worship.... And thus, in every considerable city of the Roman empire, Jews and Jewish synagogues were, at the time of Christ, found established. Perhaps there is no circumstance in the history of the Jewish people more strongly indicative of a superintending Providence, more clearly intended to prepare the way for the Gospel, than the one before us. Christianity, instead of being, like Judaism, confined to a particular locality, was to embrace all within its pale; but if the Jews had not, in their dispersed state after the Captivity, formed themselves into synagogues, there would not have existed any religious centre to which the promulgation of the Gospel could have attached itself, as the apostles, in the exercise of their mission, traversed the world.'

The period which here lies before us, from B.c. 536 to about 400, is covered by an illustrious portion of Grecian history. Athens now rose into power, after the ascendency of Sparta. The expulsion of the Pisistratidæ from Athens took place B.C. 510, six years after the Dedication of the Temple. The date of the Ionian war was from B.C. 499 to 494. This led to the projected invasion of Greece by the Persians in B.C. 492, and its actual invasion in B.C. 490, when Miltiades gained the celebrated victory of Marathon, in the thirty-second year of the reign of Darius Hystaspis, the forty-seventh after the return of the Jews from Babylon, and the twenty-seventh after the Dedication of the Temple. The invasion by Xerxes, and the battles of Thermopyla and Salamis, took place B.C. 480; the battles of Platea and Mycale, B.C. 479. When Ezra went to Jerusalem from Babylon (B. C. 458), Pericles was rising into power at Athens. The first year of the visit of Nehemiah (445) is the date of the revolt of Euboea and Megara, and the beginning of the Thirty Years' Truce, just before Pericles assumed the chief management of affairs at Athens. The date of the Peloponnesian war (B.c. 431-404) brings us down to the end of the period of the Old Testament history, after the second visit of Nehemiah, and to the time of Malachi, to whom various dates are assigned, ranging from about B.C. 430 to B.C. 397.

Rome, during the same period, was rising in importance. The expulsion of Tarquin is usually dated B. c. 510 or 509. The arrival of Ezra in Palestine (B. C. 458) took place about forty years after the appointment of the first Dictator (B.c. 498 or 501), and seven years before that of the Decemviri (B.c. 451).

* LITTON, Bampton Lectures, The Mosaic Dispensation considered as Introductory to Christianity, Lect. vii.

And, at the close of this period, the year before the end of the Peloponnesian war, the Romans were commencing the siege of Veii (B.C. 405).

The great writers of antiquity, whose works have come down to us, flourished for the most part after the return of the Jews from Babylon. Homer, indeed, is supposed to have been contemporary with Solomon, or a little later (Clinton says, B.C. 962-927). Hesiod came after (B. C. 859-824, Clinton); i. e. in the reigns of Joash and Amaziah in Judah, and of Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash in Israel. Esop is supposed to have flourished about the time of Zedekiah. Pythagoras in Greece, Zoroaster in Persia, and Confucius in China, flourished about B.C. 520. Eschylus died B.c. 456; Pindar about B.C. 440, in the time of Ezra. Herodotus lived from B. c. 484 to 408 or later; Thucydides, Sophocles, and Euripides flourished during the age of Pericles, and died about the period of the close of Old Testament history. Socrates died B. c. 399; Xenophon about 355; Plato 347; Aristotle and Demosthenes 322; Æschines 314. The great Roman writers belong to a much later date, beginning with the age of Augustus.

ELEMENTARY AND GENERAL QUESTIONS.

857. When did the seventy years of the Babylonian Captivity begin and end? 858. State the substance of the decree of Cyrus, and mention his other measures for the restoration of the Jews.

859. How many of the Jews returned to their native land under the provisions of this decree ?

860. Whom did Cyrus appoint governor of Judea ?

861. Who was high priest at this time?

862. When did the rebuilding of the Temple begin? Relate some circumstances

by which this event was marked.

863. Who opposed the progress of this work, and with what result?

864. In what reign was the rebuilding of the Temple renewed?

865. By whom were the Jews encouraged in the execution of this work?

866. Who interfered, and with what result?

867. When was the Temple finished?

868. What relation did Palestine now sustain towards the crown of Persia ?

869. Relate the history of Esther.

870. Relate also the history of Haman and Mordecai.

871. Who was Ezra? What was the object of his mission to Jerusalem? By

whom was he accompanied ?

