Chapter IV: Front Matter (4)

7. _Literary Features of the Books of Samuel and of Kings:_ "The literary form of the books of Kings is quite different from that of the books of Samuel. There is an almost stereotyped framework, resembling that of the book of Judges, within which the events of the successive reigns are placed. When the name of a new king is introduced, it is stated how old he was when he came to the throne, how many years he reigned, and, in regard to the kings of Judah, what was his mother's name. Then a general character is pronounced upon his reign, the events are recorded at greater or less length, and at the close a reference is usually given to another authority for fuller details. When the divided monarchy is to be treated, the usual proceeding is to give the record of the northern kingdom first, and then the corresponding record for the southern, the history thus falling into periods longer or shorter. And this course is followed so closely that sometimes the same event is twice related, if it concerns the two kingdoms. These features make it probable that the book is composed from other written materials, or at least largely based upon them. And the frequent references to books of chronicles of the kings of Judah or of Israel favor the inference that state records of the respective kingdoms, containing lists of officials, statistical matters, and memoranda of events in the different reigns were available for the purpose. There were also, in all probability, narratives of the doings of Elijah, Elisha, and other prophets, preserved in the prophetic circles, which would furnish information of another kind. A work extending over so long a period could not be the expression of the direct personal knowledge of any one writer, and could only be composed in the way indicated." (Cambridge Bible, p. 63.)

LESSON VIII.

_THE HISTORICAL BOOKS.--(Continued.)_

ANALYSIS. REFERENCES.

_I. Chronicles I and II._ The Books of Chronicles.
1. Historical Period. (Note 1.) Notes 1, 2, 3, 4.
2. General Character of the Books. Also all Bible Dictionaries
3. Importance of in Biblical Controversies. and Helps cited in
previous lessons in Part II,
under titles of
"Chronicles" and Books
of Chronicles.
4. Consider Importance of Special Topic 4. See Y. M.'s
Text as Fixing the Place of Joseph Manual 1905-1906, pp. 330-338.
in Israel. Defense of the Faith
and the Saints, Title,
"America the Land of
Zion and of Joseph."

_SPECIAL TEXT: "Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright [i. e. of the first born, Reuben]. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's)". I Chronicles v: 1, 2._

_NOTES._

1. _Books of Chronicles:_ "The two Books of Chronicles counted as one in the Hebrew canon. They give a short history of events from the creation down to the proclamation of Cyrus, allowing the Jews to return to Palestine. The books contain several references to the sources whence information was derived, e. g., "the book of Nathan the prophet, the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the visions of Iddo the seer," (II Chron. ix: 29; cf. also II Chron. xii: 15; xiii: 22; xx: 34; xxvi: 22; xxxii: 32; xxxiii: 18.) These passages make it clear that, from the earliest times of the kingdom, writers living amid the events described, and generally of the prophetic order, recorded the history of their own times. These records along with Samuel and Kings, formed the materials out of which our Books of Chronicles were compiled, the compilers choosing such portions as suited the purpose of their composition. Though secular events are not excluded from the compilations thus formed, the writers dwell with most satisfaction upon the ecclesiastical and religious aspects of the history, and the progress of temple worship in Jerusalem. The date of composition cannot be fixed with certainty; it was probably between 300 and 250 B. C." (Cambridge Bible Helps, p. 32.)

2. _Catholic View of Chronicles:_ "These books are called by the Greek interpreters Paralipomenon, that is, 'of things left out, or omitted,' because they are a kind of a supplement of such things as were passed over in the book of the Kings. The Hebrews call them Dibre Hajamim, that is, 'The words of the days,' or The Chronicles. Not that they are the books which are so often quoted in Kings, under the title of the 'Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel, and of the Kings of Juda;' for the Books of Paralipomenon were written after the Books of Kings; but because in all probability they have been abridged from those ancient 'Words of the Days,' by Esdras or some other sacred writer." (Introduction to Chronicles, Douay Bible.)

