CHAP. 9.

HEROD REPAIRS THE TEMPLE.

101

great treasures, the people became exceedingly disgusted with him; wherefore, to gain their favour, he resolved, 17 B. C. to rebuild the Temple. For about nine years, he employed upon it 18,000 men. He made it considerably larger than the Temple which was built by Solomon. Its length and breadth were now one hundred cubits. It was built of immense stones of white marble, which were covered with large plates of pure gold. Its enclosure was about a furlong square. This was surrounded by a high wall, on the inside of which were erected three galleries, the narrowest about thirty feet wide, and fifty high, but the largest was forty-five feet wide, one hundred high. These galleries were supported by 162 pillars of marble, each about twenty-seven feet in circumference. The wall of this enclosure, had four gates towards the west and one on each of the other sides. The Temple was encompassed with beautiful porches, which were paved with marble. Solomon's porch was at the east gate of the Temple, called beautiful. The women had their separate court, and entered by the east gate, which was overlaid with Corinthian brass. A golden eagle, the arms of the Roman empire, was placed over each gate. And when the Temple was finished, it was with great solemnity dedicated to God. As the whole was executed as a repair of the Temple built by Zerubbabel, it was called the second Temple, into which "the desire of all nations should come." And as it was continually receiving additions for many years after, the Jews might say in the time of our Saviour, with propriety, "Forty and six years was the Temple in building.'

Finding that the sceptre had now about departed from Judah, the pious in Jerusalem were earnestly looking for the coming of Shiloh. They accurately computed also the 70 weeks in Daniel's prophecy, of the coming of Christ, and found that they were about completed. Devout people waited day and night in the Temple for the consolation of Israel; and they who had no special wish for the Messiah in his true character, were looking forward to him as a deliverer from the Roman yoke. So much expectation of the promised king, could not but be viewed by such a man as Herod with the deepest jealousy. And when the long looked for moment arrived, when the promised seed was born, when the glorious Saviour of men entered our world, to set up that kingdom which should break and destroy all kingdoms, immediately this worst of tyrants resolved to destroy him. But by the overruling providence of God, He was delivered out of his hands, and in the following year, this in

human tyrant died of a most loathsome disease and in great tortures, having reigned thirty-seven years.

He carried his brutality to the last. For to prevent the nation from rejoicing at his death, he convened all the distinguished men, shut them up in a castle, and ordered their instant death the moment he should expire. But the order was not executed. Such was the man into whose hands the Church had fallen, when her promised deliverer arose. He was called great, but he was chiefly great in crime, and was detestable as he was wicked and base. He left his dominion to three sons ;-his kingdom to Archelaus; Gaulonites, Trachonites and Batanea, to Philip; Galilee and Parea, to Herod Antipas.

As this family were intimately connected with the rising Christian Church, some account of them will be both interesting and instructive.

Archelaus interred his father with great pomp. At the commencement of his reign, the Jews, indignant at the profanation of the Temple, pulled down the Roman eagle, which Herod had placed over each of the gates. This occasioned great contentions, and much shedding of blood. His brother Herod contended with him at the Roman court for the crown, but he held it about seven years. His reign was one of such violence and tyranny, that the people brought against him accusations to the emperor; and he was banished to Vienne in France, where he died. Such was the cruelty of his temper, that when Joseph and Mary heard that he reigned in the room of his father Herod, they were afraid to return into Judea with the holy child Jesus: He was succeeded by Roman governors, one of whom was Pontius Pilate. Of Philip, tetrach of Iturea and Trachonites, little mention is made in the evangelical history.

Herod Antipater, tetrarch of Galilee, was early engaged in war with the Arabs, because he divorced his wife the daughter of Aretas, their king, that he might marry Herodias the wife of his brother Philip, who was still living. For this connexion, John Baptist reproved him, and lost his life. Soon after John's death, Herod was sent into exile, and he and his wife and Salama all came to a miserable end.

There was another Herod, called Herod Agrippa, who reigned in Judea during the life of the Apostles. He was grandson of Herod the great. He murdered James, and apprehended Peter. While at Cesarea, celebrating some games in honour of Claudius, the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon sent deputies to him to solicit his favour. Splendidly dressed, he made an ora tion, and the people shouted 'It is the voice of a god.'' He was

CHAP. 9.

SCEPTRE DEPARTED FROM JUDAH.

103

gratified by the impious flattery, and was smitten of heaven with a most tormenting disease, and eaten up of worms, having reign. ed about ten years. He was the father of Agrippa, Berenice, Drusilla and Mariamne.

The sceptre was now wholly departed from Judah, and the lawgiver from between his feet, for Shiloh had come. The Jews were no longer governed by their own rulers and laws, but by the Roman power. Herod the great had broken down the power of the Sanhedrim; though it still existed in form, so that Christ and his Apostles, and Stephen the deacon, were brought before it. But it possessed not the power over life and death. "It is not lawful," said the Jews to Pilate, "for us to put any man to death." Such was the wonderful fulfilment of the ancient prophecy of Jacob. Other vast nations had long since lost their power, and been buried in oblivion, but Judah had retained her sceptre, because she was protected of heaven.

