely then that her watchful foes would
 hear with equanimity of the revival of 
the hated city--a city which must have  
seemed to them the very embodiment of   
the anti-social spirit8  ,now1 however1 
since a favourite servant of the ,great 
,king had been appointed governor of    
,jerusalem1 the ,satrap of the ,syrian  
provinces could scarce be expected to   
interfere4 ,therefore the initiative    
fell into the hands of smaller men1 who 

found it necessary to abandon the method
 of direct hostility1 and to proceed by 
means of intrigues and ambuscades4      
,there were three who made themselves   
notorious in this undignified course of 
procedure4 ,two of them are mentioned in
 connection with the journey of         
,nehemiah up to ,jerusalem4#aha ,the    
first1 the head of the whole opposition1
 is ,sanballat1 who is called the       
,horonite1 seemingly because he is a    
native of one of the ,beth-horons1 and  
who appears to be the governor of the   
city of ,samaria1 although this is not  
stated4 ,throughout the history he comes
 before us repeatedly as the foe of the 
rival governor of ,jerusalem4 ,next to  
him comes ,tobiah1 a chief of the little
 trans-,jordanic tribe of the           
,ammonites1 some of whom had got into   
,samaria in the strange mixing up of    
peoples after the ,babylonian conquest4 
,he is called the servant1 possibly     
because he once held some post at court1
 and if so he may have been personally  

jealous of ,nehemiah's promotion4       
#aha ,neh4 ii4 #aj4  ,sanballat and his 
supporter ,tobiah were subsequently     
joined by an ,arabian ,emir named       
,geshem4 ,his presence in the group of  
conspirators would be surprising if we  
had not been unexpectedly supplied with 
the means of accounting for it in the   
recently deciphered inscription which   
tells how ,sargon imported an ,arabian  
colony into ,samaria4 ,the ,arab would  
scent prey in the project of a warlike  
expedition4  ,the opposition proceeded  
warily4 ,at first we are only told that 
when ,sanballat and his friend ,tobiah  
heard of the coming of ,nehemiah1 it    
grieved them exceedingly that there was 
come a man to seek the welfare of the   
children of ,israel4#ahb ,in writing    
these caustic words ,nehemiah implies   
that the jealous men had no occasion to 
fear that he meant any harm to them1 and
 that they knew this4 ,it seems very    
hard to him1 then1 that they should     
begrudge any alleviation of the misery  

of the poor citizens of ,jerusalem4     
,what was that to them8 ,jealousy might 
foresee the possibility of future loss  
from the recovery of the rival city1 and
 in this they might find the excuse for 
their action1 an excuse for not         
anticipating which so fervent a patriot 
as ,nehemiah may be forgiven2           
nevertheless the most greedy sense of   
self-interest on the part of these men  
is lost sight of in the virulence of    
their hatred to the ,jews4 ,this is     
always the case with that cruel         
infatuation--the ,anti-,semitic rage4   
,here it is that hatred passes beyond   
mere anger4 ,hatred is actually pained  
at the welfare of its object4 ,it       
suffers from a ,satanic misery4 ,the    
venom which it fails to plant in its    
victim rankles in its own breast4       
#ahb ,neh4 ii4 #aj4  ,at first we only  
hear of this odious distress of the     
jealous neighbours4 ,but the            
prosecutions of ,nehemiah's immediately 
lead to a manifestation of open         

hostility--verbal in the beginning4 ,no 
sooner had the ,jews made it evident    
that they were responsive to their      
leader's appeal and intended to rise and
 build1 than they were assailed with    
mockery4 ,the ,samaritan and ,ammonite  
leaders were now joined by the ,arabian1
 and together they sent a message of    
scorn and contempt1 asking the handful  
of poor ,jews whether they were         
fortifying the city in order to rebel   
against the king4 ,the charge of a      
similar intention had been the cause of 
stopping the work on the previous       
occasion4#ahc ,now that ,artaxerxes'    
favourite cup-bearer was at the head of 
affairs1 any suspicion of treason was   
absurd2 but since hatred is singularly  
blind--far more blind than love--it is  
barely possible that the malignant      
mockers hoped to raise a suspicion4 ,on 
the other hand1 there is no evidence to 
show that they followed the example of  
the previous opposition and reported to 
headquarters4 ,for the present they seem

 to have contented themselves with      
bitter raillery4 ,this is a weapon      
before which weak men too often give    
way4 ,but ,nehemiah was not so foolish  
as to succumb beneath a shower of poor1 
ill-natured jokes4    #ahc ,ezra iv4    
#ac4  ,his answer is firm and           
dignified4#ahd ,it contains three       
assertions4 ,the first is the most      
important4 ,nehemiah is not ashamed to  
confess the faith which is the source of
 all his confidence4 ,in the eyes of men
 the ,jews may appear but a feeble folk1
 quite unequal to the task of holding   
their ground in the midst of a swarm of 
angry foes4 ,if ,nehemiah had only taken
 account of the political and military  
aspects of affairs1 he might have shrunk
 from proceeding4 ,but it is just the   
mark of his true greatness that he      
always has his eye fixed on a ,higher   
,power4 ,he knows that ,god is in the   
project1 and therefore he is sure that  
it must prosper4 ,when a man can reach  
this conviction1 mockery and insult do  

not move him4 ,he has climbed to a      
serene altitude1 from which he can look 
down with equanimity on the boiling     
clouds that are now far beneath his     
feet4 ,having this sublime ground of    
confidence1 ,nehemiah is able to proceed
 to his second point--his assertion of  
the determination of the ,jews to arise 
and build4 ,this is quite positive and  
absolute4 ,the brave man states it1 too1
 in the clearest possible language4 ,now
 the work is about to begin there is to 
be no subterfuge or disguise4           
,nehemiah's unflinching determination is
 based on the religious confession that 
precedes it4 ,the ,jews are ,god's      
servants2 they are engaged in ,his work2
 they know ,he will prosper them2       
therefore they most certainly will not  
stay their hand for all the gibes and   
taunts of their neighbours4 ,lastly1    
,nehemiah contemptuously repudiates the 
claim of these impertinent intruders to 
interfere in the work of the ,jews2 he  
tells them that they have no excuse for 

their meddling1 for they own no property
 in ,jerusalem1 they have no right of   
citizenship or of control from without1 
and there are no tombs of their         
ancestors in the sacred city4    #ahd   
,neh4 ii4 #bj4  ,in this message of     
,nehemiah's we seem to hear an echo of  
the old words with which the            
temple-builders rejected the offer of   
assistance from the ,samaritans1 and    
which were the beginning of the whole   
course of jealous antagonism on the part
 of the irritated neighbours4 ,but the  
circumstances are entirely altered4 ,it 
is not a friendly offer of co-operation1
 but its very opposite1 a hostile and   
insulting message designed to hinder the
 ,jews1 that is here so proudly         
resented4 ,in the reply of ,nehemiah we 
hear the ,church refusing to bend to the
 will of the world1 because the world   
has no right to trespass on her         
territory4 ,god's work is not to be     
tampered with by insolent meddlers4     
,jewish exclusiveness is painfully      

narrow1 at least in our estimation of   
it1 when it refuses to welcome strangers
 or to recognise the good that lies     
outside the sacred enclosure2 but this  
same characteristic becomes a noble     
quality1 with high ethical and religious
 aims1 when it firmly refuses to        
surrender its duty to ,god at the       
bidding of the outside world4 ,the      
,christian can scarcely imitate         
,nehemiah's tone and temper in this     
matter2 and yet if he is loyal to his   
,god he will feel that he must be       
equally decided and uncompromising in   
declining to give up any part of what he
 believes to be his service of ,christ  
to please men who unhappily as yet have 
no part1 or right1 or memorial in the   
,new ,jerusalem2 although1 unlike the   
,jew of old1 he will be only too glad   
that all men should come in and share   
his privileges4  ,after receiving an    
annoying answer it was only natural that
 the antagonistic neighbours of the     
,jews should be still more embittered in

 their animosity4 ,at the first news of 
his coming to befriend the children of  
,israel1 as ,nehemiah says1 ,sanballat  
and ,tobiah were grieved2 but when the  
building operations were actually in    
process the ,samaritan leader passed    
from vexation to rage--he was wroth and 
took great indignation4#ahe ,this man   
now assumed the lead in opposition to   
the ,jews4 ,his mockery became more     
bitter and insulting4 ,in this he was   
joined by his friend the ,ammonite1 who 
declared that if only one of the foxes  
that prowl on the neighbouring hills    
were to jump upon the wall the creature 
would break it down4#ahf ,perhaps he had
 received a hint from some of his spies 
that the new work that had been so      
hastily pressed forward was not any too 
solid4 ,the ,palestine ,exploration     
,fund has brought to light the          
foundations of what is believed to be a 
part of ,nehemiah's wall at ,ophel1 and 
the base of it is seen to be of rubble1 
not founded on the rock1 but built on   

the clay above1 so that it has been     
possible to drive a mine under it from  
one side to the other--a rough piece of 
work1 very different from the           
beautifully finished temple walls4#ahg  
#ahe ,neh4 iv4 #a4    #ahf ,neh4 iv4 #c4
    #ahg ,conder1 ,bible ,geography1 p4 
#aca  ,nehemiah met the renewed shower  
of insults in a startling manner4 ,he   
cursed his enemies4#ahh ,deploring      
before ,god the contempt that was heaped
 on the ,jews1 he prayed that the       
reproach of the enemies might be turned 
on their own head1 devoted them to the  
horrors of a new captivity1 and even    
went so far as to beg that no atonement 
might be found for their iniquity1 that 
their sin might not be blotted out4 ,in 
a word1 instead of himself forgiving his
 enemies1 he besought that they might   
not be forgiven by ,god4 ,we shudder as 
we read his terrible words4 ,this is not
 the ,christ spirit4 ,it is even        
contrary to the less merciful spirit of 
the ,old ,testament4 ,yet1 to be just to

 ,nehemiah1 we must consider the whole  
case4 ,it is most unfair to tear his    
curse out of the history and gibbet it  
as a specimen of ,jewish piety4 ,even   
strong men who will not give way before 
ridicule may feel its stabs--for        
strength is not inconsistent with       
sensitiveness4 ,evidently ,nehemiah was 
irritated2 but then he was much         
provoked4 ,for the moment he lost his   
self-possession4 ,we must remember that 
the strain of his great undertaking was 
most exhausting1 and we must be patient 
with the utterances of one so sorely    
tried4 ,if lethargic people criticise   
adversely the hasty utterances of a more
 intense nature1 they forget that1      
though they may never lose their        
self-control1 neither do they ever rouse
 themselves to the daring energy of the 
man whose failings they blame4 ,then it 
was not any personal insults hurled     
against himself that ,nehemiah resented 
so fiercely4 ,it was his work that the  
,samaritans were trying to hinder4 ,this

 he believed to be really ,god's work1  
so that the insults offered to the ,jews
 were also directed against ,god1 who   
must have been angry also4 ,we cannot   
justify the curse by the standard of the
 ,christian law2 but it is not          
reasonable to apply that standard to it4
 ,we must set it by the side of the     
,maledictory ,psalms4 ,from the         
standpoint of its author it can be fully
 accounted for4 ,to say that even in    
this way it can be defended1 however1 is
 to go too far4 ,we have no occasion to 
persuade ourselves that any of the ,old 
,testament saints were immaculate1 even 
in the light of ,judaism4 ,nehemiah was 
a great and good man1 yet he was not an 
,old ,testament ,christ4    #ahh ,neh4  
iv4 #d4  ,but now more serious          
opposition was to be encountered4 ,such 
enemies as those angry men of ,samaria  
were not likely to be content with      
venting their spleen in idle mockery4   
,when they saw that the keenest shafts  
of their wit failed to stop the work of 

the citizens of ,jerusalem1 ,sanballat  
and his friends found it necessary to   
proceed to more active measures1 and    
accordingly they entered into a         
conspiracy for the double purpose of    
carrying on actual warfare and of       
intriguing with disaffected citizens of 
,jerusalem--to cause confusion          
therein4#ahi ,nehemiah was too observant
 and penetrating a statesman not to     
become aware of what was going on2 the  
knowledge that the plots existed        
revealed the extent of his danger1 and  
compelled him to make active            
preparations for thwarting them4 ,we may
 notice several important points in the 
process of the defence4    #ahi ,neh4   
iv4 #h1 #aa4  #a4 ,prayer4--,this was   
the first1 and in ,nehemiah's mind the  
most essential defensive measure4 ,we   
find him resorting to it in every       
important juncture of his life4 ,it is  
his sheet-anchor4 ,but now he uses the  
plural number4 ,hitherto we have met    
only with his private prayers4 ,in the  

present case he says1 ,we made our      
prayer unto our ,god4#aij ,had the      
infection of his prayerful spirit       
reached his fellow-citizens1 so that    
they now shared it8 ,was it that the    
imminence of fearful danger drove to    
prayer men who under ordinary           
circumstances forgot their need of ,god8
 ,or were both influences at work8      
,however it was brought about1 this     
association in prayer of some of the    
,jews with their governor must have been
 the greatest comfort to him1 as it was 
the best ground for the hope that ,god  
would not now let them fall into the    
hands of the enemy4 ,hitherto there had 
been a melancholy solitariness about the
 earnest devotion of ,nehemiah4 ,the    
success of his mission began to show    
itself when the citizens began to       
participate in the same spirit of       
devotion4    #aij ,neh4 iv4 #i4  #b4    
,watchfulness4--,nehemiah was not the   
fanatic to blunder into the delusion    
that prayer was a substitute for duty1  

instead of being its inspiration4 ,all  
that followed the prayer was really     
based upon it4 ,the calmness1 hope1 and 
courage won in the high act of communion
 with ,god made it possible to take the 
necessary steps in the outer world4     
,since the greatest danger was not      
expected as an open assault1 it was most
 necessary that an unbroken watch should
 be maintained1 day and night4 ,nehemiah
 had spies out in the surrounding       
country1 who reported to him every      
planned attack4 ,so thorough was this   
system of espionage1 that though no less
 than ten plots were concocted by the   
enemy1 they were all discovered to      
,nehemiah1 and all frustrated by him4   
#c4 ,encouragement4--,the ,jews were    
losing heart4 ,the men of ,judah came to
 ,nehemiah with the complaint that the  
labourers who were at work on the great 
heaps of rubbish were suffering from    
exhaustion4 ,the reduction in the       
numbers of workmen1 owing to the        
appointment of the guard1 would have    

still further increased the strain of   
those who were left to toil among the   
mounds4 ,but it would have been fatal to
 draw back at this juncture4 ,that would
 have been to invite the enemy to rush  
in and complete the discomfiture of the 
,jews4 ,on ,nehemiah came the obligation
 of cheering the dispirited citizens4   
,even the leading men1 who should have  
rallied the people1 like officers at the
 head of their troops1 shared the       
general depression4 ,nehemiah was again 
alone--or at best supported by the      
silent sympathy of his companions in    
prayer4 ,there was very nearly a panic2 
and for one man to stand out under such 
circumstances as these in solitary      
courage1 not only resisting the strong  
contagion of fear1 but stemming the tide
 and counteracting its movement1 this   
would be indeed the sublimity of        
heroism4 ,it was a severe test for      
,nehemiah2 and he came out of it        
triumphant4 ,his faith was the          
inspiration of his own courage1 and it  

became the ground for the encouragement 
of others4 ,he addressed the people and 
their nobles in a spirited appeal4      
,first1 he exhorted them to banish fear4
 ,the very tone of his voice must have  
been reassuring2 the presence of one    
brave man in a crowd of cowards often   
shames them out of their weakness4 ,but 
,nehemiah proceeded to give reasons for 
his encouragement4 ,let the men remember
 their ,god ,jehovah1 how great and     
terrible ,he is6 ,the cause is ,his1 and
 ,his might and terror will defend it4  
,let them think of their people and     
their families1 and fight for brethren  
and children1 for wives and homes6      
,cowardice is unbelief and selfishness  
combined4 ,trust in ,god and a sense of 
duty to others will master the weakness4
  #d4 ,arms4--,nehemiah gave the first  
place to the spiritual and moral        
defences of ,jerusalem4 ,yet his        
material defences were none the less    
thorough on account of his prayers to   
,god or his eloquent exhortation of the 

people and their leaders4 ,they were    
most complete4  ,his arrangements for   
the military protection of ,jerusalem   
converted the whole city into an armed  
camp4 ,half the citizens in turn were to
 leave their work1 and stand at arms    
with swords and spears and bows4 ,even  
in the midst of the building operations 
the clatter of weapons was heard among  
the stones1 because the masons at work  
on the walls and the labourers while    
they poised on their heads baskets full 
of rubbish from the excavations had     
swords attached to their sashes4        
,residents of the suburbs were required 
to stay in the city instead of returning
 home for the night1 and no man could   
put off a single article of clothing    
when he lay down to sleep4 ,nor was this
 martial array deemed sufficient without
 some special provision against a       
surprise4 ,nehemiah therefore went about
 with a trumpeter1 ready to summon all  
hands to any point of danger on the     
first alarm4  ,still1 though the ,jews  

were hampered with these preparations   
for battle1 tired with toil and         
watching1 and troubled by dreadful      
apprehensions1 the work went on4 ,this  
is a great proof of the excellency of   
,nehemiah's generalship4 ,he did not    
sacrifice the building to the fighting4 
,the former was itself designed to      
produce a permanent defence1 while the  
arms were only for temporary use4 ,when 
the walls were up the citizens could    
give the laugh back to their foes4 ,but 
in itself the very act of working was   
reassuring4 ,idleness is a prey to fears
 which industry has no time to          
entertain4 ,every man who tries to do   
his duty as a servant of ,god is        
unconsciously building a wall about     
himself that will be his shelter in the 
hour of peril4     ,,chapter ,,xxii4    
,,usury4  ,,nehemiah v4   ,we open the  
fifth chapter of ,nehemiah with a shock 
of pain4 ,the previous chapter described
 a scene of patriotic devotion in which 
nearly all the people were united for   

the prosecution of one great purpose4   
,there we saw the priests and the       
wealthy citizens side by side with their
 humble brethren engaged in the common  
task of building the walls of ,jerusalem
 and guarding the city against assault4 
,the heartiness with which the work was 
first undertaken1 the readiness of all  
classes to resume it after temporary    
discouragements1 and the martial spirit 
shown by the whole population in        
standing under arms in the prosecution  
of it1 determined to resist any         
interference from without1 were all     
signs of a large-minded zeal in which we
 should have expected private interests 
to have given place to the public       
necessities of the hour4 ,but now we are
 compelled to look at the seamy side of 
city life4 ,in the midst of the         
unavoidable toils and dangers occasioned
 by the animosity of the ,samaritans1   
miserable internal troubles had broken  
out among the ,jews2 and the perplexing 
problems which seem to be inseparable   

from the gathering together of a number 
of people under any known past or       
present social system had developed in  
the most acute form4 ,the gulf between  
the rich and the poor had widened       
ominously2 for while the poor had been  
driven to the last extremity1 their more
 fortunate fellow-citizens had taken a  
monstrously cruel advantage of their    
helplessness4 ,famine-stricken men and  
women not only cried to ,nehemiah for   
the means of getting corn for themselves
 and their families2 they had a         
complaint to make against their         
brethren4 ,some had lost their lands    
after mortgaging them to rich ,jews4    
,others had even been forced by the     
money-lenders to sell their sons and    
daughters into slavery4 ,they must have 
been on the brink of starvation before  
resorting to such an unnatural          
expedient4 ,how wonderfully1 then1 do   
they exhibit the patience of the poor in
 their endurance of these agonies6      
,there were no bread-riots4 ,the people 

simply appealed to ,nehemiah1 who had   
already proved himself their            
disinterested friend1 and who1 as       
governor1 was responsible for the       
welfare of the city4  ,it is not        
difficult to see how it came about that 
many of the citizens of ,jerusalem were 
in this desperate plight4 ,in all       
probability most of ,zerubbabel's and   
,ezra's pilgrims had been in humble     
circumstances4 ,it is true successive   
expeditions had gone up with            
contributions to the ,jerusalem colony2 
but most of the stores they had conveyed
 had been devoted to public works1 and  
even anything that may have been        
distributed among the citizens could    
only have afforded temporary relief4    
,war utterly paralyses industry and     
commerce4 ,in ,juda the unsettled state 
of the country must have seriously      
impeded agricultural and pastoral       
occupations4 ,then the importation of   
corn into ,jerusalem would be almost    
impossible while roving enemies were on 

the watch in the open country1 so that  
the price of bread would rise as a      
result of scarcity4 ,at the same time   
the presence of persons from the        
outlying towns would increase the number
 of mouths to be fed within the city4   
,moreover1 the attention given to the   
building of the walls and the defence of
 ,jerusalem from assault would prevent  
artisans and tradesmen from following   
the occupations by which they usually   
earned their living4 ,lastly1 the former
 governors had impoverished the         
population by exacting grievously heavy 
tribute4 ,the inevitable result of all  
this was debt and its miserable         
consequences4  ,just as in the early    
history of ,athens and later at ,rome1  
the troubles to the state arising from  
the condition of the debtors were now of
 the most serious character4 ,nothing   
disorganises society more hopelessly    
than bad arrangements with respect to   
debts and poverty4 ,nehemiah was justly 
indignant when the dreadful truth was   

made known to him4 ,we may wonder why he
 had not discovered it earlier1 since he
 had been going in and out among the    
people4 ,was there a certain aloofness  
in his attitude8 ,his lonely night ride 
suggests something of the kind4 ,in any 
case his absorbing devotion to his one  
task of rebuilding the city walls could 
have left him little leisure for other  
interests4 ,the man who is engaged in a 
grand scheme for the public good is     
frequently the last to notice individual
 cases of need4 ,the statesman is in    
danger of ignoring the social condition 
of the people in the pursuit of         
political ends4 ,it used to be the      
mistake of most governments that their  
foreign policy absorbed their attention 
to the neglect of home interests4       
,nehemiah was not slow in recognising   
the public need1 when it was brought    
under his notice by the cry of the      
distressed debtors4 ,according to the   
truly modern custom of his time in      
,jerusalem1 he called a public meeting1 

explained the whole situation1 and      
appealed to the creditors to give back  
the mortgaged lands and remit the       
interest on their loans4 ,this was      
agreed to at once1 the popular          
conscience evidently approving of the   
proposal4 ,nehemiah1 however1 was not   
content to let the matter rest here4 ,he
 called the priests1 and put them on    
their oath to see that the promise of   
the creditors was carried out4 ,this    
appeal to the priesthood is very        
significant4 ,it shows how rapidly the  
government was tending towards a        
sacerdotal theocracy4 ,but it is        
important to notice that it was a social
 and not a purely political matter in   
which ,nehemiah looked to the priests4  
,the social order of the ,jews was more 
especially bound up with their religion1
 or rather with their law and its       
regulations1 while as yet questions of  
quasi-foreign policy were freely        
relegated to the purely civil           
authorities1 the heads of families1 the 

nobles1 and the supreme governor under  
the ,persian administration4  ,nehemiah 
followed the example of the ancient     
prophets in his symbolical method of    
denouncing any of the creditors who     
would not keep the promise he had       
extracted from them4 ,shaking out his   
mantle1 as though to cast off whatever  
had been wrapped in its folds1 he       
exclaimed1 ,so ,god shake out every man 
from his house1 and from his labour1    
that performeth not this promise2 even  
thus be he shaken out1 and emptied4#aia 
,this was virtually a threat of         
confiscation and excommunication4 ,yet  
the ,ecclesia gladly assented1 crying   
,amen and praising the ,lord4    #aia   
,neh4 v4 #ac4  ,the extreme position    
here taken up by ,nehemiah and freely   
conceded by the people may seem to us   
unreasonable unless we have considered  
all the circumstances4 ,nehemiah        
denounced the conduct of the            
money-lenders as morally wrong4 ,the    
thing that ye do is not good1 he said4  

,it was opposed to the will of ,god4 ,it
 provoked the reproach of the heathen4  
,it was very different from his own     
conduct1 in redeeming captives and      
supporting the poor out of his private  
means4 ,now1 wherein was the real evil  
of the conduct of these creditors8 ,the 
primitive law of the ,covenant forbad   
the ,jews to take interest for loans    
among their brethren4#aib ,but why so8  
,is there not a manifest convenience in 
the arrangements by which those people  
who possess a superfluity may lend to   
those who are temporarily embarrassed8  
,if no interest is to be paid for such  
loans1 is it to be expected that rich   
people will run the risk and put        
themselves to the certain inconvenience 
they involve8 ,the man who saves        
generally does so in order that his     
savings may be of advantage to him4 ,if 
he consents to defer the enjoyment of   
them1 must not this be for some         
consideration8 ,in proportion as the    
advantages of saving are reduced the    

inducements to save will be diminished1 
and then the available lending fund of  
the community will be lessened1 so that 
fewer persons in need of temporary      
accommodation will be able to receive   
it4 ,from another point of view1 may it 
not be urged that if a man obtains the  
assistance of a loan he should be as    
willing to pay for it as he would be to 
pay for any other distinct advantage8   
,he does not get the convenience of a   
coach-ride for nothing3 why should he   
not expect to pay anything for a lift   
along a difficult bit of his financial  
course8 ,sometimes a loan may be        
regarded as an act of partnership4 ,the 
tradesman who has not sufficient capital
 to carry on his business borrows from a
 neighbour who possesses money which he 
desires to invest4 ,is not this an      
arrangement in which lending at interest
 is mutually advantageous8 ,in such a   
case the lender is really a sort of     
sleeping partner1 and the interest he   
receives is merely his share in the     

business1 because it is the return which
 has come back to him through the use of
 his money4 ,where is the wrong of such 
a transaction8 ,even when the terms are 
more hard on the debtor1 may it not be  
urged that he does not accept them      
blindfold8 ,he knows what he is doing   
when he takes upon himself the          
obligations of his debt and its         
accompanying interest2 he willingly     
enters into the bond1 believing that it 
will be for his own advantage4 ,how then
 can he be regarded as the victim of    
cruelty8    #aib ,exod4 xxii4 #be4      
,this is one side of the subject1 and it
 is not to be denied that it exhibits a 
considerable amount of truth from its   
own point of view4 ,even on this ground1
 however1 it may be doubted whether the 
advantages of the debtor are as great as
 they are represented4 ,the system of   
carrying on business by means of        
borrowed capital is answerable for much 
of the strain and anxiety of modern     
life1 and not a little of the dishonesty

 to which traders are now tempted when  
hard pressed4 ,the offer of temporary   
accommodation is inviting1 but it may be
 questioned whether this is not more    
often than not a curse to those who     
accept it4 ,very frequently it only     
postpones the evil day4 ,certainly it is
 not found that the multiplication of   
pawn-shops tends to the comfort and     
well-being of the people among whom they
 spring up1 and possibly1 if we could   
look behind the scenes1 we should       
discover that lending agencies in higher
 commercial circles were not much more  
beneficial to the community4  ,still1 it
 may be urged1 even if the system of    
borrowing and lending is often carried  
too far1 there are cases in which it is 
manifestly beneficial4 ,the borrower may
 be really helped over a temporary      
difficulty4 ,in a time of desperate need
 he may even be saved from starvation4  
,this is not to be denied4 ,we must look
 at the system as a whole1 however1     
rather than only at its favourable      

instances4  ,the strength of the case   
for lending money at interest rests upon
 certain plain laws of ,political       
,economy4 ,now it is absurd to denounce 
the science of ,political ,economy as   
diabolical4 ,no science can be either   
good or bad1 for by its nature all      
science deals only with truth and       
knowledge4 ,we do not talk of the       
morality of chemistry4 ,the facts may be
 reprehensible2 but the scientific      
co-ordination of them1 the discovery of 
the principles which govern them1 cannot
 be morally culpable4 ,nevertheless     
,political ,economy is only a science on
 the ground of certain pre-suppositions4
 ,remove those pre-suppositions1 and the
 whole fabric falls to the ground4 ,it  
is not then morally condemned2 it is    
simply inapplicable1 because its data   
have disappeared4 ,now one of the       
leading data of this science is the     
principle of self-interest4 ,it is      
assumed throughout that men are simply  
producing and trading for their own     

advantage4 ,if this assumption is       
allowed1 the laws and their results     
follow with the iron necessity of fate4 
,but if the self-seeking principle can  
be removed1 and a social principle be   
made to take its place1 the whole       
process will be altered4 ,we see this   
happening with ,nehemiah1 who is willing
 to lend free of interest4 ,in his case 
the strong pleas for the reasonableness1
 for the very necessity of the other    
system fall to the ground4 ,if the      
contagion of his example were universal1
 we should have to alter our books of   
,political ,economy1 and write on the   
subject from the new standpoint of      
brotherly kindness4  ,we have not yet   
reached the bottom of this question4 ,it
 may still be urged that1 though it was 
very gracious of ,nehemiah to act as he 
did1 it was not therefore culpable in   
others who failed to share his views and
 means not to follow suit4 ,in some     
cases the lender might be depending for 
a livelihood on the produce of his      

loans4 ,if so1 were he to decline to    
exact it1 he himself would be absolutely
 impoverished4 ,we must meet this       
position by taking into account the     
actual results of the money-lending     
system practised by the ,jews in        
,jerusalem in the days of ,nehemiah4    
,the interest was high--the hundredth   
part of the money#aic--;i4e41 with the  
monthly payments usual in the ,east1    
equivalent to twelve per cent4 annual   
interest4 ,then those who could not pay 
this interest1 having already pledged   
their estates1 forfeited the property4  
,a wise regulation of                   
,deuteronomy--unhappily never           
practised--had required the return of   
mortgaged land every seven years4#aid   
,this merciful regulation was evidently 
intended to prevent the accumulation of 
large estates in the hands of rich men  
who would add field to field in a way   
denounced by the prophets with          
indignation4#aie ,thus the tendency to  
inequality of lots would be avoided1 and

 temporary embarrassment could not lead 
to the permanent ruin of a man and his  
children after him4 ,it was felt1 too1  
that there was a sacred character in the
 land1 which was the ,lord's possession4
 ,it was not possible for a man to whom 
a portion had been allotted to wholly   
alienate it2 for it was not his to      
dispose of1 it was only his to hold4    
,this mystical thought would help to    
maintain a sturdy race of               
peasants--,naboth1 for example--who     
would feel their duty to their land to  
be of a religious nature1 and who would 
therefore be elevated and strengthened  
in character by the very possession of  
it4 ,all these advantages were missed by
 the customs that were found to be      
prevalent in the time of ,nehemiah4     
#aic ,neh4 v4 #aa4    #aid ,deut4 xv4   
#a-f4    #aie ,e4g41 ,isa4 v4 #h4  ,far 
worse than the alienation of their      
estates was the selling of their        
children by the hard-pressed creditors4 
,an ancient law of rude times recognised

 the fact and regulated it in regard to 
daughters2#aif but it is not easy to see
 how in an age of civilisation any      
parents possessed of natural feeling    
could bring themselves to consent to    
such a barbarity4 ,that some did so is a
 proof of the morally degrading effect  
of absolute penury4 ,when the wolf is at
 the door1 the hungry man himself       
becomes wolfish4 ,the horrible stories  
of mothers in besieged cities boiling   
and eating their own children can only  
be accounted for by some such           
explanation as this4 ,here we have the  
severest condemnation of the social     
system which permits of the utter       
destitution of a large portion of the   
community4 ,it is most hurtful to the   
characters of its victims2 it           
de-humanises them1 it reduces them to   
the level of beasts4    #aif ,exod4 xxi4
 #g4  ,did ,ezra's stern reformation    
prepare the way for this miserable      
condition of affairs8 ,he had dared to  
tamper with the most sacred domestic    

ties4 ,he had attacked the sanctities of
 the home4 ,may we suppose that one     
result of his success was to lower the  
sense of home duties1 and even to stifle
 the deepest natural affections8 ,this  
is at least a melancholy possibility1   
and it warns us of the danger of any    
invasion of family claims and duties by 
the ,church or the ,state4  ,now it was 
in face of the terrible misery of the   
,jews that ,nehemiah denounced the whole
 practice of usury which was the root of
 it4 ,he was not contemplating those    
harmless commercial transactions by     
which1 in our day1 capital passes from  
one hand to another in a way of business
 that may be equally advantageous to    
borrower and lender4 ,all he saw was a  
state of utter ruin--land alienated from
 its old families1 boys and girls sold  
into slavery1 and the unfortunate       
debtors1 in spite of all their          
sacrifices1 still on the brink of       
starvation4 ,in view of such a frightful
 condition1 he naturally denounced the  

whole system that led to it4 ,what else 
could he have done8 ,this was no time   
for a nice discrimination between the   
use and the abuse of the system4        
,nehemiah saw nothing but abuse in it4  
,moreover1 it was not in accordance with
 the ,hebrew way ever to draw fine      
distinctions4 ,if a custom was found to 
be working badly1 that custom was       
reprobated entirely2 no attempt was made
 to save from the wreck any good        
elements that might have been discovered
 in it by a cool scientific analysis4   
,in ,the ,law1 therefore1 as well as in 
the particular cases dealt with by      
,nehemiah1 lending at interest among    
,jews was forbidden1 because as usually 
practised it was a cruel1 hurtful       
practice4 ,nehemiah even refers to      
lending on a pledge1 without mentioning 
the interest1 as an evil thing1 because 
it was taken for granted that usury went
 with it4#aig ,but that usury was not   
thought to be morally wrong in itself we
 may learn from the fact that ,jews were

 permitted by their law to practise it  
with foreigners1#aih while they were not
 allowed to do any really wrong thing to
 them4 ,this distinction between the    
treatment of the ,jew and that of the   
,gentile throws some light on the       
question of usury4 ,it shows that the   
real ground of condemnation was that the
 practice was contrary to brotherhood4  
,since then ,christianity enlarges the  
field of brotherhood1 the limits of     
exactions are proportionately extended4 
,there are many things that we cannot do
 to a man when we regard him as a       
brother1 although we should have had no 
compunction in performing them before we
 had owned the close relationship4      
#aig ,neh4 v4 #g1 #aj1 where instead of 
usury 7,a4,v47 we should read   pledge4 
#aih ,deut4 xv4 #c-f4  ,we see then that
 what ,nehemiah and the ,jewish law     
really condemned was not so much the    
practice of taking interest in the      
abstract as the carrying on of cruel    
usury among brothers4 ,the evil that    

