played in the murder of the aged Hyrcanus, of his grandson, brother of his own wife Mariamne,-of Mariamne herself, and even of his own three sons by her, on account of their Asmonæan descent. Herod died of a loathsome and torturing disease, after a reign of 37 years (B.c. 3). He left, as his successor in Judea, Samaria, and Idumæa, his son Archelaus ; making his other sons, Herod Antipas and Herod Philip, tetrarchs, the former of Galilee and Peræa, the latter of Trachonitis, Gaulanitis, Batanea, and Paneas. After a turbulent reign of about nine years, distinguished by insurrections and disturbances arising chiefly from his own misgovernment, Archelaus was deposed by Augustus, and banished to Vienne in Gaul; and Judea became a Roman province, under the government of procurators, who resided at Cæsarea, a town which had been built by Herod the Great; Herod Antipas and Philip being still permitted to retain their respective tetrarchies. Thus, at the time of our Saviour's ministry, death, and resurrection, the sceptre had departed from Judah (Gen. xlix. 10); while, even at the time of his birth, it was in the hands of an Idumæan, having long since departed from the house of David. The interval which elapsed between the histories of the Old Testament and the New (about B.C. 400 to the year A.D.) is marked in general history by-the Decline of the Persian Empire, which terminated in 332,-the Rise and Progress of the Empire of Alexander the Great (334-323), and, after the dismemberment of that empire, the eras of the Ptolemies in Egypt, the Seleucidæ in Syria, and of other generals of Alexander in different parts of the world,-which at length were absorbed in the Roman Empire. In Greece, after the Peloponnesian war, the power of Athens declined; the peace of Antalcidas (B. c. 387) led to the predominance of Sparta; the battle of Leuctra (B. C. 371) gave the superiority to Thebes; which lasted until the battle of Mantinea and death of Epaminondas, B. C. 362. Then came the rise of Macedonian power under Philip, and the establishment of the Empire under Alexander the Great after the destruction of Thebes B.C. 335, three years before the date assigned to the building of the Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim. Rome, during the same period, rose to the possession of universal dominion. The date of the first Punic war was 264-241, while Palestine was suffering from the wars between Egypt and Syria; the second Punic war, 218-201, while Palestine was under Antiochus I.; the third, 149–146, terminating in the fall of Carthage (146) during the period of the Maccabees. About the same time, the Romans were engaged in wars with Macedonia, the fourth of which (149, 148) terminated in the conquest of that country; leaving the rising State master of Greece, Macedon, Epirus, and Thrace, soon to be followed by further successes. Then came a period of internal dissensions under the Gracchi (133-121), during the time of John Hyrcanus; and the civil war of Marius and Sylla (88-82), in the reign of Alexander Jannæus. The first Triumvirate (of Cæsar, Pompey, and Crassus) was formed B.C. 60, after Pompey had reduced Syria to the form of a Roman province (65). The war between Cæsar and Pompey began in 49, and ended with the battle of Pharsalia (48), when Cæsar became Dictator, who in the following year (47) appointed Antipater ruler over the Jews. Cæsar was assassinated in 44, and the following year witnessed the second Triumvirate (of Antony, Octavianus, and Lepidus). The defeat of Antony at Actium, leaving Octavianus master, took place B.C. 31. The victor (who immediately confirmed Herod the Great in his kingdom) soon after became EMPEROR, under the name of Augustus, B. c. 27, and retained the dignity until his death A.D. 14. ELEMENTARY AND GENERAL QUESTIONS. 893. How were the Jews governed, at first, under the dominion of Persia? 894. What change afterwards took place, and when? 895. By whom was Joida succeeded as high priest? 896. What circumstances attended the successes of Jonathan I.? 897. Who was the successor of Jonathan I.? 898. What gave occasion to the erection of the Temple on Mount Gerizim ? 899. What treatment did the Jews experience during their subjection to Persia? 900. What was the position of Judea after the fall of the Persian empire? 901. Describe the visit of Alexander the Great to Jerusalem. 902. Under what power did Judea fall after the dissolution of the Macedonian empire? 903. When was the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament made? Why is it so called? 904. By whom was Palestine detached from Egypt and annexed to Syria? 905. Describe the troubles which occurred in Judea under Antiochus Epiphanes. 906. Who was Mattathias? Relate his patriotic efforts, and their results. 907. Who succeeded Mattathias in command of the Jews, during their war of independence? 908. Why are Judas and his descendants called Maccabees? Why Asmonæans? 909. Relate the success and exploits of Judas Maccabæus. 910. What circumstances attended the death of Antiochus Epiphanes? 911. By whom was Judas succeeded in his command and career of victory? 912. What position was assumed by Jonathan after the conclusion of peace with Syria? 913. What title was given to Simon by Demetrius Nicator? 914. What was, thenceforward, the position of Palestine with regard to Syria? 915. Relate the achievements of John Hyrcanus, son and successor of Simon. 916. What mischievous line of internal policy did he adopt? 917. What title was assumed by his son Aristobulus? 918. By whom was Aristobulus succeeded? 919. By what events was the reign of Alexander Jannæus distinguished? What was his personal character? 920. By whom was Alexander Jannæus succeeded? 921. Who were the two sons of Alexandra? To whom did they appeal concerning the succession, and with what result? 922. By whom was the Temple afterwards plundered? 923. Who was Antipater? What position did he occupy with regard to the high priest Hyrcanus? 924. Who were the sons of Antipater? Which of them became king of Judea? 925. Who was the rival of Herod? By whom was Herod assisted, and with what result? 926. Who was the last member of the Asmonean family? 927. Whom did Herod the Great marry, and with what political design? 928. What large national work did Herod accomplish? 929. What was the character of Herod the Great? Detail some of his cruelties. 930. How, and among whom, were the dominions of Herod the Great divided? 931. By whom was Archelaus deposed? And what was the subsequent political condition of Judea? 932. At the time of our Saviour's birth, under what government were Judea, Galilee, and Peræa,-Trachonitis, Gaulanitis, Batanea, and Paneas? ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. 