,a ,,class-,,book ,,of ,,biblical ,,history ,,and ,,geography3 ,,with ,,numerous ,,maps4 ,,by ,,prof4 ,h4 ,s4 ,,osborn1 ,,ll4 ,d4 ,,american ,,tract ,,society1 #aej ,,nassau ,,street1 ,,new ,,york4 ,,copyright1 #ahij4 ,,american ,,tract ,,society4 ,transcriber's ,notes ,punctuation has been standardized4 ,characters in small caps have been replaced by all caps4 ,non-printable characteristics have been given the following transliteration3 ,italic text3 -- text bold text3 -- text4 ,this book was written in a period when many words had not become standardized in their spelling4 ,words may have multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text4 ,these have been left unchanged unless indicated with a ,transcriber's ,note4 ,footnotes are identified in the text with a number in brackets #b and have been accumulated in a single section at the end of the text4 ,transcriber's ,notes are used when making corrections to the text or to provide additional information for the modern reader4 ,these notes are not identified in the text1 but have been accumulated in a single section at the end of the book4 ,,preface4 ,,this work is a ,class-,book of the ,old and the ,new ,testaments treated as consecutive history4 ,it includes the ,jewish history of the centuries between the close of the ,old ,testament and the beginning of the ,new4 ,it presents those important elements of ,biblical history which distinguish it from all other histories and which illustrate the plan and the purpose of the ,bible as one ,book4 ,whatever modern scholarship has accomplished to aid in the understanding of the original languages of ,scripture in important points has been made use of1 and whatever monumental or topographic discoveries would contribute to a better understanding of the geography or archology of the text-statements have been introduced where the history required it4 ,the history of the centuries between the close of the ,old ,testament canon and the beginning of the ,christian era includes that of its ,jewish literature4 ,this history greatly helps us to appreciate that singular tenacity with which the earliest ,christian church held to the ,mosaic ritual4 ,in the treatment of this history we have allowed no space for mere opinions or speculations4 ,the work is purely historical1 and its text is illustrated only by that which is pertinent and well authenticated1 in either geographic or archological discovery4 ,the entire subject matter is divided into ,periods and chapters and subdivided into sections and paragraphs1 the latter presented in such a form as generally to suggest to the teacher the question and to the reader the topic of the paragraph4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents4 ,,period ,i4 ,,the ,,ante-,,diluvian ,,era4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,creation1 ,eden3 ,chronology and its ,sources4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,significance of ,names4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,descendants of ,adam4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,the ,lineage of the ,patriarchs4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the ,flood4 ,,period ,,ii4 ,,the ,,patriarchal ,,era ,,after ,,the ,,flood ,,to ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,jacob4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,the ,two ,ararats4 ,the ,sons of ,japheth4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,sons of ,ham4 ,their ,more ,recent ,names4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,descendants of ,shem4 ,job4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,the ,confusion of ,tongues4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the ,history of ,abram and his ,times4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,patriarchs ,isaac and ,jacob4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,egyptian ,testimonies4 ,,period ,,iii4 ,,the ,,theocracy ,,to ,,the ,,judges4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,the ,israelites in ,egypt4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,physical ,geography of ,sinai and the ,desert4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,entrance into ,canaan4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,the ,battles of the ,conquest4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the ,introduction of ,idolatry4 ,,period ,,iv4 ,,the ,,period ,,of ,,the ,,judges4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,the ,nature of the ,office4 ,the ,chronology4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,scribes of the ,age4 ,,period ,v4 ,,the ,,period ,,of ,,the ,,kings ,,to ,,the ,,captivity4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,origin of the ,monarchy4 ,reign of ,saul4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,reigns of ,david and of ,solomon4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,division of the ,kingdom4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,analysis of the ,reigns of ,judah and ,israel4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the ,institution of the ,prophetical ,office4 ,,period ,,vi4 ,,the ,,captivity ,,of ,,judah ,,to ,,the ,,close ,,of ,,the ,,canonical ,,period4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,the ,various ,captivities4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,comparative ,religious ,spirit4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the ,captivity ,ended4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,the ,canonical ,books4 ,samaritan ,pentateuch4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,what ,was ,scripture8 ,the ,septuagint4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,origin of the ,talmud4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,concluding ,remarks4 ,,period ,,vii4 ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,era4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,from the ,birth of ,christ to his ,public ,ministry4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,public ,ministry of our ,saviour4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,from the ,first ,passover to the ,second4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,from the ,second ,passover to the ,third4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the ,third ,passover4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,beginning of the ,christian ,church4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,the ,gospel for ,gentiles as well as ,jews4 ,paul's ,first ,mission4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,the ,second and ,third ,missionary ,tours of ,paul4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,paul at ,rome4 ,the ,seven ,churches4 ,colosse and ,hierapolis4 ,,biblical ,,history ,,and ,,geography4 ,,period ,i4 ,,the ,,ante-,,diluvian ,,era4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,creation3 ,,chronology ,,and ,,its ,,sources4 #a4 ,the first book of the ,bible1 which is ,genesis1 begins with a history of the ,creation4 ,the words 8,in the beginning10 with which it opens1 give us no chronological data by which we are able to form any estimate of the time4 ,seven divisions1 called 8days10 have special appointments assigned to each in that which is usually called 8the work of creation10 including the appointment of a day of rest4 ,before the beginning of the days there existed a state of chaos1 the earth being 8without form and void0 and darkness being upon the face of the waters4 ,the first act was the calling into being ,,light ,the appointment of ,day and ,night closed the work of the first day4 ,the separation of the waters beneath 8the firmament10 or expanse1 from those above 8the firmament0 constituted the work of the second day4 ,the formation of dry land1 called earth1 and the appearance of vegetable growth1 called grass1 herbs1 and trees1 occurred on the third day4 ,on the fourth day lights appeared in 8the firmament10 or expanse1 and on the fifth day the first animal life moved in the waters and birds in the air1 the latter called 8winged fowl40 ,on the sixth day the earth brought forth living creatures1 8cattle1 creeping things1 and beasts20 and finally man was created1 made after ,god's image1 with dominion over all that had been here created4 ,the seventh day was set apart as a day of rest1 a day of which it is said1 8,god blessed the seventh day and sanctified it40 ,gen4 #b3c4 #b4 ,after the creation of man he was placed in a garden which the ,lord ,god planted 8eastward in ,eden40 ,the locality of ,eden is unsettled1 but the opinion of many scholars is that it is not far off from the head of the ,persian ,gulf4 ,the garden is described as 8eastward in ,eden10 and it is supposed to have been in the eastern part of a district called ,eden4 ,prof4 ,sayce derives ,eden from an ancient word meaning 8the desert40 ,if this be correct1 the garden of ,eden was more remarkable for its contrast with the great ,syrian desert in its immediate vicinity4 ,the rivers mentioned by name are ,pison1 ,gihon1 ,hiddekel1 and ,euphrates4 ,the ,euphrates at the present day joins the ancient ,hiddekel1 which is now called the ,tigris1 at a point one hundred miles northwest from the ,persian ,gulf1 and the stream formed by the union of the two rivers is called the ,shat el-,arab4 ,the ,pison and ,gihon have not been satisfactorily identified4 ,it should be remembered that the geographical condition of this region is very unlike that which existed at the time we are considering4 ,dr4 ,delitzsch calculates that a delta of between forty and fifty miles in length has been formed since the sixth century ,b4 ,c4 ,prof4 ,sayce says that in the time of ,alexander1 ,b4 ,c4 #cbc1 the ,tigris and ,euphrates flowed1 by different mouths1 into the sea 7gulf71 as did also the ,eulus1 or modern ,karun1 in the ,assyrian epoch4#a ,the increment of land about the delta has been found to be a mile in thirty years1 which is about double the increase of any other delta1 owing to the nature of the soil over which the rivers pass4#b ,under these changes it is probable that any but very large streams might disappear4 #c4 ,the ,euphrates passes along a course of more than #a1ghj miles from the head-waters of the ,mourad ,chai#c and for about #gjj miles it passes through a nearly level country on the east of the great ,syrian desert4 ,it varies in depth from eight to twenty feet to its junction with the ,tigris2 after its union with the ,tigris its depth increases4 ,it is navigable for about #gjj miles or more from the ,persian ,gulf4 ,the ,tigris is shorter1 being about #a1aej miles in length1 and navigable for rafts for #cjj miles4 ,some of the extreme head-sources of this river approach those of the ,euphrates within the distance of two or three miles4 ,the name ,hiddekel is the same word as ,hidiglat1 which is its name in the ,assyrian inscriptions1 as ,purat is the ancient ,assyrian for ,perath in ,hebrew4#d ,the land of ,havilah1 which was encompassed entirely by the river ,pison1 is unknown1 but the 8,ethiopia0 encompassed by the river ,gihon is in the ,hebrew called ,cush1 and recent discoveries have proved that in very early times ,cushite people inhabited a part of the region near the head of the ,persian ,gulf4 ,there is little doubt that the land so called was a part of the plain of ,babylonia where the cities of ,nimrod were planted1 ,gen4 #aj3aj1 ,nimrod being a son of ,cush4 ,these discoveries show that1 in after ages1 the ,cushites left ,babylonia and emigrated southward along the ,persian ,gulf into ,arabia1 of which they occupied a very large part1 and from its southern part crossed over to ,africa to the country which in after times was called by the ,greek geographers ,ethiopia4 ,dr4 ,f4 ,delitzsch supposes that ,havilah was the district lying west of the ,euphrates and reaching to the ,persian ,gulf1 and that the ,cush of the text was the land adjoining on the east1 having the present ,shat el-,nil for its border line4 ,the long stream west of the ,euphrates1 which was known to the ,greeks as ,pallacopas1 ,dr4 ,delitzsch considers as the ,pison1 and the ,shat el-,nil as the ,gihon 7see the map74 ,the ,garden of ,eden he places at that part where the ,euphrates and ,tigris approach each other very nearly1 being at that place only twenty-five miles apart4#e #d4 ,in the ,garden of ,eden the ,lord ,god put the first pair4 ,of the man it is said that he was placed in the garden 8to dress it and to keep it20 and of the woman1 that she should be 8a help meet for him40 ,how long this state of things continued is not related1 but1 through the serpent1 temptation entered into the mind of ,eve1 and she gave of the forbidden fruit unto her husband and they did eat1 8and their eyes were opened10 apparently to the sense of guilt in violating the command which forbade them to 8eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil40 ,the curse then followed1 and they were driven out from the garden1 to which they were never to return4 #e4 ,after the expulsion ,cain and ,abel were born1 and the first murder took place in the killing of ,abel by ,cain1 the latter being punished by being driven out 8from the presence of the ,lord40 ,cain went eastward and dwelt in the land of ,nod1 and his first-born son1 ,enoch1 built the first city1 which was named after him1 ,enoch4 ,neither the land of ,nod nor the city ,enoch has been certainly located4 #f4 ,we now have an account of the descendants of ,adam1 with the statement of their several ages4 ,upon this statement of ages a chronology has been based1 usually called the ,biblical ,chronology4 ,it is derived from that account which is recorded in the ,hebrew1 the language in which the history was originally written4 ,but there is another account which was given in the earliest extant translation of the ,hebrew history1 and this is called the ,septuagint ,greek1 made about #bhf ,b4 ,c42 and the chronology of this old translation differs materially from the ,hebrew original4 ,there is yet another authority1 the ,samaritan ,pentateuch1 the manuscript of which is kept at ,shechem1 in ,palestine1 and is the oldest known manuscript of the ,bible in the world1 having been written before the ,captivity and in the old ,hebrew letters4#f ,these are the only three records of any importance1 and the variations in these records are seen in the following table3#g ,lived before ,after birth ,total4 birth of sons4 of sons4 ,,heb4 ,,sam4 ,,sep4 ,,heb4 ,,sam4 ,,sep4 ,,heb4 ,,sam4 ,,sep4 ,adam #acj #bcj #hjj #gjj #icj ,seth #aje #bje #hjg #gjg #iab ,enos #ij #aij #hae #gae #ije ,cainan #gj #agj #hdj #gdj #iaj ,mahalaleel #fe #afe #hcj #gcj #hie ,jared #afb #fb #afb #hjj #ghe #hjj #ifb #hdg #ifb ,enoch #fe #fe #afe #cjj #cjj #bjj #cfe ,methuselah #ahg #fg #ahg #ghb #fec #ghb #ifi #gbj #ifi ,another #afg translation #afe of ,septuagint ,lamech #ahb #ec #ahh #eie #fjj #efe #ggg #fec #gec ,noah #ejj ,it will be seen by the above table that the ,hebrew text affords data which give us #a1fef years from the creation of ,adam to the ,flood1 for we must add #ajj to ,noah's age of #ejj1 since the ,flood began when ,noah was #fjj years old 7,gen4 #g3f74 ,the ,samaritan text takes away #ajj years from the life of ,jared1 #abj from that of ,methuselah1 and #abi from that of ,lamech1 as compared with the ,hebrew text1 making the ,flood occur #a1cjg after ,adam's creation1 while the ,septuagint adds #ajj to the lives of each of the first five and to that of ,enoch1 and six to that of ,lamech1 making the ,flood begin #b1bfb years after the creation of ,adam1 according to one reading of the ,septuagint1 or #b1bdb according to another4 ,so that the aggregates of time from the ,creation to the ,flood1 as deduced from the ,hebrew1 the ,samaritan1 and the ,septuagint1 severally are #a1fef1 #a1cjg1 and #b1bfb4 ,the ,samaritan is the oldest manuscript1 but it cannot be made certain that the dates as given in that manuscript have suffered no alteration2 and hence the ,hebrew account has been followed in our entire ,english version1 the chronology of which was arranged by ,archbishop ,ussher 7usually written ,usher71 ,a4 ,d4 #aehj1h but it 8is of no inspired authority and of great uncertainty40 #g4 ,the subject of ,biblical ,chronology1 as derived from data recorded in the ,scripture1 is necessarily unsettled2 and this is so partly because#i the sacred writers speak of descendants of a given progenitor as his sons1 in accordance with ,eastern custom1 and partly perhaps from the use of letters1 for figures1 in the early manuscripts1#aj which have suffered changes in subsequent transcriptions4 ,but although these variations occur1 discoveries connected with the remains of other nations than the ,jewish1 and connected with other histories than the ,jewish1 are beginning to throw light upon the ,scripture history and chronology4 ,these collateral histories allude to persons and events of ,jewish history and afford such data that in many instances we can determine from them the actual year of ,scripture events4 ,this aid is particularly important as derived from both ,assyrian and ,egyptian discoveries1 and this we shall have reason hereafter to show4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,significance ,,of ,,names4 #a4 ,in the earliest periods of human history names1 either for persons1 places1 or things1 had meanings which were in some sense applicable to the person1 place1 or thing named4 ,this was specially true in ,hebrew history1 and of this we have already had illustrations2 for when ,eve was brought to ,adam 8he called her name woman1 because she was taken out of man10 but afterwards1 because ,eve in the ,hebrew meant life1 he 8called his wife's name ,eve1 because she was the mother of all living40 ,adam's name denoted his relation to the ground 7,hebrew1 ,adamah71 from the dust of which he was taken2 and as ,eve's body was derived from that of ,adam1 the name of the two was ,adam 7,gen4 #e3b71 which was the name given by ,god 8in the day when they were created10 and this name was exclusively the description of the first man and the first woman4 ,in ,gen4 #b3bc we have the generic name given to the race in the ,hebrew terms 8,ish0 and 8,ishah0 for 8man0 and 8woman10 given by ,adam to himself and to the woman3 8,this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh3 she shall be called woman 7,ishah71 because she was taken out of man 7,ish740 #b4 ,the root1 or primitive meaning1 of ,ish is uncertain1 but from its subsequent use we may infer that it denoted a characteristic of humanity higher than that expressed by the word ,adam1 and may have occurred to the father of men while naming the animals as an appellative distinguishing his own from the inferior order of the animate creation4#aa ,it is remarkable that the ancient ,assyrian name for the first man is ,admu or ,adamu1 the ,assyrian form of the ,hebrew ,adam4#ab #c4 ,in the ,hebrew history1 therefore1 names are not to be regarded as mere sounds or combinations of sounds1 attached at random to certain objects or persons1 so as to become the audible signs by which we distinguish them from each other1 but very frequently proper names had a deeper meaning and were more closely connected in men's thoughts with character and condition than among any other ancient nation with the history and literature of which we are acquainted4#ac ,thus it is that1 as ,archbishop ,trench says1 words are often the repositories of historical information4#ad ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,descendants ,,of ,,adam4 #a4 ,as the history proceeds it becomes very plain that the descendants of ,adam are selected with a purpose1 which a general acquaintance with ,scripture reveals4 ,that purpose was to record the ancestry of ,abraham and so of the children of ,israel4 ,other descendants are occasionally mentioned when any interesting or important event suggests itself to the historian1 but the main purpose is never lost sight of4 ,thus the descendants of ,cain are briefly enumerated through his first-born1 ,enoch1 8the teacher10 as his name signifies4 ,he was the first builder of a city1 and may1 as ,geikie suggests1 have been the first to teach men 8the culture of city life10 or 8the elements of physical life40 #b4 ,his descendants were ,irad1 8the swift one10 perhaps because of his hunter's life2 ,mehujael1 8the stricken of ,god10 for some unrecorded transgression2 ,methusael1 probably bearing the name ,god in the syllable 8el10 and meaning 8champion of ,god10 suggesting some religious act2 as if1 even among the race of ,cain1 ,god 8had not left himself without a witness40#ae #c4 ,but we find ,lamech1 8a wild man10 who first introduces polygamy1 for ever hereafter to be associated in origin with the race of ,cain4 ,one of his two wives was named ,adah1 a ,hebrew term for 8ornament10 and is found in the compounds ,adaiah1 8whom ,jehovah adorns10 and ,maadiah1 8ornament from ,jehovah40 ,there must have been a personal attraction which made the name appropriate4 #d4 ,in the other wife's name1 ,zillah1 it has been supposed that the termination 8ah0 has reference to the name of ,jehovah2 it is more probable1 however1 that the meaning is confined to the root of this word1 which signifies 8a shade40 ,to her son1 ,tubal-,cain1 we are indebted for the first work in copper and iron1 as the sentence 8instructor of every artificer in brass and iron0 means4 ,perhaps we may say 8bronze0 for 8brass10 since brass is a compound of zinc and copper1 and bronze is a compound of tin and copper1 and the latter has been discovered in the most ancient ruins1 which has not been true as to brass4 ,brass1 however1 is used in ,scripture in some instances as the name for copper4#af ,chisels have been taken from ruins in ,egypt containing copper #id per cent41 tin #e4i1 and iron #j4a2 and a bowl from ,nimrud1 about twenty miles south of ,nineveh1 was composed of copper #hi4eg per cent41 and of tin #aj4dc4 ,in the sepulchral furniture with which the oldest of the ,chaldan tombs were filled we already find more bronze than copper4#ag ,the excavations at ,warka1 the ancient ,erech of ,gen4 #aj3aj1 ninety-five miles southeast of ,babylon1 seem to prove that the ancient ,chaldans made use of iron before the ,egyptians4#ah #e4 ,the name given to ,jabal1 the son of ,adah1 suggests that he led a pastoral life with his cattle4 ,his name means 8wanderer10 and hence he was very appropriately 8the father of such as dwell in tents40 8,his brother's name was ,jubal2 he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ20 the latter name suggesting some wind instrument or pipe4 ,his name significantly means 8the player40 #f4 ,to this list of 8first things0 may be added the first instance of poetical utterance1 for the address of ,lamech to his wives is in the form of the earliest ,hebrew poetry4 ,gen4 #d3bc4 ,adah and ,zillah1 hear my voice1 ,wives of ,lamech1 hear my speech4 ,i have slain a man for wounding me1 ,a young man for hurting me4 ,if ,cain shall be avenged seven-fold1 ,surely ,lamech seventy-and-seven4 ,with this ends the history of the descendants of ,cain4 ,the history of those descendants of ,adam through whom the children of ,israel traced their lineage is begun in the fifth chapter of ,genesis4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,lineage ,,of ,,the ,,patriarchs4 #a4 ,ten generations are given1 from ,adam to the ,flood1 and the remarkably long lives of the ,patriarchs have suggested to many the probability of error or misunderstanding4 ,some have supposed that each name represents a tribe1 the lives of whose leading members have been added together4 ,others have understood the years to mean only months1 and others that numbers and dates are liable in the course of years to become obscured and exaggerated4#ai #b4 ,but as to all these opinions it must be remembered1 ,first1 that the era from the creation of ,adam to the ,flood1 #a1fef years1 is to be divided by the number ten1 the number of the ,patriarchs1 which would require an individual length of life much longer than that enjoyed at the present day2 and1 ,secondly1 no scientific reasons can be offered why human life should be limited in duration to its present length4 ,it varies now according to the contingencies of accident and disease1 and old age itself may be only a modified form of disease and not essential to a human organism4 ,a clock made to run twenty-four hours is expected to run down in about that time1 but the clock-maker may1 by adding one wheel1 or to the length of the weight-cord1 or by some other very simple rearrangement1 make the very same clock run a week or a month4 ,it is only a question of life1 about which1 as to its nature1 we know little or nothing4 ,thirdly1 as to the historic probability1 it is a fact that traditions other than those of the ,hebrew nation represent that in the earliest ages there was an enjoyment of exceedingly long lives4 ,the chronology of ,berosus1 a ,chaldan priest and historian1 ,b4 ,c4 #bgi to #bee1 gives to the ten ,babylonian kings who in the earliest traditions of that people reigned before the ,babylonian deluge #b1bba years1 or only #ba years less than the period given in the ,septuagint as having elapsed between the ,creation and the ,deluge4#bj ,the earliest ,aryan tradition states that the first man lived #a1jjj years in ,paradise4 ,other nations have kept the same tradition of long lives in the earliest times1 which nations could not have received the tradition from the ,scriptures4 #c4 ,but there is a probability arising from the fitness of long lives1 and that is seen in the necessity of a history which could thus be obtained by tradition when no written language existed4 ,it will be seen that from ,adam to the ,flood tradition was delivered through only one person1 so that ,lamech could repeat to ,noah what ,adam had narrated to him of all the dealings of ,god in ,eden and after the expulsion4 ,although ,lamech lived during the lifetimes of all the ,patriarchs down to the ,flood1 which took place #a1fef years after the creation of ,adam1 he himself was only #ggg years old at death4 ,thus we see that tradition was more trustworthy then than at any time since4 #d4 ,moreover1 ,shem lived nearly a century before the death of ,lamech1 who could have narrated the story of ,eden and the trials and experiences of his after-life1 as well as the history of the ,patriarchal times1 to ,shem1 who was alive in the times of ,abraham and his son ,isaac4 ,by that time writing was invented1 and doubtless much of the history of the times before and after the ,flood had been committed to writing1 which was invented several centuries before the death of ,shem1 as we learn from the ancient ,chaldan records4 #e4 ,after the ,flood long lives continued1 but in much shorter terms1 ,arphaxad1 ,salah1 and ,eber each lived about four centuries1 and each of the next three patriarchs lived over #bjj years1 and it was not till after the time of ,judah1 seven centuries after the ,flood1 that the length of a human life was reduced to about a century4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,flood4 #a4 ,the ,scripture statement of the occasion of the ,flood is very brief4 ,it is made plain1 however1 that the wickedness of men was so great that 8the earth was filled with violence and corrupt before ,god40 #b4 ,noah was commanded to prepare an ark for his own safety and that of his family2 and he was also directed to provide for the preservation of a large number of 8fowls1 cattle1 and creeping things40 #c4 ,between the time of the announcement of the divine intention to destroy 8man whom he had created0 and the occurrence of the ,flood ,god gave a warning era of #abj years1 at the close of which the ,flood began4 8,the waters prevailed upon the earth #aej days40 ,after this time they were abated1 and gradually retired till the earth was dry1 and ,noah and his family left the ark in which he had remained twelve months and ten days1 or from the six hundred and first year1 second month1 and seventeenth day to the six hundred and second year1 second month1 and twenty-seventh day of ,noah's life4 #d4 ,an interesting fact may here be stated4 ,a few years ago there were discovered by excavations at the ancient site of ,nineveh1 on the ,tigris1 the palace of ,assur-bani-pal1 in which had been stored some #aj1jjj tablets of a library gathered by this king ,b4 ,c4 #ifh4 ,these tablets were shipped to the ,british ,museum1 of which ,george ,smith1 the ,assyriologist1 was librarian1 and a large number of them translated4 ,among these tablets was found a record of the ,deluge1 which was read by ,mr4 ,smith in ,december1 #ahgb1 before the ,society of ,biblical ,archology in ,london4 #e4 ,the record states that the tradition recorded is copied from a more ancient account which was in existence in the times of a king of the city of ,accad 7,gen4 #aj7 many years after the time of ,nimrod1 who founded it4 ,the remains of this city have been recently discovered forty-three miles north-northwest from ,babylon4 ,the name of the king of ,accad was ,sargon ,i41 whose date appears from the monuments to have been about #chjj ,b4 ,c4 ,this ,chaldan history of the ,deluge is so similar to that of the ,scriptures as to leave no doubt that both record the same fact4 #f4 ,the simple narration as it occurs in ,genesis is so free from the irrelevant and unnecessary additions of the ,chaldan account as to show that the ,biblical account is a record of true history4 ,as the ,chaldan account is dated long before ,abram left ,chalda1 and hence long before the birth of ,moses1 it could never have been derived from ,scripture1 and proves that a tradition of such an event as that of the ,flood must have existed very early in the history of the race4 ,,period ,,ii4 ,,the ,,patriarchal ,,era ,,after ,,the ,,flood ,,to ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,jacob4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,two ,,ararats4 ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,japheth4 #a4 ,although the tradition of the ,flood seems to have reached to almost every nation1 it has been referred locally to some part of ,western ,asia1 and particularly to that part known as ,armenia4 ,the ,scriptures tell us that the ark rested upon 8the mountains of ,ararat10 ,gen4 #h3d1 not upon any particular mountain called ,ararat1 as it has been assumed4 #b4 ,the word ,ararat is found in the ,assyrian inscriptions for ,armenia4#ba ,a mountain #ejj miles north of ,babylon is called ,mt4 ,ararat by travellers1 and seems first to have been announced as the 8,mt4 ,ararat0 in ,a4 ,d4 #abej1 as ,bochart says4 ,the other claimant is #ej miles north of ,nineveh and is called ,mt4 ,kudur1 the meaning being 8the great ship40#bb ,this view is supported by older historians1 such as ,berosus and others4 ,the ,mt4 ,ararat of present travellers is a solitary double peak1 called ,mt4 ,massis by the ,armenians1 which rises #ag1ejj feet above the sea4 ,,the ,,distribution ,,of ,,races4 #c4 ,the tenth chapter of ,genesis is considered one of the most remarkable chapters because of the aid it affords in tracing the early emigrations and distributions of the race4 ,in this chapter the descendants of the three sons of ,noah1 ,shem1 ,ham1 and ,japheth1 are given4 ,the descendants of ,shem are known among scholars as ,shemites or ,semites1 as those of ,ham are known as ,hamites4 ,although ,shem is named first in order1 ,japheth is called the elder 7ver4 #ba71 and the genealogy begins with him4 ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,japheth3 ,,their ,,more ,,recent ,,names4 #d4 7a7 ,gomer4 ,these were the ,cimmerians of antiquity1 the ,cimbri of ,roman times1 and the ,cymry or ,celts still existing4 ,their ancient country was north of the ,black ,sea1 including the ,crimea and the shores of the ,sea of ,azov4 ,the name ,crimea is a corruption of the ancient name4 ,it is to this north land ,ezekiel refers in chap4 #ch3b1 #f4 ,a part of them went southward to ,asia ,minor when driven out by the ,scythians1 and some emigrated to the west of ,europe and to ,britain4 ,the ,welsh call themselves ,cymry4 8,the ,,sons ,,of ,,gomer0 were 8,,ashkenaz1 ,,riphath1 and ,,togarmah40 #e4 ,ashkenaz4 ,the name means 8,,the ,,horse ,,milkers10 and suggests some race of a wandering tribe of the same general country of the ,cimmerians or of that land northeast of them4 ,the names ,ascanius1 a river and lake in ,asia ,minor1 and ,scandia and ,scandinavia1 suggest that they may have entered ,phrygia1 as ,bochart supposes1 but the associations are uncertain4 ,they seem in later times to have in some degree returned to a region near ,armenia1 since ,jeremiah associates them with ,ararat1 ,jer4 #ea3bg4 #f4 ,riphath seems to be suggested by the name of the ,rhiphan ,mountains in the distant regions of the north of ,scythia4 ,more probably we may find some intimation of their presence near ,armenia in the name ,riphates1 which is that of a mountain range in that vicinity4 #g4 ,togarmah is supposed to be represented by the tribes of the ,caucasus1 ,georgians and ,armenians1 who call themselves 8the ,house of ,torgona10 the latter word being the same as ,togarmah4 #h4 7b7 ,magog1 the name of the second son of ,japheth1 was also the name of a country4 ,slavonic tribes in the north and northeast of ,europe are supposed to be comprehended under this term as descendants from the grandson of ,japheth1 and the original country of ,magog was the ,caucasian ,mountains and the country around the northern part of the ,caspian ,sea4 #i4 ,in the time of the prophet ,ezekiel they had become a powerful people and had overrun the north of ,europe4 ,the ,russians are1 and the ,scythians were1 the descendants of ,magog1 and ,gog is the 8prince of ,rosh10 of ,meshech1 and of ,tubal4 ,they are described by ,ezekiel1 chaps4 #ch3ae and #ci3c1 as a wild race of mounted men armed with the bow4 ,this seems also to describe the ,scythians who invaded ,palestine ,b4 ,c4 #fbe1 and left the evidence of their presence in the city called ,scythopolis1 formerly ,beth-shean1 now ,beisan1 on the ,jordan4#bc #aj4 7c7 ,madai is the name by which the ,medes are known on the ,assyrian monuments4 ,their country was south of the ,caspian ,sea4 #aa4 7d7 ,javan was the progenitor of the ,greeks1 and the name occurs on the ,assyrian monuments as ,javanu2 a term also used by ,darius1 the ,mede4#bd #ab4 ,the sons of ,javan were3 7#a47 ,,elishah1 who settled in the northwest of ,asia ,minor from the ,propontis eastward throughout ,mysia and ,lydia and the adjacent islands4 7#b47 ,,tarshish1 supposed to be the ancestor of the ,etruscans who inhabited the northern part of ,italy2 but the name as it occurs in ,isa4 #bc3faj2 ,ezek4 #bg3ab and #ch3ac1 seems to refer to a city on the southern coast of ,spain whither ,jonah attempted to escape4 ,jonah #a3c4 7#c47 ,,kittim4 ,this name is afterwards spelled ,chittim1 but it is the same word in the ,hebrew text4 ,it has the plural ending 7im71 and therefore refers to a people of that name4 ,in ,isa4 #bc3a1 #ab1 ,chittim refers to the island of ,cyprus2 but when 8the isles of ,chittim0 are mentioned1 as in ,jer4 #b3aj and in ,ezek4 #bg3f1 the phrase includes the island of ,crete and the islands along the coast of ,asia ,minor and the gean ,sea1 thus embracing a great sea district1 with probably all ,greece4 ,in ,dan4 #aa3cj ,chittim includes ,macedonia1 because of its supposed settlement from the former1 as ,bochart shows4#be 7#d47 ,,dodanim is the same as ,rodanim1 which is also in plural form1 and refers to the ,greeks of the island of ,rhodes1 which is particularly one of the islands of ,kittim or ,chittim4 #ac4 ,the other sons of ,japheth were3 7e7 ,tubal and 7f7 ,meshech and 7g7 ,tiras4 ,of these ,tubal and ,meshech appear as tribes neighboring with the ,scythians and other northern tribes1 and perhaps remained about the southeastern parts of the ,black ,sea4 ,the ,tubal of ,isa4 #ff3ai was1 as supposed1 in ,spain2 but a tribe called ,tyrrhenians in later times settled the islands of ,lemnos and ,imbros4#bf ,the name is supposed to be derived from the turreted walls by which the early ,tyrrhenians surrounded their fortifications1 and not from ,tyre1 as some have said2 this ,bochart shows4 ,tiras is supposed by some to represent ancient ,thrace1 but this is doubtful1 as the people seem to have been associated with the ,achans1 ,lydians1 ,sicilians1 and ,sardinians fourteen centuries ,b4 ,c41 in an invasion of ,egypt1 as ,chabas shows4#bg ,they seem in remote antiquity to have been seafarers and pirates upon the ,italian seas and ,greek ,archipelago4#bh ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,ham4 ,,their ,,more ,,recent ,,names4 #a4 7a7 ,cush was the first mentioned son4 ,dr4 ,franz ,delitzsch has shown that the ,assyrian monuments now prove that ,cushites settled in the early ages of the world near the northwest of the ,persian ,gulf4 ,they afterwards migrated southward along the western shore of the ,persian ,gulf and onward to the south and southwest of ,arabia4 ,some of these crossed the ,straits of ,bab-el-,mandeb to ,africa1 and there established themselves in that part now known as ,abyssinia1 and called first by the ,greek geographers ,ethiopia4 #b4 ,the ,hebrew name ,cush is translated ,ethiopia twenty of the twenty-one times it occurs in the ,scripture4 ,there can be no reasonable doubt that in the first mention of the word ,ethiopia in ,gen4 #b3ac the region northwest of the ,persian ,gulf is meant4 ,in after ages the ,cushites had established themselves in ,arabia1 and the inhabitants in that region were called ,cushites1 or as it is in our ,english translation1 8,ethiopians10 as in the case of ,moses' wife1 who is called an 8,ethiopian woman10 ,num4 #ab3a1 but it is 8,cushite0 in the ,hebrew4 ,the varying meanings of the name ,cushite afford an indication that all these passages of ,scripture could not have been written in the same period of time4 #c4 ,the earliest monuments in ,egypt make a strong distinction between the ,ethiopians south of ,egypt and the negro races1 for although the ,ethiopians were of a dark or dusky skin1 they had straight hair1 thin noses1 and the form of the head of different shape4 ,it is not apparent that any reference in ,scripture is made to the negro race as such2 the passage in ,jer4 #ac3bc1 8,can the ,ethiopian change his skin80 may apply to the dark ,ethiopian and not to the negro1 whose native land was west of ,ethiopia4#bi #d4 ,five races spring from ,,cush3 ,seba1 ,havilah1 ,sabtah1 ,raamah1 and ,sabtecha4 ,these have generally been referred to large tribes settling in ,arabia4 ,from ,raamah we have the nations ,sheba and ,dedan4 ,these have been located in ,arabia1 and it was the queen of the former who visited ,solomon1 #a ,kin4 #aj3a and #b ,chron4 #i3a4 ,dedan was a district north of ,sheba1 and its inhabitants seem by caravans to have traded and settled northward until the time of ,abraham1 ,gen4 #be3c1 when their descendants were numerous enough to be known by the old name of their ancestors4 #e4 ,cush begat ,nimrod1 whose exceptional prowess and enterprise gave him precedence over all his brethren4 ,he was a mighty hunter upon the plains of ,babylon1 and from the monuments of ,assyria it seems that the lion was the chief object of his hunting expeditions4 ,he was the founder of some of the earliest cities4 ,the first mentioned is ,,babel1 afterwards called ,babylon by the ,greeks1 which was built upon the ,euphrates4 #f4 ,at that early time this city was about one hundred and seventy-five miles northwest from the head of the ,persian ,gulf1 but it is now three hundred miles1 the land having been extended southeastward by the annual deposits brought down by the rivers ,euphrates and ,tigris4 ,,erech1 the second city of ,nimrod1 was seventy-five miles northwest 7now #bjj7 of the same gulf2 ,,accad1 recently discovered by ,rassam1 was forty-five miles almost due north from ,babylon2 and ,,calneh about fifty miles southeast of ,babylon2 it is now called ,niffer4 #g4 ,the land of ,shinar was the district corresponding with that now known as the land of ,chalda4 8,out of that land went forth ,asshur and builded ,nineveh0 is the statement made1 and the monuments recently discovered have remarkably corroborated this text1 for the history shows the importance of ,asshur1 and that ,nineveh1 which was the capital of the ,assyrian kingdom1 was a more recent city than ,babylon4#cj ,its ruins are two hundred and seventy-five miles north by west from ,babylon and upon the ,tigris ,river4 #h4 ,but it will be seen that ,asshur was a son of ,shem1 while ,nimrod was a son of ,ham1 and recent discovery has sustained the distinction1 showing that another people preceded the ,assyrians and ,babylonians which were not descendants of ,shem4 ,in connection with ,nineveh are mentioned 8the city ,,rehoboth0#ca and ,,calah3 the former is not known1 and the latter is supposed to be at the ruins nearly twenty miles south of ,nineveh1 now called ,nimrud1 and a few miles north of the latter is supposed to be the site of ,resen4 ,further excavations are needed to attest the accuracy of these identifications4 #i4 7b7 ,mizraim is mentioned as the second son of ,cush1 and is supposed to have colonized ,egypt4 ,the word is in the dual form and indicates the double land of ,egypt1 which from the earliest times was divided into ,upper and ,lower ,egypt4 7#a47 ,mizraim's descendants are ,,ludim1 probably simply a name for the ,egyptians themselves2 they held themselves 8the best of all men10#cb and they were the same as ,libyans or ,lubim1 #b ,chron4 #ab3c2 #af3h2 ,nah4 #c3i4 ,the ,libyans of the most ancient era inhabited the west of the ,nile and parts near the ,mediterranean ,sea4 ,they appear of bright complexions as represented upon the ,egyptian monuments4 7#b47 8,,anamim and ,,lehabim and ,,naphtuhim and ,,pathrusim0 appear to be only names of the people of the different settlements along the ,nile and not distinct races4 7#c47 ,the ,,casluhim have been identified with a people settling east of the ,delta near the ,mediterranean coast towards ,palestine1 and seemed to have been of ,phnician origin 7,ebers74 7#d47 ,,caphtorim were the earliest settlers on the coast of the ,delta or on its ,mediterranean shore1 even before the ,egyptians occupied that part of ,egypt 7,ebers74 ,the ,philistines of ,palestine 7southwest coast7 were descendants of both ,casluhim and ,caphtorim4 8,kaft0 was the ,egyptian name of the latter people1 who early settled in the island of ,crete1 but also1 as we have stated1 on the seacoast of the ,nile1 and gradually moved through the lands of the ,casluhim to their final resting-place in ,palestine4#cc #aj4 ,thus the passage in ,amos #i3g is explained by the discovery that the ,philistines came from ,caphtor 7,crete71 but they passed through the land of the ,casluhim4 ,this explains ,deut4 #b3bc1 wherein the inhabitants of ,azzah 7or ,gaza7 are called ,caphtorim1 but more distinctly in ,jer4 #dg3d1 8the ,philistines1 the remnant of the country of ,caphtor40 ,so that the ,philistines1 who came originally from ,crete 7,caphtor71 settled on the ,delta coast1 and thence passing through the land of ,casluhim1 settled in ,philistia1 as ,ebers has shown4#cd #aa4 ,a migration of the earliest ,phnicians to the coasts of the ,delta is generally accepted as leading to the invention of the alphabet1 for these settlers soon learned the new form of hieroglyphics 7called the hieratic or priestly form71 and afterwards improved these signs1 as in the ,phnician alphabet4 ,the most ancient manuscript in hieratic is referred to an age in the third millennium ,b4 ,c41 or perhaps about #bejj ,b4 ,c4 ,in the trading intercourse between ,egypt and ,phnicia this new form was introduced into ,phnicia1 where the full alphabetic forms were originated4 ,wise men of that day must have very generally adopted the improved letters1 and in the course of the centuries1 but certainly before the time of the ,exodus1 the alphabet on the ,phnician model was well formed4 ,de ,roug has shown that the ,phnicians adopted these hieratic forms long before the ,exodus4#ce #ab4 ,this alphabet must have been known to ,moses1 and perhaps to all the elders of ,israel1 and became that ,hebrew alphabet which furnished the source of the lettering of the law and its accessories4 ,the similarity between the old ,hebrew and the ,phnician letters has been fully shown in the discoveries of tablets near ,tyre and in the ,moabite stone1 so called1 which was discovered at some ruins east of the ,dead ,sea1 upon the site of the ancient ,dibon4 ,it is probable therefore that the first elements of the alphabetic form of letters were invented about this era of the world's history1 when the ,phnicians began their trading with the races upon the shores of ,egypt1 which we have last mentioned4 #ac4 ,the next son of ,ham is 7c7 ,,phut4 ,the hieroglyphics of ,egypt represent the nation east of the ,red ,sea and along the northern half of the coast as the people of ,punt1 and this people is supposed to be meant by ,phut or ,put4 ,they traded in incense and turquoise 7a blue mineral not so hard as quartz but as heavy74 ,they were a wandering tribe of a dusky hue1 but entirely distinct from the ,cushites on whose confines they dwelt4 #ad4 ,the last mentioned descendant of ,ham was 7d7 ,,canaan4 ,he begat ,sidon1 the firstborn of eleven heads of tribes or nations4 ,sidon became in after centuries the name of the chief city of ,phnicia4 ,the rest of the descendants of ,canaan formed the ,canaanites4 #ae4 ,a very important fact should be noticed here4 ,these ,canaanites spoke a ,shemitic language1 but they were1 as here seen1 descendants of ,ham through ,canaan4 ,recent discoveries show that long before their settlement in the land of ,canaan they are met with first in ,southern ,arabia1 from whence they made their way northward to certain islands in the ,persian ,gulf1 their next resting-place being on the flat shores of the ,persian ,gulf at the mouth of the ,euphrates4 ,they then emigrated to the shores of ,phnicia1 carrying the name ,canaan1 or1 as they pronounced it1 ,chna1 8the low-lying10 to their new inheritance on the shores of ,phnicia4 ,their associations were ,shemitic and their language also1 although they were by descent ,hamitic4 ,the temples still standing in the times of the ,romans upon the islands in the ,persian ,gulf were ,phnician1 and the inhabitants claimed to be the original stock of the famous race of ,palestine4#cf 8,canaanite0 in after times became the term used to signify a merchant or trader1 from the habits of the people4#cg #af4 ,the people of ,heth1 another son of ,canaan1 became in later times a very powerful nation1 whose history has only recently been brought to light4 ,their name as ,hittites has been found in the ,egyptian records1 from which it is shown that at one time1 so early as that of ,moses1 they were sufficiently powerful to resist the forces of the king1 ,rameses ,,ii41 of ,egypt4 ,on one of the ,egyptian monuments they are represented as making a treaty with the ,egyptian monarch which was as favorable to them as to him1 ,b4 ,c4 #accc 7,brugsch74 #ag4 ,sidon1 the city of that name1 was early a fishing station of the ,phnicians on the coast of the ,mediterranean west of the ,lebanon ,mountains1 twenty-two miles north of ,tyre4 ,this place1 now in existence1 yet bears the name of the ancient son of ,canaan4 #ah4 ,the ,canaanites were 8spread abroad0 over what is now known as ,palestine1 from ,sidon to ,gaza and ,gerar1 8as thou goest to ,sodom and ,gomorrah and ,admah and ,zeboim1 even unto ,lasha10 ,gen4 #aj3ai4 ,gaza is well known1 being #aej miles southwest of ,sidon and about two miles from the shore of the ,mediterranean1 and is now a town of #ae1jjj inhabitants4 ,sodom and ,gomorrah are not certainly located1 being by some supposed to have been at the south end of the ,dead ,sea1 but by others at the north end4 ,neither of the remaining names can be identified with any known sites4 ,but it is plain that the ,canaanites occupied the whole of ,palestine west of the ,jordan and as far north as the ,lebanon ,mountains1 the ,arvadites and ,hamathites extending beyond them more than #acj miles north of ,sidon4 ,see the map4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,descendants ,,of ,,shem4 ,,job4 #a4 ,the descendants of ,shem are next given3 7a7 ,,elam was north of the ,persian ,gulf and east of the ,tigris2 ,shushan was its capital in later times4 7b7 ,,asshur was the origin of the name ,assyria4 ,the ,assyrian monuments show that ,nineveh was built after ,babylon1 and that the ,assyrians were a later people than the ,babylonians and derived their literature from them1 and also that they were a ,shemitic nation4 7c7 ,,arphaxad was settled north of ,assyria on the table-land between ,oroomiah and ,van4 7d7 ,,lud appears to be represented by ,lydia in western ,asia ,minor1 though at first it was a wider district4 7e7 ,,aram settled in ,syria near the ,upper ,euphrates1 and as far west as the ,upper ,lebanon ,mountains north of ,palestine1 which we learn from the ,assyrian inscriptions4 ,the four children of ,aram are ,,uz1 ,,hul1 ,,gether1 and ,,mash4 ,uz is thought to be the district east of the ,jordan known as the ,hauran1 parts of which are very fertile4 ,this was the land of ,job1 and is reckoned in ,arabia by ,josephus4#ch ,the remaining three names are associated with the following lands3 first1 ,,hul1 with el-,huleh1 a region in ,northern ,palestine1 at the head-waters of the ,jordan2 second1 ,,gether1 with the district of ,itura between the waters of the lake el-,huleh and ,uz2 third ,,mash1 with a site known as ,maisel ,jebel4 ,but these identifications are only probable4 #b4 ,arphaxad had a son ,salah who begat ,eber1 whose descendants were the ancestors of ,abraham through ,peleg1 in whose days 8was the earth divided40 ,peleg appears to have settled near the ,euphrates1 since a city named ,phaliga once existed at the place where the river ,chaboras falls into the ,euphrates from the east4 #c4 ,the descendants of ,peleg's brother1 ,joktan1 thirteen in number1 seem to have found their early settlements in ,southern ,arabia and as far south as ,isfor on the southeast coast1 which is supposed to represent the ,,sephar of the text1 ,gen4 #aj3cj4 ,this closes a table which is generally considered to be the most important as well as the most ancient list of nations in existence4 ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,job4 #d4 ,this history is contained in the book of the same name4 ,the author of this book is not known4 ,it may have been written by ,job himself4 ,the history is that apparently of a chief who lived in the land of ,uz1 which was probably in the region we have already described4 ,many think that the land of ,uz was in ,northern ,arabia or in ,iduma4 #e4 ,job1 according to one writer 7,wamys7 was an ,arabian prince1 who is represented as living in his family and enjoying a life of unalloyed prosperity1 the consequence of his exemplary piety and rectitude4 ,suddenly the scene changes1 and this excellent man is visited by a series of overwhelming calamities1 which are the result of a transaction which passed in the council of the ,most ,high1 into the secret of which the reader is for the moment admitted1 as stated in ,job #a3hac4 ,during his affliction ,job is visited by his friends4 ,instead of comforting him1 these friends ascribe his calamities to some great sin1 for which he is now punished4 ,job's friends affirm that great suffering is a proof of great guilt1 and exhort him to repent and confess4#ci ,job denies this1 ,job #d3eca3dj4 ,at the close of their dialogue another and younger friend of the patriarch intervenes to modify the view taken by the others4 #f4 ,at length the ,lord condescends to interpose in the controversy4 ,from the midst of a whirlwind1 in words of incomparable grandeur and sublimity he silences the murmurings of his servant1 bidding him reflect on the glory of creation and learn the stupendous power and wisdom of ,him whose purposes are good1 though unexplained1 and with whom it is useless