lies in that also appears in dealings   
that are not directly financial4 ,the   
world thinks of the ,jew too much as of 
a ,shylock who makes his money breed by 
harsh exactions practised on            
,christians4 ,but when ,christians grow 
rich by the ill-requited toil of their  
oppressed fellow-,christians1 when they 
exact more than their pound of flesh1   
when drop by drop they squeeze the very 
life-blood out of their victims1 they   
are guilty of the abomination of        
usury--in a new form1 but with few of   
its evils lightened4 ,to take advantage 
of the helpless condition of a          
fellow-man is exactly the wickedness    
denounced by ,nehemiah in the heartless 
rich men of his day4 ,it is no excuse   
for this that we are within our rights4 
,it is not always right to insist upon  
our rights4 ,what is legally innocent   
may be morally criminal4 ,it is even    
possible to get through a court of      
justice what is nothing better than a   
theft in the sight of ,heaven4 ,it can  

never be right to push any one down to  
his ruin4  ,but1 it may be said1 the    
miserable man brought his trouble upon  
himself by his own recklessness4 ,be it 
so4 ,still he is our brother1 and we    
should treat him as such4 ,we may think 
we are under no obligation to follow the
 example of ,nehemiah1 who refused his  
pay from the impoverished citizens1     
redeemed ,israelites from slavery in    
foreign lands1 lent money free of       
interest1 and entertained a number of   
,jews at his table--all out of the      
savings of his old courtier days at     
,susa4 ,and yet a true ,christian cannot
 escape from the belief that there is a 
real obligation lying on him to imitate 
this royal bounty as far as his means   
permit4  ,the law in ,deuteronomy       
commanded the ,israelite to lend        
willingly to the needy1 and not harden  
his heart or shut up his hands from his 
poor brother4#aii ,our ,lord goes       
further1 for ,he distinctly requires    
,his disciples to lend when they do not 

expect that the loan will ever be       
returned--,if ye lend to them of whom ye
 hope to receive1 ,he asks1 what thanks 
have ye8 even sinners lend to sinners1  
to receive again as much4#bjj ,and ,st4 
,paul is thinking of no work of         
supererogation when he writes1 ,bear ye 
one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the
 law of ,christ4#bja ,yet if somebody   
suggests that these precepts should be  
taken seriously and put in practice     
to-day1 he is shouted down as a fanatic4
 ,why is this8 ,will ,christ be         
satisfied with less than ,his own       
requirements8    #aii ,deut4 xv4 #g1 #h4
    #bjj ,luke vi4 #cd4    #bja ,gal4   
vi4 #b4     ,,chapter ,,xxiii4  ,,wise  
,,as ,,serpents4  ,,nehemiah vi4   ,open
 opposition had totally failed4 ,the    
watchful garrison had not once permitted
 a surprise4 ,in spite of the persistent
 malignity of his enemies1 ,nehemiah had
 raised the walls all round the city    
till not a breach remained anywhere4    
,the doors had yet to be hung at the    

great gateways1 but the fortification of
 ,jerusalem had proceeded so far that it
 was hopeless for the enemy to attempt  
any longer to hinder it by violence4    
,accordingly the leading antagonists    
changed their tactics4 ,they turned from
 force to fraud--a method of strategy   
which was a confession of weakness4 ,the
 antagonism to the ,jews was now in a   
very different position from that which 
it had attained before ,nehemiah had    
appeared on the scene1 and when all     
,syria was moved and ,artaxerxes himself
 won over to the ,samaritan view4 ,it   
had no support from the ,satrap4 ,it was
 directly against the policy sanctioned 
by the king4 ,in its impotence it was   
driven to adopt humiliating devices of  
cunning and deceit2 and even these      
expedients proved to be ineffectual4 ,it
 has been well remarked that the rustic 
tricksters from ,samaria were no match  
for a trained courtier4 ,nehemiah easily
 detected the clumsy snares that were   
set to entrap him4 ,thus he illustrates 

that wisdom of the serpent which our    
,lord commends to ,his disciples as a   
useful weapon for meeting the           
temptations and dangers they must be    
prepared to encounter4 ,the serpent1    
repulsive and noxious1 the common symbol
 of sin1 to some the very incarnation of
 the devil1 was credited with a quality 
worthy of imitation by ,one who could   
see the soul of goodness in things evil4
 ,the subtlety of the keen-eyed1 sinuous
 beast appeared to ,him in the light of 
a real excellence1 which should be      
rescued from its degradation in the     
crawling reptile and set to a worthy    
use4 ,he rejoiced in the revelation made
 to babes2 but it would be an insult to 
the children whom ,he set before us as  
the typical members of the kingdom of   
heaven to mistake this for a benediction
 of stupidity4 ,the fact is1 dulness is 
often nothing but the result of         
indolence2 it often comes from          
negligence in the cultivation of        
faculties ,god has given to men more    

generously than they will acknowledge4  
,surely1 true religion1 since it        
consists in a ,divine life1 must bring  
vitality to the whole man1 and thus     
quicken the intellect as well as the    
heart4 ,st4 ,james refers to the highest
 wisdom as a gift which ,god bestows    
liberally and without upbraiding on     
those who ask for it4#bjb ,our plain    
duty1 therefore1 is not to permit       
ourselves to be befooled to our ruin4   
#bjb ,james i4 #e4  ,but when we compare
 the wisdom of ,nehemiah with the       
cunning of his enemies we notice a broad
 distinction between the two qualities4 
,sanballat and his fellow-conspirator1  
the ,arab ,geshem1 condescend to the    
meanness of deceit3 they try to allure  
their victim into their power2 they     
invite him to trust himself to their    
hospitality while intending to reward   
his confidence with treachery2 they     
concoct false reports to blacken the    
reputation of the man whom they dare not
 openly attack2 with diabolical craft   

one of their agents endeavours to tempt 
,nehemiah to an act of cowardice that   
would involve apparently a culpable     
breach of religious propriety1 in order 
that his influence may be undermined by 
the destruction of his reputation4 ,from
 beginning to end this is all a policy  
of lies4 ,on the other hand1 there is   
not a shadow of insincerity in          
,nehemiah's method of frustrating it4   
,he uses his keen intelligence in       
discovering the plots of his foes2 he   
never degrades it by weaving            
counterplots4 ,in the game of diplomacy 
he outwits his opponents at every stage4
 ,if he would lend himself to their     
mendacious methods1 he might turn them  
round his finger4 ,but he will do       
nothing of the kind4 ,one after another 
he breaks up the petty schemes of the   
dishonest men who continue to worry him 
with their devices1 and quietly hands   
them back the fragments1 to their bitter
 chagrin4 ,his replies are perfectly    
frank2 his policy is clear as the day4  

,wise as the serpent1 he is harmless as 
the dove4 ,a man of astounding          
discernment1 he is nevertheless an      
,israelite indeed1 in whom there is no  
guile4  ,the first proposal had danger  
written on the face of it1 and the      
persistence with which so lame a device 
was repeated does not do much credit to 
the ingenuity of the conspirators4      
,their very malignity seems to have     
blinded them to the fact that they were 
not deceiving ,nehemiah4 ,perhaps they  
thought that he would yield to sheer    
importunity4 ,their suggestion was that 
he should come out of ,jerusalem and    
confer with ,sanballat and his friends  
some miles away in the plain of         
,sharon4#bjc ,the ,jews were known to be
 hard-pressed1 weary1 and               
famine-stricken1 and any overtures that 
promised an amicable settlement1 or even
 a temporary truce1 might be viewed     
acceptably by the anxious governor on   
whose sole care the social troubles of  
the citizens as well as the military    

protection of the city depended4 ,very  
likely information gleaned from spies   
within ,jerusalem guided the            
conspirators in choosing the            
opportunities for their successive      
overtures4 ,these would seem most timely
 when the social troubles of the ,jews  
were most serious4 ,in another way the  
invitation to a parley might be thought 
attractive to ,nehemiah4 ,it would      
appeal to his nobler feelings4 ,a       
generous man is unwilling to suspect the
 dishonesty of his neighbours4    #bjc  
,at ,ono4 ,this place has not yet been  
found4 ,it cannot well be   ,beit ,unia1
 north-west of ,jerusalem1 near ,beitin 
7,bethel74 ,its   association with ,lod 
7,lydda7 in #a ,chron4 viii4 #ab and    
,neh4 xi4 #ce1   points to the          
neighbourhood of the latter place4  ,but
 ,nehemiah was not caught by the        
confidence trick4 ,he knew the          
conspirators intended to do him         
mischief4 ,yet as this intention was not
 actually proved against them1 he put no

 accusation into his reply4 ,the        
inference from it was clear enough4 ,but
 the message itself could not be        
construed into any indication of        
discourtesy4 ,nehemiah was doing a great
 work4 ,therefore he could not come     
down4 ,this was a perfectly genuine     
answer4 ,for the governor to have left  
,jerusalem at the present crisis would  
have been disastrous to the city4 ,the  
conspirators then tried another plan for
 getting ,nehemiah to meet them outside 
,jerusalem4 ,they pretended that it was 
reported that his work in fortifying the
 city was carried on with the object of 
rebelling against the ,persian          
government1 and that this report had    
gone so far as to convey the impression 
that he had induced prophets to preach  
his kingship4 ,some such suspicion had  
been hinted at before1 at the time of   
,nehemiah's coming up to ,jerusalem1#bjd
 but then its own absurdity had         
prevented it from taking root4 ,now the 
actual appearance of the walls round the

 once ruinous city1 and the rising      
reputation of ,nehemiah as a man of     
resource and energy1 might give some    
colour to the calumny4 ,the point of the
 conspirators' device1 however1 is not  
to be found in the actual spreading of  
the dangerous rumour1 but in the alarm  
to be suggested to ,nehemiah by the     
thought that it was being spread4       
,nehemiah would know very well how much 
mischief is wrought by idle and quite   
groundless talk4 ,the libel may be      
totally false1 and yet it may be        
impossible for its victim to follow it  
up and clear his character in every nook
 and cranny to which it penetrates4 ,a  
lie1 like a weed1 if it is not nipped in
 the bud1 sheds seeds which every wind  
of gossip will spread far and wide1 so  
that it soon becomes impossible to stamp
 it out4    #bjd ,neh4 ii4 #ai4  ,in    
their effort to frighten ,nehemiah the  
conspirators suggested that the rumour  
would reach the king4 ,they as much as  
hinted that they would undertake the    

business of reporting it themselves if  
he would not come to terms with them4   
,this was an attempt at extracting      
blackmail4 ,having failed in their      
appeal to his generous instincts1 the   
conspirators tried to work on his fears4
 ,for any one of less heroic mind than  
,nehemiah their diabolical threat would 
have been overwhelmingly powerful4 ,even
 he could not but feel the force of it4 
,it calls to mind the last word of the  
,jews that determined ,pilate to        
surrender ,jesus to the death he knew   
was not merited3 ,if thou let this ,man 
go1 thou art not ,csar's friend4 ,the   
suspicion that always haunts the mind of
 an autocratic sovereign gives undue    
weight to any charges of treason4       
,artaxerxes was not a ,tiberius4 ,but   
the good-natured monarch was liable to  
persuasion4 ,nehemiah must have had     
occasion to witness many instances of   
the fatal consequences of royal         
displeasure4 ,could he rely on the      
continuance of his master's favour now  

he was far from the court1 while lying  
tongues were trying to poison the ears  
of the king8 ,before first speaking of  
his project for helping his people1 he  
had trembled at the risk he was about to
 incur2 how then could he now learn with
 equanimity that a cruelly mendacious   
representation of it was being made to  
,artaxerxes8 ,his sense of the gravity  
of the situation is seen in the way in  
which he met it4 ,nehemiah indignantly  
repudiated the charge4 ,he boldly       
asserted that it had been invented by   
the conspirators4 ,to them he showed an 
unwavering front4 ,but we are able to   
look behind the scenes4 ,it is one      
advantage of this autobiographical      
sketch of ,nehemiah's that in it the    
writer repeatedly lifts the veil and    
reveals to us the secret of his         
thoughts4 ,heroic in the world1 before  
men1 he still knew his real human       
weakness4 ,but he knew too that his     
strength was in ,god4 ,such heroism as  
his is not like the stolidity of the    

lifeless rock4 ,it resembles the        
strength of the living oak1 which grows 
more massive just in proportion as it is
 supplied with fresh sap4 ,according to 
his custom in every critical moment of  
his life1 ,nehemiah resorted to prayer1 
and thus again we come upon one of those
 brief ejaculations uttered in the midst
 of the stress and strain of a busy life
 that light up the pages of his         
narrative from time to time4 ,the point 
of his prayer is simple and definite4   
,it is just that his hands may be       
strengthened4 ,this would have a twofold
 bearing4 ,in the first place1 it would 
certainly seek a revival of inward      
energy4 ,nehemiah waits on the ,lord    
that ,he may renew his strength4 ,he    
knows that ,god helps him through his   
own exercise of energy1 so that if he is
 to be protected he must be made strong4
 ,but the prayer means more than this4  
,for the hands to be strengthened is for
 their work to prosper4 ,nehemiah craves
 the aid of ,god that all may go right  

in spite of the terrible danger from    
lying calumnies with which he is        
confronted2 and his prayer was answered4
 ,the second device was frustrated4     
,the third was managed very differently4
 ,this time ,nehemiah was attacked      
within the city1 for it was now apparent
 that no attempts to lure him outside   
the walls could succeed4 ,a curious     
characteristic of the new incident is   
that ,nehemiah himself paid a visit to  
the man who was the treacherous         
instrument of his enemies' devices4 ,he 
went in person to the house of ,shemaiah
 the prophet--a most mysterious         
proceeding4 ,we have no explanation of  
his reason for going4 ,had the prophet  
sent for ,nehemiah8 or is it possible   
that in the dread perplexity of the     
crisis1 amid the snares that surrounded 
him1 oppressed with the loneliness of   
his position of supreme responsibility1 
,nehemiah hungered for a ,divine message
 from an inspired oracle8 ,it is plain  
from this chapter that the common1      

every-day prophets--so much below the   
great messengers of ,jehovah whose      
writings represent ,hebrew prophecy to  
us to-day--had survived the captivity1  
and were still practising divination    
much after the manner of heathen        
soothsayers1 as their fathers had done  
before them from the time when a young  
farmer's son was sent to ,samuel to     
learn the whereabouts of a lost team of 
asses4 ,if ,nehemiah had resorted to the
 prophet of his own accord1 his danger  
was indeed serious4 ,in this case it    
would be the more to his credit that he 
did not permit himself to be duped4     
,another feature of the strange incident
 is not very clear to us4 ,nehemiah     
tells us that the prophet was shut      
up4#bje ,what does this mean8 ,was the  
man ceremonially unclean8 or ill8 or in 
custody under some accusation8 ,none of 
these three explanations can be         
accepted1 because ,shemaiah proposed to 
proceed at once to the temple with      
,nehemiah1 and thus confessed his       

seclusion to be voluntary4 ,can we give 
a metaphorical interpretation to the    
expression1 and understand the prophet  
to be representing himself as under a   
,divine compulsion1 the thought of which
 may give the more urgency to the advice
 he tenders to ,nehemiah8 ,in this case 
we should look for a more explicit      
statement1 for the whole force of his   
message would depend upon the authority 
thus attributed to it4 ,a simpler       
interpretation1 to which the language of
 ,shemaiah points1 and one in accordance
 with all the wretched1 scheming policy 
of the enemies of ,nehemiah1 is that the
 prophet pretended that he was himself  
in personal danger as a friend and      
supporter of the governor1 and that     
therefore he found it necessary to keep 
himself in seclusion4 ,thus by his own  
attitude he would try to work on the    
fears of ,nehemiah4    #bje ,neh4 vi4   
#aj4  ,the proposal that the prophet    
should accompany ,nehemiah to the       
shelter of the temple1 even into the    

,holy ,place1 was temptingly plausible4 
,the heathen regarded the shrines of    
their gods as sanctuaries1 and similar  
notions seem to have attached themselves
 to the ,jewish altar4 ,moreover1 the   
massive structure of the temple was     
itself a defence--the temple of ,herod  
was the last fortress to be taken in the
 great final siege4 ,in the temple1 too1
 ,nehemiah might hope to be safe from   
the surprise of a street meute among the
 disaffected sections of the population4
 ,above all1 the presence and counsel of
 a prophet would seem to sanction and   
authorise the course indicated4 ,yet it 
was all a cruel snare4 ,this time the   
purpose was to discredit ,nehemiah in   
the eyes of the ,jews1 inasmuch as his  
influence depended largely on his       
reputation4 ,but again ,nehemiah could  
see through the tricks of his enemies4  
,he was neither blinded by self-interest
 nor overawed by prophetic authority4   
,the use of that authority was the last 
arrow in the quiver of his foes4 ,they  

would attack him through his religious  
faith4 ,their mistake was that they took
 too low a view of that faith4 ,this is 
the common mistake of the irreligious in
 their treatment of truly devout men4   
,nehemiah knew that a prophet could err4
 ,had there not been lying prophets in  
the days of ,jeremiah8 ,it is a proof of
 his true spiritual insight that he     
could discern one in his pretended      
protector4 ,the test is clear to a man  
with so true a conscience as we see in  
,nehemiah4 ,if the prophet says what we 
know to be morally wrong1 he cannot be  
speaking from ,god4 ,it is not the      
teaching of the ,bible--not the teaching
 of the ,old ,testament any more than   
that of the ,new--that revelation       
supersedes conscience1 that we are ever 
to take on authority what our moral     
nature abhors4 ,the humility that would 
lay conscience under the heel of        
authority is false and degrading1 and it
 is utterly contrary to the whole tenor 
of ,scripture4 ,one great sign of the   

worth of a prophecy is its character4   
,thus the devout man is to try the      
spirits1 whether they be of ,god4#bjf   
,nehemiah has the clear1 serene         
conscience that detects sin when it     
appears in the guise of sanctity4 ,he   
sees at a glance that it would be wrong 
for him to follow ,shemaiah's advice4   
,it would involve a cowardly desertion  
of his post4 ,it would also involve a   
desecration of the sacred temple        
enclosure4 ,how could he1 being such as 
he was--i4e41 a layman--go into the     
temple1 even to save his life8#bjg ,but 
did not our ,lord excuse ,david for an  
analogous action in eating the          
shewbread8 ,true4 ,but ,nehemiah did not
 enjoy the primitive freedom of ,david1 
nor the later enlightened liberty of    
,christ4 ,in his intermediate position1 
in his age of nascent ceremonialism1 it 
was impossible for him to see that      
simple human necessities could ever     
override the claims of ritual4 ,his duty
 was shaped to him by his beliefs4 ,so  

is it with every man4 ,to him that      
esteemeth anything sin it is sin4#bjh   
#bjf #a ,john iv4 #a4    #bjg ,neh4 vi4 
#aa4    #bjh ,rom4 xiv4 #ad4            
,nehemiah's answer to the proposal of   
the wily prophet is very blunt--,i will 
not go in4 ,bluntness is the best reply 
to sophistry4 ,the whole scheme was open
 to ,nehemiah4 ,he perceived that ,god  
had not sent the prophet1 that this man 
was but a tool in the hands of the      
,samaritan conspirators4 ,in solemnly   
committing the leaders of the vile      
conspiracy to the judgment of ,heaven1  
,nehemiah includes a prophetess1        
,noadiah--degenerate successor of the   
patriotic ,deborah6--and the whole gang 
of corrupt1 traitorous prophets4 ,thus  
the wrongness of ,shemaiah's proposal   
not only discredited his mission2 it    
also revealed the secret of his whole   
undertaking and that of his unworthy    
coadjutors4 ,while ,nehemiah detected   
the character of the false prophecy by  
means of his clear perceptions of right 

and wrong1 those perceptions helped him 
to discover the hidden hand of his foe4 
,he was not to be sheltered in the      
temple1 as ,shemaiah suggested2 but he  
was saved through the keenness of his   
own conscience4 ,in this case the wisdom
 of the serpent in him was the direct   
outcome of his high moral nature and the
 care with which he kept conscience as  
the noontide clear4  ,nehemiah adds two 
items by way of postscripts to his      
account of the building of the walls4   
,the first is the completion of the     
work1 with its effect on the jealous    
enemies of the ,jews4 ,it was finished  
in fifty-two days--an almost incredibly 
short time1 especially when the         
hindrances of internal troubles and     
external attacks are taken into account4
 ,the building must have been hasty and 
rough4 ,still it was sufficient for its 
purpose4 ,the moral effect of it was the
 chief result gained4 ,the sense of     
discouragement now passed over to the   
enemy4 ,it was the natural reaction from

 the mockery with which they had        
assailed the commencement of the work1  
that at the sight of the completion of  
it they should be much cast down4#bji   
,we can imagine the grim satisfaction   
with which ,nehemiah would write these  
words4 ,but they tell of more than the  
humiliation of insulting and deceitful  
enemies2 they complete an act in a great
 drama of ,providence1 in which the     
courage that stands to duty in face of  
all danger and the faith that looks to  
,god in prayer are vindicated4    #bji  
,neh4 vi4 #af4  ,the second postscript  
describes yet another source of danger  
to ,nehemiah--one possibly remaining    
after the walls were up4 ,tobiah1 the   
servant1 had not been included in the   
previous conspiracies4 ,but he was      
playing a little game of his own4 ,the  
intermarriage of leading ,jewish        
families with foreigners was bearing    
dangerous fruit in his case4 ,tobiah had
 married a ,jewess1 and his son had     
followed his example4 ,in each case the 

alliance had brought him into connection
 with a well-known family in ,jerusalem4
 ,these two families pleaded his merits 
with ,nehemiah1 and at the same time    
acted as spies and reported the words of
 the governor to ,tobiah4 ,the          
consequence was the receipt of alarmist 
letters from this man by ,nehemiah4 ,the
 worst danger might thus be found among 
the disaffected citizens within the     
walls who were irritated at the         
rigorously exclusive policy of ,ezra1   
which ,nehemiah had not discouraged1    
although he had not yet had occasion to 
push it further4 ,the stoutest walls    
will not protect from treason within the
 ramparts4 ,so after all the labour of  
completing the fortifications           
,nehemiah's trust must still be in ,god 
alone4     ,,chapter ,,xxiv4  ,,the     
,,law4  ,,nehemiah viii4 #a-h4   ,the   
fragmentary nature of the chronicler's  
work is nowhere more apparent than in   
that portion of it which treats of the  
events immediately following on the     

completion of the fortifications of     
,jerusalem4 ,in ,nehemiah vii4 we have a
 continuation of the governor's personal
 narrative of his work1 describing how  
the watch was organised after the walls 
had been built and the gates set up4#baj
 ,this is followed by a remark on the   
sparseness of the city population1#baa  
which leads ,nehemiah to insert the list
 of ,zerubbabel's pilgrims that the     
chronicler subsequently copies out in   
his account of ,zerubbabel's            
expedition4#bab ,here the subject is    
dropped1 to be resumed at ,nehemiah xi41
 where the arrangements for increasing  
the population of ,jerusalem are        
described4 ,thus we might read right on 
with a continuous narrative--allowing   
for the insertion of the genealogical   
record1 the reason for which is         
obvious--and omit the three intermediate
 chapters without any perceptible       
hiatus1 but1 on the contrary1 with a    
gain in consecutiveness4    #baj ,neh4  
vii4 #a-c4    #baa ,neh4 vii4 #d4       

#bab ,neh4 vii4 #e-gc  ,ezra ii4  ,these
 three chapters stand by themselves1 and
 they are devoted to another matter1 and
 that a matter marked by a certain unity
 and distinctive character of its own4  
,they are written in the third person1  
by the chronicler himself4 ,in them     
,ezra suddenly reappears without any    
introduction1 taking the leading place1 
while ,nehemiah recedes into the        
background1 only to be mentioned once or
 twice1 and then as the loyal supporter 
of the famous scribe4 ,the style has a  
striking resemblance to that of ,ezra1  
from whom therefore1 it has been        
conjectured1 the chronicler may have    
derived his materials4  ,these facts and
 minor points that seem to support them1
 have raised the question whether the   
section ,nehemiah viii4-x4 is found in  
its right place2 whether it should not  
have been joined on to the ,book of     
,ezra as a description of what followed 
immediately after the events there      
recorded and before the advent of       

,nehemiah to ,jerusalem4 ,ezra brought  
the book of ,the ,law with him from     
,babylon4 ,it would be most reasonable  
to suppose that he would seize the first
 opportunity for making it known4       
,accordingly we find that the           
corresponding section in #a ,esdras is  
in this position4#bac ,nevertheless it  
is now generally agreed that the three  
chapters as they stand in the ,book of  
,nehemiah are in their true             
chronological position4 ,twice ,nehemiah
 himself appears in the course of the   
narrative they contain4 ,he is          
associated with ,ezra and the ,levites  
in teaching ,the ,law1#bad and his name 
stands first in the lists of the        
covenanters4#bae ,the admission of these
 facts is only avoided in #a ,esdras by 
an alteration of the text4 ,if we were  
to suppose that the existence of the    
name in our narrative is the result of  
an interpolation by a later hand1 it    
would be difficult to account for this1 
and it would be still more difficult to 

discover why the chronicler should      
introduce confusion into his narrative  
by an aimless misplacement of it4 ,his  
methods of procedure are sometimes      
curious1 it must be admitted1 and that  
we met with a misplaced section in an   
earlier chapter cannot be reasonably    
questioned4#baf ,but the motive which   
probably prompted that peculiar         
arrangement does not apply here4 ,in the
 present case it would result in nothing
 but confusion4    #bac #a ,esdras ix4  
#cg-ee4    #bad ,neh4 viii4 #i4    #bae 
,neh4 x4 #a4    #baf ,ezra iv4 #g-bc4   
,the question is of far more than       
literary interest4 ,the time when ,the  
,law was first made known to the people 
in its entirety is a landmark of the    
first importance for the ,history of    
,israel4 ,there is a profound           
significance in the fact that though    
,ezra had long been a diligent student  
and a careful1 loving scribe1 though he 
had carried up the precious roll to     
,jerusalem1 and though he had been in   

great power and influence in the city1  
he had not found a fitting opportunity  
for revealing his secret to his people  
before all his reforming efforts were   
arrested1 and the city and its          
inhabitants trampled under foot by their
 envious neighbours4 ,then came         
,nehemiah's reconstruction4 ,still the  
consideration of ,the ,law remained in  
abeyance4 ,while ,jerusalem was an armed
 camp1 and while the citizens were      
toiling at the walls or mounting guard  
by turn1 there was no opportunity for a 
careful attention to the sacred         
document4 ,all this time ,ezra was out  
of sight1 and his name not once         
mentioned4 ,yet he was far too brilliant
 a star to have been eclipsed even by   
the rising of ,nehemiah4 ,we can only   
account for the sudden and absolute     
vanishing of the greatest figure of the 
age by supposing that he had retired    
from the scene1 perhaps gone back to    
,babylon alone with his grief and       
disappointment4 ,those were not days for

 the scholar's mission4 ,but now1 with  
the return of some amount of security   
and its accompanying leisure1 ,ezra     
emerges again1 and immediately he is    
accorded the front place and            
,nehemiah--the ,saviour of              
,society--modestly assumes the attitude 
of his disciple4 ,a higher tribute to   
the exalted position tacitly allowed to 
the scribe or a finer proof of the      
unselfish humility of the young         
statesman cannot be imagined4 ,though at
 the height of his power1 having        
frustrated the many evil designs of his 
enemies and completed his stupendous    
task of fortifying the city of his      
fathers in spite of the most vexatious  
difficulties1 the successful patriot is 
not in the least degree flushed with    
victory4 ,in the quietest manner        
possible he steps aside and yields the  
first place to the recluse1 the student1
 the writer1 the teacher4 ,this is a    
sign of the importance that ideas will  
assume in the new age4 ,the man of      

action gives place to the man of        
thought4 ,still more is it a hint of the
 coming ecclesiasticism of the new      
,jewish order4 ,as the civil ruler thus 
takes a lower ground in the presence of 
the religious leader1 we seem to be     
anticipating those days of the triumph  
of the ,church when a king would stand  
like a groom to hold the horse of a     
pope4 ,and yet this is not officially   
arranged4 ,it is not formally conceded  
on the one side1 nor is it formally     
demanded on the other side4 ,the        
situation may be rather compared with   
that of ,savonarola in ,florence when by
 sheer moral force he overtopped the    
power of the ,medici1 or that of ,calvin
 at ,geneva when the municipal council  
willingly yielded to the commanding     
spirit of the minister of religion      
because it recognised the supremacy of  
religion4  ,in such a condition of      
affairs the city was ripe for the public
 exposition of ,the ,law4 ,but even then
 ,ezra only published it after having   

been requested to do so by the people4  
,we cannot assign this delay of his to  
any reluctance to let his               
fellow-countrymen know the law which he 
had long loved and studied in private4  
,we may rather conclude that he         
perceived the utter inutility of any    
attempt to thrust it upon inattentive   
hearers--nay1 the positive              
mischievousness of such a proceeding4   
,this would approach the folly described
 by our ,lord when ,he warned ,his      
disciples against casting pearls before 
swine4 ,very much of the popular        
indifference to the ,bible among large  
sections of the population to-day must  
be laid at the doors of those unwise    
zealots who have dinned the mere letter 
of it into the ears of unwilling        
auditors4 ,the conduct of ,ezra shows   
that1 with all his reverence for ,the   
,law1 the ,great ,scribe did not        
consider that it was to be imposed1 like
 a civil code1 by magisterial authority4
 ,the decree of ,artaxerxes had         

authorised him to enforce it in this way
 on every ,jew west of the              
,euphrates4#bag ,but either the         
unsettled state of the country or the   
wisdom of ,ezra had not permitted the   
application of the power thus conferred4
 ,the ,law was to be voluntarily        
adopted4 ,it was to be received1 as all 
true religion must be received1 in      
living faith1 with the acquiescence of  
the conscience1 judgment1 and will of   
those who acknowledged its obligations4 
#bag ,ezra vii4 #be1 #bf4  ,the occasion
 for such a reception of it was found   
when the ,jews were freed from the toil 
and anxiety that accompanied the        
building of their city walls4 ,the      
chronicler says that this was in the    
seventh month2 but he does not give the 
year4 ,considering the abrupt way in    
which he has introduced the section     
about the reading of ,the ,law1 we      
cannot be certain in what year this took
 place4 ,if we may venture to take the  
narrative continuously1 in connection   

with ,nehemiah's story in the previous  
chapters1 we shall get this occurrence  
within a week after the completion of   
the fortifications4 ,that was on the    
twenty-fifth day of the month           
,elul#bah--;i4e41 the sixth month4 ,the 
reading began on the first day of the   
seventh month4#bai ,that is to say1 on  
this supposition1 it followed           
immediately on the first opportunity of 
leisure4 ,then the time was specially   
appropriate1 for it was the day of the  
,feast of ,trumpets1 which was observed 
as a public holiday and an occasion for 
an assembly--a holy convocation4#bbj ,on
 this day the citizens met in a         
favourite spot1 the open space just     
inside the ,water ,gate1 at the east end
 of the city1 close to the temple1 and  
now part of the ,haram1 or sacred       
enclosure4 ,they were unanimous in their
 desire to have no more delay before    
hearing the law which ,ezra had brought 
up to ,jerusalem as much as thirteen    
years before4 ,why were they all on a   

sudden thus eager1 after so long a      
period of indifference8 ,was it that the
 success of ,nehemiah's work had given  
them a new hope and confidence1 a new   
idea1 indeed8 ,they now saw the compact 
unity of ,jerusalem established4 ,here  
was the seal and centre of their        
separateness4 ,accepting this as an     
accomplished fact1 the ,jews were ready 
and even anxious to know that sacred law
 in which their distinction from other  
people and their consecration to        
,jehovah were set forth4    #bah ,neh4  
vi4 #ae4    #bai ,neh4 viii4 #b4    #bbj
 ,lev4 xxiii4 #bd4  ,not less striking  
is the manner in which ,ezra met this   
welcome request of the ,jews4 ,the scene
 which follows is unique in history--the
 ,great ,scribe with the precious roll  
in his hand standing on a temporary     
wooden platform so that he may be seen  
by everybody in the vast crowd--seven   
,levites supporting him on either       
side#bba--other select ,levites going   
about among the people after each       

section of ,the ,law has been read in   
order to explain it to separate groups  
of the assembly#bbb--the motley         
gathering comprising the bulk of the    
citizens1 not men only but women also1  
for the brutal ,mohammedan exclusiveness
 that confines knowledge to one sex was 
not anticipated by the ancient ,jews2   
not adults only1 but children also1     
those that could understand1 for ,the   
,law is for the simplest minds1 the     
religion of ,israel is to be popular and
 domestic--the whole of this multitude  
assembling in the cool1 fresh morning   
when the first level rays of the sun    
smite the city walls from over the      
,mount of ,olives1 and standing         
reverently hour after hour1 till the hot
 autumn noon puts an end to the lengthy 
meeting4    #bba ,in ,neh4 viii4 #d six 
names are given for the right-hand      
contingent and seven for the left-hand4 
,but since in the corresponding         
account of #a ,esdras fourteen names    
occur1 one name would seem to have      

dropped out of ,nehemiah4 ,the          
prominence given to the ,levites in all 
these scenes and the absence of         
reference to the priests should be      
noted4 ,the ,levites were still         
important personages1 although degraded 
from the priesthood4 ,the priests were  
chiefly confined to ritual   functions2 
later they entered on the duties of     
civil government4 ,the   ,levites were  
occupied with teaching the people1 with 
whom they came   into closer contact4   
,their work corresponded more to that of
 the   pastoral office4 ,in these times1
 too1 most of the scribes seem to have  
been ,levites4    #bbb ,not translating 
it into the ,aramaic dialect4 ,that     
would have   been a superfluous task1   
for the ,jews certainly knew ,hebrew at 
this   time4 ,ezra and ,nehemiah and the
 prophets down to ,malachi wrote in     
,hebrew4  ,in all this the fact which   
comes out most prominently1 accentuated 
by every detail of the arrangements1 is 
the popularisation of ,the ,law4 ,its   

multiplex precepts were not only recited
 in the hearing of men1 women1 and      
children2 they were carefully expounded 
to the people4 ,hitherto it had been a  
matter of private study among learned   
men2 its early development had been     
confined to a small group of faithful   
believers in ,jehovah2 its customary    
practices had been privately elaborated 
through the ages almost like the        
mysteries of a secret cult2 and         
therefore its origin had been buried in 
hopeless obscurity4 ,so it was like the 
priestly ritual of heathenism4 ,the     
priest of ,eleusis guarded his secrets  
from all but those who were favoured by 
being solemnly initiated into them4 ,now
 this unwholesome condition was to      
cease4 ,the most sacred rites were to be
 expounded to all the people4 ,ezra knew
 that the only worship ,god would accept
 must be offered with the mind and the  
heart4 ,moreover1 ,the ,law concerned   
the actions of the people themselves1   
their own minute observance of          

purifications and careful avoidance of  
defilements1 their own offerings and    
festivals4 ,no priestly performances    
could avail as a substitute for these   
popular religious observances4  ,yet    
much of ,the ,law was occupied with     
directions concerning the functions of  
the priests and the sacrificial ritual4 
,by acquainting the laity with these    
directions1 ,ezra and his helpers were  
doing their best to fortify the nation  
against the tyranny of sacerdotalism4   
,the ,levites1 who at this time were    
probably still sore at the thought of   
their degradation1 and jealous of the   
favoured line of ,zadok1 would naturally
 fall in with such a policy4 ,it was the
 more remarkable because the new        
theocracy was just now coming into      
power4 ,here would be a powerful        
protection against the abuse of its     
privileges by the hierarchy4 ,priests1  
all the world over1 have made capital   
out of their exclusive knowledge of the 
ritual of religion4 ,they have jealously

 guarded their secrets from the         
uninitiated multitude1 so as to make    
themselves necessary to anxious         
worshippers who dreaded to give offence 
to their gods or to fail in their       
sacrifices through ignorance of the     
prescribed methods4 ,by committing the  
knowledge of ,the ,law to the people1   
,ezra protected the ,jews against this  
abuse4 ,everything was to be above      
board1 in broad daylight2 and the       
degradation of ignorant worship was not 
to be encouraged1 much as a corrupt     
priesthood in later times might desire  
it4 ,an indirect consequence of this    
publication of ,the ,law with the       
careful instruction of the people in its
 contents was that the element of       
knowledge took a more exalted position  
in religion4 ,it is not the magical     
priest1 it is the logical scribe who    
really leads the people now4 ,ideas will
 mean more than in the old days of      
obscure ritual4 ,there is an end to the 
dim religious light4 ,henceforth        