3. _Controversial Value of the Books of Chronicles:_ "The constant tradition of the Jews, in which they have been followed by the great mass of Christian commentators, is that these books were for the most part compiled by Ezra; and the one genealogy, that of Zerubbabel, which comes down to a later time, is no objection to this statement, without recurring to the strange notion broached by the old commentators, and even sanctioned by Dr. Davidson (in Kitto's Cyclo. of Bibl. Lit., art. Chronicles), that the knowledge of these generations was communicated to Ezra by inspiration. In fact, the internal evidence as to the time when the book of Chronicles was compiled, seems to tally remarkably with the tradition concerning its authorship. Notwithstanding this agreement, however, the authenticity of Chronicles has been vehemently impugned by De Wette and other German critics, whose arguments have been successfully refuted by Dahler, Keil, Movers, and others. It has been clearly shown that the attack was grounded not upon any real marks of spuriousness in the books themselves, but solely upon the desire of the critics in question to remove a witness whose evidence was fatal to their favorite theory as to the post-Babylonian origin of the books of Moses. If the accounts in the books of Chronicles of the courses of priests and Levites, and the ordinances of divine service as arranged by David, and restored by Hezekiah and Josiah, are genuine, it necessarily follows that the Levitical law, as set forth in the Pentateuch, was not invented after the return from the captivity. Hence the successful vindication of the authenticity of Chronicles has a very important bearing upon many of the very gravest theological questions." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, p. 429.)

4. _Compilation and Spirit of the Books of Chronicles:_ "Though the latest of all the canonical writings, it represents the workmanship of many generations. It resembles the structure of an ancient cathedral, with fragments of every style worked into the building as it proceeded,--here a piece of the most hoary antiquity, there a precious relic of a lost hymn or genealogy of some renowned psalmist or warrior,--but all preserved, and wrought together, as by the workmen of mediaeval times, under the guidance of the same sacerdotal mind, with the spirit of the same priestly order. Far below the prophetic books of the Kings in interest and solidity, it yet furnishes a useful counterpart by filling up the voids with materials which none but the peculiar traditions and feelings of the Levitical caste could have supplied. It is the culminating point of the purely Levitical system, both in what it relates, in what it omits, and the manner of its relations and omissions." (Dean Stanley, quoted in Smith's Bible Dictionary, p. 432.)

5. _The Birth Right to Joseph:_ "It should be remembered that to Joseph, the son of Jacob, a double portion of honor was granted in Israel. While no tribe is especially called by his name, yet two tribes are his through his sons, viz., the tribe of Ephraim and the tribe of Manasseh. This came about in the following manner: Reuben, the first born of Jacob defiled his father's wife Bilhah. For which awful crime he lost his place as a prince in the house of Israel, which place was given indirectly to Joseph, the son of Jacob, by his wife Rachel. Why I say indirectly is because Ephraim, Joseph's younger son, was the one who received the blessing of the first born from the patriarch Jacob, and it is for this reason that the Lord was wont to say, "I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first born." In proof see Special Text of lesson; also Y. M. M. I. A. Manual 1905-6, p. 330.

LESSON IX.

_THE HISTORICAL BOOKS.--(Continued.)_

ANALYSIS. REFERENCES.

_I. The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah._ Books of Ezra and
_Historical Period._ Nehemiah; Note 1. Also
1. Book of Ezra. all Bible Dictionaries
(a) Authorship. and Helps cited in previous
(b) Character of Contents. lessons in Part II,
2. Book of Nehemiah. under titles of "Ezra,"
(a) Authorship. "Nehemiah."
(b) Contents.

_II. The Book of Esther._ "Esther," and "Purim,"
1. Authorship. Book of Esther, Chaps.
2. Historical Character. I to X.
3. The Feast of Purim as Witness of
Its Historical Character.
4. Its omission of the name of God.

_SPECIAL TEXT: "Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandest thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there."_--NEHEMIAH.

_NOTES._

1. _Historical Period of Ezra and Nehemiah:_ "The time covered by the two books of Ezra and Nehemiah together is about a century; for the narrative of Ezra begins in the first year of the reign of Cyrus, 538 B. C., and that of Nehemiah stops soon after the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, 432 B. C. A great part of this space, however, is left without record; and we may distinguish three periods: 1. The period that elapsed from the first return of exiles to the completion of the temple; 2. the time of Ezra's activity as leader of the second colony of returned exiles; and 3, the period when Ezra and Nehemiah are seen together in the work of reformation at Jerusalem. The first two periods are embraced in the book of Ezra; the last, in the book of Nehemiah." (Bible Treasury, p. 69.)