In the later ages of the Jewish nation, and at the time of our Saviour's appearance, the Jews were divided into a great variety of religious sects. All these acknowledged the authority of the law of Moses, and united in their forms of worship; but they were so far separated by their peculiarities, as to be continually involved in the most bitter hostilities.

The largest and most popular was the sect of the Pharisees. Their rise is uncertain. They probably rose from some small beginning to their great power and consequence. As early as the days of Hyrcanus and Janneus, they threw the nation into great commotion. They believed in the existence of angels, both good and bad, in the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and future rewards and punishments; but they considered the tradition of the elders as of equal authority with the written law, and in many places they explained the latter by the former, and explained it in a way directly contrary to its true meaning. Thus they made the commandment of God of none effect by their traditions. These traditions, they contended, were delivered by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, and preserved through succeeding generations. By these they were instructed that thoughts and desires were not sinful, unless they resulted in evil actions; that fasting, ablution, and almsgiving, made atonement for sin, and that men could even perform works of supererogation. They expected justification through the merits of Abraham.

They derived their name from a Hebrew word which signi fies to separate, because they pretended to an uncommon sepa. ration from the world, and devotedness to God. They valued

themselves upon their frequent washings, fastings, and long prayers; their gravity of dress and gesture; their mortified looks; their scrupulous tithings; their building tombs for the prophets, that they might appear more righteous than their fa thers who slew them; their care to avoid every kind of ritual impurity; enlarging their philacteries,* and the borders of their garments; and on their diligence and zeal in making proselytes. But under this specious exterior, they neglected justice, mercy and truth, and practised the most abominable vices. They were a race of most demure hypocrites, properly compared by our Saviour to whited sepulchres. They hated the Lord of life and glory, and persecuted him to death.

Of the Pharisees there were several distinct classes-as the truncated Pharisees, who scarcely lifted their feet from the ground, that they might appear in deep meditation ;—the striking Pharisees, who walked with their eyes shut, that they might avoid the sight of women, and therefore struck continually against the wall as they walked; and the mortar Pharisees, who wore a cap resembling a mortar, which would only permit them to look upon the ground. They ruled entirely the common people, and had all their votes for every civil and religious office.

The next most powerful sect was that of the Sadducees. They were the infidels of the nation. They derived their name from Sadoc, a disciple of Antigonus, who was president of the Sanhe. drim, 260 B. C. His master had taught that our service of God should be wholly disinterested, without any regard to a future state. Sadoc from hence reasoned that there was no future state, no heaven nor hell, no resurrection, angel or spirit. His fol. lowers looked upon death, therefore, as the final extinction of soul and body, and maintained that the providence and retributions of God were limited to this world. On this ground only, they pretended to worship and serve God. They rejected the traditions of the Pharisees.

This sect was comparatively small, and was composed chiefly of men of high rank and affluence. Such men gladly embraced this system, because it permitted them to live in sinful indulgence, without any fear of future punishment. Their system was the child of depravity, and it was awfully hardening. We never hear of a Sadducee converted to the Gospel of Christ.

* These philacteries were pieces of parchment, &c.

CHAP. 9.

ESSENES.

HERODIANS.

105

The whole sect ever remained bitter opposers of the humble, self-denying doctrines of the Cross. Caiphas and Ananias, the murderer of James the less, were Sadducees.

A third sect were the Essenes. They took their rise about 200 years B. C. and were really an order of monks. They lived in solitary places, and objecting to sacrifices, came seldom to the Temple. They are not therefore mentioned in the New Testament. They were perfect fatalists. They agreed with the Pharisees, except in the resurrection of the body, which they denied. They considered the laws of Moses as an allegorical system of spiritual and mysterious truth; and while they pretended respect to the moral, totally neglected the ceremonial law. They lived in great abstemiousness; renounced marriage; adopted proselytes and children; held riches in contempt; maintained a perfect community of goods; never bought or sold any thing among themselves; wore white garments; rejected every bodily ornament, and triumphed over pain and suffering. They exceeded all other Jews in the strict observance of the sabbath, and lived quietly, and without noise; engaged much, as they pretended, in heavenly contemplation. They took their name from the Syriac verb Asa, to heal, because they inquired much into the cures of diseases, especially the moral diseases of the mind. They had their origin in Egypt; 4000 of them resided on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Therapeute was a rigid sect of them, and resided chiefly in Egypt.

The

The Herodians, a fourth sect, derived their name from Herod the Great. They coincided with that monarch in his views of subjecting the Jews to the Romans. It was therefore a fundamental principle with them, that it was right for the Jews to comply with idolatry and heathen customs, if required by their superiors; and also, that it was a duty to submit and pay taxes to him whom conquest had made their master. They were therefore opposed to the Pharisees, and being also opposed to Christ, they unitedly engaged to catch him in his speech. Had he replied to the question, "Is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar ?" in the negative, the Herodians would have accused him to the Emperor; or in the affirmative, the Pharisees, who would acknowledge no foreign prince, would have accused him to the people. Christ, by his wisdom, avoided the snares of both. When he charged his disciples to beware of the leaven of Herod, he no doubt, had particular reference to their compliance with the idolatrous rites of the heathen. The Sadducees were generally Herodians.