for a created being to contend4 ,thereupon ,job acknowledges his error1 and the whole party are convinced of forming false estimates of the ,lord's administration4 ,job is restored to prosperity and prays for his friends1 who are accepted in their offering and received back into favor4 #g4 ,the book of ,job1 from internal evidence1 is probably one of the earliest productions of ,biblical literature4 ,the names of his friends1 the ,temanite and the ,shuhite1 and the mention of the ,sabans1 indicate the ,iduman parts of ,northern ,arabia as the scene of the history4 ,the long life of ,job1 which appears to have been about #bjj years1 indicates a period in the second or third century following the ,flood1 or before the time of ,abraham4 ,but neither the date of the composition nor the location of ,uz can be settled any further than we have already stated4 ,one of the proofs of the very early origin of this composition is found in its reference to the ancient seal1 ,job #ch3ad1 which was rolled over the clay1 covering it with figures2 hence the illustration used in the above passage4 ,the cylindrical seals were used in the early ,babylonian era4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,confusion ,,of ,,tongues4 #a4 ,the next subject which is presented in the sacred text is the confusion of tongues at the building of the tower of ,babel1 ,gen4 #aa3aaj4 ,in this passage of the ,scripture history we have an extremely condensed view of an event which must have been one of greater importance than would appear from the very concise manner in which it is described4 ,all that we know from ,scripture is that a certain part of the human race coming from the ,east settled upon the plains of ,shinar1 and there began the erection of the highest known tower1 with the purpose of making themselves a name before they were 8scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth40 ,they began the tower1 using brick from the clay which abounds upon the plain of ,babylon and bitumen1 called 8slime0 in the text1 for mortar4 ,during the building of this city and tower their language1 which up to this period was the same1 became confused1 so that1 being unable to understand each other1 they were forced to desist1 8and they left off to build the city40 ,this is the brief history4 #b4 ,from the recently discovered ,assyrian history1 recorded upon the tablets now in the ,british ,museum1 it appears that the ,babylonians of the earliest ages had a tradition of this tower and of the sudden confusion of tongues4 ,the event seems to indicate that the determination of the early descendants of ,noah1 probably under ,nimrod or his immediate successors1 was to settle on the plains and build a vast metropolis and a tower1 whose height should serve the double purpose of a means of direction or as a guide to the city1 and also of an advertisement of their immense wealth and enterprise amid the surrounding tribes4 #c4 ,the divine intention was1 however1 that the command given to ,noah and his descendants1 that they should replenish the earth1 should be literally executed1 and it was the divine intervention which prevented all the people from remaining in that land4 ,as we have said1 the word ,babel in the ,greek form is ,babylon2 but the word which originally meant 8confusion0 in the ,hebrew seems to have been changed from that form originally given it into ,bab1 or 8gate10 el1 of 8,god10 for the actual original ,hebrew word for 8confusion10 as ,buxtorf shows from the ,rabbinical word for 8confusion10 is ,bilbal1 or ,bilbul4 ,oppert#dj has shown that the word is distinctly of ,assyrian derivation1 from ,balal1 to 8confound40 ,similar changes from original forms have frequently occurred4 ,thus ,beth-lehem is now ,beit-lahm the former meaning 8house of bread10 and the latter 8house of meat40 ,borsippa1 the name of the ruined tower near ,babylon1 supposed to be the ,tower of ,babel1 is now called ,bar-,sab1 the former 7,borsippa7 meaning the 8tower of languages10 the latter 7,bar ,sab7 meaning the 8shattered altar10 as ,geikie has mentioned4 #d4 ,in studying the early parts of ,biblical history the student should be mindful that history and traditions as recorded by the ,assyrians were borrowed1 or1 more truly speaking1 derived1 from the early records of the ,babylonian and ,chaldan nations1 as in some cases is stated upon ,assyrian tablets4 ,this fact we have illustrated1 page #bf4 ,the original records were kept at the old ,chaldan city of ,erech1 #ij miles southeast of ,babylon1 at the present ruins of ,warka4 ,assur-bani-pal1 the ,assyrian king1 beside being a great warrior1 was also one who encouraged literature and had an immense library1 for those days1 #aj1jjj tablets from which were removed to the ,british ,museum4 ,in his time1 #ffhfdg ,b4 ,c41 the ancient ,chaldan tongue was translated into ,assyrian1 and in this library at ,nineveh was a lexicon of the ,chaldo-,turanian language with the meaning of the words put in ,assyrian cuneiform4#da ,this showed that so many years had passed that the ancient ,chaldan language was1 at that time1 nearly lost4 #e4 ,those records1 both of the ,chaldan and of the later ,assyrian ages1 have not only been of great service to the student of ancient history1 but they have added much to the explanation and corroboration of ,biblical history1 as we shall hereafter have occasion to show4 #f4 ,the ruins of both ,nineveh and ,babylon bear some names which are reminiscences of ,nimrod1 but these seem to have been applied at some comparatively recent date4 ,the chief structure bearing the name of ,nimrod is the ,birs ,nimrud1 or ,tower of ,nimrod1 ten miles southwest of the modern town of ,hillah1 which is near the ruins of ,babylon4 ,the large mass of burned brick at this place seems to have been originally erected in the form of a steep pyramid some six hundred feet in height and of the same length at its base4 ,it is extremely ancient1 as its ,assyrian name proves1 which name1 ,saggatu1 8the high temple10 is an old ,accadian word4 #g4 ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjdefb1 one of the greatest builders among the ,babylonian kings1 says of himself that he builded additions to it1 although ,tiglath-pileser repaired it one hundred years before4 ,it is now a bare hill of yellow sand and bricks a few miles west of the banks of the ,euphrates1 reaching a height of about #bjj feet1 a vast mass of brick-work jutting from the mound to a further height of #cg feet4 ,it is very probable that these are the most ancient remains to be found in ,babylonia1 and in its form seems to have furnished a universal model for all succeeding temples and towers in that region4#db ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,abram ,,and ,,his ,,times4 #a4 ,the promise that in his seed should all the nations of the earth be blessed renders the history of ,abram one of great interest1 especially as recent discoveries of the monuments and literature of ancient ,chalda have given us more correct knowledge of those early ages than had been acquired for more than #c1jjj years4 ,in the eleventh chapter of ,genesis1 beginning at the tenth verse1 is given the ancestry of ,abraham1 the father of the ,hebrews4 ,abram1 afterward called ,abraham1 for reasons stated in chapter #ag3e1 was the ninth from ,shem4 ,until the birth of ,abram his ancestors appear to have lived in the region known as ,chalda4 ,abram's birthplace was ,ur1 #aej miles southeast of ,babylon and a few miles west of the ,euphrates4 ,the ruins of ,ur include1 at the present day1 a part of an ancient temple dedicated to the moon4 ,this temple seems to have been erected many years before the days of ,abram4 ,a vast number of tombs surround it and the city1 in the times of ,abram1 must have been a place for burial and considered sacred4 ,eupolemus1 a ,greek writer who is quoted by ,eusebius1 speaks of it in his time1 about #ddf ,b4 ,c41 as 8the place of the ,chaldees40#dc ,its ruins on a vast mound are so largely cemented with bitumen that this fact has given rise to its present name1 ,mugheir1 which means 8bitumen40 ,the tablets and bricks bear the ancient name of ,ur as well as the names of its earliest kings and the builder of its temples4 #b4 ,although at the present day the ,persian ,gulf is about #adj miles distant from ,ur1 only the deposits from the rivers ,euphrates and ,tigris have removed the waters of the gulf to this distance4 ,certain coast marks show that the sea must have sent its waters up the river to a distance of nearly1 if not quite1 #abd miles1 and in the time of ,abram ,ur must have been a maritime city4 #c4 ,from this city ,terah1 ,abram's father1 removed with his family to ,haran4 ,this city was #ehj miles northwest of ,ur on the banks of a small tributary stream which runs seventy miles southward before it joins the ,euphrates4 ,both ,ur and ,haran were the seats of the ,moon-god1 called 8,sin0 in the ,chaldee language4 ,this deity was masculine in the same language and the ,sun-god was feminine1 as is apparent from the omens of that day as seen in the following translations of certain priestly utterances and directions by ,prof4 ,sayce4#dd ,of the month ,elul it is said3 ,he shall make his free-will offering to the ,sun1 the mistress of the world1 and to the ,moon1 the supreme god4444 ,the fifteenth day is sacred to the ,sun1 the ,lady of the ,house of ,heaven4444 ,the ,moon the ,lord of the month4 #d4 ,in this age we read that the seventh day was 8a day of rest10 and the very ancient name for 8rest0 was very similar to the word ,sabbath used in the ,hebrew1 and special observance of the day was ordered by the priests2 thus 8the shepherd of mighty nations 7king7 must not eat flesh cooked on the fire or in the smoke4 ,he must not drive a chariot4 ,he must not issue royal decrees2 the lifting up of his hands finds favor with the god10 etc4#de #e4 ,it is plain therefore that the seventh day was a day of rest1 a sacred day1 in the time of ancient ,babylonish kings4 ,it was so in the era of earliest ,chaldan records1 and it was not an institution derived only from the ,jewish nation1 but the day was regarded as a ,sabbath among the ,chaldans in the time and long before the days of ,abram1 for the records above translated and preserved in the library of ,assur-bani-pal1 ,king of ,assyria1 as we have said1 page #bf1 were derived from far more ancient records1 existing even before the ,deluge1 of which latter event they give a history4 ,so that the ,chaldan records of the ,creation1 the ,deluge1 and the ,sabbath may very reasonably have been derived from one and the same source4 #f4 ,the name ,abram is of ,babylonish-,assyrian derivation1 but was changed by the ,lord into ,abraham1 which was a purely ,hebrew name1 as is recorded in ,gen4 #ag3e4df #g4 ,it is not stated how long ,terah remained in ,ur after the birth of ,abram1 ,nahor1 and ,haran1 but the removal was not made until ,lot was born to ,haran and until the death of the latter4 ,then ,terah left ,ur for ,haran1 six hundred miles northwest1 where they remained probably many years 7see ,gen4 #ab3e74 #h4 ,the fact that ,abram's name occurs first in the mention of the three is no proof1 judging from the ,scripture method of naming sons1 that ,abram was the oldest1 but only that he was the most important character1 for ,shem is mentioned first in the three ,shem1 ,ham1 and ,japheth1 although ,japheth is called the elder1 ,gen4 #aj3ba1 ,shem being the most important as the head of the ,hebrew race4 ,abram was probably born when ,terah was #acj years old1 for it must be remembered that there is no good reason for supposing that the three sons of ,terah were born in the same year1 but only that one of the three mentioned 7,gen4 #aa3bf7 was born when ,terah was #gj years of age and the two others at some time after4 ,if ,abram was born when ,terah was #acj and lived to be #ge years old at the death of his father1 his father's age would have been #bje as given in the text4 ,it seems that ,haran was the elder of the three1 though mentioned last as in the case of ,noah's three sons4 #i4 ,abram1 at the call of the ,lord1 left with a large retinue of servants and crossed the ,euphrates and came into ,canaan1 probably by the way of ,damascus4 ,he immediately entered into the land known then as ,canaan1 and the first place named on his way is 8,sichem1 unto the plain of ,moreh40 ,sichem is the place also called ,shechem1 and the word ,sichem is in the ,hebrew precisely the same as ,shechem1 the variation being one due only to the translator of the ,hebrew name into ,english4 #aj4 ,shechem is almost exactly half way between ,dan on the north and ,beersheba on the south4 ,it was therefore not till ,abram arrived in the midst of the land that he erected an altar to ,jehovah after the ,lord had promised that to his seed ,he would give this land1 ,gen4 #ab3g4 ,various tribes of ,canaanites occupied the whole future land of ,israel1 ,gen4 #aj3ai4 #aa4 ,the plain of ,moreh was a mile east of the city1 or town1 of ,shechem4 ,it is evident that both ,moreh and ,shechem were names of ,canaanites1 as ,shechem is seen in ,gen4 #cc2 #cd2 ,num4 #bf3ca2 ,josh4 #ag3b1 and other places1 as a personal name4 #ab4 ,the word translated 8plain0 is equally applicable to a grove of trees1 and it may be that ,abram chose this grove as a shelter from the heat4 ,twenty-seven miles north of ,shechem is probably the hill called in ,judg4 #g3a1 after the same person1 the hill of ,moreh4 ,the city of ,shochen1 which exists at the present time1 is between the high hills of ,gerizim on the south and ,ebal on the north4 ,for the reasons why the word 8plain0 should be rendered 8oak0 see ,josh4 #bd3bf and ,judg4 #i3f1 wherein it is evident that a pillar by the oak is meant4 ,also see that the word 8oak0 is in the ,hebrew exactly the same as that translated 8plain0 in the text referred to above1 ,gen4 #ab3f1 and this identical oak seems to have been used for an important purpose many years after4 ,in ,deut4 #aa3cj the name is in the plural1 leading us to suppose that it was a grove continuing through many centuries4 ,groves always were important and sometimes sacred1 as it appears from the action of ,abraham1 for in ,gen4 #ba3cc it is stated that 8,abraham planted a grove in ,beersheba and called there on the name of the ,lord1 the everlasting ,god40 #ac4 ,the next place visited by ,abram was an unknown place between ,bethel and ,hai4#dg ,bethel was not so named until #afj years afterwards1 by ,jacob1 ,gen4 #bh3ai4 ,hai and ,ai#dh are the same1 and this place was probably a ,canaanitish town at this time4 ,the distance south of ,shechem was #bj miles to the place occupied by the patriarch1 where he seems to have remained only to build an altar and then moved on1 evidently seeking pasture for his flocks and herds4 ,,egypt ,,first ,,mentioned4 #ad4 ,the name of ,egypt occurs now for the first time in ,scripture1 and we may judge of its importance from the fact that the name occurs six hundred and thirteen times1 twenty-four of which number are to be found in the ,new ,testament4 ,in this instance the mention is made about #aibj ,b4 ,c41#di and the kingdom is referred to as fully established and well known4 ,the occasion of ,abram's visit was the famine existing in the land of ,canaan4 ,abram journeys southward with the intention of entering ,egypt to provide sustenance for himself and his retinue against this famine4 #ae4 ,the condition of ,egypt at or just before the time of ,abram's first visit was one of great prosperity4 ,the reigning ,pharaohs1 generally called those of the twelfth dynasty1 were most probably the ,usertesens and the ,amen-emhats4 ,under this dynasty the sceptres of ,upper and ,lower ,egypt were united4 ,all the kings were powerful and prosperous and art flourished1 the ,sun temple at ,heliopolis 7six miles northeast of the present ,cairo7 was magnificently restored1 and in the ,fayum on the west of the ,nile 7about #ej miles southwest of ,cairo7 the practice of building pyramids was revived4 ,here was the vast lake or inland sea made by ,amen-emhat ,,iii41 to receive the overplus waters of the annual overflow of the ,nile and to distribute them in case of need4 ,this king also built the great labyrinth in the ,fayum1 the latter name being an alteration of the ,egyptian word for 8sea10 namely 8,piom40 #af4 ,during this period fortifications were erected on the northeastern frontier of ,egypt1 which appear to have extended across the whole of the present isthmus of ,suez 7,socin74 ,the term ,shur used six times in ,scripture is now supposed to refer to this 8wall40#ej #ag4 ,as the pyramids of ,gizeh were built in the fourth dynasty 7the most recent date of which is given by ,wilkinson as #bdej ,b4 ,c471 they had been in existence more than #djj years before ,abram's visit4 ,the ,sphinx was then existing also1 as seems probable from an inscription found by ,m4 ,mariette1 which indicates that there was a 8temple of the ,sphinx0 in the time of ,cheops1#ea the builder of the great pyramid4 ,it seems also probable that the rule of the foreigners1 called the ,shepherd ,kings1 had begun before ,abram's visit4 #ah4 ,these foreigners took possession of ,lower ,egypt and drove the original rulers up the ,nile to ,thebes and other parts of ,upper ,egypt4 ,long before this period emigrants from the ,east had been admitted to ,egypt and had settled in various places upon the rich lands of the ,delta1 until1 finding themselves sufficiently powerful1 they usurped all authority without a battle4 ,they were called the ,shepherd kings1 or ,hyksos1 from what was supposed to be their employment4 ,they governed ,lower ,egypt for about five hundred years1 until they were finally driven out by the ,egyptian royal family4 #ai4 ,abram's first visit seems to have been made at or near the beginning of the ,hyksos era4 ,the most recent date of the beginning of the rule of the ,shepherd ,kings is that of ,wilkinson1 #bjia ,b4 ,c41 and if the date usually given for the visit of ,abram was #aibj ,b4 ,c41 then these invaders had already had possession of the land for over #agj years4 ,egypt was therefore renowned and its rulers were of a race acquainted with the employments to which ,abram was not a stranger4 ,they spoke the dialect of ,canaan1 as it is very evident that many came from the region of ,canaan4 #bj4 ,in this age the horse is not mentioned as in ,egypt4 ,oxen and asses and sheep are found depicted upon the walls and tablets1 but the horse does not appear in ,egypt till the reign of ,thothmes ,i41 who met with them in his wars in ,assyria4 ,this king was the third ,pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty4#eb ,this dynasty began immediately after the expulsion of the ,hyksos4 ,so that while it is probable that the horse might have been known only as a foreign animal1 it was introduced into ,lower ,egypt by ,thothmes ,i41 and ,egypt became known after this for its fine breed of horses1 which took the place of the asses previously used throughout the land4 ,it is for this reason that ,abram's list of animals excludes the horse1 ,gen4 #ab3af4 ,,the ,,first ,,battle4 #ba4 ,the next important occurrence in the history of ,abram is that of the first battle mentioned in ,scripture4 ,abram had returned to ,canaan with large additions to his herds4 ,this increase brought about a necessary separation between ,abram and ,lot4 ,abram settled in ,hebron1 while ,lot chose his residence in the region of ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 the cities of the plain4 ,soon after four kings from ,chalda approached ,canaan on a tour of conquest1 and passing to the south and east of the ,dead ,sea went down to ,mt4 ,seir and thence to ,kadesh1 then called ,en-mishpat1 and thence north to ,hazezon-tamar4 ,they then met the kings of ,sodom and ,gomorrah in battle1 defeated them1 and carried off ,lot and others captives4 ,upon knowledge of this captivity ,abram set out to overtake the invaders4 ,he was joined by the forces of the three ,amorites confederate with him1 and found the kings at ,dan1 about #adj miles from ,hebron northward1 as they were leaving the country on their way home to ,chalda4 ,a battle now took place at night1 and the four kings were defeated1 and ,lot and other captives1 together with the stolen goods1 were all retaken and brought back in safety4 ,,sodom ,,and ,,gomorrah4 #bb4 ,the exact location of these cities has not yet been discovered4 ,they were1 with the other cities of the plain1 situated very near the ,dead ,sea1 and the traditions place them at the western part of the southern end1 where there is a salt hill five miles long1 called the hill of ,sodom1 ,jebel ,usdum4 ,there are good reasons for supposing that when ,abram and ,lot stood overlooking the land from the heights near ,bethel1 ,lot chose the region north of the ,dead ,sea1 which was visible1 in preference to the southern part1 which was more than forty miles distant4 ,but from the ,scripture account1 considered in view of the evident volcanic nature of this part of ,palestine and the fearful earthquakes which have happened in the vicinity in recent times1 there is reason to believe that some terrible convulsion not only buried the cities1 but submerged the plain at the south end of the sea1 and no other interpretation seems to suit the history1 which definitely states that the plain and all that grew upon it were destroyed1 the water system of the plain being all entirely changed4 ,the submerged plain at the south1 therefore1 which is covered for the area of about fifty square miles with water only a few feet deep1 has given occasion for the theory that the cities of the plain are to be sought beneath these waters1 which are by some supposed to cover the vale of ,siddim4 #bc4 ,hazezon-tamar is the same as ,en-gedi1 #b ,chron4 #bj3b4 ,it is upon the west shore of the ,dead ,sea1 twenty-three miles south of the mouth of the ,jordan4 ,hobah1 whither ,abram pursued the kings1 is two miles north of ,damascus4 #bd4 ,abram was near ,hebron1 twenty miles west of the ,dead ,sea1 when the news reached him of the defeat of the kings of ,sodom and ,gomorrah and the capture of ,lot4 ,hebron is almost equidistant from the north and south ends of the ,dead ,sea1 at an elevation of nearly #c1jjj feet above the ,mediterranean1 while the waters of the ,dead ,sea are #a1bic feet below those of the ,mediterranean4 #be4 ,the recent discoveries in ,chalda and the surrounding countries show that the names of these four kings,amraphel king of ,shinar1 ,arioch king of ,ellasar1 ,chedorlaomer king of ,elam1 and ,tidal king of nations1 are names which have in large part been found on the tablets and in the history of the countries mentioned4 ,amraphel is the same in the ,hebrew as ,amarphal1 and it was so translated in the ,septuagint made more than #bej ,b4 ,c4 ,this name was that of a viceroy of ,sumir1 the district around and south of ,babylon1 called ,shinar in ,genesis1 and the name ,amar-pal has been found 8borne by private persons on two cylinders of ancient workmanship0 7,lenormant74 ,the ,septuagint has for ,tidal1 ,thargal1 which seems to be the proper spelling2 the difference between the two spellings in the original ,hebrew is only that between an r and a d1 which in that language is exceedingly small4 ,in the ,akkadian 7same as ,accadian71 which was the language used in the ancient ,chaldan times1 ,turgal meant 8great chief40#ec ,this king was chief of a people called the ,gutium in the monumental inscriptions1 and this tribe or small nation has been identified with the ,goim of the ,hebrew text1 which in our ,english version is translated 8nations40 ,so that the 8,tidal king of nations10 of the text in ,genesis1 is shown to be the 8great chief0 of a tribe living in ,northern ,babylonia1 of which one part became afterwards the nation of the ,assyrians4#ed ,chedorlaomer1 the monuments show us1 was truly an ,elamite name1 ,chedor1 or ,kudur1 forming part of several names of the early kings of that district1 and ,laomer1 or ,lagamar1 being the name of a most important ,elamite god4 ,the name ,arioch is very similar to that of the son of an ,elamite king who was king of ,larsa1 which itself is similar to the ,hebrew name ,ellasar1 and the circumstances have led the best ,assyriologists to believe that they are the very same4 #bf4 ,the monumental records show that this king of ,elam1 on a previous occasion1 when ,abram was still at ,haran1 had passed over the ,euphrates and conquered ,phnicia and a country to the south4 ,he is called both king of ,elam and king of ,phnicia1 as the land of ,canaan was called by name 8,martu10 8the land of the setting sun10 or ,phnicia4 ,so that #ad years before1 at the time when ,chedorlaomer crossed the ,euphrates on his first expedition1 ,abram may have beheld the troops of that king whom he afterward conquered1 with his viceroys1 when they came on their second invasion of ,canaan4 ,at that time ,abram was with his father ,terah at ,haran1 as we may see from the dates in the context1 ,gen4 #af3c2 #ad3e4 ,,the ,,ishmaelites4 #bg4 ,some years after this battle we have the account of the birth of ,ishmael1 the son of ,abram by ,hagar4 ,as the descendants of ,ishmael exerted great influence in years afterward1 it is well at this point to study the early history of this son of ,abram4 ,when ,isaac was born ,ishmael was about #af years of age1 ,gen4 #ag3ba1 #be2 #ba3a1 #h1 and until the day of the divine promise to ,abram1 at which time his name was changed to ,abraham1 he was evidently1 from the context1 greatly attached to ,ishmael4 ,moreover1 ,abram was considered by his neighbors as 8a mighty prince among them10 ,gen4 #bc3f4 ,under these circumstances this only son must have been allowed privileges and attentions at the hands of the hundreds of ,abram's servants such as an heir apparent to all the wealth of ,abram would be certain to receive4 ,when1 however1 ,sarah became the mother of ,isaac a change necessarily transpired4 ,ishmael was no longer the expected heir4 ,hagar's spirit of self-importance1 which showed itself before so positively that she was forced to leave the family1 was now repeated in some disagreeable actions of her son ,ishmael1 and1 despite the persistent love of ,abraham1 ,ishmael and his mother were summarily dismissed from the family4 #bh4 ,there can be no reasonable doubt that the action of ,abraham in sending ,hagar and her son out upon the desert with only sufficient food to support them for a time was greatly or almost entirely influenced by the direct revelation to ,abraham that the divine interference would be exerted on behalf of the exiles4 ,that had been assured1 as we see in verses #ab and #ac of chapter #ba4 ,at the same time both the mother and son1 after all the preceding years of privilege1 would naturally imagine that a great wrong had been done them1 and ,ishmael readily became a wild wanderer upon the vast deserts east of ,egypt4 ,he was the progenitor of twelve great tribes whose names in part are recognized among some of the tribes existing at the present day and whose characters are accurately represented in the description of what they were to be1 as it occurs in ,gen4 #af3ab1 and the expression 8he shall dwell in the presence of his brethren0 simply alludes to the fact that his race should be wanderers upon the desert without any fixed habitation1 this being the life of all the most pleasurable to the desert ,arabs4 #bi4 ,as ,abraham was #ii years of age when ,ishmael was #ac1 ,gen4 #ag3bd1 #be1 and died at #age1 it is plain that ,ishmael must have been about #ij years of age at ,abraham's death4 ,the love and reverence which ,ishmael had for the patriarch were apparent after this long time in the fact that at the death of the latter1 ,isaac and ,ishmael united to perform the burial at the cave of ,machpelah at ,hebron1 ,gen4 #be3i4 ,,hebron ,,and ,,machpelah4 #cj4 ,hebron is a very old city1 having been founded long before ,abram's time1 and it is in existence at present4 ,it is south of ,jerusalem eighteen miles1 and is unlike nearly all the cities in ,palestine in that it is situated in a valley4 ,the cave of ,machpelah is on the east side of the valley1 which runs nearly north and south4 ,this city becomes important in ,biblical history at the time when ,sarah1 the wife of ,abraham1 died1 and then this cave was purchased by ,abraham as a family burying-place4 ,it was the first spot possessed by any of the ancestors of the ,hebrew race in ,palestine4 ,here ,sarah and ,abraham were buried and in after times ,leah and ,isaac1 and ,jacob's remains were1 by his desire1 removed from ,egypt and placed by the side of his wife ,leah4 ,although ,hebron has suffered several attacks and partial destruction1 it is probable that the sacredness of the place may have protected it so that the actual remains of some of the bodies deposited there may yet be there1 under ,moslem guardianship4 ,after the birth of ,isaac1 ,abraham remained in the region of ,gerar1 whose precise location is not known1 although it must have been in the southwest of ,canaan and in the land of the ,philistines4 ,from thence he removed to ,beersheba4#ee ,,beersheba ,,and ,,gerar4 #ca4 ,beersheba bears1 at the present day1 the same name and contains two wells1 one about #ab feet in diameter1 the other about #e feet4 ,the larger appears to be very old and may well have existed since the days of the patriarch4 ,it is about #dj feet deep to the water and is still used daily by the ,arabs4 ,the exact distance from ,hebron to ,beersheba is twenty-six and a half miles southwest4 ,there are some ruins #bd miles southwest by south from ,beersheba1 called ,umel ,jerar1 which possibly may indicate where the ancient ,gerar was4 #cb4 ,from ,beersheba ,abraham travelled with ,isaac to ,mt4 ,moriah1 which was at the present site of ,jerusalem and distant in an air line #de miles northeast4 ,here his obedience and faith were severely tried in the command to offer up1 as a burnt-offering1 his only son ,isaac4 ,this act might have been more trying to the faith of ,abraham because it was the practice of the ,canaanites at that time4 ,that the immolation of children was practised by the ,phnicians at that age and in the land of ,chalda is proved by an ,accadian text which expressly states that sin may be expiated by the vicarious sacrifice of the eldest son4#ef ,in after times it was practised by the ,moabites1 #b ,kings #c3bg4 ,but ,abraham's faith never failed him1 and the offering was accepted1 though the act was arrested4 #cc4 ,abraham after this purchased the cave of ,machpelah1 of which we have spoken1 where ,sarah was buried1 and he himself was laid away in the same place at his death1 having given all his possessions to his son ,isaac1 except some smaller gifts to his other children by his second wife ,keturah1 when he sent them away from ,isaac his son 8unto the east country40 #cd4 ,the character of ,abraham has been revered among the ,jews1 ,mohammedans1 and ,christians alike in all ages and parts of the world4 ,his tomb now existing at ,hebron is among the very few places in the ,east about which there has never been any doubt4 ,the structure1 now a mosque1 is a ,mohammedan addition to a building which was in part erected near the beginning of the ,christian era4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,patriarchs ,,isaac ,,and ,,jacob4 #a4 ,isaac1 as appears from sacred history1 towards the close of his father's life1 dwelt in the 8south country10 a term given to the large district far to the south of ,hebron1 where also ,abraham was probably living at the same time4 ,the exact place called ,beer-lahai-roi1 or 8the spring of ,lahai-roi10 is not known1 but it was that spring1 called a 8well10 which was mentioned in connection with the first departure of ,hagar1 and it was evidently on the way towards ,egypt1 between ,kadesh and ,bered1 some thirty miles nearly south of ,beersheba4 #b4 ,the pastures were excellent here1 and ,isaac1 now about #dj years of age1 had come into possession of large herds whose care devolved upon him4 ,it was here that he received his wife1 whom his father ,abraham had selected for him from among his kindred in the far-off land of ,mesopotamia in preference to the people of the land where he dwelt1 who were ,hittites1 and descendants of ,canaan the son of ,ham1 ,abraham being a descendant of ,shem4 ,the ,philistines who dwelt on the southwest coast of ,canaan and of whom the ,abimelech of the text was king1 were formerly a mixed race4 ,in this age they are considered to be the immediate descendants of a tribe which took possession of the dry1 salt region stretching from the ,delta of the ,nile on the coast around towards ,canaan4 ,here1 in early times1 they became the great salt producers and of great importance to the salt fisheries which supplied various surrounding countries4 ,the ,mt4 ,casios in their territory was the 8,kas-lokh10 or 8dry0 8burnt up hill0 of the ancient ,egyptians1 hence the name of ,casluhim1 of the ,hebrew text1 as that of the people from whom the ,philistines were derived1 ,gen4 #aj3ad4 #c4 ,they seem many years before to have left the ,phnician shores and settled near the coast of the ,egyptian ,delta4 ,thence they moved to the salt regions1 but they adapted themselves fully to the ,egyptian method of life and literature1 as appears from their history gathered from the ancient records4 ,these records have fully corroborated the statement of ,genesis4#eg #d4 ,in the time of ,abram they had taken possession of the southwestern part of ,palestine and had largely modified their habits of life4 ,they are represented on the monuments of ,egypt as fine-looking warriors1 wearing a head-dress of peculiar and very ornamental form1 with the back of the neck protected1 and when marching1 moving in great order1 using the javelin and the short sword for close combat4 #e4 ,at this time1 about ,b4 ,c4 #ahjj1 the ,philistines had not arrived at that condition of power and wealth which they possessed in later centuries4 ,they afterward became most formidable enemies of the ,israelites1 and possessed at least five grand cities4 ,in this era of their history ,gerar seems to be the residence of the king1 ,abimelech1 as it was of his father of the same name in the time of ,abraham1 #ij years before4 ,being a small tribe1 its king was anxious to form an alliance with ,isaac1 whose household and possessions had become very great1 and1 judging from the context1 his retinue of servants and his wealth exceeded all that ,abraham had possessed before him4 #f4 ,there are1 at present1 two wells at ,beersheba of the same general architecture1 and both seem to be very ancient4 ,the one about #cjj feet off from the large one1 spoken of before1 is only about five feet in diameter4 ,as the men of ,gerar1 at ,abraham's death1 filled up 8all the wells0 built by the patriarch1 it is probable that the second well was dug by the servants of ,isaac and called also ,beersheba as commemorative of the second oath of treaty made by ,abimelech1 the second of that same name mentioned in ,scripture1 and his commander-in-chief1 as ,phicol means4 ,the life of ,isaac seems to have been spent chiefly in the region of ,beersheba1 but he died at ,hebron1 at the age of #ahj years4 ,esau and ,jacob are his only sons named in the sacred history4 ,,jacob4 #g4 ,jacob was a native of ,beersheba1 and1 having incurred the displeasure of his brother ,esau by the practice of a deceitful act towards his father1 as narrated in the text1 ,gen4 #bg1 fled to the same region whence his father obtained his own wife1 and there found his wives ,leah and ,rachel in ,mesopotamia4 ,in that act of deceit he was aided by his mother1 who probably never lived to see again the son she loved so much4 ,jacob returned not for many years1 although when his mother parted with him she supposed it was for 8a few days10 ,gen4 #bg3dd4 ,he returned to ,hebron shortly before the death of his father1 in whose burial1 in the cave of ,machpelah1 both his sons1 ,esau and ,jacob1 united1 ,gen4 #ce3bi4 #h4 ,jacob and his twelve sons remained near ,hebron for some time after the death of his father ,isaac1 when an event occurred which changed the history of the entire family and led to their long residence in the land of ,egypt4 ,joseph1 the son of ,jacob's old age1 because of jealousy on the part of his brethren1 was sold by them to a party of trading merchants1 called 8,ishmaelites40 ,these 8came from ,gilead1 with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh1 going to carry it down to ,egypt40 ,gilead was the large district east of the ,jordan1 beginning some #ae miles southwest of ,damascus1 and whose southern limit was a few miles north of the ,dead ,sea4 ,their way towards ,egypt was by ,dothan1 where the brethren were tending their father's flock4 ,dothan was a ,canaanitish town about five miles southwest of the ,carmel range of mountains and thirteen miles north of ,shechem4 ,it was fully #ijj feet above the sea1 and on the south of a beautiful plain five miles long and two wide4 #i4 ,the ,ishmaelites sold ,joseph in ,egypt1 where1 through his ability to interpret the dream of ,pharaoh1 he became1 under the king1 the second ruler of ,egypt and prepared for the seven years of famine which were preceded by seven years of extraordinary harvests4 ,the famine in ,egypt was attended by famine in ,canaan1 as also in other lands4 ,this condition of famine caused ,jacob to send his sons into ,egypt for corn4 ,it should be remembered that in these countries the word 8corn0 was applied to almost any kind of grain1 but especially to wheat and barley1 as indeed it is at the present day in several other countries4 ,it is not probable that ,indian maize1 called corn in our land1 was ever referred to in ,scripture4 ,at the second visit of the patriarch's sons1 ,joseph1 who recognized them at the first visit1 made himself known unto them and sent them back with the direction to bring his father1 and all that made up the entire family1 into ,egypt4 #aj4 ,after some hesitation on the part of ,jacob1 he left ,hebron1 and passing through ,beersheba1 started on his way to ,egypt1 where he arrived and was met by ,joseph1 on the plains of ,goshen4 ,recent discovery has located this region about #dj miles northeast of the present ,cairo1 in its central point1 with a diameter of about #ae miles4#eh ,jacob was introduced to the reigning ,pharaoh when he was #acj years of age4 ,his interview was followed by the settlement of the entire family1 with all their herds and possessions1 in the district above mentioned4 ,this was a small district included in a much larger one called1 in after times1 the land of ,rameses1 which name had reference to a second king of that name1 ,rameses ,,ii41 who was the great builder monarch1 and who lived not long before the time of the ,exodus4 ,he died when ,moses was #hj years of age4 ,the student of ,biblical chronology should use considerable caution in accepting the dates and surmises offered by some writers in connection with this history4 ,the ages already given us in the text1 namely1 #acj for ,jacob when ,joseph was #ci by the texts preceding1 show that ,jacob was #ia years of age at ,joseph's birth1 but by ,gen4 #ca3ch he had been at least #ad years with ,laban1 in ,mesopotamia1 just preceding the birth of ,joseph4 ,so that #ad years before the birth of ,joseph he left his home for ,haran1 at the age of #gg4 ,it seems somewhat probable that ,jacob was #dj years in ,haran1 and that he means to make that assertion when1 in ,gen4 #ca3ch1 #da1 he separates the two #bj years4 ,this affords more time for his sons to grow to the ages of that manhood necessary for the after occurrences narrated in the history4 ,for the eldest1 ,reuben and ,simeon1 were born not until the marriage with ,leah1 and this appears to have been only seven years before the birth of ,joseph4 ,six years after the birth of ,joseph1 ,jacob leaves with all his family for ,shechem1 where he remains eight years4 ,it appears1 therefore1 that ,simeon and ,levi1 when they attacked and overthrew ,shechem and sacked the town1 were not over #ai or #bj years of age1 as six of the last years and re-engagement for six years in ,mesopotamia1 and eight in ,shechem1 and perhaps a year on the travel1 and various stoppages1 give grounds for that supposition1 if ,jacob was only #bj years with ,laban4 ,it would then be as follows1 remembering that ,reuben was the first-born of the sons of ,jacob3 #hth year4 ,reuben born first year after ,jacob's marriage4 #adth year4 ,the rest born during the six remaining years2 ,joseph now born4 #bjth year4 ,at the close of the last seven years ,jacob is newly employed for six years1 which1 with the previous #ad years1 makes #bj years with ,laban1 ,gen4 #ca3ch4 #bast year4 ,jacob and all the family start for ,canaan1 and reach ,shechem1 including stoppages1 in the #bast year1 or #acth year after ,reuben's birth4 ,when ,jacob arrived in ,shechem he bought land1 dug a well1 and is considered as resident for eight years4 #bith year4 ,at the close of this year ,simeon and ,levi attack the ,shechemites4 ,this would make ,reuben about #ba or #bb1 and ,simeon and ,levi #ai and #bj1 but old enough1 with their servants and probably others1 to have executed their revenge4 ,but we must understand that this is the extreme shortest period1 and several circumstances might have detained them longer on their journeys and made the sons older4 ,in the above calculation it is not necessary to suppose that ,jacob was any longer than #bj years engaged with ,laban4 ,it is impossible to suppose1 with some writers1 that ,jacob was only #dj years of age when he left his home for ,haran4 #aa4 ,jacob1 having had the land of ,goshen1 in ,egypt1 appointed him1 remained there until his death at #adg years of age1 having dwelt in the land of ,egypt #ag years4 ,as ,joseph died at #aaj years of age1 he lived #ef years after the death of ,jacob1 as governor of ,egypt1 very probably1 since the last account of him was that 8they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in ,egypt40 ,he lived to see his great grandchildren1 and therefore was prominent in ,egypt for a term of #hj years4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,egyptian ,,testimonies4 ,the recovery of the meaning of the ,egyptian hieroglyphics1 and the many discoveries of monuments illustrating the early history and literature of that nation1 have added great interest to the study of ,scripture and established the accuracy of ,biblical accounts of this period4 #a4 ,the articles which the ,ishmaelites carried to ,egypt at the time ,joseph was sold are1 in part1 recorded in a list upon one of the tablets at ,edfu1 on the ,nile4 ,the first and second of the articles named in ,gen4 #cg3be are recorded by name1 the article rendered 8spicery0 being the name of a gum found in ,syria4 #b4 ,the price of a common slave of ,joseph's age is recorded in the time of ,rameses ,,xiii4 as about #aj4 ,this agrees with the statement1 ,gen4 #cg3bh1 where it is stated that ,joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver1 shown to be shekels of about #ej to #ef cents' value1 which was high1 but ,egyptian records show that young men from ,syria were unusually valuable4#ei #c4 ,the existence of slavery is frequently alluded to upon the monuments and in manuscripts1 wherein those who had lost slaves offer rewards to any one who will bring them back4 ,moreover1 ,syrian slaves are recorded as of great value1 and a treaty record is still preserved1 made between ,rameses ,,ii4 and the king of the ,hittites1 in which it is agreed to return fugitive slaves4 #d4 ,the statement has been made by several ,greek historians that the ,egyptians never cultivated the grape nor drank wine4 ,therefore the statement that ,pharaoh drank the juice of the grapes1 or wine1 and had a chief butler1 as stated in ,gen4 #dj1 was said to be inaccurate4 ,but the discoveries show that not only were vineyards cultivated1 but the grapes were pressed in the wine-press1 grapes were eaten1 and wine made and used before the time of ,joseph4 #e4 ,various terms as descriptive of official position1 of names of places and objects of art or commerce1 are now shown to be of ancient ,egyptian origin1 although brought into the ,hebrew language4 ,the use of these terms and names proves that the early ,israelites were in familiar contact with the ,egyptians4 #f4 ,the name of ,rameses1 used in the history of ,joseph1 as afterward in the history of the ,israelites1 has been shown to be that of the chief ,pharaoh of ,egypt1 and his mummy has recently been recovered with his name and titles inscribed upon his body1 and certified to by the high-priest4 #g4 ,the singular remark made by the writer of ,genesis concerning the shepherds1 #df3cd1 has been thoroughly attested by the history of the incursion of the ,shepherd ,kings1 who oppressed the land1 seized upon the government in the ,delta1 and drove the native kings up the ,nile to ,thebes1 occupying and ruling the land for about #ejj years4 ,it was at the close of their rule that ,joseph is supposed to have entered ,egypt4 #h4 ,the keeping of the birthday of ,pharaoh as stated in ,gen4 #dj3bj is fully attested in the history of the early ,egyptian periods4 ,an inscription of the era of the ,exodus tells us that the birthday of ,rameses ,,ii4 8caused joy in heaven40#fj ,great gatherings and feasts were had1 and the king dispensed his favors as he saw fit4#fa #i4 ,the name for the ,nile used in the ,hebrew is the ,egyptian name for that river found in the papyri1 and translated in our ,english version as 8the river40 ,it is not the word the ,hebrews used for a river1 and its use proves that the writer was familiar with ,egyptian usage4 #aj4 ,the statement as to the offices of chief butler and chief baker1 as appointed to the ,pharaoh1 is remarkably attested by the ,egyptian records1 which show that these two were very high and important offices1 8for both had the responsible duty of protecting the king's life from poison40#fb #aa4 ,a most remarkable illustration of the accuracy of ,joseph's history1 as narrated in ,genesis1 is seen in the statement that he was required to change his clothes and be shaven before going into the presence of the king4 ,among the kindred of ,joseph shaving was never practised1 except as a disgrace4 ,but with the ,egyptian the law of cleanliness required shaving1 not only of the chin1 but of the hair also4 ,not only every priest1 but the king himself1 was shaven1 and the appearance of great heads of hair1 and even of beard1 in some pictures is due to the wigs and artificial beards worn by priests and laymen alike to cover the bald head4 ,all foreigners were known by being unshorn4 ,the accuracy of ,scripture in its references to the land of ,egypt in ancient times has been proved only since the discovery of the meaning of the hieroglyphics1 as ,greek historians knew little of ,egypt in its ancient history1 and their accounts were erroneous1 as is frequently apparent in ,herodotus4#fc ,,period ,,iii4 ,,the ,,theocracy ,,to ,,the ,,judges4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,israelites ,,in ,,egypt4 #a4 ,how long after the death of ,joseph the ,israelites remained in ,goshen until they were enslaved has not as yet been determined4 ,the account in the book of ,exodus opens with the significant expression that 8there arose up a new king over ,egypt who knew not ,joseph40 ,it has been supposed that ,joseph was governor under the last of the ,shepherd ,kings1 but this supposition is uncertain1 and perhaps wrong1 for the long life of ,joseph after he came into ,egypt1 namely #hj years1 added to the necessarily advanced age of the ,pharaoh who was upon the throne on the arrival of ,joseph1 would1 with greater probability1 lead us to suppose that ,joseph's sojourn in ,egypt was extended through more than one reign of the ,shepherd ,kings4 #b4 ,but at the end of the happy1 quiet ,shepherd era1 among the descendants of ,jacob in ,goshen there came a change4 ,the ,israelites became enslaved1 for the mandate of the ,pharaoh of the period went forth to set over them taskmasters and to afflict them with burdens1 the object being to put a stop to their excessive growth in numbers4 #c4 ,as we have said1 the ,shepherd ,kings ruled ,egypt for about #ejj years4 ,towards the close of their rule and1 as it is generally supposed1 under a king whose name is recorded as ,apopi1 or1 as the ,greek historians spell the name1 ,aphobis1 ,joseph came into ,egypt1 and the long war between the legitimate kings and the uprising rulers was continued for about #hj years4 ,finally these ,shepherd ,kings were driven out of the ,delta by a ,pharaoh of the #ahth dynasty1#fd and from that period about #djj years transpired1 during which the #ahth dynasty passed away and a new dynasty1 the #aith1 came into power4 ,of this #aith dynasty two kings passed away before the celebrated ,seti ,i4 began to reign4 ,rameses ,,ii4 was the son of ,seti ,i41 and his reign 7#fg years7 was the longest of any of this dynasty4 #d4 ,moses1 at the age of forty1 was driven into the desert of ,sinai1 on the east of ,egypt1 where he escaped from the wrath of the reigning ,pharaoh1 and where he remained #dj years1 until the death of the king4 ,the ,pharaoh with whom ,moses' name is thus associated must have reigned a long time1 and the reign of ,rameses ,,ii4 meets the conditions of the history1 not only as to time1 but also as to the name4 ,it is for these reasons that the ,egyptian ,rameses ,,ii4 is supposed to be the ,pharaoh alluded to in the first chapter of the book of ,exodus1 as the ,scripture ,rameses4 #e4 ,after the death of ,rameses1 ,moses returned to ,egypt from his #dj years' residence in the desert of ,sinai4 ,as his life in those parts was spent in the shepherd occupation1 he was well acquainted with the region1 and in a large degree fitted for the work to which he was called by the ,lord1 to take charge of the deliverance of the ,israelites from the bondage in ,egypt4 ,by divine command he appeared before the reigning ,pharaoh and demanded1 in the name of ,jehovah1 the release of his brethren1 who1 in all1 must have been about #b1jjj1jjj4 ,this number1 though not stated1 may be supposed to be correct as based upon the fact that at the departure from ,egypt the able men numbered #fjj1jjj4 #f4 ,the unwillingness of the king to let the people go was finally subdued by a series of remarkable plagues4 ,the most singular feature of these inflictions is found in the fact that in every case they seem to have attacked the ,egyptians in the most important elements of either their national greatness or in the direction of their greatest comforts and reliance4 ,another singular feature in the whole course of affliction was their progressive seriousness4 #g4 ,the first plague appeared in the sudden change of the waters of the ,nile into blood4 ,the ,nile was not only the great source of water supply1 but was supposed to be under the immediate care of the gods of ,egypt4 ,hymns have come down to us composed in the honor of the personified ,nile4 ,these were composed before the time of ,moses1 and give the names of their chief gods to the waters of the great river4 ,the ,nile was 8the representative of all that was good40 ,this plague made it necessary that the people should begin digging wells near the banks of the river and elsewhere throughout all ,egypt4 #h4 ,the second plague1 of frogs1 attacked in like manner1 but more directly1 the religious superstitions4 ,the frog-headed deity ,heki was the wife of the god of the cataracts of the ,nile1 who also was represented with a frog's head4 ,the frog was the symbol of renewed life after death1 and was worshipped as such4 #i4 ,the third plague was more intense2 it afflicted man and brute alike4 ,the ground brought forth insects1 8lice0 so called1 in such abundance that even the priests could not cleanse themselves4 ,the priests were not allowed to use woollen in any of their garments1 because of the likelihood that it would harbor this vile evil1 which was one greatly abhorred4 ,insects of every kind1 even gnats1 