2. _Book of Ezra. Protestant View:_ "The Book of Ezra contains records of events occurring about the termination of the Babylonian exile. It comprises accounts of the favors bestowed upon the Jews by Persian kings; of the rebuilding of the temple; of the mission of Ezra to Jerusalem, and his regulations and reforms. Such records forming the subject of the Book of Ezra, we must not be surprised that its parts are not so intimately connected with each other as we might have expected if the author had set forth his intention to furnish a complete history of his times. * * * * The beginning of the book of Ezra agrees verbatum with the conclusion of the second book of Chronicles, and terminates abruptly with the statement of the divorces affected by his authority, by which the marriages of Israelites with foreign women were dissolved. Since the book of Ezra has no marked conclusion, it was, even in early times, considered to form part of the book of Nehemiah, the contents of which are of a similar description. As, however, the book of Ezra is a collection of records of remarkable events occurring at the conclusion of the exile and in the times immediately following it, attempting no display of the art of book-making, the mere want of an artificial conclusion cannot be considered a sufficient reason for regarding it as the first portion of Nehemiah. It is, however, likely that the similarity of the contents of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah was the cause of their being placed together in the Hebrew Bible." (Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature, Kitto, p. 690.)

3. _Catholic View of the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah:_

(a) _Ezra_, called by Catholics "Esdras:" "This book taketh its name from the writer: who was a holy priest, and doctor of the law. He is called by the Hebrews Ezra."

(b) _Nehemiah_--Catholic form of name, "Nehemias:" "This book takes its name from the writer, who was cup-bearer to Artaxerxes (surnamed Longimanus) king of Persia, and was sent by him with a commission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. It is also called the Second Book of Esdras; because it is a continuation of the history, begun by Esdras, of the state of the people of God after their return from captivity." (Introductions in Douay Bible to First and Second Book of Esdras.)

4. _Book of Esther:_ "Esther derives its name from the Jewish lady, who, having become wife of the king of Persia, employed her royal influence to effect a memorable deliverance for the persecuted Church of God. Various opinions are embraced and supported as to the authorship of this book, some ascribing it to Ezra, to Nehemiah, and to Mordecai. The preponderance of authorities is in favor of the last." (Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, p 8.)

5. _Historical Character:_ "The historical character of the book of Esther is undoubted, since, besides many internal evidences, its authenticity is proved by the strong testimony of the feast of Purim, the celebration of which can be traced up to the events which are described in this book. Its claim, however, to canonical authority, has been questioned on the ground that the name of God does not once occur in it. But the uniform tradition both of the Jewish and the Christian churches supports this claim, which nothing in the book tends to shake; while it is a record of the superintending care of divine providence over his chosen people, with which it is of the utmost importance the church should be furnished. The name of God is strangely enough omitted, but the presence of God is felt throughout the history; and the whole tone and tendency of the book is so decidedly subservient to the honor of God and the cause of true religion that it has been generally received by the Church in all ages into the sacred canon." (Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, p. 8.)

6. _Purim:_ "A celebrated Jewish festival instituted by Mordecai, at the suggestion of Esther, in the reign of Ahasuerus, king of Persia, to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from the designs of Haman. It derived its name from the lots cast every day for twelve months in presence of Haman, with the view of discovering an auspicious day for the destruction of all the Jews in the Persian dominion; when the lot fell on the 13th day of Adar (February and part of March)." (Kitto's Biblical Literature, p. 588.)

"The fact that the feast of Purim has come down to us from time almost immemorial," says Prof. Stuart, "proves as certainly that the main events related in the book of Esther happened, as the Declaration of Independence and the celebration of the Fourth of July prove that we separated from Great Britain, and became an independent nation. The book of Esther was an essential document to explain the feast of Purim." (Quoted in Smith's Bible Dictionary, p. 778.)

7. _Omission of the Name of God in Esther._ "In respect to the omission of the name of God in the book, Mr. Baumgarten remarks that it is the less surprising, because it occurs in a history which is so full of interpositions, revealing the actual presence of him who presides over the destiny of men and nations, and also the power of that faith in the unseen One, which made the actors in this drama so hopeful, enduring, and triumphant. The historical credibility of the events related in the book is well attested, and at present generally acknowledged." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, p 778.)

LESSON X.

_HISTORICAL INTERIM BETWEEN RESTORATION OF JUDAH AND COMING OF MESSIAH._

ANALYSIS. REFERENCES.

_I. Status of Israel Under Ezra's and Books I and II of the
Nehemiah's Polity._ Maccabees.[1] Chronological
_II. Palestine Under Persia._ Tables, Seventy's
_III. Palestine Under Macedonia, i. e., Alexander. Bible Dictionary. Josephus'
_IV. Palestine Under Egypt. Antiquities
_V. Revolt of the Maccabees._ Books XI, XII, XIII,
_VI. Palestine Under the Romans._ XIV, XV; Bible Treasury,
_VII. Birth of Messiah._ pp. 189, 190. Oxford
and other Bible Helps,
generally give summary
of this period. Note 1.