,torah--,instruction--is to be the most 
fundamental ground of faith4  ,it is    
important that we should see clearly    
what was contained in this roll of ,the 
,law out of which ,ezra read to the     
citizens of ,jerusalem4 ,the distress   
with which its contents were received   
would lead us to suppose that the grave 
minatory passages of ,deuteronomy were  
especially prominent in the reading4 ,we
 cannot gather from the present scene   
any further indications of the subjects 
brought before the ,jews4 ,but from     
other parts of the ,book of ,nehemiah we
 can learn for certain that the whole of
 the ,pentateuch was now introduced to  
the people4 ,if it was not all read out 
in the ,ecclesia1 it was all in the     
hands of ,ezra1 and its several parts   
were made known from time to time as    
occasion required4 ,first1 we may infer 
that in addition to ,deuteronomy ,ezra's
 law contained the ancient ,jehovistic  
narrative1 because the treatment of     
mixed marriages#bbc refers to the       

contents of this portion of the         
,pentateuch4#bbd ,secondly1 we may see  
that it included ,the ,law of ,holiness1
 because the regulations concerning the 
sabbatic year#bbe are copied from that  
collection of rules about defilement and
 consecration4#bbf ,thirdly1 we may be  
equally sure that it did not lack ,the  
,priestly ,code--the elaborate system of
 ritual which occupies the greater part 
of ,numbers and ,leviticus--because the 
law of the firstfruits#bbg is taken from
 that source4#bbh ,here1 then1 we find  
allusions to the principal constituent  
elements of the ,pentateuch scattered   
over the brief ,book of ,nehemiah4 ,it  
is clear1 therefore1 that the great     
accretion of customs and teachings1     
which only reached completion after the 
close of the captivity1 was the treasure
 ,ezra now introduced to his people4    
,henceforth nothing less can be         
understood when the title ,the ,law is  
used4 ,from this time obedience to the  
,torah will involve subjection to the   

whole system of priestly and sacrificial
 regulations1 to all the rules of       
cleanness and consecration and sacrifice
 contained in the ,pentateuch4#bbi      
#bbc ,neh4 x4 #cj4    #bbd ,exod4 xxxiv4
 #af4    #bbe ,neh4 x4 #ca4    #bbf     
,lev4 xxv4 #b-g4    #bbg ,neh4 x4       
#ce-ci4    #bbh ,lev4 xxvii4 #cj2 ,num4 
xv4 #bj ff41 xviii4 #aa-cb4    #bbi     
,strictly speaking1 the ,hexateuch1 as  
,joshua was undoubtedly   included in   
the volume4 ,but the familiar term      
,pentateuch may serve   here1 as it is  
to the legal requirements contained in  
the earlier   books that reference is   
made4  ,a more difficult point to be    
determined is1 how far this ,pentateuch 
was really a new thing when it was      
introduced by ,ezra4 ,here we must      
separate two very different questions4  
,if they had always been kept apart1    
much confusion would have been avoided4 
,the first is the question of the       
novelty of ,the ,law to the ,jews4      
,there is little difficulty in answering

 this question4 ,the very process of    
reading ,the ,law and explaining it goes
 on the assumption that it is not known4
 ,the people receive it as something    
strange and startling4 ,moreover1 this  
scene of the revelation of ,the ,law to 
,israel is entirely in harmony with the 
previous history of the nation4         
,whenever ,the ,law was shaped as we now
 know it1 it is clear that it was not   
practised in its present form by the    
,jews before ,ezra's day4 ,we have no   
contemporary evidence of the use of it  
in the earlier period4 ,we have clear   
evidence that conduct contrary to many  
of its precepts was carried on with     
impunity1 and even encouraged by        
prophets and religious leaders without  
any protest from priests or scribes4    
,the complete law is new to ,israel4    
,but there is a second question--viz41  
how far was this law new in itself8     
,nobody can suppose that it was an      
absolutely novel creation of the exile1 
with no roots in the past4 ,their       

repeated references to ,moses show that 
its supporters relegated its origin to a
 dim antiquity1 and we should belie all 
we know of their character if we did not
 allow that they were acting in good    
faith4 ,but we have no evidence that    
,the ,law had been completed1 codified1 
and written out in full before the time 
of ,ezra4 ,in antiquity1 when writing   
was economised and memory cultivated to 
a degree of accuracy that seems to us   
almost miraculous1 it would be possible 
to hand down a considerable system of   
ritual or of jurisprudence by tradition4
 ,even this stupendous act of memory    
would not exceed that of the rhapsodists
 who preserved and transmitted the      
unwritten ,iliad4 ,but we are not driven
 to such an extreme view4 ,we do not    
know how much of ,the ,law may have been
 committed to writing in earlier ages4  
,some of it was1 certainly4 ,it bears   
evidence of its history in the several  
strata of which it is composed1 and     
which must have been deposited          

successively4 ,deuteronomy1 in its      
essence and original form1 was certainly
 known before the captivity4 ,so were   
the ,jehovistic narrative and the ,law  
of the ,covenant4 ,the only question as 
regards ,ezra's day turns on the novelty
 of the ,priestly ,code1 with the ,law  
of ,holiness1 and the final editing and 
redaction of the whole4 ,this is        
adumbrated in ,ezekiel and the          
degradation of the ,levites1 who are    
identified with the priests in          
,deuteronomy1 but set in a lower rank in
 ,leviticus1 assigned to its historical 
occasion4 ,here1 then1 we see the latest
 part of ,ezra's law in the making4 ,it 
was not created by the scribe4 ,it was  
formed out of traditional usages of the 
priests1 modified by recent directions  
from a prophet4 ,the origin of these    
usages was lost in antiquity1 and       
therefore it was natural to attribute   
them to ,moses1 the great founder of the
 nation4 ,we cannot even affirm that    
,ezra carried out the last redaction of 

,the ,law with his own hand1 that he    
codified the traditional usages1 the    
,common ,law of ,israel4 ,what we know  
is1 that he published this law4 ,that he
 also edited it is an inference drawn   
from his intimate connection with the   
work as student and scribe1 and         
supported by the current of later       
traditions4 ,but while this is possible1
 what is indubitable is that to ,ezra is
 due the glory of promulgating the law  
and making it pass into the life of the 
nation4 ,henceforth ,judaism is         
legalism4 ,we know this in its          
imperfection and its difference from the
 spiritual faith of ,christ4 ,to the    
contemporaries of ,ezra it indicated a  
stage of progress--knowledge in place of
 superstitious bondage to the           
priesthood1 conscientious obedience to  
ordinances instituted for the public    
welfare instead of careless indifference
 or obstinate self-will4 ,therefore its 
appearance marked a forward step in the 
course of ,divine revelation4           

,,chapter ,,xxv4  ,,the ,,joy ,,of ,,the
 ,,lord4  ,,nehemiah viii4 #i-ah4   ,all
 the people wept when they heard the    
words of the law4 ,was it for this      
mournful end that ,ezra had studied the 
sacred law and guarded it through the   
long years of political unrest1 until at
 length he was able to make it known    
with all the pomp and circumstance of a 
national festival8 ,evidently the       
leaders of the people had expected no   
such result4 ,but1 disappointing as it  
was1 it might have been worse4 ,the     
reading might have been listened to with
 indifference2 or the great1 stern law  
might have been rejected with           
execration1 or scoffed at with          
incredulity4 ,nothing of the kind       
happened4 ,there was no doubt as to the 
rightness of ,the ,law1 no reluctance to
 submit to its yoke1 no disposition to  
ignore its requirements4 ,this law had  
come with all the authority of the      
,persian government to sanction it2 and 
yet it is evidently no fear of the      

magistrate1 but their own convictions1  
their confirming consciences1 that here 
influence the people and determine their
 attitude to it4 ,thus ,ezra's labours  
were really honoured by the ,jews1      
though their fruits were received so    
sorrowfully4  ,we must not suppose that 
the ,jews of ,ezra's day anticipated the
 ideas of ,st4 ,paul4 ,it was not a     
,christian objection to law that        
troubled them2 they did not complain of 
its externalism1 its bondage1 its formal
 requirements and minute details4 ,to   
imagine that these features of ,the ,law
 were regarded with disapproval by the  
first hearers of it is to credit them   
with an immense advance in thought      
beyond their leaders--,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 
and the ,levites4 ,it is clear that     
their grief arose simply from their     
perception of their own miserable       
imperfections in contrast to the lofty  
requirements of ,the ,law1 and in view  
of its sombre threats of punishment for 
disobedience4 ,the discovery of a new   

ideal of conduct above that with which  
we have hitherto been satisfied         
naturally provokes painful stings of    
conscience1 which the old salve1        
compounded of the comfortable little    
notions we once cherished1 will not     
neutralise4 ,in the new light of the    
higher truth we suddenly discover that  
the robe of righteousness in which we   
have been parading is but as filthy     
rags4 ,then our once vaunted attainments
 become despicable in our own eyes4 ,the
 eminence on which we have been standing
 so proudly is seen to be a wretched    
mole-hill compared with the awful       
snow-peak from which the clouds have    
just dispersed4 ,can we ever climb that8
 ,goodness now seems to be hopelessly   
unattainable2 yet never before was it so
 desirable1 because never before did it 
shine with so rare and fascinating a    
lustre4  ,but1 it may be objected1 was  
not the religious and moral character of
 the teaching of the great prophets--of 
,hosea1 ,isaiah1 ,micah1                

,jeremiah--larger and higher and more   
spiritual than the legalism of the      
,pentateuch8 ,that may be granted2 but  
it is not to the point here4 ,the lofty 
prophetic teaching had never been       
accepted by the nation4 ,the prophets   
had been voices crying in the           
wilderness4 ,their great spiritual      
thoughts had never been seriously       
followed except by a small group of     
devout souls4 ,it was the ,christian    
,church that first built on the         
foundation of the prophets4 ,but in     
,ezra's day the ,jews as a body frankly 
accepted ,the ,law4 ,whether this were  
higher or lower than the ideal of       
prophetism does not affect the case4    
,the significant fact is that is was    
higher than any ideal the people had    
hitherto adopted in practice4 ,the      
perception of this fact was most        
distressing to them4  ,nevertheless the 
,israelite leaders did not share the    
feeling of grief4 ,in their eyes the    
sorrow of the ,jews was a great mistake4

 ,it was even a wrong thing for them    
thus to distress themselves4 ,ezra loved
 ,the ,law1 and therefore it was to him 
a dreadful surprise to discover that the
 subject of his devoted studies was     
regarded so differently by his brethren4
 ,nehemiah and the ,levites shared his  
more cheerful view of the situation4    
,lyrics of this and subsequent ages bear
 testimony to the passionate devotion   
with which the sacred ,torah was        
cherished by loyal disciples4 ,the      
author of the hundred and nineteenth    
,psalm ransacks his vocabulary for      
varying phrases on which to ring the    
changes in praise of the law1 the       
judgments1 the statutes1 the            
commandments of ,god4 ,he cries3--    ,i
 will delight in ,thy statutes3   ,i    
will not forget ,thy word4          99  
99      99      99    ,open ,thou mine  
eyes1 that ,i may behold   ,wondrous    
things out of ,thy law4          99     
99      99      99    ,unless ,thy law  
had been my delight1   ,i should have   

perished in mine affliction4          99
      99      99      99    ,great peace
 have they that love ,thy law1   ,and   
they have none occasion of stumbling4   
,moreover1 the student of ,the ,law     
to-day can perceive that its intention  
was beneficent4 ,it maintained          
righteousness2 and righteousness is the 
chief good4 ,it regulated the mutual    
relations of men with regard to justice2
 it ordained purity2 it contained many  
humane rules for the protection of men  
and even of animals2 it condescended to 
most wholesome sanitary directions4     
,then it declared that he who kept its  
ordinances should live1 not merely by   
reason of an arbitrary arrangement1 but 
because it pointed out the natural and  
necessary way of life and health4 ,the  
,divine ,spirit that had guided the     
development of it had presided over     
something more inviting than the forging
 of fetters for a host of miserable     
slaves1 something more useful than the  
creation of a tantalising exemplar that 

should be the despair of every copyist4 
,ezra and his fellow-leaders knew the   
intention of ,the ,law4 ,this was the   
ground of their joyous confidence in    
contemplation of it4 ,they were among   
those who had been led by their personal
 religion into possession of the secret 
of the ,lord4 ,they had acquainted      
themselves with ,him1 and therefore they
 were at peace4 ,their example teaches  
us that we must penetrate beyond the    
letter to the spirit of revelation if we
 would discover its hidden thoughts of  
love4 ,when we do so even ,the ,law will
 be found to enshrine an evangel4 ,not  
that these men of the olden times       
perceived the fanciful symbolism which  
many ,christians have delighted to      
extract from the most mechanical details
 of the tabernacle ritual4 ,their eyes  
were fixed on the gracious ,divine      
purpose of creating a holy              
nation--separate and pure--and ,the ,law
 seemed to be the best instrument for   
accomplishing that purpose4 ,meanwhile  

its impracticability did not strike     
them1 because they thought of the thing 
in itself rather than of the relation of
 men to it4 ,religious melancholy       
springs from habits of subjectivity4    
,the joyous spirit is that which forgets
 self in the contemplation of the       
thoughts of ,god4 ,it is our meditation 
of ,him--not of self--that is sweet4    
,of course this would have been         
unreasonable if it had totally ignored  
human conditions and their relation to  
the ,divine4 ,in that case ,ezra and his
 companions would have been vain        
dreamers1 and the sorrowing multitude   
people of common-sense perceptions4 ,but
 we must remember that the new religious
 movement was inspired by faith4 ,it is 
faith that bridges the vast chasm       
between the real and the ideal4 ,god had
 given ,the ,law in lovingkindness and  
tender mercy4 ,then ,god would make the 
attainment of ,his will revealed in it  
possible4 ,the part of brave and humble 
men was to look away from themselves to 

the revelation of ,god's thought        
concerning them with grateful admiration
 of its glorious perfection4  ,while    
considerations of this sort would make  
it possible for the leaders to regard   
,the ,law in a very different spirit    
from that manifested by the rest of the 
,jews1 other reflections led them to go 
further and check the outburst of grief 
as both unseemly and hurtful4  ,it was  
unseemly1 because it was marring the    
beauty of a great festival4 ,the ,jews  
were to stay their grief seeing that the
 day was holy unto the ,lord4#bcj ,this 
was as much as to say that sorrow was   
defiling4 ,the world had to wait for the
 religion of the cross reveal to it the 
sanctity of sorrow4 ,undoubtedly the    
,jewish festivals were joyous           
celebrations4 ,it is the greatest       
mistake to represent the religion of the
 ,old ,testament as a gloomy cult       
overshadowed by the thunder-clouds of   
,sinai4 ,on the contrary1 its greatest  
offices were celebrated with music1     

dancing1 and feasting4 ,the high day was
 a holiday1 sunny and mirthful4 ,it     
would be a pity to spoil such an        
occasion with unseasonable lamentations4
 ,but ,nehemiah and ,ezra must have had 
a deeper thought than this in their     
deprecation of grief at the festival4   
,to allow such behaviour is to entertain
 unworthy feelings towards ,god4 ,a day 
sacred to the ,lord is a day in which   
,his presence is especially felt4 ,to   
draw near to ,god with no other feelings
 than emotions of fear and grief is to  
misapprehend ,his nature and ,his       
disposition towards ,his people4        
,worship should be inspired with the    
gladness of grateful hearts praising    
,god1 because otherwise it would        
discredit ,his goodness4    #bcj ,neh4  
viii4 #i4  ,this leads to a thought of  
wider range and still more profound     
significance1 a thought that flashes out
 of the sacred page like a brilliant    
gem1 a thought so rich and glad and     
bountiful that it speaks for its own    

inspiration as one of the great ,divine 
ideas of ,scripture--,the joy of the    
,lord is your strength4 ,though the     
unseemliness of mourning on a feast day 
was the first and most obvious          
consideration urged by the ,jewish      
leaders in their expostulation with the 
distressed multitude1 the real          
justification for their rebukes and     
exhortations is to be found in the      
magnificent spiritual idea that they    
here give expression to4 ,in view of    
such a conviction as they now gladly    
declare they would regard the           
lamentation of the ,jews as more than   
unseemly1 as positively hurtful and even
 wrong4  ,by the expression the joy of  
the ,lord it seems clear that ,nehemiah 
and his associates meant a joy which may
 be experienced by men through their    
fellowship with ,god4 ,the phrase could 
be used for the gladness of ,god        
,himself2 as we speak of the            
righteousness of ,god or the love of    
,god1 so we might speak of ,his joy in  

reference to ,his own infinite life and 
consciousness4 ,but in the case before  
us the drift of the passage directs our 
thoughts to the moods and feelings of   
men4 ,the ,jews are giving way to grief1
 and they are rebuked for so doing and  
encouraged to rejoice4 ,in this         
situation some thoughts favourable to   
joy on their part are naturally         
suitable4 ,accordingly they are called  
to enter into a pure and lofty gladness 
in which they are assured they will find
 their strength4  ,this joy of the      
,lord1 then1 is the joy that springs up 
in our hearts by means of our relation  
to ,god4 ,it is a ,god-given gladness1  
and it is found in communion with ,god4 
,nevertheless the other joy of the ,lord
 is not to be left out of account when  
we think of the gladness which comes to 
us from ,god1 for the highest joy is    
possible to us just because it is first 
experienced by ,god4 ,there could be no 
joy in communion with a morose divinity4
 ,the service of ,moloch must have been 

a terror1 a perfect agony to his most   
loyal devotees4 ,the feelings of a      
worshipper will always be reflections   
from what he thinks he perceives in the 
countenance of his god4 ,they will be   
gloomy if the god is a sombre personage1
 and cheerful if he is a glad being4    
,now the revelation of ,god in the      
,bible is the unveiling with growing    
clearness of a countenance of           
unspeakable love and beauty and         
gladness4 ,he is made known to us as the
 blessed ,god--the happy ,god4 ,then the
 joy of ,his children is the overflow of
 ,his own deep gladness streaming down  
to them4 ,this is the joy in the        
presence of the angels which1 springing 
from the great heart of ,god1 makes the 
happiness of returning penitents1 so    
that they share in their ,father's      
delight1 as the prodigal shares in the  
home festivities when the fatted calf is
 killed4 ,this same communication of    
gladness is seen in the life of our     
,lord1 not only during those early sunny

 days in ,galilee when ,his ministry    
opened under a cloudless sky1 but even  
amid the darkness of the last hours at  
,jerusalem1 for in ,his final discourse 
,jesus prayed that ,his joy might be in 
,his disciples in order that their joy  
might be full4 ,a more generous         
perception of this truth would make     
religion like sunshine and music1 like  
the blooming of spring flowers and the  
outburst of woodland melody about the   
path of the ,christian pilgrim4 ,it is  
clear that ,jesus ,christ expected this 
to be the case since ,he commenced ,his 
teaching with the word ,blessed4 ,st4   
,paul1 too1 saw the same possibility1 as
 his repeated encouragements to ,rejoice
 bear witness4 ,religion may be compared
 to one of those ,italian city churches 
which are left outwardly bare and       
gloomy1 while within they are replete   
with treasures of art4 ,we must cross   
the threshold1 push aside the heavy     
curtain1 and tread the sacred pavement1 
if we would see the beauty of sculptured

 column and mural fresco and jewelled   
altar-piece4 ,just in proportion as we  
draw near to ,god shall we behold the   
joy and love that ever dwell in ,him1   
till the vision of these wonders kindles
 our love and gladness4  ,now the great 
idea that is here suggested to us       
connects this ,divine joy with          
strength--the joy is an inspiration of  
energy4 ,by the nature of things joy is 
exhilarating1 while pain is depressing4 
,physiologists recognise it as a law of 
animal organisms that happiness is a    
nerve tonic4 ,it would seem that the    
same law obtains in spiritual           
experience4 ,on the other hand1 nothing 
is more certain than that there are     
enervating pleasures1 and that the free 
indulgence in pleasure generally weakens
 the character2 with this goes the      
equally certain truth that men may be   
braced by suffering1 that the east wind 
of adversity may be a real stimulant4   
,how shall we reconcile these           
contradictory positions8 ,clearly there 

are different kinds and grades of       
delight1 and different ways of taking   
and using every form of gladness4 ,pure 
hedonism cannot but be a weak system of 
life4 ,it is the ,spartan1 not the      
,sybarite1 who is capable of heroic     
deeds4 ,even ,epicurus1 whose name has  
been abused to shelter low              
pleasure-seeking1 perceived1 as clearly 
as ,the ,preacher1 the melancholy truth 
that the life that is given over to the 
satisfaction of personal desires is but 
vanity of vanities4 ,the joy that       
exhilarates is not sought as a final    
goal4 ,it comes in by the way when we   
are pursuing some objective end4 ,then  
this purest joy is as far above the     
pleasure of the self-indulgent as heaven
 is above hell4 ,it may even be found   
side by side with bodily pain1 as when  
martyrs exult in their flames1 or when  
stricken souls in more prosaic          
circumstances awake to the wonderful    
perception of a rare ,divine gladness4  
,it is this joy that gives strength4    

,there is enthusiasm in it4 ,such a joy 
not being an end in itself is a means to
 a great practical end4 ,god's glad     
children are strong to do and bear ,his 
will1 strong in their very gladness4    
,this was good news to the ,jews1       
outwardly but a feeble flock and a prey 
to the ravening wolves from neighbouring
 lands4 ,they had recovered hope after  
building their walls2 but these hastily 
constructed fortifications did not      
afford them their most secure           
stronghold4 ,their refuge was ,god4     
,they carried bows and spears and       
swords2 but the strength with which they
 wielded these weapons consisted in the 
enthusiasm of a ,divine gladness--not   
the orgiastic fury of the heathen1 but  
the deep1 strong joy of men who knew the
 secret of their ,lord1 who possessed   
what ,wordsworth calls inward glee4     
,this joy was essentially a moral       
strength4 ,it bestowed the power        
wherewith to keep the law4 ,here was the
 answer to the discouragement of the    

people in their dawning perception of   
the lofty requirements of ,god's holy   
will4 ,the ,christian can best find     
energy for service1 as well as the calm 
strength of patience1 in that still     
richer ,divine gladness which is poured 
into his heart by the grace of ,christ4 
,it is not only unfortunate for anybody 
to be a mournful ,christian2 it is      
dangerous1 hurtful1 even wrong4         
,therefore the gloomy servant of ,god is
 to be rebuked for missing the ,divine  
gladness4 ,seeing that the source of it 
is in ,god1 and not in the ,christian   
himself1 it is attainable and possible  
to the most sorrowful4 ,he who has found
 this pearl of great price can afford to
 miss much else in life and yet go on   
his way rejoicing4  ,it was natural that
 the ,jews should have been encouraged  
to give expression to the ,divine joy at
 a great festival4 ,the final           
harvest-home of the year1 the merry     
celebration of the vintage1 was then    
due4 ,no ,jewish feast was more cheerful

 than this1 which expressed gratitude   
for wine that maketh glad the heart of  
man4 ,the superiority of ,judaism over  
heathenism is seen in the tremendous    
contrast between the simple gaiety of   
the ,jewish ,feast of ,tabernacles and  
the gross debauchery of the             
,bacchanalian orgies which disgraced a  
similar occasion in the pagan world4 ,it
 is to our shame in modern ,christendom 
that we dare not imitate the ,jews here1
 knowing too well that if we tried to do
 so we should only sink to the heathen  
level4 ,our ,feast of ,tabernacles would
 certainly become a ,feast of ,bacchus1 
bestial and wicked4 ,happily the ,jews  
did not feel the ,teutonic danger of    
intemperance4 ,their festival recognised
 the ,divine bounty in nature1 in its   
richest1 ripest autumn fruitfulness1    
which was like the smile of ,god        
breaking out through ,his works to cheer
 ,his children4 ,bivouacking in         
greenwood bowers1 the ,jews did their   
best to return to the life of nature and

 share its autumn gladness4 ,the        
chronicler informs us that since the    
days of ,joshua the ,jews had never     
observed the feast as they did          
now--never with such great gladness and 
never so truly after the directions of  
their law4 ,although the actual words he
 gives as from ,the ,law#bca are not to 
be found in the ,pentateuch1 they sum up
 the regulations of that work4 ,this    
then is the first application of ,the   
,law which the people have received with
 so much distress4 ,it ordains a glad   
festival4 ,so much brighter is religion 
when it is understood and practised than
 when it is only contemplated from afar6
 ,now the reading of ,the ,law can go on
 day by day1 and be received with joy4  
#bca ,neh4 viii4 #ad1 #ae  ,finally1    
like the ,christians who collected food 
and money at the ,agap for their poorer 
brethren and for the martyrs in prison1 
the ,jews were to send portions to the  
needy4#bcb ,the rejoicing was not to be 
selfish2 it was to stimulate practical  

kindness4 ,here was its safeguard4 ,we  
shrink from accepting joy too freely    
lest it should be followed by some      
terrible ,nemesis2 but if1 instead of   
gloating over it in secret1 selfishly   
and greedily1 we use it as a talent1 and
 endeavour to lessen the sorrows of     
others by inviting them to share it1 the
 heathenish dread is groundless4 ,he who
 is doing his utmost to help his brother
 may dare to be very happy4    #bcb     
,neh4 viii4 #ab4     ,,chapter ,,xxvi4  
,,the ,,religion ,,of ,,history4        
,,nehemiah ix4   ,after the             
carnival--,lent4 ,this ,catholic        
procedure was anticipated by the ,jews  
in the days of ,ezra and ,nehemiah4 ,the
 merry feast of ,tabernacles was        
scarcely over1 when1 permitting an      
interval of but a single day1 the       
citizens of ,jerusalem plunged into a   
demonstration of mourning--fasting1     
sitting in sackcloth1 casting dust on   
their heads1 abjuring foreign           
connections1 confessing their own and   

their fathers' sins4 ,although the      
singular revulsion of feeling may have  
been quite spontaneous on the part of   
the people1 the violent reaction to     
which it gave rise was sanctioned by the
 authorities4 ,in an open-air meeting   
which lasted for six hours--three of    
,bible-reading and three of confession  
and worship--the ,levites took the lead1
 as they had done at the publication of 
,the ,law a few weeks earlier4 ,but     
these very men had rebuked the former   
outburst of lamentation4 ,must we       
suppose that their only objection on    
that occasion was that the mourning was 
then untimely1 because it was indulged  
in at a festival1 whereas it ought to   
have been postponed to a fast day8 ,if  
that were all1 we should have to        
contemplate a miserably artificial      
condition of affairs4 ,real emotions    
refuse to come and go at the bidding of 
officials pedantically set on regulating
 their alternate recurrence in          
accordance with a calendar of the church

 year4 ,a theatrical representation of  
feeling may be drilled into some such   
orderly procession4 ,but true feeling   
itself is of all things in the universe 
the most restive under direct orders4   
,we must look a little deeper4 ,the     
,levites had given a great spiritual    
reason for the restraint of grief in    
their wonderful utterance1 ,the joy of  
the ,lord is your strength4 ,this noble 
thought is not an elixir to be          
administered or withheld according to   
the recurrence of ecclesiastical dates4 
,if it is true at all1 it is eternally  
true4 ,although the application of it is
 not always a fact of experience1 the   
reason for the fluctuations in our      
personal relations to it is not to be   
looked for in the almanack2 it will be  
found in those dark passages of human   
life which1 of their own accord1 shut   
out the sunlight of ,divine gladness4   
,there is then no absolute inconsistency
 in the action of the ,levites4 ,and yet
 perhaps they may have perceived that   

they had been hasty in their repression 
of the first outburst of grief2 or at   
all events that they did not then see   
the whole truth of the matter4 ,there   
was some ground for lamentation after   
all1 and though the expression of sorrow
 at a festival seemed to them untimely1 
they were bound to admit its fitness a  
little later4 ,it is to be observed that
 another subject was now brought under  
the notice of the people4 ,the          
contemplation of the revelation of      
,god's will should not produce grief4   
,but the consideration of man's conduct 
cannot but lead to that result4 ,at the 
reading of ,divine law the ,jews'       
lamentation was rebuked2 at the recital 
of their own history it was encouraged4 
,yet even here it was not to be abject  
and hopeless4 ,the ,levites exhorted the
 people to shake off the lethargy of    
sorrow1 to stand up and bless the ,lord 
their ,god4 ,even in the very act of    
confessing sin we have a special reason 
for praising ,god1 because the          

consciousness of our guilt in ,his sight
 must heighten our appreciation of ,his 
marvellous forbearance4  ,the ,jews'    
confession of sin led up to a prayer    
which the ,septuagint ascribes to ,ezra4
 ,it does so1 however1 in a phrase that 
manifestly breaks the context1 and thus 
betrays its origin in an                
interpolation4#bcc ,nevertheless the    
tone of the prayer1 and even its very   
language1 remind us forcibly of the     
,great ,scribe's outpouring of soul over
 the mixed marriages of his people      
recorded in ,ezra ix4 ,no one was more  
fitted to lead the ,jews in the later   
act of devotion1 and it is only         
reasonable to conclude that the work was
 undertaken by the one man to whose lot 
it would naturally fall4    #bcc ,,lxx4 
,ezra ix4 #f-ae4  ,the prayer is very   
like some of the historical psalms4 ,by 
pointing to the variegated picture of   
the ,history of ,israel1 it shows how   
,god reveals ,himself through events4   
,this suggests the probability that the 

three hours' reading of the fast day had
 been taken from the historical parts of
 the ,pentateuch4 ,the religious        
teachers of ,israel knew what riches of 
instruction were buried in the history  
of their nation1 and they had the wisdom
 to unearth those treasures for the     
benefit of their own age4 ,it is strange
 that we ,english have made so little   
use of a national history that is not a 
whit less providential1 although it does
 not glitter with visible miracles4 ,god
 has spoken to ,england as truly through
 the defeat of the ,spanish ,armada1 the
 ,puritan ,wars1 and the ,revolution1 as
 ever ,he spoke to ,israel by means of  
the ,exodus1 the ,captivity1 and the    
,return4  ,the arrangement and method of
 the prayer lend themselves to a        
singularly forcible presentation of its 
main topics1 with heightening effect as 
it proceeds in a recapitulation of great
 historical landmarks4 ,it opens with an
 outburst of praise to ,god4 ,in saying 
that ,jehovah is ,god alone1 it makes   

more than a cold pronouncement of       
,jewish monotheism2 it confesses the    
practical supremacy of ,god over ,his   
universe1 and therefore over ,his people
 and their enemies4 ,god is adored as   
the ,creator of heaven2 and1 perhaps    
with an allusion to the prevalent       
,gentile title ,god of heaven1 as even  
the ,maker of the heaven of heavens1 of 
that higher heaven of which the starry  
firmament is but the gold-sprinkled     
floor4 ,there1 in those far-off1 unseen 
heights1 ,he is adored4 ,but earth and  
sea1 with all that inhabit them1 are    
also ,god's works4 ,from the highest to 
the lowest1 over great and small1 ,he   
reigns supreme4 ,this glowing expression
 of adoration constitutes a suitable    
exordium4 ,it is right and fitting that 
we should approach ,god in the attitude 
of pure worship1 for the moment entirely
 losing ourselves in the contemplation  
of ,him4 ,this is the loftiest act of   
prayer1 far above the selfish shriek for
 help in dire distress to which         

unspiritual men confine their utterance 
before ,god4 ,it is also the most       
enlightening preparation for those lower
 forms of devotion that cannot be       
neglected so long as we are engaged on  
earth with our personal needs and sins1 
because it is necessary for us first of 
all to know what ,god is1 and to be able
 to contemplate the thought of ,his     
being and nature1 if we would understand
 the course of ,his action among men1 or
 see our sins in the only true          
light--the light of ,his countenance4   
,we can best trace the course of        
low-lying valleys from a mountain       
height4 ,the primary act of adoration   
illumines and directs the thanksgiving1 
confession1 and petition that follow4   
,he who has once seen ,god knows how to 
look at the world and his own heart1    
without being misled by earthly glamour 
or personal prejudice4  ,in tracking the
 course of revelation through history1  
the author of the prayer follows two    
threads4 ,first one and then the other  

is uppermost1 but it is the interweaving
 of them that gives the definite pattern
 of the whole picture4 ,these are ,god's
 grace and man's sin4 ,the method of the
 prayer is to bring them into view      
alternately1 as they are illustrated in 
the ,history of ,israel4 ,the result is 
like a drama of several acts1 and three 
scenes in each act4 ,although we see    
progress and a continuous heightening of
 effect1 there is a startling           
resemblance between the successive acts1
 and the relative characters of the     
scenes remain the same throughout4 ,in  
the first scene we always behold the    
free and generous favour of ,god offered
 to the people ,he condescends to bless1
 altogether apart from any merits or    
claims on their part4 ,in the second we 
are forced to look at the ugly picture  
of ,israel's ingratitude and rebellion4 
,but this is invariably followed by a   
third scene1 which depicts the wonderful
 patience and long-suffering of ,god1   
and ,his active aid in delivering ,his  

guilty people from the troubles they    
have brought on their own heads by their
 sins1 whenever they turn to ,him in    
penitence4  ,the recital opens where the
 ,jews delighted to trace their origin1 
in ,ur of the ,chaldees4 ,these returned
 exiles from ,babylon are reminded that 
at the very dawn of their ancestral     
history the same district was the       
starting-point4 ,the guiding hand of    
,god was seen in bringing up the ,father
 of the ,nation in that far-off tribal  
migration from ,chalda to ,canaan4 ,at  
first the ,divine action did not need to
 exhibit all the traits of grace and    
power that were seen later1 because     
,abraham was not a captive4 ,then1 too1 
there was no rebellion1 for ,abraham was
 faithful4 ,thus the first scene opens  
with the mild radiance of early morning4
 ,as yet there is nothing tragic on     
either side4 ,the chief characteristic  
of this scene is its promise1 and the   
author of the prayer anticipates some of
 the later scenes by interjecting a     

grateful recognition of the faithfulness
 of ,god in keeping ,his word4 ,for     
,thou art righteous1 he says4#bcd ,this 
truth is the keynote to the prayer4 ,the
 thought of it is always present as an  
undertone1 and it emerges clearly again 
towards the conclusion1 where1 however1 
it wears a very different garb4 ,there  
we see how in view of man's sin ,god's  
righteousness inflicts chastisement4    
,but the intention of the author is to  
show that throughout all the            
vicissitudes of history ,god holds on to
 ,his straight line of righteousness1   
unwavering4 ,it is just because ,he does
 not change that ,his action must be    
modified in order to adjust itself to   
the shifting behaviour of men and women4
 ,it is the very immutability of ,god   
that requires ,him to show ,himself     
froward with the froward1 although ,he  
is merciful with the merciful4    #bcd  
,neh4 ix4 #h4  ,the chief events of the 
,exodus are next briefly recapitulated1 
in order to enlarge the picture of      

