and was become most familiar to them. But at Alexandria, after the making of this Greek version, it was afterwards interpreted to them in Greek, which was afterwards done also in all other Grecian cities, whither the Jews were dispersed. And from hence those Jews were called Hellenists or Grecizing Jews, because they used the Greek language in their synagogues; and by that name they were distinguished from the Hebrew Jews, who used only the Hebrew and Chaldee languages in their synagogues, And this distinction we find made between them. Acts vi. 1. For the word which we there translate Grecians, is in the original 'Exannoõv, that is, Hellenists. So Dr. Prideaux.

17 Q. But did not the evangelists and the apostles, who were the writers of the New Testament, pay great honour to this Greek translation ?

A. Yes; they cited many scriptures of the Old Testament, according to this translation, because it was the best Greek translation they had; and it was by this time ~ well known amongst the Jews in Judea, as well as those who were scattered round the nations.

18 Q. Did the Jews in Judea continue in peace under the government of the kings of Egypt?

A. The successors of the four generals of Alexander the great, who divided the world amongst them, and par-ticularly the kings of Egypt and Syria, being frequently engaged in wars for enlarging their kingdoms, the Jews were reduced to very great difficulties, and sometimes were at a loss what side to choose; they were in danger on both sides, and were sometimes distressed and miser-ably grinded between the one and the other.

19 Q. Did they maintain the purity of their temple and worship?

A. They were often exposed to grievous difficulties on this account. When Ptolemy Philopater, of Egypt, reigned over those provinces, he would offer up sacrifices to the God of Israel for his success against Antiochus the great, the successor of Seleucus, king of Syria; and he was not content to stay in the outer court, but he would have pressed into the sanctuary, and even the holy of holies.

20 Q. How was he prevented from entering?

A. The priests and the Levites, and all the people lifted up their hands to God in prayer, and when the king had passed the inner court, and was entering into the temple, he was smitten from God, with such terror and confusion of mind, that he was carried out of the place half dead.

21 Q. But did not Ptolemy resent this afterwards? A. He purposed to be revenged on all the Jewish nation; when he came to Alexandria he ordered them to sacrifice to his gods; and if they refused, he took away their privileges, which they had enjoyed in Egypt from the time of Alexander the great; he ordered them to be enrolled among the common people of Egypt, and to have the mark of an ivy-leaf, the badge of his god Bacchus, impressed upon them by a hot iron; and those who refused it, should be made slaves, or put to death.

22 Q. What did the Jews of Alexandria do on this occasion ?

A. A few of them forsook their God to gain the favour of their king: but many thousands stood firm to their religion and though several of them were enrolled and branded with the ivy-leaf against their will, yet they shewed a great abhorrence of all their countrymen that sacrificed to the gods of the king.

23 Q. How did Ptolemy bear with this conduct of theirs?

A. He resolved to destroy the whole nation of the Jews; and therefore, first he ordered all that lived any where in Egypt, to be brought in chains to Alexandria to be slain by his elephants.

24 Q. And were they destroyed according to the king's appointment?

A. The elephants being made drunk with wine and frankincense, and let loose upon them, instead of falling upon the Jews, they turned all their rage upon the spectators, and destroyed great numbers of them.

25 Q. What influence bad this upon the king? A. He durst no longer persecute his rage against them; but fearing the vengeance of the God of Israel

upon himself, he revoked his cruel decrees, restored their privileges, and gave leave to put to death the Jews that had abandoned their religion and worshipped idols.

Note. This story is found in that which is called the third Book of Maccabees, written by some ancient Jew under that title, because it gives an account of the persecution and deliverance of the Jews, as the first and second book of Maccabees do.. Though this was transacted long before the name of Maccabees arose; and therefore it ought rather to have been called the first book than the third. It is not found among our apocryphal books, because it was never inserted in the vulgar Latin version of the Bible, but it is found in many of the manuscripts of the Greek Septuagint, and particularly that of the Alexandrian manuscript in the king's library.

SECT. IV.

Of the Jewish Affairs under Antiochus the great, Seleucus, and Antiochus Epiphanes, Kings of Syria.