were considered unclean4 ,priests and people were alike unclean4 #aj4 ,the fourth plague1 of flies1 was somewhat similar1 being an insect curse1 but now the curse was winged4 #aa4 ,the fifth plague1 of 8murrain10 was far more serious1 as it not only touched the honor of the ,egyptian faith in the worship of ,isis and ,osiris1 to whom the cattle were sacred1 but caused the death of the cattle throughout ,egypt4 ,it troubled in yet more serious degree the temple and the market1 the priest and the people4 #ab4 ,the sixth was yet more distressing1 for it sent boils and 8blains0 upon man and beast1 not even the magicians being able to stand in the presence of ,moses 8because of the boils40 #ac4 ,the seventh plague was one not only of hail1 but of fearful displays of lightning and peals of thunder1 such as were never before known in the land4 #ad4 ,the eighth was a terrific visitation of locusts which began1 in unprecedented numbers1 to eat up all vegetation left by the hail4 #ae4 ,the ninth was intense darkness1 in which plague not only was there an exceeding discomfort felt throughout the land1 but the sun1 which was the most sacred object of reverence1 the supreme god of ,egypt1 withdrew his light before the command of ,moses1 as servant of the most high ,god4 #af4 ,the tenth plague was by far the most fearful of all4 ,it was to the ,egyptians both distressing and ominous4 ,the first-born was1 in a most loving sense1 the most important member of the familythe one1 above all the rest1 upon whom the privileges of birthright were laid and who was1 accordingly1 regarded with special attention and love4 ,besides1 in this fearful and sudden death of the first-born in every place there was felt1 as never before1 the presence of some awful power immediately back of this plague1 which seemed to them to presage the approach of the destruction of the entire nation1 and hence their outcry1 8,we be all dead men10 ,exod4 #ab3cc4 ,the ,exodus1 or the 8departure10 began immediately1 and ,moses and ,aaron1 who had anticipated the result of this last plague1 had prepared all the ,israelites by giving them sufficient notice for a hurried flight4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,physical ,,geography ,,of ,,sinai ,,and ,,the ,,desert4 #a4 ,it is necessary that we should obtain a general knowledge of the country over which the ,israelites were now to travel4 ,the land of ,goshen1 where the great majority of the ,israelites were stationed1 was included1 probably1 in the greater district of ,rameses1 as we have said4 ,they left some general rendezvous early in the morning for ,succoth1 which was twenty or twenty-five miles southeast of the district of ,goshen4 ,the treasure city ,pithom1 mentioned with ,rameses in the first chapter of ,exodus 7verse #aa71 was in ,succoth1 as a recent discovery has shown4 ,the west arm of the ,red ,sea was about sixty miles farther south4 ,the triangular district of the country between the two northern arms of the ,red ,sea1 to which they were going1 is a mountainous tract gradually ascending from the ,gulf of ,suez1 or western arm1 to the mountainous region of ,horeb1 of which ,sinai was a chief mountain4#fe ,these mountains are entirely of granite4 ,the large plain at the base of ,sinai is #djj feet above the sea4 ,the ,sinai mountain seems to rise directly up from this plain to the height of from #a1bjj to #a1ejj feet1 and in some parts1 at its base1 the rock is for a long distance almost perpendicular1 like a high bluff above the level soil4 ,parts of the rocky heights are #b1jjj feet above the plain4 #b4 ,north of this region1 about #ej miles1 a sandy stretch of country comes abruptly to a general rise of sandstone cliffs1 which extend many miles east and west1 and the granite rocks disappear1 having been left behind in ,horeb4 ,it is #bjj miles1 a little east of north1 from ,mt4 ,sinai to the south end of the ,dead ,sea and to the lower limits of the land of ,canaan1 whither the ,israelites were journeying4 ,mt4 ,sinai is about #ce miles from the western and about #be from the eastern arm of the ,red ,sea4 ,,the ,,israelites ,,in ,,the ,,desert4 #c4 ,the recent discovery of ,succoth and the treasure city ,pithom fixes this place as that of the first encampment of the ,israelites at the ,exodus4 ,one inscription calls the place ,petum 7the 8abode0 of ,tum7 in the city of ,thuku1 or 8,pithom in the city of ,succoth40 ,the great desert now begins1 stretching eastward from ,succoth for about #bjj miles1 a very desolate and barren region1 to the country of ,edom and the great valley of ,arabah1 which valley runs northward directly from the eastern arm of the ,red ,sea to the ,dead ,sea1 a distance of #aae miles4 ,the chief divine object in directing the course of the ,israelites southeast from ,egypt to the region of ,horeb and then around by the ,gulf of ,akabah1 rather than by the short course to ,canaan by the coast1 is expressed in the ,scripture1 and was one of discipline1 ,exod4 #ac3ag1 and preparation for the new life they were destined to live4 #d4 ,many misapprehensions of the real difficulty of this long travel have resulted from a failure to comprehend the largeness of the company4 ,it must be remembered that so large a number as #b1jjj1jjj people1 with their herds and flocks1 their tents1 the ,tabernacle1 and other baggage1 must have covered a much larger space than is sometimes allowed by some readers of this history4 ,thus in crossing the ,red ,sea and stopping at stations and fording the ,jordan on their arrival at ,canaan1 and in settling upon plains1 before and after1 it must be always kept in mind that no narrow line or small surface less than several square miles would in any way represent that necessary area over which the moving body travelled1 or rested when it came to a halt4 ,in its course at evening the advanced officers would soon lay out upon the area to be occupied the plan for encampment1 and in a short time that space of land1 which an hour before was the prowling-ground for a few wild beasts of the desert1 would become the site of a city of #b1jjj1jjj inhabitants1 with long streets and squares lighted with the magnificent and mysterious flame which accompanied them during all their wanderings4 #e4 ,the habits of eating and drinking in that day were very different from anything now customary in our midst4 ,the plainest food1 and frequently only one meal a day and one draught of water in #bd hours1 is sufficient for the ,bedouin of the desert4 ,we are therefore wrong in comparing the habits of the times of the ,exodus with those of the present day4 #f4 ,very few of the stations named after crossing the ,red ,sea can be certainly located4 ,but after leaving ,mt4 ,sinai1 at three days' journey ,prof4 ,palmer discovered the evidences of an ancient camp1 surrounded by an immense number of graves1 and this place is generally supposed to mark the site of a station called ,kibroth-hattaavah1 or 8the graves of gluttony10 the history of which is found in ,num4 #aa3cace4 ,a day's journey north of this the same explorer discovered other extensive remains of stone heaps and circles covering the hillsides in every direction4 ,as the next station of the ,israelites is called ,hazeroth1 which means 8the circles10 and as the ,arabs still call this place the 8look-outs of ,hazeroth10 it seems that the site of another station is known4 #g4 ,after this it is difficult to trace their course until they reached ,kadesh1 which is #adj miles due east of their first camping-ground in ,egypt1 namely1 ,succoth1 and at present seems identical with the spot called ,ain ,gadis1 or the spring of ,kadesh1 #agj miles north by east from ,sinai1 and #fe miles southwest of the ,dead ,sea4 ,there is evidence that anciently a great population was scattered over this region of ,ain ,gadis1 and considerable verdure exists even at present4 ,this appears to have been the general camping-ground of the ,israelites for a large part of the thirty-seven years before they finally started to enter the promised land4 ,the sad history of the event which brought this long delay is recorded in ,num4 #ad4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,entrance ,,into ,,canaan4 #a4 ,after the long residence in the region of ,kadesh the ,israelites took up their march to ,canaan4 ,the generation now existing had been almost altogether born in the desert1 and had been raised under the tutelage of ,moses and his brother ,aaron4 ,miriam1 the sister1 had undoubtedly added much to the influence which her brothers exerted by her nearer relation to the female population4 ,the discipline had had its full effect during this long period1 and there had grown up a vigorous and well-ordered race1 totally different from the race that had left ,egypt forty years before4 #b4 ,it is probable that during this long period ,moses had written out much1 if not all1 of the ,scriptures usually attributed to him under the title of 8the books of ,moses40 ,although there is no definite statement in ,scripture that all of these books1 called the ,pentateuch1 are the composition of ,moses1 certain parts are spoken of as those of his personal writing4 ,but of the five books the parts spoken of are only in the closing chapters of the last book1 namely1 ,deuteronomy1 and as the five have never been known except as forming one roll or volume1 the general belief and tradition attribute the whole five to ,moses as author4 ,the impression that ,moses was the author of ,genesis1 and that this book of ,genesis was the beginning of 8,the ,law10 is apparent in the writings of ,longinus1 the ,greek author1 ,a4 ,d4 #bgj1 who quotes ,gen4 #a3c as 8the beginning of ,moses' law40#ff #c4 ,the census of the nation at this time shows that nearly #b1jjj men had disappeared1 and perhaps this lessening of the population was due to the deaths of the strangers and aliens who had become mixed in the vast crowd at the time of their departure from ,egypt4 ,the first census was taken at ,sinai in the second year after the crossing of the ,red ,sea1 ,num4 #a3df1 and was #fjc1eej4 ,the second census was taken nearly #dj years afterwards1 just before the entrance into the promised land1 ,num4 #bf3ea1 and was #fja1gcj1 the difference being #a1hbj4 ,the census included only the able-bodied men fit for war and over #bj years of age4 #d4 ,moses died upon ,mt4 ,pisgah without crossing the ,jordan1 ,aaron died on ,mt4 ,hor1 and ,miriam died at ,kadesh4 ,these leaders being dead1 the authority to take charge was vested in ,joshua4 ,,mt4 ,,hor1 ,,mt4 ,,nebo1 ,,mt4 ,,pisgah4 #e4 ,mt4 ,hor is #de miles south of the ,dead ,sea1 having the ruins of the city ,petra near its eastern base4 ,wandering ,arab tribes control all access to these two places1 but a small chapel marks the spot1 according to tradition1 where ,aaron died on the top of the mountain4 ,pisgah is supposed to be a high plateau ten miles east of the mouth of the ,jordan1 and ,mt4 ,nebo a higher portion of the same general range1 but it is at a short distance east of that part where the high table-land of ,moab begins to descend to the ,dead ,sea4 ,from this elevation very extensive views of the land west of the ,jordan may be had4 ,,the ,,era ,,of ,,joshua4 #f4 ,from the high table-land of ,moab the ,israelites descended to the eastern ,jordan plains a few miles north of the ,dead ,sea1 and soon crossed the river and landed upon the wide plain west of the banks4 ,the crossing must have occupied the bed of the river for a long distance4 ,on entrance upon the land of ,canaan proper the hosts of ,israel renewedly consecrated themselves to the service of ,jehovah at ,gilgal4 ,they accepted ,joshua as their commander1 and began their first attempt at subduing the ,canaanites by an attack on ,jericho4 ,,gilgal ,,and ,,jericho4 #g4 ,the first of these names represents simply a gathering-place of the ,israelites when the dedication of themselves to the ,lord took place4 ,its position is supposed to have been at a place still called ,gilgal1 in the ,arabic ,jiljulieh1 nearly three miles west of the ,jordan and six miles north-northwest of its mouth4 ,jericho at this time was near the present ,ain es ,sultan1 a very fine spring one and a quarter miles northwest from the present little ,arab village called ,er ,riha or ,jericho by travellers1 and five miles west of the river4 ,after its destruction at this time it was rebuilt ,b4 ,c4 #iah1 #a ,kin4 #af3cd1 at the mouth of the valley of the ,kelt1 which is the ancient valley of ,achor1 and existed at that place in the time of our ,saviour4 ,the present miserable ,arab village ,er ,riha and the tower near it were built during the crusades4 ,the name ,gilgal signifies a 8rolling0 and also a 8circle10 and probably the twelve stones taken from the bed of the ,jordan were placed in the form of a circle1 making the real significance more emphatic1 but the true significance of the name is given in the passage1 ,josh4 #e3i1 as a rolling off 8the reproach of ,egypt10 as described in that chapter4 ,there were two other towns bearing this name of which mention is made hereafter4 ,,the ,,settlement ,,in ,,canaan4 #h4 ,jericho was inhabited at this time by a luxurious people and one that evidently had profited greatly by the richness of the vast plain of the ,jordan4 ,the mention of the precious metals1 8the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron10 ,josh4 #f3ai1 the 8goodly ,babylonish garment10 the #bjj shekels of silver1 the wedge of gold of #ej shekels' weight stolen by ,achan1 ,josh4 #g3ba1 and the references to ,baal-peor in the historic connection1 prove their wealth and suggest the nature of their idolatry4 ,recent historic discoveries show the cruelty and fearful depravity of the people with whom they were associated4 ,they were therefore given over to destruction in accordance with the customs of that time4 ,the name ,jericho seems to mean the 8city of the moon10 a name given to the city because of the early worship of the moon at that place under the title ,ashtoreth1 which doubtless was derived from the earlier title of the ,babylonian ,astarte1 the goddess of love4 ,it was given about this time to a city in ,bashan called ,ashteroth ,karnaim1 meaning ,ashtoreth of the two horns1 ,gen4 #ad3e4 ,,canaan4 #i4 ,this was the name of the land which the ,israelites were now to conquer4 ,the name was well known to the ,egyptians1 and we find it upon the monuments in ,egypt and in ,assyria4 ,a description of this land occurs in ,egyptian records as early as the time of ,thothmes ,,iii4 7#afjj ,b4 ,c41 ,brugsch71 also in the reign of ,rameses ,,ii41 8the ,pharaoh of the oppression0 7#acej ,b4 ,c41 ,brugsch71 and from these descriptions it is plain that the land was settled by numerous tribes who were well provided with the comforts of living4 ,they were not only numerous1 but many of their cities were strongly defended by fortresses4 ,the list of articles recovered by ,rameses ,,ii4 after his battles in ,canaan bore testimony to the wealth of the people and to the luxuries of their times1 for among many other articles were ivory1 ebony1 chariots inlaid with gold and silver1 suits of armor1 fragrant woods1 gold dishes with handles1 collars and ornaments of lapis lazuli1 silver dishes1 vases of silver1 precious stones1 brazen spears1 etc41 8the plunder in fact of a rich and civilized country40#fg ,,the ,,amorites4 #aj4 ,the land of ,canaan at the time of ,joshua was no barbarous or ill-defended region4 ,in the assault upon the ,canaanitish city of ,dapur#fh by ,rameses ,,ii4 the standard of the ,amorites appears hoisted on the highest tower of its citadel4#fi ,from the pictures of the ,amorites upon the monuments in ,egypt they were armed with the bow and the oblong shield1 and used chariots of solid construction fit for rough ground1 and it is probable that the 8sons of ,anak10 ,num4 #ac3cc1 were a distinguished clan among the ,amorites and not a distinct people4#gj ,they were selected for their size and strength4 ,,the ,,hittites4 #aa4 ,it has been only recently that the history of the ,hittites has come to light4 ,the earliest references to this people in secular history are those which are found in the history of ,assyria4 ,they are first mentioned in ,scripture as the sons of ,heth1 ,gen4 #bc3c1 in connection with the purchase by ,abraham of the cave of ,machpelah at ,hebron4 ,but fifty-three years before that event the ,amorites seem to have been an important tribe1 and fought under the direction of ,abraham the first battle recorded in ,scripture1 ,gen4 #ad4 ,the tribe of ,hittites grew to be a strong and remarkable nation of warriors1 extending their conquests into ,assyria and far into ,asia ,minor4 ,their name occurs in ,homer#ga under the form of 8,ketaioi0 and in the ,egyptian annals in the time of the great conqueror1 ,thothmes ,,iii41 ,b4 ,c4 #afjj1 wherein it is recorded that he received the tribute from the 8chief of the great ,kheta10 or ,hittites1 which tribute consisted in gold1 slaves1 and cattle4 ,thus it appears that in a few centuries after the time when ,abram bought the cave of ,machpelah of the sons of ,heth1 ,b4 ,c4 #ahfj1 they had become a great people4 ,before the ,exodus they were the powerful rivals of ,egypt4 #ab4 ,until recently the expression in the book of ,joshua 7#a3d7 that the land of the ,hittites extended 8from ,lebanon even unto the great river1 the river ,euphrates10 seemed to be an exaggeration4 ,but the recent discovery of the ruins of their great capital1 ,carchemish1 situated upon the ,euphrates1 and the mention of another city not far off1 namely ,pethor1 where ,balaam dwelt1 beside many remains extending far into ,asia ,minor1 all prove that it was no exaggeration1 but historic truth1 which is recorded in the book of ,joshua concerning their extended empire4 ,they were finally conquered by the ,assyrians1 and their great cities1 ,carchemish and ,pethor1 captured1 #gai years before the ,christian era1 and they never again rose to power4 ,the other ,canaanitish tribes were unimportant4 ,,the ,,language ,,of ,,canaan4 #ac4 ,the discovery in ,a4 ,d4 #ahfh of the ,moabite stone1 at ,dibon1 the ruins of which city are twelve miles east of the ,dead ,sea1 shows that the ,moabites in that region spoke a language similar to the ,hebrew4 ,the date of this stone is about #ijj ,b4 ,c4 ,its inscription is a remarkable corroboration of the history contained in #b ,kings #c4 ,discoveries at ,sidon1 a ,phnician town on the ,mediterranean1 and at other places1 show that a modified ,hebrew was very generally the language of all the ,canaanites4 #ad4 ,the pertinacity with which the more devout and learned of the ,israelites held to the ,hebrew during the captivity in ,assyria1 and ever since amid all nations and lands1 proves that they never forgot the language which ,abraham spoke1 but cherished it during their residence in the land of ,egypt1 and it is probable that before their entrance into ,canaan they had entirely ceased to speak what little they knew of the ,egyptian tongue4 ,they were the more able and ready1 therefore1 to receive the ten commandments and all the rest of those laws which were written in the ,hebrew4 ,and1 moreover1 there could have been very little if any difficulty in their understanding the language of the inhabitants into whose land they had now come4 ,,the ,,physical ,,geography ,,of ,,canaan4 #ae4 ,the land of ,canaan was bounded on the west by the ,mediterranean1 on the east by the ,jordan1 on the south by the desert1 and on the north by the mountains of ,lebanon4 ,this was the land of promise4 ,at ,jericho the valley of the ,jordan is a depressed plain about #hej feet below the ,mediterranean1 and the surface of the ,dead ,sea on the south is still lower1 being #a1bic feet below the ,mediterranean1 so that from ancient ,jericho to the ,dead ,sea1 six miles distant1 the valley of the ,jordan falls rapidly4 ,jerusalem is very nearly due west of the mouth of the ,jordan1 and is placed on the highest land1 with the exception of the ,mount of ,olives1 between the ,jordan and the ,mediterranean on that line of latitude1 being about #b1fjj feet higher than the sea4 #af4 ,about #fj miles in a straight line due north of the ,dead ,sea the ,jordan issues from the ,sea of ,galilee1 the waters of which were called1 in our ,saviour's time1 the ,sea of ,tiberias and the ,lake of ,gennesaret4 ,the shape of the lake is oval1 but broader in the northern half1 its length north and south being nearly thirteen miles and greatest breadth about seven miles4 ,its surface is #fhb feet below the level of the ,mediterranean and the hills on the eastern shore rise to the height of the great eastern plateau of the table-land of ancient ,bashan1 which is #b1jjj feet above the ,mediterranean4 ,the waters are fresh and abound with fish4 #ag4 ,in the times of ,joshua and of the early occupation of the land by the ,israelites1 the lake was called ,chinnereth 7,num4 #cd3aa7 and ,chinneroth 7,josh4 #aa3b71 pron4 ,kinnereth and ,kinneroth1 and a city of the same name existed on its western shore very near the present site of ,tiberias4 ,traces of this ancient city have been recently 7#ahhg7 discovered just outside the southern walls4 ,ten miles north of the ,sea of ,galilee is a smaller reedy lake four miles long1 which is supposed to be the 8waters of ,merom0 7,josh4 #aa3e71 but now known as ,huleh by the ,arabs4 ,into the northern end the upper ,jordan finds its way as it descends from the lower parts of ,mt4 ,hermon4 ,the surface of this lake is seven feet above the ,mediterranean1 and extended plains are on the west and for several miles northward1 beyond which the land rapidly rises into the mountains4 #ah4 ,the country is uplifted midway between the ,jordan and the ,mediterranean and forms an irregularly broad mountainous ridge stretching from the far south to the borders of the plain of ,esdraelon1 called in ,scripture 8the valley of ,megiddo40 ,this plain is the largest in ,palestine and extends from near the ,mediterranean on the west to a valley plain near the ,jordan valley on the east1 where it is called the valley of ,jezreel4 ,it is generally about #ajj feet above the sea level1 or #aej in its highest average level4 ,in various parts it has been the chosen battle-ground of several of the fiercest contests in ,biblical and in modern warfare4 ,north of the plain of ,jezreel the land rises again into the broken and irregular hill country of ,galilee until the region of the ,lebanon ,mountains appears4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,battles ,,of ,,conquest4 #a4 ,the capture of ,jericho was not the result of battle1 but was due to the divine interference in behalf of the ,israelites4 ,jericho was a strong city and well defended by strong walls1 and the destruction of these walls under the simple process described in the text was not only a lesson of great significance to the ,israelites1 but it indicated to the ,canaanitish tribes the mystery of that power with which they were now called to deal4 ,under ,joshua three great battles completed the general conquest of ,canaan and transferred to the ,israelites the cities of thirty kings1 ,josh4 #ab3ibd1 and if we include the king of ,jericho the number will be thirty-one4 ,nearly all of the book of ,joshua is composed of the history of these battles and of the division of the land among the tribes after the conquest4 #b4 ,the first of these battles took place on the high land west of ,jericho1 at a town called ,ai 7pronounced ,a-i74 ,the site of this ancient town is known1 and it was not far off from the site of ,bethel1 which is #ac miles west by north from the position of ,jericho at that time4 ,ai1 now called ,haiyan1 was two miles1 or a little more1 east of ,bethel4 ,just north of ,ai is a high elevation1 #b1egj feet above the ,mediterranean1 whereas the site of ,jericho at the fountain of ,elisha#gb is #gjj feet below1 so that the troops of ,joshua had a march of about #a1ejj feet ascent up a rocky ravine4 ,bethel is still higher 7#b1hij feet74 #c4 ,the first great battle of ,ai was preceded by defeat in what may be called a mere skirmish1 as only #c1jjj were engaged4 ,this defeat seems to have been divinely allowed1 to place a terrible emphasis upon the truth that disobedience to the commands of ,god1 even of a small part of the people1 would certainly be followed by punishment4 ,the result was terrible1 not only in the national mortification consequent upon the defeat1 but in the lesson that no transgressor could escape either by hiding himself or his stolen spoils1 which in this case had been buried in the ground and covered by the tent1 ,josh4 #g3aabf4 #d4 ,the valley of ,achor1 where the fearful punishment was inflicted1 is1 without question1 the present ,wady ,kelt1 near the opening of which1 upon the plain of ,jordan1 was the city of ,jericho4 ,the battle was renewed1 all the people of war were engaged1 and the victory was complete4 #e4 ,the next event of great importance was the gathering of all the people in a central part of the land at two mountains called ,ebal and ,gerizim4 ,this gathering was in execution of the command of ,moses1 ,deut4 #bg1 and was intended to cause them to renew their covenant with ,god and to set before them the blessings which should be granted upon obedience and the curses which should follow disobedience4 ,,ebal ,,and ,,gerizim4 #f4 ,the location for this great gathering was admirably chosen4 ,ebal is a mountain whose highest point is #c1jgg feet above the ,mediterranean4 ,gerizim1 right opposite1 and southward1 is #b1hdi feet1 and between them is the valley1 whose surface is about #a1fjj feet above the sea4 ,in this valley1 which runs east and west1 is ,shechem1 on the southern side and partly built upon the ascent of ,mt4 ,gerizim4 ,the gathering may have taken place on the west of the city1 where the valley is bounded on the north by that part of the western extent of the ,ebal range which slightly recedes from the line of the valley and takes the form of an amphitheatre4 ,but there is ample room on the east1 where the elevations of both sides are far greater4 ,the valley opens eastward upon the great level plain of ,moreh1 several square miles in extent4 ,where the valley opens upon this plain is the well of ,jacob 7,john #d3f71 and not far north of this well is the traditional tomb of ,joseph1 ,josh4 #bd3cb1 whose embalmed body they buried there after they had conquered the country4 #g4 ,the vicinity of this well and the former history made this ground sacred to the ,israelites1 for here was ,jacob's first settlement and property1 purchased of the sons of ,hamor1 the father of ,shechem1 #bhj years before4 ,even before that purchase by ,jacob it was sacred1 because that #ahi years before ,jacob's time ,abraham built here an altar to the ,lord after that ,he had appeared to him and promised to give this land unto his seed1 ,gen4 #ab3f1 #g4 ,the altar built here by ,joshua1 ,josh4 #h3cj1 was therefore the third altar erected in this vicinity1 the first by ,abraham and the second by ,jacob1 ,gen4 #cc3bj4 ,it is very probable that the great battle at ,ai was fought with the view of clearing the way for the uninterrupted passage of the entire hosts of ,israel to the plain just spoken of1 called the plain of ,moreh1 which stretches out eastward from the bases of ,ebal and ,gerizim1 and was #bj miles north of ,ai4 #h4 ,shechem never was a large town before the conquest4 ,after it was despoiled by the sons of ,jacob and all the inhabitants destroyed or taken captive1 ,gen4 #cd1 it does not appear as re-settled until after the arrival of the ,israelites at their first great national convention at ,ebal1 as described in the eighth chapter of the book of ,joshua4 #i4 ,the second great battle or campaign began at ,gibeon4 ,this place has been identified with an elevated ruin five and a half miles northwest of ,jerusalem4 ,it should be remembered that the ,israelites returned to the camp at ,gilgal near the ford of the ,jordan1 this being their first great camping-place1 and remaining such during their first seven#gc years1 until they removed to ,shiloh and set up the ,tabernacle in that place1 ,josh4 #ah3a4 ,during the second campaign ,joshua conquered nearly all the southern half of ,palestine4 #aj4 ,the third great campaign began with the greatest battle of the conquest1 at the waters of ,merom1 ,josh4 #aa3e4 ,here a great plain exists eight or nine miles in extent north and south1 having the waters of the lake with a part of the upper stream of the ,jordan on the east border4 ,in this battle the ,israelites came off victors1 and then followed a series of reprisals1 which with previous wars consumed about five years4 ,during all these years the women and children1 with the herds and flocks1 remained at ,gilgal on the plains of the ,jordan near ,jericho4 #aa4 ,the next great move was to ,,shiloh4 ,this place was upon the highland #b1bcj feet above the sea1 nineteen miles north of ,jerusalem and about the same distance from the camping-ground at ,gilgal4 ,we suppose that the ,gilgal of this time was about three miles southeast of ancient ,jericho and at the pool now called that of ,jiljulieh4 ,some remains of ,shiloh1 now called ,seilun1 yet appear1 partly on a low hill surrounded by higher hills4 ,jerome says that in his time1 ,a4 ,d4 #cdjdbj1 it was in ruins4 ,the top of the hill has been levelled for several hundred feet1 where are found some ancient foundations and hewn stones1 and here1 as is supposed1 was the site of the ,tabernacle4 ,a little over a half-mile to the northeast is a spring called the spring of ,seilun1 and a pool where the seizure of the young women described in ,judg4 #ba3aibc might very easily have taken place4 #ab4 ,shiloh remained the religious capital and the city where the ,ark and the ,tabernacle rested for about #cjj years1 until the ,ark was removed to the battlefield1 #a ,sam4 #d3c1 and captured by the ,philistines1 after which it was never returned to ,shiloh4 ,the ,tabernacle and the brazen altar were also removed and set up at ,gibeon before the ,temple at ,jerusalem was built1 #a ,chron4 #af3ci2 #ba3bi1 #cj4 ,gibeon was five and a half miles northwest of ,jerusalem and #b1ece feet above the sea4 ,for the history of the capture of the ,ark1 its restoration to ,israel1 and its remaining at ,kirjath-jearim many years before its placement in the ,temple at ,jerusalem1 read #a ,sam4 #d and #f with #g3a1 and #b ,sam4 #f1 also #a ,kin4 #h3ah4 ,the tradition that the ,ark was hidden by the prophet ,jeremiah in a cavern in ,mt4 ,pisgah has arisen from a statement in the second book of ,maccabees1 #b ,mac4 #b3d1 written about ,b4 ,c4 #add4 ,but before this time there was a tradition among the ,jews1 which was recorded in the ,babylonian ,talmud1#gd that the ,ark was hidden in a chamber of the ,temple buildings1 and out of this seems to have grown the other and later tradition4 ,the ,ark was probably burned at the destruction of the ,temple under ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,b4 ,c4 #ehh1 #b ,chron4 #cf3ai4 #ac4 ,kirjath-jearim1 where the ,ark remained so long1 #a ,sam4 #g3b1 was seven miles west by north of ,jerusalem4 ,in this connection it is necessary to say that1 while the statement in #a ,sam4 #g3b leaves the impression in the ,english translation that #bj years was the whole time during which the ,ark remained at that place1 yet 8the sense clearly expressed in the original0 is that from the first placing of the ,ark at ,kirjath-jearim #bj years transpired of anxious expectation that ,jehovah would interpose for the deliverance of his people before that ,samuel gave them any hope4#ge ,the ,ark remained at ,kirjath-jearim from about the time of ,eli's death through the reign of ,saul and until ,david took it from thence to ,jerusalem1 with the exception of the three months during which it was at the house of ,obed-edom1 #b ,sam4 #f4 ,that was from about ,b4 ,c4 #aadj to ,b4 ,c4 #ajdb1 or nearly one hundred years4 #ad4 ,the next great work performed at ,shiloh was the division of the land among the tribes of ,israel4 ,at this time1 about #addd ,b4 ,c41 we have the first recorded survey1 and this was described by the cities then existing and 8in a book10 which was probably attended with the first map of the land4 ,of the twelve tribes1 the ,levites received no district in the division1 they having been devoted to the service of the ,tabernacle4 ,of the remaining eleven tribes1 ,manasseh had a section of land east of the ,jordan as well as one west4 #ae4 ,after this division the appointment of six cities of refuge was made both east and west of the ,jordan1 and very nearly equally distributed north and south4 ,of these six cities only the three west of the ,jordan have been identified with present towns4 ,one was ,,kedesh1 now called ,kades1 four miles west by north of the 8waters of ,merom40 ,it was on a hill overlooking the plain on the west of the 8waters10 which are now known by the name of the ,lake of el-,huleh4 ,the second city of refuge west of the ,jordan was ,,shechem1 sixty-three miles towards the south2 and the third ,,hebron1 eighteen miles south of ,jerusalem and about fifty south of ,shechem4 ,those east of ,jordan were probably very nearly on the same latitude1 namely1 ,,golan1 east of ,kedesh2 ,,ramoth in ,gilead1 east of ,shechem1 probably identified with the town now called es ,salt1 twelve miles east of ,jordan on an elevation #b1ejj feet above the ,mediterranean and twenty miles north of the ,dead ,sea2 and ,,bezer1 not yet identified1 but east of the ,dead ,sea1 on the plains of ,reuben4 #af4 ,the object of this appointment of cities of refuge was to protect the unintentional manslayer from the vengeance of his pursuer4 ,any one who had 8unwittingly0 ,josh4 #bj3c1 slain a man might fly to the nearest city of refuge and 8declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city10 and dwell there until his case was decided by 8the congregation for judgment0 and until the death of the high-priest4 ,the guilty party1 if an intentional manslayer1 was delivered up to the avenger4 ,see ,deut4 #ai3aa4 ,the cities of refuge1 as we have seen1 were as equally distributed throughout the land as the positions of important and accessible cities would admit4 #ag4 ,the blood feud had existed for centuries under the traditionary demand of 8a life for a life10 and this demand1 without the slightest regard to the intention of the manslayer1 was customary and even obligatory1 so that the nearest relative of the slain man was charged with the duty of destroying the manslayer whenever a favorable opportunity presented itself4 ,this custom was modified by the appointment of the cities of refuge and by the institution of laws associated with their appointment1 so that thereafter the innocent slayer should not suffer equally with the guilty1 although the fact that he had shed blood even unintentionally would subject him to the inconvenience of separation from his family for a time4 #ah4 ,the rehearsal of the ,law at the great convention at ,shechem1 the division of the land among the tribes1 and the appointment of cities of refuge#gf were equally in accordance with the directions of ,moses1 and they followed upon the entrance and conquest as soon as it was possible to carry them into execution4 ,the three events are therefore in accordance with the spirit of the times and the provisions of the law1 and are properly connected with the age of ,joshua1 although some writers have thought that the appointment of the cities of refuge took place some centuries later4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,introduction ,,of ,,idolatry4 #a4 ,during the life of ,joshua and of the elders or officers who outlived their leader and were acquainted with the early history of the nation1 the ,israelites held to their obedience to and reverence for the ,mosaic law in all its bearings upon them4 ,but after this era of about thirty years a remarkable defection took place1 and the generation which grew up was drawn into alliances and such social intercourse with the inhabitants that many were won over to the faith and rites of ,canaanitish idolatry4 #b4 ,it should be remembered that these ,canaanitish tribes were not only possessed of riches1 but they showed considerable advance in the knowledge of art1 and their idolatries were attended by a degree of mystery and splendor which we are not accustomed to attribute to them4 ,these conditions are only suggested by certain intimations in the ,scriptural records1 but plainly shown by recent discoveries1 wherein the luxuries and riches of these nations are described by the victors in their records of tribute and capture1 as we have shown4 #c4 ,the fascination of this splendid idolatry had its influence upon the people who had spent their early lives in the monotony of the desert and of a worship which was devoid of images or of anything which could impress itself upon the sight1 except the distant and inaccessible pillar of fire and cloud or the rarely seen and approachless ,ark1 with a few other objects of which many had only occasionally heard4 ,but in the land of the ,canaanites and of their own tribes they met the symbols of the worship of ,baal and of ,ashtoreth upon almost every high hill and in every beautiful grove2 they saw their sacred sculptures frequently and their ornamented temples1 some remains of which are found upon the mountains of ,lebanon at the present day4 ,and those who could not see them were daily entertained with vivid descriptions of the altars and the gold and silver ornaments associated with the worship of the moon as ,ashtoreth and of the sun as ,baal4 #d4 ,baal was the chief god of ,canaan1 whose worship was manifold and spread through the ,canaanitish tribes under varied names1 which1 though differing in form1 always suggested the same cruel or obscene worship4 ,hence the term in ,scripture ,baalim1#gg the plural of ,baal4 ,thus there was the ,baal-thammuz1 ,ezek4 #h3ad2 ,baal-moloch 7the fire ,baal71 #b ,kin4 #bc3aj2 ,baal-zebub1 #b ,kin4 #a3b1 presiding over that decomposition which gave rise to new life1 for zebub1 8flies10 symbolized that life2 hence the ,jewish form in the time of ,christ of ,beelzebub as a burlesque upon the word and worship1 since zebul 7the ,greek in the ,new ,testament7 was a sarcasm intended to mean dung1 and ,satan was thus contemptuously called lord of the dung-heap or ,beelzebul4 ,a change of place also changed the form of the name,baal-hermon1 ,baal-hazor1 ,baal-meon1 etc4 #e4 ,the worship of ,baal and of ,ashtoreth was attended by great cruelty and debauchery4 ,these features were stamped upon all the ceremonies of their worship and the precepts of their religion4 ,no other people ever rivalled them in the mixture of bloodshed and debauchery4#gh ,every influence for good seemed to have been banished from their religion4 ,their most frightful worship was that of ,baal-moloch1 referred to above4 ,in this children were burned alive by their parents2 and this practice in honor of ,baal was carried by the ,phnicians even to ,carthage1 where it became an institution of the ,state4 #f4 ,it was to avoid the contamination of these various idolatries that ,moses commanded the extermination of the ,canaanites1 and it was due to the fact that they permitted the ,canaanites to reside among them that the ,israelites soon fell into their ways of worship1 and in after years they were led in some degree to adopt even the rites of the bloody ,moloch4 ,,period ,,iv4 ,,the ,,period ,,of ,,the ,,judges4 ,,about ,b4 ,c4 #adjbajfj 7,,ussher71 ,,but ,,from ,,history ,,apparently ,,over #djj ,,years4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,the ,,office4 ,,the ,,chronology4 #a4 ,soon after the death of ,joshua the conquest of the land was continued under the lead of the tribe of ,judah4 ,but the ,israelites soon began to be affiliated with the inhabitants4 ,intermarriages1 commercial and social intercourse brought about the change whereby the worship of ,baal and ,ashtoreth took the place of the ancient service of the ,god of their fathers1 and the ,israelites seemed to be given up to the idolatries of the surrounding nations4 #b4 ,a long series of captivities and servitudes now began which introduced a new class of public officers1 called ,judges1 who united the office of general-in-chief and of referee in civil cases1 thus partaking somewhat of the duties indicated by the name 8judge0 by which they are called in ,scripture4 #c4 ,but the duties of the so-called judge varied with the times and the person4 ,gideon declined to rule1 delegating all rule to ,jehovah1 and acted only as deliverer4 ,his son ,abimelech coveted the office of king1 and was the only king during this period and the first king in any part of ,israel4 ,eli judged ,israel #dj years1 #a ,sam4 #d3ah1 and was a noted high-priest4 ,samuel judged all the days of his life1 #a ,sam4 #g3ae1 and was also the first of the long unbroken series of prophets1 uniting with this accredited and newly created office that of sacrifice and intercession for the people1 #a ,sam4 #g3e4 ,samuel closed the line of ,judges4 #d4 ,the period of the ,judges presents us with a most singular form of government and totally unlike any other form which either had preceded or did succeed it4 ,these rulers were generally divinely appointed1 but at times seem to have been elected by the people1 as in the case of ,jephthah and ,abimelech1 ,judg4 #aa3f2 #i3c4 #e4 ,the most remarkable fact connected with the history of the times of the ,judges1 from about ,b4 ,c4 #adjjajfj1 is found in the private and public idolatry of the ,israelites4 ,this idolatry should be considered in view of the covenant their fathers had solemnly made at ,sinai1 and more especially in view of the warnings by ,moses1 reiterated by ,joshua1 and despite the consecration of themselves at ,shechem4 ,many who were living at this time had formed a part of the great convention of consecration and covenant held under ,joshua4 ,notwithstanding all these promises of loyalty to ,god1 there seems to have been no form of idolatry into which they did not fall4 ,the cause of this strange defection is very forcibly presented in ,judg4 #c3eh4 ,another remarkable feature of this age is seen in the renewals of idolatry after equally repeated deliverances from distressful servitudes followed by temporary reforms4 #f4 ,one constant cause of the persistent idolatry was doubtless to be found in the continued social relations of the ,israelites with the tribes of the ,canaanites4 ,the wisdom of the forewarnings of ,moses1 ,deut4 #g3ce1 and of ,joshua1 and of the command made very early in their history that the ,canaanites should be driven out from the land1 and that no association should be had with them1 is now very apparent1 ,exod4 #cd3af4 ,the non-observance of the command was followed by these intimate relations all over the land4 ,at least seven tribes are named1 ,judg4 #a1 as living together with the ,canaanites4 ,even ,judah1 ,benjamin1 and the ,jebusites dwelt in ,jerusalem together at this time1 ,josh4 #ae3fc and ,judg4 #a3ba4 #g4 ,the ,canaanites therefore were admitted into the nation of ,israelites by a kind of naturalization1 and they brought in with them their customs and idolatries1 although they themselves were made tributary4 #h4 ,the history of the times of the ,judges is derived mainly from the books of ,judges1 ,ruth1 and #a ,samuel4 ,but considerable light is added from the records of surrounding nations1 especially from those of the ,egyptians4 ,in a poem by the poet laureate of the times of ,rameses ,,ii41 ,b4 ,c4 #acej1 it is asserted that the ,hittites in a battle on the plain of ,esdraelon had #b1ejj chariots of war4 ,this was before the ,israelites left ,egypt1 and the monuments record that ,rameses ,,iii4 captured #iid ,canaanitish chariots4 ,the goddess ,ashtoreth was1 according to ,naville1 the patroness of war-chariots1 and although the chariots taken by ,joshua were drawn by horses1 ,josh4 #aa3f1 we find them on some of the monuments represented as drawn by oxen1 and it is said that oxen have been trained to run fast4 ,it should be remembered that the use of scythes or swords attached to the wheels or sides of chariots does not appear to have been in vogue until after this period4#gi #i4 ,the ,israelites had no war chariots until the time of ,david1 #b ,sam4 #h3d1 and it is highly improbable that at that time they were used for war purposes1 but only as baggage or forage wagons1 and the remaining number taken in battle were disjointed1 crippled1 or destroyed1 as the ,hebrew text is translated in the ,septuagint1 and not that the horses were 8houghed10#hj as in our ,english version4 #aj4 ,solomon1 ,b4 ,c4 #iib1 gathered chariots from ,egypt and horses1 although he was a man of peace1 and it does not appear for what purpose the chariots were used except for display2 but the act was certainly in direct violation of the law1 ,deut4 #ag3adbj1 and marked the beginning of that king's departure from the service of ,jehovah4 #aa4 ,the chronology of the times of the ,judges is not clearly made out4 ,it cannot be determined that the ,judges all reigned consecutively or that any one ,judge had authority over any larger district than that of a few tribes4 ,the ,scriptural order seems to be as follows3 ,duration ,duration ,began to ,conquerors4 of ,the ,judge4 in office1 rule ,b4 ,c4 servitude4 or 8,rest40 7,ussher74 ,chushan-rishathaim #h years4 #adjb ,othniel #dj years4 #acid ,eglon #ah years4 #aced ,ehud #hj years4 #accf ,philistines 8 ,shamgar 8 8 ,jabin1 a ,canaanite king at ,hazor #bj years4 #acaf ,deborah and ,barak #dj years4 #abif ,midianites and ,amalekites1 etc4 #g years4 #abef ,gideon #dj years4 #abdi ,civil war ,abimelech #c years4 #abji ,tola #bc years4 #abjf ,jair #bb years4 #aahc ,philistines and ,ammon #ah years4 #aafa ,jephthah #f years4 #aadc ,ibzan #g years4 #aacg ,elon #aj years4 #aacj ,abdon #h years4 #aabj ,philistines #dj years4 #aaab ,samson #bj years4 ,eli #dj years4 ,samuel ,all the days of his life1 #a ,sam4 #g3ae4 dies #ajfj ,,saul #ajie ,,first ,,year ,,of ,,reign4 ,the period of the ,judges closed at the time when ,saul was appointed king1 ,b4 ,c4 #ajie4 ,joshua died ,b4 ,c4 #adbf1 as is supposed1 but some#ha have thought that at least thirty years passed between the death of ,joshua and the first servitude1 and the general opinion is that at least four hundred years1 or even four hundred and fifty1 must be taken as the length of time from ,joshua to ,saul1 the first king4 ,by adding the time of the servitudes and those of the rules of the ,judges1 including the time from the death of ,joshua1 we have about the sum stated in ,acts #ac3bj4 ,but it is difficult to reconcile the chronology of this period with that of other periods because of the want of sufficient fulness of statement in the history of the ,judges4#hb ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,scribes ,,of ,,the ,,age4 #a4 ,it should be remembered that during these ages in all prominent nations the office of scribe or historian was a very important one1 the existence of which was very general4 ,before the ,exodus the historians accompanied the kings of ,egypt and ,assyria in their expeditions4 ,several references to such persons are found in the ,scriptures1 #b ,kin4 #be3ai2 #b ,chron4 #bf3aa1 as especially belonging to the army4 ,they are called 8remembrancers0 and 8writers of chronicles0 or 8recorders0 in the time of ,david1 #b ,sam4 #h3af4 ,there were also poets1 who described the events of the national history or the prowess of the king1 not only in ,egypt and ,assyria1 long before ,david1 but also in ,israel4 ,the book of ,jasher referred to in ,josh4 #aj3ac and #b ,sam4 #a3ah was probably a poetic history of heroic acts1 very similar to one discovered in ,egypt1 called the poem of ,pentaur1 celebrating the courage of the ,pharaoh1 ,rameses ,,ii41 who was contemporary with ,moses4 #b4 ,the number of writers of different kinds must have been much greater than is generally supposed4 ,at a very early period during the residence of the ,israelites in ,egypt the taskmasters were always accompanied with 8writers10 called 8officers0 in our version1 ,exod4 #e3f1 and we find them pictured on the monuments1 with their tablets and reeds1 writing even while walking4 ,the children of ,israel had scribes also on their brick-fields to check off the records of those who wrote for the taskmasters1 ,exod4 #e3ae1 #ai4 ,so also the ,judges in 8the gates0#hc had their writers1 ,deut4 #af3ah1 also called 8officers40 ,writers were employed for such engineering purposes as are recorded in ,josh4 #ah3i1 and these were not simply draughtsmen who mapped the country in a book1 but also recorded the position of cities1 of which not less than four hundred and eleven are mentioned by name4 #c4 ,in more recent times there arose the class of writers called by the ,hebrews 8,sopherim0 or 8scribes10 who appear to have been high officers of the ,state or secretaries1 recording edicts of the king besides the many important occurrences of history4 #d4 ,that writers or scribes existed at so early a period as that when the ,israelites were in the desert is certain from the statement in ,num4 #aa3af1 where ,moses is commanded to assemble these writers with the seventy elders4 ,it is plain from these instances that there were numbers in the camp who were expert writers1 and it is highly probable that many of the people were instructed through their writings1 not only then1 but during all the residence of the ,israelites in ,canaan4 #e4 ,there were men then1 as now1 peculiarly fitted to record current events1 or interested in genealogy1 or gifted with poetic talent1 and their inclinations led them to make records which were interesting at those periods1 or to make 8books0 which were known to be faithful and authentic2 and hence in no less than fourteen instances there seem to be references to such books throughout the ,old ,testament writings3 ,num4 #ba3ad2 ,josh4 #aj3ac2 #a ,sam4 #aj3be2 #a ,kin4 #d3cb1 #cc2 #aa3da2 #a ,chron4 #bg3bd2 #bi3bi2 #b ,chron4 #i3bi2 #ab3ae2 #ac3bb2 #ab3ae2 #bj3cd2 #cc3ai2 #ce3be4 #f4 ,it is certain therefore that in the times of the monarchy public records were carefully kept1 and even long before that time the people were not without their historians1 who wrote down all important events and preserved and copied writings for others then living and for those who should come after them4 ,,period ,v4 ,,the ,,period ,,of ,,the ,,kings ,,to ,,the ,,captivity4 ,,from ,b4 ,c4 ,,about #ajie ,,to ,b4 ,c4 #ehh1 #ejg ,,years4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,monarchy4 ,,reign ,,of ,,saul4 #a4 ,one of the most evident results of the intimate associations of the ,israelites with the ,canaanitish tribes was the desire to have a king4 ,in the transition from the era of the ,judges to that of the ,kings there arose a man whose earliest days had been passed in the precincts of the ,tabernacle at ,shiloh under the care of ,eli1 the priest and judge of ,israel4 ,he seems to have been one whose evident piety and clear and manly judgment had impressed the people with a reverence for him from his earliest days4 ,no other person in the times of the ,judges seems to have been known so universally as uniting in one man divine authority and wisdom1 and of no other had it been said that 8all ,israel1 from ,dan to ,beersheba1 knew that ,samuel was established to be a prophet of the ,lord10 #a ,sam4 #c3bj4 #b4 ,with ,samuel1 as we have said1 the line of the ,judges closes4 ,by divine direction he gratified the demands of the people by appointing ,saul king over ,israel1 but not without a solemn warning as to the despotism with which the kings1 in the future1 would rule over them4 ,the whole land now becomes united under one ruler as a king1 but at the same time strongly influenced by the prophetic authority of ,samuel1 who seems never to have lost power1 either over the people or the king4 #c4 ,dan and ,beersheba were towns which in common speech limited the whole land1 the former on the north1 the later on the south4 ,dan was the name of only