,god's early goodness to ,israel4 ,here 
we may discern more than promise2 the   
fulfilment now begins4 ,here1 too1 ,god 
is seen in that specific activity of    
deliverance which comes more and more to
 the front as the history proceeds4     
,while the calamities of the people grow
 worse and worse1 ,god reveals ,himself 
with ever-increasing force as the       
,redeemer of ,israel4 ,the plagues of   
,egypt1 the passage of the ,red ,sea1   
the drowning of the ,egyptians1 the     
cloud-pillar by day and the pillar of   
fire by night1 the descent on ,sinai for
 the giving of ,the ,law--in which      
connection the one law of the ,sabbath  
is singled out1 a point to be noted in  
view of the great prominence given to it
 later on--the manna1 and the water from
 the rock1 are all signs and proofs of  
,god's exceeding kindness towards ,his  
people4  ,but now we are directed to a  
very different scene4 ,in spite of all  
this never-ceasing1 this                
ever-accumulating goodness of ,god1 the 

infatuated people rebel1 appoint a      
captain to take them back to ,egypt1 and
 relapse into idolatry4 ,this is the    
human side of the history1 shown up in  
its deep blackness against the luminous 
splendour of the heavenly background4   
,then comes the marvellous third scene1 
the scene that should melt the hardest  
heart4 ,god does not cast off ,his      
people4 ,the privileges enumerated      
before are carefully repeated1 to show  
that ,god has not withdrawn them4 ,still
 the cloud-pillar guides by day and the 
fire-pillar by night4 ,still the manna  
and the water are supplied4 ,but this is
 not all4 ,between these two pairs of   
favours a new one is now inserted4 ,god 
gives ,his good ,spirit to instruct the 
people4 ,the author does not seem to be 
referring to any one specific event1 as 
that of the ,spirit falling on the      
elders1 or the incident of the          
unauthorised prophet1 or the bestowal of
 the ,spirit on the artists of the      
tabernacle4 ,we should rather conclude  

from the generality of his terms that he
 is thinking of the gift of the ,spirit 
in each of these cases1 and also in     
every other way in which the ,divine    
,presence was felt in the hearts of the 
people4 ,prone to wander1 they needed   
and they received this inward monitor4  
,thus ,god showed ,his great            
forbearance1 by even extending ,his     
grace and giving more help because the  
need was greater4  ,from this picture of
 the wilderness life we are led on to   
the conquest of the ,promised ,land4    
,the ,israelites overthrow the kings    
east of the ,jordan1 and take possession
 of their territories4 ,growing in      
numbers1 after a time they are enough to
 cross the ,jordan1 seize the land of   
,canaan1 and subdue the aboriginal      
inhabitants4 ,then we see them settling 
down in their new home and inheriting   
the products of the labours of their    
more civilised predecessors4 ,all this  
is a further proof of the favour of     
,god4 ,yet again the dreadful scene of  

ingratitude is repeated1 and that in an 
aggravated form4 ,a wild fury of        
rebellion takes hold of the wicked      
people4 ,they rise up against their     
,god1 fling ,his ,torah behind their    
backs1 murder the prophets ,he sends to 
warn them1 and sink down into the       
greatest wickedness4 ,the head and front
 of their offence is the rejection of   
the sacred ,torah4 ,the word ,torah--law
 or instruction--must here be taken in  
its widest sense to comprehend both the 
utterances of the prophets and the      
tradition of the priests1 although it is
 represented to the contemporaries of   
,ezra by its crown and completion1 the  
,pentateuch4 ,in this second act of     
heightened energy on both sides1 while  
the characters of the actors are        
developing with stronger features1 we   
have a third scene--forgiveness and     
deliverance from ,god4  ,then the action
 moves more rapidly4 ,it becomes almost 
confused4 ,in general terms1 with a few 
swift strokes1 the author sketches a    

succession of similar movements--indeed 
he does little more than hint at them4  
,we cannot see how often the threefold  
process was repeated2 only we perceive  
that it always recurred in the same     
form4 ,yet the very monotony deepens the
 impression of the whole drama--so madly
 persistent was the backsliding habit of
 ,israel1 so grandly continuous was the 
patient long-suffering of ,god4 ,we lose
 all count of the alternating scenes of 
light and darkness as we look at them   
down the long vista of the ages4 ,and   
yet it is not necessary that we should  
assort them4 ,the perspective may escape
 us2 all the more must we feel the force
 of the process which is characterised  
by so powerful a unity of movement4     
,coming nearer to his own time1 the     
author of the prayer expands into detail
 again4 ,while the kingdom lasted ,god  
did not cease to plead with his people4 
,they disregarded ,his voice1 but ,his  
,spirit was in the prophets1 and the    
long line of heavenly messengers was a  

living testimony to the ,divine         
forbearance4 ,heedless of this greatest 
and best means of bringing them back to 
their forsaken allegiance1 the ,jews    
were at length given over to the        
heathen4 ,yet that tremendous calamity  
was not without its mitigations4 ,they  
were not utterly consumed4 ,even now    
,god did not forsake them4 ,he followed 
them into their captivity4 ,this was    
apparent in the continuous advent of    
prophets--such as the ,second ,isaiah   
and ,ezekiel--who appeared and delivered
 their oracles in the land of exile2 it 
was most gloriously manifest in the     
return under ,cyrus4 ,such              
long-continued goodness1 beyond the     
utmost excess of the nation's sin1      
surpassed all that could have been hoped
 for4 ,it went beyond the promises of   
,god2 it could not be wholly            
comprehended in ,his faithfulness4      
,therefore another ,divine attribute is 
now revealed4 ,at first the prayer made 
mention of ,god's righteousness1 which  

was seen in the gift of ,canaan as a    
fulfilment of the promise to ,abraham1  
so that the author remarked1 in regard  
to the performance of the ,divine word1 
for ,thou art righteous4 ,but now he    
reflects on the greater kindness1 the   
uncovenanted kindness of the ,exile and 
the ,return2 for ,thou art a gracious   
and merciful ,god4#bce ,we can only     
account for such extended goodness by   
ascribing it to the infinite love of    
,god4    #bce ,neh4 ix4 #ca4  ,having   
thus brought his review down to his own 
day1 in the concluding passage of the   
prayer the author appeals to ,god with  
reference to the present troubles of    
,his people4 ,in doing so he first      
returns to his contemplation of the     
nature of ,god4 ,three ,divine          
characteristics rise up before          
him1--first1 majesty 7the great1 the    
mighty1 the terrible ,god72 second1     
fidelity 7keeping covenant72 third1     
compassion 7keeping mercy74#bcf ,on this
 threefold plea he beseeches ,god that  

all the national trouble which has been 
endured since the first ,assyrian       
invasion may not seem little to ,him4   
,the greatness of ,god might appear to  
induce disregard of the troubles of ,his
 poor human children1 and yet it would  
really lead to the opposite result4 ,it 
is only the limited faculty that cannot 
stoop to small things because its       
attention is confined to large affairs4 
,infinity reaches to the infinitely     
little as readily as to the infinitely  
great4 ,with the appeal for compassion  
goes a confession of sin1 which is      
national rather than personal4 ,all     
sections of the community on which the  
calamities have fallen--with the        
significant exception of the prophets   
who had possessed ,god's ,spirit1 and   
who had been so grievously persecuted by
 their fellow-countrymen--all are united
 in a common guilt4 ,the solidarity of  
the ,jewish race is here apparent4 ,we  
saw in the earlier case of the          
sin-offering that the religion of       

,israel was national rather than        
personal4 ,the punishment of the        
captivity was a national discipline2 now
 the confession is for national sin4    
,and yet the sin is confessed           
distributively1 with regard to the      
several sections of society4 ,we cannot 
feel our national sin in the bulk4 ,it  
must be brought home to us in our       
several walks of life4    #bcf ,neh4 ix4
 #cb4  ,after this confession the prayer
 deplores the present state of the      
,jews4 ,no reference is now made to the 
temporary annoyance occasioned by the   
attacks of the ,samaritans4 ,the        
building of the walls has put an end to 
that nuisance4 ,but the permanent evil  
is more deeply rooted4 ,the ,jews are   
mournfully conscious of their subject   
state beneath the ,persian yoke4 ,they  
have returned to their city2 but they   
are no more free men than they were in  
,babylon4 ,like the fellaheen of ,syria 
to-day1 they have to pay heavy tribute1 
which takes the best of the produce of  

their labour4 ,they are subject to the  
conscription1 having to serve in the    
armies of the ,great ,king--,herodotus  
tells us that there were ,syrians of    
,palestine in the army of ,xerxes4#bcg  
,their cattle are seized by the officers
 of the government1 arbitrarily1 at     
their pleasure4 ,did ,nehemiah know of  
this complaint8 ,if so1 might there not 
be some ground for the suspicion of the 
informers after all8 ,was that suspicion
 one reason for his recall to ,susa8 ,we
 cannot answer these questions4 ,as to  
the prayer1 this leaves the whole case  
with ,god4 ,it would have been dangerous
 to have said more in the hearing of the
 spies who haunted the streets of       
,jerusalem4 ,and it was needless4 ,it is
 not the business of prayer to try to   
move the hand of ,god4 ,it is enough    
that we lay bare our state before ,him1 
trusting ,his wisdom as well as ,his    
grace--not dictating to ,god1 but       
confiding in ,him4    #bcg ,herodotus1  
vii4 #hi4     ,,chapter ,,xxvii4  ,,the 

,,covenant4  ,,nehemiah x4   ,the tenth 
chapter of ,nehemiah introduces us to   
one of the most vital crises in the     
,history of ,israel4 ,it shows us how   
the secret cult of the priests of       
,jehovah became a popular religion4 ,the
 process was brought to a focus in the  
public reading of ,the ,law2 it was     
completed in the acceptance of ,the ,law
 which the sealing of the covenant      
ratified4 ,this event may be compared   
with the earlier scene1 when the        
law-book discovered in the temple by    
,hilkiah was accepted and enforced by   
,josiah4 ,undoubtedly that book is      
included in ,ezra's complete edition of 
,the ,law4 ,generations before ,ezra1   
then1 though nothing more than          
,deuteronomy may have been forthcoming1 
that vital section of ,the ,law1        
containing as it did the essential      
principles of ,judaism1 was adopted4    
,but how was this result brought about8 
,not by the intelligent conviction1 nor 
by the voluntary action of the nation4  

,it was the work of a king1 who thought 
to drive his ideas into his subjects4   
,no doubt ,josiah acted in a spirit of  
genuine loyalty to ,jehovah2 and yet the
 method he followed could not lead to   
success4 ,the transient character of his
 spasmodic attempt to save his people at
 the eleventh hour1 followed by the     
total collapse of the fabric he had     
built up1 shows how insecure a          
foundation he had obtained4 ,it was a   
royal reformation1 not a revival of     
religion on the part of the nation4 ,we 
have an instance of a similar course of 
action in the ,english reformation under
 ,edward ,,vi41 which was swept away in 
a moment when his ,catholic sister      
succeeded to the throne1 because it was 
a movement originating in the court and 
not supported by the country1 as was    
that under ,elizabeth when ,mary had    
opened the eye of the ,english nation to
 the character of ,romanism4  ,but now a
 very different scene presents itself to
 our notice4 ,the sealing of the        

covenant signifies the voluntary        
acceptance of ,the ,law by the people of
 ,israel1 and their solemn promise to   
submit to its yoke4 ,there are two sides
 to this covenant arrangement4 ,the     
first is seen in the conduct of the     
people in entering into the covenant4   
,this is absolutely an act of free will 
on their part4 ,we have seen that ,ezra 
never attempted to force ,the ,law upon 
his fellow-countrymen--that he was slow 
in producing it2 that when he read it he
 only did so at the urgent request of   
the people2 and that even after this he 
went no further1 but left it with the   
audience for them to do with it as they 
thought fit4 ,it came with the authority
 of the will of ,god1 which to religious
 men is the highest authority2 but it   
was not backed by the secular arm1 even 
though ,ezra possessed a firman from the
 ,persian court which would have        
justified him in calling in the aid of  
the civil government4 ,now the          
acceptance of ,the ,law is to be in the 

same spirit of freedom4 ,of course      
somebody must have started the idea of  
forming a covenant4 ,possibly it was    
,nehemiah who did so4 ,still this was   
when the people were ripe for entering  
into it1 and the whole process was      
voluntary on their part4 ,the only      
religion that can be real to us is that 
which we believe in with personal faith 
and surrender ourselves to with willing 
obedience4 ,even when the law is        
recorded on parchment1 it must also be  
written on the fleshy table of the heart
 if it is to be effective4  ,but there  
is another side to the covenant-sealing4
 ,the very existence of a covenant is   
significant4 ,the word covenant suggests
 an agreement between two parties1 a    
mutual arrangement to which each is     
pledged4 ,so profound was the conviction
 of ,israel that in coming to an        
agreement with ,god it was not possible 
for man to bargain with his ,maker on   
equal terms1 that in translating the    
,hebrew name for covenant into ,greek   

the writers of the ,septuagint did not  
use the term that elsewhere stands for  
an agreement among equals 7,,greek      
,,small ,,letter ,,sigma,,greek ,,small 
,,letter ,,upsilon ,,greek ,,small      
,,letter ,,nu,,greek ,,small ,,letter   
,,theta ,,greek ,,small ,,letter ,,eta  
,,with ,,dasia,,greek ,,small ,,letter  
,,kappa ,,greek ,,small ,,letter ,,nu71 
but employed one indicative of an       
arrangement made by one party to the    
transaction and submitted to the other  
7,,greek ,,small ,,letter ,,delta       
,,greek ,,small ,,letter ,,iota,,greek  
,,small ,,letter ,,alpha ,,greek ,,small
 ,,letter ,,theta,,greek ,,small        
,,letter ,,eta ,,with ,,dasia ,,greek   
,,small ,,letter ,,kappa,,greek ,,small 
,,letter ,,nu ,,greek ,,small ,,letter  
,,delta,,greek ,,small ,,letter ,,iota  
,,greek ,,small ,,letter ,,alpha,,greek 
,,small ,,letter ,,theta ,,greek ,,small
 ,,letter ,,eta ,,with ,,dasia,,greek   
,,small ,,letter ,,kappa ,,greek ,,small
 ,,letter ,,nu74 ,the covenant1 then1 is

 a ,divine disposition1 a ,divine       
ordinance4 ,even when1 as in the present
 instance1 it is formally made by men1  
this is still on lines laid down by     
,god2 the covenanting is a voluntary act
 of adhesion to a law which comes from  
,god4 ,therefore the terms of the       
covenant are fixed1 and not to be       
discussed by the signatories4 ,this is  
of the very essence of ,judaism as a    
religion of ,divine law4 ,then though   
the sealing is voluntary1 it entails a  
great obligation2 henceforth the        
covenant people are bound by the        
covenant which they have deliberately   
entered into4 ,this1 too1 is a          
characteristic of the religion of law4  
,it is a bondage1 though a bondage      
willingly submitted to by those who     
stoop to its yoke4 ,to ,st4 ,paul it    
became a crushing slavery4 ,but the     
burden was not felt at first1 simply    
because neither the range of ,the ,law1 
nor the searching force of its          
requirements1 nor the weakness of men to

 keep their vows1 was yet perceived by  
the sanguine ,jews who so unhesitatingly
 surrendered to it4 ,as we look back to 
their position from the vantage ground  
of ,christian liberty1 we are astounded 
at the ,jewish love of law1 and we      
rejoice in our freedom from its irksome 
restraints4 ,and yet the ,christian is  
not an antinomian2 he is not a sort of  
free lance1 sworn to no obedience4 ,he  
too has his obligation4 ,he is bound to 
a lofty service--not to a law1 indeed1  
but to a personal ,master2 not in the   
servitude of the letter1 but1 though    
with the freedom of the spirit1 really  
with far higher obligations of love and 
fidelity than were ever recognised by   
the most rigorous covenant-keeping      
,jews4 ,thus he has a new covenant1     
sealed in the blood of his ,saviour2 and
 his communion with his ,lord implies a 
sacramental vow of loyalty4 ,the        
,christian covenant1 however1 is not    
visibly exhibited1 because a formal     
pledge is scarcely in accordance with   

the spirit of the gospel4 ,we find it   
better to take a more self-distrustful  
course1 one marked by greater dependence
 of faith on the preserving grace of    
,god1 by turning our vows into prayers4 
,while the ,jews entered into a curse   
and into an oath to keep the law1 we    
shrink from anything so terrible2 yet   
our duty is not the less because we     
limit our professions of it4  ,the ,jews
 were prepared for their covenant by two
 essential preliminaries4 ,the first was
 knowledge4 ,the reading of ,the ,law   
preceded the covenant1 which was entered
 into intelligently4 ,there is no idea  
of what is called implicit faith4 ,the  
whole situation is clearly surveyed1 and
 ,the ,law is adopted with a            
consciousness of what it means as far as
 the understanding of its requirements  
by the people will yet penetrate into   
its signification4 ,it is necessary to  
count the cost before entering on a     
course of religious service4 ,with a    
view to this our ,lord spoke of the     

narrow way and the cross1 much to the   
disappointment of ,his more sanguine    
disciples1 but as a real security for   
genuine loyalty4 ,with religion1 of all 
things1 it is foolish to take a leap in 
the dark4 ,judaism and ,christianity    
absolutely contradict the idea that     
,ignorance is the mother of devotion4   
,the second preparation consisted in the
 moral effect on the ,jews of the review
 of their history in the light of       
religion1 and their consequent          
confession of sin and acknowledgment of 
,god's goodness4 ,here was the          
justification for the written law4 ,the 
old methods had failed4 ,the people had 
not kept the desultory ,torah of the    
prophets4 ,they needed a more formal    
system of discipline4 ,here too were the
 motives for adopting the covenant4     
,penitence for the nation's miserable   
past prompted the desire for a better   
future1 and gratitude for the           
overwhelming goodness of ,god roused an 
enthusiasm of devotion4 ,nothing urges  

us to surrender ourselves to ,god so    
much as these two motives--our          
repentance and ,his goodness4 ,they are 
the two powerful magnets that draw souls
 to ,christ4  ,the chronicler--always   
delighting in any opportunity to insert 
his lists of names--records the names of
 the signatories of the covenant4 ,the  
seals of these men were of importance so
 long as the original document to which 
they were affixed was preserved1 and so 
long as any recognised descendants of   
the families they represented were      
living4 ,to us they are of interest     
because they indicate the orderly       
arrangement of the nation and the       
thoroughness of procedure in the        
ratification of the covenant4 ,nehemiah1
 who is again called by his ,persian    
title ,tirshatha1 appears first4 ,this  
fact is to be noted as a sign that as   
yet even in a religious document the    
civil ruler takes precedence of the     
hierarchy4 ,at present it is allowed for
 a layman to head the list of leading   

,israelites4 ,we might have looked for  
,ezra's name in the first place1 for he 
it was who had taken the lead in the    
introduction of ,the ,law1 while        
,nehemiah had retreated into the        
background during the whole month's     
proceedings4 ,but the name of ,ezra does
 not appear anywhere on the document4   
,the probable explanation of its absence
 is that only heads of houses affixed   
their seals1 and that ,ezra was not     
accounted one of them4 ,nehemiah's      
position in the document is official4   
,the next name1 ,zedekiah1 possibly     
stands for ,zadok the ,scribe mentioned 
later1#bch who may have been the writer 
of the document1 or perhaps ,nehemiah's 
secretary4 ,then come the priests4 ,it  
was not the business of these men to    
assist in the reading of ,the ,law4     
,while the ,levites acted as scribes and
 instructors of the people1 the priests 
were chiefly occupied with the temple   
ritual and the performance of the other 
ceremonies of religion4 ,the ,levites   

were teachers of ,the ,law2 the priests 
were its administrators4 ,in the        
question of the execution of ,the ,law1 
therefore1 the priests have a prominent 
place1 and after remaining in obscurity 
during the previous engagements1 they   
naturally come to the front when the    
national acceptance of the ,pentateuch  
is being confirmed4 ,the hierarchy is so
 far established that1 though the       
priests follow the lay ruler of         
,jerusalem1 they precede the general    
body of citizens1 and even the nobility4
 ,no doubt many of the higher families  
were in the line of the priesthood4 ,but
 this was not the case with all of them1
 and therefore we must see here a       
distinct clerical precedence over all   
but the very highest rank4    #bch ,neh4
 xiii4 #ac4  ,most of the names in this 
list of priests occur again in a list of
 those who came up with ,zerubbabel and 
,jeshua1#bci from which fact we must    
infer that they represent families1 not 
individuals4 ,but some of the names in  

the other list are missing here4 ,a most
 significant omission is that of the    
high-priest4 ,are we merely to suppose  
that some names have dropped out in     
course of transcription8 ,or was the    
high-priest1 with some of his brethren1 
unwilling to sign the covenant8 ,we have
 had earlier signs that the high-priest 
did not enjoy the full confidence of    
,ezra4#bdj ,the heads of the hierarchy  
may have resented the popularising of   
,the ,law4 ,since formerly1 while the   
people were often favoured with the     
moral ,torah of the prophets1 the       
ceremonial ,torah of the priests was    
kept among the arcana of the initiated1 
the change may not have been pleasing to
 its old custodians4 ,then these        
conservatives may not have approved of  
,ezra's latest recension of ,the ,law4  
,a much more serious difficulty lay with
 those priests who had contracted       
foreign marriages1 and who had favoured 
the policy of alliance with neighbouring
 peoples which ,ezra had so fiercely    

opposed4 ,old animosities from this     
source were still smouldering in the    
bosoms of some of the priests4 ,but     
apart from any specific grounds of      
disaffection1 it is clear that there    
never was much sympathy between the     
scribes and the priests4 ,putting all   
these considerations together1 it is    
scarcely too much to conjecture that the
 absentees were designedly holding back 
when the covenant was signed4 ,the only 
wonder is that the disaffected minority 
was so small4    #bci ,neh4 xii4 #a-g4  
#bdj ,e4g41 ,ezra viii4 #cc2 where the  
high-priest is passed over in   silence4
  ,according to the new order advised by
 ,ezekiel and now established1 the      
,levites take the second place and come 
after the priests1 as a separate and    
inferior order of clergy4 ,yet the      
hierarchy is so far honoured that even  
the lowest of the clergy precede the    
general body of the laity4 ,we come down
 to the porters1 the choristers1 and the
 temple-helots before we hear of the    

mass of the people4 ,when this lay      
element is reached1 the whole of it is  
included4 ,men1 women1 and children are 
all represented in the covenant4 ,the   
,law had been read to all classes1 and  
now it is accepted by all classes4 ,thus
 again the rights and duties of women   
and children in religion are recognised1
 and the thoroughly domestic character  
of ,judaism is provided for4 ,there is a
 solidity in the compact4 ,a common     
obligation draws all who are included in
 it together4 ,the population generally 
follows the example of the leaders4     
,they clave to their brethren1 their    
nobles1#bda says the chronicler4 ,the   
most effective unifying influence is a  
common enthusiasm in a great cause4 ,the
 unity of ,christendom will only be     
restored when the passion of loyalty to 
,christ is supreme in every ,christian1 
and when every ,christian acknowledges  
that this is the case with all his      
brother-,christians4    #bda ,neh4 x4   
#bi4  ,it is clear that the obligation  

of the covenant extended to the whole   
law4 ,this is called ,god's law1 which  
was given by ,moses the servant of      
,god4#bdb ,nothing can be clearer than  
that in the eyes of the chronicler1 at  
all events1 it was the ,mosaic law4 ,we 
have seen many indications of this view 
in the chroniclers narrative4 ,can we   
resist the conclusion that it was held  
by the contemporaries of ,ezra and      
,nehemiah8 ,we are repeatedly warned    
against the mistake of supposing that   
the ,pentateuch was accepted as a       
brand-new document4 ,on the contrary1 it
 was certainly received on the authority
 of the ,mosaic origin of its contents1 
and because of the ,divine authority    
that accompanied this origin4 ,by the   
,jews it was viewed as the law of       
,moses1 just as in ,roman jurisprudence 
every law was considered to be derived  
from the ,twelve ,tables4 ,no doubt     
,ezra also considered it to be a true   
interpretation of the genius of ,mosaism
 adapted to modern requirements4 ,if we 

keep this clearly before our minds1 the 
,pentateuchal controversy will lose its 
sharpest points of conflict4 ,the truth 
here noted once more is so often        
disregarded that it needs to be         
repeatedly insisted on at the risk of   
tautology4    #bdb ,ibid4  ,after the   
general acceptance of the whole law1 the
 covenant specifies certain important   
details4 ,first comes the separation    
from the heathen--the burning question  
of the day4 ,next we have ,sabbath      
observance--also made especially        
important1 because it was distinctive of
 ,judaism as well as needful for the    
relief of poor and oppressed labourers4 
,but the principal part of the schedule 
is occupied with pledges for the        
provision of the temple services4       
,immense supplies of fuel would be      
required for the numerous sacrifices1   
and therefore considerable prominence   
was given to the collecting of wood2    
subsequently a festival was established 
to celebrate this action4 ,according to 

a later tradition1 ,nehemiah kindled the
 flames on the great altar of the       
burnt-offerings with supernatural       
fire4#bdc ,like the ,vestal virgins at  
,rome1 the temple officials were to tend
 the sacred fire as a high duty1 and    
never let it go out4 ,fire shall be kept
 burning upon the altar continually1#bdd
 was the ,levitical rule4 ,thus the very
 greatest honour was given to the rite  
of sacrifice4 ,as the restoration of the
 religion of ,israel began with the     
erection of the altar before the temple 
was built1 so the preservation of that  
religion was centred in the altar       
fire--and so1 we may add1 its completion
 was attained in the supreme sacrifice  
of ,christ4    #bdc #b ,macc4 i4 #ai-bb4
    #bdd ,lev4 vi4 #ac4  ,finally1      
special care was taken for what we may  
call ,church finance in the collection  
of the tithes4 ,this comes last2 yet it 
has its place4 ,not only is it necessary
 for the sake of the work that is to be 
carried on2 it is also important in     

regard to the religious obligation of   
the worshipper4 ,the cry for a cheap    
religion is irreligious1 because real   
religion demands sacrifices1 and1       
indeed1 necessarily promotes the liberal
 spirit from which those sacrifices     
flow4 ,but if the contributions are to  
come within the range of religious      
duties1 they must be voluntary4 ,clearly
 this was the case with the ,jewish     
tithes1 as we may see for two reasons4  
,first1 they were included in the       
covenant2 and adhesion to this was      
entirely voluntary4 ,secondly1 ,malachi 
rebuked the ,jews for withholding the   
payment of tithes as a sin against      
,god1#bde showing that the payment only 
rested on a sense of moral obligation on
 the part of the people4 ,it would have 
been difficult to go further while a    
foreign government was in power1 even if
 the religious leaders had desired to do
 so4 ,moreover1 ,god can only accept the
 offerings that are given freely with   
heart and will1 for all ,he cares for is

 the spirit of the gift4    #bde ,mal4  
iii4 #h-ab4     ,,chapter ,,xxviii4     
,,the ,,holy ,,city4  ,,nehemiah vii4   
#a-d2 xi4   ,we have seen that though   
the two passages that deal with the     
sparsity of the population of ,jerusalem
 are separated in our ,bibles by the    
insertion of the section on the reading 
of ,the ,law and the formation of the   
covenant1 they are1 in fact1 so closely 
related that1 if we skip the            
intermediate section1 the one runs on   
into the other quite smoothly1 as by a  
continuous narrative2#bdf that is to    
say1 we may pass from ,nehemiah vii4 #d 
to ,nehemiah xi4 #a without the         
slightest sign of a junction of separate
 paragraphs4 ,so naive and crude is the 
chronicler's style1 that he has left the
 raw edges of the narrative jagged and  
untrimmed1 and thereby he has helped us 
to see distinctly how he has constructed
 his work4 ,the foreign matter which he 
has inserted in the great gash is quite 
different in style and contents from    

that which precedes and follows it4     
,this is marked with the ,ezra stamp1   
which indicates that in all probability 
it is founded on notes left by the      
scribe2 but the broken narrative in the 
midst of which it appears is derived    
from ,nehemiah1 the first part          
consisting of memoirs written by the    
statesman himself1 and the second part  
being an abbreviation of the            
continuation of ,nehemiah's writing4    
,the beginning of this second part      
directly links it on to the first part1 
for the word and has no sort of         
connection with the immediately         
preceding ,ezra section1 while it       
exactly fits into the broken end of the 
previous ,nehemiah section2 only with   
his characteristic indifference to      
secular affairs1 in comparison with     
matters touching ,the ,law and the      
temple worship1 the chronicler          
abbreviates the conclusion of           
,nehemiah's story4 ,it is easy to see   
how he constructs his book in this      

place4 ,he has before him two           
documents--one written by ,nehemiah1 the
 other written either by ,ezra or by one
 of his close associates4 ,at first he  
follows ,nehemiah1 but suddenly he      
discovers that he has reached the date  
when the ,ezra record should come in4   
,therefore1 without any concern for the 
irregularity of style that he is        
perpetrating1 he suddenly breaks off    
,nehemiah's narrative to insert the     
,ezra material1 at the end of which he  
simply goes back to the ,nehemiah       
document1 and resumes it exactly where  
he has left it1 except that now1 after  
introducing it in the language of the   
original writer1 he compresses the      
fragment1 so that the composition passes
 over into the third person4 ,it is not 
to be supposed that this is done        
arbitrarily or for no good reason4 ,the 
chronicler here intends to tell his     
story in chronological order4 ,he shows 
that the course of events referred to at
 the opening of the seventh chapter     

really was broken by the occurrences the
 record of which then follows4 ,the     
interruptions in the narrative just     
correspond to the real interruptions in 
the historical facts4 ,history is not a 
smooth-flowing river2 its course is     
repeatedly broken by rocks and shoals1  
and sometimes entirely deflected by     
impassable cliffs4 ,in the earlier part 
of the narrative we read of ,nehemiah's 
anxiety on account of the sparsity of   
the population of ,jerusalem2 but before
 he was able to carry out any plans for 
the increase of the number of           
inhabitants the time of the great autumn
 festivals was upon him1 and the people 
were eager to take advantage of the     
public holidays that then fell due in   
order to induce ,ezra to read to them   
the wonderful book he had brought up    
from ,babylon years before1 and of which
 he had not yet divulged the contents4  
,this was not waste time as regards     
,nehemiah's project4 ,though the civil  
governor stood in the background during 

the course of the great religious       
movement1 he heartily seconded the      
clerical leaders of it in their efforts 
to enlighten and encourage the people1  
and he was the first to seal the        
covenant which was its fruit4 ,then the 
people who had been instructed in the   
principles of their faith and           
consecrated to its lofty requirements   
were fitted to take their places as     
citizens of the ,holy ,city4    #bdf    
,pages #bga-bgc4  ,the population       
question which troubled ,nehemiah at    
this time is so exactly opposite to that
 which gives concern to students of     
social problems in our own day1 that we 
need to look into the circumstances in  
which it emerged in order to understand 
its bearings4 ,the powerful suction of  
great towns1 depleting the rural        
districts and gorging the urban1 is a   
source of the greatest anxiety to all   
who seriously contemplate the state of  
modern society2 and consequently one of 
the most pressing questions of the day  

is how to scatter the people over the   
land4 ,even in new countries the same   
serious condition is experienced--in    
,australia1 for instance1 where the     
crowding of the people into ,melbourne  
is rapidly piling up the very           
difficulties sanguine men hoped the     
colonies would escape4 ,if we only had  
these modern facts to draw upon1 we     
might conclude that a centripetal       
movement of population was inevitable4  
,that it is not altogether a novelty we 
may learn from the venerable story of   
the ,tower of ,babel1 from which we may 
also gather that it is ,god's will that 
men should spread abroad and replenish  
the earth4  ,it is one of the advantages
 of the study of history that it lifts  
us out of our narrow grooves and reveals
 to us an immense variety of modes of   
life1 and this is not the least of the  
many elements of profit that come to us 
from the historical embodiment of       
revelation as we have it in the ,bible4 
,the width of vision that we may thus   

attain to will have a double effect4 ,it
 will save us from being wedded to a    
fixed policy under all circumstances2   
and it will deliver us from the despair 
into which we should settle down1 if we 
did not see that what looks to us like a
 hopeless and interminable drift in the 
wrong direction is not the permanent    
course of human development4 ,it is     
necessary to consider that if the       
dangers of a growing population are     
serious1 those of a dwindling population
 are much more grave4  ,nehemiah was in 
a position to see the positive          
advantages of city life1 and he regarded
 it as his business to make the most of 
them for the benefit of his             
fellow-countrymen4 ,we have seen that   
each of the three great expeditions from
 ,babylon up to ,jerusalem had its      
separate and distinctive purpose4 ,the  
aim of the first1 under ,zerubbabel and 
,jeshua1 was the rebuilding of the      
temple2 the object of the second1 under 
,ezra1 was the establishment of ,the    