_SPECIAL TEXT: "M. K. B. I." (Maccabees) "Mi-Kamoka Baelim, Ihovah"--"who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?"_--MOSES.

_NOTES._

1. _History from Ezra to Messiah:_ "While the Historical Books of the Bible close with Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, it is thought proper to carry the historical period through to the birth of Messiah by this tenth lesson. This for completeness in the outlines of the history of Israel given in the historical books of the Bible, plus the Apocrypha. Also because of the importance of this too much neglected historical period, without a knowledge of which very much of the New Testament may not be understood. 'The New Testament,' says Prof. J. V. Bartlett, in the "Bible Treasure," "takes much for granted. Hence, in reading the Gospels, one is often forced to ask: What is the exact point of so and so? We want, in fact, to become as one of Christ's fellow-countrymen; and this means steeping our thought in the story of the long years which lie between the times of Ezra and those of Jesus the Christ. They must cease to be to us 'ages of silence,' if we are to see just what is meant by 'the tradition of the elders,' or to feel the full force of much that is found in the Sermon on the Mount. The whole period of more than four centuries falls into four epochs--the Persian, the Greek, the Maccabean and the Roman." (Bible Treasury, p. 189.)

2. _Historical Summary of Interval Between Old and New Testament:_ The following notes are abridged from Oxford Bible Helps, Summary of this Historical Period (p. 15), which summary itself is taken chiefly from Josephus' Antiquities and the Books of the Maccabees.

3. _The Persian Period--537-330 B. C.:_ "Ezra and Nehemiah left a settled form of government in Palestine, the center of which was Jerusalem. Here was established a council of elders and priests, who formed an ecclesiastical court, interpreting the law, and enforcing its observance. These were called the "Great Synagogue." They were to the new settlement after the captivity what the 'elders that overlived Joshua' (Josh. xxiv: 31) were to the Israelites who came out of Egypt. It was the Jewish theory that the law was given in a two-fold form, viz., the written and the oral; the former consisting of brief official enactments, the latter of more copious details. With the former code, immutably formalized by God, they said the latter was orally taught to Moses on Mount Sinai by the same Divine Author, as the authoritative interpretation thereof, with the command to commit the one to writing, but to transmit the other only by word of mouth. This oral law was repeated by Moses to Joshua, who handed it on to the elders who succeeded him, and they to the prophets, who, in their turn, passed it from one to another till it reached Jeremiah, who, through the medium of Baruch, conveyed it to Ezra, and he to the Great Synagogue, whom Nehemiah also supplied with a library of all the sacred books he could collect (II Mac. ii: 13). This body of elders lasted about 150 years, when it expired in its last survivor, the High Priest Simon the Just (B. C. 291). * * * * Ezra and Nehemiah also set up synagogues in country towns, as places of worship on the Sabbath, and schools of instruction and for theological discussion during the week. Attached to each was a body of 'rulers,' who were both civil magistrates and ecclesiastical presbyters. During all this time [two hundred years] Palestine was subject to Persia, and formed only part of a province under the Satrap of Syria, these elders administering the government with the high priest as their responsible head."

4. _Greek Period--330-167 B. C.:_ "After the victories of Alexander the Great over Persia, he took possession of Syria, allowing the Jews to retain self-government and their own religion; and when he built Alexandria, he invited thither many Jews, giving them equal rights with the rest of his subjects. On Alexander's death at an early age, his empire was divided amongst his four generals, and Syria was allotted to Egypt under Ptolemy Lagos, who transplanted many more Jews to the new colony at Alexandria (B. C. 320), and gave them many privileges, so that they built a temple [at Jerusalem], and restored the ritual of Solomon's time, until Alexandria became the center and metropolis of those Jews who had migrated to Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy, and who are called in the Acts of the Apostles "Grecians" ( Hellenists). They were more lax in morals, liberal in views, and less exclusive than the "Hebrews" of Jerusalem. They used the Greek language, and eventually (B. C. 285) accepted as their scripture the Septuagint translation, instead of the Hebrew original. It was at this period that Simon the Just was high priest at Jerusalem, and by his wise administration strengthened their position, and brought them peace and prosperity."