1 Q. Did the Jews afterwards at Jerusalem continue under the government of the Ptolemies, who were kings of Egypt?

A. When Ptolemy Philopater was dead, and Ptolemy Epiphanes came to the crown, the Jews having been greatly persecuted by the Ptolemies, submitted themselves to Antiochus the great, king of Syria; and when he came to Jerusalem in a solemn procession, they went to meet him, and received him gladly.

2 Q. How did Antiochus reward them?

4. He granted them many privileges, as he had done to their countrymen, who were settled in Babylonia and Mesopotamia, having always found the men of that nation faithful to him.

3 Q. What confidence did he put in them on this account?

A. He transported several of them from Babylon to the lesser Asia, to keep his forts and garrisons, and gave them good settlements there; whence sprang a great part of the Jews that were found in that country in the apostles' times.

4 Q. What remarkable events fell out in the days of Seleucus Philopater, son and successor to Antiochus the great?

4. Simon, a Benjamite, being made governor of the temple, some difference arose between him and Onias the third, the high priest, an excellent man, concerning some disorders in the city: and when Simon could not obtain his will, he informed Appollonius, the governor of the province under Seleucus, that great treasures were hid in the temple; whereupon Heliodorus the treasurer, was sent to seize them.

5 Q. How did the hand of God appear against He liodorus in his attempt to enter the temple?

A. The priests and the people made great outcries and supplications to God; upon which Heliodorus is reported to have seen a vision of a horse, with a terrible rider upon him, who smote Heliodorus with his forefeet; and two young men appeared who scourged him sorely: upon which Heliodorus fell suddenly to the ground in darkness and confusion; but being restored by the prayers of Onias, he acknowledged the power of God, and departed from the city.

Read this story more at large, 2 Maccabees, chap. iii. I confess it seems to have something a little fabulous in the air of it, as also other stories in that book.

6 Q. How came so good a man as Onias to be turned out of the priesthood?

A. When Antiochus Epiphanes succeeded his brother Seleucus in the kingdom of Syria, Jason bribed him with a large sum of money to turn out his own brother Onias, banish him to Antioch, and confer the priesthood on himself; not that he affected it as it was a religious office, but as it included the power of civil government. 2 Macc. iv. 7.

7 Q. What did this wicked Jason do when he was high priest?

A. He erected a place of exercise at Jerusalem, for training up youth according to the fashion of the Greeks, and made as many of them as he could forsake the re

ligious customs and usages of their forefathers, and conform themselves in many things to the customs and ceremonies of the heathens. ver. 9, &c.

8 Q. What became of this Jason?

A. A few years after, when he employed Menelaus his brother to pay his tribute at the Syrian court, he was supplanted by him; for Menelaus by bribery obtained the priesthood, and put Jason to flight.

9 Q. Did Menelaus behave himself better in his office ?

A. He was worse than Jason; he stole some of the vessels of gold out of the temple, he went to Antioch, where he was reproved by Onias, who was yet living, for his wickedness, and out of revenge procured Onias to be slain.

10 Q. What was done at Jerusalem in the mean time?

A. Lysimachus being left as a deputy by Menelaus, practised many sacrileges on the vessels of the temple, which occasioned a great insurrection in the city, wherein multitudes on the part of Lysimachus were wounded and slain, and the church-robber himself was killed.

11 Q. Did Jason ever return again to Jerusalem? A. When there was a false report of the death of Antiochus, Jason with a thousand men assaulted the city, and slew many citizens, but was at last put to flight; and being driven from country to country, and from city to city, he perished in a strange land, without the honour of a burial. 2 Macc. v. 5-10.

12 Q. Did Antiochus the king suffer these things to pass unresented?

A. Upon the report of such a tumult in Jerusalem, he imagined that Judea had revolted, and he came upon the city, and ordered his men of war not to spare young or old, and there were fourscore thousand destroyed in the space of three days.

13 Q. What profaneness was Antiochus guilty of in the temple?

A. Being conducted by Menelaus into the temple, he took away the remaining holy vessels, the altar of in