,law2 and the end of the third1 under   
,nehemiah1 was the fortification and    
strengthening of the city4 ,this end was
 before the patriotic statesman's mind  
from the very first moment when he was  
startled and grieved at hearing the     
report of the ruinous condition of the  
walls of ,jerusalem which his brother   
brought to him in the palace at ,susa4  
,we may be sure that with so practical a
 man it was more than a sentimental     
reverence for venerated sites that led  
,nehemiah to undertake the great work of
 fortifying the city of his fathers'    
sepulchres4 ,he had something else in   
view than to construct a huge mausoleum4
 ,his aim had too much to do with the   
living present to resemble that of      
,rizpah guarding the corpses of her sons
 from the hovering vultures4 ,nehemiah  
believed in the future of ,jerusalem1   
and therefore he would not permit her to
 remain a city of ruins1 unguarded1 and 
a prey to every chance comer4 ,he saw   
that she had a great destiny yet to     

fulfil1 and that she must be made strong
 if ever she was to accomplish it4 ,it  
is to the credit of his keen discernment
 that he perceived this essential       
condition of the firm establishment of  
,israel as a distinctive people in the  
land of ,palestine4 ,ezra was too       
literary1 too abstract1 too much of an  
idealist to see it1 and therefore he    
struggled on with his teaching and      
exhorting till he was simply silenced by
 the unlooked-for logic of facts4       
,nehemiah perfectly comprehended this   
logic1 and knew how to turn it to the   
advantage of his own cause4  ,the fierce
 antagonism of the ,samaritans is an    
indirect confirmation of the wisdom of  
,nehemiah's plans4 ,sanballat and his   
associates saw clearly enough that1 if  
,jerusalem were to become strong again1 
the metropolitan pre-eminence--which had
 shifted from this city to ,samaria     
after the ,babylonian conquest--would   
revert to its old seat among the hills  
of ,judah and ,benjamin4 ,now this      

pre-eminence was of vital importance to 
the destinies of ,israel4 ,it was not   
possible for the people in those early  
days to remain separate and compact1 and
 to work out their own peculiar mission1
 without a strong and safe centre4 ,we  
have seen ,judaism blossoming again as a
 distinctive phenomenon in the later    
history of the ,jews1 after the         
destruction of ,jerusalem by the        
,romans4 ,but this most wonderful fact  
in ethnology is indirectly due to the   
work of ,ezra and ,nehemiah4 ,the       
readiness to intermarry with foreigners 
shown by the contemporaries of the two  
great reformers proves conclusively     
that1 unless the most stringent measures
 had been taken for the preservation of 
its distinctive life1 ,israel would have
 melted away into the general mass of   
amalgamated races that made up the      
,chaldan and ,persian empires4 ,the     
military protection of ,jerusalem       
enabled her citizens to maintain an     
independent position in defiance of the 

hostile criticism of her neighbours1 and
 the civil importance of the city helped
 to give moral weight to her example in 
the eyes of the scattered ,jewish       
population outside her walls4 ,then the 
worship at the temple was a vital       
element in the newly modelled religious 
organisation1 and it was absolutely     
essential that this should be placed    
beyond the danger of being tampered with
 by foreign influences1 and at the same 
time that it should be adequately       
supported by a sufficient number of     
resident ,jews4 ,something like the     
motive that induces the ,pope to desire 
the restoration of the temporal power of
 the ,papacy--perfectly wise and        
reasonable from his point of view--would
 urge the leaders of ,judaism to secure 
as far as possible the political        
independence of the centre of their     
religion4  ,it is to be observed that   
,nehemiah desired an increase of the    
population for the immediate purpose of 
strengthening the garrison of           

,jerusalem4 ,the city had been little   
better than a lodge in a garden of      
cucumbers till her new governor had put 
forth stupendous efforts which resulted 
in converting her into a fortress4 ,now 
the fortress required to be manned4     
,everything indicates anxiety about the 
means of defence4 ,nehemiah placed two  
men at the head of this vital           
function--his own brother ,hanani1 whose
 concern about the city had been evinced
 in his report of its condition to      
,nehemiah at ,susa1 and ,hananiah the   
commandant of the citadel4 ,this        
,hananiah was known to be faithful--a   
great point while traitors in the       
highest places were intriguing with the 
enemy4 ,he was also exceptionally       
,god-fearing1 described as one who      
feared ,god above many--another point   
recognised by ,nehemiah as of supreme   
importance in a military officer4 ,here 
we have an anticipation of the ,puritan 
spirit which required the ,cromwellian  
soldiers to be men of sterling religious

 character4 ,nehemiah would have had no 
hesitation if he had been placed in the 
dilemma of the ,athenians when they were
 called to choose between ,aristides the
 good and ,themistocles the clever4     
,with him--much as brains were needed1  
and he showed this in his own sleepless 
astuteness--integrity and religion were 
the first requisites for an office of   
responsibility4  ,the danger of the     
times is further indicated by the new   
rule with regard to the opening of the  
gates4 ,oriental custom would have      
permitted this at dawn4 ,nehemiah would 
not allow it before the full daytime1   
until the sun be hot4 ,levites were to  
mount guard by day--an indication of the
 partially ecclesiastical character of  
the civil government4 ,the city was a   
sort of extended temple1 and its        
citizens constituted a ,church watched  
over by the clergy4 ,at night the       
citizens themselves were to guard the   
walls1 as more watchers would be needed 
during the hours of darkness to protect 

the city against an assault by surprise4
 ,now these facts point to serious      
danger and arduous toil4 ,naturally many
 men would shrink from the yoke of      
citizenship under such circumstances4   
,it was so much pleasanter1 so much     
easier1 so much quieter for people to   
live in the outlying towns and villages1
 near to their own farms and vineyards4 
,therefore it was necessary to take a   
tenth of the rural population in order  
to increase that of the town4 ,the      
chronicler expressly notes that the     
rulers of the people were already       
dwelling in ,jerusalem4 ,these men      
realised their responsibility4 ,the     
officers were to the fore2 the men who  
needed to be urged to their duty were   
the privates4 ,no doubt there was more  
to attract the upper classes to the     
capital1 while their agricultural       
occupations would naturally draw many of
 the poorer people into the country1 and
 we must not altogether condemn the     
latter as less patriotic than the       

former4 ,we cannot judge the relative   
merits of people who act differently    
till we know their several              
circumstances4 ,still it remains true   
that it is often the man with the one   
talent who buries his charge1 because   
with him the sense of personal          
insignificance becomes a temptation to  
the neglect of duty4 ,hence arises one  
of the most serious dangers to a        
democracy4 ,when this danger is not     
mastered1 the management of public      
affairs falls into the hands of         
self-seeking politicians1 who are ready 
to wreck the state for their private    
advantage4 ,it is most essential1       
therefore1 that a public conscience     
should be aroused and that people should
 realise their duty to their            
community--to the town in which they    
live1 the country to which they belong4 
,nehemiah's simple expedient succeeded1 
and praise was earned by those ,jews who
 yielded to the sacred decision of the  
lot and abandoned their pleasant rustic 

retreats to take up the more trying     
posts of sentinels in a garrison4       
,according to his custom1 the chronicler
 proceeds to show us how the people were
 organised4 ,his many names have long   
ceased to convey the living interest    
that must have clustered round them when
 the families they represented were     
still able to recognise their ancestors 
in the roll of honour4 ,but incidentally
 he imports into his register a note    
about the ,great ,king's concern for the
 temple worship1 from which we learn    
that ,artaxerxes made special provision 
for the support of the choristers1 and  
that he entertained a ,jewish           
representative in his court to keep him 
informed on the condition of the distant
 city4 ,thus we have another indication 
of the royal patronage which was behind 
the whole movement for the restoration  
of the ,jews4 ,nevertheless the piteous 
plaint of the ,jews on their great fast 
day shows us that their servitude galled
 them sorely4 ,men who could utter that 

cry would not be bribed into a state of 
cheerful satisfaction by the kindness of
 their master in subscribing to their   
choir fund1 although doubtless the      
contribution was made in a spirit of    
well-meaning generosity4 ,the ideal     
,city of ,god had not yet appeared1 and 
the hint of the dependence of ,jerusalem
 on royal patronage is a significant    
reminder of the sad fact4 ,it never did 
appear1 even in the brightest days of   
the earthly ,jerusalem4 ,but ,god was   
teaching ,his people through the history
 of that unhappy city how high the true 
ideal must be1 and so preparing them for
 the heavenly city1 the ,new ,jerusalem4
  ,now we may take the high ideal that  
was slowly emerging throughout the ages1
 and see how ,god intends to have it    
realised in the ,city of ,god which1    
from the days of ,saint ,augustine1 we  
have learnt to look for in the ,church  
of ,christ4 ,the two leading thoughts   
connected with the ,holy ,city in the   
phase of her history that is now passing

 under our notice are singularly        
applicable to the ,christian community4 
,first1 the characteristic life of the  
city4 ,enclosed within walls the city   
gained a peculiar character and         
performed a distinctive mission of her  
own4 ,our ,lord was not satisfied to    
rescue stray sheep on the mountains only
 to brand them with ,his mark and then  
turn them out again to graze in         
solitude4 ,he drew them as a flock after
 ,himself1 and ,his disciples gathered  
them into the fold of ,church           
fellowship4 ,this is of as vital        
importance to the cause of ,christianity
 as the civic organisation of ,jerusalem
 was to that of ,judaism4 ,the          
,christian ,city of ,god stands out     
before the world on her lofty           
foundation1 the ,rock of ,ages--a beacon
 of separation from sin1 a testimony to 
the grace of ,god1 a centre for the     
confession of faith1 a home for social  
worship1 a rallying point for the forces
 of holy warfare1 a sanctuary for the   

helpless and oppressed4  ,second1 the   
public duty of a citizenship4 ,the      
reluctance of ,christians to accept the 
responsibilities of ,church membership  
may be compared to the backwardness of  
the ,jews to dwell in their metropolis4 
,like ,jerusalem in the time of         
,nehemiah1 the ,city of ,god to-day is  
an outpost in the battle-field1 a       
fortress surrounded by the enemy's      
territory4 ,it is traitorous to retire  
to the calm cultivation of one's private
 garden-plot in the hour of stress and  
strain when the citadel is threatened on
 all sides4 ,it is the plain duty of the
 people of ,god to mount guard and take 
their turn as watchmen on the walls of  
the ,holy ,city4  ,may we carry the     
analogy one step further8 ,the king of  
,persia1 though his realm stretched from
 the ,tigris to the gean1 could not give
 much effectual help to the true ,city  
of ,god4 ,but the ,divine ,king of kings
 sends her constant supplies1 and she   
too1 like ,jerusalem1 has her           

,representative at court1 ,one who ever 
lives to make intercession for her4     
,,chapter ,,xxix4  ,,beginnings4        
,,nehemiah xii4 #bg-dg4   ,a curious    
feature of the history of the           
restoration of ,israel already met with 
several times is postponement4 ,thus in 
the days of ,cyrus ,zerubbabel leads up 
an expedition for the express purpose of
 building the temple at ,jerusalem2 but 
the work is not executed until the reign
 of ,darius4 ,again1 ,ezra brings the   
book of ,the ,law with him when he comes
 to the city2 yet he does not find an   
opportunity for publishing it till some 
years later4 ,once more1 ,nehemiah sets 
to work on the fortifications with the  
promptitude of a practical man and      
executes his task with astonishing      
celerity2 still1 even in his case the   
usual breach of sequence occurs2 here1  
too1 we have interruption and the       
intrusion of alien matters1 so that the 
crowning act of the dedication of the   
walls is delayed4  ,in this final       

instance we do not know how long a      
postponement there was4 ,towards the end
 of his work the chronicler is          
exceptionally abrupt and disconnected4  
,in the section xii4 #bg-dc he gives us 
an extract from ,nehemiah's memoirs1 but
 without any note of time4 ,the         
preservation of another bit of the      
patriot's original writing is           
interesting1 not only because of its    
assured historicity1 but further because
 exceptional importance is given to the 
records that have been judged worthy of 
being extracted and made portions of    
permanent scripture1 although other     
sources are only used by the chronicler 
as materials out of which to construct  
his own narrative in the third person4  
,while we cannot assign its exact date  
to the subject of this important        
fragment1 one thing is clear from its   
position in the story of the days of    
,nehemiah4 ,the reading of ,the ,law1   
the great fast1 the sealing of the      
covenant1 the census1 and the           

regulations for peopling ,jerusalem1 all
 came between the completion of the     
fortifications and the dedication of    
them4 ,the interruption and the         
consequent delay were not without       
meaning and object4 ,after what had     
occurred in the interval1 the people    
were better prepared to enter into the  
ceremony of dedication with intelligence
 and earnestness of purpose4 ,this act1 
although it was immediately directed to 
the wall1 was1 as a matter of fact1 the 
re-consecration of the city2 because the
 walls were built in order to preserve  
the distinct individuality1 unique      
integrity of what they included4 ,now   
the ,jews needed to know ,the ,law in   
order to understand the destiny of      
,jerusalem2 they needed to devote       
themselves personally to the service of 
,god1 so that they might carry out that 
destiny2 and they needed to recruit the 
forces of the ,holy ,city1 for the      
purpose of giving strength and volume to
 its future4 ,thus the postponement of  

the dedication made that event1 when it 
came about1 a much more real thing than 
it would have been if it had followed   
immediately on the building of the      
walls4 ,may we not say that in every    
similar case the personal consecration  
must precede the material8 ,the city is 
what its citizens make it4 ,they1 and   
not its site or its buildings1 give it  
its true character4 ,jerusalem and      
,babylon1 ,athens and ,rome1 are not to 
be distinguished in their topography and
 architecture in anything approaching   
the degree in which they are            
individualised by the manners and deeds 
of their respective peoples4 ,most      
assuredly the ,new ,jerusalem will just 
reflect the characters of her citizens4 
,this ,city of ,god will be fair and    
spotless only when they who tread her   
streets are clad in the beauty of       
holiness4 ,in smaller details1 too1 and 
in personal matters1 we can only        
dedicate aright that which we are       
handling in a spirit of earnest         

devotion4 ,the miserable superstition   
that clouds our ideas of this subject   
rises out of the totally erroneous      
notion that it is possible to have holy 
things without holy persons1 that a     
mystical sanctity can attach itself to  
any objects apart from an intelligent   
perception of some sacred purpose for   
which they are to be used4 ,this        
materialistic notion degrades religion  
into magic2 it is next door to          
fetichism4  ,it is important1 then1 that
 we should understand what we mean by   
dedication4 ,unfortunately in our       
,english ,bible the word dedicate is    
made to stand for two totally distinct  
,hebrew terms1 one#bdg of which means to
 consecrate1 to make holy1 or set apart 
for ,god2 while the other#bdh means to  
initiate1 to mark the beginning of a    
thing4 ,the first is used of functions  
of ritual1 priestly and sacrificial2 but
 the second has a much wider            
application1 one that is not always     
directly connected with religion4 ,thus 

we meet with this second word in the    
regulations of ,deuteronomy which lay   
down the conditions on which certain    
persons are to be excused from military 
service4 ,the man who has built a new   
house but who has not dedicated it is   
placed side by side with one who has    
planted a vineyard and with a third who 
is on the eve of his marriage4#bdi ,now 
the first word--that describing real    
consecration--is used of the priests'   
action in regard to their portion of the
 wall1 and in this place our translators
 have rendered it sanctified4#bej ,but  
in the narrative of the general         
dedication of the walls the second and  
more secular word is used4 ,the same    
word is used1 however1 we must notice1  
in the account of the dedication of the 
temple4#bea ,in both these cases1 and in
 all other cases of the employment of   
the word1 the chief meaning conveyed by 
it is just initiation4#beb ,it          
signalises a commencement4 ,therefore   
the ceremony at the new walls was       

designed in the first instance to direct
 attention to the very fact of their    
newness1 and to call up those thoughts  
and feelings that are suitable in the   
consideration of a time of commencement4
 ,we must all acknowledge that such a   
time is one for very earnest thought4   
,all our beginnings in life--the birth  
of a child1 a young man's start in the  
world1 the wedding that founds the home1
 the occupation of a new house1 the     
entrance on a fresh line of             
business--all such beginnings come to   
rouse us from the indifference of       
routine1 to speak to us with the voice  
of ,providence1 to bid us look forward  
and prepare ourselves for the future4   
,we have rounded a corner1 and a new    
vista has opened up to our view4 ,as we 
gaze down the long aisle we must be     
heedless indeed if we can contemplate   
the vision without a thrill of emotion1 
without a thought of anticipation4 ,the 
new departure in external affairs is an 
opportunity for a new turn in our inner 

life1 and it calls for a reconsideration
 of our resources and methods4    #bdg  
,,hebrew ,,letter ,,qof,,hebrew ,,letter
 ,,dalet,,hebrew ,,letter ,,shin        
,piel of ,,hebrew ,,letter ,,qof,,hebrew
 ,,letter ,,dalet         ,,hebrew      
,,letter ,,shin    #bdh ,,hebrew        
,,letter ,,het,,hebrew ,,point          
,,qamats,,hebrew ,,letter ,,nun         
,,hebrew ,,point ,,patah,,hebrew        
,,letter ,,final ,,kaf         ,,hebrew 
,,point ,,sheva    #bdi ,deut4 xx4 #e-g4
    #bej ,neh1 iii4 #a4    #bea ,ezra   
vi4 #af4    #beb ,still in the earlier  
scene1 the dedication of the temple1 the
   sacred use of the building makes the 
act of initiation to be   equivalent to 
consecration4 ,there the connection     
gives the special   association4  ,one  
of the charms of the ,bible is that1    
like nature1 it is full of fresh starts4
 ,inasmuch as a perennial breath of new 
life plays among the pages of these     
ancient scriptures1 we have only to     
drink it in to feel what inspiration    

there is here for every momentous       
beginning4 ,just as the fading1 dank    
autumn gives way to the desolation of   
winter in order that in due time the    
sleeping seeds and buds may burst out in
 the birth of spring with the freshness 
of ,eden1 ,god has ordained that the    
decaying old things of human life shall 
fall away and be forgotten1 while ,he   
calls us into the heritage of the       
new--giving a new covenant1 creating a  
new heart1 promising a new heaven and a 
new earth4 ,the mistake of our torpor   
and timidity is that we will cling to   
the rags of the past and only patch them
 with shreds of the later age1 instead  
of boldly flinging them on to clothe    
ourselves in the new garment of praise  
which is to take the place of the old   
spirit of heaviness4  ,the method in    
which a new beginning was celebrated by 
the ,jews in relation to their restored 
walls is illustrative of the spirit in  
which such an event should always be    
contemplated4  ,in the first place1 as a

 preparation for the whole of the       
subsequent ceremonies1 the priests and  
,levites carried out a great work of    
purification4 ,they began with          
themselves1 because the men who are     
first in any dealings with religion must
 be first in purity4 ,judged by the     
highest standard1 the only real         
difference of rank in the ,church is    
determined by varying degrees of        
holiness2 merely official distinctions  
and those that arise from the unequal   
distribution of gifts cannot affect     
anybody's position of honour in the     
sight of ,god4 ,the functions of the    
recognised ministry1 in particular1     
demand purity of character for their    
right discharge4 ,they that bear the    
vessels of the ,lord must be clean4 ,and
 not only so in general2 especially in  
the matter of purification is it        
necessary that those who carry out the  
work should first be pure themselves4   
,what here applied to priests and       
,levites ceremonially applies in prosaic

 earnest to all who feel called to purge
 society in the interest of true        
morality4 ,who can bring a clean thing  
out of an unclean8 ,the leaders of moral
 reforms must be themselves morally     
clean4 ,only regenerate men and women   
can regenerate society4 ,if the salt has
 lost its savour it will not arrest     
corruption in the sacrifice that is     
salted with it4 ,but the purification   
does not cease with the leaders4 ,in    
ceremonial symbolism all the people and 
even the very walls are also cleansed4  
,this is done in view of the new        
departure1 the fresh beginning4 ,such an
 occasion calls for much heart-searching
 and spiritual cleansing--a truth which 
must have been suggested to the minds of
 thoughtful people by the ,levitical    
ceremonies4 ,it is a shame to bring the 
old stains into the new scenes4 ,the    
fresh1 clean start calls for a new and  
better life4  ,next1 it is to be        
observed1 there was an organised        
procession round the walls1 a procession

 that included citizens of every        
rank--princes1 priests1 ,levites1 and   
representatives of the general          
community1 described as ,judah and      
,benjamin4 ,starting at the west end of 
the city1 these people were divided into
 two sections1 one led by ,nehemiah     
going round by the north1 and the other 
conducted by ,ezra proceeding by the    
south1 so that they met at the eastern  
side of the city2 where opposite the    
,mount of ,olives and close to the      
temple1 they all united in an           
enthusiastic outburst of praise4 ,this  
arrangement was not carried out for any 
of the idle ends of a popular           
pageant--to glorify the processionists1 
or to amuse the spectators4 ,it was to  
serve an important practical purpose4   
,by personal participation in the       
ceremony of initiation1 all sections of 
the community would be brought to       
perceive its real significance4 ,since  
the walls were in the keeping of the    
citizens1 it was necessary that the     

citizens should acknowledge their       
privileges and responsibilities4 ,men   
and women need to come individually and 
directly face to face with new          
conditions of life4 ,mere dulness of    
imagination encourages the lazy sense of
 indifference with which so many people 
permit themselves to ignore the claims  
of duty1 and the same cause accounts for
 a melancholy failure to appreciate the 
new blessings that come from the        
untiring bounty of ,god4  ,in the third 
place1 the behaviour of the             
processionists invites our attention4   
,the whole ceremony was one of praise   
and gratitude4 ,levites were called in  
from the outlying towns and villages    
where they had got themselves homes1 and
 even from that part of the ,jordan     
valley that lay nearest to ,jerusalem4  
,their principal function was to swell  
the chorus of the temple singers4       
,musical instruments added emphasis to  
the shout of human voices2 clashing     
cymbals and finer toned harps supported 

the choral song with a rich and powerful
 orchestral accompaniment1 which was    
augmented from another quarter by a     
young band of trumpeters consisting of  
some of the priests' sons4 ,the         
immediate aim of the music and singing  
was to show forth the praises of ,god4  
,the two great companies were to give   
thanks while they went round the walls4 
,sacrifices of thanksgiving completed   
the ceremony when the processions were  
united and brought to a standstill near 
the temple4 ,the thanksgiving would     
arise out of a grateful acknowledgment  
of the goodness of ,god in leading the  
work of building the walls through many 
perils and disappointments to its       
present consummation4 ,rarely does      
anything new spring up all of a sudden  
without some relation to our own past   
life and action2 but even that which is 
the greatest novelty and wonder to us   
must have a cause somewhere4 ,if we have
 done nothing to prepare for the happy  
surprise1 ,god has done much4 ,thus the 

new start is an occasion for giving     
thanks to its great ,originator4 ,but   
the thankfulness also looks forward4    
,the city was now in a very much more   
hopeful condition than when ,nehemiah   
took his lonely night ride among its    
ghostly ruins4 ,by this time it was a   
compact and strongly fortified centre1  
with solid defences and a good body of  
devoted citizens pledged to do their    
part in pursuing its unique destiny4    
,the prospect of a happy future which   
this wonderful transformation suggested 
afforded sufficient reasons for the     
greatest thankfulness4 ,the spirit of   
praise thus called forth would be one of
 the best guarantees of the fulfilment  
of the high hopes that it inspired4     
,there is nothing that so surely        
foredooms people to failure as a        
despairing blindness to any perception  
of their advantages4 ,the grateful soul 
will always have most ground for a      
renewal of gratitude4 ,it is only just  
and reasonable that ,god should         

encourage those of ,his children who    
acknowledge ,his goodness1 with fresh   
acts of favour over and above what ,he  
does for all in making ,his sun to shine
 and ,his rain to fall on the bad as    
well as the good4 ,but apart from       
considerations of self-interest1 the    
true spirit of praise will delight to   
pour itself out in adoration of the     
great and good ,father of all blessings4
 ,it is a sign of sin or selfishness or 
unbelief when the element of praise     
fails in our worship4 ,this is the      
purest and highest part of a religious  
service1 and it should take the first   
place in the estimation of the          
worshippers4 ,it will do so directly a  
right sense of the goodness of ,god is  
attained4 ,surely the best worship is   
that in which man's needs and hopes and 
fears are all swallowed up in the vision
 of ,god's love and glory1 as the fields
 and woods are lost in a dim purple haze
 when the sky is aglow with the rose and
 saffron of a brilliant sunset4         

,further1 it is to be observed that a   
note of gladness rings through the whole
 ceremony4 ,the account of the          
dedication concludes with the perfectly 
jubilant verse1 ,and they offered great 
sacrifices that day1 and rejoiced2 for  
,god had made them rejoice with great   
joy2 and the women also and the children
 rejoiced3 so that the joy of ,jerusalem
 was heard even afar off4#bec ,the joy  
would be mingled with the praise1       
because when people see the goodness of 
,god enough to praise ,him from their   
hearts they cannot but rejoice2 and then
 the joy would react on the praise1     
because the more blessedness ,god sends 
the more heartily must ,his grateful    
children thank ,him4 ,now the outburst  
of joy was accompanied with sacrifices4 
,in the deepest sense1 a sense almost   
unknown till it was revealed by ,christ1
 there is a grand1 solemn joy in        
sacrifice4 ,but even to those who have  
only reached the ,jewish standpoint1 the
 self-surrender expressed by a          

ceremonial sacrifice as a symbol of glad
 thankfulness in turn affects the       
offerer so as to heighten his gladness4 
,no doubt there were mundane and secular
 elements in this joy of a jubilant     
city4 ,a laborious and dangerous task   
had been completed2 the city had been   
fortified and made able to defend itself
 against the horrors of an assault2     
there was a fair prospect of comfort and
 perhaps even honour for the oppressed  
and despised citizens of ,jerusalem4    
,but beyond all this and beneath it1    
doubtless many had discovered           
,nehemiah's great secret for themselves2
 they had found their strength in the   
joy of the ,lord4 ,in face of heathenish
 pleasures and superstitious terrors it 
was much to know that ,god expected ,his
 holy people to be happy1 and more1 to  
find that the direct road to happiness  
was holiness4 ,this was the best part of
 the joy which all the people           
experienced with more or less thought   
and appreciation of its meaning4 ,joy is

 contagious4 ,here was a city full of   
gladness4 ,nehemiah expressly takes note
 of the fact that the women and children
 shared in the universal joy4 ,they must
 have been among the most pitiable      
sufferers in the previous calamities2   
and they had taken their place in the   
great ,ecclesia when ,the ,law was read1
 and again when the sad confession of   
the nation's sin was poured forth4 ,it  
was well that they should not be left   
out of the later scene1 when joy and    
praise filled the stage4 ,for children  
especially who would not covet this     
gladness in religion8 ,it is only a     
miserable short-sightedness that allows 
any one to put before children ideas of 
,god and spiritual things which must    
repel1 because of their gloom and       
sternness4 ,let us reserve these ideas  
for the castigation of ,pharisees4 ,a   
scene of joyous worship is truly typical
 of the perfect ,city of ,god of which  
children are the typical citizens--the  
,new ,jerusalem of whose inhabitants it 

is said1 ,god shall wipe away all tears 
from their eyes2 and there shall be no  
more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 
neither shall there be any more pain2   
for the former things are passed away4  
#bec ,neh4 xii4 #dc4  ,lastly1 following
 his extract from the memoirs of        
,nehemiah1 the chronicler shows how the 
glad spirit of this great day of        
dedication flowed out and manifested    
itself in those engagements to which he 
was always delighted to turn--the       
,levitical services4 ,thus the tithe    
gathering and the temple psalmody were  
helped forward4 ,the gladness of        
religion is not confined to set services
 of public worship2 but when those      
services are held it must flood them    
with the music of praise4 ,it is        
impossible for the worship of ,god's    
house to be limp and depressed when the 
souls of ,his children are joyous and   
eager4 ,a half-hearted1 melancholy faith
 may be content with neglected churches 
and slovenly services--but not a joyous 

religion which men and women love and   
glory in4 ,while ,the joy of the ,lord  
has many happy effects on the world1 it 
also crowds churches1 fills treasuries1 
sustains various ministries1 inspires   
hymns of praise1 and brings life and    
vigour into all the work of religion4   
,,chapter ,,xxx4  ,,the ,,rigour ,,of   
,,the ,,reformer4  ,,nehemiah xiii4     
,there is no finality in history4 ,the  
chapter that seems to be rounded on with
 a perfect conclusion always leaves room
 for an appendix1 which in its turn may 
serve as an introduction to another     
chapter4 ,ezra's and ,nehemiah's work   
seemed to have reached its climax in the
 happy scene of the dedication of the   
walls4 ,all difficulties had vanished2  
the new order had been greeted with     
widespread enthusiasm2 the future       
promised to be smooth and prosperous4   
,if the chronicler had laid down his pen
 at this point1 as any dramatist before 
,ibsen who was not bound by the         
exigencies of prosaic facts would have  

done1 his work might have presented a   
much more artistic appearance than it   
now wears4 ,and yet it would have been  
artificial1 and therefore false to the  
highest art of history4 ,in adding a    
further extract from ,nehemiah's memoirs
 that discloses a revival of the old    
troubles1 and so shows that the evils   
against which the reformers contended   
had not been stamped out1 the writer    
mars the literary effect of his record  
of their triumph2 but1 at the same time1
 he satisfies us that he is in contact  
with real life1 its imperfections and   
its disappointments4  ,it is not easy to
 settle the time of the incident        
mentioned in chapter xiii4 #a-c4 ,the   
phrase on that day with which the       
passage opens seems to point back to the
 previous chapter4 ,if so it cannot be  
taken literally1 because what it        
describes must be assigned to a later   
period than the contents of the         
paragraph that follows it4 ,it forms an 
introduction to the extract from        