the tribe on the ,mediterranean west of ,jerusalem until the time that a colony from this tribe migrated to the extreme north of ,canaan1 beyond all the tribes1 and drove out a company of ,sidonians who had settled by themselves near the southern parts of ,mt4 ,hermon1 in a place before called ,laish4 ,this town the ,danites conquered1 and1 taking possession of the place1 named it ,dan1 after their ancestor4 ,scarcely anything remains of this ancient city1 but its location1 called ,tel el-,kady is beautiful1 at the head of the plain of ,huleh1 nearly twenty-five miles north of the ,sea of ,galilee4 ,there are two fine springs at the ancient site and the elevation is #eje feet above the ,mediterranean1 which is twenty-five miles distant1 on the west1 to a point near the city of ,tyre1 which then existed4 ,dan was in the region assigned to the tribe of ,naphtali4 #d4 ,beersheba was exactly #adh miles south-southwest of ,dan4 ,here the only remains consist of two very ancient large wells4 ,the site still bears the ancient name and is twenty-seven miles southwest from ,hebron4 ,the wells contain excellent water and show the rope-grooves of many centuries in the massive stones with which they are lined and curbed4 #e4 ,the introduction of ,saul to the full possession of the kingly office and authority was after his first battle1 near a place east of the ,jordan1 called ,jabesh-gilead4 ,the ,ammonites had come up against this city from the south and demanded its unconditional surrender4 ,in their distress they sent to their brethren1 at ,gibeah1 where ,saul resided4 ,saul seems to have had1 at this time1 but little to do as king1 and it was not until he returned from the field1 where he had been attending to his cattle1 that on inquiry he learned the condition of the inhabitants of ,jabesh-gilead and their appeal for help to their brethren1 who were publicly lamenting their inability to give them any aid4 #f4 ,saul immediately hewed a yoke of oxen into pieces1 and sending messengers with pieces of the oxen throughout the entire land of ,israel1 made wise use of the name of ,samuel in union with his own1 in the threat1 8,whosoever cometh not forth after ,saul and after ,samuel1 so shall it be done unto his oxen10 #a ,sam4 #aa3g4 ,no such universal call to united effort had before sounded over the land for ages4 ,it was the sword of the king and the authority of ,samuel the prophet of the ,lord1 and the call was honored from ,dan to ,beersheba4 ,the messengers from the besieged city were hurried back with the cheering reply from the gathering army1 8,to-morrow by that time the sun be hot ye shall have help10 #a ,sam4 #aa3i4 ,,jabesh-,,gilead4 #g4 ,jabesh-gilead is not certainly identified1 but it was not far off from a valley known as ,wady ,jabes1 or ,yabes1 about twenty miles southeast of the ,sea of ,galilee1 in the land of ,gilead4 ,bezek1 where the hosts gathered before they started to cross the ,jordan1 was some plain near the ,jordan not yet identified4 #h4 ,three hundred and thirty thousand of ,israel gathered themselves together in three bands and hastily crossed the ,jordan in the night1 and before the heat of day they had slain and routed the ,ammonites in the greatest battle that had been known in ,canaan for several centuries4 ,so great was the reaction from the long-continued indifference to united effort1 and especially to the publicly expressed lack of confidence in ,saul1 that1 in keeping with their rude manners1 they demanded the immediate execution of those who had spoken against the king4 #i4 ,but ,samuel turned this feeling into another channel4 ,he summoned a great gathering similar to the one called by ,joshua #cjj years before at ,shechem1 but at this time the assembly was at ,gilgal4 ,here they renewed their promises to ,god and to the king4 ,this was the ,gilgal which was upon the plains of ,jericho1 and of which we have already spoken4 #aj4 ,saul now became king in its fullest sense4 ,his first act was to appoint a standing army of #c1jjj4 ,by an ill-timed attack upon an outpost of the ,philistines the anger of that entire nation was aroused at a time when the ,israelites were unprepared to meet them4 ,samuel was called upon for advice and service1 but ,saul's impatience and disobedience to the directions of the prophet discouraged ,samuel so greatly that he withdrew from ,saul4 ,jonathan by a stratagem executed in the night1 #a ,sam4 #ad1 created a panic in the ,philistine army1 and the ,israelites1 gathering together from various hiding-places to which they had fled in their fear1 joined in pursuit1 until the ,philistines were driven back to their own country1 which was upon the southwest coast of ,palestine about forty miles distant4 ,but the repeated instances of disobedience1 coupled with deception1 on the part of ,saul led ,samuel to withdraw from the king entirely and for ever1 and by divine appointment he anointed ,david1 in private1 to be successor to ,saul4 ,david's appointment was suspected1 and it aroused the bitter jealousy of the king1 which was shown by his continued pursuit and persecution of ,david1 until the great and final battle of ,saul's reign1 which took place on the plain of ,jezreel1 against the ,philistines1 about ,b4 ,c4 #ajef4 ,,saul',s ,,last ,,battle4 #aa4 ,this battle1 with its associated geography and incidental history1 requires some knowledge of the localities of ,,shunem1 ,,gilboa1 and ,,en-,,dor4 ,the ,philistines1 with whom ,saul was soon to contend1 had approached the great plain of ,esdraelon from their coast on the southwest4 ,they had passed up the plain of ,sharon northward along the shore of the ,great ,sea and entered through the pass of ,mt4 ,carmel1 which range limits this plain on the southwest1 and thus they had entered the plain which we have already described1 page #aja4 ,saul had gathered his army1 and passing northward along the central elevated ridge1 had reached the same plain at the town of ,en-gannim1 which is on the edge of the southern border and overlooks the plain4 ,shunem was ten miles north4 ,here the ,philistines were now gathering in their forces from the west1 since the pass is sixteen miles west of ,shunem4 ,it is an interesting fact that ,gen4 ,kleber1 under ,napoleon ,i4 in his battle with the ,turks1 #agii1 drew up his smaller army of fifteen hundred in a square occupying exactly the same ground which a part of the ,philistine army covered at this time1 while the ,turks with their twenty-five thousand covered more of the same battle-ground on the north4#hd #ab4 ,shunem1 now called ,solam1 is on the west and southern end of the short hill range running east1 and supposed to be the hill of ,moreh1 but the ,philistines occupied the plain on the south of this ridge-end1 for ,saul's army was across the valley on the west end of ,mt4 ,gilboa and immediately opposite the ,philistines4 ,between the two armies was the valley of ,jezreel running down eastward to ,beth-shean in the valley of ,jordan4 ,the town of ,jezreel1 which gave name to the valley1 was south of ,shunem,shunem on the ,philistines' side1 ,jezreel on that of ,saul4 ,just one mile and a half southeast of the valley of ,jezreel is the 8,fountain of ,jezreel10 now a large body of water fed by a spring called ,ain ,jalud4 ,this is probably both the ,fountain of ,jezreel of #a ,sam4 #bi3a1 and the 8water0 referred to in ,judg4 #g3d4 ,it is also the 8well of ,harod0 of the first verse4 ,it was just two centuries before this battle that ,gideon at this place obtained his great victory over the ,midianites1 and it was1 perhaps1 chosen by ,saul because of the fountain4 #ac4 ,as ,saul had more than #cjj1jjj warriors in his battle with the ,ammonites and was as fully aware of the seriousness of a conflict with the ,philistines as he was there with the ,ammonites1 it is probable that he brought into the field as many as he then had4 ,the ,philistines had a much larger number than ,saul1 and the total number therefore in conflict could not have been less than #gjj1jjj4 ,the evening before the morning of the battle ,saul came fully to the conclusion that the ,philistines were too strong for the forces under his command4 ,in his forlorn belief in the spirit world and in the existence of ,samuel1 although three years dead1 he determined upon an interview with the prophet if it were possible by a witch's power of incantation to obtain it4 ,as soon as it was dark1 ,saul1 disguised1 and with two trusty servants1 crossed the valley from ,gilboa northward to the village of ,en-dor1 where in the caves near at hand there dwelt such a woman as he sought4 ,the distance from the ,fountain of ,jezreel is about seven miles north4 ,the interview with ,samuel1 which seems to have been as unlooked for and as terrible to the witch as it was dreadful and disheartening to ,saul1 is recorded in #a ,sam4 #bh3cbe4 #ad4 ,early the next day the battle began4 ,the place called ,aphek1 where the main centre or headquarters of the ,philistines was located1 is not known1 but was probably a mile southwest of ,shunem1 where the left wing of the army extended upon the line of its approach4 ,the ,philistines had the army of ,saul at terrible disadvantage from the fact that his troops were drawn up southeast of them against the foot of ,gilboa and slightly covering its sides1 and thus elevated to the shafts of the archers4 ,it was at about this age that the bow in war was used with terrible fatality by some of the ,african nations1 and the ,philistines had added this weapon to their javelins and short arms4#he #ae4 ,it was a battle of arrows against swords and slings1 and the archers won the victory1 and after a long day's fearful contest ,saul and his three sons lay dead among the defeated thousands that covered the flanks of ,gilboa4 ,beth-shean was in sight eastward down the valley of ,jezreel4 ,it probably was never a ,jewish but always a ,canaanitish city1 and here the ,philistines the next day carried the headless trunk of ,saul's body and nailed it upon the outside walls with the bodies of his sons1 while the salted head of the king was sent to the land of the victors to be carried around through the cities of the ,philistines on exhibition4 ,large numbers of the ,philistines now took possession of the vacated cities1 and many of the ,israelites crossed the ,jordan to find other homes until better times should come4 ,,ziklag ,,and ,,the ,,south ,,country4 #af4 ,among the vast numbers of the ,philistine army1 as they came upon the plain from ,mt4 ,carmel1 ,david's royal friend1 ,king ,achish1 occupied the rear1 and ,david and his small band would be distinguished from the lack of the conventional army uniform1 which could be seen at a great distance4 ,the appearance of the ,philistines in war was specially distinguishable from that of all other warriors by a peculiar head-dress and tightly-fitting tunic1 leaving the arms bare4 ,but ,david's presence formed ground for suspicion1 and he was dismissed to return with his men to ,ziklag4 ,the situation of this place is not known1 but from various circumstances it could not have been far off from the hill country of ,juda and in the general vicinity and south of ,gath1 since ,achish1 who gave him the place1 was king of that city4#hf #ag4 ,on his return to ,ziklag1 finding that the ,amalekites of the far south had burned his city and carried off all the families1 ,david and his men pursued after them1 recovered all1 and returned to ,ziklag4 8,the south0 was a special term for that country beginning somewhere about ,beersheba and reaching fifty or sixty miles south1 and perhaps farther4 #ah4 ,the duration of ,saul's reign was about forty years1 or as the commonly received chronology presents it1 from #ajie ,b4 ,c4 to #ajef ,b4 ,c41 and at the latter date ,saul and his eldest son ,jonathan died upon the battlefield4 ,in this great battle the ,philistines1 as we have said1 used bows and arrows1 and in this respect had a great advantage over the ,israelites1 who were not taught the use of this instrument in war until after this battle1 #b ,sam4 #a3ah1 and in the reign of ,david4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,reigns ,,of ,,david ,,and ,,of ,,solomon4 #a4 ,upon the death of ,saul and ,jonathan the kingdom of ,israel was ruled by two kings1 ,david and the son of ,saul1 ,ish-bosheth1 whom ,abner1 the captain-general of ,saul's host1 had made king over all ,israel excepting ,judah1 which was loyal to ,david1 #b ,sam4 #b3d4 ,saul's son reigned only two years1 when he was assassinated by two of his 8captains of bands40 ,after this event the chief men of ,israel came to ,david1 who was at ,hebron1 and entered into a league with him1 by which he became king over all ,israel at the age of forty years4 ,after seven years of reign at ,hebron he attacked the city of the ,jebusites1 #ah miles north of ,hebron4 ,this place was known as ,,jerusalem in after ages1 although at that time called ,jebus1 #a ,chron4 #aa3d4 ,the position of ,jebus was an exceedingly strong one4 #b4 ,from recent examinations1 by shafts and excavations1 the site of the ,jebus of ,david's time was a rocky eminence1 precipitous towards the east1 south1 and southwest1 with access on other sides except for a short space on the north4 ,the top was unevenly level1 but only a part of this top seems to have been occupied by the city of ,jebus1 the southern part having a fortification distinct from the walled-up portion on the north and northeast4 ,this part was taken by ,david on his arrival1 and the remaining part1 after some delay1 was captured in a very courageous attack by an officer whose name was ,joab4 #c4 ,the present circumference of the walls of ,jerusalem is #b miles very nearly2 but although these walls include the larger part of the hill1 there still remains a portion1 called ,mt4 ,zion1 on the southwest1 which is not included1 and it is this part that was captured by ,david and was called the city of ,david or ,zion4 ,due west from the city the ,mediterranean is #cf miles distant and the ,jordan is #ah miles due east4 ,on the east side1 in the time of ,david1 a part of the city wall rose nearly #ajj feet above the channel of the ,kidron1 and from the representations of fortified cities of these times1 as they are met with upon the tablets both of ,egypt and of ,assyria1 the stones of the walls were placed with great skill4 ,some of the ancient stones of the city are even now laid upon solid rock eighty feet below the soil at the base of the present wall on the east side and the southeast corner4 #d4 ,the reign of ,david was noted for successful wars with the ,philistines on the southwest1 the ,amalekites on the south1 the ,moabites and ,ammonites on the east of ,jordan and the ,dead ,sea1 the ,syrians in the region of ,damascus1 together with a king on the north4 ,from the circumstances narrated1 this king must have been one of great wealth and power and was probably a king of the ,hittites1 as that nation had at this period grown in extent and in military strength and held large landed property near the ,euphrates4 ,he is recorded as king of ,zobah1 a region not exactly identified1 but very probably a district north of ,damascus1 between the ,euphrates and the ,mediterranean1 but lying east of ,hamath 7the modern ,hama7 which is #aaj miles north of ,damascus4 ,in one of the ,assyrian inscriptions ,zobah is spoken of as between the ,euphrates and ,hamath1 which latter place belonged to another king 7#b ,sam4 #h3i74 ,beside these lands1 he conquered ,edom and placed garrisons there4 #e4 ,david reigned from ,b4 ,c4 #ajef to ,b4 ,c4 #ajae1 or about forty years according to the commonly received chronology1 and was over #gj years of age at his death1 just before which he appointed ,solomon1 his son1 at about the age of #bj1 to succeed him4 ,the reign of ,solomon was unlike the two previous in that it was one of entire rest from war until at the extreme close4 ,a large part of ,solomon's reign was devoted to building the ,temple and several palaces and cities1 beside the construction of a navy upon the ,red ,sea and the erection of various treasure cities for his chariots and for his horsemen4 #f4 ,this age in ,israel was characterized as one of great wealth and splendor1 such as had not been known before4 ,it was also distinguished for the wisdom of ,solomon4 ,his policy of peace was greatly strengthened by leagues and alliances with the kings about him1 chiefly through marriages1 after the custom of ,oriental kings at that day4 ,the ,pharaoh whose daughter he married1 and for whom he built a palace in ,jerusalem1 came up and burned a city called ,gezer and slew the ,canaanites who dwelt there1 giving the city to his daughter1 #a ,kings #i3af4 ,,gezer4 #g4 ,gezer has recently been discovered1 with a ,hebrew and ,greek inscription on the surface of a large rock which identifies the town by name4 ,the location of the place is not quite #bj miles west by north of ,jerusalem1 and its position upon a high ridge1 which is nearly a mile long1 makes it probable that it was a formidable town4 ,it was1 before its capture by ,pharaoh1 a standing menace to the authority of ,solomon1 as it seems at that time to have been independent4 ,it is probable that its destruction was instigated by ,solomon1 who thereby exhibited the interest ,pharaoh had in him and1 at the same time1 avoided the unwelcome task of exposing his own people to the casualties of warfare4 #h4 ,the prayer of ,solomon at the beginning of his reign was for wisdom and judgment in the execution of his kingly authority and in his government of the people4 ,of this wisdom he possessed an unparalleled share4 ,but1 while wise in the control of others1 he lost power over himself and was led into grievous idolatry through his associations4 ,this open worship of the deities of the nations with whom he had entered into league through his marriages will always remain as a warning against the insidious power of evil associations1 even in the case of the wisest4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,division ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom4 #a4 ,solomon after a reign of #dj years#hg was succeeded by his son ,rehoboam1 who1 through the adoption of evil counsel1 brought on a great rebellion and division which resulted in the formation of the two kingdomsone of ,judah1 with its chief city at ,jerusalem1 and the other of ,israel1 with its capital at ,shechem4 ,jeroboam soon removed to ,tirzah1 where the capital1 or royal residence1 remained for many years until ,samaria became the capital1 and continued to be so until the captivity1 #a ,kings #af3bc4 ,,tirzah4 ,this city has been identified with a village now inhabited and which is called ,teiasir1 eleven miles north by east of ,shechem and twelve miles east-northeast of ,samaria4 ,it is #iie feet above the ,mediterranean on the main road to ,beth-shean4 ,but formerly ,tirzah was1 by ,dr4 ,robinson1 supposed to be found in a village called ,telluzah1 six miles due east of ,samaria1 built upon a hill #a1idj feet above the ,mediterranean and commanding a magnificent view eastward4 ,this place1 in its position1 well deserves the name 8,tirzah10 which means 8beauty40 ,it is probably referred to in the ,song of ,solomon1 #f3d4 ,it was thirty-four miles a little east of due north from ,jerusalem4 ,but neither of these places can with certainty be called the ,tirzah of this history4 ,samaria was private property at this time1 having no settlement upon it until nearly fifty years after the division of the kingdom1 when it was bought by ,omri1 king of ,israel1 from ,shemer1 and1 after him1 named ,samaria4 #b4 ,there is a great chronological difficulty in adjusting the reigns of the kings of ,judah and of ,israel4 ,it arises1 in some degree1 from the fact that the number of months is omitted in the statements of the years during which the reigns continued1 for the whole number of years only is given4 ,moreover the statements are not always clear in relation to the epoch from which the number given is to be counted4 ,but more recently collateral history1 both ,egyptian and ,assyrian1 has supplied certain data whereby considerable aid has been furnished in the settlement of some of the difficulties4 ,under the supposition that the commonly accepted chronology is correct and that the division of the kingdom1 at the death of ,solomon1 took place ,b4 ,c4 #ige1 the kingdom of ,israel lasted #bec years and the kingdom of ,judah #chg years1 that is from ,b4 ,c4 #ige to ,b4 ,c4 #gbb for ,israel and from ,b4 ,c4 #ige to ,b4 ,c4 #ehh for ,judah4 #c4 ,the captivity of ,israel took place ,b4 ,c4 #gbb1 at the taking of ,samaria by ,sargon1 the general of ,shalmaneser4 ,in the book of ,kings we have the account of the attack of ,shalmaneser upon ,samaria1 #b ,kings #ag3f2 #ah3aj4 ,in the last passage1 the phrase 8they took it0 appears to refer to the fact that both ,shalmaneser and ,sargon laid siege to ,samaria1 for although the former began the siege1 he died suddenly before the city was taken1 and ,sargon1 who had seized upon the throne of ,assyria1 immediately returned and completed the siege4 ,sargon's own account of the siege and of the captivity remarkably agrees with the statement in the book of ,kings4 ,these facts are derived from the ,assyrian tablets4 #d4 ,in regard to this king of ,assyria1 ,sargon by name1 the verse in ,isaiah #bj3a was for twenty-five centuries the only known evidence of his existence4 ,it was not until recently1 when the mound which covered his palace was excavated1 that the name came to view4 ,it was then discovered that he was one of the greatest kings of ,assyria1 and his history was recorded upon the large alabaster slabs which lined a part of his palace4 ,judah was carried into captivity ,b4 ,c4 #ehh4 ,the whole number of rulers1 from ,rehoboam the first king to ,zedekiah the last1 inclusive of both1 was #bj1 of which number there was one queen1 ,athaliah1 who reigned six years4 #e4 ,the line of descent of the ,messiah passed through ,judah and through all its kings except the last 7,zedekiah71 and the third and fourth from the last1 namely1 ,jehoahaz and ,jehoiakim4 ,the kings of ,israel were none of them in this line4 ,it was for this reason that the tribe of ,judah was the most important and prominent of all the tribes4 #f4 ,the captivity of ,judah took place under ,nebuchadnezzar1 called also ,nebuchadrezzar1 ,ezek4 #bi3ai4 ,this king succeeded to the throne of ,babylon ,b4 ,c4 #fjd4 ,his father was the first king of ,babylon after the fall of ,nineveh and death of its king ,assur-bani-pal1 the ,sardanapalus of the ,greek historians4 #g4 ,immediately after the fall of ,nineveh1 ,b4 ,c4 #fbf1 the father of ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,nabopolassar1 founded the independent monarchy of ,babylon1 ,b4 ,c4 #fbe1 and at the death of ,nabopolassar1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjd1 ,nebuchadnezzar ascended the throne4 ,he was a general of great energy and enterprise and became so well known1 even to the ,greeks1 that according to ,josephus1#hh he was compared with ,hercules for his valor and deeds4#hi ,the prophet ,jeremiah compares him with an eagle swooping down on his prey1#ij and ,ezekiel represents him as a great eagle with great wings4#ia ,he was intrusted by his father with the entire management of the attack upon ,nechoh1 who had come up from ,egypt in battle against the city ,carchemish on the ,euphrates1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjf4 ,this city was over five hundred miles northwest from ,babylon on the west bank of the river4 #h4 ,with a fine army he attacked ,nechoh1 and defeated him with so dreadful a slaughter that the ,egyptian king retreated rapidly to the ,nile4 ,nebuchadnezzar followed him through ,palestine to ,pelusium1 a city on the sea-coast frontiers of ,egypt1 about seventy miles east of the ,nile4 ,at this place he heard of the death of his father1 at ,babylon1 and committing the army and his prisoners into the hands of his trusty generals1 he left and1 with a small escort1 crossed the desert and arrived at ,babylon1 #gjj miles distant to the east4 ,here he found that the chief of the priestly caste of the ,chaldans had held the government for him since the death of his father4#ib ,he then peaceably succeeded his father4 #i4 ,but the kingdom of ,judah had not yet submitted to ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,he1 therefore1 after settling the new order of rule at ,babylon1 returned to ,syria1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjb1 and attacked ,jehoiakim1 king of ,judah1 and placed him under tribute4 ,three years had not passed before this ,hebrew king1 counting on help from the king of ,egypt1 rebelled against the king of ,babylon1 and dying soon after1 left the odium of the rebellion1 together with the regal succession1 to his son ,jehoiachin4 #aj4 ,this king of ,judah had reigned only three months when ,nebuchadnezzar sent an army into ,judah and soon after arrived in person2 and the king of ,judah was forced to submit to the king of ,babylon1 and1 with #aj1jjj of his best citizens1 he was taken prisoner and carried to ,babylon4 ,the uncle of the king of ,judah1 whose name was changed to ,zedekiah1 that is1 8the righteousness of ,jehovah10 was placed upon the throne by ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,his previous name was ,mattaniah1 that is1 8gift of ,jehovah10 and ,nebuchadnezzar1 in giving him this new name1 evidently intended it as a suggestion to the king that he was expected to sustain the truthful character of that ,jehovah whom he professed to serve2 for the king of ,babylon had made ,zedekiah promise by oath and covenant1 swearing by his ,god1 to be faithful to him1 #b ,chron4 #cf3ac2 ,ezek4 #ag3ac1 ,b4 ,c4 #eii4 ,in the same manner ,pharaoh-nechoh changed the name of ,eliakim to ,jehoiakim1 when he advanced him to the throne eleven years before1 ,b4 ,c4 #faj4 #b ,kings #bc3cd4 ,he simply changed the ordinary name1 ,el1 god1 to that most holy name of the ,israelites' divinity1 namely ,jehovah4 #aa4 ,after eleven years of reign ,zedekiah rebelled1 and then the final siege of ,jerusalem took place1 and the ,jews were forced by starvation to yield to the king4 ,during the delay required by the siege1 ,nebuchadnezzar remained at a place called ,riblah 7now ,ribla7 #bjj miles north of ,jerusalem and #gj miles northeast of ,beirt1 pleasantly located in the valley between the ,lebanon ranges and on the east side of the river ,orontes4 ,this place was made sadly prominent eighteen years before by the imprisonment of ,jehoahaz1 the successor of ,josiah1 king of ,judah4 ,he was taken captive and removed from ,jerusalem and left at this place by ,pharaoh-nechoh when he was on his way to his terrible defeat by ,nebuchadnezzar at ,carchemish1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjf4 ,but on his retreat he carried ,jehoahaz to ,egypt1 where he died1 #b ,kings #bc3cc1 #cd4 #ab4 ,when the generals of ,nebuchadnezzar had taken ,jerusalem1 they brought ,zedekiah and the royal family to ,riblah1 where it appears that the king of ,babylon upbraided ,zedekiah for his violation of his oath1 and then slew his sons before his eyes4 ,this was his last and dreadful vision1 for immediately after1 according to the custom of these kings depicted upon the monuments1 8he put out the eyes of ,zedekiah and bound him with fetters of brass and carried him to ,babylon10 #b ,kings #be3g4 #ac4 ,the king of ,babylon now left the completion of the destruction of ,jerusalem and the deportation of captives to one of his chief army officers1 called 8the captain of the guard40 ,this officer sent off all the treasure of the ,temple and of the various palaces1 and then having burned the ,temple and all the chief houses1 he broke down the walls and so completely destroyed the city that the ruler1 who was left to take charge of the few poor remaining1 resided at ,mizpah1#ic a village1 not certainly but very probably1 identified with a place on a high hill five miles west by north from ,jerusalem4 #ad4 ,judah was now finally carried away captive1 and the seventy years of captivity foretold by the prophet ,jeremiah 7,jer4 #bd3aa2 #bi3aj7 are to be reckoned from the first captivity1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjf1 when ,daniel and others were carried to ,babylon in the third year of ,jehoiakim1 #b ,kings #bd3a1 #b4 ,these seventy years terminated when ,cyrus1 in the first year of his reign at ,babylon1 ,b4 ,c4 #ecf1 made his proclamation permitting the ,jews to return to ,palestine and rebuild the temple1 ,ezra #a3aa4 #ae4 ,about #ej1jjj accepted the invitation1 but a large number preferred to remain1 as we shall more fully explain hereafter4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,analysis ,,of ,,the ,,reigns ,,of ,,judah ,,and ,,israel4 #a4 ,of the twenty sovereigns of ,judah1 ,manasseh reigned the longest1 namely fifty-five years4 ,he was the fourteenth king and began to reign at twelve years of age1 ,b4 ,c4 #fih4 ,the shortest reigns in ,judah were those of ,jehoiachin and ,jehoahaz1 who reigned only about three months each1 near the close of the kingdom1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjj and ,b4 ,c4 #faj4 ,both of these kings were deposed by foreign kings4 #b4 ,of the nineteen sovereigns of ,israel1 the one who continued longest upon the throne was ,jeroboam1 the second of that name4 ,his reign continued forty-one years1 from ,b4 ,c4 #hbe to ,b4 ,c4 #ghd4 ,he was the thirteenth king4 ,the shortest reign was that of ,zimri1 who committed suicide by burning himself in his palace at ,tirzah1 with all its riches1 ,b4 ,c4 #icj1 when he found he was about to be taken4 ,he usurped the throne and held it only seven days4 ,he was the fifth king4 ,,moral ,,character ,,of ,,the ,,kings4 #c4 ,of the twenty sovereigns of ,judah1 twelve were continually idolatrous4 ,they seemed to be entirely unmindful of the previous history of the nation and of the claims of ,jehovah upon their reverence or gratitude4 ,the ,temple service seems to have been continued by the priests at ,jerusalem1 but1 from the warnings of the prophets1 it appears that even the priests proved faithless and frequently allowed themselves to be led in accordance with the passions and violence of the kings1 so that irreverence and sacrilege were common4 ,the treasures of the ,temple1 those vessels1 ornaments1 and trophies which were sacred to its use1 or placed there in commemoration of victories and in honor of the ,lord1 were repeatedly seized by the kings and given to their enemies1 or used for private purposes1 and1 in some instances1 removed to give place for idolatrous practices4 ,parts of the ,temple considered sacred to the name of ,jehovah were desecrated by altars built for the worship of the hosts of heaven1 and graven images were erected upon the ,temple grounds1 in defiance of the law4 #d4 ,the kings themselves frequently gave public examples of their contempt for ,jehovah by the service and worship of the gods of surrounding nations1 by erecting temples and altars and by planting groves upon high places and setting up images of ,baal and ,ashtoreth throughout the land and in prominent towns1 so that the people were constantly drawn into idolatry and their children made to dwell in the presence and under the influence of idolatrous emblems1 as seen throughout the kingdom4 #e4 ,the above mentioned facts are specially applicable to twelve kings out of the twenty of ,judah1 but the character of the reigns of ,israel was even worse4 ,of its nineteen kings1 not one was free from idolatry4 ,at the very beginning of their history the first king1 ,jeroboam1 who had spent about five years in ,egypt at the court of ,shishak1 erected a golden calf at ,bethel and one at ,dan in the north1 and invited the people to worship at these shrines in preference to the 8house of the ,lord10 the ,temple1 at ,jerusalem4 #f4 ,this worship of the golden calf was a repetition of the same worship which was performed #ejj years before at ,mt4 ,sinai1 soon after the ,israelites came out of ,egypt1 and ,jeroboam the king in instituting it repeated the words which were uttered at ,mt4 ,sinai1#id namely1 8,these be thy gods1 ,o ,israel1 which brought thee up out of the land of ,egypt10 ,exod4 #cb3d4 #g4 ,the selection of the calf was suggested by the prominence which that animal1#ie as the symbol of divine power1 attained in ,egypt4 ,the costly adornment and preservation of the sacred living bull1 or ,apis1 and the magnificent funeral ceremonies and entombment of the dead ,apis are frequently alluded to on the monuments of ,egypt4 ,long before the departure of the ,israelites from ,egypt the veneration of the sacred bull had been exhibited in services and obsequies1 so general throughout ,lower ,egypt1 and so imposing1 that the effect upon the population must have been far more solemn and impressive than anything we can conceive of at the present day4 ,the costly burial places1 called 8,serapeums10 some of which yet exist1 and the granite sarcophagi show beyond any question how reverent and imposing the worship of the bull must have been4 #h4 ,in the expression used at ,mt4 ,sinai and by ,jeroboam the word 8gods0 has the force of the singular number1 being that word sometimes applied to ,jehovah and always used in the plural number1 called 8the plural of excellence20 so that while translated in this phrase 8gods10 to the ,hebrew it was the same as 8god20 hence there was only one calf-image at any place4 ,it is both remarkable and memorable that notwithstanding the bold and careless manner in which ,jeroboam's contempt for the worship of ,jehovah was exhibited1 yet in the later history of his life1 when a bitter sorrow was coming upon him1 he acted the part of ,saul and applied for help to the prophet whose counsel he had abused4 ,the results were the same and the record is in #a ,kings #ad4 #i4 ,it should be remembered that while the kings and many of the people departed from their covenanted service of ,jehovah1 and the land was full of idolaters1 there were1 at all times1 those who in the privacies of their homes were faithful servants of the ,most ,high4 ,this fact was brought out in the time of the prophet ,elijah2 for when the prophet in his despair supposed he was the only surviving worshipper of ,god1 the ,lord revealed to him the truth that at that very moment there were #g1jjj in ,israel who had never bowed the knee to ,baal1 but were faithful to ,jehovah1 #a ,kings #ai3ah4 ,even in the household of the idolatrous ,ahab there was one who held so persistently to the ancient faith in ,jehovah1 that1 despite the cunning1 power1 and vengeance of ,jezebel1 he succeeded in hiding and feeding one hundred of the prophets of the ,lord1 probably in several caves4 ,this man1 ,obadiah by name1 was governor of ,ahab's house1 #a ,kings #ah3c1 and not the prophet1 who lived about #ehg ,b4 ,c4 #aj4 ,frequently1 during the darkest times of the two kingdoms1 there suddenly appeared an antecedently unknown messenger of ,god1 who bore with him the evidence that he was a member of a reserved force of faithful ones whose existence had never been published in the annals of the kingdom2 and these unknown servants existed in both kingdoms alike1 and were of both sexes1 as we find in the cases of ,huldah1 whose knowledge of the law made her worthy of consultation by the king1 and of ,hannah before her1 and of that nameless woman dwelling in the walled city ,abel1 who1 although 8peaceable and faithful in ,israel10 had power enough simply by her wise counsel to turn back the fierce army of ,joab1 #b ,sam4 #bj3ai4 ,,abel4 ,this place was also called ,abel-beth-maachah4 ,it was upon the level land twelve miles north by west of the waters of ,merom1 lake ,huleh1 and is now called ,abl4 ,abel means 8meadow40 ,the village is over #a1jjj feet above the lake ,huleh 7#a1jgd feet71 and is a ,christian village4 #aa4 ,it is1 therefore1 reasonable to suppose that although at court and by the kings the law of the ,lord was little known and read1 it might yet have been thoroughly studied and observed by many in private4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,institution ,,of ,,the ,,prophetical ,,office4 #a4 ,but a most remarkable feature of the times of the kings1 both of ,judah and ,israel1 appeared in that religious body called the ,prophets4 ,the name 8prophet0 was originally given by ,god to ,abraham1 ,gen4 #bj3g1 and seemed to imply a familiarity with ,god1 or that the one to whom it was applied had divine authority to speak for ,god4 ,the prophets1 therefore1 were not confined in their utterances to a mere foretelling of events1 but1 in addition1 were made the messengers of ,god and uttered commands as well as advice by his appointment and in his stead4 #b4 ,they received divine messages in several ways3 7#a7 by impulses1 commanding and influencing their thoughts while awake1 as in the case of ,elisha1 #b ,kings #c3ae2 7#b7 by audible sounds1 as in the case of ,samuel when a child1 #a ,sam4 #c3aj1 and when older and a prophet1 as recorded in #a ,sam4 #i3ae and in other passages2 7#c7 and by visions1 or dreams1 as in the cases of ,isaiah1 ,isa4 #a3a1 ,micaiah1 #a ,kings #bb3ag1 and ,daniel1 ,dan4 #aj3a1 #g4 #c4 ,there was a class who were officially known as prophets1 whose lives were chiefly devoted to this office1 and these were distinguished by a term which has come down to the present time and is in use among the ,arabs in the regions of ,palestine and ,syria4 ,this is the term 8,neby0 used by the natives as a title of a sacred person and associated with tombs throughout these lands1 and it is the same word used in the times of ,abraham1 ,gen4 #bj3g4 #d4 ,there was1 however1 another class of prophets who seem to have been used for special occasions and who were commissioned for one prophetic act1 after which they do not appear again in history1 #b ,chron4 #i3bi2 #a ,kings #af3ad2 #b ,chron4 #ai3b2 #ae3ah1 and elsewhere4 ,these1 however1 may in some instances have been chosen from one of those collections1 or schools1 of the prophets which existed from the time of ,samuel to a period several centuries later1 #a ,sam4 #ai3ah1 #ai4 8,naioth0 in this passage alludes to the 8habitations0 in ,ramah1 which appear to have been 8colleges0 of the prophets4 ,there were such colleges or schools at ,bethel and ,jericho1 #b ,kings #b3c1 #e4 ,in these schools the law was studied1 and perhaps psalmody1 as we find that in some passages references are made to the instrumental performances of the prophets1 #a ,sam4 #aj3e4 #e4 ,of all the prophets the utterances of only sixteen have come down to us in distinct books4 ,of these it is customary to speak of four as ,,the ,,greater1 or major1 prophets1 and of twelve as ,,the ,,minor prophets1 but these terms have reference only to the extent of their writings4 ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 ,ezekiel1 and ,daniel are included in the term major1 and their prophecies1 as written1 are composed in the following order1 only as to the number of verses in each prophecy as that prophecy appears in the ,english authorized version3 ,jeremiah 7including ,lamentations1 which has #aed verses7 #a1eah verses1 ,isaiah #a1bib1 ,ezekiel #a1bgc1 and ,daniel #ceg4 #f4 ,of the minor prophets1 the order1 in point of number of verses in each book1 is as follows3 ,zechariah #baa1 ,hosea #aig1 ,amos #adf1 ,micah #aje1 ,joel #gc1 ,habakkuk #ef1 ,malachi #ee1 ,zephaniah #ec1 ,jonah #dh1 ,nahum #dg1 ,haggai #ch1 ,obadiah #ba4 ,the prophecy of ,jeremiah1 including ,lamentations1 ranks1 in order of number of verses1 next after ,genesis1 which contains #a1ecc verses4 ,this analysis of the books of the major prophets shows not only their comparative importance1 as to size1 among the sixteen prophetical books1 but also among all the thirty-nine books of the ,old ,testament2 for ,genesis1 in point of number of verses1 is second only to the book of ,psalms1 and ,jeremiah's writings are the third in this order4 #g4 ,in point of time1 there seems to have been an entirely uninterrupted line of such prophets as we have described from the age of ,samuel to the return from the captivity1 an era of nearly #gej years 7from ,b4 ,c4 #aada to ,b4 ,c4 #cig74 ,some of even the greatest of the prophets1 as ,elijah and ,elisha1 never committed their prophecies to writing4 ,in a very large degree1 however1 their words and acts are recorded in various histories1 as the historian had need to make reference to them in explaining certain events he was narrating in the history of the kingdoms of ,judah and of ,israel4 ,of those prophets whose prophecies are given in distinct books1 ,jonah was the first mentioned in point of time1 and ,malachi was the last1 probably ,b4 ,c4 #cig4 ,after the death of ,malachi the prophetic institution1 as an order1 seems to have closed1 and it was so understood by some of the ancient ,jewish writers1 as appears in the apocryphal books4#if ,,period ,,vi4 ,,the ,,captivity ,,of ,,judah ,,to ,,the ,,close ,,of ,,the ,,canonical ,,period4 ,b4 ,c4 #ehhcig7874 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,various ,,captivities4 #a4 ,by the words 8the captivity0 is generally meant the final captivity of ,judah1 which was the last of a series of captivities both of ,israel and of ,judah4 ,as a knowledge of these captivities is not only important in the study of ,jewish history1 but has a bearing upon the authenticity of the ,scripture1 they should all be carefully distinguished4 ,we therefore give a full list as follows4 ,,the ,,various ,,captivities4 #b4 ,the first captivity1 ,b4 ,c4 about #gcc1 was that of the tribes east of the ,jordan1 by a king of ,assyria bearing two names in ,scripture1 which were formerly supposed to be the names of two distinct kings4 ,but a recently discovered list of ,babylonian kings shows that the two names are those of the same king1 and therefore the reading of the verse1 #a ,chron4 #e3bf1 is correct in which the two names of this king1 namely1 ,pul and ,tilgath-pilneser1 are spoken of as in the singular number4 ,pul seized the throne ,b4 ,c4 #gde1 and died #gbg4ig ,the dates in our marginal references 7#b ,kin4 #ae3ai7 are too early4 ,this king carried away 8the ,reubenites and the ,gadites and the half tribe of ,manasseh1 and brought them unto ,halah and ,habor and ,hara and to the river ,gozan10 #a ,chron4 #e3bf2 see also #b ,kings #ae3bi4 ,,halah1 ,,habor1 ,,hara1 ,,the ,,river ,,gozan4 #c4 ,halah is probably identified with a mound now called ,gla1 on the river ,khabour1 which is a tributary to the ,euphrates4 ,it is about #dcj miles northeast of ,jerusalem and #ccj northeast of ,babylon4 ,habor was probably on the river ,khabour1 but its site has not been identified4 ,hara is about #ajj miles northwest of ,gla and is supposed to be the same as ,haran1 to which ,terah and ,abraham migrated from ,ur of the ,chaldees4 ,it is situated upon the river ,belik1 which runs southward about seventy miles and then joins the ,euphrates4 ,the river ,gozan was probably the same as the ,khabour1 as the province of ,gozan1 through which it ran1 seems to be identified with the ,gauzanitis of ,ptolemy4 ,its mouth is about #ajj miles east of that of the river ,belik1 which also empties into the ,euphrates4 ,after the ,khabour no other river is tributary to the ,euphrates for #ejj miles of its course4 ,the mouth of the ,khabour is #cjj miles northwest of ,babylon4 #d4 ,the second captivity1 ,b4 ,c4 #gba4 ,twenty years afterward1 at the siege of ,samaria1 the ,assyrian king ,sargon carried off a larger and more important number4 ,this king gives an account of this siege1 in remarkable corroboration of the ,scripture history1 and states that he 8carried off #bg1bhj of its citizens40 ,nevertheless a large number remained in the region around and many fled who returned afterward1 #b ,kings #ag3f4 #e4 8,the cities of the ,medes0 here spoken of had been only recently conquered by ,tiglath-pileser4 ,in an inscription1 towards the end of his reign1 he mentions ,parthia 7parts of ,media71 ,nisa1 and other places that paid him tribute4 ,it was in #gcf ,b4 ,c4 that he made a great expedition in the east1 farther than any of his predecessors1 reaching the frontiers of ,india4 ,he was succeeded by ,shalmaneser1 ,b4 ,c4 #gbg1 who died and was succeeded by ,sargon1 ,b4 ,c4 #gba1 the year of the capture of ,samaria4#ih ,the war of the first captivity 7page #aeh7 was carried on between ,b4 ,c4 #gccgca by ,tiglath-pileser1 and it was then that the first recorded instance occurred of the practice of transplanting the whole people of a conquered country to places far distant from their native land and replacing them by other captives4#ii ,such was afterward the act of ,esar-haddon in regard to ,samaria1 as stated in ,ezra #d3b4 ,this king reigned ,b4 ,c4 #fhaffh4ajj ,the captivity ,b4 ,c4 #gba was the last captivity in any form of ,israel1 which is known as 8the northern kingdom10 in contradistinction from ,judah1 8the southern kingdom40 ,it comprised 8the ten tribes40 #f4 ,the third captivity1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjf4 ,of the captivities of ,judah1 the first happened when ,daniel and others were carried off to ,babylon1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjf1 #b ,kings #bd3b2 #b ,chron4 #cf3f2 ,dan4 #a3c1 when but a few were sent to ,babylon4 #g4 ,the fourth captivity1 ,b4 ,c4 #eiieih4 ,the second deportation to ,babylon from ,judah was in ,b4 ,c4 #eiieih1 when #aj1jjj captives were taken from ,jerusalem1 #b ,kings #bd3ab1 and from the surrounding country #c1jbc1 ,jer4 #eb3bh4 ,the king ,jehoiachin was also taken captive4 #h4 ,the fifth and final captivity1 ,b4 ,c4 #ehh4 ,in the third great captivity of ,judah ,nebuchadnezzar destroyed ,jerusalem by burning the ,temple and pulling down the walls and the houses4 ,perhaps in all #ajj1jjj were carried off at various times4 ,while this number was comparatively small1 it represented the very strength of the kingdom of ,judah1 with which tribe the promise of the ,messiah alone rested1 and it was of this tribe that the majority of those who returned to ,palestine were composed4 ,the captives of ,judah remained in or around ,babylon during the entire term of their captivity4 #i4 ,the captivity of ,manasseh4 ,in this connection there is another captivity merely referred to in one verse in #b ,chron4 #cc3aa4 ,it is the captivity of ,manasseh by the king of ,assyria4 ,in this verse it is said that this king of ,judah was carried captive to ,babylon1 and for a time it was thought by some critics that this was an incorrect statement1 since the king of ,assyria was at ,nineveh4 ,but among the inscriptions at present in the ,british ,museum were found those of the history of ,esar-haddon1 who reigned from ,b4 ,c4 #fha to ,b4 ,c4 #ffh4 ,in this history it is stated that he went to ,syria and conquered and destroyed ,sidon and held court at ,damascus1 summoning twenty-two kings to meet him there2 and second among the names is that of 8the king of ,judah40 ,this was in the year ,b4 ,c4 #fgb4aja ,it is recorded that he rebuilt ,babylon1 and we find that both he and his son held their courts and judged vassal princes like ,manasseh at ,babylon4#ajb ,esar-haddon gathered men from ,babylon and other places and planted them in ,samaria1 and hence we have the account given us in ,ezra #d3b1 #i1 #aj4 #aj4 ,although the 8seventy years0 of captivity pronounced against ,judah by the prophet ,jeremiah 7#be3ab2 #bi3aj7 are supposed to begin ,b4 ,c4 #fjf1 yet the destruction of ,jerusalem and the last deportation of ,judah1 ,b4 ,c4 #ehh1 closed up the list of captivities both of ,judah and of ,israel4 ,both communities now existed1 but1 with small exception1 only as captives in ,assyria or as exiles in various other lands4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,comparative ,,religious ,,spirit4 #a4 ,as a people1 the ,jews of the northern kingdom never were so warmly attached to the ,temple worship as those of the southern1 and hence all the ,psalms which alluded to ,jerusalem#ajc and the ,temple are supposed to have been written by the exiles of ,judah1 that is of the southern kingdom1 who went into captivity ,b4 ,c4 #ehh under ,nebuchadnezzar1 and were settled in ,babylon or its vicinity4 ,for the entire seventy years the people of ,judah and those of ,israel were separated by several hundred miles of country4 #b4 ,during the many years of captivity1 ,israel1 that is the ten tribes1 probably mingled with other nations in their midst and became very largely estranged from the father-land4 ,there were fewer of the ties of religious faith with them than with ,judah4 ,even the tribes of ,judah and ,benjamin1 when they returned from the captivity and entered into their city ,jerusalem and into the cities and lands surrounding1 brought wives from the heathen about them1#ajd the very priests and ,levites being also guilty1 ,ezra #i3a1 although the ,mosaic law prohibited such marriages4 #c4 ,such heathen intermarriages among the members of the tribes would1 after #ahe years1 be less objected to than among the tribes of ,judah and ,benjamin1 and would naturally be followed by not only indifference to any return1 but also by forgetfulness of the land and of the history of their origin1 and it is not surprising that when the tribes of ,judah and ,benjamin accepted the permission granted by ,cyrus1 the king of ,babylon1 to return to ,palestine1 the ten tribes1 as a whole1 remained in ,assyria and never returned1 but probably became lost by being absorbed into the nations with whom they associated4 ,,condition ,,during ,,the ,,captivity4 #d4 ,during the captivity the ,jews in ,assyria and ,babylonia were allowed great privileges4 ,they were considered more in the light of colonists than of slaves1 and from the histories1 both sacred and secular1 we learn that1 as stated in the books of ,nehemiah1 ,esther1 and ,daniel1 they were occasionally employed in high positions in the state and at court4 ,nehemiah1 though born at ,babylon during the captivity1 was a ,jew of the tribe of ,judah1 but was cup-bearer to the ,persian king1 ,artaxerxes ,longimanus1 at ,susa4 ,ezra also enjoyed great consideration at the ,persian court during the reigns of several of the kings of ,persia4 ,and from the book of ,esther it is evident that the ,jews prospered greatly during the reign of ,xerxes4 #e4 ,the prophets1 during the captivity of ,judah1 were earnest in their endeavors to preserve the integrity and reverence of the people1 and it was largely due to them that many of the observances of the ,mosaic law1 and a loving remembrance of the ,temple and of ,jerusalem1 prevailed so far as it did in spite of the idolatries of the people by whom they were surrounded4 ,jeremiah1 ,ezekiel1 and ,daniel1 with ,obadiah1 were the prophets of the captivities4 ,,prophets ,,during ,,the ,,captivity4 #f4 ,before the captivity ,jeremiah#aje had foretold the captivity of ,judah1 for seventy years1 in ,babylon1 ,jer4 #be3hab1 and also the fall of ,babylon 7verses #acch74 ,his faithfulness endangered his life1 and when ,nebuchadnezzar took ,jerusalem he found ,jeremiah in prison and released him1 offering him a residence in ,babylon4 ,the prophet1 however1 chose to remain with the remnant of ,judah who were not carried away1 and when this remnant fled to ,egypt1 for fear of ,nebuchadnezzar1 they took ,jeremiah with them4 ,see the account in ,jer4 #dc3f4 #g4 ,a recent remarkable discovery has been made1 in ,egypt1 of the palace of ,pharaoh-hophra1 the ,egyptian king who reigned at the time ,jeremiah was carried to ,egypt1 about ,b4 ,c4 #ehe4 ,the prophet protested against the departure to ,egypt of the remnant of which we have spoken1 and forewarned them that ,nebuchadnezzar would go to ,egypt and would overcome ,pharaoh-hophra and would pitch his tent in the court of this palace4 ,several clay cylinders have been picked up in the vicinity bearing the name of ,nebuchadnezzar1 and proving that he had been here1 and the brick pavement1 or court1 before the palace1 which seems to be alluded to in ,jer4 #dc3i1 has been uncovered4 ,it was here that the prophet hid the stones at the place he foretold as that where ,nebuchadnezzar should set his pavilion4 ,the palace was at ,tahpanhes 7pronounced tah-pan-heez71 ,jer4 #dc3hac4 ,,tahpanhes4 #h4 ,tahapenes1 also written ,tahpanhes1 ,jer4 #dc3g1 #i1 or ,tehaphnehes1 ,ezek4 #cj3ah1 was an ,egyptian city on the east of the ,delta1 seventy-eight miles east-northeast from the present ,cairo1 and upon the most eastern branch of the ,nile4 ,in #ahhf ,mr4 ,petrie discovered1 at this place1 the palace above alluded to1 at which the ,pharaoh 7,hophra7 then reigning probably received king ,zedekiah's daughters1 to which there seems a reference in the traditional name 8,castle of the ,jew's daughter40 ,the place is now called ,tell ,defenneh1 but there exist only ruins covered by a mound4 ,,daniel4 #i4 ,daniel went into captivity six or seven years before the captivity of ,ezekiel1 when ,nebuchadnezzar first laid siege to ,jerusalem1 ,b4 ,c4 #fjf4 ,at this time the king of ,babylon took captive ,daniel and his companions1 who were young and of noble families1 and had them sent to his palace to be educated for the king's service4 ,the ,assyrian records show that it was a custom among the kings to select young men of talent and educate them at royal expense1 that they might be special officers at court4 ,daniel was so chosen1 with three others1 and they were 8taught the learning and the tongue of the ,chaldans10 ,dan4 #a3d4 ,their great skill and wisdom roused a jealousy among the princes of the court against the companions of ,daniel1 and while ,daniel was absent on some commission1 or other duty1 his companions were condemned to be burned alive1 but were delivered by divine interference1 ,dan4 #c4 ,,ezekiel4 #aj4 ,the prophet ,ezekiel went into captivity with ,jehoiachin king of ,judah1 eleven years before the final captivity1 and was placed with a ,jewish company at the river ,chebar1 which may be the same as 8,the royal ,canal10 just north of ,babylon1 and which was dug by ,nebuchadnezzar to unite the waters of the ,euphrates and the ,tigris4 ,this prophet was skilled in the law and a faithful priest and teacher1 and his influence was great among the captives4 ,,obadiah4 #aa4 ,obadiah was the fourth prophet1 whose prophecies seem to have been delivered about ,b4 ,c4 #ehg1 or during the captivity of ,judah and soon after the destruction of ,jerusalem by ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,he appears as specially commissioned to foretell the punishment of the ,edomites for their pride and insulting rejoicing at the destruction of ,jerusalem and the distress of the ,jews4 ,according to ,josephus1 this warning received its fulfilment about five years after the prophecy4 ,,assyrian ,,kings ,,of ,,the ,,captivity4 #ab4 ,of the kings of ,assyria and ,babylon during the captivities the first mentioned in ,scripture is ,tiglath-pileser1 of whom and his successors we have already spoken1 pages #aei1 #afj4 ,these kings were active only in the captivities of ,israel4 ,nebuchadnezzar was connected with the captivities of ,judah4 ,,nebuchadnezzar4 ,nebuchadnezzar began to reign ,b4 ,c4 #fjd4 ,during his reign of forty-three years ,babylon rose to its highest splendor and remained a magnificent city until his death in ,b4 ,c4 #efb4 ,his madness1 spoken of by ,daniel1 is not distinctly stated in ,assyrian history1 but an inscription1 now in the ,east ,india ,house at ,london1 gives an account of the various works of ,nebuchadnezzar1 and abruptly says that his heart was hardened against the ,chaldan astrologers4 8,he would grant no benefactions for religious purposes4 ,he intermitted the worship of ,merodach1 and put an end to the sacrifice of victims4 ,he labored under the effects of enchantment40 ,this last sentence seems to accord with the statement of ,daniel 7chapters #ad74 ,the record referred to was found in the ruins on the ,tigris4 #ac4 ,the son and successor of ,nebuchadnezzar was ,evil-merodach1 ,b4 ,c4 #efa4 ,he released the captive king of ,judah1 ,jehoiachin1 and treated him as a prince and with special favor4 ,his sister's husband1 ,neriglissar1 succeeded him ,b4 ,c4 #eei4 ,he is mentioned in #b ,kings #be3bg2 ,jer4 #eb3ca4 #ad4 ,this ,neriglissar1 or1 as the monuments present it1 ,nergal-,sharezer1 held the throne only three years1 and was followed by his son1 a minor1 who perished in a conspiracy of the nobles after a reign of only nine months4 ,one of these nobles1 ,nabonidus by name1 ascended the throne and held it till the city was captured by ,cyrus4 ,it was his son1 ,belshazzar1 who1 as eldest son1 reigned with his father when ,babylon was taken1 his father having entrusted him with the care of the city while he1 with the main part of the army1 was engaged with ,cyrus1 eight miles off at ,borsippa4 #ae4 ,cyrus did not assume the rule of ,babylon immediately as its titular king4 ,he was supreme over all ,asia from ,india to the ,bosphorus1 but1 for some reason1 a ,median prince was established for a time as nominal king1 although ,cyrus retained all the power4 ,that prince was ,darius1 the son of ,cyaxares1 a childless man of sixty-two years of age4 ,when1 two years after his appointment1 he died1 ,cyrus assumed the power and became king of ,babylon4#ajf ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,captivity ,,ended4 #a4 ,in the first year of his reign1 ,b4 ,c4 #ecf1 ,cyrus issued a decree of liberty to the ,jews to return to ,jerusalem and rebuild the ,temple1 ,ezra #a3bd4 #b4 ,no more than #db1cfj1 including children1 could be persuaded to return4 ,but in addition there were over #g1jjj male and female servants4 ,of the priestly clans1 only four out of twenty-four were ready to go out1 but these added #d1jjj4 ,of the ,levites1 only seventy-four cared to leave ,babylon4 ,this multitude1 of about #ej1jjj1 set out as a caravan to reach ,palestine1 many of them having to travel the whole distance on foot1 as only #h1acf animals1 for carriage1 accompanied them4 ,the journey occupied about four months and when they arrived they found much of the land preoccupied by the surrounding nations4 ,but1 after much labor and considerable opposition1 the ,temple of ,jerusalem was rebuilt and1 after longer delay1 the walls arose from the ruins4 ,b4 ,c4 #eaf is the date of the second ,temple1 and ,b4 ,c4 #dde of the rebuilt walls4 ,,the ,,number ,,of ,,the ,,jews ,,as ,a ,,race4 #c4 ,the number of those who returned to ,palestine was small compared with the number of the ,jews as a race at this time4 ,during the reign of ,david a census of the nation was taken4 ,of this census there are two accounts1 one in #b ,sam4 #bd3i1 the other in #a ,chron4 #ba3e4 ,the first gives #hjj1jjj as the number in ,israel1 and #ejj1jjj in ,judah1 of those 8who drew the sword40 ,in these statements the tribes of both ,levi and ,benjamin were omitted1 the former because they were not subject to military duty1 and the latter for the reason stated in the text1 #a ,chron4 #ba3f4 #d4 ,this census made the number of men capable of bearing arms #a1cjj1jjj4 ,it seems from #a ,chron4 #bg3a that there was a standing army of #bd1jjj1 renewed every month from ,israel1 and drawn from an established organization of twelve times that number1 which ,joab1 who took the census1 may not have included in the number of the census of ,israel1 #b ,sam4 #bd3i1 but which has been added by the writer of #a ,chron4 #ba3e4 ,this increases the number by about #cjj1jjj1 so that the total would be about #a1fjj1jjj of both ,israel and ,judah1 with the exception of the number lost by a pestilence which immediately followed upon the census4 ,but the tribes of ,levi and ,benjamin1 which were not numbered1 as we have shown above1 would fully replace the number lost by the pestilence4 ,hence at the time of ,david the able-bodied men of the entire nation were about #a1fjj1jjj1 and this number could not have been materially lessened at the beginning of the captivities4 #e4 ,an important fact connected with the captivities was that the members of the ablest families1 the wealthiest and most influential1 were chiefly included among the captives1 and1 in the case of ,judah1 not only the most learned1 but the most devoutly attached to the ,mosaic law of all the tribes1 went into captivity4 #f4 ,what became of a large part of the ,jewish people just before these times is plain from the references to those who had fled during the various wars of the captivities1 or who might have been taken captive or retired to other nations than the ,assyrian1 #b ,kings #be3d1 #bb1 #bf2 #b ,chron4 #bh3ag1 #ah2 ,jer4 #bi3d2 #da3aj4 ,so that we may reasonably suppose that large numbers1 especially from the ten tribes of ,israel1 either remained in ,palestine after the captivity1 or departed to the east of the ,jordan or to ,egypt1 and perhaps to other countries4 ,a considerable number of the people of ,judah who were left after the beginning of the captivity went down as we have said1 page #aff1 into ,egypt1 taking the prophet ,jeremiah with them2#ajg but all probably perished there1 as foretold by that prophet1 ,jer4 #db3aibb4 ,,condition ,,of ,,jerusalem ,,at ,,the ,,return4 #g4 ,jerusalem was in ruins4 ,its walls were broken down1 and its palaces and ,temple and all the chief houses and monuments of every description were levelled and burned so far as was possible4 ,judging from the allusions to the destroyed city which are occasionally found in ,jewish writers1 and from the accounts of similar destructions by ,assyrian and ,babylonish kings1 it is probable that the city was more utterly ruined and made more uninhabitable than ever before or since4 ,in the time of ,amaziah1 king of ,judah1 ,b4 ,c4 #hbf1 the wall for about #fjj feet was broken down by ,jehoash1 king of ,israel1 #b ,kings #ad3ac1 but the destruction by ,nebuchadnezzar's 8captain of the guard0 was far more terrible1 since it extended to the entire city1 as well as to the walls1 and probably to the smallest dwellings4 ,,the ,,history ,,after ,,the ,,return4 #h4 ,the worship at ,jerusalem soon became prominently important throughout the land4 ,the strict observance of the ,law and a deep hatred of idolatry seem fully to have occupied the minds of the people1 and the feast of the ,passover was observed at ,jerusalem with the other feasts1 in strict accordance with the ,law4 ,the sacrifices were made and burnt-offerings offered before the foundations of the ,temple were laid1 only the altar having been set up upon the former site and in the open air4 #i4 ,very few1 if any1 of those ,jews who had been scattered abroad came from the remnants of the ten tribes around the distant places of northern ,assyria and from the other regions2 but a new immigration1 under ,ezra1 came from ,babylon bringing in about #f1jjj more4#ajh ,this last immigration was not until fifty-eight years after the second ,temple had been built under ,zerubbabel1#aji who went out with the ,jews from ,babylon under the edict of ,cyrus1 at the first departure of the captives1 ,b4 ,c4 #ehh4 #aj4 ,much of the history of these times is derived from the historian ,josephus1 but something may be learned from the writings of the prophets ,haggai and ,zechariah4 ,haggai encouraged ,zerubbabel in the building of the ,temple1 ,ezra #e3a1 #b4 ,he first appears in the second year of ,darius ,hystaspes1 ,b4 ,c4 #eba4 ,about two months#aaj after ,haggai the prophet ,zechariah began to prophesy in ,jerusalem4 ,malachi1 the last of the prophets1 uttered his warnings and reproofs1 and foretold the coming ,messiah1 about #abe years after ,haggai and ,zechariah1 or probably about ,b4 ,c4 #cig4 #aa4 ,one of the books of the ,bible contains the history of ,esther1 which reveals to us the extent of ,jewish settlement and growth in the ,persian provinces at about the era of ,xerxes1 who came to the throne of ,persia ,b4 ,c4 #dhe1 fifty years after the return of the ,jews to ,palestine4#aaa ,cyrus had been succeeded by his son ,cambyses1 whose reign was spent chiefly in attempting to reconquer ,egypt1 until his death by suicide1 ,b4 ,c4 #ebb4 ,he was succeeded by ,darius1 who reigned till ,b4 ,c4 #dhf1 and during that reign the ,jews had peace and prosperity1 both in ,palestine and ,persia4 ,at the death of ,darius1 ,xerxes began his reign of twenty-one years4 ,this king1 known as ,xerxes among the ,greeks1 was called ,ahasuerus among the ,hebrews1 and is so presented to us in the book of ,esther4 #ab4 ,the king was spending his time at his splendid capital ,susa1 when he gave a feast of unexampled extravagance4 ,it was at this feast that he became enraged at his queen because she refused to present herself1 at the order of the king1 before the half-drunken revellers of the occasion4 ,the queen was deposed1 and ,esther was chosen in her place4 ,the new queen was an orphan maiden of the tribe of ,benjamin1 and1 about ,b4 ,c4 #dgh1 she appeared before the king and the royal crown was placed upon her head4 ,through jealousy a plot was originated by ,haman to destroy the ,jews4 ,this plot was prevented by ,esther1 and the ,jews were permitted to defend themselves and slay all who should attempt their destruction1 throughout the 8one hundred and twenty-seven provinces0 of the ,empire4 #ac4 ,the recent explorations1 by the ,french archologist ,m4 ,marcel ,dieulafoy1 in the extensive mounds of the site of ancient ,susa1 have shown a very surprising accuracy in the description1 both of the palace and its ornaments1 as found in the book of ,esther4 8,the brilliant coloring of the glazed tiles1 the gorgeous decoration of the palace walls1 the handsome friezes and enormous capitals10#aab forming part of the collection brought together at the ,muse du ,louvre1 together with the plan of the palace1 its courts and gardens1 afford sufficient evidence that the unknown author of the history of ,esther must have been well acquainted not only with the structure of the palace1 but with the customs of the people4 ,,susa4 #ad4 ,susa was the ,greek name of the place called ,shushan in ,neh4 #a3a1 and frequently so in the book of ,esther4#aac ,it has been identified with extensive ruins #age miles north of the ,persian ,gulf and #bge miles east of ,babylon4 ,one of the mounds shows the remains of a vast palace with one central hall containing thirty-six columns about sixty feet in height4 ,other halls and columns with porches make it certain that this is the palace called so frequently 8,shushan the palace0 in the history of ,esther4 ,it was the capital of ,elam1 the country around being called ,susiana4 ,it was an ancient city and was captured by the ,assyrian king ,assur-bani-pal about ,b4 ,c4 #fej4 ,when the father of ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,nabopolassar king of ,babylon1 and ,cyaxares king of ,media1 conquered ,nineveh and divided the empire between them1 ,shushan fell to ,babylon4 ,the wealth of the city may be known from the fact that at the ,macedonian conquest of this region ,alexander found treasure here of the value of #fj1jjj1jjj4 ,it is situated on the east bank of the ,shapur ,river1 which is supposed to have been the ,ulai 7pronounced u-la-i7 of the book of ,daniel1 ,dan4 #h3a1 #b1 #bg4 #ae4 ,it was in the palace in ,susa that ,nehemiah held the office of cup-bearer to the ,persian king ,artaxerxes1 ,b4 ,c4 #ddf1 thirty-two years after ,esther was crowned1 ,b4 ,c4 #dgh4 #af4 ,it is shown by this history that the ,jews1 fifty-eight years after their freedom was granted them1 ,b4 ,c4 #ecf to ,b4 ,c4 #dgh1 had already spread over the provinces of ,persia4 ,the extent of these provinces was such1 according to ,rawlinson1 that ,persia deserved the title of a mighty empire1#aad having in the middle of the sixth century before the ,christian era 8established itself on the ruins of the ,assyrian and ,babylonian kingdoms40 ,the monotheistic nature of the religion of the ,persians1 and the fact that it allowed no idolatry nor any representation of the ,supreme ,being under any material form1#aae rendered the ,jewish settlement far less objectionable in ,persia than in any other land1 and it is1 therefore1 not improbable that the ,jewish population was greater in the ,persian ,empire alone than it was at the same period in ,palestine after the return from ,babylon4 ,the population of ,susa in the time of ,xerxes is supposed to have been about 8a half a million40#aaf #ag4 ,as the recently discovered monuments have1 in several instances1 enabled us to correct the errors of the ,greek writers of this age1 we have given a complete view of the ,persian successions from ,cyrus to ,alexander the ,great4#aag ,cyrus1 ,b4 ,c4 #ech4 ,captured ,babylon4 ,the ,persian army entered ,babylonia from the south4 ,june #af the ,persian general ,gobryas marched in4 ,in ,october ,cyrus himself entered his new capital4 ,b4 ,c4 #ecf4 ,,the ,,proclamation to the ,jews1 ending captivity4 ,b4 ,c4 #ebi4 ,,death ,,of ,,cyrus4 ,cambyses1 ,b4 ,c4 #ebi4 ,invaded and conquered ,egypt2 entered ,ethiopia,oasis of ,ammon2 committed suicide after eight years' reign alone1 two years having been with ,cyrus4 ,,gomates1 a ,magian1 usurped the throne for less than a year1 from six to eight months4 ,darius ,i41 ,b4 ,c4 #eba4 ,son of ,hystaspes4 ,slew ,gomates4 ,,zoroastrianism declared the religion of the empire4 ,,susa revolted and ,,babylon also2 the former soon subdued1 but ,babylon required two years1 the ,persians entering during a festival by marching along the dry channel of the ,euphrates4 ,herodotus errs in attributing this work to ,cyrus4 ,the city was taken ,b4 ,c4 #eai1 in ,june4 ,eight consecutive revolts4 ,darius conquered all and centralized the empire in himself4 ,he conquered the ,punjab 7,india74 ,the ,thracian coast and ,macedonia became tributary4 ,darius died in the #fc;d year of his age1 #cfth of his reign1 ,b4 ,c4 #dhf4 ,xerxes1 ,b4 ,c4 #dhf4 ,attempted to continue the war with ,athens4 ,lost his army1 lost the gean isles1 the ,greek colonies of ,asia ,minor1 the coast of ,thrace1 and the command of the ,hellespont4 ,before this campaign he burned the temple of ,belus in ,babylon4 ,he was murdered ,b4 ,c4 #dff4 ,he invaded ,egypt ,b4 ,c4 #dhd4 ,it was during this reign that ,esther became queen4 ,artaxerxes ,i41 ,b4 ,c4 #dff4 ,longimanus1 so called from his long hands4 ,succeeded after crushing the ,bactrians under ,hystaspes and murdering another brother4 ,b4 ,c4 #dee put down a revolt in ,egypt4 ,b4 ,c4 #ddi treaty of peace between ,athens and ,persia in which the ,greek colonies in ,asia ,minor were relinquished4 ,a satrap of ,syria extorted terms of peace4 ,it was during this reign that ,nehemiah was cup-bearer to the king at ,susa1 called ,shushan4 ,xerxes ,,ii41 ,b4 ,c4 #dbe4 ,assassinated1 after forty-five days' reign1 by his illegitimate brother ,sogdianus1 and he in turn by ,ochus after six months4 ,he took the name of ,darius4 ,darius ,,ii41 ,b4 ,c4 #dbd4 ,called ,nothus4 ,his reign a series of revolts for nineteen years4 ,he lost ,egypt1 but by the destruction of the ,athenian power regained the ,greek colonies of ,asia ,minor4 ,artaxerxes ,,ii41 ,b4 ,c4 #dje4 ,called ,mnemon from his great memory4 ,his younger brother1 who was satrap in ,asia ,minor1 revolted and with #aac1jjj soldiers1 #ac1jjj of whom were ,greeks under ,xenophon1 fought for the ,persian throne1 but lost his life at ,cunaxa1 and the retreat of the ,greeks under ,xenophon became one of the great feats of history4 ,sparta's forces1 however1 made themselves masters of ,western ,asia ,b4 ,c4 #ciicie1 but it was restored through ,persian gold and dissension at home4 ,died ,b4 ,c4 #cei4 ,ochus1 ,b4 ,c4 #cei4 ,he destroyed all the other princes of the royal family4 ,he failed at first to recover ,egypt and lost ,phnicia and ,cyprus1 but his general ,bagoas reconquered ,egypt and destroyed ,sidon1 and for six years there was peace until ,b4 ,c4 #cch1 when ,ochus was poisoned4 ,arses1 ,b4 ,c4 #cch4 ,was raised to the throne by ,bagoas after murdering all his brothers4 ,two years after1 ,arses and his children were murdered and ,bagoas placed the crown on the head of ,codomannus1 who took the name of ,darius ,,iii4 ,darius ,,iii41 ,b4 ,c4 #ccf4 ,called ,codomannus4 ,b4 ,c4 #ccd his army was defeated by ,alexander the ,great at the plain of ,issus1 near the northeast corner of the ,mediterranean4 ,alexander4 ,alexander then passed on to ,tyre and besieged and captured it4 ,after this he visited ,jerusalem during the high-priesthood of ,jaddua and did honor to the city and ,temple4#aah ,alexandria built ,b4 ,c4 #ccb4 ,he then captured ,gaza and entered ,egypt and the ,oasis of ,ammon4 ,he returned to ,babylonia1 and ,b4 ,c4 #cca at ,gaugamela1 ten miles east of ,nineveh1 defeated ,darius1 who fled and was murdered4 ,the ,persian ,empire fell now to ,alexander4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,canonical ,,books4 ,,samaritan ,,pentateuch4 #a4 ,the word 8,canon0 is a ,greek word and means a 8measure10 or 8rule40 ,it was first used in the fourth century of the ,christian era to designate the authorized books of the ,bible4 ,but the question arises1 ,by whom were these books determined8 ,the history is as follows4 #b4 ,during the captivity of ,judah a spirit of reverence for the ,law arose1 and after they came back to ,palestine it was cherished to an extent never before known4 #c4 ,at no time in the history of the ,jews had a period existed when a true ,canon of the ,old ,testament writings could better have been formed4 ,the large number of learned and devout men who were found by ,ezra competent to explain the ,scriptures1 as recorded by ,nehemiah1 chapters eight and nine1 proves that the study of the ,law had not been neglected during the captivity2 and1 as we know1 several of the prophets uttered their prophecies to the nation not long before1 as well as soon after1 the return4 #d4 ,the tradition seems to be well sustained that this was the era when more careful attention was paid to the 8collecting1 authenticating1 and defining the canonical books of the ,old ,testament and in multiplying copies of them1 by careful transcription10#aai than ever before or since4 #e4 ,the traditions of the various sects had not yet distracted attention from that which was more trustworthy in ,jewish history and in the clearer and more certain deliverances of their ancient seers and prophets4 #f4 ,we must now remember that all the books1 except the ,mosaic books of the ,pentateuch1 were in separate manuscripts4 ,those which ,ezra had were either copies of those which had escaped the destruction of ,jerusalem1 or they were the original manuscripts themselves4 #g4 ,that some manuscripts did escape that destruction is evident from the words of ,daniel 7#i3b71 by which we see that he1 while in ,babylon1 was in possession of the writings of ,jeremiah and of other books 8and of the ,law of ,moses the servant of ,god10 verses #aa1 #ac1 seventeen years before the close of the captivity1 namely ,b4 ,c4 #eec4 ,but even without any definite statement as to the actual existence of the manuscripts of the ,old ,testament books1 it is incredible that with all their devotion to the ,law there should have been no copies in the possession of any one4 ,when we remember their intense regard for their ancient history and for the songs of ,zion2 and when we consider the reverential learning and ability of such men as ,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 ,zechariah1 ,haggai1 ,malachi and others1 it is not reasonable to suppose that there should have been no copies of the sacred books extant at the time of the return4 #h4 ,ezra was not only skilled in the ,hebrew1 but also in the ,chaldee1 called ,aramaic4 ,he was thoroughly acquainted with the literature of the ,jewish nation and deeply imbued with the spirit of his office as priest and scribe4 ,and ,ezra was not alone in this respect4 #i4 ,it was in his time1 as the ,jewish writings tell us1 that able and devout men among the ,jews1 called elders1 were assembled under ,ezra's direction with the purpose of forming a body sometimes called the ,great ,council or ,synagogue4 ,these elders1 with ,ezra and probably ,nehemiah1 the prophets ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and years afterward ,malachi1 continued to meet through many years1 some of the most learned and devout taking the places of those who died1 until the death of one 8,simon the ,just10 about ,b4 ,c4 #cjj1abj when this council was apparently resolved into that court of the ,jews called the 8,sanhedrin40 ,jewish tradition asserts that the entire number of the ,great ,synagogue was one hundred and twenty1 during about as many years4 #aj4 ,this body of 8,the ,great ,synagogue0 determined the number of the books4 ,a letter to some of the ,jews in ,egypt after the ,temple was built states that ,nehemiah had already collected 8a library0 in the ,temple4 ,in this account it is said that ,nehemiah1 while founding a library1 gathered together the writings concerning the kings and prophets1 and the writings of ,david1 and letters of kings about offerings4#aba ,but the chief object was to collect those writings which were not only ancient and were copies of the ancient history1 but those which had to do with the relations of ,god to the people and their duties towards ,god4 #aa4 ,from many allusions to these times it is evident that there never was a period when the people were so willing1 and even earnestly desirous1 to learn and obey whatever was duty4#abb ,what was now wanted by the whole ,jewish people was such a collection from all their literature that it should be well authenticated and trustworthy as history1 and at the same time authoritative as a guide and as a rule of faith and practice4 #ab4 ,from what we have now said1 it is evident that no one was more competent for the work of gathering these records than were ,ezra and his associates1 and the ,jewish records assert that he1 with ,nehemiah and others1 performed this work of gathering and selecting1 and thus forming that collection of the ancient writings which not only he1 but those of this the most learned and devout age1 considered to be truthful1 and1 as ,josephus says1 8directions of ,god10 or as ,eusebius quoted him1 8justly considered divine40 #ac4 ,when these writings were gathered and pronounced to be the books which1 ,josephus says1 were those 8comprising a record of all time and justly confided in10 as he declares1 8no one ever after ventured to add anything to them1 nor take away from them1 nor alter them40#abc ,the ,old ,testament was now formed and settled and the ,canonical period was closed4 ,,the ,,institution ,,of ,,the ,,synagogue4 #ad4 ,the meaning of the word synagogue is simply 8a gathering together10 but the name became1 in after years1 a term for the place and building where the ,jews gathered for worship1 and this meaning continues to the present day4 #ae4 ,after the exile began1 the ,jews1 having no temple in ,babylonia1 may have had meeting-places1 but the synagogue1 as it existed in the time of our ,saviour and since1 does not appear to have been instituted till long after the return from the captivity4 #af4 ,immediately after the captivity the synagogue became fully organized as a place where the ,jews gathered to read the law1 and have it read and explained in the language of the people2 for during the captivity the ancient pure ,hebrew was to a great extent forgotten among the common people1 and the ,chaldan language1 which was that of their conquerors1 was adopted4 ,this language was unlike the ancient ,hebrew1 and was called the ,araman or ,aramaic1 and after the captivity1 at the synagogues1 there were always present some who were able to read and explain the books of the law in both dialects1#abd ,neh4 #h3h4 ,although the institution of the synagogue1 simply as such a gathering as we have just mentioned1 took place before the second ,temple was finished1 it was continued ever afterward4 #ag4 ,the distinctive purpose of the ,temple was for the offering of the sacrifices1 and that of the synagogues was for prayer and hearing the ,scriptures4 ,in later times1 just before and after the ,christian era1 it became in addition a place for the meeting of ,jewish courts1 and not only was sentence pronounced in these courts1 but punishment followed upon sentence immediately4 ,hence we read that scourging might1 at some time1 be inflicted there4 ,see ,matt4 #aj3ag2 ,mark #ac3i1 and elsewhere4 ,,who ,,were ,,the ,,samaritans8 #ah4 ,when the ten tribes were carried away captive by ,sargon1 ,b4 ,c4 #gba1 other nations were transferred from the region to which these captives were taken1 according to the custom which we have mentioned 7pages #afj and #afa74 ,a large number of other captives from other lands were imported to ,samaria1 the former capital and region of the ten tribes4 ,many of these imported heathen captives joined with the remnant of the ,israelites still remaining after the captivity1 and made up a mixed worship of ,jehovah as taught by one of the priests1 #b ,kings #ag3cd4 ,this priest1 at their request1 the king of ,assyria returned to them1 to teach them the ,jewish way of worship1 #b ,kings #ag3bg4 ,this state of things continued in ,samaria until after the return of ,judah from the captivity4 ,when the ,jews undertook to rebuild the ,temple under ,zerubbabel1 these ,samaritans made application to join them in that work and were refused4 ,the refusal aroused their enmity and active opposition1 which was greatly increased in after times1 as we shall see4 ,,shechem ,,and ,,samaria4 #ai4 ,shechem was thirty miles north from ,jerusalem and five miles southeast from the city of ,samaria4 ,the district of ,samaria must be distinguished from the city of ,samaria2 the latter having been the residence of the kings of ,israel1 or of the northern kingdom1 for many years4 ,at the time of ,alexander the ,great the ,samaritans were expelled from this city because of a mutiny against one of his appointed governors of ,syria2 but a remnant was permitted to occupy ,shechem1#abe where they have dwindled down to the present day4 ,,the ,,samaritan ,,pentateuch4 #bj4 ,one very ancient copy of the ,pentateuch1 or first five books1 called the ,law of ,moses1 remains among this remnant of the ,samaritans1 at ,shechem in ,palestine4 ,it is written in the ancient ,hebrew letters used before the captivity1 and this particular copy is the oldest in the world1 so far as is at present known4 ,it is written in the pure old ,hebrew language1 but contains only the first five books of the ,old ,testament in one single roll4 ,it is called the ,samaritan1 only because it is owned by the ,samaritans and has been in their possession from a period several centuries before the ,christian era down to the present time4#abf #ba4 ,it has been proven that during and after the captivity all the writings of the ,scriptures1 and especially the books of ,moses1 were transcribed only into the square forms of ,hebrew letters which are now used in all our ,hebrew ,bibles4#abg ,it seems highly probable therefore that this ,samaritan manuscript has been in existence ever since the time when1 at the request of the ,samaritans1 the ,assyrian king sent back a priest 7page #aij7 to teach them1 and 8he taught them the fear of the ,lord10 #b ,kings #ag3bh1 ,b4 ,c4 #gbj4 #bb4 ,but it is proper here to state that this manuscript is thought1 by some1 to owe its origin to the time when ,nehemiah expelled from ,jerusalem the grandson of the high-priest1 ,manasseh by name1 because he had married the daughter of ,sanballat1 their ,samaritan enemy4 ,this expulsion of ,manasseh took place ,b4 ,c4 #dcd 7according to ,ussher74 ,after this ,sanballat built a ,samaritan temple on ,mt4 ,gerizim and made ,manasseh high-priest4#abh ,the enmity already existing between the ,jews and the ,samaritans was made more bitter by this act1 and it continued ever after4 #bc4 ,but although the ,samaritans at some time must have obtained their copy of the ,law of ,moses from the ,jews1 as the latter say1 yet it is not probable that this copy of the ,samaritan ,pentateuch was obtained from them after this enmity sprang up1 and1 moreover1 because it is written in those letters in which ,ezra did not write the law after the captivity4 ,if it was written before1 then there is at least one manuscript copy which escaped the misfortunes of the captivity and has come down to the present day4 #bd4 ,this manuscript has been mentioned by several of the early fathers of the third century and has been copied several times during the past three centuries4 ,with the exception of some dates1 the variations from the present ,hebrew copies are unimportant4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,what ,,was ,,scripture8 ,,the ,,septuagint4 #a4 ,the first five books1 called the books of ,moses1 seem always to have existed in one roll1 and these constituted 8,the ,law10 and were the only ,scriptures read in the synagogues until the time of ,antiochus ,epiphanes1 ,b4 ,c4 #afh1abi who bitterly persecuted the ,jews and forbade the use of the ,law in the synagogues4 ,during the time of this prohibition1 only the ,prophets were read1 in the place of the ,law1 but when the persecution ceased the ,jews began the reading of the ,law again1 but continued the reading of the prophets4#acj #b4 ,in order that the ,pentateuch should be read through in one year1 the entire work was divided into fifty-four sections1#aca so as to supply a portion for each ,sabbath4#acb ,these divisions were made long before the time of the persecution just referred to2 indeed the earliest ,hebrew writers think they existed almost so far back as the time of ,moses4#acc #c4 ,in the time of ,ezra the books of ,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 ,chronicles1 ,esther1 ,malachi1 and possibly ,daniel1 were not included in the ,canonical books of that time1 simply because they were either not completed or too recently completed4 ,scripture1 or the ,bible as we would call it1 consisted only of the five books1 ,genesis1 ,exodus1 ,leviticus1 ,numbers1 and ,deuteronomy1 in one roll4 ,the ,psalms of ,david were sung in the ,temple worship1 but no other books appear to have been used in public worship until the time we have already stated1 ,b4 ,c4 #afh4 ,but the ,jewish writers included in the word 8prophets0 some of the historical books4#acd ,ezra is considered by both ancient ,jews and by modern scholars to be the author both of the ,chronicles and of ,ezra4#ace ,nehemiah was the author of the book bearing his name1 and this is the last historical book of ,scripture1 as ,malachi is the last prophetic book4 ,the book of ,nehemiah contains the history of the ,jews from a period beginning #ab years after the close of the book of ,ezra1 ,b4 ,c4 #def1 to about #aaj years after the ,captivity1 or ,b4 ,c4 #dbf1 with the exception we shall hereafter state1 p4 #bai4 ,esther became queen of ,xerxes ,b4 ,c4 #dgh4acf ,the inscription on the rocks at ,behustan1 #bae miles northeast of ,babylon1 has shown that this king was the ,ahasuerus of the book of ,esther1 which was written some years after she became queen4 #d4 ,in regard to the size of those ancient books1 it should be remembered that it was not always convenient to bind together in any way more than a very few of them in one volume4 ,they were in rolls1 as the word 8volume0 means1 and when we know that one ancient roll of only the ,law of ,moses1 of average size1 in manuscript1 which is preserved in the ,collegiate ,library1 ,manchester1 ,england1 is #afj feet long and #bj inches wide1 we may readily see that very few could be handled at a time4 ,,the ,,order ,,of ,,the ,,books4 #e4 ,the books of the ,old ,testament were named in the order of their importance in ,jewish estimation1 and not as we would name them to-day in the order of their position in the single volume of our ,bibles4 ,the books of the ,law always took precedence in the order1 then the ,prophets1 and after them the ,psalms1 as three general divisions1 and this statement included all1 ,luke #bd3dd4 ,that some of the books were kept in separate rolls to a very late period is evident even in the time of ,christ1 for when he appeared in the synagogue at ,nazareth only the roll of the prophet ,isaiah was handed to him1 and from this he read1 ,luke #d3ag4 #f4 ,but in the enumeration of the books individually1 except in the case of the five 8books of the ,law10 which1 as we have said1 have never been known otherwise than in one volume1 it is evident that some variations of the exact order have occurred4 ,these variations had their origin in the ,septuagint#acg translation1 wherein the translators not only changed the ,hebrew order1 but the ,hebrew names of some1 and even divided some of the books1 making two or more out of one4 #g4 ,as an illustration of the changes in names of the books1 the translators gave the ,greek names3 ,,genesis1 8the beginning20 ,,exodus1 8the going out20 ,,leviticus1 8concerning ,levitical law20 ,,numbers 7of ,latin derivation71 because the book contains the census of the tribes or numbers2#ach ,,deuteronomy1 the ,greek for 8the repeated law10 because of the repetition of the law4 #h4 ,the ,jews used the initial ,hebrew words of each book in the ,pentateuch for its name2 but this does not occur afterwards4 ,the books of ,samuel were one with the older ,jews1 and so were the books of ,kings2 but the ,greek translators made them the first and second books of the 8kingdoms10 and the books of ,kings came in course as the third and fourth books1 and this is the reason for the additions to the titles in our ,english ,bibles1 8otherwise called the first book1 the second book1 etc41 of ,kings40 ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,canonical ,,period4 #i4 ,by this term is meant the end of that time whose history is included in the latest of the ,old ,testament books4 ,some of these books contain histories which extend to a period nearer the ,christian era than do the histories of others1 as in the case of the books of the ,chronicles1 of ,esther1 of ,ezra1 and ,nehemiah4 #aj4 ,the books of the ,old ,testament1 which are thirty-nine in number1 present the records of events which transpired during the course of more than #c1ejj years1 or from the creation of ,adam to the third century before the ,christian era4 ,but we must keep in mind the distinction between the time when events occurred and the time when such events were first recorded4 ,there yet remains another date1 namely that of the period when the collator or collators of all these manuscripts produced his or their own work of collecting and arranging them into one history or one volume4 ,let us suppose a case4 #aa4 ,a historian undertakes to write a true history of the times of the ,norman conquest4 ,in gathering the materials for this history he visits the libraries and collections and finds an old manuscript-history of events written by some one who was on the field at the battle of ,hastings1 and another written by one who lived in the times soon after and had heard from living witnesses of the exploits of the warrior ,hereward in his contests with the ,normans4 ,in another manuscript he finds a collection of the ballads of those times commemorating the acts of some brave knight and some reminiscences of that age as communicated by tradition to immediate descendants4 ,with these and other materials he compiles the history desired4 #ab4 ,such a history of the ,norman conquest of ,england would be credible1 first1 if the editor or compiler in his researches truthfully found and wisely used such manuscripts as we have described2 and second1 if the manuscripts and his other authorities were in themselves trustworthy4 ,but how is this to be tested8 ,we read the new book when finished1 and in order to learn something satisfactory upon these two points we now start out upon our examinations4 ,our question is1 ,was there ever such an event as the battle of ,hastings8 ,how shall we get testimony8 #ac4 ,the geography of the country1 local remains1 and other facts may furnish us with evidence for or against4 ,in one chapter of the book it is stated that there was an old castle in which ,william lodged the night before the battle1 and that there is from it no view north1 but a fair view towards the south4 ,we visit ,hastings and find the remains of an old castle1 and we see high hills on the north and none on the south4 ,herein we see some corroboration of the history4 ,but now some one shows that there is no evidence that any battle ever was fought at ,hastings1 and the oldest manuscripts sustain the objection1 and show that the battle of the conquest was fought at a place called ,senlac4 ,this now throws a doubt upon the whole history4 ,there is contradiction1 perhaps error4 ,we go back to the study of the manuscripts and we find that a more recent collator of the history of the conquest1 writing with a view to readers of his own times1 introduced the new name1 8,hastings10 as better understood than another name1 ,senlac1 and all subsequent copyists followed his manuscript4 ,but the early name1 8,senlac10 is found nowhere1 while it still remains true that no battle was fought at ,hastings4 ,additional doubt shadows the whole history4 ,but now in a monastery an old manuscript is found1 written centuries ago1 describing some of the old abbeys1 among which one is mentioned named 8,battle ,abbey10 followed by a short explanation1 stating that it is located at the village called 8,battle10 quite near ,hastings4 ,the last part is an interpolation in the manuscript1 and evidently written many years after the writing of the original manuscript1 and both authors are unknown4 ,we now visit the village of ,battle1 near ,hastings1 and find local traditions handed down in connection with an old abbey still remaining and built upon the spot where ,harold fell4 ,arrow-heads and fragments of battle-axes are found and are shown to us2 the former are found scattered over the hills only on one side4 ,this corroborates another statement1 that the ,normans used bows and arrows1 while the ,anglo-,saxons used only battle-axes4 ,all these discoveries strengthen the links in the chain of evidences between facts and their history1 until all doubts are cleared away and even the 8validity of doubt itself is doubtful40 #ad4 ,just such a course of research1 of discovery1 and of success in final vindication has attended almost every historical announcement in ,scripture4 #ae4 ,at the close of the ,canonical period1 whatever books made up the ,canon were so rigidly guarded ever afterwards in every way1 by memorizing1 by commentary and paraphrase1 by increasing the copies in manuscripts1 and by numbering letters and words1 that it is impossible that any material difference exists between them and the books which make up the ,old ,testament of the present day4 ,these books have not been changed in any important respect during the #b1bjj years which have transpired since the close of the ,canon4 #af4 ,but now the chief discussion is upon the question1 ,did the books1 at the close of the ,canonical period1 fairly represent those books which the original authors wrote before the ,canon was closed8 ,in other words1 have we a true copy of the books of ,moses and true copies of those who wrote after him8 ,the second question is1 ,were those ancient books trustworthywere they truly historical8 ,did ,ezra and the others wisely and truly use the old manuscripts1 and were those manuscripts trustworthy8 #ag4 ,now it will be perceived that we occupy the position of those who undertook to corroborate the history of the battle of ,hastings4 ,we shall proceed somewhat as we did then4 ,from the repeated and varied discoveries in ,egypt1 ,assyria1 and ,palestine we have a repetition of the names of kings and of cities never known before the present century except as they were mentioned in ,scripture4 ,they have been recently found recorded upon the monuments which had been buried centuries before the captivity1 and brought to light only in the present century4 ,inscriptions have been discovered which repeated historical statements of early ,scripture books1 some of which statements had either been omitted entirely by every ,greek historian or had been contradicted by them1 but which1 when the hieroglyphic and cuneiform languages could be read1 were proved to be accurate statementsthus giving testimony to the fact that the ,scripture accounts were more ancient and more accurate than any of the ,greek or other histories4 #ah4 ,again3 peculiar terms of art occur in the ,scriptures1 with official titles1 trade names1 allusions to customs1 and forms of expression1 the origins of which have been found only among the nations where1 or about which1 these particular books of ,scripture purport to have been written2 and they could be recognized only after the hieroglyphic histories of these ancient nations could be read4 ,the inferences from all these parallelisms are apparent3 these ,scripture books are truly historical1 they contain the records of facts and are trustworthy4 ,at what time all these histories were committed to writing1 or who were the writers1 we are not in all cases able to show2 but inability in this respect does not disprove the fact of authenticity4 ,,variations ,,in ,,the ,,books4 #ai4 ,when we consider the ages through which many of the books of the ,bible have passed1 and the singular conditions upon which they have thus passed through those ages1 we may readily appreciate the claim of a supernatural preservation4 ,there are writings1 more ancient than those of the ,mosaic manuscripts1 which have come down to us from long before the time of ,moses2 such are the so-called 8,books of the ,dead10 found in the tombs of ,egypt2#aci but these writings1 as soon as they were finished1 were immediately locked up amid the spices1 the darkness and protection of the tomb1 till recently brought out1 while the contents of the books of the ,mosaic ,law1 and other manuscripts of ,scripture1 have come percolating down through the ages1 doing battle all that time with thousands of scribes1 and indeed with any transcriber who felt inclined to copy a book2 and that work of transcribing has continued from the period when the ,mosaic manuscripts were completed down to the period of the return from the captivity1 or of the close of the ,canonthat is over a thousand yearsand from that period to the present4 ,excepting variations in some numerical figures and in a few names1 which may be accounted for1 and in some cases corrected1 all the rest of the variations are of so small importance that the ,bible1 as we possess it1 may well be considered a literary monument1 standing alone and unexampled amid the literature of all time4 ,and this not only for its singular preservation1 but for that evident unity of purpose1 persistent through all its variety of subjects and authors1 until the time when the last prophetic utterance closed the ,canon4 ,then there stood out in luminous form a finished work1 whose pages exhibit the proof of a systematic plan1 designed from the very beginning to fill out progressively its mysterious pages1 until the last letter was complete1 in order that a world might see1 in one volume1 the object of creation1 the necessity of law1 the illustrations of judgment and of providence1 and the redemption and coming salvation of the race4 ,,the ,,septuagint1 ,b4 ,c4 #bhfbhe4 787 #bj4 ,the conquest of the ,persians under ,alexander introduced the ,greek language into ,western ,asia and other lands4 ,this introduction prepared the way for a very extensive circulation of the entire ,old ,testament writings throughout the surrounding nations and even the world4 ,for up to this time all the ,old ,testament was in the ,hebrew language2 but as soon as the translation into the ,greek was made1 of which we shall now speak1 even those who could not speak ,greek could easily find those who could1 because among the learned and unlearned there were many who knew ,greek who did not understand the ,hebrew4 ,when1 therefore1 the death of ,alexander was followed by the partition of his conquests among his generals1 ,egypt became1 in ,b4 ,c4 #cbb1 governed by the ,ptolemies1 the second of whom1 ,ptolemy ,philadelphus1 ,b4 ,c4 #bhfbdg1 had the ,law of ,moses1 that is the first five books1 translated from the ,hebrew into the ,greek4 #ba4 ,under the first of the ,ptolemies 7,soter7 the ,alexandrian ,museum was founded for the reception of learned men1 as well as of literary treasures1 and ,alexandria soon superseded ,athens as the chief nursery of ,greek literature4 ,under his successor and son1 ,ptolemy ,philadelphus1 the library of the ,museum contained #ij1jjj volumes of distinct works1 but #djj1jjj with the duplicates4 ,beginning with some period in the reign of the first ,ptolemy 7,soter71 the ,jews were attracted to ,alexandria in large numbers as settlers1 to whom this ,ptolemy assigned a suburb on the coast towards the east4 ,the city became the resort of some of the wisest and ablest men of the age1 including such men as ,apelles the painter1 ,euclid the mathematician1 and many others1 artists and scholars4 #bb4 ,but under ,ptolemy ,,ii41 ,philadelphus1 ,b4 ,c4 #bhc1 the ,museum became most prosperous1 and among its members were numbered grammarians1 natural philosophers1 astronomers1 physicians1 poets1 and ,greek philosophers of the schools4#adj ,it was under this state of things that the translation above referred to was asked by the king and was undertaken1 according to tradition1 by seventy of the most learned ,jews of that date1 and hence called 8,the translation of the seventy10 or the ,septuagint4 #bc4 ,although at first only the ,pentateuch was translated1 the other books were1 in after years1 gradually added to this translation4 ,the ,septuagint was used among the ,jews not only of ,alexandria1 but of ,palestine also1 and during the times of our ,saviour and the apostles was more frequently quoted than was the original ,hebrew4#ada ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,talmud4 #a4 ,it will be remembered that although under ,cyrus the ,jews were permitted full liberty to return to ,palestine1 not all the ,jewish nation accepted the privilege4 ,a very large number of the wealthiest1 and indeed of the most learned classes1 remained behind4 ,they did much for the support of the ,temple and for other objects among those who had returned to ,palestine1 but they themselves continued the synagogue service in ,babylonia and in ,persia1 as appears from various statements and allusions1 not only in ,jewish writings1 but also in other history4 #b4 ,among those ,jews1 however1 who had returned to ,palestine there arose very early a class of devout and earnest students of the ,law and of the other books of ,scripture4 ,there began also a most diligent collection of the traditions of the ,jewish race and the opinions of the learned4 ,meanwhile a very constant correspondence was cherished between the colonists abroad and those in the ,holy ,land1 and both at home and abroad there were those who were learned in the ,law and in the other books4 ,the whole object of study and correspondence among the learned was to explain and illustrate the sacred literature in all its branches4 ,the information thus gained laid the foundation of that which was soon to be called the ,talmud1 a name literally meaning ,doctrine or ,instruction4 #c4 ,but before we treat further on this remarkable work it is well to consider certain conditions which added much to the formation of the ,talmud4 ,although the ,jews reformed forever from all tendency to idolatry1 they nevertheless differed among themselves on many details of both faith and practice1 and hence there grew up an exceedingly critical study of the literature and teachings of the book4 ,,the ,,various ,,schools4 #d4 ,between the close of the ,canonical period and the ,christian era there arose many intellectual and studious ones1 who ranged themselves under three general and widespread schools4 7#a7 ,the ,traditionalists1 called by the ,jews the ,masoretic ,school1 or ,pharisees4 7#b7 ,the ,philosophic school1 of whom were the ,sadducees4 7#c7 ,the ,kabalistic school4 ,the first of these confined themselves strictly to ,scripture and tradition4 ,they derived their name from the ,hebrew word masar1 to deliver1 as from hand to hand4 ,the second entered the paths of speculation unknown to the fathers4 ,they were pleased with the ,greek philosophy1 due to their contact with the schools of ,alexandria4 ,they strove to harmonize the principles of ,judaism with the doctrines of ,pythagoras1 the philosophy of ,plato1 and the logic of ,aristotle4 ,thus1 as virtue was its own reward1 they taught that there can be no future reward1 and therefore that there was no future life and no resurrection2 and this was the belief of the ,sadducees4 ,the third school1 ,kabalistic1 believed in the mysteries1 or secret meaning of the words of the ,law4 ,they thought they could detect secret truths in the words1 and sometimes the letters of the words1 which others could not apprehend4 ,they taught that the truths were to the words of ,scripture what the soul is to the body1 and that we are mistaken if we see only the letter in the ,scripture1 and fail to ascend by the help of the letter to the ideas of the ,infinite ,mind4#adb #e4 ,from the men of the ,masoretic school1 who devoted themselves strictly to the ,law and ,tradition1 arose a series of academies1 or scholastic institutions4 ,those were presided over by the most learned members of that body1 which1 as we have said1 followed upon the ,great ,synagogue after the death of ,simon the ,just1 and which was called the ,sanhedrin1 or council4#adc ,this council1 about this time1 became the seat of supreme legislative power among the ,jews1 in both civil and ecclesiastical matters1 but was subsequently divested of some of its powers by ,gabinius1 the ,roman governor of ,syria1 ,b4 ,c4 #eg4add ,it is referred to in the ,new ,testament 7,matt4 #e3bb2 #bf3ei2 ,acts #d3ae2 #e3bg1 etc474 #f4 ,but the ,sanhedrin1 which was presided over by the high-priest1 became the centre of learning and authority so far back as ,b4 ,c4 #bjj years4 ,the priesthood was recognized as the legitimate ministers of the altar2 but the people1 with whom the ,mosaic ,law was supreme1 entering as it did into all the details of their lives1 regarded the expositors and interpreters of that ,law with the highest honor4 ,with them 8the voice of the rabbi0 became 8the voice of ,god40#ade #g4 ,for many years before the ,christian era the ,sanhedrin was the highest authority in matters of faith1 and its utterances1 or more particularly those of the most learned of its members1 both in traditions and in opinions1 became so numerous that from being only orally delivered1 they were committed to writing1 and these writings and opinions upon the ,law were the foundation of that voluminous work called the ,talmud1 with its divisions4 ,,form ,,of ,,the ,,talmud4 #h4 ,the ,talmud therefore in the main was the growth of centuries1 beginning from about ,b4 ,c4 #bbj to several centuries after ,christ4 ,it was composed of the text of the ,law1 both the written law and that which was believed to be additional law1 although only handed down from age to age1 but never written4 ,this was called the oral law4 ,all this comprised that part of the ,talmud called 8the repetition10 or in the ,hebrew the ,,mishna4 ,then came the 8,commentary0 upon every part1 and this was called the ,,gamara4 ,,the ,,babylonian ,,talmud4 #i4 ,as there had been a very large and learned class of ,jews in ,babylon from the ,captivity to the time of ,christ1 there was also a corresponding number of very important schools in several cities on the ,euphrates and east of it4 ,these also gathered a ,talmud1 with its ,mishna and ,gamara2 but thiscalled the ,babylonian ,talmudwas of later origin than the ,jerusalem ,talmud4 ,a ,,wonderful ,,memory4 #aj4 ,the various traditions which in all variety of expression1 as unwritten laws1 as commentaries and opinions1 went to make up the ,talmud1 with its ,mishna and ,gamara1 had remained unwritten for generations because there was a rule given out by some of their learned men and teachers that 8things delivered by word of mouth must not be recorded40 ,but about ,a4 ,d4 #ahj one of the most influential and wisest of their number1 ,rabbi ,jehudah1 decided that the time had come when the ,mishna must be committed to writing4 ,rabbi ,jehudah1 for whom the greatest veneration existed1 began with his fellow-laborers the heavy task of reducing all these traditions and decisions of many generations to a written form1 and this work was performed at ,tiberias 7on the lake of the same name1 #gj miles north of ,jerusalem71 where a celebrated school existed after ,titus had destroyed ,jerusalem4#adf ,it is a memorable fact that for nearly four centuries the vast amount of literature which composed the ,talmud had been stored only in the memory of the learned members of the ,jewish nation4 #aa4 ,the vastness of this labor of memorial possession may be comprehended in some degree when we learn that of only one rabbi#adg #cjj magisterial sentences are recorded in the ,talmud1 and years before his time ,rabbi ,hillel#adh reduced #fjj or #gjj sections1 which had been known before only in a complicated mass1 into orders1 divisions1 chapters1 and verses1 whereby they could be better memorized4 #ab4 ,although this cultivation of the memory was carried on to a very great extent among the ,jews during one or two centuries before the ,christian era1 and to a degree unexcelled by any other nation1 there are evidences that long before the ,captivity the cultivation of the memory was largely encouraged4 #ac4 ,manuscripts were rare and costly1 and therefore methods were adopted1 as in the composition of several of the ,psalms1 of ,proverbs1 and ,lamentations1 which were aids to memorizing4 ,one method was by beginning consecutive verses or sections with consecutive letters of the alphabet4 ,psalm #aai is composed of #agf verses1 divided into a number of sections1 the whole number of sections equal to the letters in the ,hebrew alphabet 7#bb71 and all the eight verses of each section begin with the same letter4 ,in ,proverbs #ca3ajca1 the initial letters of all the verses follow the order of the ,hebrew alphabet4 ,the ,lamentations of ,jeremiah are composed in five poems1 each1 excepting the third1 consisting of #bb sections or verses1 a verse for each letter in the alphabet4 ,the first four poems begin with the first letter of the alphabet1 and in each poem1 which makes one chapter1 the after sections continue in their initial letters to follow the order of the alphabet4 ,in the third chapter however the stanzas are in sets of three of the ,bible verses1 and each verse in the set begins with the same letter of the alphabet1 but all the sets are in the alphabetical order4 ,such methods suggest the work of memorizing4 #ad4 ,again1 we may say that1 in view of all these facts1 it does not seem possible that 8the ,law0 could have been forgotten in the ,captivity among all the learned and devout men1 some of whom were prophets4 ,it would seem that even without the written copies of the ,law1 ,ezra1 if he had so desired1 could not have1 as some suppose1 introduced into the ,law an entirely new book of ,leviticus or ,deuteronomy1 and yet no one amid all the ,jews have discovered the forgery4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,concluding ,,remarks4 ,,we add the following remarks in the nature of a general review and inference1 which are more appropriate to this era of the ,jewish history than to any other4 #a4 ,there never was a time when the ,jewish people exhibited such a humble and yet determined spirit of obedience to the ,mosaic ,law as when they returned from the ,captivity4 ,all the history of those times as derived from the ,jewish writings1 both sacred and secular1 fully attests this spirit4 ,all their hopes for the future1 both political and religious1 were conditioned upon outward obedience to the requirements of the ,law as explained by the teachings of their ancient prophets or illustrated and made more impressive in the ,psalms or songs of ,israel and pictured to them in the happier days of the ,temple service4 ,all that appertained to the history of the past was precious4 ,this fact1 as we have shown1 was illustrated in many ways4 #b4 ,moreover1 from the ,scripture history of ,ezra and ,nehemiah1 it is plain that a large body of skilled men1 ably instructed in the ,law and acquainted with the sacred writings of the ,jewish people1 were among the captives before the close of the ,captivity4 ,the ,levites and priests were in existence1 and the prophets were among them1 and they met in various places for worship and for the songs of ,zion4 ,the condition of the ,jews in ,babylonia and elsewhere was favorable to the cultivation of their literature1 and they were allowed many privileges4 ,it is plain from the letter of ,artaxerxes1 ,ezra #g3aa1 and from other testimonies1 that not only ,ezra but many others studied the ,jewish writings long before the close of the ,captivity4 ,the ,samaritan ,pentateuch in its letters may offer evidence on this point1 for the new letters in which the ,law and the canonized books were written very probably found their origin in the reverence in which the ,jews held the sacred writings during the ,captivity4 ,these new letters1 as we have said1 are called the 8square form10 but they were called by the early ,jews#adi 8the ,ashuri0 character1 ,ashuri meaning1 according to ,maimonides1 the sacred character1 and they were probably invented specially for sacred writings4 ,the old ,samaritan letters were not sacred4 ,they were used in various modifications by the ,canaanites2 they were used by the ,moabites1 as we see on the ,moabite stone1 discovered in #ahfh at ,dibon1 east of the ,dead ,sea2 they were also used by the ,phnicians1#aej and have been found upon ,assyrian weights associated with the cuneiform1 probably for the convenience of the merchants and tradesmen1#aea upon the coins of ,juda1 and upon one coin of ,jehu1 king of ,israel4#aeb ,it was therefore a common character1 and it was strictly in keeping with the ,jewish sentiment of exclusiveness and separation of themselves from all the nations around that they should clothe their sacred writings in a letter peculiarly sacred4 ,at any rate we have no other origin for this new form of lettering1 which was never known before the ,captivity1 and which was used after the ,captivity exclusively for the sacred writings1 as we learn from the ,talmuds of both ,jerusalem and ,babylonia4#aec #c4 ,the various sects of ,pharisees1 with their oral tradition and 8unwritten law10 and the ,kabalists1 with their fanciful and secret interpretations1 had not arisen at the time of ,ezra4 ,the ,scriptures were gathered and copied mainly for instruction2 and1 as we learn from ,ezra and ,nehemiah1 the people were as earnest as the teachers in their desire that the ,scriptures should be known and distinctly understood1 and this object appears to have been sincerely pursued in the work prosecuted at that time4 ,at this period the exclusive demand was for those writings which should enlighten the people as to duty1 both in regard to the divine law and providence1 and for such writings as should illustrate their history as under the ,law and as seen in ,god's dealings with their fathers4 ,that the influence of the ,law and of the teachings of their prophets powerfully controlled their actions and lives is evident from the fact that they never again fell into idolatry4 ,their truthfulness to their promises and their good faith as a people were so apparent that these traits frequently led to their appointment to positions of trust and privilege among several of the surrounding nations4 #d4 ,it was under these conditions of character and motive that the learned scribes of these times made the first general collection of ,hebrew literature then existing4 ,the names of several books#aed which were extant either at the time of this gathering of the ,canonical ,books or before1 are mentioned in the ,scriptures2 but if they had been considered worthy of the ,canon they would probably have been preserved by copy or repetition4 ,all that was valuable or important to the histories which were preserved in the ,scriptures was extracted from them and contained in the ,canonical ,books as we have them at present4 ,judging from certain statements in the genealogies and in the concluding history1 the book of ,chronicles was the last that was written4 ,the book of ,nehemiah however has some additions1 ,neh4 #ab3aj1 #aa1 #bb1 of genealogies which bring the high-priests down to the time of ,alexander the ,great1 as ,josephus 7,vol4 ,v41 ,book ,,ii41 ch4 #h7 shows1 who states that ,jaddua1 whose name occurs in the book of ,nehemiah1 was high-priest and the last under the ,persian rule1 and must therefore have lived in the time when ,alexander the ,great1 after the battle of ,issus1 ,b4 ,c4 #ccd1 visited ,jerusalem1 ,b4 ,c4 #ccb1 during the high-priesthood of ,jaddua4 ,it is narrated that this high-priest was succeeded by ,onias1 his son1 and he by 8,simon the ,just10 who was called by the ,jews the last of the men of the ,great ,synagogue4 ,it was during the priesthood of this ,simon that1 according to the general opinion of both ,jewish and ,christian writers1 the final addition was made to the ,canon of the ,old ,testament4 ,simon1 who was not only high-priest1 but a man of great learning and of most fervent piety and devotion to the ,law1 is said to have added the books of ,chronicles1 of ,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 ,esther1 and the prophecy of ,malachi2 after which1 as ,josephus writes1 there was no further change1 omission1 or addition4 ,the ,old ,testament ,canon was closed then for ever4 ,,period ,,vii4 ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,era4 ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,times ,,of ,,our ,,saviour4 ,,the ,,planting ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,church4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,from ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,christ ,,to ,,his ,,public ,,ministry4 #a4 ,no other people have had stronger motives for cherishing the memories of their past than have had the ,jews4 ,one of the most important sources of ,jewish pride was found in their genealogical records4 ,the history of the return from captivity and of the renewed settlement in ,palestine1 as recorded in the books of ,ezra and ,nehemiah1 shows how important these records were considered to be4 ,but the most important of all the records were those which traced any lineage up to ,david1 and there is no reason to believe that a true line of descent was ever forgotten4 ,not only the genealogy of the male members1 but also that of the female members of a family1 were preserved1 as we may learn from ,scripture accounts and certainly from secular history4 ,a supposed defect in the genealogy of the mother of ,john ,hyrcanus1 a high-priest1 ,b4 ,c4 #ajh1 was the cause of bloodshed in ,jerusalem#aee because of the insult offered to the high-priest by the bare announcement of such a defect1 although it was shown that the genealogical records certified her descent from a ,jewish tribe4 #b4 ,the ,virgin ,mary's genealogy was as important as that of ,joseph1 her reputed husband1 although her husband's genealogy might have been perfect1 as in the instance given in the last paragraph4 ,in the case of ,hyrcanus1 his father's origin1 according to the ,jewish law1 was without defect2 it was the mother's pedigree which was assailed4 ,especially was it important to the priest's office that the mother of the candidate for this office should be of unquestioned ,jewish descent4 #c4 ,it is for this reason that while the writer of the first ,gospel 7,matthew7 opens his history of the ,messiah with the answer to the important question1 ,whose son is he8 the writer of the third ,gospel 7,luke7 gives the lineage of his mother4 ,so that1 whether ,christ's pedigree be traced through the line of ,joseph or of ,mary1 it is undeniable that he was descended from ,david and from ,abraham4#aef ,,nazareth ,,and ,,bethlehem4 #d4 ,these two places1 which are brought into prominence at this part of the history1 were #fh miles apart1 ,bethlehem being not quite five miles1 a little west of south1 from ,jerusalem1 and ,nazareth #fc miles north of ,jerusalem1 if the distances be measured in a straight line4 #e4 ,nazareth is a village of about #e1jjj inhabitants1 situated in a plain surrounded almost entirely by hills4 ,the place is not mentioned in the ,old ,testament1 nor in ,josephus1 but twenty-nine times in the ,new ,testament4 ,the city itself rises in part upon the sides of a hill on its northwest side1 but the little plain at the south end of the city is #a1add feet above the sea level1 and the top of the hill northwest of the city #a1fjb feet1 or #deh feet higher4#aeg ,the country slopes from ,nazareth southward to the northern limit of the plain of ,esdraelon1 two miles distant1 where the level is about #cjj feet above the sea4 ,the ,mediterranean is twenty-one miles west from ,nazareth1 and the southernmost shore of the ,sea of ,galilee is seventeen miles due east of the city4 ,the soil has always been fertile and the climate pleasant4 ,it has one fine spring which supplies the entire city1 as it must have done in the time of ,christ4 #f4 ,bethlehem contains nearly the same population as ,nazareth1 but its surroundings are the reverse of those at ,nazareth1 ,bethlehem being upon an elevation4 ,a church1 erected by ,constantine1 ,a4 ,d4 #ccj1 still remains1 which furnishes us with the style of architecture of the earliest ,christian period4 ,this was the city of ,david and of his father ,jesse1 and hence always held dear by his descendants1 and to this town ,joseph and ,mary went from ,nazareth to be enrolled in accordance with the decree issued by ,csar ,augustus1 as stated in ,luke #b3a4 ,the decree was only for the enrolment4 ,the actual collecting of the taxes did not take place for some years afterward1 as is recorded in ,josephus1 when the rebellion took place1 which is alluded to in ,acts #e3cg1 against the actual levying of the taxes4#aeh ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,our ,,saviour4 #g4 ,during their stay at ,bethlehem ,jesus was born4 ,the crowd was great of the many who came to this small town to be registered by the officers taking the census1 and the accommodations for his parents were poor1 for the record states 8there was no room for them in the inn0 and she 8laid him in a manger40 ,it was here that he was visited by ,,the ,,wise ,,men4 #h4 ,these men1 usually known as 8the ,magi10 belonged to a class of astrologers whose office it was to study omens1 or signs1 as drawn from the planets4 ,they were descendants of a class which was noted for learning and influence in the flourishing ages of ,babylon and ,nineveh1 but neither of these cities was in existence at this time4 ,as many of the ,magi had retired eastward to ,persia after the fall of ,babylon1 it is probable that these came from the ,persian dominion to ,jerusalem1 expecting that there they should learn something of the new king4 #i4 ,the coming of the ,messiah had long been the hope of the captive ,jews1 and as a large number of the people1 some of influence and wealth1 existed at this time in the ,persian dominions1 there can be but little doubt that these 8wise men0 were roused to make the journey they did1 and to greet the advent of a king who1 to them1 after seeing the celestial sign1 was more than simply a 8,king of the ,jews40 #aj4 ,these men had a reputation which was highly regarded in ,jerusalem1 and to ,herod they were not strangers of a common class4 ,hence to him their inquiry carried great importance4 ,his consultation with the ,sanhedrin1 which was the most learned body in ,jerusalem at that time1 soon showed that the ,messiah1 according to the prophets1 was to be born in ,bethlehem1 ,micah4 #e3b4 ,to this place1 guided by the supernatural sign1 they came1 found the child1 and offered their gifts4 ,,herod ,,and ,,his ,,successor4 #aa4 ,the effort of ,herod to destroy ,jesus in an indiscriminate slaughter of the children of ,bethlehem of a certain age1 failed of its intention4 ,joseph1 having been warned in a dream1 took the young child and his mother and fled into ,egypt before the destruction took place4 #ab4 ,egypt at this time was entirely under ,roman control4 ,many ,jews inhabited ,alexandria and were in affluent circumstances2 two of them had been chief officers of the armies of ,cleopatra4 ,the two refugees1 with the child1 in that land were safely beyond the power of ,herod1 and there they remained until the death of ,herod1 which took place about a year after their departure from ,bethlehem4 #ac4 ,archelaus1 who succeeded ,herod1 was his son1 but he inherited none of the enterprise and mental ability1 but only the atrocious cruelty of his father2 and the complaints of the ,jews occasioned his deposition and the confiscation of his property4 ,joseph and ,mary1 fearing the consequences of coming within the power of ,archelaus1 after the death of ,herod returned to ,nazareth in ,galilee4 ,,the ,,early ,,childhood ,,of ,,jesus4 #ad4 ,one incident only is recorded of ,jesus from this time until he arrived at manhood4 ,this incident was his visit to the ,temple at ,jerusalem1 when only twelve years of age4 ,his parents1 with their friends1 had visited the city to attend the great feast of the ,passover4 ,the celebration of that feast being over1 they had started upon their return in company with crowds of those who were passing along the only highway leading northward from the city4 ,jesus had stopped at the ,temple and was conversing with the learned doctors1 or teachers1 of the ,law4 #ae4 ,the peculiar significancy of this visit at this time is stated in ,mal4 #c3a1 and it was the first time that he had ever referred to the great object of his divine mission4 ,this divine mission he announced to his mother when she1 having sought for and found him in the ,temple1 gently reproved him for remaining behind4 ,from this time to that when he entered upon his public ministry our ,saviour remained at ,nazareth1 and as the ,scriptural record informs us1 he was subject to his parents and 8increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with ,god and man10 ,luke #b3ea1 #eb4 ,,the ,,interim4 #af4 ,events now transpired in the history of the ,jews which are important to a full understanding of the future ministry of our ,saviour4 ,it is evident1 in accordance with the ancient prophecy by ,jacob in his dying hour1#aei that the 8sceptre had departed from ,judah10 for 8,shiloh0 had come4 ,this ,shiloh had been interpreted in all their chief commentaries to mean the ,messiah4#afj ,these commentaries were the ,targums of which we have written1 page #ahi1 note4 ,the expression in ,mal4 #c3a1 that 8he shall suddenly come to his temple10 appears to have been fulfilled when ,jesus visited the ,temple as spoken of already1 that is1 when at the age of twelve he suddenly appeared asking and answering questions of the astonished doctors of the ,law in whose midst he sat1 ,luke #b3dg4 ,,the ,,christian ,,era4 #ag4 ,before we proceed it is necessary that we should know that not even at the present time are we fully assured as to the exact date of the birth of ,christ4 ,it is generally supposed that ,dionysius ,exiguus1 the monk who introduced in ,a4 ,d4 #ebg the custom of dating events from the birth of ,christ1 mistook the time of that event by exactly four years4 ,that is1 the birth took place four years before the time asserted in that chronology known as ,anno ,domini4 ,but recent discoveries seem to prove that the true statement is that the error is one of five years1 as ,prof4 ,sattler of ,munich asserts in an essay published by him in #ahhc4 ,this statement he bases upon the discovery of four copper coins which were struck under ,herod ,antipas1 seeming to prove that ,christ was born #gdi years after the foundation of ,rome1 and not1 as usually accepted1 #ged4 ,but1 with this explanation1 we shall continue to use the common date1 while we keep in memory that our era is at least four years in error1 so that the actual birth of ,christ took place four or five years before ,a4 ,d4 #a4 ,,the ,,herods4 #ah4 ,the name ,herod will be found applied to no less than five different rulers in ,new ,testament times4 ,their dates of office enable us frequently to determine the dates of events referred to in the ,scriptures4 ,the following facts are all that are necessary to distinguish the ,herods4 ,herod the ,great had five wives1 but the descendants of only four are referred to in the ,new ,testament1 as follows3 ,herod the ,great1 ,matt4 #b3a4 ,he was made king by ,julius ,csar1 ,b4 ,c4 #cg1 and died ,b4 ,c4 #d1 that is1 before the common era1 but really in the first year of ,christ4 ,he had two sons by ,malthace1 a ,samaritan1 namely1 ,herod ,antipas and ,archelaus4 ,the latter succeeded him after some delay1 but1 although called king by the people1 was only tetrarch1 with the promise conditionally made that he should be king4 ,he was deposed through complaint of his atrocious cruelty1 and banished to ,vienna1 now called ,lyons1 where he died4#afa ,the names of the other members of this family of ,herods may be seen in the following table4 ,,herod married3 ,,mariamne1 granddaughter of ,hyrcanus4 ,,aristobulus,married his niece1 ,berenice1 daughter of ,salome1 ,herod's sister4 ,slain by his father1 ,b4 ,c4 #f4 ,,herodking of ,chalcis2 died ,a4 ,d4 #dh4 ,,herod ,,agrippa ,i4,succeeded to tetrarchy of ,herod ,philip ,,ii4 ,a4 ,d4 #cg2 and to ,herod ,antipas ,a4 ,d4 #dj2 ,juda and ,samaria added ,a4 ,d4 #da2 married ,cypros1 granddaughter of ,phasael1 brother of ,herod the ,great2 died ,a4 ,d4 #dd4 ,,agrippa ,,ii4king of ,chalcis ,a4 ,d4 #dhec2 succeeded to tetrarchy of ,philip ,,ii41 ,a4 ,d4 #ecajj2 died ,a4 ,d4 #ajjthe last prince of the line4 ,,bernice or ,,berenice,married ,herod king of ,chalcis1 her uncle4 ,after his death she returned to her brother for a time4 ,a woman of great lack of virtue4 ,,drusilla,married to ,felix1 after separation from ,azizus king of ,emesa4 ,,agrippabeing her son by ,felix4 ,died ,a4 ,d4 #gi4 ,,herodias3#a4 ,married ,philip ,i4 #b4 ,married ,herod ,antipas4 ,,mariamne1 daughter of ,simon1 high-priest4 ,,philip ,i4,married ,herodias2 lived in private4 ,,malthace1 a ,samaritan4 ,,herod ,,antipas,tetrarch of ,galilee1 married daughter of ,aretas1 then married ,herodias4 ,deposed and banished ,a4 ,d4 #dj4 ,,archelaus,deposed as we have said4 ,,cleopatra1 of ,jerusalem4 ,,herod ,,philip ,,ii4,tetrarch of ,itura and ,trachonitis1 died ,a4 ,d4 #cccd4 ,he married ,salome1 daughter of ,herodias by ,philip ,i4 #ai4 ,the ,herods mentioned in the ,new ,testament simply by the name 8,herod0 are three4 7#a7 ,herod the ,great4 7#b7 ,herod ,antipas1 referred to in ,matt4 #ad3aab2 ,mark #f3adbi2 ,luke #c3a1 #ai1 #bj2 #h3c2 #i3gi2 #bc3gab1 #ae2 ,acts #d3bg2 called 8the king0 in ,matt4 #ad3i2 ,mark #f3bb1 #bebg2 and 8king ,herod0 in ,mark #f3ad4 ,he was son of ,herod the ,great1 as was the ,herod for whom ,herodias left her husband4 ,therefore ,john the ,baptist reproved him for taking for a wife ,herodias1 and she1 because of her hatred of the ,baptist for this reproof1 moved her daughter ,salome to ask1 as her reward for pleasing ,herod 7,antipas7 by her dancing1 that he would present her with the head of ,john in a platter4 7#c7 ,herod ,agrippa ,i41 ,acts #ab3abc4 ,the sickness referred to in this passage occurred ,a4 ,d4 #dd4 ,he was grandson of ,herod the ,great4 ,others of this family of ,herods are mentioned in ,scripture1 but not by the name of ,herod1 as in the case of 7#d7 ,philip ,i41 of ,matt4 #ad3c2 ,mark #f3ag2 ,luke #c3ai4 ,in the table he is marked ,philip ,i41 but only to distinguish him from his brother of the same name1 ,herod ,philip4 ,but ,philip ,i4 lived in private station and is only mentioned as the husband of ,herodias1 as recorded in the passage just given4 7#e7 ,philip ,,ii41 of ,luke #c3a1 is called 8tetrarch of ,itura and of the region of ,trachonitis40 ,it was after this ,philip that ,csarea ,philippi1 at the foot of ,mt4 ,hermon1 received its name1 to distinguish it from the other ,csarea1 on the coast south of ,mt4 ,carmel1 the latter being called ,csarea ,palestina4 ,he was also called ,herod1 but in ,scripture only ,philip4 ,he married ,salome the daughter of ,herodias1 his niece1 the young woman referred to in ,matt4 #ad3f4 ,he was a son of ,herod the ,great1 as was ,philip ,i4 7#f7 ,agrippa1 of ,acts #be and #bf1 is also called king ,agrippa in the ,new ,testament1 a title given him by ,claudius1 the ,roman emperor1 ,a4 ,d4 #eb4 #bj4 ,of the females of the ,herodian family1 four are mentioned in the ,new ,testament1 ,herodias1 ,salome1 ,bernice1 and ,drusilla4 ,salome is not named1 but simply called 8the daughter of ,herodias40 ,herodias is mentioned in ,matt4 #ad3caa and in ,mark and ,luke1 where the same incident is recorded4 ,bernice 7or ,berenice7 was niece of ,herodias and married her uncle1 ,herod king of ,chalcis1 who died ,a4 ,d4 #dh4 ,she then lived with her brother ,agrippa ,,ii4 ,drusilla was sister of ,bernice and was married to ,azizus1 king of ,emessa in ,syria1 now ,homs2 but at the persuasion of ,felix she left her husband and married ,felix1 who was procurator of ,juda1 according to ,josephus4 ,he was succeeded by ,porcius ,festus about #fa or #fb ,a4 ,d41 having been accused of great cruelty after his departure to ,rome4 ,the scene described in ,acts #bc and #bd occurred just before his visit to ,rome1 and that in ,acts #be and #bf soon after4 ,felix had driven out the banditti and impostors from the country1 and to this ,tertullus alludes in his address as given in ,acts #bd3b4 ,,idum,a4 #ba4 ,before the ,captivity of the ,jews to ,babylon the name ,iduma designated the land east of the great valley ,arabah which runs south of the ,dead ,sea to the ,red ,sea4 ,petra was its capital4 ,but during the ,captivity the ,idumans gradually extended their settlements to that part of ,juda south of ,jerusalem1 including ,hebron4 ,after the return from ,babylon1 the ,idumans became the enemies of the ,jews until the time of the ,maccabees1 when they were conquered and required either to leave the country or change their religion for that of the ,jews4 ,they chose the latter alternative under ,john ,hyrcanus1 about ,b4 ,c4 #acj1 and were governed by ,jewish prefects4 ,when1 therefore1 ,antipater the father of ,herod the ,great1 and ,herod himself1 are said to be 8,idumans10 the allusion is to this district south of ,juda1 which was at that time called ,iduma4 ,this is the ,greek term for ,edom4 ,the name is used1 ,isa4 #cd3e1 #f1 in the former sense1 namely1 of the country east of the ,arabah1 before the ,captivity2 but in ,ezek4 #cf3e in the sense used after the ,captivity1 and in the latter sense also in ,mark #c3h4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,public ,,ministry ,,of ,,our ,,saviour4 #a4 ,as soon as ,jesus arrived at the age of about thirty he left ,nazareth1 and probably passing down the valley of the ,jordan1 went on his way to ,bethabara1 ,john #a3bh4 ,,bethabara4 #b4 ,john1 the forerunner of ,jesus1 was baptizing at this place1 the site of which is not known1 but from the meaning of the name1 8the house of the ferry1 or ford10 it must have been on the banks of the ,jordan4 ,moreover as ,john was preaching in ,juda1 ,matt4 #c3a1 and apparently baptizing in the parts of ,jordan near at hand1 ,bethabara must have been not far off from the locality now identified with it1 namely1 somewhere east of the present plain of ,jericho1 but from ,john #c3bf it is plain that the place was 8beyond10 that is east of ,jordan4 ,the name ,beth-barah of ,judg4 #g3bd may refer to another place farther up the ,jordan1 as the word 8ford0 may have been then1 as it is now1 applied to several places4 ,,the ,,wilderness4 #c4 ,after the baptism of ,jesus by ,john the ,baptist at ,bethabara he was immediately subjected to several very severe spiritual trials called temptations of the devil1 ,matt4 #d3a4 ,these temptations were preceded by a period of fasting which continued forty days1 after which the attacks of the evil spirit took place as recorded in ,matt4 #d1 ,mark #a1 and ,luke #d1 but omitted by ,john4 #d4 8,the wilderness0 was probably the uninhabited country west of the northern end of the ,dead ,sea1 a region which seems never to have been settled2 and the immediate scene of the temptation is celebrated in tradition as that rough and hilly ridge west of the plain of ,jericho called by the ,latin ,church ,quarantania4 ,,disciples ,,and ,,apostles4 #e4 ,soon after his triumphant victory over the devil in the temptations our ,saviour gained some of his disciples and departed from this region to ,galilee4 ,it is plain from the first chapter of the ,gospel according to ,john that the ,baptist was near the region of our ,saviour's trial by the temptations1 and was left behind when ,jesus and ,andrew1 ,simon ,peter and ,philip1 the new disciples1 left for ,galilee4 ,these were added to ,james and ,john afterward in ,galilee1 ,luke #e3aj2 and to others1 who though now believers1 and called simply disciples1 constituted afterward that band of twelve who are distinguished by the more important name of apostles1 that is1 envoys1 or messengers4 #f4 ,of these1 ,andrew was the first to follow ,jesus4 ,the others were ,simon1 called ,peter1 ,james and his brother ,john1 ,philip1 ,bartholomew1 ,thomas1 ,matthew1 called also ,levi1 ,simon the ,zealot1 ,lebbus1 surnamed ,thaddus1 called also ,judas1 or ,jude1 ,james1 called 8the less0 to distinguish him from the other ,james1 called 8the greater10 and ,judas ,iscariot1 who betrayed ,him1 and who1 when he hung himself1 was replaced by ,matthias1 ,acts #a3aebf4 ,,the ,,general ,,order ,,of ,,events4 ,,cana4 #g4 ,after his baptism in the ,jordan and departure to ,galilee1 the first event which brought him before the great ,jewish public took place at ,cana of ,galilee4 ,,cana ,,of ,,galilee1 ,,john #b3aa4 ,some variance of opinion seems to exist as regards the identification of this place4 ,there are two places1 each of which is pointed out as the ,cana of the ,gospel4 ,one is eight miles due north of ,nazareth and the other three and a half miles northeast of it4 ,the one is on the north side of an extensive plain and is entirely in ruins1 while the other is now an inhabited village4 ,early tradition seems to claim the former1 but the latter is now1 and appears always to have been1 on the direct line to ,capernaum and the ,sea of ,galilee from ,nazareth1 and it may be due to this fact that many have supposed it to be the ,cana of the ,gospel4 ,but the names are not exactly alike1 the former having been for many centuries called ,kana of ,galilee and the latter only ,kenna4 ,the ruins show that the former was a much finer village than the latter in every way1 and had a ,roman road on its south connecting the ,mediterranean with the ,sea of ,galilee4 ,it is probable1 therefore1 that it was at this ,cana that two of our ,lord's miracles were performed as stated in ,john #b3aa and #d3dfed4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,from ,,the ,,first ,,passover ,,to ,,the ,,second4 #a4 ,as is generally supposed1 the first miracle1 at ,cana1 was performed during the first year of our ,lord's public ministry4 ,his attendance upon the first ,passover at ,jerusalem brings us to consider the state of the city at the time of his visit4 ,at the great event of a ,passover the city would be crowded with visitors1 not only from ,juda and the surrounding country1 but from distant lands4 ,at this time the ,jews were scattered over almost every province under ,roman control1 and even beyond the ,roman ,empire4 ,josephus informs us that for these occasions immense preparations were made1 not only to accommodate the people1 but also that they might bring with them their flocks1 and he estimates that at the ,passover celebrated in the time of ,nero the number of lambs sacrificed was #bef1ejj4afb #b4 ,the presence of ,jews from so many countries would of necessity bring into the city not only purchasers1 but tradesmen with various moneys requiring an exchange or brokerage2 and some of the ,rabbinical writers say that an immense traffic was carried on in cattle and other animals for victims and for food1 and much extortion was practised1 a great part of the profits of which went to the priests4#afc ,it was on this occasion of his first ,passover that our ,saviour drove out the sheep and oxen and upset the tables of the exchangers1 as recorded in ,john #b3ae1 using the material with which the animals were bound for a whip or scourge4 #c4 ,from the very evident divine power which the ,saviour exhibited at this ,passover1 a member of the ,sanhedrin1 ,nicodemus1 sought an interview with him at night1 ,john #c1 at which time ,christ made the announcement of his special mission to this world in those remarkable words3 8,as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 even so must the ,son of man be lifted up1 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish1 but have eternal life10 ,john #c3ad1 #ae4 #d4 ,the ,passover being ended1 ,jesus left ,jerusalem1 but seems to have remained in ,juda near the ,jordan1 perhaps on the plain at the north end of the ,dead ,sea4 ,john was baptizing in the same region4 ,it must have been somewhere on these plains that ,herod ,antipas met the ,baptist and received the reproof of which we have spoken before4 ,this ,herod#afd was the ruler of ,galilee and ,pera1 and was at first married to the daughter of ,aretas1 king of ,arabia ,petra1 but forsook her for ,herodias1 the wife of his half-brother 7see preceding table74 ,this brought on a war with ,aretas on the confines of his territory on the south1 and it is probable that on his way to meet ,aretas ,herod received the reproof from the ,baptist and condemned the latter to imprisonment in his castle at ,machrus4 ,,mach,,rus ,,and ,,per,a4 #e4 ,this castle was seven miles east of the ,dead ,sea1 and the ruins remain at a place about #be miles south of the north end of the sea4 ,it is #c1hjj feet above its level and #b1ejg feet above the ,mediterranean4 ,josephus says that ,john the ,baptist was imprisoned here1 and here he must have been beheaded4 ,the region of ,pera extended from this place to ,pella1 near the ,jordan1 about #fj miles north1 and ,herod ,antipas was at that time ruler of all ,galilee and ,pera1 which included the castle ,machrus4 ,,enon ,,and ,,salim4 #f4 ,during the ,saviour's stay in ,juda1 after the ,passover just spoken of1 it appears that he remained for a time near the ,jordan while his disciples baptized4 ,the two preachers were therefore not far distant from each other1 and the disciples of ,john1 evidently with a spirit of rivalry1 communicated the fact that greater crowds attended the ministry of ,jesus4 ,this brought out the testimony of ,john to the greater glory and future progress of the gospel of ,jesus4 ,john was at this time at 8,enon near ,salim10 and the sites of these two places have not yet been settled4 ,enon is the ,greek form of the ,aramaic word for 8springs10 and ,salim is the word for 8peace10 and both of these words are frequently found in varying forms in several places4 ,it has been thought that the little village now called ,salim1 not far east of ,shechem1 was the site of the ,scripture ,salim1 and that ,enon was to be identified with a little ruin called ,ainun1 nearly eight miles northeast4 ,but apart from the fact that these places are not near each other1 they are entirely too near the very heart of the ,samaritan district1 ,salim being only four miles east of ,shechem4 ,it is not at all probable that ,john ever left ,juda1 and it is exceedingly improbable that he would have gone into the ,samaritan region to baptize4 ,there is a little valley three or four miles northeast of ,jerusalem which yet bears a name somewhat similar to ,salim1 where there are waters described by ,dr4 ,barclay2 but neither of these ,biblical places has yet been satisfactorily identified4 #g4 ,our ,saviour now left ,juda and passed to ,galilee upon the shortest road1 which leads through ,samaria1 ,john #d3c4 ,the season seems to have been in ,december1 ,john #d3ce1 as it was 8four months to harvest10 which began in ,april4 ,on the way he sat down upon the well called ,jacob's1 and the scene described in ,john #d took place4 ,,jacob',s ,,well1 ,,sychar1 ,john #d4 #h4 ,jacob's well has always been identified with that well cut in the solid rock which is about a mile and a half east by south from ,shechem4 ,it formerly had a small chapel built over it1 in the fourth century1 and was about #hj feet in depth when examined by the writer1 but the original depth must have been greater1 for there are many stones at the bottom4 ,it is not now a well of constant supply1 but varies with the season1 and was dry when we examined it4 ,hence perhaps the remark of our ,saviour1 ,john #d3aj1 in which he alludes to 8living water40 ,sychar was probably at the little village now called ,askar1 about one-half of a mile northeast from the well4 ,some have supposed that ,sychar and ,shechem were the same2 but it is not probable that the woman spoken of in the context would have walked a mile and a half from ,shechem1 where there was an abundance of water1 to draw water from this deep well4 ,the probabilities are that ,askar was the site of ,sychar1 where there are caves and remains of ancient tombs4 ,,matt4 #d3abag2 ,,mark #a3ad1 #ae2 ,,luke #d4 #i4 ,jesus passed through ,samaria to ,galilee1 stopping for a short time in ,nazareth1 ,matt4 #ac3eceh2 and then going to ,capernaum1 announced as he went the great object of his mission1 and especially that the appointed time had arrived which had been foretold for the appearance of the ,messiah as spoken of in the prophets1 ,mark #a3ad1 #ae4 ,that he himself was this ,messiah he distinctly asserted at ,jacob's well to the ,samaritan woman1 ,john #d3bf4 #aj4 ,passing on from ,nazareth he again visited ,cana1 where the miracle of the healing of the nobleman's son was performed1 ,john #d3dfed4 ,he then went down to ,capernaum1 which hereafter seems to have been adopted as his favorite place of abode4 ,,capernaum4 #aa4 ,this place has not yet been certainly identified4 ,some have supposed that it was on the west side of the ,sea of ,galilee at a place called ,khan ,minyeh1 which is on the plain of ,gennesaret1 five miles southwest of the mouth of the ,upper ,jordan2 others have located it at a ruin farther north of this sea1 called ,tell ,hum4 ,to some this name seems to be all that remains of the ancient name ,capernaum1 which1 as they think1 means the village 7caper7 of ,nahum 7,naum74 ,at ,capernaum many of our ,saviour's miracles were performed1 and the place is referred to sixteen times by name4 #ab4 ,a miracle performed here at this time in the history confirmed the faith of ,andrew1 ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john1 who were fishing in the waters of the sea not far off from the village1 ,luke #e3aaa4 ,soon after this the restoring of the demoniac to his senses in the synagogue took place1 ,luke #d3cc1 and immediately after this the healing of ,peter's wife's mother1 as recorded in the same chapter4 ,many other miracles were performed the same evening4 #ac4 ,jesus then began to travel throughout ,galilee1 preaching and healing4 ,one miracle on this journey is recorded1 that of healing a leper1 as narrated in ,matt4 #h3b2 ,mark #a3dj2 ,luke #e3ab4 ,on his return to ,capernaum he heals a paralytic1 ,matt4 #i3b2 ,mark #b3aab2 ,luke #e3ah4 ,in the narrative of this last-mentioned miracle we have an illustration of the use of double names among the ,jews1 for ,matthew1 #i3i1 calls himself ,matthew1 whereas the other evangelists in their accounts called him ,levi1#afe and moreover ,matthew adopts the usual method of ,greek historians in speaking of themselves in the third person to avoid egotism4 ,compare ,matt4 #i3aj2 ,mark #b3ae2 ,luke #e3bi4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,second ,,passover ,,and ,,the ,,transactions ,,until ,,the ,,third ,,passover4 ,,time ,,one ,,year4 ,,the ,,pool ,,of ,,bethesda1 ,,john #e3b4 #a4 ,very recent discoveries have led to the belief that this pool was not at the so-called ,birket ,israel on the left hand of the entrance through the gate of ,st4 ,stephenthe eastern gate of ,jerusalembut on the right hand of the same entrance at the ,french church of ,st4 ,anne4 ,it is about #afj feet on the right of the gate as you enter into the city4 ,here there has recently 7#ahhh7 been discovered a tank in the rock under the church1 reached by a flight of #bd steps1 and more recently a twin pool by its side1 which is supposed to identify the place1 according to early writers4 ,the remains of the five porches are still to be seen4#aff #b4 ,in his attendance upon the second ,passover ,jesus performed the miracle of healing at the crowded pool of ,bethesda1 but left with the man whom he had restored no name or clew whereby he should know him4 ,soon after however1 meeting the man in the ,temple1 ,jesus warned him as to his future life2 and thus the healed man was informed1 and he reported to those who inquired of him the name of his benefactor4 ,this act of healing was performed on the ,sabbath day1 and the consequent command of ,jesus1 8,take up thy bed and walk10 was made the occasion of bitter resentment on the part of the ,jews4 ,this gave the opportunity to our ,lord for uttering one of the most distinct avowals of his equality with ,god as his ,father1 and the assertion that their own ,jewish ,scriptures testified of him4 ,he then departed for ,galilee4 ,,historical ,,occurrences ,,of ,,this ,,year ,,in ,,the ,,order ,,of ,,time1 ,,with ,,the ,,harmony ,,of ,,references ,,and ,,localities4 #c4 ,on the way to ,galilee4 ,the disciples pluck ears of corn on the ,sabbath1 ,matt4 #ab3a2 ,mark #b3bc2 ,luke #f4 ,in ,galilee4 ,the healing of the withered hand on the ,sabbath1 ,matt4 #ab3i2 ,mark #c3a2 ,luke #f3f4 ,immediately after the last mentioned miracle he retired to the ,sea of ,galilee1 and the greatness of the interest manifested in him can be understood by the extent of country from which the crowds came1 as indicated in ,mark #c3g1 #h1 for it appears that the people came not only from ,galilee1 but 8from ,juda and from ,jerusalem and ,iduma and from the east of ,jordan and from around ,tyre and ,sidon40 #d4 ,near ,gennesaret4 ,jesus chooses the twelve apostles1 ,matt4 #aj3a2 ,mark #c3ac2 alluded to again1 ,mark #f3g4 ,this he did after a night spent in prayer on a mountain1 ,luke #f3ab1 #ac4 ,this transaction seems to have taken place on some one of the hills south of the plain of ,gennesaret1 while on his way to ,capernaum4 #e4 ,near ,gennesaret4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount and a probable repetition of a part on the plain of ,gennesaret1 as narrated in ,luke #f3ag2 ,matt4 #e4 ,in this and the following chapters ,st4 ,matthew has gathered a large collection of the precepts and teachings of ,jesus which occurred at this time1 but which are only in part narrated in ,luke4 #f4 ,same place4 ,the ,lord's ,prayer as narrated in ,matthew1 and probably repeated upon another occasion1 as seen in ,luke #aa3a4 #g4 ,capernaum4 ,the centurion's servant healed1 ,matt4 #h3e2 ,luke #g3a4 ,nain4 ,the widow's son raised from the bier upon which he was carried1 ,luke #g3aa4 #h4 ,this place was #ei miles north of ,jerusalem and #bj miles southwest of the plain of ,gennesaret4 ,en-dor is two miles northeast of it on the same northern flank of the ridge4 ,the scenery is very beautiful towards the north and west1 and suggests the fitness of the name1 which means 8beauty40 ,immediately south1 one mile distant1 the mountain range rises to the height of #a1fij feet above the ,mediterranean1 and on the northern flank of this range the village is built1 itself at the height of #gdd feet4 ,it overlooks the great plain of ,esdraelon4 ,the only reference to this place is found in ,luke #g3aaag4 #i4 ,in ,galilee4 ,john the ,baptist while in prison sends messengers to ,jesus1 ,matt4 #aa3b2 ,luke #g3ai4 ,jesus had now performed a large part of his life's work1 and in some degree he now reviews it and in several places sums up the amount done4 ,he reviews also the instances in which he had been unsuccessful in persuading some to believe upon his mission and accept him as the true ,messiah4 ,in this review he mentions ,chorazin1 ,bethsaida1 and ,capernaum1 and compares their advantages with those enjoyed by ,tyre and ,sidon4 ,,chorazin ,,and ,,bethsaida1 ,matt4 #aa3ba2 ,luke #aj3ac4 #aj4 ,the site of the former of these places is unknown4 ,excepting the similarity of the names1 ,kerazeh and ,chorazin1 we have nothing to show that the ruin called by the former name is identical with the place known in ,scripture by the latter name4 ,the ruin called ,kerazeh is two and a half miles from the northern shore of the lake and about #ijj feet higher than its surface4 ,the ruins of a supposed synagogue are to be found there1 and near them is a spring4 ,against this supposed site of ,chorazin it is said that ,jerome#afg speaks of it as one of the cities which were upon the shores of the lake4 ,in reply it is said the traveller ,willibald1 going northward in the beginning of the eighth century1 says that he went from ,tiberias by ,magdala1 now called ,mejdel1 to ,capernaum1 thence to ,bethsaida1 thence to ,chorazin1 and thence to the fountains of the ,jordan1#afh so that the order of localities thus stated makes ,chorazin probably off the lake4#afi ,kerazeh appears to answer to all that the ,scripture claims for ,chorazin both in name and locality4 #aa4 ,as to ,bethsaida1 there are supposed to have been two of this name1 which means 8fish-house20 the one is just east of the ,jordan1 about a mile above the place where it empties into the northern end of the lake4 ,this was the eastern ,bethsaida1 and at about this period of our ,saviour's life ,herod ,philip1 the tetrarch1 had greatly enlarged and beautified the place and given it the name 8,julias0 in honor of the daughter of ,augustus2 and here he was buried1 ,a4 ,d4 #cc1 in a costly tomb which he had erected for himself4 ,it was near this ,bethsaida that ,jesus fed the five thousand with the five loaves and two fishes1 and after dismissing the crowd retired into one of the neighboring hills to pray4#agj #ab4 ,place uncertain1 probably ,capernaum4 ,at the house of ,simon the ,pharisee1 while 8at meat10 ,christ's feet are anointed by a woman who is called 8a sinner10 ,luke #g3cf4 ,another anointing by a woman took place at a much later period1 and perhaps a third just before his betrayal1 ,john #aa3b2 #ab3b4 ,anointing was very common in those days4 ,the so-called alabaster-box was not necessarily of any one material1 much less of the material known now as alabaster4 ,the same ,greek term is used by ,herodotus#aga in exactly the same form used in ,matt4 #bf3g2 ,mark #ad3c2 ,luke #g3cg1 and the vessel might have been of marble1 of glass1 or metal4#agb ,theocritus#agc writes of 8golden alabasters filled with ,syrian ointments40 ,it was customary to anoint the head and also the feet of a guest on certain occasions1 and the alabastron was common among persons of means4 ,there is therefore no sufficient reason to suppose that this anointing was so rare an instance that the several accounts in the ,gospels refer to only one event4 ,the other accounts besides that referred to at the beginning of this section are found in ,matt4 #bf3f2 ,mark #ad3c1 which appear to describe one and the same occasion1 shortly before his betrayal1 and ,john #aa3b2 #ab3b1 which description is somewhat similar to that of the preceding ,gospels4 #ac4 ,galilee4 ,our ,saviour makes visits with the twelve through ,galilee the second time4 ,luke #h3a4 ,this seems to have been in ,galilee1 judging from the context as compared with ,matt4 #ab3df2 ,mark #c3ca1 