933. What circumstances contributed to the subjection of Judea by the Romans? 934. Give some account of the Pharisees, - Sadducees, and Essenes. 935. Date-the death of the high priest Joiada, and succession of Jonathan I.; death of Jonathan I., and succession of Jaddua; erection of the Temple on Mount Gerizim; - conquest of Darius by Alexander, and establishment of the Macedonian empire; - death of Jaddua, and suc cession of Onias I.; the reigns of the Ptolemies in Egypt;-detachment of Palestine from Egypt and its annexation to Syria, by Antiochus III.; the accession of Antiochus Epiphanes;-capture of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes; - desecration of the Temple under Antiochus Epiphanes; death of Mattathias and accession of Judas Maccabæus; death of Antiochus Epiphanes; - death of Judas Maccabæus, and accession of Jonathan; peace with Syria; - murder of Jonathan, and accession of Simon; death of Simon, and accession of John Hyrcanus; death of John Hyrcanus, and accession of Aristobulus; — death of Aristobulus, and accession of Alexander Jannæus ;- death of Alexander Jannæus, and accession of Alexandra; - death of Alexandra; — capture of Jerusalem by Pompey; plunder of the Temple by Crassus; — appointment of Antipater as ruler of Judea;-capture of Jerusalem by Herod (the Great); rebuilding of the Temple; death of Herod the Great. 936. Give a general view of common history, as contemporaneous with the events which occurred in Judea during the interval between the histories of the Old Testament and the New. CHAPTER XLIII. THE BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST. THE Divine preparations for the coming of the Messiah were now complete, and the time of His appearance had arrived.* * 66 Why more than 4000 years were permitted to elapse between the first intimation to fallen man of a future Saviour, and the actual fulfilment of the promise, must ever remain a mystery unfathomable by human reason. Meanwhile, we may be sure that the advent of the Messiah was delayed no longer than was necessary; and one at least of the reasons of the delay we may surmise to have been, the necessity of a previous process of preparation, to fit the world for the reception of the Gospel. Though we have no reason to suppose that the full effects of the Fall were at first manifest, the sacred history as well as uninspired traditions lead us to suppose that the seed of evil gradually developed itself; yet, once commenced, the descent was rapid, and the wickedness of man became so great that it needed a universal and sweeping destruction to purge the earth. Restored in the person of Noah and his family, and placed under a covenant of natural mercies, the human race again commenced its downward course; the knowledge of the true God became lost, or obscured by the adjuncts of superstition; and, no standard of right and wrong presenting itself, save the imperfect work of the law written on the natural heart, men became not only fearfully depraved, but, with few exceptions, unconscious of their fallen state, and therefore indifferent to the means of recovery from it. Had the Saviour appeared in the world at this stage of its moral progress, He would have found it unprepared for the recep These preparations consisted chiefly in the course of events which befel the chosen people from the calling of Abraham down to the subjugation of Judea by the Romans, and likewise, more or less, in the civil, intellectual, and moral progress of the world at large, under the immediate direction, or the overruling providence, of Almighty God. We have already seen that God made a revelation of Him tion of the truths which centre in His person and work. Hence the course pursued by the Divine wisdom was to lead our race through a gradual course of preparatory training, by means of which the most influential portions of it, at least, might be fitted to embrace the Gospel, whenever it should please its Divine Author to propound it to their acceptance. of man. "As regards the heathen world, this process of preparation was merely negative. The heathens were left to themselves, in order that, by actual experience, they might become convinced of man's inability to restore the interrupted fellowship between himself and God. A conviction of human weakness, and of the folly of the popular systems of idolatry, together with a general craving amongst earnest inquirers for some unquestionably Divine revelation to remove the obscurity which hung over their present condition and future prospects; this was the amount of illumination, if it may be so called, vouchsafed to the pagan world. Enlightened heathens, at the first advent of Christ, were prepared to receive Christianity, simply because every school of philosophy and every mythical system had confessed its insufficiency to meet the spiritual wants But it is obvious that something more than this was necessary to secure a footing for the Gospel, whenever it should be promulgated. There needed to exist somewhere a positive groundwork of religious knowledge, with which Christianity might connect itself; an outline of which Christianity should be the filling up. Especially was it desirable that such a foundation and such an outline should exist in the particular locality in which the promised Saviour was to be born, and where His earthly pilgrimage was to run its course: such a favoured spot would form a centre, whence the rays of Divine light might be disseminated throughout the world. This special and positive preparation for the Gospel was effected by an immediate exercise of Divine power. One people, while yet in the loins of its progenitor Abraham, was selected to be the repository of such revelations concerning Himself and His designs as it should please God to communicate; and, at a period when probably idolatry was universal, this progenitor of the chosen people was separated from his country and kindred, and, with his posterity, made the subject of a special covenant. In due time, when the descendants of the Patriarch had become sufficiently numerous to form a nation, they were led forth from their place of temporary sojourn, and put in possession of the land promised to their fathers; receiving, at the same time, through the mediation of Moses, that code of law, civil, moral, and ceremonial, under which they continued to exist until the destruction of the Temple. It was amongst this people, placed thus under a peculiar economy, that Christ, when he came, was to find existing such a measure of religious knowledge, and such elements of religious feeling, as should make the transition from Judaism to Christianity easy and natural."- LITTON, Bampton Lectures, Lect. 1. |