,nehemiah's memoirs1 and its            
chronological position is even later    
than the date of the first part of the  
extract1 because that begins with the   
words ,and before this1#bed i4e41 before
 the incident that opens the chapter4   
,now it is clear that ,nehemiah's       
narrative here refers to a time         
considerably after the transactions of  
the previous chapter1 inasmuch as he    
states that when the first of the       
occurrences he now records happened he  
was away in the court of                
,artaxerxes4#bee ,still later1 then1    
must that event be placed before which  
this new incident occurred4 ,we might   
perhaps suppose that the phrase at that 
day is carried over directly from the   
chronicler's original source and belongs
 to its antecedents in that document2   
but so clumsy a piece of joinery is     
scarcely admissible4 ,it is better to   
take the phrase quite generally4        
,whatever it meant when first penned1 it
 is clear that the events it introduces 

belong only indefinitely to the times   
previously mentioned4 ,we are really    
landed by them in a new state of        
affairs4 ,here we must notice that the  
introductory passage is immediately     
connected with the ,nehemiah record4 ,it
 tells how the law from ,deuteronomy    
requiring the exclusion of the ,ammonite
 and the ,moabite was read and acted on4
 ,this is to be remembered when we are  
studying the subsequent events4    #bed 
,neh4 xiii4 #d4    #bee ,neh4 xiii4 #f4 
,when ,nehemiah's extended leave of     
absence had come to an end1 or when     
perhaps he had been expressly summoned  
back by ,artaxerxes1 his return to      
,babylon was followed by a melancholy   
relapse in the reformed city of         
,jerusalem4 ,this is not by any means   
astonishing4 ,nothing so hinders and    
distresses the missionary as the        
repeated outbreak of their old heathen  
vices among his converts4 ,the drunkard 
cannot be reckoned safe directly he has 
signed the pledge4 ,old habits may be   

damped down without being extinguished1 
and when this is the case they will     
flame up again as soon as the repressive
 influence is removed4 ,in the present  
instance there was a distinct party in  
the city1 consisting of some of the most
 prominent and influential citizens1    
which disapproved of the separatist1    
puritanical policy of the reformers and 
advocated a more liberal course4 ,some  
of its members may have been            
conscientious men1 who honestly deplored
 what they would regard as the          
disastrous state of isolation brought   
about by the action of ,ezra and        
,nehemiah4 ,after having been silenced  
for a time by the powerful presence of  
the great reformers1 these people would 
come out and declare themselves when the
 restraining influences were removed4   
,meanwhile we hear no more of ,ezra4    
,like ,zerubbabel in the earlier period1
 he drops out of the history without a  
hint as to his end4 ,he may have        
returned to ,babylon1 thinking his work 

complete2 possibly he had been recalled 
by the king4  ,it is likely that some   
rumours of the declension of ,jerusalem 
reached ,nehemiah at the ,persian court4
 ,but he did not discover the whole     
extent of this retrograde movement until
 he was once more in the city1 with a   
second leave of absence from            
,artaxerxes4 ,then there were four evils
 that he perceived with great grief4    
,the first was that ,tobiah had got a   
footing in the city4 ,in the earlier    
period this servant had been carrying on
 intrigues with some members of the     
aristocracy4 ,the party of opposition   
had done its best to represent him in a 
favourable light to ,nehemiah1 and all  
the while this party had been           
traitorously keeping ,tobiah informed of
 the state of affairs in the city4 ,but 
now a further step was taken4 ,though   
one of the three leading enemies of     
,nehemiah1 the ally and supporter of the
 ,samaritan governor ,sanballat1 this   
man was actually permitted to have a    

lodging in the precincts of the temple4 
,the locality was selected1 doubtless1  
because it was within the immediate     
jurisdiction of the priests1 among whom 
the ,jewish opponents of ,nehemiah were 
found4 ,it is as though1 in his quarrel 
with ,henry1 ,thomas  ,becket had lodged
 a papal envoy in the cathedral close at
 ,canterbury4 ,to a ,jew who did not    
treat the ordinances of religion with   
the ,sadducean laxity that was always to
 be found in some of the leading members
 of the priesthood1 this was most       
abhorrent4 ,he saw in it a defilement of
 the neighbourhood of the temple1 if not
 of the sacred enclosure itself1 as well
 as an insult to the former governor of 
the city4 ,tobiah may have used his room
 for the purpose of entertaining        
visitors in state2 but it may only have 
been a warehouse for trade stores1 as it
 had previously been a place in which   
the bulky sacrificial gifts were stowed 
away4 ,such a degradation of it1        
superseding its previous sacred use1    

would aggravate the evil in the sight of
 so strict a man as ,nehemiah4  ,the    
outrage was easily accounted for4       
,tobiah was allied by marriage to the   
priest who was the steward of this      
chamber4 ,thus we have a clear case of  
trouble arising out of the system of    
foreign marriages which ,ezra had so    
strenuously opposed4 ,it seems to have  
opened the eyes of the younger reformer 
to the evil of these marriages1 for     
hitherto we have not found him taking   
any active part in furthering the action
 of ,ezra with regard to them4 ,possibly
 he had not come across an earlier      
instance4 ,but now it was plain enough  
that the effect was to bring a          
pronounced enemy of all he loved and    
advocated into the heart of the city1   
with the rights of a tenant1 too1 to    
back him up4 ,if evil communications    
corrupt good manners1 this was most     
injurious to the cause of the           
reformation4 ,the time had not arrived  
when a generous spirit could dare to    

welcome all-comers to ,jerusalem4 ,the  
city was still a fortress in danger of  
siege4 ,more than that1 it was a ,church
 threatened with dissolution by reason  
of the admission of unfit members4      
,whatever we may say to the social and  
political aspects of the case1          
ecclesiastically regarded1 laxity at the
 present stage would have been fatal to 
the future of ,judaism1 and the mere    
presence of such a man as ,tobiah1      
openly sanctioned by a leading priest1  
was a glaring instance of laxity2       
,nehemiah was bound to stop the         
mischief4  ,the second evil was the     
neglect of the payments due to the      
,levites4 ,it is to be observed again   
that the ,levites are most closely      
associated with the reforming position4 
,religious laxity and indifference had  
had an effect on the treasury for which 
these men were the collectors4 ,the     
financial thermometer is a very rough   
test of the spiritual condition of a    
religious community1 and we often read  

it erroneously1 not only because we     
cannot gauge the amount of sacrifice    
made by people in very different        
circumstances1 nor just because we are  
unable to discover the motives that     
prompt the giving of alms before men2   
but also1 when every allowance is made  
for these causes of uncertainty1 because
 the gifts which are usually considered 
most generous rarely involve enough     
strain and effort to bring the deepest  
springs of life into play4 ,and yet it  
must be allowed that a declining        
subscription list is usually to be      
regarded as one sign of waning interest 
on the part of the supporters of any    
public movement4 ,when we consider the  
matter from the other side1 we must     
acknowledge that the best way to improve
 the pecuniary position of any religious
 enterprise is not to work the exhausted
 pump more vigorously1 but to drive the 
well deeper and tap the resources of    
generosity that lie nearer the          
heart--not to beg harder1 but to awaken 

a better spirit of devotion4  ,the third
 indication of backsliding that vexed   
the soul of ,nehemiah was ,sabbath      
profanation4 ,he saw labour and commerce
 both proceeding on the day of          
rest--,jews treading the winepress1     
carrying the sheaves1 lading their      
asses1 and bringing loads of wine1      
grapes1 and figs1 and all sorts of      
wares1 into ,jerusalem for sale2 and    
fishmongers and pedlars from ,tyre--not1
 of course1 themselves to be blamed for 
failing to respect the festival of a    
people whose religion they did not      
share--pouring into the city1 and       
opening their markets as on any weekday4
 ,nehemiah was greatly alarmed4 ,he went
 at once to the nobles1 who seem to have
 been governing the city1 as a sort of  
oligarchy1 during his absence1 and      
expostulated with them on their danger  
of provoking the wrath of ,god again1   
urging that ,sabbath-breaking had been  
one of the offences which had called    
down the judgment of ,heaven on their   

fathers4 ,then he took means to prevent 
the coming of foreign traders on the    
,sabbath1 by ordering the gates to be   
kept closed from ,friday evening till   
the sacred day was over4 ,once or twice 
these people came up as usual1 and      
camped just outside the city2 but as    
this was disturbing to the peace of the 
day1 ,nehemiah threatened that if they  
repeated the annoyance he would lay     
hands on them4 ,lastly1 he charged the  
,levites1 first to cleanse themselves   
that they might be ready to undertake a 
work of purification1 and then to take  
charge of the gates on the ,sabbath and 
see that the day was hallowed in the    
cessation of all labour4 ,thus both by  
persuasion and by vigorous active       
measures ,nehemiah put an end to the    
disorder4  ,the importance attached to  
this matter is a sign of the prominence 
given to ,sabbath-keeping in ,judaism4  
,the same thing was seen earlier in the 
selection of the law of the ,sabbath as 
one of the two or three rules to be     

specially noted1 and to which the ,jews 
were to particularly pledge themselves  
in the covenant4#bef ,reference was then
 made to the very act of the ,tyrians   
now complained of1 the offering of wares
 and food for sale in ,jerusalem on the 
,sabbath day4 ,putting these two        
passages together1 we can see where the 
,sabbath-breaking came from4 ,it was the
 invasion of a foreign custom--like the 
dreaded introduction of the ,continental
 ,sunday into ,england4 ,now to         
,nehemiah the fact of the foreign origin
 of the custom would be a heavy         
condemnation for it4 ,next to           
circumcision1 ,sabbath-keeping was the  
principal mark of the ,jew4 ,in the days
 of our ,lord it was the most highly    
prized feature of the ancient faith4    
,this was then so obvious that it was   
laid hold of by ,roman satirists1 who   
knew little about the strange traders in
 the ,ghetto except that they           
sabbatised4 ,nehemiah saw that if the   
sacred day of rest were to be abandoned1

 one of his bulwarks of separation would
 be lost4 ,thus for him1 with his fixed 
policy1 and in view of the dangers of   
his age1 there was a very urgent reason 
for maintaining the ,sabbath1 a reason  
which of course does not apply to us in 
,england to-day4 ,we must pass on to the
 teaching of ,christ to have this       
question put on a wider and more        
permanent basis4 ,with that ,divine     
insight of ,his which penetrated to the 
root of every matter1 our ,lord saw     
through the miserable formalism that    
made an idol of a day1 and in so doing  
turned a boon into a burden2 at the same
 time ,he rescued the sublimely simple  
truth which contains both the           
justification and the limitation of the 
,sabbath1 when ,he declared1 ,the       
,sabbath was made for man1 and not man  
for the ,sabbath4 ,in resisting the     
rigour of legal-minded ,sabbatarianism1 
the modern mind seems to have confined  
its attention to the second clause of   
this great utterance1 to the neglect of 

its first clause4 ,is it nothing1 then1 
that ,jesus said1 ,the ,sabbath was made
 for man--not for the ,jew only1 but for
 man8 ,although we may feel free from   
the religion of law in regard to the    
observance of days as much as in other  
external matters1 is it not foolish for 
us to minimise a blessing that ,jesus   
,christ expressly declared to be for the
 good of the human race8 ,if the rest   
day was needed by the ,oriental in the  
slow-moving life of antiquity1 is it any
 less requisite for the ,western in the 
rush of these later times8 ,but if it is
 necessary to our welfare1 the neglect  
of it is sinful4 ,thus not because of   
the inherent sanctity of seasons1 but on
 our ,lord's own ground of the highest  
utilitarianism--a utilitarianism which  
reaches to other people1 and even to    
animals1 and affects the soul as well as
 the body--the reservation of one day in
 seven for rest is a sacred duty4 ,the  
world is too much with us for the six   
days4 ,we can ill afford to lose the    

recurrent escape from its blighting     
companionship originally provided by the
 seventh and now enjoyed on our ,sunday4
    #bef ,neh4 x4 #ca4  ,lastly1        
,nehemiah was confronted by the social  
effects of foreign marriage alliances4  
,these alliances had been contracted by 
,jews resident in the south-western     
corner of ,juda1 who may not have come  
under the influence of ,ezra's drastic  
reformation in ,jerusalem1 and who      
probably were not married till after    
that event4 ,they afford another        
evidence of the counter current that was
 running so strongly against the        
regulations of the party of rigour while
 ,nehemiah was away4 ,the laxity of the 
border people may be accounted for      
without calling in any subtle motives4  
,but their fault was shared by a member 
of the gens of the high-priest1 who had 
actually wedded the daughter of         
,nehemiah's arch-enemy ,sanballat6      
,clearly this was a political alliance1 
and it indicated a defiant reversal of  

the policy of the reformers in the very 
highest circles4 ,the offender1 after   
being expelled from ,jerusalem1 is said 
to have been the founder of the         
,samaritan temple on ,mount ,gerizim4   
,then the social mischief of the mixed  
marriages was showing itself in the     
corruption of the ,hebrew language4 ,the
 ,philistine language was not allied to 
the ,egyptian1 as some have thought1 nor
 was it ,indo-,germanic1 as others have 
supposed1 but it was ,semitic1 and only 
a different dialect from the ,hebrew2   
and yet the difficulty persons from the 
south of ,england feel in understanding 
the speech of ,yorkshiremen in remote   
parts of the county will help us to     
account for a practical loss of mutual  
intelligence between people of different
 dialects1 when these dialects were     
still more isolated by having grown up  
in two separate and hostile nations4    
,for the children of ,jewish parents to 
be talking with the tones and accents of
 the hereditary enemies of ,israel was  

intolerable4 ,when he heard the hated   
sounds1 ,nehemiah simply lost his       
temper4 ,with a curse on his lips he    
rushed at the fathers1 striking them and
 tearing their hair4 ,it was the rage of
 bitter disappointment2 but behind it   
lay the grim set purpose in holding to  
which with dogged tenacity ,ezra and    
,nehemiah saved ,judaism from           
extinction4 ,separatism is never        
gracious2 yet it may be right4 ,the     
reformer is not generally of a mild     
temperament4 ,we may regret his         
harshness2 but we should remember that  
the world has only seen one perfectly   
meek and yet thoroughly effective       
,revolutionist1 only one ,lamb of ,god  
who could be also named the ,lion of the
 tribe of ,judah4  ,the whole situation 
was disappointing to ,nehemiah1 and his 
memoir ends in a prayer beneath which we
 can detect an undertone of melancholy4 
,three times during this last section he
 appeals to ,god to remember him--not to
 wipe out his good deeds1#beg to spare  

him according to the greatness of the   
,divine mercy1#beh and finally to       
remember him for good4#bei ,the memories
 of the ,jerusalem covenanters had been 
brief2 during the short interval of     
their leader's absence they had         
forgotten his discipline and fallen back
 into negligent ways4 ,it was vain to   
trust to the fickle fancies of men4     
,with a sense of weary loneliness1      
taught to feel his own insignificance in
 that great tide of human life that     
flows on in its own course though the   
most prominent figures drop out of      
notice1 ,nehemiah turned to his ,god1   
the one ,friend who never forgets4 ,he  
was learning the vanity of the world's  
fame2 yet he shrank from the idea of    
falling into oblivion4 ,therefore it was
 his prayer that he might abide in the  
memory of ,god4 ,this was by itself a   
restful thought4 ,it is cheering to     
think that we may dwell in the memory of
 those we love4 ,but to be held in the  
thought of ,god is to have a place in   

the heart of infinite love4 ,and yet    
this was not the conclusion of the whole
 matter to ,nehemiah4 ,it is really     
nothing better than a frivolous vanity1 
that can induce any one to be willing to
 sacrifice the prospect of a real       
eternal life in exchange for the pallid 
shadow of immortality ascribed to the   
choir invisible of those who are only   
thought of as living in the memory of   
the world they have influenced enough to
 win a niche in the temple of fame4     
,what is fame to a dead man mouldering  
in his coffin8 ,even the higher thought 
of being remembered by ,god is a poor   
consolation in prospect of blank        
non-existence4 ,nehemiah expects        
something better1 for he begs ,god to   
remember him in mercy and for good4 ,it 
is a very narrow1 prosaic interpretation
 of this prayer to say that he only     
means that he desires a blessing during 
the remainder of his life in the court  
at ,susa4 ,on the other hand1 it may be 
too much to ascribe the definite hope of

 a future life to this ,old ,testament  
saint4 ,and yet1 vague as his thought   
may be1 it is the utterance of a        
profound yearning of the soul that      
breaks out in moments of disappointment 
with an intensity never to be satisfied 
within the range of our cramped mortal  
state4 ,in this utterance of ,nehemiah  
we have1 at least1 a seed thought that  
should germinate into the great hope of 
immortality4 ,if ,god could forget ,his 
children1 we might expect them to       
perish1 swept aside like the withered   
leaves of autumn4 ,but if ,he continues 
to remember them1 it is not just to ,his
 ,fatherhood to charge ,him with        
permitting such a fate to fall upon ,his
 offspring4 ,no human father who is     
worthy of the name would willingly let  
go the children whom he cherishes in    
mind and heart4 ,is it reasonable to    
suppose that the perfect ,divine        
,father1 who is both almighty and       
all-loving1 would be less constant8 ,but
 if ,he remembers ,his children1 and    

remembers them for good1 ,he will surely
 preserve them4 ,if ,his memory is      
unfading1 and if ,his love and power are
 eternal1 those who have a place in ,his
 immortal thought must also have a share
 in ,his immortal life4    #beg ,neh4   
xiii4 #ad4    #beh ,neh4 xiii4 #bb4     
#bei ,neh4 xiii4 #ca4     ,,chapter     
,,xxxi4  ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,esther3    
,,introductory4   ,there is a striking  
contrast between the high estimation in 
which the ,book of ,esther is now       
cherished among the ,jews and the       
slighting treatment that is often meted 
out to it in the ,christian ,church4    
,according to the great ,maimonides1    
though the ,prophets and the            
,hagiographa will pass away when the    
,messiah comes1 this one book will share
 with ,the ,law in the honour of being  
retained4 ,it is known as ,the ,roll par
 excellence1 and the ,jews have a       
proverb1 ,the ,prophets may fail1 but   
not ,the ,roll4 ,the peculiar importance
 attached to the book may be explained  

by its use in the ,feast of ,purim--the 
festival which is supposed to           
commemorate the deliverance of the ,jews
 from the murderous designs of ,haman1  
and their triumph over their ,gentile   
enemies--for it is then read through in 
the synagogue4 ,on the other hand1 the  
grave doubts which were once felt by    
some of the ,jews have been retained and
 even strengthened in the ,christian    
,church4 ,esther was omitted from the   
,canon by some of the ,oriental         
,fathers4 ,luther1 with the daring      
freedom he always manifested in         
pronouncing sentence on the books of the
 ,bible1 after referring to the ,second 
,book of ,maccabees1 says1 ,i am so     
hostile to this book and that of        
,esther1 that ,i wish they did not      
exist2 they are too ,judaising1 and     
contain many heathenish improprieties4  
,in our own day two classes of          
objections have been raised4  ,the first
 is historical4 ,by many the ,book of   
,esther is regarded as a fantastic      

romance2 by some it is even relegated to
 the category of astronomical myths2 and
 by others it is considered to be a     
mystical allegory4 ,even the most sober 
criticism is troubled at its contents4  
,there can be no question that the      
,ahasuerus 7,ahashverosh7 of ,esther is 
the well-known ,xerxes of history1 the  
invader of ,greece who is described in  
the pages of ,herodotus4 ,but then1 it  
is asked1 what room have we for the     
story of ,esther in the life of that    
monarch8 ,his wife was a cruel and      
superstitious woman1 named ,amestris4   
,we cannot identify her with ,esther1   
because she was the daughter of one of  
the ,persian generals1 and also because 
she was married to ,xerxes many years   
before the date of ,esther's appearance 
on the scene4 ,two of her sons          
accompanied the expedition to ,greece1  
which must have preceded the            
introduction of ,esther to the harem4   
,moreover1 it was contrary to law for a 
,persian sovereign to take a wife except

 from his own family1 or from one of    
five noble families4 ,can ,amestris be  
identified with ,vashti8 ,if so1 it is  
certain that she must have been restored
 to favour1 because ,amestris held the  
queen's place in the later years of     
,xerxes1 when the uxorious monarch came 
more and more under her influence4      
,esther1 it is clear1 can only have been
 a secondary wife in the eyes of the    
law1 whatever position she may have held
 for a season in the court of the king4 
,the predecessors of ,xerxes had several
 wives2 our narrative makes it evident  
that ,ahasuerus followed the ,oriental  
custom of keeping a large harem4 ,to    
,esther1 at best1 therefore1 must be    
assigned the place of a favourite member
 of the seraglio4  ,then it is difficult
 to think that ,esther would not have   
been recognised as a ,jewess by ,haman1 
since the nationality of ,mordecai1     
whose relationship to her had not been  
hidden1 was known in the city of ,susa4 
,moreover1 the appalling massacre of    

their enemies by the ,jews1 carried on  
in cold blood1 and expressly including  
women and children1 has been regarded as
 highly improbable4 ,finally1 the whole 
story is so well knit together1 its     
successive incidents arrange themselves 
so perfectly and lead up to the         
conclusion with such neat precision1    
that it is not easy to assign it to the 
normal course of events4 ,we do not     
expect to meet with this sort of thing  
outside the realm of fairy tales4       
,putting all these facts together1 we   
must feel that there is some force in   
the contention that the book is not     
strictly historical4  ,but there is     
another side to the question4 ,this book
 is marvellously true to ,persian       
manners4 ,it is redolent of the         
atmosphere of the court at ,susa4 ,its  
accuracy in this respect has been traced
 down to the most minute details4 ,the  
character of ,ahasuerus is drawn to the 
life2 point after point in it may be    
matched in the ,xerxes of ,herodotus4   

,the opening sentence of the book shows 
that it was written some time after the 
date of the king in whose reign the     
story is set1 because it describes him  
in language only suited to a later      
period--this is ,ahasuerus which reigned
 from ,india unto ,ethiopia1 etc4 ,but  
the writer could not have been far      
removed from the ,persian period4 ,the  
book bears evidence of having been      
written in the heart of ,persia1 by a   
man who was intimately acquainted with  
the scenery he described4 ,there seems  
to be some reason for believing in the  
substantial accuracy of a narrative that
 is so true to life in these respects4  
,the simplest way out of the dilemma is 
to suppose that the story of ,esther    
stands upon a historical basis of fact1 
and that it has been worked up into its 
present literary form by a ,jew of later
 days who was living in ,persia1 and who
 was perfectly familiar with the records
 and traditions of the reign of ,xerxes4
 ,it is only an unwarrantable1 a priori 

theory that can be upset by our         
acceptance of this conclusion4 ,we have 
no right to demand that the ,bible shall
 not contain anything but what is       
strictly historical4 ,the ,book of ,job 
has long been accepted as a sublime     
poem1 founded on fact perhaps1 but owing
 its chief value to the divinely        
inspired thoughts of its author4 ,the   
,book of ,jonah is regarded by many     
cautious and devout readers as an       
allegory replete with important lessons 
concerning a very ugly aspect of ,jewish
 selfishness4 ,these two works are not  
the less valuable because men are coming
 to understand that their places in the 
library of the ,hebrew ,canon are not   
among the strict records of history4    
,and the ,book of ,esther need not be   
dishonoured when some room is allowed   
for the play of the creative imagination
 of its author4 ,in these days of the   
theological novel we are scarcely in a  
position to object to what may be       
thought to partake of the character of a

 romance1 even if it is found in the    
,bible4 ,no one asks whether our ,lord's
 parable of the ,prodigal ,son was a    
true story of some ,galilean family4    
,the ,pilgrim's ,progress has its       
mission1 though it is not to be verified
 by any authentic ,annals of ,elstow4   
,it is rather pleasing than otherwise to
 see that the compilers of the ,jewish  
,canon were not prevented by ,providence
 from including a little anticipation of
 that work of the imagination which has 
blossomed so abundantly in the highest  
and best culture of our own day4  ,a    
much more serious objection is urged on 
religious and moral grounds4 ,it is     
indisputable that the book is not       
characterised by the pure and lofty     
spirit that gives its stamp to most of  
the other contents of the ,bible4 ,the  
absence of the name of ,god from its    
pages has been often commented on4 ,the 
,jews long ago recognised this fact1 and
 they tried to discover the sacred name 
in acrostic form at one or two places   

where the initial letters of a group of 
words were found to spell it4 ,but quite
 apart from all such fantastic trifling1
 it has been customary to argue that1   
though unnamed1 the presence of ,god is 
felt throughout the story in the        
wonderful ,providence that protects the 
,jews and frustrates the designs of     
their arch-enemy ,haman4 ,the           
difficulty1 however1 is wider and       
deeper4 ,there is no reference to       
religion1 it is said1 even where it is  
most called for2 no reference to prayer 
in the hour of danger1 when prayer      
should have been the first resource of a
 devout soul2 in fact no indication of  
devoutness of thought or conduct4       
,mordecai fasts2 we are not told that he
 prays4 ,the whole narrative is immersed
 in a secular atmosphere4 ,the religious
 character of apocryphal additions that 
were inserted by later hands is a tacit 
witness to a deficiency felt by pious   
,jews4  ,these charges have been met by 
the hypothesis that the author found it 

necessary to disguise his religious     
beliefs in a work that was to come under
 the eyes of heathen readers4 ,still we 
cannot imagine that an ,isaiah or an    
,ezra would have treated his subject in 
the style of our author4 ,it must be    
admitted that we have a composition on a
 lower plane than that of the prophetic 
and priestly histories of ,israel4 ,the 
theory that all parts of the ,bible are 
inspired with an equal measure of the   
,divine ,spirit halts at this point4    
,but what was to prevent a composition  
analogous to secular literature taking  
its place in the ,hebrew ,scriptures8   
,have we any evidence that the obscure  
scribes who arranged the ,canon were    
infallibly inspired to include only     
devotional works8 ,it is plain that the 
,book of ,esther was valued on national 
rather than on religious grounds4 ,the  
,feast of ,purim was a social and       
national occasion of rejoicing1 not a   
solemn religious ceremony like the      
,passover2 and this document obtains its

 place of honour through its connection 
with the feast4 ,the book1 then1 stands 
to the ,hebrew ,psalms somewhat as      
,macaulay's ballad of the ,armada stands
 to the hymns of ,watts and the         
,wesleys4 ,it is mainly patriotic rather
 than religious2 its purpose is to stir 
the soul of national enthusiasm through 
the long ages of the oppression of      
,israel4  ,it is not just1 however1 to  
assert that there are no evidences of   
religious faith in the story of ,esther4
 ,mordecai warns his cousin that if she 
will not exert herself to defend her    
people1 then shall there relief and     
deliverance arise to the ,jews from     
another place4#bfj ,what can this be but
 a reserved utterance of a devout man's 
faith in that ,providence which has     
always followed the favoured people8    
,moreover1 ,mordecai seems to perceive a
 ,divine destiny in the exaltation of   
,esther when he asks1 ,and who knoweth  
whether thou art come to the kingdom for
 such a time as this8#bfa ,the old      

commentators were not wrong when they   
saw the hand of ,providence in the whole
 story4 ,if we are to allow some licence
 to the imagination of the author in the
 shaping and arrangement of the         
narrative1 we must assign to him also a 
real faith in ,providence1 for he       
describes a wonderful interlinking of   
events all leading up to the deliverance
 of the ,jews4 ,long before ,haman has  
any quarrel with ,mordecai1 the         
disgusting degradation of a drinking    
bout issues in an insult offered to a   
favourite queen4 ,this shameful         
occurrence is the occasion of the       
selection of a ,jewess1 whose high      
position at court thus acquired enables 
her to save her people4 ,but there is a 
secondary plot4 ,mordecai's discovery of
 the conspirators who would have        
assassinated ,ahasuerus gives him a     
claim on the king's generosity1 and so  
prepares the way1 not only for his      
escape from the clutches of ,haman1 but 
also for his triumph over his enemy4    

,and this is brought about--as we should
 say--by accident4 ,if ,xerxes had not  
had a sleepless night just at the right 
time1 if the part of his state records  
selected for reading to him in his      
wakefulness had not been just that which
 told the story of ,mordecai's great    
service1 the occasion for the turn in   
the tide of the fortune of the ,jews    
would not have arisen4 ,but all was so  
fitted together as to lead step by step 
on to the victorious conclusion4 ,no    
,jew could have penned such a story as  
this without having intended his        
co-religionists to recognise the unseen 
presence of an over-ruling ,providence  
throughout the whole course of events4  
#bfj ,esther iv4 #ad4    #bfa ,ibid4    
,but the gravest charge has yet to be   
considered4 ,it is urged against the    
,book of ,esther that the moral tone of 
it is unworthy of ,scripture4 ,it is    
dedicated to nothing higher than the    
exaltation of the ,jews4 ,other books of
 the ,bible reveal ,god as the ,supreme1

 and the ,jews as ,his servants1 often  
,his unworthy and unfaithful servants4  
,this book sets the ,jews in the first  
place2 and ,providence1 even if tacitly 
recognised1 is quite subservient to     
their welfare4 ,israel does not here    
appear as living for the glory of ,god1 
but all history works for the glory of  
,israel4 ,in accordance with the spirit 
of the story1 everything that opposes   
the ,jews is condemned1 everything that 
favours them is honoured4 ,worst of all1
 this practical deification of ,israel  
permits a tone of heartless cruelty4    
,the doctrine of separatism is          
monstrously exaggerated4 ,the ,jews are 
seen to be surrounded by their enemies4 
,haman1 the chief of them1 is not only  
punished as he richly deserves to be    
punished1 but he is made the recipient  
of unrestrained scorn and rage1 and his 
sons are impaled on their father's huge 
stake4 ,the ,jews defend themselves from
 threatened massacre by a legalised     
slaughter of their enemies4 ,we cannot  

imagine a scene more foreign to the     
patience and gentleness inculcated by   
our ,lord4 ,yet we must remember that   
the quarrel did not begin with the      
,jews2 or if we must see the origin of  
it in the pride of a ,jew1 we must      
recollect that his offence was slight   
and only the act of one man4 ,as far as 
the narrative shows1 the ,jews were     
engaged in their peaceable occupations  
when they were threatened with          
extinction by a violent outburst of the 
mad ,judenhetze that has pursued this   
unhappy people through all the centuries
 of history4 ,in the first instance1    
their act of vengeance was a measure of 
self-defence4 ,if they fell upon their  
enemies with fierce anger1 it was after 
an order of extermination had driven    
them to bay4 ,if they indulged in a     
wholesale bloodshed1 not even sparing   
women or children1 exactly the same doom
 had been hanging over their own heads1 
and their own wives and children had    
been included in its ferocious sentence4