and following verses in the next chapter4 ,he seems to have visited extensively1 as the ,greek phrase1 8city by city and village by village10 signifies4 #ad4 ,the following incidents are supposed to have taken place about this time and in the following order1 all in ,galilee3 7#a47 ,the healing of the demoniac1 ,matt4 #ab3bb4 ,a somewhat similar case occurred before1 ,matt4 #i3cb4 ,in this passage the utterances of our ,saviour define the solemnity of the office of the ,holy ,spirit in a most fearful sense1 and again in ,mark #c3bh1 #bi4 ,this healing is repeated1 ,luke #aa3ad4 7#b47 ,the scribes and ,pharisees seek from him a sign to prove his authority1 ,matt4 #ab3ch2 repeated with additional remarks1 ,matt4 #ae3a2 also ,mark #h3aa2 and more urgently in ,john #f3ca4 ,it was in reply to one of these requests that ,jesus announced that the sign superior to all others should take place after his death1 for that after death he should rise again on the third day1 ,matt4 #ab3dj1 drawing from the history of ,jonah an illustration of his own burial for three days only4 7#c47 ,the declaration that his true disciples were his nearest relatives1 ,matt4 #ab3df2 ,mark #c3ca2 ,luke #h3ai4 7#d47 ,jesus takes dinner with a ,pharisee and denounces the sect1 ,luke #aa3cg4 7#e47 ,jesus instructs a multitude when he declares that whosoever shall confess him before men shall be confessed by him before the angels of ,god1 ,luke #ab3a4 #ae4 ,by the lake4 7#a47 ,the parable of the sower1 ,matt4 #ac3c2 ,mark #d3b2 ,luke #h3d4 7#b47 ,the parable of the tares1 ,matt4 #ac3bd4 7#c47 ,sea of ,galilee4 ,jesus calms the tempest1 ,matt4 #h3bdbg2 ,mark #d3cgda2 ,luke #h3bbbe4 7#d47 ,he heals the demoniacs of the country of the ,gergesenes1 stilling the tempest by a word as he crosses1 ,matt4 #h3bc2 ,mark #e3a2 ,luke #h3bf4 ,,gadara1 ,,gergesa4 #af4 ,the location of ,gadara 7pronounced ,gad-ara7 was at the present ,um ,keis1 where the ruins are extensive and four fine springs exist4 ,um ,keis is seven miles southeast of the ,sea of ,galilee1 upon the level surface of a steep hill4 ,it is thought that the term ,gadarenes referred to the general region of which ,gadara was the capital1 and ,gergesenes to the town of ,gergesa1 on the lake1 where the miracle occurred1 and which belonged to the district of the ,gadarenes4 ,gadara is first mentioned in secular history when captured by ,antiochus the ,great1 ,b4 ,c4 #bah4 ,it was taken by the ,jews twenty years afterwards1 but destroyed during their civil wars1 and rebuilt by ,pompey to please his freedman1 who was a ,gadarene4 ,when the proconsul of ,syria1 ,gabinius1 changed the constitution of ,juda1 dividing it into five districts having governing councils1 ,gadara was made the seat of one of these councils1 and became a chief city or capital of the country around4 ,it is probable that ,gergesa is properly identified in the ruin ,kersa on the east shore of the ,lake of ,gennesaret1 almost equi-distant from the north and the south ends4 ,it was once surrounded by a wall1 the ruins of which still remain4 ,just south of it the hills come down very precipitously into the water1 as they do in no other place on the shore1 ,mark #e3a2 ,luke #h3bf2 ,matt4 #h3bh4 #ag4 ,capernaum4 ,the feast given to our ,lord by ,levi1 who is also called ,matthew1 takes place at this time1 ,matt4 #i3aj2 ,mark #b3ae2 ,luke #e3bi4 ,the raising of ,jairus' daughter1 and the healing of the woman who touched the hem of his garment1 ,matt4 #i3bj2 ,mark #e3be2 ,luke #h3dc4 ,two blind men and a dumb man healed1 ,matt4 #i3bg4 #ah4 ,nazareth4 ,christ appears here1 but is rejected the second time1 ,matt4 #ac3ed2 ,mark #f3a4 ,the first time was soon after his baptism1 ,luke #d3af4 ,galilee4 ,jesus makes with his disciples a third circuit through ,galilee1 ,matt4 #i3ce2 ,mark #f3f4 ,the passage in ,luke #ac3bb gives quite another circuit on his final journey towards ,jerusalem1 which took place probably the following year4 ,jesus sends out the twelve1 two by two1 ,matt4 #aj3a1 #e2 ,mark #f3g2 ,luke #i3a4 ,herod 7,antipas71 who had slain ,john the ,baptist1 hears of ,jesus1 and supposes that ,john has risen1 ,matt4 #ad3a2 ,mark #f3ad2 ,luke #i3g4 ,northeast coast of the lake4 ,the five thousand are fed4 ,jesus afterwards walks upon the water1 ,matt4 #ad3aecc2 ,mark #f3ceea2 ,luke #i3abag 7,luke omits the walking on the water72 ,john #f3eba4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,third ,,passover4 #a4 ,many incidental circumstances have led commentators to suppose that the third ,passover transpired about this time4 ,the following incidents are therefore attributed to him after the third ,passover4 ,we therefore1 in accordance with the above supposition1 recount the events for the next six months to the ,feast of ,tabernacles4 ,the chief reason for asserting the third ,passover at this time is1 that according to ,john #f3d1 the ,passover 8was nigh0 at the time of the feeding of the five thousand4 #b4 ,capernaum4 ,jesus replies to the ,pharisees who object to eating with unwashed hands1 ,matt4 #ae3b2 ,mark #g3a1 in which the washing was not for cleanliness but religious ceremony4 #c4 ,region of ,tyre and ,sidon4 ,the ,syro-phnician woman's daughter healed1 ,matt4 #ae3ba2 ,mark #g3bd4 ,,tyre ,,and ,,sidon4 ,these were ,phnician towns1 twenty-five miles distant from each other1 and upon the ,mediterranean seacoast4 ,they are mentioned in history long before the building of ,jerusalem4 ,the first is mentioned in ,scripture in ,josh4 #ai3bi for the first time1 while ,sidon is spoken of by name many years before1 in ,gen4 #aj3ai1 as being a prominent ,canaanitish city1 ,b4 ,c4 #bcej4 ,in the time of our ,saviour they were both inhabited places1 and ,tyre was a city of great importance4 ,at present they are considerable towns of from #e1jjj 7,tyre7 to #ae1jjj 7,sidon7 inhabitants4 ,tyre is almost due west from ,mt4 ,hermon4 ,decapolis4 ,the deaf and dumb healed1 ,mark #g3cb4 ,it is probable that this case is to be distinguished from those mentioned in ,matt4 #i3cb2 #ab3bb1 which may have happened at previous times1 as the surrounding circumstances suggest4 ,,decapolis4 #d4 ,this region contained ten principal cities1 as the name signifies4 ,pliny gives the names ,scythopolis 7or old ,beth-shean71 ,philadelphia1 ,raphana1 ,gadara1 ,hippos1 ,dios1 ,pella1 ,gerasa1 ,canatha1 and ,damascus as constituting the ten4 ,josephus says ,otopos instead of ,canatha4 ,the region was inhabited by many foreigners1 and hence might have contained more swine than any truly ,jewish region4 ,hence the mention of large numbers of swine in the healing of the demoniac1 for among the strictly ,jewish districts the keeping of swine would not have been permitted4 ,this district may be described generally as east of the ,lake of ,gennesaret and of that part of ,jordan which is south of the lake as far as ,scythopolis or ,beth-shean1 fifteen miles south of the lake and four miles west of the ,jordan4 ,the cities of the list have not all been identified4 ,scythopolis1 ,philadelphia1 ,gadara1 ,damascus1 and possibly ,hippos and ,pella1 are known1 but the district of ,decapolis has not yet been satisfactorily defined4 #e4 ,scythopolis we have already described1 page #acb4 ,philadelphia was the name given to the present ,ammon by ,ptolemy ,philadelphus4 ,it is a ruin on the high tableland twenty-three miles east of the ,jordan and nearly thirty miles northeast of the ,dead ,sea4 ,it is the old ,rabbath-,ammon1 the capital of the ,ammonites in the time of ,moses1 ,deut4 #c3aa4 ,its ruins are very extensive4 #f4 ,damascus is yet an important city fifty-five miles east of the ,mediterranean coast1 situated on an extensive plain bounded on the north by spurs of the ,anti-,lebanon range4 ,excavations seem to show that the greater part of ,damascus is built upon ancient ruins of the former city4 ,its population at present 7#ahij7 is supposed to be about #abe1jjj4 ,hippos1 another city of the ,decapolis1 is supposed to have been upon the south shore of the ,sea of ,galilee2 and ,pella1 whither many ,christians fled just before the destruction of ,jerusalem1 is about three miles east of the ,jordan1 up in the hills eighteen miles south of the ,sea of ,galilee4 ,decapolis region4 ,the four thousand are fed near the lake1 ,matt4 #ae3cb2 ,mark #h3a4 ,,dalmanutha4 ,,magdala4 #g4 ,dalmanutha is the place which ,jesus approached on his return from the east of the lake to the west1 according to ,mark #h3aj1 after feeding the four thousand4 ,matthew states that he came into the coasts of ,magdala4 ,they must have been in the same vicinity4 ,magdala is now called ,mejdel1 the village still being inhabited4 ,it is immediately upon the shore1 and a little more than three miles north of ,tiberias4 ,but between ,mejdel and ,tiberias there is a spring and a good landing place with some remains4 ,the place is called ,ain el-,fuliyeh1 and may have had the above name of ,dalmanutha1 as the soil is richer than that around and shows evidences of a former settlement4 ,the place seems to have assumed in recent times the name ,ain ,barideh1 8the cold spring40 ,the boat in crossing evidently landed between these two villages of ,dalmanutha and ,mejdel4 #h4 ,on the shore4 ,the ,pharisees again demand a 8sign10 or proof1 of his authority1 ,matt4 #af3a2 ,mark #h3aa4 ,the former time is recorded in ,matt4 #ab3ch4 ,crossing the lake4 ,he warns his disciples of the leaven against the ,pharisees4 ,matt4 #af3f2 ,mark #h3ae2 ,luke #ab3a may refer to this time or may have been on another occasion4 ,bethsaida 7,julias74 ,the blind man healed1 ,mark #h3bb4 ,near ,csarea-,philippi4 ,jesus foretells his death4 ,the transfiguration takes place4 ,he heals immediately afterward a demoniac whom his disciples could not heal1 ,matt4 #af3ba2 #ag3ad2 ,mark #h3ca2 #i3ag2 ,luke #i3ch4 #i4 ,passing through ,galilee to ,capernaum4 ,he foretells his death and resurrection the second time1 ,matt4 #ag3bb2 ,mark #i3ca2 ,luke #i3dd4 ,capernaum4 ,the tribute money taken from the fish1 ,matt4 #ag3bd4 ,the seventy are sent out after they had received the lesson upon humility1 ,matt4 #ah3a2 ,mark #i4 ,,jesus ,,goes ,,up ,,to ,,the ,,feast ,,of ,,the ,,tabernacles4 #aj4 ,the nature of this feast is described in ,lev4 #bc3cc4 ,it was celebrated on the fifteenth day after the new moon in ,october1 and was the great 8harvest home0 of the ,jews4 ,all dwelt in booths1 called 8tabernacles10 for eight days1 of which the last day was 8the great day of the feast40 ,the later ,jews added the pouring of water mingled with wine upon the morning sacrifices of each day1 amid sounding of trumpets and horns and the singing of a passage from ,isa4 #ab3c4 ,this may have suggested the announcement made by our ,saviour as given in ,john #g3cg1 #ch4 ,,the ,,line ,,of ,,travel4 #aa4 ,jesus leaves ,capernaum1 passes through ,galilee by ,nazareth1 taking the shortest route direct to ,jerusalem through ,samaria1 probably by ,jacob's well1 which was situated on the main road1 the same to-day as then4 ,this was in ,october4 ,his brethren had gone on before1 ,john #g3aj1 and he delayed till the crowd had decreased and then started4 ,hence he did not appear till the third or fourth day of the feast1 and then he began to teach4 ,on his way1 in ,samaria4 ,the ten lepers are cleansed1 ,luke #ag3ab4 ,he rebukes ,james and ,john for wishing to call down fire upon the ,samaritans1 ,luke #i3ed4 #ab4 ,jerusalem4 ,jesus teaches in the ,temple1 ,john #g3ad4 ,the woman taken in adultery1 ,john #h3c4 ,they attempt to stone him for saying1 8,before ,abraham was1 ,i am10 ,john #h3eh4 ,a lawyer instructed4 ,parable of the ,good ,samaritan1 ,luke #aj3be4 ,they threaten to stone him for saying1 8,i and my ,father are one10 ,john #aj3ca4 ,bethany4 ,jesus visits the house of ,martha and ,mary1 ,luke #aj3ch4 ,near ,jerusalem4 ,he teaches his disciples to pray1 ,luke #aa3a4 ,jerusalem4 ,the man born blind is healed on the ,sabbath1 ,john #i3a4 ,bethany4 ,he goes to 8beyond ,jordan10 where ,john at first baptized1 and there hearing of the sickness of ,lazarus1 goes to ,bethany and raises him1 ,john #aa3a4 ,jerusalem4 ,caiaphas1 the high-priest1 suggests the death of ,jesus1 who retires to ,ephraim1 ,john #aa3dg1 #ed4 ,,ephraim1 ,,john #aa3ed4 #ac4 ,the site of this town has not certainly been identified1 but ,dr4 ,robinson has given good reasons for supposing that it was situated at a village now called ,taiyibeh1 twelve miles a little east of north from ,jerusalem4 ,it is off the present main road of travel1 to the east1 and in the midst of a very rough and untravelled country1 but there are the remains of a good ,roman road running down from this place to the valley of the ,jordan1 and about a mile and a half below the village there are two ,roman mile-posts still standing on that old road4 ,it is probable that here our ,saviour retired from the danger that seemed to threaten him in ,jerusalem4 ,after leaving ,ephraim he seems to have taken the main road down to the plain of ,jordan and crossed to the other side1 called ,pera4 #ad4 ,pera4 ,great numbers follow ,christ here1 and the following is a brief history of what transpired in that region3 ,he heals the infirm woman on the ,sabbath1 ,luke #ac3aj4 ,he is warned against ,herod1 ,luke #ac3ca4 ,he dines with a chief ,pharisee on the ,sabbath1 ,luke #ad3a4 ,the parables of the lost sheep and of the prodigal son1 ,luke #ae3aacb4 ,the parables of the unjust steward and of the rich man and ,lazarus1 ,luke #af4 ,the warnings that ,christ's coming will be sudden1 ,luke #ag3bj4 ,the parables of the importunate widow1 ,luke #ah3a1 and ,pharisee and publican1 ,luke #ah3aj4 ,he gives precepts respecting divorce1 ,matt4 #ai3c4 ,he blesses little children1 ,matt4 #ai3ac2 ,mark #aj3ac2 ,luke #ah3ae4 ,the visit of the rich young man1 ,matt4 #ai3af2 ,mark #aj3ag2 ,luke #ah3ah4 ,parable of the laborers in the vineyard1 ,matt4 #bj3a4 ,on the way up to ,jerusalem4 ,jesus for the third time foretells his crucifixion and resurrection1 but his disciples do not understand him1 ,matt4 #bj3ag2 ,mark #aj3cb2 ,luke #ah3ca4 #ae4 ,near the ,jordan4 ,james and ,john make their ambitious request through their mother1 ,matt4 #bj3bj2 ,mark #aj3ce4 ,west of ,jericho4 ,he heals two blind men1 ,matt4 #bj3cj2 ,mark #aj3df2 ,luke #ah3ce4 ,visits ,zacchus1 ,luke #ai3aaj4 ,nearer to ,jerusalem4 ,parable of the ten pounds1 ,matt4 #be3adcj2 ,luke #ai3aabg4 ,bethany4 ,the supper given by ,simon the leper1 ,matt4 #bf3fac2 ,mark #ad3ci2 ,john #ab3aaa2 from ,john it seems that this feast took place six days before the ,passover1 and on the next day was the triumphal entry into ,jerusalem4 ,just east of ,bethany4 ,the sending for the ass and colt1 followed by the triumphal entry of our ,saviour into ,jerusalem4 ,matt4 #ba3ag4 ,mark #aa3aaa and ,luke #ai3bidj speak only of the colt4 #af4 ,descending the ,mount of ,olives4 ,christ weeps over ,jerusalem1 ,luke #ai3dadd4 ,jerusalem4 ,he makes a triumphal entry into ,jerusalem and visits the ,temple1 ,matt4 #ba3abag4 ,this passage includes the statement of the overturning the money-changers' tables on the first day4 ,mark #aa3ab states that this act was performed on the day following4 ,as he performed the same act at his first ,passover1 two years before1 ,john #b3acag1 he may have done the same thing twice1 on two successive days4 ,also read ,luke #ai3de4 ,bethany4 ,he retires at evening to ,bethany1 ,matt4 #ba3ag2 ,mark #aa3aa4 ,,bethany ,,and ,,bethphage4 #ag4 ,bethany was a little over a mile east of the lower part of the city1 about a mile and a half southeast from ,st4 ,stephen's gate1 if measured along the road4 ,bethphage has not been certainly identified1 but it was probably at a place one half-mile south of the ,church of the ,ascension1 which is on the top of the ,mount of ,olives4 ,it was on the way from ,bethany to ,jerusalem1 where the road from ,bethany winds around the south of the highest part of the ,mount of ,olives4 ,this was the supposition of ,dr4 ,barclay1 and seems probable to the writer1 who visited the place4 ,on the way from ,bethany to ,jerusalem4 ,the fig-tree cursed1 ,matt4 #ba3ai2 ,mark #aa3ab4 #ah4 ,jerusalem4 ,christ's authority demanded1 ,matt4 #ba3bc2 ,mark #aa3bg2 ,luke #bj3a4 ,parable of the two sons1 ,matt4 #ba3bh4 ,parable of the wicked husbandmen1 ,matt4 #ba3ccda2 ,mark #ab3a2 ,luke #bj3i4 ,of the marriage of the king's son1 ,matt4 #bb3b4 ,the cunning of the ,pharisees regarding tribute to ,csar1 ,matt4 #bb3ae2 ,mark #ab3ac2 ,luke #bj3ba4 ,the artful question of the ,sadducees answered in respect to the resurrection1 ,matt4 #bb3bc2 ,mark #ab3ah2 ,luke #bj3bg4 ,a lawyer's question1 ,which is the greatest commandment8 ,matt4 #bb3ce2 ,mark #ab3bh4 ,jesus' question as to why ,david calls the son ,lord1 ,matt4 #bb3db2 ,mark #ab3ce2 ,luke #bj3da4 ,he warns them against the scribes and ,pharisees1 ,matt4 #bc3bcf2 ,mark #ab3chdj2 ,luke #bj3df1 #dg4 ,the widow's two mites1 ,mark #ab3da2 ,luke #ba3a4 ,some ,greeks desire to see ,jesus1 ,john #ab3bj4 #ai4 ,mount of ,olives4 ,warnings and foretelling of the destruction of ,jerusalem1 ,matt4 #bd3cea2 ,mark #ac3ccg2 ,luke #ba3gcf4 ,the ten virgins and the parable of the five talents1 ,matt4 #be3acj4 ,a distinct announcement that he shall come in glory with the angels1 ,matt4 #be3cadf2 such an announcement was made before his transfiguration1 but only in brief allusion1 see ,mark #h3ch4 ,jerusalem4 ,the chief priests1 scribes1 and elders of the people take counsel to destroy ,jesus1 ,matt4 #bf3c2 ,mark #ad3a1 #b2 ,luke #bb3b4 ,jesus appoints a place where he shall eat the passover1 ,matt4 #bf3ag2 ,mark #ad3ab2 ,luke #bb3g4 ,the ,lord's ,supper instituted at the close of the eating of the passover1 ,matt4 #bf3bfbi2 ,mark #ad3bbbf2 ,luke #bb3ai1 #bj4 ,from the last quotation1 with its context both before and after1 it is plain that the institution followed the passover2 read also from ,john #ac3b4 ,jesus washes his disciples' feet4 ,this includes ,judas' feet1 as seen in the record by ,john1 #ac3dcj4 ,jesus1 after the departure of ,judas1 gives a remarkable series of comforting instructions and exhortations to the apostles4 #bj4 ,gethsemane4 ,he retires to ,gethsemane and prays while his disciples sleep1 ,matt4 #bf3cf2 ,mark #ad3cb2 ,luke #bb3ci4 ,betrayed by ,judas1 he is led away to ,annas1 who sends him bound to the high-priest ,caiaphas1 who was with the ,sanhedrin as they were assembled1 expecting ,jesus at that hour1 ,matt4 #bf3dg2 ,mark #ad3dc2 ,luke #bb3dg4 ,,annas1 ,,caiaphas1 ,,pilate4 #ba4 ,annas had been high-priest1 but had been deposed by the procurator of ,juda2 ,caiaphas1 who was made high-priest1 was his son-in-law4#agd ,annas was a man of great influence and was probably at this time president of the ,sanhedrin4#age ,hence as he had been made a deputy by the previous procurator and discharged some of the functions of the office1 he was called a high-priest4 #bb4 ,pilate succeeded to the office of procurator ,a4 ,d4 #bf1 and gave to the ,jewish priests the management of their own affairs1 in order to conciliate them1 but at times he was exceedingly cruel and exacting4#agf ,as an instance1 when he desired to bring water into ,jerusalem from a distance of twenty-five miles1 to aid in the enterprise he seized upon the money laid up in the ,temple for sacred purposes4 ,this act so enraged the ,jews that they assembled by thousands at the palace gates demanding the restoration of the money4 ,pilate ordered his soldiers to disperse them1 and they with their short daggers charged the crowds into the very precincts of the ,temple1 slaying great numbers even upon the altars of their sacrifices4#agg #bc4 ,jerusalem4 ,the ,sanhedrin lead ,jesus to ,pilate1 ,matt4 #bg3b2 ,mark #ae3a2 ,luke #bc3a2 ,john #ah3bh4 ,pilate endeavors to deliver ,jesus from death1 but finally gives him over to crucifixion1 ,matt4 #bg3aabf2 ,mark #ae3iae2 ,luke #bc3dbd2 ,john #ah3ch2 #ai3af4 ,the supernatural darkness1 from the sixth hour 7twelve1 midday7 to the ninth hour 7three in the afternoon71 ,matt4 #bg3de2 ,mark #ae3cc2 ,luke #bc3dd4 ,the rending of the veil of the ,temple1 ,matt4 #bg3ea2 ,mark #ae3ch2 ,luke #bc3de4 #bd4 ,this veil was sixty feet high and of very heavy material1 according to ,jewish writers4 ,a veil to cover the holy place was used in the temples of ,diana at ,ephesus and of ,jupiter at ,olympia1 and as they were of the same material1 of woollen and richly embroidered and in color purple1 it seems they must have been suggested by the veil in the ,jewish ,temple1 which was of the same material1 work1 and color4 ,the ,jewish veil was the inner one separating the 8,holy of holies0 from the other part of the sanctuary4#agh ,for the original description see ,exod4 #bf3ca4 ,the earthquake1 ,matt4 #bg3ea4 ,rocks rent and graves opened1 ,matt4 #bg3eb4 ,centurion surprised1 ,matt4 #bg3ed2 ,mark #ae3ci2 ,luke #bc3dg2 ,luke adds 8all the people40 ,women beholding afar off1 ,matt4 #bg3ee1 #ef2 ,mark #ae3dj2 ,luke #bc3di2 ,john #ai3be2 ,john states that some stood by the cross4 #be4 ,joseph of ,arimatha applies for the body of ,jesus1 ,matt4 #bg3egfj2 ,mark #ae3dbdg2 ,luke #bc3ejec2 ,john #ai3ch4 ,nicodemus brings spices to the sepulchre1 ,john #bi3ci4 ,the ,jews1 by ,pilate's permission1 set a watch1 ,matt4 #bg3fbff4 ,the descent of an angel who rolls away the stone1 ,matt4 #bh3b2 ,mark #af3e2 ,mark says a young man was sitting in the sepulchre when the two ,marys came with spices4 ,luke #bd3d states two men 7angels7 stood at the sepulchre4 ,john #ba mentions no angel at the first visit1 but afterward ,mary ,magdalene on her return sees two angels in the sepulchre1 ,john #bj3aa1 #ab4 #bf4 ,the chief priests bribe the soldiers to keep the secret1 ,matt4 #bh3aaae4 ,the two disciples1 ,peter and ,cleopas1 going to ,emmaus1 see ,jesus1 ,luke #bd3acce4 ,,emmaus4 #bg4 ,the site of this town has not been identified beyond doubt4 ,but the village ,amwas1 fifteen miles northwest by west from ,jerusalem1 has been supposed to be the place4 ,its distance is almost too great for the disciples to have travelled in the time specified1 and it is farther off than the sixty furlongs which is given as its distance from ,jerusalem in ,luke #bd3ac4 ,but the distance is given in several of the old manuscripts as #afj furlongs instead of sixty2 especially is it so stated in the old ,sinaitic manuscript4 ,this fact1 with the similarity of name1 and the statement by ,jerome that it was at this place1 formerly called ,nicopolis1 leads to the general impression that the site of ,emmaus is to be found at ,amwas4 #bh4 ,jesus suddenly appears to the apostles as they are gathered in a room1 ,thomas being absent1 and again eight days afterward when ,thomas was present4 ,this is according to ,john #bj3aibi4 ,luke only mentions the one appearance in the room1 ,luke #bd3cfdh2 also in ,mark only one appearance in the room as they sat at meat or together1 ,mark #af3ad2 but this appearance is omitted in ,matthew4 ,the apostles and perhaps many others go into ,galilee1 ,matt4 #bh3af1 #ag2 ,mark makes no statement1 nor does ,luke1 in reference to the going into ,galilee4 ,john #ba3abc gives the meeting of ,jesus at the ,sea of ,tiberias4 ,after this he meets the apostles and over #ejj brethren at once2 is 8seen of ,james10 and finally 8of all the apostles10 having led them out to ,bethany1 where his ascension took place1 #a ,cor4 #ae3f1 #g2 ,luke #bd3diec4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,beginning ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,church4 #a4 ,immediately after the departure of our ,saviour the disciples recovered all their faith and courage and returned to ,jerusalem from ,bethany4 ,the first act of the apostles was to restore their number to twelve1 made eleven by the apostasy of ,judas4 ,two nominations were made of men who1 like themselves1 had been companions of the ,saviour from the baptism of ,john to the ascension 7,acts #a3ba74 ,the men nominated were ,joseph1 called ,barsabas1 and ,matthias2 the latter was chosen by lot4 #b4 ,the appointment1 or selection1 by lot was considered sacred among the ancients2 and was performed1 as to the mode of the lot1 by casting into some vessel a number of little tablets1 pebbles1 or strips of leather or papyrus1 upon which were inscribed the names or some distinguishing marks4 ,the vessel was then shaken1 and that name1 or its representative1 which first fell upon the floor determined the choice4 ,in the time of ,homer the lot was cast into a helmet and shaken4#agi ,in ,prov4 #af3cc the same idea of casting the lot into a vessel is intended1 with the addition that the result is guided by the ,lord1 for the ,english word 8lap0 in the passage just quoted in the ,hebrew signifies 8the opening10 i4 e41 of the urn or vessel into which the lot was cast4 ,the use of lots is mentioned frequently in the ,old ,testament2 at first over the scapegoat1 as described in ,lev4 #af3h2 then in the division of the holy land1 ,num4 #cd3ac1 and1 with supernatural results1 at the detection of ,achan1 ,josh4 #g3ad1 #ah1 and ,jonah #a3g2 also in the division of the priests into their orders1 #a ,chron4 #bd3ae4 ,the term for 8lot0 in the ,latin is clerus1 and the persons chosen to any priestly office1 or set apart by due ordination to the service of ,god1 in the ,christian church as a body1 are called the 8clergy10 declarative of the fact that their possession of or appointment to the sacred office is by divine decision1 as was always supposed to be the case in the ancient priestly appointment by lots4 ,,pentecost4 #c4 ,the next annual feast took place on the fiftieth day after the ,passover and was called ,pentecost1 the ,greek word for the fiftieth4 ,it was called the ,feast of ,weeks1 ,deut4 #af3aj1 also the ,feast of ,harvest1 ,exod4 #bc3af1 or of the ,firstfruits1 ,num4 #bh3bf4 ,it lasted but one day1 and upon that day two loaves of the first wheat were offered at the ,temple4 ,the festival now called ,whitsunday was suggested by this festival4 ,when the time for this feast arrived there was at ,jerusalem a remarkable gathering which shows to what extent the ,jewish nation had already been scattered over the world4 ,there were visitors from ,parthia1 ,media1 and ,elam1 from #fjj to #gjj miles on the east2 from ,mesopotamia1 about #djj miles on the northeast2 from ,cappadocia1 #ejj miles on the north and midway between the ,mediterranean and the ,black ,sea2 from ,pontus lying on the ,black ,sea2 and from that part of ,asia ,minor then called 8,asia40 ,this last mentioned district1 although it afterward gave its name to the whole vast continent1 at this time comprised only the extreme southwestern parts of the peninsula1 such as ,caria and ,lydia and a part of ,mysia1 its chief city being ,ephesus4 ,this was in after times the region of the 8seven churches0 of ,revelation4#ahj ,there were gathered ,jews from ,phrygia and ,pamphylia1 #ejj to #fjj miles off towards the northwest1 the former on the high tableland and the latter on the low seacoast southeast4 ,they were there from ,egypt on the southwest1 and from ,libya and ,cyrene1 #djj miles west of the ,nile1 on the ,african coast1 and from ,rome1 nearly #a1ejj miles to the northwest2 also from the island of ,crete1 #fjj miles west by north1 and from ,arabia on the southeast4 #d4 ,it was upon the occasion of this great gathering to ,jerusalem on the day of ,pentecost that ,peter exhibited the beginning of that remarkable ,christian courage1 knowledge1 and endurance which characterized him ever after4 ,he was now not only the orator1 but the able ,christian expositor of the prophets and of the ,psalms4 ,the general outline of his address at this time is given us in ,acts #b3addj1 but the effect was so great that #c1jjj came out publicly and were baptized on that one day4 #e4 ,the extreme poverty of the little band of apostles1 as a whole1 is evident2#aha but after the ,pentecost some of those who were added contributed to the general fund1 and there was no suffering after the organization was complete1 ,acts #d3cd4 ,even those who immediately after the crucifixion returned to their trades were enabled to devote their whole time to mission work1 so far as we have any records of them1 ,acts #f3d4 ,,the ,,immediate ,,success4 #f4 ,from the various notices of additions to their number and from the official appointment of seven men of ability to disburse the funds and attend to the needy1 ,acts #f3c1 it is evident that the numbers of the early church before the first great persecution began must have amounted to many thousands1 ,acts #b3db1 #dg2 #e3ad2 #f3a1 #g4 ,,the ,,first ,,persecution4 #g4 ,of the seven men appointed to attend to the management of the general treasury and to the claims of the poor1 the chief was ,stephen4 ,his exceeding prominence in public work1 his very extensive knowledge of the ,law1 and his aggressive ability in defending the gospel gave great offence to some of the ,jews4 ,the result was his arraignment before the ,sanhedrin and examination upon the two points which to the ,jews were the dearest of all1 namely1 the sanctity of the ,temple and the supremacy of the ,law4 ,stephen answered the inquiry of the high-priest1 ,acts #g3a1 by a history accompanied by unmistakable ,scripture proof that although ,solomon himself was the builder1 the ,temple was no better than the worshippers1 and he quoted the prophecy of ,isaiah1 #ff3a1 #b1 to show that the temple which the ,lord honored was the poor and contrite spirit4 ,he then immediately charged the ,sanhedrin as being unworthy of the ,temple themselves and in heart violaters of the ,law in that they had both betrayed and murdered the one of whom the ,law spoke1 thus ending the address with the most terrific charges of infidelity both to the ,temple and to the ,law4 ,no such words had ever been uttered before the ,sanhedrin since it had existed4 ,he was immediately dragged out of the city and stoned to death4 ,stephen was the first ,christian martyr4 #h4 ,this death was the signal for the first persecution4 ,the immediate effect of this persecution was to scatter the members of the ,christian community of ,jerusalem not only throughout ,samaria and ,galilee1 but even to ,phnicia1 ,antioch1 and ,cyprus1 and they went preaching the same doctrines which had been taught in ,jerusalem1 ,acts #aa3ai4 ,the city of ,samaria was at this time one of the most beautiful in ,palestine4 ,it was presented to ,herod the ,great by ,augustus1 and in honor of the emperor ,herod named it ,sebaste4#ahb #i4 ,one of 8the seven10#ahc of whom we have spoken was ,philip1 who went to this city and preached the new doctrine with great success4 ,one of the visitors from distant lands was an officer of ,candace1 queen of the ,ethiopians4 ,he had come from that country to attend the celebration at ,jerusalem and was returning1 when by divine direction ,philip left ,samaria to join him on the homeward road4 ,this officer accepted the company of ,philip on the way1 and the latter presented the new doctrine with such ability that the ,ethiopian officer1 who was well acquainted with the ,scriptures through the ,greek translation 7the ,septuagint71 became the first recorded convert from that distant country of ,ethiopia4 ,,conversion ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul4 #aj4 ,at the stoning of ,stephen there was a young man present who made himself conspicuous by keeping the outer garments of those who engaged in the act of stoning the martyr4 ,this man was ,saul1 a ,hebrew name1 afterward changed into the ,roman form of ,paul4 ,he was a native of ,tarsus1 a large and celebrated city of ,cilicia1 a district on the northern coast of the ,mediterranean1 but the most eastern on that coast4 ,tarsus was a city of learned institutions and learned men4 ,the tutors of two emperors of ,rome dwelt there1 and it was a favored city in many respects1 being a place of large commerce4 ,young ,saul was sent to ,jerusalem at an early age and became a pupil of ,gamaliel4 ,this ,gamaliel was considered not only one of the most learned in the ,hebrew literature but also in the ,greek1 and he was president of the ,sanhedrin4 ,he afterward transferred the locality of the ,sanhedral schools from ,jerusalem to ,jamnia1 the ,jabneel of ,josh4 #ae3aa4 #aa4 ,jabneel1 or ,jabneh1 now called ,yebneh1 is thirteen miles due south of ,jaffa1 the ancient ,joppa1 and must be distinguished from the ,jamnia seaport four and a half miles northwest1 which is sometimes referred to by the same name1 but not so in ,scripture4 ,in the time of the ,maccabees the coast town was a more important seaport than ,joppa4 ,during the crusades ,jabneh was called ,ibelin4#ahd ,it is built on a hill and is four miles from the sea4 #ab4 ,in carrying out his enmity against the ,christians ,saul determined to visit ,damascus1 where several synagogues existed4 ,damascus was about #aej miles by road northeast from ,jerusalem4 ,obtaining letters of introduction from the high-priest1 he set out to accomplish his purpose4 ,on the way1 before entering ,damascus1 he was arrested by a supernatural vision and was changed from the condition of a bitter and determined enemy to that of an equally determined advocate of the ,christian faith1 and1 after a season of apparent preparation1 he returned to ,jerusalem4 ,but this addition to the ,christian community was attended with such vexation and such disappointment to the ,jews that 8they went about to slay him10 and it was thought best by his brethren that ,saul should depart for ,tarsus4 ,at his departure the persecution ceased4 ,,azotus1 ,c,,sarea1 ,,lydda1 ,,joppa4 #ac4 ,these places now come into notice in connection with the missionary tours of ,philip1 the departure of ,saul to ,tarsus1 and the visit of ,peter to those who had lately joined the new fellowship4 ,philip1 after leaving the ,ethiopian officer of ,queen ,candace1 travelled northward on the coast of the ,mediterranean till he reached ,azotus4 ,this was the most important city of the ,philistines in the time of ,david1 and was known as ,ashdod1 but by the ,greeks called ,azotus4 ,it is three miles inland from the coast1 and situated on the slope of a large hill #adj feet above the sea level4 ,it is twenty-one miles north from ,azotus to ,joppa1 and thirty-two from ,joppa to ,csarea1 and along this way on foot ,philip travelled1 preaching as he went4 ,csarea was built by ,herod the ,great upon the former site of a little village called ,strato's ,tower1 and named after ,csar ,augustus4 ,it was magnificently constructed as a city and as a harbor1 and vessels sailed between it and many distant parts of the ,mediterranean3 hence it was at this time and long afterward the great shipping port of ,palestine4 ,josephus gives us a full description of the city1 and states that its completion was celebrated1 ,b4 ,c4 #ac1 by splendid games4 ,it was the chief residence of the ,roman officers and governors of ,juda4 #ad4 ,we have evidences that a ,christian church had been planted here at a very early period1 and in ,a4 ,d4 #bjj it became the residence of a bishop who was primate of all the bishops in ,palestine1 ,jerusalem included4 ,origen taught here in the third century1 and here ,eusebius was educated and afterward became its bishop2 he died ,a4 ,d4 #cdj4 ,in ,a4 ,d4 #aaja ,csarea was captured from the ,moslems by ,baldwin ,i41 and among the rich booty was found a hexagonal vase of green crystal supposed to have been a sacramental cup1 and this plays an important part in medival poetry as the 8holy grail40 #ae4 ,it was to this port that ,saul was taken to find a passage direct for ,tarsus1 which was about #cjj miles north4 ,tarsus is ten miles off the coast and twelve or fifteen miles from the present ,mersina1 or ancient ,soli1 which was its port4 #af4 ,philip went to ,csarea from ,azotus1 preaching in all the cities1 and here he seems to have finally settled1 as years after1 when ,paul returned from his last missionary tour1 he stopped at his house and stayed with ,philip before going up to ,jerusalem4 ,at that time ,philip had four daughters who were gifted with the spirit of prophecy1 ,acts #ba3i4 ,it is probable1 therefore1 that the extensive ,christian influence which pervaded ,csarea for so many centuries afterward was greatly due to the early work and presence of ,philip4 ,we should not confound the two ,philips3 7#a7 ,philip the apostle1 and 7#b7 this ,philip1 who is sometimes called ,philip the evangelist4 ,the latter probably died in ,csarea1 but the apostle in ,asia ,minor4 #ag4 ,lydda and ,joppa4 ,joppa is upon the sea-coast thirty-five miles northwest from ,jerusalem1 measured on a straight line1 and ,lydda is twelve miles southeast of ,joppa4 ,joppa is mentioned in the inscriptions of ,sennacherib1 the ,assyrian king1 who reigned ,b4 ,c4 #gjefha1 as ,jo-ap-pa1 so that the name ,joppa is ancient1 and the place was the seaport of ,jerusalem in the time of ,solomon1 ,b4 ,c4 #ajae1 at which he received wood 8out of ,lebanon10 #b ,chron4 #b3af4 ,this is the first mention in ,scripture4 ,it is now called ,yafa1 and its population is much greater than that which generally appears in the guide-books1 being about #ah1jjj1 as the author has been informed by a long resident physician4 ,both of these places are on the great coast-plain known as the plain of ,sharon1 or ,saron1 which was1 in the time of ,solomon1 a great pasture-land1 #a ,chron4 #bg3bi4 ,it is probable that at this time greater opportunity was allowed the ,christians to work on in peace1 not only because of the conversion of ,saul1 but because at the death of ,tiberius1 ,march1 ,a4 ,d4 #cg1 ,caligula became emperor1 and the attention of the ,jews was violently drawn to care for themselves4 ,on his accession to power ,caligula ordered that divine honors should be paid to him throughout the empire4 ,in furtherance of this order he directed that an image of himself should be placed in the ,holy of holies1 the most sacred place in the ,temple at ,jerusalem4 ,such a profanation of the ,temple was so abhorrent to the ,jews that it seemed at one time to the prefect of ,syria1 ,ptronius1 that the ,jews must be exterminated if the order was carried out1 and he wrote to ,caligula in accordance with his impression4 ,but the emperor was inexorable1 and it is impossible to say what would have been the result had not ,caligula been assassinated1 on the #bdth of ,january1 ,a4 ,d4 #da4ahe #ah4 ,a4 ,d4 #ch4 ,it was during these troublous times in the ,jewish community that the apostle ,peter went to ,lydda in the course of his visits to the ,christian churches4 ,there he raised neas from a sick-bed1 ,acts #i3cc1 and going from ,lydda to ,joppa he raised ,dorcas to life1 ,acts #i3dj4 ,a4 ,d4 #da4 ,peter now visited ,csarea by the invitation of ,cornelius1 the centurion1 or captain of a band called the ,italian band1 or cohort1 probably because it was a company of soldiers who were all from ,italy1 enlisted under ,roman orders4 ,the soldiers usually employed were provincial1 that is1 belonging to the country where they were stationed2 but in this case they were sent here from ,italy and were generally composed of both infantry and cavalry1 serving as a body-guard for the governor1 and were probably at this time garrisoning ,csarea4#ahf ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,for ,,gentiles ,,as ,,well ,,as ,,jews4 ,,first ,,missionary ,,tour ,,of ,,paul ,,and ,,barnabas4 #a4 ,it is a remarkable fact that1 although the apostles were so fully persuaded of the verity and power of the gospel1 they had not yet learned the intent and universality of its application to the ,gentiles and to all the human race1 and though commissioned by their ,master to preach it 8to all the world10 still held that the ,jewish people were the only chosen race and all others were unclean1 and that it was unlawful to associate1 or eat1 and commune freely with any but that race4 ,hence up to this time the gospel had been preached with the intent of converting only ,jews to the ,christian faith4 #b4 ,in view of these strong prejudices a remarkable 8vision in a trance10 ,acts #aa3e1 on the housetop1 at ,joppa1 was granted ,peter1 whereby for the first time he was led to comprehend the fact that hereafter spiritual cleanliness should1 in the divine sight and purposes1 for ever cancel all obligations to the merely ceremonial1 and he was then directed to immediately proceed to the house and to the ,gentile company awaiting him at ,csarea4 ,the history is recorded in ,acts #aj4 #c4 ,on his return to ,jerusalem he communicated the new order1 that now the gospel was to be preached to the ,gentiles as well as to the ,jews1 and he narrated his vision and the consequent visit to ,csarea4 ,all of which was accepted without discussion and with very evident satisfaction4 ,saul however1 having been forced to leave ,palestine1 travelled throughout ,cilicia and ,syria1 ,gal4 #a3ba1 until he was invited back to ,jerusalem4 #d4 ,at this time1 about ,a4 ,d4 #da1 ,antioch was a city of large population and many ,jews inhabited the place1 who became strong adherents to the new faith1 and it was now that1 at this place1 the name ,christian was applied to all who were followers of ,christ1 although at first they themselves did not accept the name4 ,,the ,,two ,,antiochs4 ,antioch in ,syria was #cjj miles north of ,jerusalem and about fifteen miles from the ,mediterranean shore1 where was its port1 then called ,seleucia4 ,it was the most beautiful city of ,syria and at that time the most important4 ,antioch in ,pisidia1 however1 which is now called ,yalobatch1 is #ejj miles northwest of ,jerusalem and #ajj north of the coast of the ,mediterranean4 ,this ,antioch is partly on the southern declivity of a long range of mountains and owes its ancient name to the same king who gave name to the ,syrian ,antioch4 ,this king was ,seleucus1 king of ,syria1 whose father's name1 ,antiochus1 he gave to these cities and his own to ,seleucia1 fifteen miles off1 on the coast1 of which we have already spoken4 ,antioch was at this time the adopted city of a very active community of ,christians1 many of whom were ,grecians and others ,gentiles4 ,paul1 whose special talents and education admirably fitted him for this class of converts1 being now at ,tarsus1 was sent for1 and he remained in ,antioch for about a year2 when he1 with others1 began a series of missionary tours whereby the gospel was not only extended throughout ,western ,asia but introduced into ,europe1 as we shall soon see4 #e4 ,a4 ,d4 #db4 ,about this period there came to ,antioch a prophet1 by name ,agabus1 one of a number who not only foretold events but seemed endowed with extraordinary powers of exposition of the divine word4#ahg ,this prophet announced that a great famine would soon call for generosity on the part of the church at ,antioch towards the poorer members of the community in ,juda1 ,acts #aa3bh4 ,this announcement was made during the reign of ,claudius1 ,a4 ,d4 #daed1 of which reign ,tacitus says that it was distinguished for earthquakes1 bad harvests1 and general scarcity4#ahh ,the ,christians in ,antioch1 therefore1 sent contributions to ,jerusalem and commissioned ,saul and ,barnabas for the purpose of conveying these gifts1 ,acts #aa3bi4 ,for the first time we now read of the term 8presbyters0 in the ,greek1 or seniores in the ,vulgate translation1 and called 8elders0 in the ,english version1 ,acts #aa3cj4 #f4 ,at this time ,herod ,agrippa 7see table page #bbi7 ruled in ,juda4 ,claudius had known him as an earnest advocate of his rule before his succession to the empire1 and he therefore rewarded ,herod with the addition of ,samaria and ,juda to those possessions of ,philip ,antipas which he before possessed4 ,herod had been imprisoned by ,tiberius1 but ,caligula restored him to liberty and presented him with a golden chain of the same weight as the iron one he had worn in prison1 and this chain he dedicated to the ,temple when1 ,a4 ,d4 #db1 he arrived in ,jerusalem4 ,this ,herod courted the favor of the ,jews by many public acts4 ,in his time the northern section of ,jerusalem1 now inclosed with a wall1 was a suburb2 and he inclosed it and1 had not the prefect of ,syria compelled him to stop1 he would have strengthened all the fortifications of the city4 #g4 ,it was evidently1 therefore1 because it pleased the ,jews1 and probably at their instigation1 that he wilfully put to death ,james1 the son of ,zebedee1 with the sword and proceeded to perpetrate the same atrocity with ,peter1 having imprisoned him for that purpose4 ,the history of this act of ,herod and of the escape of ,peter is given in ,acts #ab4 ,herod1 being not only disappointed1 but evidently alarmed1 at the mystery of ,peter's escape1 retired immediately from ,jerusalem to ,csarea and there met his sudden death1 in the fifty-fourth year of his age1 after seven years' reign in ,palestine4 #h4 ,the dominion of these districts1 ,juda1 ,samaria1 and ,galilee1 now reverted to the prefect of ,syria1 and they were fully incorporated with the ,roman ,empire4#ahi ,,jud,a1 ,,samaria1 ,,and ,,galilee4 ,the boundaries of these districts cannot be exactly traced4 ,juda was the most important2 and its north border began at the ,jordan and probably ran up the valley of the ,farah to the ,jewish city ,akrabeh1 thence westward along the course of the valley of the present river ,ballut1 coming out at the city ,antipatris2 and although the plain of ,sharon was politically a part of ,juda1 ,herod having possession of the maritime towns1 yet strictly the line followed the river out to the sea4 ,this line formed the north boundary of ,juda and the south boundary of ,samaria1 in the strictly ,jewish sense4 ,of ,galilee1 the south boundary began at the ,jordan east of ,beth-shean1 which was a ,samaritan city4 ,it ran along1 probably1 south of ,mt4 ,gilboa1 westward and just north of ,jenin1 the ancient ,en-gannim1 which was within the ,samaritan border1 and probably along the ridge of ,carmel4 ,at the end of the ridge1 near the sea1 ,galilee seems to have claimed the modern ,haifa1 a village then called ,sycaminon1 and in this vicinity the seashore was in ,galilee4 ,the border line of ,galilee thence retired inland1 the coast plain belonging to ,phnicia4 ,it then ran northeasterly to the angle formed by the ,leontes ,river1 now called the ,kasimiyeh1 then northward a short distance1 and then east by south to ,banias1 thence southward1 including some towns east of the upper ,jordan and the ,sea of ,galilee1 forming that part of ,galilee called 8,galilee beyond ,jordan40 ,the extreme southern boundary of ,juda1 in the political sense1 is mentioned in one of the rabbinical writings as from ,petra to ,ascalon1 but ,ascalon itself did not belong to ,juda4#aij ,the apostles now seem to have 8left ,jerusalem for wider fields of action40#aia #i4 ,after a special religious consecration 7,acts #ac3c71 ,barnabas and ,saul1 accompanied by ,john ,mark1 a nephew of ,barnabas1 set out from ,antioch on the first missionary tour to foreign countries4 ,seleucia was nearly four miles north of the mouth of the ,orontes1 upon which river the city of ,antioch was built4 ,from this port the missionaries set sail for ,cyprus1 #acj miles distant4 ,salamis at this time was a populous city on the southeastern shore of ,cyprus4 ,in this city there was a colony of ,jews1 and ,barnabas was a native of ,cyprus1 and therefore the visitors did not feel themselves entirely strangers4 ,but they passed along the southern coast road until ,paphos1 #ajj miles distant1 was reached4 ,here the apostle ,paul met with the proconsul ,sergius ,paulus4 ,a ,,proconsul4 #aj4 ,from the time of ,augustus1 ,b4 ,c4 #bg1 the provinces were of two kinds1 ,senatorial and ,imperial4 ,the former were governed by a proconsul1 who was appointed by lot and had no military power1 and was in office for one year only4 ,the latter1 or imperial provinces1 were governed by a legate or commissioner chosen directly by the emperor1 and he served so long as the emperor wished4 ,he always went out to his province with military pomp as a commander4 #aa4 ,syria was an imperial province1 and was governed by a legate or commissioner of the emperor stationed at ,antioch4 ,juda1 however1 was a special province1 and its distance from ,antioch and its peculiar people required a special officer under the commissioner at ,antioch1 and this officer was called a procurator4 ,he had his headquarters at ,csarea1 ,acts #bc3bc1 wore the military dress1 and had a cohort as a body-guard1 ,matt4 #bg3bg1 called in this passage 8the soldiers of the governor20 moreover1 he had the power of life and death1 ,matt4 #bg3bf1 in his own province4 #ab4 ,at the interview which ,saul had with the proconsul1 called here the 8deputy10 there was one of the class known at that day as sorcerers4 ,this man greatly interfered with the apostle's effort to explain the new faith to the proconsul1 who had requested instruction4 #ac4 ,peter had encountered one of this class before1 ,acts #h3i4 ,the apostle now addressed the so-called sorcerer in terrible rebuke1 foretelling his immediate blindness for a season1 and thereby showing that behind the earnest and reasonable presentation of the great truths of the new faith which had fully persuaded the proconsul there lay the reserved authority of so great supernatural power to attest the divinity of the doctrine4#aib ,that this is the meaning of the verse in ,acts #ac3ab is evident from a verse in ,luke #d3cb1 which shows that it was the method of confirming the doctrine1 and not the doctrine itself1 which caused the astonishment spoken of in the verse4 #ad4 ,from this time ,saul's name is changed into ,paul1 and the other name never occurs again in ,scripture4 ,the apostle and his companions now sailed from ,paphos to the city of ,perga in ,pamphylia1 #age miles northwest4 ,mark left them at ,perga and returned to ,jerusalem for reasons not explained in the text4 ,perga exists as a ruin six or seven miles from the seacoast and about #ae miles northeast of a seaport called ,adalia by the ,turks1 the ancient ,attalia1 built by ,attalus1 the king of ,pergamos1 #aeiach ,b4 ,c41 and hence its name4 ,it has at present about #h1jjj inhabitants1 and surrounds the port as an amphitheatre1 the streets rising one above another4 #ae4 ,from ,perga the apostle proceeded to ,antioch1 now called ,yalobatch1 about #ij miles north of ,perga4 ,the plain upon which ,perga is situated is about #bj miles wide on the seacoast1 and stretches eastward for about #cj miles4 ,east of ,perga the ,eurymedon ,river comes down through the plain into the sea1 and its sources are high in the ridges north of ,perga4 ,it is probable that up the valley of this river the apostles passed to the high table-land of ,pisidia upon which ,antioch is placed4 #af4 ,when they had arrived at ,antioch they awaited the ,sabbath-gathering at the synagogue1 and being1 as the custom was1 invited to speak to the assembled ,jews and strangers1 the apostle ,paul presented the connection between the promises of the ,old ,testament and the fulfilment of these promises in the coming and the teachings of ,christ4 ,the impression made was so important and favorable that another gathering of a great crowd assembled on the following ,sabbath4 ,at this time1 however1 the ,jews and ,jewish women created so great and so public opposition that the apostle was led to announce that hereafter he should devote his labors to the conversion of the ,gentiles and leave the ,jews to the consequences of their bitter opposition to the gospel he was called to preach4 ,but a church was planted here in spite of the opposition1 which caused the departure of the apostles across the country to ,iconium1 about #he miles southeast4 ,,iconium4 #ag4 ,this city is located upon the large plain which stretches eastward #hj or #ij miles with little interruption4 ,on the southeast a solitary mountain rises at a distance of about #cj miles1 8like a lofty island in the midst of the sea40#aic ,the height of this mountain is nearly #d1jjj feet above the plain4 ,in ,march its top is generally covered with snow4 ,here are the ruins of many tombs1 churches1 and other apparently