872. How did Ezra, on this occasion, manifest his confidence in God?

873. How long after the restoration of the Temple did Ezra's arrival take place? 874. Relate Ezra's proceedings soon after his arrival.

875. Who was Nehemiah? What commission did he receive from Artaxerxes? 876. By whom was Nehemiah opposed? How did he accomplish his work?

* [The date of Zoroaster is extremely doubtful.-See Smith's Biographical Dic tionary.]

877. Describe the labours of Nehemiah, in co-operation with Ezra, for the refor mation of religion.

878. What circumstances recalled Nehemiah to Jerusalem after his departure for Persia? What measures did he then adopt?

879. Who was the last of the Jewish prophets?

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.

880. By whom was Cyrus succeeded on the throne of Persia ?

881. Who was the successor of Darius Hystaspis ?

882. What name (probably) is given to him in Scripture ?

883. Who succeeded Xerxes?

884. Give Prideaux's dates for the second administration of Nehemiah.

885. Mention the prophets who arose among the Jews after the return from the Babylonian Captivity and state the substance of their prophecies. 886. What was, generally speaking, the state of religion among the Jews after the Captivity?

887. Describe the origin of the Jewish synagogue.

Sss How did the establishment of the synagogue prepare the way for the early propagation of the Gospel?

889. Give a general view of the contemporaneous events in Grecian and Roman history, from the end of the Babylonian Captivity to the end of the Old Testament history.

890. Compare the dates of some of the great writers of antiquity with the dates of Scripture history. 891. Date the following events:-Decree of Cyrus for the return of the Jewsdeath of Cyrus and accession of Cambyses-usurpation of Smerdisaccession of Darius Hystaspis-dedication of the second Temple-death of Darius Hystaspis, and accession of Xerxes-death of Xerxes, and accession of Artaxerxes Longimanus-mission of Ezra to Jerusalemmission of Nehemiah.

892. Give the meanings of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

CHAPTER XLII.

INTERVAL BETWEEN THE HISTORIES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW.

(Books of the Maccabees; Josephus; Greek and Roman Authors.) UNDER the dominion of Persia, the Jews of Palestine were ruled at first by their own native governors, subordinate to the satrap, or governor-general, of Syria; but, after the time of Nehemiah, the annexation of Palestine to Syria was more complete, its civil government being more immediately in the hands of the governor of that country. Henceforward no more governors of Palestine were appointed; but the Syrian satrap appears to have employed the Jewish high priests as his delegates in the administration of civil affairs.

On the death of the high priest Joiada (B.c. 373), Jonathan I. (or Johanan) succeeded him; but (about B.C. 366) Joshua, the brother of Jonathan, having received a promise of the appoint

ment from Bagoses, governor of Syria, demanded the office. A conflict took place between the two brothers, during which Joshua was slain in the inner court of the Temple; an event which brought Bagoses to Jerusalem, who, having sternly rebuked the Jews on account of what had occurred, imposed a tax upon the lambs offered in sacrifice, which continued to be paid for seven years.

Jonathan I. was succeeded in the high priesthood by his son Jaddua (B.c. 341). He expelled his brother Manasseh, for the legal offence of having married a heathen, the daughter of Sanballat, governor of Samaria;* who hereupon (about B.C. 332) erected a temple on Mount Gerizim, of which Manasseh became high priest. (See John iv. 20.)