 ,this fact does not excuse the savagery
 of the action of the ,jews2 but it     
amply accounts for their conduct4 ,they 
were wild with terror1 and they defended
 their homes with the fury of madmen4   
,their action did not go beyond the     
prayer of the ,psalmist who wrote1 in   
trim metrical order1 concerning the     
hated ,babylon--    ,happy shall he be1 
that taketh and dasheth thy little ones 
,against the rock4#bfb    #bfb ,psalm   
cxxxvii4 #i4  ,it is more difficult to  
account for the responsible part taken  
by ,mordecai and ,esther in begging     
permission for this awful massacre4 ,the
 last pages of the ,book of ,esther reek
 with blood4 ,a whole empire is         
converted into shambles for human       
slaughter4 ,we turn with loathing from  
this gigantic horror1 glad to take      
refuge in the hope that the author has  
dipped his brush in darker colours than 
the real events would warrant4          
,nevertheless such a massacre as this is
 unhappily not at all beyond the known  

facts of history on other occasions--not
 in its extent2 the means by which it is
 here carried out are doubtless         
exceptional4 ,xerxes himself was so     
heartless and so capricious that any act
 of folly or wickedness could be        
credited of him4  ,after all that can be
 said for it1 clearly this ,book of     
,esther cannot claim the veneration that
 we attach to the more choice utterances
 of ,old ,testament literature4 ,it     
never lifts us with the inspiration of  
prophecy2 it never commands the         
reverence which we feel in studying the 
historical books4 ,yet we must not      
therefore assume that it has not its    
use4 ,it illustrates an important phase 
in the development of ,jewish life and  
thought4 ,it also introduces us to      
characters and incidents that reveal    
human nature in very various lights4 ,to
 contemplate such a revelation should   
not be without profit4 ,after the       
,bible1 what book should we regard as1  
on the whole1 most serviceable for our  

enlightenment and nurture8 ,since next  
to the knowledge of ,god the knowledge  
of man is most important1 might we not  
assign this second place of honour to   
the works of ,shakespeare rather than to
 any theological treatise8 ,and if so   
may we not be grateful that something   
after the order of a ,shakespearian     
revelation of man is contained even in  
one book of the ,bible8  ,it may be best
 to treat a book of this character in a 
different manner from the weighty       
historical work that precedes it1 and1  
instead of expounding its chapters      
seriatim1 to gather up its lessons in a 
series of brief character studies4      
,,chapter ,,xxxii4  ,,ahasuerus ,,and   
,,vashti4  ,,esther i4   ,the character 
of ,ahasuerus illustrates the ,nemesis  
of absolutism1 by showing how unlimited 
power is crushed and dissolved beneath  
the weight of its own immensity4 ,the   
very vastness of his domains overwhelms 
the despot4 ,while he thinks himself    
free to disport according to his will1  

he is in reality the slave of his own   
machinery of government4 ,he is so      
entirely dependent for information on   
subordinates1 who can deceive him to    
suit their own private ends1 that he    
often becomes a mere puppet of the      
political wire-pullers4 ,in the fury of 
his passion he issues his terrible      
mandates1 with the confidence of a      
master whose slightest whim is a law to 
the nations1 and yet that very passion  
has been cleverly worked up by some of  
his servants1 who are laughing in their 
sleeves at the simplicity of their dupe1
 even while they are fawning on him with
 obsequious flattery4 ,in the story of  
,esther ,ahasuerus is turned about      
hither and thither by his courtiers1    
according as one or another is clever   
enough to obtain a temporary hearing4   
,in the opening scene he is the victim  
of a harem plot which deprives him of   
his favourite consort4 ,subsequently    
,haman poisons his mind with calumnies  
about a loyal1 industrious section of   

his subjects4 ,he is only undeceived by 
another movement in the harem4 ,even the
 jealously guarded women of the royal   
household know more of the actual state 
of affairs in the outside world than the
 bewildered monarch4 ,the king is so    
high above his realm that he cannot see 
what is going on in it2 and all that he 
can learn about it passes through such a
 variety of intermediary agents that it 
is coloured and distorted in the        
process4  ,but this is not all4 ,the man
 who is exalted to the pedestal of a god
 is made dizzy by his own altitude4     
,absolutism drove the ,roman ,emperor   
,caligula mad2 it punished the ,xerxes  
of ,herodotus with childishness4 ,the   
silly monarch who would decorate a tree 
with the jewellery of a prince in reward
 for its fruitfulness1 and flog and     
chain the ,hellespont as a punishment   
for its tempestuousness1 is not fit to  
be let out of the nursery4 ,such conduct
 as his discovers an ineptitude that is 
next door to idiocy4 ,when the same man 

appears on the pages of ,scripture under
 the name of ,ahasuerus1 his weakness is
 despicable4 ,the most keen-sighted     
ruler of millions is liable to be       
misinformed2 the strongest administrator
 of a gigantic empire is compelled to   
move with difficulty in the midst of the
 elaborate organisation of his          
government4 ,but ,ahasuerus is neither  
keen-sighted nor strong4 ,he is a victim
 of the last court intrigue1 a believer 
in the idlest gossip2 and he is worse1  
for even on the suppositions presented  
to him he behaves with folly and        
senseless fury4 ,his conduct to ,vashti 
is first insulting and then ungrateful2 
for fidelity to her worthless husband   
would prompt her to decline to risk     
herself among a crew of drunken         
revellers4 ,his consent to the          
diabolical proposal of his grand vizier 
for a massacre1 without an atom of proof
 that the victims are guilty1 exhibits a
 hopeless state of mental feebleness4   
,his equal readiness to transfer the    

mandate of wholesale murder to persons  
described indefinitely as the enemies of
 these people shows how completely he is
 twisted about by the latest breeze4 ,as
 the palace plots develop we see this   
great king in all his pride and majesty 
tossed to and fro like a shuttle-cock4  
,and yet he can sting4 ,it is a         
dangerous game for the players1 and the 
object of it is to get the deadly venom 
of the royal rage to light on the head  
of the opposite party4 ,we could not    
have a more certain proof of the vanity 
of ambition that o'erleaps itself than  
this conversion of immeasurable power   
into helpless weakness on the part of   
the ,persian sovereign4  ,we naturally  
start with this glaring exhibition of   
the irony of fate in our study of       
,ahasuerus1 because it is the most      
pronounced factor in his character and  
career4 ,there are other elements of the
 picture1 however1 which are not1 like  
this1 confined to the abnormal          
experience of solitary rulers4 ,next to 

the revenge of absolutism on its        
possessor1 the more vulgar effects of   
extravagant luxury and self-indulgence  
are to be seen in the degraded ,persian 
court life4 ,very likely the writer of  
our ,book of ,esther introduces these   
matters with the primary object of      
enhancing the significance of his main  
theme by making us feel how great a     
danger the ,jews were in1 and how       
magnificent a triumph was won for them  
by the heroic ,jewess of the harem4 ,but
 the scene that he thus brings before us
 throws light on the situation all      
round4 ,xerxes' idea of unbridled power 
is that it admits of unlimited pleasure4
 ,our author's picture of the splendid  
palace1 with its richly coloured awnings
 stretched across from marble pillars to
 silver rods over the tesselated        
pavement1 where the most exalted guests 
recline in the shade on gold and silver 
seats1 while they feast hugely and drink
 heavily day after day1 shows us how the
 provinces were being drained to enrich 

the court1 and how the royal treasury   
was being lavished on idle festivity4   
,that was bad enough1 but its effects   
were worse4 ,the law was licence4 ,the  
drinking was according to the law1 and  
this law was that there should be no    
limit to it1 everybody taking just as   
much wine as he pleased4 ,naturally such
 a rule ostentatiously paraded before a 
dissolute company led to a scene of     
downright bestial debauchery4 ,according
 to ,herodotus1 the ,persians were      
addicted to drunkenness1 and the        
incident described in the first chapter 
of ,esther is quite in accordance with  
the ,greek historian's account of the   
followers of ,xerxes4  ,the worst effect
 of this vice of drunkenness is its     
degrading influence on the conduct and  
character of men4 ,it robs its victims  
of self-respect and manliness1 and sends
 them to wallow in the mire with swinish
 obscenity4 ,what they would not dream  
of stooping to in their sober moments1  
they revel in with shameless ostentation

 when their brains are clouded with     
intoxicating drink4 ,husbands1 who are  
gentle and considerate at other times1  
are then transformed into brutes1 who   
can take pleasure in trampling on their 
wives4 ,it is no excuse to plead that   
the drunkard is a madman unaccountable  
for his actions2 he is accountable for  
having put himself in his degraded      
condition4 ,if he is temporarily insane1
 he has poisoned his own intellect by   
swallowing a noxious drug with his eyes 
open4 ,he is responsible for that       
action1 and therefore he must be held to
 be responsible for its consequences4   
,if he had given due consideration to   
his conduct1 he might have foreseen     
whither it was tending4 ,the man who has
 been foolish enough to launch his boat 
on the rapids cannot divert its course  
when he is startled by the thunder of   
the falls he is approaching2 but he     
should have thought of that before      
leaving the safety of the shore4  ,the  
immediate consequence of the disgusting 

degradation of drunkenness1 in the case 
of ,ahasuerus1 is that the monarch      
grossly insults his queen4 ,a moment's  
consideration would have suggested the  
danger as well as the scandal of his    
behaviour4 ,but in his heedless folly   
the debauchee hurls himself over the    
precipice1 from the height of his royal 
dignity down to the very pit of         
ignominy1 and then he is only enraged   
that ,vashti refuses to be dragged down 
with him4 ,it is a revolting scene1 and 
one to show how the awful vice of       
drunkenness levels all distinctions2    
here it outrages the most sacred rules  
of ,oriental etiquette4 ,the seclusion  
of the harem is to be violated for the  
amusement of the dissolute king's boon  
companions4  ,in the story of ,esther   
poor ,vashti's fall is only introduced  
in order to make way for her ,hebrew    
rival4 ,but after ages have naturally   
sided with the wronged queen4 ,was it   
true modesty that prompted her daring   
refusal1 or the lawful pride of         

womanhood8 ,if so1 all women should     
honour ,vashti as the vindicator of     
their dues4 ,whatever woman's rights may
 be maintained in the field of politics1
 the very existence of the home1 the    
basis of society itself1 depends on     
those more profound and inalienable     
rights that touch the character of pure 
womanliness4 ,the first of a woman's    
rights is the right to her own person4  
,but this right is ignored in ,oriental 
civilisation4 ,the sweet ,english word  
home is unknown in the court of such a  
king as ,ahasuerus4 ,to think of it in  
this connection is as incongruous as to 
imagine a daisy springing up through the
 boards of a dancing saloon4 ,the       
unhappy ,vashti had never known this    
choicest of words2 but she may have had 
a due conception of a woman's true      
dignity1 as far as the perverted ideas  
of the ,east permitted4 ,and yet even   
here a painful suspicion obtrudes itself
 on our notice4 ,vashti had been        
feasting with the women of the harem    

when she received the brutal mandate    
from her lord4 ,had she too lost her    
balance of judgment under the bewitching
 influence of the wine-cup8 ,was she    
rendered reckless by the excitement of  
her festivities8 ,was her refusal the   
result of the factitious courage that   
springs from an unwholesome excitement  
or an equally effective mental stupor8  
,since one of the commonest results of  
intoxication is a quarrelsomeness of    
temper1 it must be admitted that        
,vashti's flat refusal to obey may have 
some connection with her previous       
festivities4 ,in that case1 of course1  
something must be detracted from her    
glory as the martyr of womanliness4 ,a  
horrible picture is this--a drunken king
 quarrelling with his drunken queen2    
these two people1 set in the highest    
places in their vast realm1 descending  
from the very pinnacle of greatness to  
grovel in debased intemperance6 ,it     
would not be fair to the poor1 wronged  
queen to assert so much without any     

clear evidence in support of the darker 
view of her conduct4 ,still it must be  
admitted that it is difficult for any of
 the members of a dissolute society to  
keep their garments clean4 ,unhappily it
 is only too frequently the case that1  
even in a ,christian land1 womanhood is 
degraded by becoming the victim of      
intemperance4 ,no sight on earth is more
 sickening4 ,a woman may be loaded with 
insults1 and yet she may keep her soul  
white as the soul of ,st4 ,agnes4 ,it is
 not an outrage on her dignity1 offered 
by the drunken king to his queen1 that  
really marks her degradation4 ,to all   
fair judgments1 that only degrades the  
brute who offers it2 but the white lily 
is bruised and trampled in the dust when
 she who wears it herself consents to   
fling it away4  ,the action of          
,ahasuerus on receipt of his queen's    
refusal reveals another trait in his    
weak character4 ,jealous eyes--always   
watching the favourite of the           
harem--discover an opportunity for a    

gleeful triumph4 ,the advisers of the   
king are cunning enough to set the      
action of ,vashti in the light of a     
public example4 ,if a woman in so       
exalted a position is permitted to      
disobey her husband with impunity1 other
 wives will appeal to her case and break
 out of bounds4 ,it is a mean plea1 the 
plea of weakness on the part of the     
speaker1 ,memucan1 the last of the seven
 princes4 ,is this man only finding an  
excuse for the king8 or may it be       
supposed that his thoughts are          
travelling away to a shrew in his own   
home8 ,the strange thing is that the    
king is not content wreaking his        
vengeance on the proud ,vashti4 ,he is  
persuaded to utilise the occasion of her
 act of insubordination in order to     
issue a decree commanding the subjection
 of all wives to their husbands4 ,the   
queen's conduct is treated as an        
instance of a growing spirit of         
independence on the part of the women of
 ,persia1 which must be crushed         

forthwith4 ,one would think that the    
women were slaves1 and that the princes 
were acting like the ,romans when they  
issued repressive measures from dread of
 a ,servile ,war4  ,if such a law as    
this had ever been passed1 we might well
 understand the complaint of those who  
say it is unjust that the function of   
legislation should be monopolised by one
 sex4 ,even in the ,west1 where women   
are comparatively free and are supposed 
to be treated on an equality with men1  
wrong is often done because the laws    
which concern them more especially are  
all made by men4 ,in the ,east1 where   
they are regarded as property1 like     
their husbands' camels and oxen1 cruel  
injustice is inevitable4 ,but this      
injustice cannot go unpunished4 ,it must
 react on its perpetrators1 blunting    
their finer feelings1 lowering their    
better nature1 robbing them of those    
sacred confidences of husband and wife  
which never spring up on the territory  
of the slave-driver4  ,but we have only 

to consider the domestic edict of       
,ahasuerus to see its frothy vanity4    
,when it was issued it must have struck 
everybody who had the faintest sense of 
humour as simply ridiculous4 ,it is not 
by the rough instrumentality of the law 
that difficult questions of the         
relations between the sexes can be      
adjusted4 ,the law can see that a formal
 contract is not violated with impunity4
 ,the law can protect the individual    
parties to the contract from the most   
brutal forms of cruelty--though even    
this is very difficult between husband  
and wife4 ,but the law cannot secure    
real justice in the home4 ,this must be 
left to the working of principles of    
righteousness and to the mutual         
considerateness of those who are        
concerned4 ,where these elements are    
wanting1 no legislation on matrimony can
 restore the peace of a shattered home4 
,the order of ,ahasuerus1 however1 was  
too indefinite to have very serious     
results4 ,the tyrannical husband would  

not have waited for any such excuse as  
it might afford him for exacting        
obedience from his oppressed household  
drudge4 ,the strong-minded woman would  
mock at the king's order1 and have her  
own way as before who could hinder her8 
,certainly not her husband4 ,the yoke of
 years of meek submission was not to be 
broken in a day by a royal proclamation4
 ,but wherever the true idea of marriage
 was realised--and we must have         
sufficient faith in human nature to be  
assured that this was sometimes the case
 even in the realm of ,xerxes--the      
husband and wife who knew themselves to 
be one1 united by the closest ties of   
love and sympathy and mutual confidence1
 would laugh in their happiness and     
perhaps spare a thought of pity for the 
poor1 silly king who was advertising his
 domestic troubles to the world1 and    
thereby exhibiting his shallow notions  
of wedded life--blind1 absolutely blind1
 to the sweet secret that was heaven to 
them4  ,we may be sure that the singular

 edict remained a dead letter4 ,but the 
king would be master in his own palace4 
,so ,vashti fell4 ,we hear no more of   
her but we can guess too well what her  
most probable fate must have been4#bfc  
,the gates of death are never difficult 
to find in an ,oriental palace2 there   
are always jealous rivals eager to      
triumph over the fall of a royal        
favourite4 ,still ,ahasuerus had been   
really fond of the queen who paid so    
dearly for her one act of independence4 
,repenting of his drunken rage1 the king
 let his thoughts revert to his former  
favourite1 a most dangerous thing for   
those who had hastened her removal4 ,the
 easiest escape for them was to play on 
his coarse nature by introducing to his 
notice a bevy of girls from whom he     
might select a new favourite4 ,this was 
by no means a dignified proceeding for  
,esther1 the maiden to whom the first   
prize in the exhibition of beauty was   
awarded by the royal fancier4 ,but it   
gave her the place of power from which  

to help her people in their hour of     
desperate need4 ,and here we come to    
some redeeming features in the character
 of the king4 ,he is not lacking in     
generosity2 and he owns to a certain    
sense of justice4 ,in the crowd of royal
 cares and pleasures1 he has forgotten  
how an obscure ,jew saved his life by   
revealing one of the many plots that    
make the pleasures of a despot as hollow
 a mockery as the feast of ,damocles4   
,on the chance discovery of his         
negligence1 ,ahasuerus hastens to atone 
for it with ostentatious generosity4    
,again1 no sooner does he find that he  
has been duped by ,haman into an act of 
cruel injustice than he tries to        
counteract the mischief by an equally   
savage measure of retaliation4 ,a       
strange way of administering justice6   
,yet it must be admitted that in this   
the capricious1 blundering king means   
honestly4 ,the bitter irony of it all is
 that so awful a power of life and death
 should be lodged in the hands of one   

who is so totally incapacitated for a   
wise use of it4    #bfc ,on the         
supposition that the writer is not here 
recording   historical facts in the life
 of ,amestris1 the real queen of        
,xerxes1   who we know was not murdered4
     ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4  ,,haman4      
,,esther iii4 #a-f2 v4 #i-ad2 vii4      
#e-aj4   ,haman is the ,judas of        
,israel4 ,not that his conduct or his   
place in history would bring him into   
comparison with the traitor apostle1 for
 he was an open foe and a foreigner4    
,but he is treated by popular ,judaism  
as the ,arch-,enemy1 just as ,judas is  
treated by popular ,christianity4 ,like 
,judas1 he has assigned to him a        
solitary pre-eminence in wickedness1    
which is almost inhuman4 ,as in the case
 of ,judas1 there is thought to be no   
call for charity or mercy in judging    
,haman4 ,he shares with ,judas the curse
 of ,cain4 ,boundless execration is     
heaped on his head4 ,horror and hatred  
have almost transformed him into ,satan4

 ,he is called ,the ,agagite1 an obscure
 title which is best explained as a     
later ,jewish nickname derived from a   
reference to the king of ,amalek who was
 hewn in pieces before the ,lord4 ,in   
the ,septuagint he is surnamed ,the     
,macedonian1 because when that version  
was made the enemies of ,israel were the
 representatives of the empire of       
,alexander and his successors4 ,during  
the dramatic reading of the ,book of    
,esther in a ,jewish synagogue at the   
,feast of ,purim1 the congregation may  
be found taking the part of a chorus and
 exclaiming at every mention of the name
 of ,haman1 ,may his name be blotted    
out1 ,let the name of the ungodly       
perish1 while boys with mallets will    
pound stones and bits of wood on which  
the odious name is written4 ,this       
frantic extravagance would be           
unaccountable but for the fact that the 
people whose badge is sufferance has    
summed up under the name of the ,persian
 official the malignity of their enemies

 in all ages4 ,very often this name has 
served to veil a dangerous reference to 
some contemporary foe1 or to heighten   
the rage felt against an exceptionally  
odious person by its accumulation of    
traditional hatred1 just as in ,england 
on the fifth of ,november the ,guy may  
represent some unpopular person of the  
day4  ,when we turn from this unamiable 
indulgence of spiteful passion to the   
story that lies behind it1 we have      
enough that is odious without the       
conception of a sheer monster of        
wickedness1 a very demon4 ,such a being 
would stand outside the range of human  
motives1 and we could contemplate him   
with unconcern and detachment of mind1  
just as we contemplate the destructive  
forces of nature4 ,there is a common    
temptation to clear ourselves of all    
semblance to the guilt of very bad      
people by making it out to be inhuman4  
,it is more humiliating to discover that
 they act from quite human motives--nay1
 that those very motives may be         

detected1 though with other bearings1   
even in our own conduct4 ,for see what  
were the influences that stirred in the 
heart of ,haman4 ,he manifests by his   
behaviour the intimate connection       
between vanity and cruelty4  ,the first 
trait in his character to reveal itself 
is vanity1 a most inordinate vanity4    
,haman is introduced at the moment when 
he has been exalted to the highest      
position under the king of ,persia2 he  
has just been made grand vizier4 ,the   
tremendous honour turns his brain4 ,in  
the consciousness of it he swells out   
with vanity4 ,as a necessary consequence
 he is bitterly chagrined when a porter 
does not do homage to him as to the     
king4 ,his elation is equally           
extravagant when he discovers that he is
 to be the only subject invited to meet 
,ahasuerus at ,esther's banquet4 ,when  
the king inquires how exceptional honour
 is to be shown to some one whose name  
is not yet revealed1 this infatuated man
 jumps to the conclusion that it can be 

for nobody but himself4 ,in all his     
behaviour we see that he is just        
possessed by an absorbing spirit of     
vanity4  ,then at the first check he    
suffers an annoyance proportionate to   
the boundlessness of his previous       
elation4 ,he cannot endure the sight of 
indifference or independence in the     
meanest subject4 ,the slender fault of  
,mordecai is magnified into a capital   
offence4 ,this again is so huge that it 
must be laid to the charge of the whole 
race to which the offender belongs4 ,the
 rage which it excites in ,haman is so  
violent that it will be satisfied with  
nothing short of a wholesale massacre of
 men1 women1 and children4 ,behold how  
great a matter a little fire            
kindleth--when it is fanned by the      
breath of vanity4 ,the cruelty of the   
vain man is as limitless as his vanity4 
,thus the story of ,haman illustrates   
the close juxtaposition of these two    
vices1 vanity and cruelty2 it helps us  
to see by a series of lurid pictures how

 fearfully provocative the one is of the
 other4 ,as we follow the incidents1 we 
can discover the links of connection    
between the cause and its dire effects4 
,in the first place1 it is clear that   
vanity is a form of magnified egotism4  
,the vain man thinks supremely of       
himself1 not so much in the way of      
self-interest1 but more especially for  
the sake of self-glorification4 ,when he
 looks out on the world1 it is always   
through the medium of his own vastly    
magnified shadow4 ,like the ,brcken     
,ghost1 this shadow becomes a haunting  
presence standing out before him in huge
 proportions4 ,he has no other standard 
of measurement4 ,everything must be     
judged according as it is related to    
himself4 ,the good is what gives him    
pleasure2 evil is what is noxious to    
him4 ,this self-centred attitude1 with  
the distortion of vision that it        
induces1 has a double effect1 as we may 
see in the case of ,haman4  ,egotism    
utilises the sufferings of others for   

its own ends4 ,no doubt cruelty is often
 a consequence of sheer callousness4    
,the man who has no perception of the   
pain he is causing or no sympathy with  
the sufferers will trample them under   
foot on the least provocation4 ,he feels
 supremely indifferent to their agonies 
when they are writhing beneath him1 and 
therefore he will never consider it     
incumbent on him to adjust his conduct  
with the least reference to the pain he 
gives4 ,that is an entirely irrelevant  
consideration4 ,the least inconvenience 
to himself outweighs the greatest       
distress of other people1 for the simple
 reason that that distress counts as    
nothing in his calculation of motives4  
,in ,haman's case1 however1 we do not   
meet with this attitude of simple       
indifference4 ,the grand vizier is      
irritated1 and he vents his annoyance in
 a vast explosion of malignity that must
 take account of the agony it produces1 
for in that agony its own thirst for    
vengeance is to be slaked4 ,but this    

only shows the predominant selfishness  
to be all the greater4 ,it is so great  
that it reverses the engines that drive 
society along the line of mutual        
helpfulness1 and thwarts and frustrates 
any amount of human life and happiness  
for the sole purpose of gratifying its  
own desires4  ,then the selfishness of  
vanity promotes cruelty still further by
 another of its effects4 ,it destroys   
the sense of proportion4 ,self is not   
only regarded as the centre of the      
universe2 like the sun surrounded by the
 planets1 it is taken to be the greatest
 object1 and everything else is         
insignificant when compared to it4 ,what
 is the slaughter of a few thousand     
,jews to so great a man as ,haman1 grand
 vizier of ,persia8 ,it is no more than 
the destruction of as many flies in a   
forest fire that the settler has kindled
 to clear his ground4 ,the same         
self-magnification is visibly presented 
by the ,egyptian bas-reliefs1 on which  
the victorious ,pharaohs appear as      

tremendous giants driving back hordes of
 enemies or dragging pigmy kings by     
their heads4 ,it is but a step from this
 condition to insanity1 which is the    
apotheosis of vanity4 ,the chief        
characteristic of insanity is a diseased
 enlargement of self4 ,if he is elated  
the madman regards himself as a person  
of supreme importance--as a prince1 as a
 king1 even as ,god4 ,if he is depressed
 he thinks that he is the victim of     
exceptional malignity4 ,in that case he 
is beset by watchers of evil intent2 the
 world is conspiring against him2       
everything that happens is part of a    
plot to do him harm4 ,hence his         
suspiciousness2 hence his homicidal     
proclivities4 ,he is not so mad in his  
inferences and conclusions4 ,these may  
be rational and just1 on the ground of  
his premisses4 ,it is in the fixed ideas
 of these premisses that the root of his
 insanity may be detected4 ,his awful   
fate is a warning to all who venture to 
indulge in the vice of excessive        

egotism4  ,in the second place1 vanity  
leads to cruelty through the entire     
dependence of the vain person on the    
good opinion of others2 and this we may 
see clearly in the career of ,haman4    
,vanity is differentiated from pride in 
one important particular--by its outward
 reference4 ,the proud man is satisfied 
with himself2 but the vain man is always
 looking outside himself with feverish  
eagerness to secure all the honours that
 the world can bestow upon him4 ,thus   
,mordecai may have been proud in his    
refusal to bow before the upstart       
premier3 if so his pride would not need 
to court admiration2 it would be        
self-contained and self-sufficient4 ,but
 ,haman was possessed by an insatiable  
thirst for homage4 ,if a single obscure 
individual refused him this honour1 a   
shadow rested on everything4 ,he could  
not enjoy the queen's banquet for the   
slight offered him by the ,jew at the   
palace gate1 so that he exclaimed1 ,yet 
all this availeth me nothing1 so long as

 ,i see ,mordecai the ,jew sitting at   
the king's gate4#bfd ,a selfish man in  
this condition can have no rest if      
anything in the world outside him fails 
to minister to his honour4 ,while a     
proud man in an exalted position        
scarcely deigns to notice the dim common
 people1 the vain man betrays his       
vulgarity by caring supremely for       
popular adulation4 ,therefore while the 
haughty person can afford to pass over a
 slight with contempt1 the vain creature
 who lives on the breath of applause is 
mortally offended by it and roused to   
avenge the insult with corresponding    
rage4    #bfd ,esther v4 #ac4           
,selfishness and dependence on the      
external1 these attributes of vanity    
inevitably develop into cruelty wherever
 the aims of vanity are opposed4 ,and   
yet the vice that contains so much evil 
is rarely visited with a becoming       
severity of condemnation4 ,usually it is
 smiled at as a trivial frailty4 ,in the
 case of ,haman it threatened the       

extermination of a nation1 and the      
reaction from its menace issued in a    
terrific slaughter of another section of
 society4 ,history records war after war
 that has been fought on the ground of  
vanity4 ,in military affairs this vice  
wears the name of glory2 but its nature 
is unaltered4 ,for what is the meaning  
of a war that is waged for la gloire but
 one that is designed in order to       
minister to the vanity of the people who
 undertake it8 ,a more fearful          
wickedness has never blackened the pages
 of history4 ,the very frivolity of the 
occasion heightens the guilt of those   
who plunge nations into misery on such a
 paltry pretext4 ,it is vanity that     
urges a savage warrior to collect skulls
 to adorn the walls of his hut with the 
ghastly trophies2 it is vanity that     
impels a restless conqueror to march to 
his own triumph through a sea of blood2 
it is vanity that rouses a nation to    
fling itself on its neighbour in order  
to exalt its fame by a great victory4   

,ambition at its best is fired by the   
pride of power2 but in its meaner forms 
ambition is nothing but an uprising of  
vanity clamouring for wider recognition4
 ,the famous invasion of ,greece by     
,xerxes was evidently little better than
 a huge exhibition of regal vanity4 ,the
 childish fatuity of the king could seek
 for no exalted ends4 ,his assemblage of
 swarms of men of all races in an       
ill-disciplined army too big for        
practical warfare showed that the thirst
 for display occupied the principal     
place in his mind1 to the neglect of the
 more sober aims of a really great      
conqueror4 ,and if the vanity that lives
 on the world's admiration is so        
fruitful in evil when it is allowed to  
deploy on a large scale1 its essential  
character will not be improved by the   
limitation of its scope in humbler      
spheres of life4 ,it is always mean and 
cruel4  ,two other features in the      
character of ,haman may be noticed4     
,first1 he shows energy and             

determination4 ,he bribes the king to   
obtain the royal consent to his deadly  
design1 bribes with an enormous present 
equal to the revenue of a kingdom1      
though ,ahasuerus permits him to recoup 
himself by seizing the property of the  
proscribed nation4 ,then the murderous  
mandate goes forth3 it is translated    
into every language of the subject      
peoples2 it is carried to the remotest  
parts of the kingdom by the posts1 the  
excellent organisation of which1 under  
the ,persian government has become      
famous4 ,thus far everything is on a    
large scale1 betokening a mind of       
resource and daring4 ,but now turn to   
the sequel4 ,and the king and ,haman sat
 down to drink4#bfe ,it is a horrible   
picture--the king of ,persia and his    
grand vizier at this crisis deliberately
 abandoning themselves to their national
 vice4 ,the decree is out2 it cannot be 
recalled--let it go and do its fell     
work4 ,as for its authors1 they are     
drowning all thought of its effect on   

public opinion in the wine-cup2 they are
 boozing together in a disgusting       
companionship of debauchery on the eve  
of a scene of wholesale bloodshed4 ,this
 is what the glory of the ,great ,king  
has come to4 ,this is the anti-climax of
 his minister's vanity at the moment of 
supreme success4 ,after such an         
exhibition we need not be surprised at  
the abject humiliation1 the terror of   
cowardice1 the frantic effort to extort 
pity from a woman of the very race whose
 extermination he had plotted1          
manifested by ,haman in the hour of his 
exposure at ,esther's banquet4 ,beneath 
all his braggart energy he is a weak    
man4 ,in most cases self-indulgent1     
vain1 and cruel people are essentially  
weak at heart4    #bfe ,esther iii4 #ae4
  ,looking at the story of ,haman from  
another point of view1 we see how well  
it illustrates the confounding of evil  
devices and the punishment of their     
author in the drama of history4 ,it is  
one of the most striking instances of   

what is called poetic justice1 the      
justice depicted by the poets1 but not  
always seen in prosaic lives1 the       
justice that is itself a poem because it
 makes a harmony of events4 ,haman is   
the typical example of the schemer who  
falls into his own pit1 of the villain  
who is hoisted on his own petard4 ,three
 times the same process occurs1 to      
impress its lesson with threefold       
emphasis4 ,we have it first in the most 
moderate form when ,haman is forced to  
assist in bestowing on ,mordecai the    
honours he has been coveting for        
himself1 by leading the horse of the    
hated ,jew in his triumphant procession 
through the city4 ,the same lesson is   
impressed with tragic force when the    
grand vizier is condemned to be impaled 
on the stake erected by him in readiness
 for the man whom he has been compelled 
to honour4 ,lastly1 the design of       
murdering the whole race to which       
,mordecai belongs is frustrated by the  
slaughter of those who sympathise with  

,haman's attitude towards ,israel--the  
,hamanites1 as they have been called4   
,we rarely meet with such a complete    
reversal of fate1 such a climax of      
vengeance4 ,in considering the course of
 events here set forth we must          
distinguish between the old ,jewish view
 of it and the significance of the      
process itself4  ,the ,jews were taught 
to look on all this with fierce1        
vindictive glee1 and to see in it the   
prophecy of the like fate that was      
treasured up for their enemies in later 
times4 ,this rage of the oppressed      
against their oppressors1 this almost   
fiendish delight in the complete        
overthrow of the enemies of ,israel1    
this total extinction of any sentiment  
of pity even for the helpless and       
innocent sufferers who are to share the 
fate of their guilty relatives--in a    
word1 this utterly un-,christlike spirit
 of revenge1 must be odious in our eyes4
 ,we cannot understand how good men     
could stand by with folded arms while   

they saw women and children tossed into 
the seething cauldron of vengeance2     
still less how they could themselves    
perpetrate the dreadful deed4 ,but then 
we cannot understand that tragedy of    
history1 the oppression of the ,jews1   
and its deteriorating influence on its  
victims1 nor the hard1 cruel spirit of  
blank indifference to the sufferings of 
others that prevailed almost everywhere 
before ,christ came to teach the world  
pity4  ,when we turn to the events      
themselves1 we must take another view of
 the situation4 ,here was a rough and   
sweeping1 but still a complete and      
striking punishment of cruel wrong4 ,the
 ,jews expected this too frequently on  
earth4 ,we have learnt that it is more  
often reserved for another world and a  
future state of existence4 ,yet         
sometimes we are startled to see how apt
 it can be even in this present life4   
,the cruel man breeds foes by his very  
cruelty2 he rouses his own executioners 
by the rage that he provokes in them4   