public buildings1 and these ruins have given rise to the ,turkish name ,bin-bir-ka-lessi1 or the 8thousand-and-one churches40 ,with general consent this place is supposed to mark the site of ,lystra1 which became the next place of visit by the apostles after leaving ,iconium4 ,the name of this singular mountain in the ,turkish is ,kara-dagh1 or ,black ,mountain4 ,the plain upon which ,iconium is located is supposed to be #c1ijj feet above the ,mediterranean4 ,iconium was a ,greek city1 if we may judge from the large number of ,greek ruins and inscriptions yet remaining1 many of which are built into the walls of the town4 ,here ,barnabas and ,saul proceeded to work as at ,antioch1 and addressed the ,jews gathered at the synagogue in that place4 ,but although their success was great a division of opinion resulted1 and the ,jews made preparations to assault their visitors1 but they fled to ,lystra4 #ah4 ,the identification of ,lystra with ,bin-bir-ka-lessi has not been proved1 but the supposed position at the ruins above mentioned is on a large depression on the north side of the ,kara-dagh ,mountain4 ,the village1 not far off1 is inhabited by ,greeks4 ,at ,lystra the two missionaries found no synagogue1 and addressed the citizens in some public place4 ,here ,paul restored a man who had been born lame1 and the consequent amazement produced by this miracle induced the priest of ,jupiter to bring oxen and garlands to the gates of the temple with the intent of offering sacrifices to ,paul and ,barnabas1 who1 despite their most earnest protestations1 found it difficult to prevent the sacrifices4 ,but the ,jewish enmity was apparent again4 ,some of the members of the synagogues in ,antioch and ,iconium followed the apostle and ,barnabas across the plain1 and so bitterly prejudiced the inhabitants that they stoned ,paul and dragged him out of the city1 supposing him to be dead4 ,under the care of the disciples he revived1 and the next day departed for ,derbe4 ,derbe has not yet been identified1 but it is supposed to be at a ruin about #be miles east of ,kara-dagh1 called ,divle4 #ai4 ,there ,barnabas and ,paul made apparently a short visit1 during which they preached to many2 but nothing more is stated than that they now returned upon the same line of travel1 revisiting and encouraging their converts at ,lystra1 ,iconium1 and ,antioch1 and thence returning to ,perga4 ,here they remained and preached1 and then departed for ,attalia1 the seaport1 distant about #ae miles southwest1 whence they sailed on return to ,antioch in ,syria4 #bj4 ,but the old question of observance of the ,law of ,moses1 which had been agitated before and had never been satisfactorily quieted1 now reappeared under such conditions that it demanded immediate and most serious attention4 ,some troublesome ,jewish converts visiting ,antioch proclaimed1 as if charged with the authority of the elders at ,jerusalem1 that the ,greek and other ,gentile converts must submit to the rites and ceremonies of the ,mosaic ,law or they could not be saved4 ,the discussion became so unpleasant at ,antioch that a delegation1 consisting of the apostle ,paul1 ,barnabas1 and others1 went to ,jerusalem to present the subject to a general council for decision4 #ba4 ,after the discussion in this general council1 it was decided that nothing should be required of the new ,gentile converts except abstinence 8from meats offered to idols1 and from blood1 and from things strangled1 and from fornication40 ,with this1 the only concession to the ,law of ,moses1 they returned to ,antioch and announced to the assembled multitudes the decision of the council1 which now and for ever set the question at rest4 ,henceforward all ,christian converts were free from the restrictions and rites of the ,mosaic ,ceremonial ,law4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,second ,,and ,,third ,,missionary ,,tours4 #a4 ,a4 ,d4 #ec4 ,a few days afterward1 ,acts #ae3cf1 ,paul and ,silas set out upon a second journey4 ,the expressed object was to revisit the churches they had planted4 ,barnabas preferred his nephew as companion2 but ,paul1 fearing that the desertion which had previously taken place on the part of ,mark might be repeated1 preferred to associate himself with ,silas4 ,barnabas and ,mark left for ,cyprus1 while ,paul and ,silas started for ,derbe1 not as before by sea1 but northward1 by land1 across the mountain known as ,amanus1 the pass of this range being about twenty miles north of ,antioch in ,syria4 ,this pass is now known as that of ,beilan1 which lets the traveller down upon the famous plain of ,issus1 where1 ,b4 ,c4 #ccc1 ,alexander the ,great had met and defeated the ,persian king ,darius4 ,crossing this plain to the extreme northeastern end of the ,mediterranean1 now called the ,gulf of ,iskanderun 7or ,alexandretta71 an additional distance of about twenty-five or thirty miles from the mountain pass1 they had then the towns of ,mopsuesta and ,tarsus on the ,roman road on the plain directly west as they turned around the corner of the coast4#aid #b4 ,it appears1 however1 that they soon reached the pass north of ,tarsus1 by which they made their ascent to the great high tableland4 ,this pass was probably that of the so-called 8,silician ,gates10 twenty-two or twenty-three miles north of ,tarsus1 at the top of which is the supposed site of ,derbe1 about fifty miles a little north of west1 upon the great plain we have before described4 #c4 ,from ,derbe they passed westward to ,lystra4 ,here ,paul found ,timothy1 a young convert from the last visit1 as mentioned1 ,acts #af4 ,thence they came to ,iconium4 ,they now left the former route1 and judging from the direction of the old roads and general routes of travel between important cities at that time1 it is probable that their course was through ,laodicea 7now called ,ladik71#aie ,philomelium1 and ,synnada1 the last two known at present as ,ak-sher and ,eski ,kara-hisser1 or the 8old black castle40 ,ladik is twenty-four or five miles northwest of ,iconium and has many remains of antiquity4 ,it is now a small place of only #ejj inhabitants4 ,ak-sher1 or the 8white city0 of the ,turks1 is about sixty-five miles northwest of ,iconium and contains about #a1ejj houses1 and is the ,philomelium of ,strabo1 the geographer4 ,there is a remarkable salt lake ten miles north of it1 which is dry in summer and affords much salt at that season1 but in the winter is full and extends some twenty or thirty miles westward4 #d4 ,the next point which seems to have been on the course of travel was near the great centre of the present opium manufacture of ,asia ,minor1 namely1 the place called 8the opium black castle10 or ,aphium ,kara-hissar of the ,turks4 ,this place is on the northern base of a hill on the south side of the river of the ,ak-sher lake before spoken of4 ,this river is a small stream whose source is in the hills west of the town1 but it is lost in the lake1 having no other outlet4 ,very fine marble quarries existed in this region in ancient times4#aif #e4 ,from this place it is thought probable1 judging1 as we have said1 from the lines of travel well known in those days1 that the missionaries went northeastward1 first to ,pessinus1 now ,bali-hissar1 and then ,ancyra1 the present ,angora1 famous for its fine-haired goats and containing a population of perhaps #ce1jjj4 ,but nothing is known certainly of the exact places visited1 only that it is stated they went 8throughout ,phrygia and the region of ,galatia10 and then probably on the same route back to ,synnada1 and 8passing by10 that is on the borders of ,mysia1 came down to ,troas4 #f4 ,troas was at this time a very important seaport on the northwest of ,asia ,minor near the site of ancient ,troy and opposite the southeast extremity of the island of ,tenedos1 four miles distant4 ,it is now called ,eski ,stamboul1 i4 e41 ,old ,constantinople4 #g4 ,from here ,paul and ,silas set sail directly towards ,samothrace1 an island in the gean ,sea northwest from ,troas1 and landed at ,neapolis on the shore of ,macedonia4 ,thence they travelled about twelve miles north to ,philippi1 which was a ,roman military colony4 ,here the events occurred which are described in ,acts #af3abdj4 #h4 ,from ,philippi the travellers took the ,roman road to ,amphipolis4 ,this city stood on high ground about three miles from the sea and thirty-three from ,philippi4 ,it was colonized by ,athenians and called ,amphipolis from being nearly surrounded by the river ,strymon4 #i4 ,the next point reached was ,apollonia1 but the exact location is not known4 ,it is laid down in some of the ancient itineraries as being thirty miles from ,amphipolis4 ,thence they travelled to ,thessalonica1 thirty-seven miles distant from ,apollonia4 ,this was a very important place and is even now second only to ,constantinople4 ,its present name is ,saloniki and it is at the head of the ,thermaic ,gulf4 ,it was a busy commercial town at the time of the visit of the two missionaries4 ,here ,paul and ,silas remained for several weeks1 publicly explaining and proving the new doctrines of the gospel1 ,acts #ag3aaj4 #aj4 ,opposition from the ,jews arising1 they left for ,bera4 ,bera is now called ,verria1 and is sixty miles west by north from ,thessalonica4 ,it is a large town at present1 having some #bj1jjj inhabitants4 ,here the usual vexation and opposition on the part of the ,jews made it necessary that the apostle ,paul should leave the town1 and at night and alone he went down to the seashore to a shipping town about twenty-five miles distant1 called ,dium1 and from thence he set sail for ,athens1 which was by sea about #bgj miles distant4 ,we now may read the history as recorded in ,acts #ag4 #aa4 ,athens at the time of the apostle's visit was included in the ,roman province of ,achaia4 ,it was not then in its palmiest days of prosperity1 but it was nevertheless the centre of art and learning and a city of great voluptuousness and idolatry4 ,it contained one large ,agora1 8the market0 or place of assembling of its citizens1 a large square or open place which not only contained but was surrounded by the finest sculptures and buildings perhaps at that time existing in the world4 ,the apostle came here alone1 #a ,thess4 #c3a1 and while waiting for his companions he met and preached to many in the ,agora1 until he attracted so much attention that he was invited to the great assembling-place on the north of the ,agora called the ,areopagus1 where the most important court or council of the ,areopagus was held4 ,solon gave the court censorial and political powers1 but ,st4 ,paul was called here more because of the curious desire of the ,athenians to hear about this new doctrine4 ,at this place he delivered that masterly address recorded in ,acts #ag4aig ,his labors at ,athens did not meet with much success1 although some were persuaded and believed1 and one of the court itself1 ,dionysius by name1 who afterwards became a bishop of a ,christian community formed there4 ,paul soon left ,athens for ,corinth4#aih #ab4 ,corinth was a rival of ,athens in luxury and magnificence1 in commerce and in wealth1 and was perhaps even in art second only to ,athens4 ,it was situated upon the isthmus of the ,peloponnesus and noted for its ,acropolis1 built upon an elevation #a1hhf feet above the city on the south4 ,it was sacked and nearly destroyed by the ,romans1 ,b4 ,c4 #adf1 and nearly all the treasures of art were carried to ,rome1 but the city was restored under ,julius ,csar4 ,only a few ruins remain4 ,the modern town is on the ,gulf of ,corinth1 three miles north from the site of the old city1 and contains about #b1fjj inhabitants4 ,it is #de miles a little south of due west from ,athens4#aii ,here ,paul remained for nearly two years1 ,a4 ,d4 #eb1 #ec1 and preached with great success2 and while here he wrote the ,epistle to the ,thessalonians#bjj and planted other churches in ,achaia1 #b ,cor4 #a3a4 #ac4 ,cenchre was five and a half miles east-southeast of ,corinth on the shore of the ,gulf of gina4 ,it was an important port at the time when the apostle visited it4 ,at present it is called ,kekriais#bja and is not inhabited2 the only remains are of an ancient dry dock4 ,from this place ,paul set sail for ,ephesus1 #bce miles almost due east4 #ad4 ,ephesus is #ce miles south-southeast from ,smyrna1 near where the river ,cayster empties into the ,gulf of ,scala ,nova4 ,it was the capital of ,ionia and had one of the seven churches mentioned in the book of ,revelation4 ,the ruins which remain consist chiefly of a magnificent theatre1 supposed to be large enough to accommodate #cj1jjj people1 a stadium or gymnasium1 besides walls and towers and remains of the temple of ,diana1 for which it was most famous4 ,the worship of ,diana was attended with the study and practice of magic in various forms1 and the 8magical letters0 spoken of by many classic authors#bjb as 8,ephesian letters0 were in use at the time of the apostle's visit4 ,the temple was in its splendor also at that time4#bjc ,on this the first visit1 ,a4 ,d4 #ed1 of the apostle to ,ephesus he remained but a short time1 and then departed for ,jerusalem1 ,acts #ah3aiba1 and thence down to ,antioch4 ,,the ,,third ,,missionary ,,tour4 #ae4 ,in this tour the starting-place was at ,antioch1 as in the former tour4 ,the churches planted in ,galatia and ,phrygia were visited1 perhaps on the line of travel previously chosen1 and then a course was taken direct to ,ephesus1 which now became the centre of the apostle's labors1 ,a4 ,d4 #edeg4 #af4 ,it was at the close of this visit that the remarkable tumult described in ,acts #ai took place1 ,a4 ,d4 #eg4 ,paul now left ,ephesus for ,philippi by ,neapolis1 as in the previous journey1 and thence to ,thessalonica and ,bera1 and onward by land to ,corinth1 a journey of about #bbj miles through ,thessaly and ,achaia4 #ag4 ,but it seems1 ,rom4 #ae3ai1 that at ,thessalonica ,paul resolved to visit the lands west of ,macedonia as far as ,illyricum4 ,this was probably in the summer of ,a4 ,d4 #eg1 and perhaps the autumn4 ,the journey was along the ,roman road to ,dyrrachium1 about #bjj miles1 and across several ranges of mountains4 ,while at ,dyrrachium it is probable he made a tour about #agj miles to the south to ,neapolis1 on the ,bay of ,arta1 and returning by the city ,apollonia on the ,adriatic1 came back to ,bera and thence to ,corinth4 ,the region which he visited was that ,dalmatia referred to in #b ,tim4 #d3aj4 ,dalmatia was included in the greater region of ,illyricum1 and was upon the shore of the ,adriatic1 being contiguous to ,msia on the north and ,macedonia on the east4 #ah4 ,after wintering at ,corinth1 ,paul with several friends1 ,acts #bj3d1 returned to ,achaia1 ,bera1 and the towns previously visited1 to ,neapolis1 and thence by sea to ,troas4 ,at this place the events stated in ,acts #bj took place4 ,remaining a short time at ,troas while his companions took ship1 ,paul walked across the promontory to ,assos1 about #be miles distant by the road1 and arrived in time to meet the ship1 which had to stop at that city4 ,the place ,assos is now a small village known by the name ,beiram4 #ai4 ,from this place they sailed by ,mitylene1 the capital of the island of the same name1 now called ,lesbos4 ,going between the islands and the shore1 they passed ,chios1 ,samos1 and the promontory and cape at ,trogyllium on the then ,ionian coast4 ,at ,miletus ,paul stopped and sent for the elders at ,ephesus while the vessel was exchanging freight4 ,miletus is about #ej miles south of ,ephesus4 ,passing ,cos1 which is about #ee miles from ,miletus1 and then the island of ,rhodes1 they put into ,patera in ,lycia1 which was a seaport of the town of ,xanthus1 famous for its oracle4 ,thence1 taking another vessel1 ,acts #ba3b1 ,paul sailed directly for ,tyre1 on the ,phnician coast4 ,from this city he and his party sailed for ,ptolemais1 #bh miles southward1 where the sea voyage ended4 #bj4 ,the rest of the journey to ,jerusalem was on foot by ,csarea4 ,the occurrences at ,csarea are narrated in ,acts #ba1 and on his arrival at ,jerusalem ,paul was seized in the ,temple by a mob comprised of resident ,jews1 urged on by some who were in attendance upon the feast from foreign parts who had seen ,paul abroad in some ,asiatic place4 ,paul was now protected by the military interference of the ,roman chief 8captain of the band0 stationed at the ,temple4 ,the history is minutely given us in ,acts #ba3cbdj4 ,by the order of ,festus the governor1 called the procurator of ,juda1 who succeeded ,felix ,a4 ,d4 #fa1 ,paul was taken to ,csarea4 #ba4 ,on ,paul's appeal to ,csar he was taken on board a vessel sailing from ,csarea and committed to the care of a centurion1 ,acts #bg3a4 ,the course of the vessel1 as stated ,acts #bg1 was first to ,sidon1 where a short stay was made4 ,then 8under ,cyprus10 that is to the east of the island1 as the winds were from the northwest and contrary1 they 8tacked0 to ,myra1 a city of ,lycia4 ,this city stands upon a hill about two miles back from the shore4 ,it is now called by its ancient name by the ,greeks4 ,its port is ,andriaca4 #bb4 ,the course thence was to ,cnidus1 which is at the western end of a peninsula between the islands ,rhodes and ,cos2 there they changed their course to the southward and passed ,cape ,salmone1 on the extreme east of the island of ,crete4 ,the wind now was more ahead1 that is1 against them4 ,hence they 8hardly10 meaning 8with difficulty10 reached ,fair ,havens1 near which was the city of ,lasea4 ,it is ninety miles from ,cnidus to ,cape ,salmone and seventy from ,salmone to ,lasea4 ,the island of ,crete is #afj miles long1 and they remained under ,crete and near the shore1 hoping to reach ,phnice1 which is about forty miles from ,lasea4 #bc4 ,they had not sailed more than about twenty miles before the wind1 which had been from the south1 changed around and blew so violently from the east that the vessel became unmanageable and they 8let her drive40 ,the course was now west by north seven degrees1 and this course was kept from ,clauda to ,melita1 about #ejj miles4 ,clauda is south of ,crete twenty miles4 ,,malta4 #bd4 ,malta is the largest of a group of islands1 the one at that time called ,melita1 now ,malta1 being the easternmost4 ,the shore is almost entirely precipitous2 two or three small bays are found on the northern shore1 one of which is supposed to be that into which ,paul's ship was driven4 ,it is fifteen miles from the eastern end of the island1 which is twenty miles in length1 and this is the only bay on that side with a stream emptying into its waters4 ,the stream is only a very small brook coming down from a source in the southwest4 ,it was running in ,november when the writer visited the locality4 #be4 ,acts #bg3bg to #bh3aj should be read in this connection4 ,the island of ,malta contains many ancient remains of ,phnician1 ,greek1 and ,gothic construction4 ,in the ,library at ,valetta are three medals and other objects found on the island said to contain ,phnician letters1 and ,sir ,w4 ,drummond has translated a ,punic legend found on a square stone in a sepulchral cave which states that it marks the burial-place of ,hannibal4 #bf4 ,after three months' stay on this island ,paul's company proceeded on their way to ,rome1 stopping at ,syracuse three days4 ,syracuse at this time seems to have been very populous4 ,it was on the eastern part of ,sicily and on the coast1 and was the residence1 at various times1 of some of the most celebrated philosophers and poets1 ,plato1 ,simonides1 ,zeno1 and ,cicero2 and here ,archimedes lost his life at the capture of the city by the ,romans4 #bg4 ,thence the vessel passed to ,rhegium1 now called ,reggio 7pronounced redjo74 ,this place1 in ,calabria1 is the southernmost city and seaport of ,italy1 and was once a renowned city eight miles southeast of ,messina across the strait of the same name4 ,it has a population now of about #bj1jjj4 #bh4 ,the next day they came to ,puteoli1 now ,pozzuoli 7pronounced pot-soo-o-lee7 on a gulf of the same name seven miles southwest of ,naples4 ,its vicinity was celebrated as the residence of wealthy ,romans and the port was an important one4 ,but the land has sunken1 as the writer found many evidences that parts of the ancient city were covered with the waters of the sea4 #bi4 ,the main ,roman road1 called the ,appian ,way1 was now taken1 upon which was the marketplace called ,apii ,forum1 forty-three miles from ,rome4 ,its site is supposed to be marked by some ruins near ,treponti4 ,farther on was a place called the 8,three ,taverns10 about thirty-three ,roman miles from the city and near the present ,cisterna4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,paul ,,at ,,rome4 ,,the ,,seven ,,churches4 ,,colosse ,,and ,,hierapolis4 #a4 ,after their arrival at ,rome1 ,paul was permitted to dwell by himself with a soldier who kept him and to whom he was bound with a chain1 ,acts #bh3bj4 ,for two years ,paul remained at ,rome in a hired house1 ,acts #bh3cj1 teaching and preaching to all those who came to visit him1 and no one forbade him1 for the ,jews at ,rome were under so great fear of the ,government that they were exceedingly cautious to cause no uproar4 ,they had not long before been expelled from the city in consequence of an uproar1 and they were forced to express any objections to the new faith in a very quiet way4#bjd #b4 ,we can learn nothing of the subsequent life of the apostle except from notices which occur in the various epistles4 ,it appears that the ,jews were unable to gather any definite charge sufficient to sustain them in any plea against ,paul4 ,but during this long residence at ,rome several epistles were written and many converts were made through the apostle's efforts4 #c4 ,for his success in preaching see ,phile4 #ad4 ,it is evident that ,luke was with him1 ,col4 #d3ae2 ,phile4 #bd2 ,timothy also1 ,phile4 #a2 ,col4 #a3a2 ,phil4 #a3a2 and others2 see ,col4 #d3g2 ,eph4 #f3ba2 and ,john ,mark was found 8profitable to him10 ,col4 #d3aj2 #b ,tim4 #d3a2 ,phile4 #bd2 ,col4 #d3ad2 #b ,tim4 #d3aj1 wherein we see that ,demas afterward forsook him2 ,col4 #a3g4 ,at this time the case of ,onesimus is interesting2 see ,epistle to ,philemon4 ,onesimus had escaped to ,rome and had been converted to the true faith1 but after his conversion returned with a letter from ,paul to his master4 ,the ,epistle to the ,colossians was now written and sent probably by ,onesimus and ,tychicus1 the latter being charged with another epistle1 namely1 to the ,ephesians4 ,these letters were written probably in the spring of ,a4 ,d4 #fb4 ,about this time ,paul was cheered by an offering sent from the church in ,philippi1 who remembered the apostle in his confinement1 ,phil4 #d4 ,this ,epistle to the ,philippians was also written from ,rome and sent by the same one that brought the gift from the church1 namely1 ,epaphroditus4 #d4 ,all we know of the apostle after this is from ecclesiastical writers of the early ,christian church4 ,from these it has been supposed that he was tried and acquitted of the charges against him and that after this he visited some of the churches he had been instrumental in planting4 ,in this route it is thought that from ,rome he went by ,brundusium1 thence to ,dyrrachium and onward to ,macedonia and to the churches there4 ,it is even thought that now he visited ,spain1 ,a4 ,d4 #fd1 in accordance with an expression in ,rom4 #ae3bd1 #bh4 ,but these visits are only conjectural4 #e4 ,it seems however that he was again arrested and sent to ,rome1 some think while spending a time at ,nicopolis1 on the ,bay of ,actium4 ,in this second imprisonment he was confined as a malefactor1 #b ,tim4 #b3i1 and none would visit him or stand by him1 #b ,tim4 #a3af2 #d3af1 and now it is said the second ,epistle to ,timothy was written4 ,whether ,timothy ever arrived in ,rome after this is not known4 ,but the second trial came on1 and the history states that he was condemned to be beheaded2 and beyond the city walls1 along the road to ,ostia1 the port of ,rome1 he was led out and executed1 a ,roman swordsman beheading him4 #f4 ,besides the apostle ,paul1 only three appear as writers in the remaining parts of ,scripture2 these are ,james1 8the ,lord's brother10 ,peter1 and ,john4 ,james is author of one of the general epistles1 evidently intended for universal use and not sent to any one church1 and hence called 8,the ,epistle ,general of ,james40 ,it makes the twentieth of the ,new ,testament books4 ,peter is last mentioned when at ,antioch1 as recorded in ,gal4 #b3aaba4 ,it is supposed from #a ,pet4 #e3ac that he remained in ,babylon in ,chalda1 where at an early period many ,jews were settled1 as ,josephus shows4 ,he wrote two epistles1 which form the twenty-first and twenty-second books of the ,new ,testament1 and these were written apparently in his old age4 ,the tradition is that he suffered martyrdom in ,rome4 ,,the ,,seven ,,churches ,,of ,,asia4 #g4 ,the only other writer of the ,new ,testament not yet mentioned is ,john4 ,he wrote three epistles and the book of ,revelation1 in which are mentioned the churches of ,ephesus1 ,smyrna1 ,pergamos1 ,thyatira1 ,sardis1 ,philadelphia1 and ,laodicea1 ,rev4 #a3aa4 ,ephesus has already been described4 #h4 ,smyrna was then 8the ornament of ,asia1 with the finest harbor in the world40 ,although no mention is made of it in the book of ,acts nor in any of the epistles of ,st4 ,paul1 it may have been one of the earliest churches founded by ,st4 ,john4 ,eratosthenes states that ,smyrna was built by the ,cumans ,b4 ,c4 #ajae1 and according to ,pliny it took its name from an ,amazon1 ,smyrna by name1 who founded it4 ,in the time of the apostles it had a temple and hot springs4#bje ,it is at present a populous city1 built however a little to the south of the ancient site1 and contains about #bjj1jjj inhabitants4 #i4 ,pergamos is #ej miles nearly due north from ,smyrna4 ,it is described during the ,roman period as the finest city of their new province of ,asia4 ,its possession by the ,romans was due to the gift of ,attalus its king1 ,b4 ,c4 #acb4 ,pergamos was celebrated for its extensive collections of libraries and for the patronage of art and science at its court4 ,all the ruins now found are of the ,roman period except a tunnel over the river ,selinus1 now a small stream4 ,this double tunnel appears to be extremely ancient1 and is supposed to be of the time of ,attalus4 ,it runs under the present town of ,bergamah for #fjj feet1 with arches of #dj feet diameter and #bj feet high4 ,the present town contains about #cj1jjj inhabitants4 ,as the artisans were skilled in preparing skins for manuscripts1 the skins themselves were known by the name of the place1 and hence the name 8parchment10 which is only a change of the ancient name of ,pergamos4 #aj4 ,thyatira is now called ,ak-hissar1 8the white castle10 from a castle on the white hill back of the plain upon which the city is built4 ,the plain has always been inhabited1 and was celebrated at and long before the period of the apostles for its manufacture of dyes1#bjf and this art is alluded to in ,acts #af3ad4 ,it never had any reputation otherwise1 but was always a busy trading city4 ,it is #eb or #ec miles northeast of ,smyrna1 and was a ,macedonian colony in the time of ,strabo1#bjg but before his time it was called ,pelopia1#bjh upon which site the colony was placed by the ,syrian king ,seleucus ,nicator1 a general of ,alexander the ,great4 #aa4 ,sardis1 the once proud capital of ,lydia1 the residence of ,crsus1 the wealthiest monarch of his age1 and 8the queen of ,asia10#bji is now utterly desolate4 ,the site is about #ej miles east of ,smyrna1 and the river ,pactolus is on the west4 ,it is now called ,sart1 and there are to be found only two or three huts and a water-mill4 ,if ,smyrna be taken as a centre of a great circle1 the three cities last mentioned will be nearly on the circumference3 ,pergamos north1 ,thyatira northeast1 and ,sardis east1 each about #ej miles from the centre4 #ab4 ,philadelphia1 the next in order as mentioned in ,revelation1 is east of ,sardis about #cj miles1 on the northeastern slope of ,mt4 ,tmolus1 near the little stream of the ,cogamus1 which winds about on the plain and falls into the ,hermus near ,sardis4 ,it received its name from its founder1 ,attalus ,philadelphus1 king of ,pergamos1 ,b4 ,c4 about #adj years4 ,strabo says that the city was subject to frequent earthquakes1#baj and ,tacitus says that ,philadelphia was nearly entirely destroyed by an earthquake in the reign of ,tiberius4#baa ,although never a city of much prominence1 it has outlasted ,ephesus1 ,sardis1 and ,laodicea4 ,one-third of the present population1 #ae1jjj1 are ,christians of the ,greek ,church4 ,it is still surrounded by walls1 but they are very much dilapidated4 #ac4 ,laodicea was once a rich and flourishing city1 but nothing remains of it but a vast stadium1 a theatre1 and a gymnasium4 ,laodicea is nearly #ajj miles due east of ,ephesus1 ,colosse is #aj or #ab miles southeast1 and ,hierapolis about the same distance nearly north4 #ad4 ,besides the seven cities forming the sites of the famous seven churches of ,asia1 there are two others to be noticed1 ,colosse and ,hierapolis4 ,the former was written to by ,st4 ,paul in his ,epistle to the ,colossians4 ,nothing remains but a few fragments of broken columns and building stones4 ,hierapolis received its name from its remarkable hot springs4 ,at one place the deadly gas 7carbonic dioxide7 exhaled from the opening of a cave where the spring was located1 and this exhalation caused death to animals and men4 ,this fact originated the superstition that some divinity presided over the city1 and hence it became called ,hierapolis1 8the holy city40 ,about the time of the apostles there was so great an abundance of the water supply that baths were built in every part of the city4 ,the waters are so heavily charged with lime that they deposit stalactites and stalagmites in every direction1 and the whiteness of the rock and ground over which the waters flow is so general that the place may be seen at a great distance1 and because of its dazzling whiteness it receives the name of ,pembouk ,kalessi1 8,cotton ,castle40 ,it is only mentioned in ,col4 #d3ac4 ,the apostle ,john1 who outlived the rest of the apostles1 seems to have had a special interest in those seven churches of ,asia4 ,he is said to have exercised a pastoral care over them all1 but at some time after the death of ,paul he went to ,ephesus and dwelt there4 ,he was banished to ,patmos1 probably by the ,emperor ,domitian1 ,a4 ,d4 #ie1 where he wrote the ,revelation4 ,,patmos4 ,this little rugged island was used as a place of banishment of ,roman criminals4 ,it is #cb miles west of the coast of ,asia ,minor1 and is rocky and barren and about #bh miles in circumference4 ,it has a port on the east where is a deep indentation4 ,the population at present is #d1jjj1 all ,greeks and a seafaring people4 ,on a height above the principal town is a large convent1 resembling a fortress1 where are said to be some valuable manuscripts4 ,on his return from banishment ,john went back to ,ephesus1 where he died at the great age of #ie1 ,a4 ,d4 #ajj4 ,he was known to the last as the ,holy ,theologian1 and the present name of the little village1 ,ayasoluk1 near ,ephesus1 is the ,turkish form of the ,greek ,hagios-,theologos1 the ,holy ,theologian4 ,,map3 ,,general ,,map ,,of ,,bible ,,lands ,,illustrating ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,nations ,,map3 ,,canaan ,,and ,,its ,,tribes ,,before ,,the ,,conquest ,,by ,,joshua ,american ,tract ,society #aej ,nassau ,st ,new ,york ,,map3 ,,assyria1 ,,chaldea ,,media1 ,,armenia1 ,,and ,,syria ,american ,tract ,society #aej ,nassau ,st ,new ,york ,,map3 ,,canaan ,,and ,,its ,,tribes ,,before ,,the ,,conquest ,,by ,,joshua ,american ,tract ,society #aej ,nassau ,st ,new ,york ,,map3 ,,sinai ,,and ,,the ,,desert ,,of ,,the ,,wanderings ,american ,tract ,society #aej ,nassau ,st ,new ,york ,,map3 ,,the ,,holy ,,land ,,in ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,the ,,kings4 ,,map3 ,,sinai ,,and ,,the ,,desert ,,of ,,the ,,wanderings ,american ,tract ,society #aej ,nassau ,st ,new ,york ,,map3 ,,environs ,,of ,,jerusalem4 ,,map3 ,,map ,,showing ,,the ,,missionary ,,tours ,,of ,,the ,,apostle ,,paul ,american ,tract ,society #aej ,nassau ,st ,new ,york ,,footnotes4 #a - 8,ancient ,empires of the ,east10 p4 #ie4 ,,pliny1 ,n4 ,h41 ,,vi4 #acj4 #b - 8,lippincott's ,gazetteer10 #ahha4 #c - ,pronounced ,moo-rad'-chi 7chi as in ,china74 #d - ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #ajh4 #e - 8,wo lag das ,paradies80 ,dr4 ,delitzsch4 #f - ,of this manuscript we shall give a description hereafter1 as also of the ,septuagint4 #g - ,schumann's 8,commentary on ,genesis40 #h - ,schaff's 8,bible ,dictionary10 p4 #ahd4 #i - ,translation of ,society of ,biblical ,archology1 ,vol4 ,,iv41 p4 #cae4 #aj - ,eichhorn's 8,einleitung10 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #ij4 ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #hc4 #aa - ,w4 ,f4 ,wilkinson1 8,personal ,names in the ,bible10 p4 #aj4 #ab - ,delitzsch1 8,chaldan ,genealogy10 p4 #cjd4 #ac - ,wilkinson1 p4 #ae4 #ad - ,trench1 8,study of ,words40 #ae - ,geikie4 #af - ,copper is as abundant now as then4 ,there is quite a trade in copper between ,bagdad and ,bassora near the head of the ,persian ,gulf4 ,all household utensils are made of copper4 ,when ,xenophon arrived with his ,ten ,thousand1 ,b4 ,c4 #djj1 in this region 7in his time it was called the land of the ,carduchi7 he was astonished at the quantity of metallic utensils4 ,lenormant1 8,ancient ,history of the ,east10 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #bjc4 #ag - ,rawlinson1 8,the ,five ,great ,monarchies10 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #ih4 #ah - ,perrot ,chipiez1 8,art in ,chalda40 #ai - ,see 8,speaker's ,commentary10 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #fb4 ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #ahd4 #bj - ,see ,vigouroux and ,lenormant1 as quoted by ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #hf4 #ba - ,so ,schrader in ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bjh4 #bb - ,osborn's 8,manual of ,biblical ,geography40 #bc - ,full references in ,bochart's 8,geography10 pp4 #aib1 #aic4 #bd - ,schrader in ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bcd4 #be - ,bochart1 8,geog4 ,sac410 p4 #aeg4 #bf - ,ibid41 p4 #ehf4 #bg - 8tudes de l'antiquit historique40 ,paris1 #ahgc4 #bh - ,geikie1 p4 #bcd1 ,vol4 ,i4 #bi - ,lenormant1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 8,ancient ,history of the ,east10 p4 #bcf4 #cj - ,some have recently offered a new reading of this text1 as follows3 8,from that land he ,nimrod went into ,assyria20 but1 beside what has been above said1 ,rosenmller observes that if this had been the meaning the ,hebrew would have been different4 ,we may add that the ,septuagint translators understood it as it is in our ,english version1 that it was not ,nimrod1 but ,asshur1 who built ,nineveh4 #ca - ,it has been supposed by some that the word 8,rehoboth0 does not refer to a city1 but to the 8wide street0 of ,nineveh4 ,the term is used in that sense in an inscription of ,esar-haddon1 in which he says that he paraded the heads of two kings of ,sidon through 7,rehoboth7 8the streets0 of ,nineveh4 ,w4 ,a4 ,i41 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #de2 in 8,history of ,esar-haddon10 ,budge1 #ahha1 p4 #da4 #cb - ,herodotus1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #aba4 #cc - ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bdg4 #cd - ,more fully spoken of page #fi4 #ce - ,the hieratic is written from right to left1 as is the ,phnician4 ,see ,sayce's 8,ancient ,empires of the ,east10 ,scribner1 #ahhf1 p4 #hd4 #cf - ,bertheau1 as quoted by ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bea1 and ,lenormant1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #add4 #cg - ,job #da3f2 ,prov4 #ca3bd1 where the word 8merchant0 is ,canaanite in the ,hebrew4 #ch - 8,antiquities10 ,vol4 ,i41 #f3d4 #ci - ,maclear1 p4 #bd4 #dj - ,oppert1 8,journal ,asiatique10 ,vol4 ,x41 p4 #bbj2 ,vol4 ,,ix41 p4 #ejc4 ,lenormant1 8,langue ,primitive de la ,chalde10 p4 #cee4 ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bia4 #da - ,lenormant1 8,ancient ,history of the ,east10 p4 #dde4 #db - ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bgd4 #dc - 8,prp ,evang410 ,,ix41 #ag4 ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bie4 #dd - ,a4 ,h4 ,sayce in the 8,hibbert ,lectures10 #ahhg4 ,see also in 8,old ,testament ,student10 #ahhg1 p4 #acd4 #de - ,sayce1 translation as referred to in previous note4 #df - ,see ,herzog1 article 8,ur40 #dg - ,pronounced ha-i4 #dh - ,pronounced a-i4 #di - ,hale's date is ,b4 ,c4 #bjgh4 #ej - ,gen4 #af3g2 #bj3a2 #be3ah2 ,exod4 #ae3bb2 #a ,sam4 #ae3g2 #bg3h4 ,shur means 8wall40 #ea - ,pronounced ,ke-ops4 #eb - ,wilkinson's date is ,b4 ,c4 #aecb1 but ,brugsch gives it as ,b4 ,c4 #adcc4 #ec - ,sir ,henry ,rawlinson4 #ed - 8,la ,langue ,primitive10 p4 #cgf2 in ,tomkin's 8,times of ,abraham10 p4 #aha4 #ee - ,bir es ,seba in the ,arabic is the same as ,beersheba in the ,hebrew4 #ef - ,sayce1 8,ancient ,empires10 p4 #bjj4 #eg - ,we have mentioned them on page #cg4 #eh - ,fourth memoir of 8,the ,egypt ,exploration ,fund10 #ahhg1 p4 #ae4 #ei - ,osborn's 8,ancient ,egypt in the ,light of ,modern ,discovery10 p4 #hb4 #fj - ,ebers' 8,konigstchter10 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bb in the note1 #dj4 #fa - ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #dfh4 #fb - ,see ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #dfb4 #fc - ,for illustrations of this fact see 8,ancient ,empires of the ,east10 ,sayce4 ,preface4 #fd - ,dynasty was the term given to kings of the same family or blood relations4 #fe - ,this view appears to be the correct one1 although there is some variation of opinion4 #ff - ,gray's 8,connection between ,sacred and ,heathen ,authors10 p4 #efc4 ,longinus 8,on the ,sublime40 #fg - ,lepsius in ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #chd4 #fh - ,supposed to have been ,debir1 south of ,hebron4 #fi - ,wilkinson in ,tomkins' 8,studies of the ,times of ,abraham10 p4 #hf4 #gj - ,tomkins1 p4 #hf4 #ga - ,odyssey1 ,book ,,ii41 l4 #eba4 ,gladstone's 8,hom4 ,synchron40 pp4 #agd1 #ahb4 #gb - ,now called ,ain es ,sultan4 #gc - ,ussher's time as in the margin of our ,bibles4 #gd - ,the ,talmud is described hereafter4 #ge - ,bishop ,horsley4 #gf - ,deut4 #bg3ab2 #aa3cj2 ,num4 #cd3acbi2 ,exod4 #ba3ac2 ,num4 #ce3f1 #aa1 #ad2 ,deut4 #ai3b1 #i4 #gg - ,the affix 8im0 to a word was equivalent to the letter s in ,english4 #gh - ,lenormant1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #bbc4 #gi - ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #dff4 #hj - ,meaning 8hamstrung40 ,our version puts horses in italics1 showing that it is not in the original4 #ha - ,browne in 8,ordo ,sculorum10 ,vol4 ,i41 chap4 #e1 sec4 #c4 #hb - ,for another solution of the chronology of this period see the 8,old ,testament ,student10 ,january1 #ahhd4 #hc - ,the place where the courts were held4 #hd - ,burckhardt's 8,travels10 p4 #cci4 #he - ,osburn's 8,ancient ,egypt10 p4 #ach4 ,london4 ,samuel ,bagster ,sons4 #hf - ,the place assigned as probable1 namely1 ,astug1 is an impossible site1 for ,ziklag after the ,captivity is located between ,beersheba and ,jerusalem1 and ,astug was at that time too far off for settlement by returned captives4 #hg - #a ,kings #aa3db4 #hh - 8,antiquities10 ,,ix41 #aa3a4 #hi - ,strabo1 ,,xv41 #a3f4 ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,v41 p4 #cci4 #ij - ,jer4 #dh3dj2 #di3bb4 #ia - ,ezek4 #ag3c4 #ib - ,lenormant1 8,ancient ,history of the ,east10 #dge1 in remarkable corroboration of #b ,kings #bd3g4 #ic - ,also spelled ,mizpeh1 the meaning being watch-tower4 #id - #a ,kings #ab3bh4 #ie - ,under the title of ,apis2 ,greek1 ,ser-apis1 for ,osiris-,apis4 #if - ,ecclus4 #cf3ae and ,maccabees #i3bg2 #ad3da4 #ig - ,t4 ,g4 ,pinches1 in 8,trans4 ,soc4 of ,biblical ,archology10 ,may1 #ahhd4 ,same as ,tiglath-pileser1 #b ,kings #ae3bi4 #ih - ,lenormant and ,chev41 8,ancient ,history of the ,east10 p4 #cib4 #ii - ,lenormant1 #cib4 #ajj - ,idem1 #fjd4 #aja - ,lenormant etc41 8,ancient ,history of the ,east10 p4 #djf4 ,geikie's date would make it too late1 see authorities in ,geikie1 ,v41 p4 #ia41 and for the translation of cylinders1 8,history of ,esar-haddon10 ,budge1 #ahha1 ,boston1 ,osgood ,co41 p4 #ajc4 #ajb - ,see ,rawlinson's 8,five ,great ,monarchies10 ,,ii41 p4 #dgg1 ,english ,edition2 also ,maclear's 8,old ,testament ,history10 p4 #dde4 #ajc - ,such as ,psalms #gi1 #ajb1 #abf1 #acg1 and others4 #ajd - ,their tendencies were idolatrous from the beginning1 #a ,king #ad3ae4 ,for the comparative morality see p4 #aej4 #aje - ,it is not probable that he went to ,babylon1 but his prophecies were taken there1 ,dan4 #i3b2 ,jer4 #bi4 #ajf - ,the discussion of this matter of ,darius of ,dan4 #e3ca may be found in 8,translations of the ,society of ,biblical ,archology10 ,,vi41 pp4 #aacc2 also in ,geikie1 ,vol4 ,,vi41 p4 #cih4 #ajg - ,some remained in ,palestine4 #ajh - 8,old ,testament ,history10 ,maclear1 p4 #dgf4 ,ezra #h4 #aji - ,according to ,ussher4 #aaj - ,zech4 #a3a4 #aaa - 8,the ,book of ,esther10 by ,haley1 ,andover1 #ahhe4 #aab - ,full description by ,dr4 ,m4 ,jastrow1 ,jr41 8,sunday-school ,times10 ,philadelphia1 ,november #ag1 #ahhh4 #aac - ,for the critical account1 see 8,the ,book of ,esther10 by ,haley1 ,andover1 #ahhe4 ,more recently1 8,harper's ,monthly10 ,june1 #ahhg4 8,revue des ,etudes ,juives10 ,avril,juin1 #ahhh4 8,sunday-school ,times40 ,november #ag1 #ahhh4 #aad - ,geo4 ,rawlinson1 8,the ,religions of the ,ancient ,world10 p4 #gi4 #aae - ,idem1 p4 #hf2 the utmost that was allowed was the emblem of the winged circle4 #aaf - ,keil's 8,comments on ,esther10 p4 #cji1 8,book of ,esther10 ,haley1 p4 #ha4 #aag - ,chiefly on the authority of ,a4 ,h4 ,sayce1 8,the ,ancient ,empires of the ,east40 #aah - ,according to ,josephus4 #aai - 8,introduction to ,hebrew ,literature10 ,j4 ,w4 ,etheridge1 ,m4,a41 ,london1 #ahef1 p4 #bj4 #abj - ,b4 ,c4 #bia1 ,maclear's 8,new ,testament ,history10 p4 #aa2 and ,b4 ,c4 #cajbij1 ,westcott's 8,bible in the ,church10 p4 #cjj4 #aba - ,macc4 #b3ac4 #abb - ,for proofs of spiritual activity of this period1 ,b4 ,c4 #ecf1 read ,ezra #f3afbb4 ,that they had the prophets ,haggai and ,zechariah with them1 read #f3ad4 ,that they were ready to worship ,god anywhere before they had a temple1 #c3af4 ,that they called ,ezra and caused him to read and explain the ,law to them1 ,neh4 #h3a1 etc4 #abc - ,jos41 ,contra ,apion1 lib4 ,i41 #h4 ,euseb41 8,eccl4 ,history10 lib4 ,,iii41 chap4 #aj4 ,josephus lived in the time of the apostles4 ,he was born ,a4 ,d4 #cg and died after ,a4 ,d4 #ig and made this statement #djj years after the ,canon1 or list1 had been closed4 #abd - ,these men gave rise to a class of writings called 8,interpretations10 or in their language ,targums1 which are also explanations as well as interpretations1 and give the ideas of the earliest writers upon ,scripture4 #abe - ,prideaux1 ,part ,i41 ,book #e4 #abf - ,what is called the ,samaritan translation is a translation of this ,pentateuch into the ,samaritan language and is not the ,samaritan ,pentateuch4 #abg - ,the proofs of the use of the square ,hebrew since ,ezra are found given in ,conder's 8,handbook to the ,bible0 7,gemara1 ,sanhedrin1 f4 #ba1 #bb71 p4 #agd4 8,horne's ,introd40 ,,ii41 p4 #abag for the versions of the ,pentateuch 7,samaritan71 ,smith's 8,dictionary of the ,bible10 ,vol4 ,,iii4 #abh - ,in the time of ,darius ,nothus1 ,b4 ,c4 #dji1 so ,prideaux says1 8,connection10 ,vol4 ,i41 pp4 #cegcei4 #abi - ,this is the date of his visit to ,jerusalem and profanation of the ,temple4 ,clinton in ,woodward and ,cates4 #acj - ,prideaux1 ,part ,,ii41 ,book #c4 #aca - ,in ,babylon1 but formerly in ,palestine into #aec1 for three years' reading4 8,the ,new ,testament ,scriptures10 ,charteris1 p4 #ag4 ,etheridge1 8,introduction to ,hebrew ,literature10 p4 #bja4 #acb - ,the year was not so determined in that era that the same number of weeks1 or ,sabbaths1 would always occur one year with another1 some years having as many as fifty-four ,sabbaths1 or thirteen months4 ,ayres' ,dictionary1 8,chronology40 #acc - 8,talmud10 ,berokoth1 #ab2 ,etheridge1 8,introduction to ,hebrew ,literature10 p4 #bja4 #acd - ,westcott1 8,bible in the ,church10 p4 #bi4 #ace - ,westcott1 p4 #cf4 #acf - 8,the ,book of ,esther10 ,andover1 #ahhe4 p4 #ah4 #acg - ,described hereafter1 p4 #bjd4 #ach - ,the ,septuagint gave it the name 8,numbers10 but the ,english is the translation of the ,greek1 but in the other case the ,greek words are used in ,english letters4 #aci - ,the 8,book of the ,dead0 is found in more than one copy1 though originally one1 having been added tohence we use the plural term4 ,called also 8,ritual of the ,dead40 ,rawlinson's 8,religions of the ,ancient ,world10 p4 #bf1 note4 #adj - ,baedeker's 8,egypt10 p4 #baj4 #ada - ,prideaux states that there were #ajj1jjj ,jews in ,alexandria at this time1 ,b4 ,c4 #bgj4 #adb - ,both ,josephus and ,philo gave descriptions of this class of ,jews under the name of ,essenes1 holy men4 ,see ,prideaux1 ,part ,,ii41 ,bk4 #e1 also ,etheridge's 8,introduction to ,hebrew ,literature10 p4 #ba4 #adc - 8,introduction to ,hebrew ,literature10 ,etheridge1 p4 #bi4 #add - ,see ,parkhurst's ,lexicon1 8,sanhedrin10 p4 #hbe4 #ade - 8,introduction to ,hebrew ,literature10 ,etheridge1 p4 #bi4 #adf - ,etheridge1 8,introduction to ,jewish ,literature10 p4 #hh4 ,jerusalem was destroyed and the ,temple burned ,a4 ,d4 #gj4 #adg - ,simon ,ben ,yochai1 time of the ,emperor ,antonine4 8,introduction to ,hebrew ,literature10 p4 #hb4 #adh - ,he was head of the ,sanhedrin ,b4 ,c4 #cb4 8,introduction to ,hebrew ,literature10 p4 #cg4 #adi - ,in the ,gamara1 tract ,sanhedrin1 fol4 #ba1 #bb1 ,conder's 8,handbook10 p4 #agd4 #aej - ,as seen in the inscription in the ,siloam tunnel1 8,echoes of ,bible ,history10 ,bishop ,walsh1 p4 #bhb4 #aea - ,conder's 8,handbook to the ,bible10 ,london1 #ahhg1 p4 #agc4 #aeb - ,recently discovered by ,dr4 ,ginsburg1 in ,british ,museum4 #aec - ,bishop ,walsh's 8,echoes of ,bible ,history10 p4 #beg4 #aed - ,the books are 8,jasher10 ,josh4 #aj3ac2 #b ,sam4 #a3ah2 8,the ,acts of ,solomon10 #a ,kings #aa3da2 8,the ,book of ,nathan10 #a ,chron4 #bi3bi2 #b ,chron4 #i3bi2 8,the ,prophecy of ,ahijah1 the ,shilonite10 and 8,iddo0 7,yeddo71 8the ,seer1 against ,jeroboam10 #b ,chron4 #i3bi2 8,the ,book of ,shemaiah20 8,the ,book of ,jehu10 the son of ,hanani1 #b ,chron4 #ab3ae2 #bj3cd2 8,the ,sayings of the ,seers10 #b ,chron4 #cc3ai2 and the 8,lamentations over ,josiah10 which are not the same as those over ,jerusalem which we have in the ,old ,testament4 #aee - ,josephus' 8,antiquities10 lib4 #ac1 ch4 #ah4 ,prideaux1 ,b4 ,,ii41 ch4 #e41 p4 #ca4 #aef - ,bloomfield's 8,notes10 ,matt4 #a3a4 #aeg - ,palestine ,exploration ,fund ,map2 but ,baedeker #a1ghh ft4 #aeh - ,see the full references and statements in ,maclear's 8,new ,testament ,history10 p4 #acd4 ,merivale shows that ,cyrenius was twice governor of ,syria1 and the ,greek word may refer to the first time1 or the enrolment4 ,see also ,bloomfield's 8,notes on the ,new ,testament10 ,luke #b4 8,the whole world0 is a term frequently used when only all that land and no more was meant4 ,thus in #b ,sam4 #bd3h1 in the ,hebrew1 8the whole world0 meant1 evidently1 the whole of that land only4 ,so in ,acts #aa3bh2 #ag3f2 the phrase was used in either way as including only the entire ,syria or ,juda to a ,jew1 or1 to a ,roman citizen1 it was the ,roman ,empire4 #aei - ,gen4 #di3aj4 #afj - ,as shown in ,prideaux's 8,connection40 #afa - ,this place was then in ,gaul1 now called ,france4 #afb - 8,wars of the ,jews10 ,,vi41 #i3c4 #afc - ,bloomfield1 ,john #b3ad1 note4 #afd - ,herod ,antipas1 son of ,herod the ,great by ,malthace4 ,see the ,table1 p4 #bbi4 #afe - ,bloomfield1 ,notes in ,matt4 #i3i4 #aff - ,quarterly ,statement of the ,palestine ,exploration4 #afg - ,died ,a4 ,d4 #dbj4 #afh - ,murray's 8,handbook10 #ahge1 p4 #djh4 #afi - ,baedeker's 8,palestine and ,syria10 p4 #cgd4 #agj - ,merrill1 8,galilee in the time of ,christ10 p4 #dh4 #aga - ,herodotus1 #c3bj1 and ,athen41 p4 #bfh4 #agb - ,bloomfield1 8,notes10 ,matt4 #bf3g4 #agc - ,idyll #ae1 line #aad2 ,parkhurst1 ,lex41 #e2 ,bloomfield1 ,luke #h3a4 #agd - ,josephus1 8,antiquities10 ,,xvii41 #b3b4 #age - ,ellicott1 #ccc1 in ,maclear's 8,class ,book of the ,new ,testament10 p4 #adi4 #agf - ,prideaux1 8,connection10 ,,ii41 #i1 p4 #cgi4 #agg - 8,antiquities10 ,,xviii41 #c3b4 #agh - ,pausanias1 ,v41 #ab3ab1 in ,bloomfield's 8,notes10 ,matt4 #bg3ea4 #agi - ,as mentioned1 8,iliad10 ,,iii41 l4 #cae1 #caf1 etc4 8,iliad10 ,,vii41 l4 #age1 #agf1 etc4 #ahj - ,conybeare and ,howson's1 8,life and ,travels of ,st4 ,paul10 ,,cxiv4 #aha - ,john #ba3b1 #c4 #ahb - ,sebaste being the ,greek form of the word ,augustus4 #ahc - ,acts #f3e4 #ahd - ,baedeker1 p4 #cag4 #ahe - ,josephus' 8,antiquities10 ,,xix41 #a3aa1 and ,maclear's 8,new ,testament ,history10 p4 #cid4 #ahf - ,these cohorts are mentioned by ,arrian2 see authority in ,bloomfield's 8,notes10 ,acts #aj3a4 #ahg - ,maclear1 8,new ,testament ,history10 p4 #djc1 note4 #ahh - ,tac41 8,ann410 #ab3ac2 ,josephus1 8,antiquities10 ,,iii41 #ae3c2 ,,xx41 #b3e4 ,the famine here foretold took place in ,juda ,a4 ,d4 #dd1 in the fourth year of ,claudius4 ,josephus1 8,antiquities10 ,,xix41 #g3b4 #ahi - ,merivale1 ,,vi41 #aaf1 #aag4 ,cassius ,longinus was now appointed1 ,a4 ,d4 #dd1 to the presidency of ,syria1 and ,cuspius ,fadus was appointed governor of ,juda1 ,josephus1 8,antiquities10 ,,xix41 #i3b2 ,,xx41 #a3a4 ,see ,maclear1 8,new ,testament ,history10 p4 #dji4 #aij - ,for authorities and more minute description see ,conder's 8,handbook to the ,bible10 p4 #cja1 seq4 ,for ,galilee see ,merrill's 8,galilee in the time of ,christ40 #aia - ,lightfoot 8,on the ,galatians10 p4 #bhe4 ,maclear1 8,new ,testament ,history10 p4 #dj4 #aib - ,there was a remarkable influx of ,oriental sorcerers1 astrologers1 and soothsayers at this time into ,rome and other cities1 as ,conybeare and ,howson show1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #ada4 #aic - ,walpole1 8,travels in the ,east10 p4 #bbb4 #aid - ,conybeare and ,howson place ,adana and g on the course1 but ,adana is thought to have been planted by ,justinian1 and g if at ,aias1 #ce miles southeast of ,adana on the coast1 was too far out of the way4 #aie - ,not the ,laodicea of ,scripture4 #aif - ,strabo1 #ab2 died ,a4 ,d4 #be2 ,claudian in 8,eutropius10 #b1 ,a4 ,d4 #cie4 #aig - ,conybeare and ,howson1 ,vol4 ,i41 pp4 #ddjddd1 second edition4 #aih - ,ayres' ,dictionary1 8,athens40 #aii - ,see account in ,lippincott's 8,gazetteer40 #bjj - ,to the ,church at ,thessalonica4 #bja - ,as an educated ,greek lady wrote it for the author1 4 #bjb - ,pliny1 #cf1 chap4 #ad2 ,strabo1 #ab and #ad2 ,mela1 etc4 #bjc - ,mucianus1 ,a4 ,d4 #ge1 says that in his time the woodwork appeared as new1 though nearly #djj years old4 ,tristram1 8,seven ,churches of ,asia10 p4 #ad4 #bjd - ,judos impulsore ,chresto assidu tumultuantes ,rom expulit4 ,suetonius1 ,claudian1 #be4 #bje - ,strabo1 ,,xiv41 chap4 #a4 #bjf - ,pliny ,v41 chap4 #ca4 #bjg - ,even in the time of ,homer1 ,iliad1 ,,iv41 #ada4 #bjh - ,strabo1 ,,xiii41 chap4 #d1 #d4 #bji - ,tristram1 8,seven ,churches40 #baj - ,strabo ,,xiii41 chap4 #d1 #aj4 #baa - 8,annals10 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #dg4 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes4 ,the following corrections have been made in the text3 ,page #ahd3 ,sentence starting3 ,the tradition seems4444 - #8,testement' replaced with #8,testament' 7canonical books of the ,old ,testament7 ,page #bbd3 ,sentence starting3 ,hence to him their4444 - #8,sandedrin' replaced with #8,sanhedrin' 7consultation with the ,sanhedrin17 ,footnote #dc3 - #8,prp4' replaced with #8,prp4' 78,prp ,evang410 ,,ix41 #ag47