5. _The Maccabees--B. C. 198:_ "After a series of contests Palestine was taken from Egypt by Antiochus the Great, annexed to Syria, and divided into five provinces, viz., Judea, Samaria, Galilee (W. of Jordan), Peraea, and Trachonitis (E. of Jordan). From this time, owing to its position between the two great powers Egypt and Syria, this country became a frequent prey to both, until Antiochus Epiphanes took Jerusalem (B. C. 170), foully polluted the temple, and compelled the Jews to sacrifice to idols. He erected the statue of Jupiter on the altar of burnt-offering, committed all books of scripture to the flames, and prohibited the worship of God. The high priests, corrupted by Greek licentiousness, prepared the way for declension, and encouraged the adoption of foreign customs. But the attempt to finally stamp out Judaism produced a recoil. It culminated in the attempt of Antiochus to force the Jews publicly to eat the flesh of swine sacrificed on God's altar to the honor of Jupiter. One aged scribe refused, was followed by a mother and her seven sons, who all suffered martyrdom with the extremes of torture. This was followed by Mattathias, a priest of the Asmoaean family, who killed both a renegade Jew, when about to offer idolatrous sacrifice, and the royal officer who presided. Aided by his five sons, he rallied the faithful round him, threw down the heathen altars, fled to the mountains and raised the standard of liberty, on which were inscribed M. K. B. I., the initials of their Hebrew war-cry, Mi-Kamoka Baelim, Ihovah, 'Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?" (Exodus xv: 11), from which the insurgents got the name of 'Maccabees,' whence the eldest son and successor of Mattathias is known in history as Judas Maccabaeus. Under him they were victorious. Antiochus died of a loathsome disease, stricken by God. The Maccabees recovered Jerusalem, purified the temple, and restored its worship, holding for eight days (in December, B. C. 165) the first "Feast of Dedication," which continued to be annually observed to our Lord's time (John x: 22.)"

6. _The Roman Period:_ "The Maccabean family continued to hold the main sway over the people, who retained their local customs, but were obliged to make terms with the Romans, under whose protection they retained considerable freedom. Although the Israelites were scattered over many countries, Jerusalem was still their religious and political center, and in its temple alone were sacrifices offered, and to it flowed the poll-tax of half a shekel from Jews all over the world. The Roman government acknowledged and confirmed their independent local administration, as a peculiar _"imperium in imperio,"_ by the following decrees: (B. C. 47.) Julius Caesar (for services in Alexandrine war) gave to Hyrcanus and his heirs all rights accorded to high priests by law or courtesy; all doubtful questions to be referred to him personally. Also, to Hyrcanus, his heirs and Ethnarch, the privilege of being patroni of all Jews that were aggrieved; hence all Jews throughout the world had a direct appeal to Caesar through the high priest, whose ambassadors had everywhere a free passage. Also, exemption from all tribute every seventh year, 'because they neither sow nor reap.' Also, peculiar liberty to 'meet and assemble together, and comport themselves according to the custom of their fathers, and their own laws.' (B. C. 44). On the death of Caesar and Hyrcanus, all the edicts of the former, whether recorded in the Treasury or not, were confirmed by the senate, in the Consulate of Dolabella and Antony. Thus the Jews, wherever they lived, were exempt from taxation at certain times, free from military service, allowed to maintain their peculiar customs, and looked to their high priest in Jerusalem as their ecclesiastical and civil superior in all that related to religious or ceremonial observances. But, for maintenance of order and general political government, a Roman official, supported by military organization, presided over all Syria. This official at first was one allied to both interests, and to whom was delegated the nomination to the high priesthood, viz., Herod the Great (B. C. 37), an Idumaean by birth, but descended from a Philistine slave. By aid of Roman troops he deposed the last Asmonaean prince, Antigonus, married his niece Mariamne (granddaughter of Hyrcanus, the high priest), and became a nominal sovereign, subject to Roms." (Oxford Bible Helps, p. 15.)

Footnotes

1. The Books of the Maccabees are to be found in the Douay Bible with this explanatory note: "It is not known who was the author of these books. But as to their authority: though they are not received by the Jews, saith St. Augustine, City of God, I. 18. c. 36, they are received by the church: who, in settling her canon of the scriptures, chose rather to be directed by the tradition she had received from the Apostles of Christ, than by that of the Scribes and Pharisees." (Introduction to the First Book of Maccabees, Douay Bible, p. 1128.)

LESSON XI.

LECTURES. REFERENCES.

_I. Samuel, the Prophet._ I Samuel Chaps. I to
XXV. Josephus' Antiquities