The Persian yoke was by no means oppressive to the Jews; and, generally speaking, the country enjoyed protection and tranquillity under its new masters. This state of things continued until the overthrow of the Persian empire by Alexander the Great. That monarch treated the Jews with leniency, though they had previously refused to transfer their allegiance to him; having been conciliated, it is said, by the appearance of a solemn procession which advanced to meet him on his approach to Jerusalem,† headed by Jaddua, the high priest, in whom Alexander declared that he recognised a figure that had appeared to him in a vision before he left Macedonia, foretelling the success of his expedition. It is said also that the prophecies of Daniel respecting his conquests were shown to him. (See Dan. ii. 39; vii. 6; viii. 5, 7, 20, 21; x. 20; xi. 2; 3.) At all events, Alexander conferred many favours upon the Jews, granting them especially the preservation of their national laws and religious institutions; and he afterwards bestowed privileges of the highest order on large numbers of Jews who settled themselves in his newly built capital, Alexandria. On the other hand, the Macedonian monarch displayed some severity towards the Samaritans. He took possession of Samaria itself; and, having driven out the inhabitants, left it in the occupation of Macedonians; whereupon the refugees re

*This account rests on the authority of Josephus, Antiq. xi. 7, 2, [and xi. 8, 2-4. If Josephus' account and his chronology are followed, this Sanballat must of course be distinguished from the Sanballat of Nehemiah (who lived more than a hundred years earlier), and the marriage of his daughter to Manasseh, must not be confounded with the marriage referred to in Neh. xiii. 28. Prideaux accepts the substance of Josephus' account, but considers his chronology altogether incorrect, and transfers the occurrence to B. C. 409, in the reign of Darius Nothus and the time of Nehemiah (comp. note on p. 307). Others regard Josephus' account as altogether unhistorical. See Smith's Dict. iii. 1134.]

[This visit (if it really took place at all) was in B. C. 332, the year before Alexander's final victory over the Persians at Arbela.]

tired to Shechem (Sychar). Jaddua was succeeded in the high priesthood of the Jews by Onias I. B.C. 321.

Upon the dissolution of the short-lived Macedonian empire, which was divided among Alexander's generals (B.c. 323), Judea, along with Syria and Phoenicia, was allotted to Laomedon. In a short time (B.c. 320) Laomedon was dispossessed by Ptolemy Lagi (Soter), satrap (and afterwards king) of Egypt, who annexed these provinces to his own dominions. Ptolemy captured Jerusalem,* and transported to Egypt a great number of the Jews, many of whom took up their residence in Alexandria, where some of their countrymen (as we have just seen) were already settled. Other Jews migrated to Egypt of their own accord, and some were established as colonists in Cyrene and the adjoining district (comp. Acts ii. 10).

Ptolemy was afterwards deprived of these provinces by Antigonus; but, upon the defeat and death of the latter at Ipsus (B.C. 301), he regained possession of Judea, Phoenicia, and Cæle-Syria, while Upper Syria was obtained by Seleucus, founder of the Syrian monarchy.† After this, with only slight interruptions, the Jews continued for more than a century subject to Egypt under the Ptolemies (Ptolemy Lagi, B.C. 323283; Ptolemy Philadelphus, B.C. 283-247; Ptolemy Euergetes I., B.C. 247-222; Ptolemy Philopator, B.C. 222-205; Ptolemy Epiphanes, B.C. 205-181). For the most part they were in high favour with these sovereigns, and received from them many privileges. Under the patronage of Ptolemy Philadelphus, Alexandria produced the Greek § version of the Hebrew Scriptures, which, from a tradition that seventy (or rather seventy-two) persons were engaged in the work of translation, is commonly called the Septuagint. At length (B.c. 198), in the reign of Ptolemy Epiphanes, Antiochus III. (the Great), king of Syria, succeeded in detaching Palestine and Cæle-Syria from the crown of Egypt.

Under Antiochus, and his successor Seleucus Philopator, the Jews continued to retain their former privileges, including the free exercise of their religion; but, upon the accession of Antiochus Epiphanes to the crown of Syria (B.c. 175), they

*Agatharcides (ap. Joseph. Cont. Ap. i. 22 [see also Ant. xii. 1]) speaks of the Jewish observance of the Sabbath as having given occasion to the capture of Jerusalem by Ptolemy Lagi.

[The commencement of this monarchy is generally reckoned from an earlier date, B. C. 312, the year in which Seleucus recovered Babylon from Antigonus. This epoch is called 'the era of the Seleucidæ.']

[They were persecuted by Ptolemy Philopator.]

In consequence of the conquests of Alexander and his successors, Greek had now become the almost universal language of educated persons throughout the civilised world.