,it is the same with respect to many    
other forms of evil4 ,thus vanity is    
punished by the humiliation it receives 
from those people who are irritated at  
its pretensions2 it is the last failing 
that the world will readily forgive1    
partly perhaps because it offends the   
similar failing in other people4 ,then  
we see meanness chastised by the odium  
it excites1 lying by the distrust it    
provokes1 cowardice by the attacks it   
invites1 coldness of heart by a         
corresponding indifference on the side  
of other people4 ,the result is not     
always so neatly effected nor so visibly
 demonstrated as in the case of ,haman2 
but the tendency is always present1     
because there is a ,power that makes for
 righteousness presiding over society   
and inherent in the very constitution of
 nature4     ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4  ,,queen
 ,,esther4  ,,esther iv4 #aj-v42 vii4   
#a-d2 ix4 #ab1 #ac4   ,the young ,jewess
 who wins the admiration of the ,persian
 king above all the chosen maidens of   

his realm1 and who then delivers her    
people in the crisis of supreme danger  
at the risk of her own life1 is the     
central figure in the story of the      
origin of ,purim4 ,it was a just        
perception of the situation that led to 
the choice of her name as the title of  
the book that records her famous        
achievements4 ,esther first appears as  
an obscure orphan who has been brought  
up in the humble home of her cousin     
,mordecai4 ,after her guardian has      
secured her admission to the royal      
harem--a doubtful honour6 we might      
think1 but a very real honour in the    
eyes of an ancient ,oriental--she       
receives a year's training with the use 
of the fragrant unguents that are       
esteemed so highly in a voluptuous      
,eastern court4 ,we should not expect to
 see anything better than the charms of 
physical beauty after such a process of 
development1 charms not of the highest  
type--languid1 luscious1 sensuous4 ,the 
new name bestowed on this finished      

product of the chief art cultivated in  
the palace of ,ahasuerus points to      
nothing higher1 for ,esther 7,istar7 is 
the name of a ,babylonian goddess       
equivalent to the ,greek ,aphrodite4    
,and yet our ,esther is a               
heroine--capable1 energetic1 brave1 and 
patriotic4 ,the splendour of her career 
is seen in this very fact1 that she does
 not succumb to the luxury of her       
surroundings4 ,the royal harem among the
 lily-beds of ,shushan is like a palace 
in the land of the lotus-eaters1 where  
it is always afternoon2 and its inmates1
 in their dreamy indolence1 are tempted 
to forget all obligations and interests 
beyond the obligation to please the king
 and their own interest in securing     
every comfort wealth can lavish on them4
 ,we do not look for a ,boadicea in such
 a hot-house of narcotics4 ,and when we 
find there a strong1 unselfish woman    
such as ,esther1 conquering almost      
insuperable temptations to a life of    
ease1 and choosing a course of terrible 

danger to herself for the sake of her   
oppressed people1 we can echo the       
admiration of the ,jews for their       
national heroine4  ,it is a woman1 then1
 who plays the leading part in this     
drama of ,jewish history4 ,from ,eve to 
,mary1 women have repeatedly appeared in
 the most prominent places on the pages 
of ,scripture4 ,the history of ,israel  
finds some of its most powerful         
situations in the exploits of ,deborah1 
,jael1 and ,judith4 ,on the side of     
evil1 ,delilah1 ,athaliah1 and ,jezebel 
are not less conspicuous4 ,there was a  
freedom enjoyed by the women of ,israel 
that was not allowed in the more        
elaborate civilisation of the great     
empires of the ,east1 and this developed
 an independent spirit and a vigour not 
usually seen in ,oriental women4 ,in the
 case of ,esther these good qualities   
were able to survive the external       
restraints and the internal relaxing    
atmosphere of her court life4 ,the scene
 of her story is laid in the harem4 ,the

 plots and intrigues of the harem       
furnish its principal incidents4 ,yet if
 ,esther had been a shepherdess from the
 mountains of ,judah1 she could not have
 proved herself more energetic4 ,but her
 court life had taught her skill in     
diplomacy1 for she had to pick her way  
among the greatest dangers like a person
 walking among concealed knives4  ,the  
beauty of ,esther's character is this1  
that she is not spoiled by her great    
elevation4 ,to be the one favourite out 
of all the select maidens of the        
kingdom1 and to know that she owes her  
privileged position solely to the king's
 fancy for her personal charms1 might   
have spoilt the grace of a simple       
,jewess4 ,haman1 we saw1 was ruined by  
his honours becoming too great for his  
self-control4 ,but in ,esther we do not 
light on a trace of the silly vanity    
that became the most marked             
characteristic of the grand vizier4 ,it 
speaks well for ,mordecai's sound       
training of the orphan girl that his    

ward proved to be of stable character   
where a weaker person would have been   
dizzy with selfish elation4  ,the       
unchanged simplicity of ,esther's       
character is first apparent in her      
submissive obedience to her guardian    
even after her high position has been   
attained4 ,though she is treated as his 
,queen by the ,great ,king1 she does not
 forget the kind porter who has brought 
her up from childhood4 ,in the old days 
she had been accustomed to obey this    
grave ,jew1 and she has no idea of      
throwing off the yoke now that he has no
 longer any recognised power over her4  
,the habit of obedience persists in her 
after the necessity for it has been     
removed4 ,this would not have been so   
remarkable if ,esther had been a        
weak-minded woman1 readily subdued and  
kept in subjection by a masterful will4 
,but her energy and courage at a        
momentous crisis entirely forbid any    
such estimate of her character4 ,it must
 have been genuine humility and         

unselfishness that prevented her from   
rebelling against the old home authority
 when a heavy injunction was laid upon  
her4 ,she undertakes the dangerous part 
of the champion of a threatened race    
solely at the instance of ,mordecai4 ,he
 urges the duty upon her1 and she       
accepts it meekly4 ,she is no rough     
,amazon4 ,with all her greatness and    
power1 she is still a simple1 unassuming
 woman4  ,but when ,esther has assented 
to the demands of ,mordecai1 she appears
 in her people's cause with the spirit  
of true patriotism4 ,she scorns to      
forget her humble origin in all the     
splendour of her later advancement4 ,she
 will own her despised and hated people 
before the king2 she will plead the     
cause of the oppressed1 though at the   
risk of her life4 ,she is aware of the  
danger of her undertaking2 but she says1
 ,if ,i perish1 ,i perish4 ,the habit of
 obedience could not have been strong   
enough to carry her through the terrible
 ordeal if ,mordecai's hard requirement 

had not been seconded by the voice of   
her own conscience4 ,she knows that it  
is right that she should undertake this 
difficult and dangerous work4 ,how      
naturally might she have shrunk back    
with regret for the seclusion and       
obscurity of the old days when her      
safety lay in her insignificance8 ,but  
she saw that her new privileges involved
 new responsibilities4 ,a royal harem is
 the last place in which we should look 
for the recognition of this truth4      
,esther is to be honoured because even  
in that palace of idle luxury she could 
acknowledge the stern obligation that so
 many in her position would never have  
glanced at4 ,it is always difficult to  
perceive and act on the responsibility  
that certainly accompanies favour and   
power4 ,this difficulty is one reason   
why it is easier for a camel to go      
through the eye of a needle1 than for a 
rich man to enter into the kingdom of   
,god4 ,for while unusual prosperity     
brings unusual responsibility1 simply   

because it affords unusual opportunities
 for doing good1 it tends to cultivate  
pride and selfishness1 and the miserable
 worldly spirit that is fatal to all    
high endeavour and all real sacrifice4  
,our ,lord's great principle1 ,unto whom
 much is given1 of him shall much be    
required1 is clear as a mathematical    
axiom when we look at it in the         
abstract2 but nothing is harder than for
 people to apply it to their own cases4 
,if it were freely admitted1 the        
ambition that grasps at the first places
 would be shamed into silence4 ,if it   
were generally acted on1 the wide social
 cleft between the fortunate and the    
miserable would be speedily bridged     
over4 ,the total ignoring of this       
tremendous principle by the great       
majority of those who enjoy the         
privileged positions in society is      
undoubtedly one of the chief causes of  
the ominous unrest that is growing more 
and more disturbing in the less favoured
 ranks of life4 ,if this supercilious   

contempt for an imperative duty         
continues1 what can be the end but an   
awful retribution8 ,was it not the      
wilful blindness of the dancers in the  
,tuileries to the misery of the serfs on
 the fields that caused revolutionary   
,france to run red with blood8  ,esther 
was wise in taking the suggestion of her
 cousin that she had been raised up for 
the very purpose of saving her people4  
,here was a faith1 reserved and         
reticent1 but real and powerful4 ,it was
 no idle chance that had tossed her on  
the crest of the wave while so many of  
her sisters were weltering in the dark  
floods beneath4 ,a clear1 high purpose  
was leading her on to a strange and     
mighty destiny1 and now the destiny was 
appearing1 sublime and terrible1 like   
some awful mountain peak that must be   
climbed unless the soul that has come   
thus far will turn traitor and fall back
 into failure and ignominy4 ,when       
,esther saw this1 she acted on it with  
the promptitude of the founder of her   

nation1 who esteemed the reproach of    
,christ greater riches than the         
treasures of ,egypt2 but with this      
difference1 that1 while ,moses renounced
 his high rank in ,pharaoh's court in   
order to identify himself with his      
people1 the ,queen of ,ahasuerus        
retained her perilous position and      
turned it to good account in her saving 
mission4 ,thus there are two ways in    
which an exalted person may serve       
others4 ,he may come down from his high 
estate like ,moses1 like ,christ who was
 rich and for our sakes became poor2 or 
he may take advantage of his privileged 
position to use it for the good of his  
brethren1 regarding it as a trust to be 
held for those whom he can benefit1 like
 ,joseph1 who was able in this way to   
save his father and his brothers from   
famine1 and like ,esther in the present 
case4 ,circumstances will guide the     
willing to a decision as to which of    
these courses should be chosen4  ,we    
must not turn from this subject without 

remembering that ,mordecai plied ,esther
 with other considerations besides the  
thought of her mysterious destiny4 ,he  
warned her that she should not escape if
 she disowned her people4 ,he expressed 
his confidence that if she shrank from  
her high mission deliverance would come 
from another place1 to her eternal      
shame4 ,duty is difficult1 and there is 
often a call for the comparatively      
lower1 because more selfish1            
considerations that urge to it4 ,the    
reluctant horse requires the spur4 ,and 
yet the noble courage of ,esther could  
not have come chiefly from fear or any  
other selfish motive4 ,it must have been
 a sense of her high duty and wonderful 
destiny that inspired her4 ,there is no 
inspiration like that of the belief that
 we are called to a great mission4 ,this
 is the secret of the fanatical heroism 
of the ,madhist dervishes4 ,in a more   
holy warfare it makes heroes of the     
weakest4  ,having once accepted her     
dreadful task1 ,esther proceeded to     

carry it out with courage4 ,it was a    
daring act for her to enter the presence
 of the king unsummoned4 ,who could tell
 but that the fickle monarch might take 
offence at the presumption of his new   
favourite1 as he had done in the case of
 her predecessor8 ,her lonely position  
might have made the strongest of women  
quail as she stepped forth from her     
seclusion and ventured to approach her  
lord4 ,her motive might be shamefully   
misconstrued by the low-minded monarch4 
,would the king hold out the golden     
sceptre to her8 ,the chances of life and
 death hung on the answer to that       
question4 ,nehemiah1 though a courageous
 man and a favourite of his royal       
master1 was filled with apprehension at 
the prospect of a far less dangerous    
interview with a much more reasonable   
ruler than the half-mad ,xerxes4 ,these 
,oriental autocrats were shrouded in the
 terror of divinities4 ,their absolute  
power left the lives of all who         
approached them at the mercy of their   

caprice4 ,ahasuerus had just sanctioned 
a senseless1 bloodthirsty decree4 ,very 
possibly he had murdered ,vashti1 and   
that on the offence of a moment4 ,esther
 was in favour1 but she belonged to the 
doomed people1 and she was committing an
 illegal action deliberately in the face
 of the king4 ,she was ,fatima risking  
the wrath of ,bluebeard4 ,we know how   
,nehemiah would have acted at this      
trying moment4 ,he would have           
strengthened his heart with one of those
 sudden ejaculations of prayer that were
 always ready to spring to his lips on  
any emergency4 ,it is not in accordance 
with the secular tone of the story of   
,esther's great undertaking that any    
hint of such an action on her part      
should have been given4 ,therefore we   
cannot say that she was a woman of no   
religion1 that she was prayerless1 that 
she launched on this great enterprise   
entirely relying on her own strength4   
,we must distinguish between reserve and
 coldness in regard to religion4 ,the   

fire burns while the heart muses1 even  
though the lips are still4 ,at all      
events1 if it is the intention of the   
writer to teach that ,esther was        
mysteriously raised up for the purpose  
of saving her people1 it is a natural   
inference to conclude that she was      
supported in the execution of it by     
unseen and silent aid4 ,her name does   
not appear in the honour roll of        
,hebrews xi4 ,we cannot assert that she 
acted in the strength of faith4 ,and yet
 there is more evidence of faith1 even  
though it is not professed1 in conduct  
that is true and loyal1 brave and       
unselfish1 than we can find in the      
loudest profession of a creed without   
the confirmation of corresponding       
conduct4 ,i will show my faith by my    
works1 says ,st4 ,james1 and he may show
 it without once naming it4  ,it is to  
be noted1 further1 that ,esther was a   
woman of resources4 ,she did not trust  
to her courage alone to secure her end4 
,it was not enough that she owned her   

people1 and was willing to plead their  
cause4 ,she had the definite purpose of 
saving them to effect4 ,she was not     
content to be a martyr to patriotism2 a 
sensible1 practical woman1 she did her  
utmost to be successful in effecting the
 deliverance of the threatened ,jews4   
,with this end in view1 it was necessary
 for her to proceed warily4 ,her first  
step was gained when she had secured an 
audience with the king4 ,we may surmise 
that her beautiful countenance was lit  
up with a new1 rare radiance when all   
self-seeking was banished from her mind 
and an intense1 noble aim fired her     
soul2 and thus1 it may be1 her very     
loftiness of purpose helped to secure   
its success4 ,beauty is a gift1 a       
talent1 to be used for good1 like any   
other ,divine endowment2 the highest    
beauty is the splendour of soul that    
sometimes irradiates the most           
commonplace countenance1 so that1 like  
,stephen's1 it shines as the face of an 
angel4 ,instead of degrading her beauty 

with foolish vanity1 ,esther consecrated
 it to a noble service1 and thereby it  
was glorified4 ,this one talent was not 
lodged with her useless4  ,the first    
point was gained in securing the favour 
of ,ahasuerus4 ,but all was not yet won4
 ,it would have been most unwise for    
,esther to have burst out with her      
daring plea for the condemned people in 
the moment of the king's surprised      
welcome4 ,but she was patient and       
skilful in managing her delicate        
business4 ,she knew the king's weakness 
for good living1 and she played upon it 
for her great purpose4 ,even when she   
had got him to a first banquet1 she did 
not venture to bring out her request4   
,perhaps her courage failed her at the  
last moment4 ,perhaps1 like a keen1     
observant woman1 she perceived that she 
had not yet wheedled the king round to  
the condition in which it would be safe 
to approach the dangerous topic4 ,so she
 postponed her attempt to another day   
and a second banquet4 ,then she seized  

her opportunity4 ,with great tact1 she  
began by pleading for her own life4 ,her
 piteous entreaty amazed the            
dense-minded monarch4 ,at the same time 
the anger of his pride was roused4 ,who 
would dare to touch his favourite queen8
 ,it was a well-chosen moment to bring  
such a notion into the mind of a king   
who was changeable as a child4 ,we may  
be sure that ,esther had been doing her 
very best to please him throughout the  
two banquets4 ,then she had ,haman on   
the spot4 ,he1 too1 prime minister of   
,persia as he was1 had to find that for 
once in his life he had been outwitted  
by a woman4 ,esther meant to strike     
while the iron was hot4 ,so the         
arch-enemy of her people was there1 that
 the king might carry out the orders to 
which she was skilfully leading him on  
without the delay which would give the  
party of ,haman an opportunity to turn  
him the other way4 ,haman saw it all in 
a moment4 ,he confessed that the queen  
was mistress of the situation by        

appealing to her for mercy1 in the      
frenzy of his terror even so far        
forgetting his place as to fling himself
 on her couch4 ,that only aggravated the
 rage of the jealous king4 ,haman's fate
 was sealed on the spot4 ,esther was    
completely triumphant4  ,after this it  
is painful to see how the woman who had 
saved her people at the risk of her own 
life pushed her advantage to the        
extremity of a bloodthirsty vengeance4  
,it is all very well to say that1 as the
 laws of the ,medes and ,persians could 
not be altered1 there was no alternative
 but a defensive slaughter4 ,we may try 
to shelter ,esther under the customs of 
the times2 we may call to mind the fact 
that she was acting on the advice of    
,mordecai1 whom she had been taught to  
obey from childhood1 so that his was by 
far the greater weight of               
responsibility4 ,still1 as we gaze on   
the portrait of the strong1 brave1      
unselfish ,jewess1 we must confess that 
beneath all the beauty and nobility of  

its expression certain hard lines betray
 the fact that ,esther is not a         
,madonna1 that the heroine of the ,jews 
does not reach the ,christian ideal of  
womanhood4     ,,chapter ,,xxxv4        
,,mordecai4  ,,esther ii4 #e1 #f2 iv4   
#a1 #b2 vi4 #aj1 #aa2 ix4 #a-d4   ,the  
hectic enthusiast who inspires ,daniel  
,deronda with his passionate ideas is   
evidently a reflection in modern        
literature of the ,mordecai of          
,scripture4 ,it must be admitted that   
the reflection approaches a caricature4 
,the dreaminess and morbid excitability 
of ,george ,eliot's consumptive hero    
have no counterpart in the wise1 strong 
,mentor of ,queen ,esther2 and the      
,english writer's agnosticism has led   
her to exclude all the ,divine elements 
of the ,jewish faith1 so that on her    
pages the sole object of ,israelite     
devotion is the race of ,israel4 ,but   
the very extravagance of the portraiture
 keenly accentuates what is1 after all1 
the most remarkable trait in the        

original ,mordecai4 ,we are not in a    
position to deny that this man had a    
living faith in the ,god of his fathers2
 we are simply ignorant as to what his  
attitude towards religion was1 because  
the author of the ,book of ,esther draws
 a veil over the religious relations of 
all his characters4 ,still the one thing
 prominent and pronounced in ,mordecai  
is patriotism1 devotion to ,israel1 the 
expenditure of thought and effort on the
 protection of his threatened people4   
,the first mention of the name of       
,mordecai introduces a hint of his      
national connections4 ,we read1 ,there  
was a certain ,jew in ,shushan the      
palace1 whose name was ,mordecai1 the   
son of ,jair1 the son of ,shimei1 the   
son of ,kish1 a ,benjamite2 who had been
 carried away from ,jerusalem with the  
captives which had been carried away    
with ,jeconiah king of ,judah1 whom     
,nebuchadnezzar the king of ,babylon had
 carried away4#bff ,curious freaks of   
exegesis have been displayed in dealing 

with this passage4 ,it has been thought 
that the ,kish mentioned in it is no    
other than the father of ,saul1 in which
 case the ages of the ancestors of      
,mordecai must rival those of the       
antediluvians2 and it has been suggested
 that ,mordecai is here represented as  
one of the original captives from       
,jerusalem in the reign of ,jeconiah1 so
 that at the time of ,xerxes he must    
have been a marvellously old man1       
tottering on the brink of the grave4 ,on
 these grounds the genealogical note has
 been treated as a fanciful fiction     
invented to magnify the importance of   
,mordecai4 ,but there is no necessity to
 take up any such position4 ,it would be
 strange to derive ,mordecai from the   
far-off ,benjamite farmer ,kish1 who    
shines only in the reflected glory of   
his son1 whereas we have no mention of  
,saul himself4 ,there is no reason to   
say that another ,kish may not have been
 found among the captives4 ,then it is  
quite possible to dispose of the second 

difficulty by connecting the relative   
clause at the beginning of verse #f--who
 had been carried away--with the nearest
 antecedent in the previous             
sentence--viz41 ,kish the ,benjamite4   
,if we remove the semi-colon from the   
end of verse #e1 the clauses will run on
 quite smoothly and there will be no    
reason to go back to the name of        
,mordecai for the antecedent of the     
relative2 we can read the words         
thus--,kish the ,benjamite who had been 
carried away1 etc4 ,in this way all     
difficulty vanishes4 ,but the passage   
still retains a special significance4   
,mordecai was a true ,jew1 of the once  
royal tribe of ,benjamin1 a descendant  
of one of the captive contemporaries of 
,jeconiah1 and therefore most likely a  
scion of a princely house4 ,the         
preservation of his ancestral record    
gives us a hint of the sort of mental   
pabulum on which the man had been       
nurtured4 ,living in the palace1        
apparently as a porter1 and possibly as 

a eunuch of the harem1 ,mordecai would  
have been tempted to forget his people4 
,nevertheless it is plain that he had   
cherished traditions of the sad past1   
and trained his soul to cling to the    
story of his fathers' sufferings in     
spite of all the distractions and       
dissipations of a ,persian court life4  
,though in a humbler sphere1 he thus    
resembled ,artaxerxes' cup-bearer1 the  
great patriot ,nehemiah4    #bff ,esther
 ii4 #e1 #f4  ,the peculiarity of       
,mordecai's part in the story is this1  
that he is the moving spirit of all that
 is done for the deliverance of ,israel 
at a time of desperate peril without    
being at first a prominent character4   
,thus he first appears as the guardian  
of his young cousin1 whom he has        
cherished and trained1 and whom he now  
introduces to the royal harem where she 
will play her more conspicuous part4    
,throughout the whole course of events  
,mordecai's voice is repeatedly heard1  
but usually as that of ,esther's        

prompter4 ,he haunts the precincts of   
the harem1 if by chance he may catch a  
glimpse of his foster child4 ,he is a   
lonely man now1 for he has parted with  
the light of his home4 ,he has done this
 voluntarily1 unselfishly--first1 to    
advance the lovely creature who has been
 committed to his charge1 and secondly1 
as it turns out1 for the saving of his  
people4 ,even now his chief thought is  
not for the cheering of his own         
solitude4 ,his constant aim is to guide 
his young cousin in the difficult path  
of her new career4 ,subsequently he     
receives the highest honours the king   
can bestow2 but he never seeks them1 and
 he would be quite content to remain in 
the background to the end1 if only his  
eager desire for the good of his people 
could be accomplished by the queen who  
has learnt to lean upon his counsel from
 her childhood4 ,such self-effacement is
 most rare and beautiful4 ,a subtle     
temptation to self-regarding ambition   
besets the path of every man who        

attempts some great public work for the 
good of others in a way that necessarily
 brings him under observation4 ,even    
though he believes himself to be        
inspired by the purest patriotism1 it is
 impossible for him not to perceive that
 he is exposing himself to admiration by
 the very disinterestedness of his      
conduct4 ,the rare thing is to see the  
same earnestness on the part of a person
 in an obscure place1 willing that the  
whole of his energy should be devoted to
 the training and guiding of another1   
who alone is to become the visible agent
 of some great work4  ,the one action in
 which ,mordecai momentarily takes the  
first place throws light on another side
 of his character4 ,there is a secondary
 plot in the story4 ,mordecai saves the 
king's life by discovering to him a     
conspiracy4 ,the value of this service  
is strikingly illustrated by the        
historical fact that1 at a later time1  
just another such conspiracy issued in  
the assassination of ,xerxes4 ,in the   

distractions of his foreign expeditions 
and his abandonment to self-indulgence  
at home1 the king forgets the whole     
affair1 and ,mordecai goes on his quiet 
way as before1 never dreaming of the    
honour with which it is to be rewarded4 
,now this incident seems to be          
introduced to show how the intricate    
wheels of ,providence all work on for   
the ultimate deliverance of ,israel4    
,the accidental discovery of ,mordecai's
 unrequited service when the king is    
beguiling the long hours of a sleepless 
night by listening to the chronicles of 
his reign leads to the recognition of   
,mordecai and the first humiliation of  
,haman1 and prepares the king for       
further measures4 ,but the incident     
reflects a side light on ,mordecai in   
another direction4 ,the humble porter is
 loyal to the great despot4 ,he is a    
passionately patriotic ,jew2 but his    
patriotism does not make a rebel of him1
 nor does it permit him to stand aside  
silently and see a villainous intrigue  

go on unmolested1 even though it is     
aimed at the monarch who is holding his 
people in subjection4 ,mordecai is the  
humble friend of the great ,persian king
 in the moment of danger4 ,this is the  
more remarkable when we compare it with 
his ruthless thirst for vengeance       
against the known enemies of ,israel4   
,it shows that he does not treat        
,ahasuerus as an enemy of his people4   
,no doubt the writer of this narrative  
wished it to be seen that the most      
patriotic ,jew could be perfectly loyal 
to a foreign government4 ,the shining   
examples of ,joseph and ,daniel have set
 the same idea before the world for the 
vindication of a grossly maligned       
people1 who1 like the ,christians in the
 days of ,tacitus1 have been most       
unjustly hated as the enemies of the    
human race4 ,the capacity to adapt      
itself loyally to the service of foreign
 governments1 without abandoning one    
iota of its religion or its patriotism1 
is a unique trait in the genius of this 

wonderful race4 ,the ,zealot is not the 
typical ,jew-patriot4 ,he is a secretion
 of diseased and decayed patriotism4    
,true patriotism is large enough and    
patient enough to recognise the duties  
that lie outside its immediate aims4    
,its fine perfection is attained when it
 can be flexible without becoming       
servile4  ,we see that in ,mordecai the 
flexibility of ,jewish patriotism was   
consistent with a proud scorn of the    
least approach to servility4 ,he would  
not kiss the dust at the approach of    
,haman1 grand vizier though the man was4
 ,it may be that he regarded this act of
 homage as idolatrous--for it would seem
 that ,persian monarchs were not        
unwilling to accept the adulation of    
,divine honours2 and the vain minister  
was aping the airs of his royal master4 
,but1 perhaps1 like those ,greeks who   
would not humble their pride by         
prostrating themselves at the bidding of
 an ,oriental barbarian1 ,mordecai held 
himself up from a sense of self-respect4

 ,in either case it must be evident that
 he showed a daringly independent       
spirit4 ,he could not but know that such
 an affront as he ventured to offer to  
,haman would annoy the great man4 ,but  
he had not calculated on the            
unfathomable depths of ,haman's vanity4 
,nobody who credits his fellows with    
rational motives would dream that so    
simple an offence as this of ,mordecai's
 could provoke so vast an act of        
vengeance as the massacre of a nation4  
,when he saw the outrageous consequences
 of his mild act of independence1       
,mordecai must have felt it doubly      
incumbent upon him to strain every nerve
 to save his people4 ,their danger was  
indirectly due to his conduct4 ,still he
 could never have foreseen such a       
result1 and therefore he should not be  
held responsible for it4 ,the tremendous
 disproportion between motive and action
 in the behaviour of ,haman is like one 
of those fantastic freaks that abound in
 the impossible world of ,the ,arabian  

,nights1 but for the occurrence of which
 we make no provision in real life1     
simply because we do not act on the     
assumption that the universe is nothing 
better than a huge lunatic asylum4  ,the
 escape from this altogether unexpected 
danger is due to two courses of events4 
,one of them--in accordance with the    
reserved style of the narrative--appears
 to be quite accidental4 ,mordecai got  
the reward he never sought in what seems
 to be the most casual way4 ,he had no  
hand in obtaining for himself an honour 
which looks to us quaintly childish4    
,for a few brief hours he was paraded   
through the streets of the royal city as
 the man whom the king delighted to     
honour1 with no less a person than the  
grand vizier to serve as his groom4 ,it 
was ,haman's silly vanity that had      
invented this frivolous proceeding4 ,we 
can hardly suppose that ,mordecai cared 
much for it4 ,after the procession had  
completed its round1 in true ,oriental  
fashion ,mordecai put off his gorgeous  

robes1 like a poor actor returning from 
the stage to his garret1 and settled    
down to his lowly office exactly as if  
nothing had happened4 ,this must seem to
 us a foolish business1 unless we can   
look at it through the magnifying glass 
of an ,oriental imagination1 and even   
then there is nothing very fascinating  
in it4 ,still it had important          
consequences4 ,for1 in the first place1 
it prepared the way for a further       
recognition of ,mordecai in the future4 
,he was now a marked personage4         
,ahasuerus knew him1 and was gratefully 
disposed towards him4 ,the people       
understood that the king delighted to   
honour him4 ,his couch would not be the 
softer nor his bread the sweeter2 but   
all sorts of future possibilities lay   
open before him4 ,to many men the       
possibilities of life are more precious 
than the actualities4 ,we cannot say1   
however1 that they meant much to        
,mordecai1 for he was not ambitious1 and
 he had no reason to think that the     

kings conscience was not perfectly      
satisfied with the cheap settlement of  
his debt of gratitude4 ,still the       
possibilities existed1 and before the   
end of the tale they had blossomed out  
to very brilliant results4  ,but another
 consequence of the pageant was that the
 heart of ,haman was turned to gall4 ,we
 see him livid with jealousy1           
inconsolable until his wife--who        
evidently knows him well--proposes to   
satisfy his spite by another piece of   
fanciful extravagance4 ,mordecai shall  
be impaled on a mighty stake1 so high   
that all the world shall see the ghastly
 spectacle4 ,this may give some comfort 
to the wounded vanity of the grand      
vizier4 ,but consolation to ,haman will 
be death and torment to ,mordecai4  ,now
 we come to the second course of events 
that issued in the deliverance and      
triumph of ,israel1 and therewith in the
 escape and exaltation of ,mordecai4    
,here the watchful porter is at the     
spring of all that happens4 ,his        

fasting1 and the earnest counsels he    
lays upon ,esther1 bear witness to the  
intensity of his nature4 ,again the     
characteristic reserve of the narrative 
obscures all religious considerations4  
,but1 as we have seen already1 ,mordecai
 is persuaded that deliverance will come
 to ,israel from some quarter1 and he   
suggests that ,esther has been raised to
 her high position for the purpose of   
saving her people4 ,we cannot but feel  
that these hints veil a very solid faith
 in the providence of ,god with regard  
to the ,jews4 ,on the surface of them   
they show faith in the destiny of       
,israel4 ,mordecai not only loves his   
nation2 he believes in it4 ,he is sure  
it has a future4 ,it has survived the   
most awful disasters in the past4 ,it   
seems to possess a charmed life4 ,it    
must emerge safely from the present     
crisis4 ,but ,mordecai is not a fatalist
 whose creed paralyses his energies4 ,he
 is most distressed and anxious at the  
prospect of the great danger that       

threatens his people4 ,he is most       
persistent in pressing for the execution
 of measures of deliverance4 ,still in  
all this he is buoyed up by a strange   
faith in his nation's destiny4 ,this is 
the faith that the ,english novelist has
 transferred to her modern ,mordecai4   
,it cannot be gainsayed that there is   
much in the marvellous history of the   
unique people1 whose vitality and energy
 astonish us even to-day1 to justify the
 sanguine expectation of prophetic souls
 that ,israel has yet a great destiny to
 fulfil in future ages4  ,the ugly side 
of ,jewish patriotism is also apparent  
in ,mordecai1 and it must not be        
ignored4 ,the indiscriminate massacre of
 the enemies of the ,jews is a savage   
act of retaliation that far exceeds the 
necessity of self-defence1 and ,mordecai
 must bear the chief blame of this      
crime4 ,but then the considerations in  
extenuation of its guilt which have     
already come under our notice may be    
applied to him4#bfg ,the danger was     

supreme4 ,the ,jews were in a minority4 
,the king was cruel1 fickle1 senseless4 
,it was a desperate case4 ,we cannot be 
surprised that the remedy was desperate 
also4 ,there was no moderation on either
 side1 but then sweet reasonableness is 
the last thing to be looked for in any  
of the characters of the ,book of       
,esther4 ,here everything is            
extravagant4 ,the course of events is   
too grotesque to be gravely weighed in  
the scales that are used in the judgment
 of average men under average           
circumstances4    #bfg ,page #ceh4  ,the
 ,book of ,esther closes with an account
 of the establishment of the ,feast of  
,purim and the exaltation of ,mordecai  
to the vacant place of ,haman4 ,the     
,israelite porter becomes grand vizier  
of ,persia6 ,this is the crowning proof 
of the triumph of the ,jews consequent  
on their deliverance4 ,the whole process
 of events that issues so gloriously is 
commemorated in the annual ,feast of    
,purim4 ,it is true that doubts have    

been thrown on the historical connection
 between that festival and the story of 
,esther4 ,it has been said that the word
 ,purim may represent the portions      
assigned by lot1 but not the lottery    
itself2 that so trivial an accident as  
the method followed by ,haman in        
selecting a day for his massacre of the 
,jews could not give its name to the    
celebration of their escape from the    
threatened danger2 that the feast was   
probably more ancient1 and was really   
the festival of the new moon for the    
month in which it occurs4 ,with regard  
to all of these and any other           
objections1 there is one remark that may
 be made here4 ,they are solely of      
archological interest4 ,the character   
and meaning of the feast as it is known 
to have been celebrated in historical   
times is not touched by them1 because it
 is beyond doubt that throughout the    
ages ,purim has been inspired with      
passionate and almost dramatic          
reminiscences of the story of ,esther4  

,thus for all the celebrations of the   
feast that come within our ken this is  
its sole significance4  ,the worthiness 
of the festival will vary according to  
the ideas and feelings that are         
encouraged in connection with it4 ,when 
it has been used as an opportunity for  
cultivating pride of race1 hatred1      
contempt1 and gleeful vengeance over    
humiliated foes1 its effect must have   
been injurious and degrading4 ,when1    
however1 it has been celebrated in the  
midst of grievous oppressions1 though it
 has embittered the spirit of animosity 
towards the oppressor--the ,christian   
,haman in most cases--it has been of    
real service in cheering a cruelly      
afflicted people4 ,even when it has been
 carried through with no seriousness of 
intention1 merely as a holiday devoted  
to music and dancing and games and all  
sorts of merry-making1 its social effect
 in bringing a gleam of light into lives
 that were as a rule dismally sordid may
 have been decidedly healthy4  ,but     

deeper thoughts must be stirred in      
devout hearts when brooding over the    
profound significance of the national   
festival4 ,it celebrates a famous       
deliverance of the ,jews from a fearful 
danger4 ,now deliverance is the keynote 
of ,jewish history4 ,this note was      
sounded as with a trumpet blast at the  
very birth of the nation1 when1 emerging
 from ,egypt no better than a body of   
fugitive slaves1 ,israel was led through
 the ,red ,sea and ,pharaoh's hosts with
 their horses and chariots were         
overwhelmed in the flood4 ,the echo of  
the triumphant burst of praise that     
swelled out from the exodus pealed down 
the ages in the noblest songs of ,hebrew
 ,psalmists4 ,successive deliverances   
added volume to this richest note of    
,jewish poetry4 ,in all who looked up to
 ,god as the ,redeemer of ,israel the   
music was inspired by profound          
thankfulness1 by true religious         
adoration4 ,and yet ,purim never became 
the ,eucharist of ,israel4 ,it never    

approached the solemn grandeur of       
,passover1 that prince of festivals1 in 
which the great primitive deliverance of
 ,israel was celebrated with all the    
pomp and awe of its ,divine             
associations4 ,it was always in the main
 a secular festival1 relegated to the   
lower plane of social and domestic      
entertainments1 like an ,english        
bank-holiday4 ,still even on its own    
lines it could serve a serious purpose4 
,when ,israel is practically idolised by
 ,israelites1 when the glory of the     
nation is accepted as the highest ideal 
to work up to1 the true religion of     
,israel is missed1 because that is      
nothing less than the worship of ,god as
 ,he is revealed in ,hebrew history4    
,nevertheless1 in their right place1 the
 privileges of the nation and its       
destinies may be made the grounds of    
very exalted aspirations4 ,the nation is
 larger than the individual1 larger than
 the family4 ,an enthusiastic national  
spirit must exert an expansive influence

 on the narrow1 cramped lives of the men
 and women whom it delivers from        
selfish1 domestic1 and parochial        
limitations4 ,it was a liberal education
 for ,jews to be taught to love their   
race1 its history and its future4       
,if--as seems probable--our ,lord       
honoured the ,feast of ,purim by taking 
part in it1#bfh ,he must have credited  
the national life of ,his people with a 
worthy mission4 ,himself the purest and 
best fruit of the stock of ,israel1 on  
the human side of ,his being1 ,he       
realised in ,his own great mission of   
redemption the end for which ,god had   
repeatedly redeemed ,israel4 ,thus ,he  
showed that ,god had saved ,his people1 
not simply for their own selfish        
satisfaction1 but that through ,christ  
they might carry salvation to the world4
    #bfh ,john v4 #a4  ,purged from its 
base associations of blood and cruelty1 
,purim may symbolise to us the triumph  
of the ,church of ,christ over her      
fiercest foes4 ,the spirit of this      

triumph must be the very opposite of the
 spirit of wild vengeance exhibited by  
,mordecai and his people in their brief 
season of unwonted elation4 ,the ,israel
 of ,god can never conquer her enemies  
by force4 ,the victory of the ,church   
must be the victory of brotherly love1  
because brotherly love is the note of   
the true ,church4 ,but this victory     
,christ is winning throughout the ages1 
and the historical realisation of it is 
to us the ,christian counterpart of the 
story of ,esther4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,transcriber's    
note3  ,variations in spelling have been
 preserved except in obvious cases of   
typographical error4 ,hyphenation is    
inconsistent4  ,page #cga3 ,as in the   
case of ,judas1 there is thought to be  
no call4444 ,missing word is has been   
inserted4