THE SON OF SIRACH. (See ECCLESIASTICUS.)

JEWEL, John, Bishop of Salisbury, and one of the fathers of the Protestant Church in England, was born May 24, 1522, at Buden, in the parish of Berry Narber in Devonshire. After attending various schools in that county, he was entered at Merton College, Oxford, in 1535, and passed under the care of John Parkhurst, afterwards Bishop of Norwich. After graduating as B.A., when only eighteen years of age, he began to teach, and soon became one of the most noted tutors in the university. At this time the Reformation was beginning to make head in England, but under the tyranny of Henry VIII. it was almost as dangerous for any one to vindicate as to oppose it. Jewel, a Protestant at heart, contented himself with inculcating the principles of the Reformation in his private lectures. On the accession of Edward VI. he openly declared himself a zealous Protestant; and when the famous Italian reformer Peter Martyr settled at Oxford as professor of theology, and began to hold public disputations there after the fashion of that age, Jewel became his secretary and intimate friend.

The premature death of Edward, and the accession of his sister Mary to the throne, threw the chief power into the hands of the Roman Catholics for the last time in the history of England. So prominent a reformer as Jewel could not but be marked out for vengeance. Expelled from his college, he began to teach in the town, and his popularity with his scholars remained undiminished. Severer measures were then adopted; and the alternative was laid before him of submission or death. He hesitated, and yielded a little. At length a prey to keen remorse, and with little hope of security in compliance, he sought safety in flight. With difficulty he found his way to Frankfort, where he made a public confession of sorrow for his weakness in temporizing with Popery. On the invitation of Peter Martyr he removed to Strasburg, where he lived for a while and assisted his friend in the composition of some of his works. With the death of Queen Mary the sun began again to shine on the persecuted Reformers. Jewel returned to England, and in a short time was appointed to the see of Salisbury. The remainder of his life was spent in strengthening the outworks of English Protestantism, and in expounding the doctrinal system on which it is based. By tongue and pen he did his best to eradicate whatever relics of Popery continued to haunt his diocese. There was no effort of mind or body which he was not ready to make in furtherance of that aim. The zeal and unwearied apostolic self-devotion with which he wrought in the good cause at length destroyed his health, and cut short his noble career. In the course of one of his tours through his diocese, he died at the village of Monkton Farleigh, September 22, 1571, in his fiftieth year.

Jewel, though a keen partisan, was allowed by the men of every party in his own day to have possessed every virtue under heaven. His learning was as much beyond dispute as his virtue, and the imprint of both is stamped on every page of his voluminous works. By far his greatest achievement is his Apology for the Church of England, which was written in Latin, and published in London in 1562. This work, which is one of the ablest defences of English Protestantism, was attacked by a great many Papish writers. The Defences, in which its author replied to these attacks, added greatly to the value of the work, and gave it such a pre-eminence that by the orders of Elizabeth and James copies of it were chained in every parish church of England and Wales for the general behoof of the people. In many remote parishes these volumes were still to be seen since the beginning of the present century.

With the exception of some of his sermons, Jewel's writings are nearly all controversial. More fortunate than most works of their class, they are still highly valued for their views on the points at issue between the churches of Rome and England, as also on many of the special doctrines of the English Church itself. A complete list of his works is given in Wood's Athen. Oxon, and in the Biogr. Brit. The most detailed life of him is that by Dr Lawrence Humphrey, his successor in the diocese of Salisbury.

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1 There are several manuscripts of this epistle, none of them, however, older than the fourteenth century. One of these was brought forward about the beginning of the century as newly discovered in the library of the Vatican, and treated as a matter of much importance. The subject was taken up in a work entitled "In ad Novum Epistolae Publii Lentuli ad Senatum Romanum de Jesu Christi scriptam denno inquirit J. P. Gabler," 1819, in which the whole question is fully discussed. An exposure of the fabrication is also to be found in the American Biblical Repository, vol. ii., p. 367.

2 Boland, ad d. 4 Feb.

3 Hist. Eccles. vii., 18.

4 Soz. v., 21; Philostorg. vii., 3.

5 Gieseler's Kirchengeschichte, i., p. 79.

6 De Trin., 4, 5. The character and fate of this singular people, in their relation to the Christian faith, belong to other departments of this work. In the present article we shall confine ourselves to a brief outline of the leading events in their annals, as a part of general history. They derive their origin from Abraham, a native of Chalden, who flourished about 2000 years before the Christian era. At that period the whole world was sunk in idolatry, and Abraham was chosen by the Almighty, that by him and his posterity the knowledge of the essential principles of true religion might be preserved on the earth, and the way prepared for the revelation of a more comprehensive system to mankind. Under the divine direction, Abraham, at an early period of his life, withdrew from his country and kindred, and from the infectious influence of their superstitions; taking up his abode in the country now known by the name of Palestine, a small stripe of land along the Mediterranean, naturally sterile and rugged, but capable of extraordinary fertility through attentive culture, and commanding advantages, by its local situation, for securing an easy intercourse with the whole habitable world. In the days of Abraham, part of it was altogether unoccupied, and the rest was inhabited by different small tribes of the Canaanites, who seem to have migrated from Arabia. Among these, Abraham lived as an Emir or chief of a nomadic tribe, moving from place to place, as the increase of his flocks and the condition of his dependents required. A similar course of life was pursued by his immediate descendants, who, amidst their increasing numbers and enlarged possessions, did not depart from the habits of pastoral simplicity; so that during the period of 215 years, from the time of the arrival of Abraham till the departure of Jacob into Egypt, little progress seems to have been made in the arts of civilized life. The migration referred to, of all the descendants of Abraham, was occasioned by the well-known promotion of Joseph in the court of the king of Egypt. The Egyptians at this period were living under a regular form of government, and had made considerable advances in the arts and sciences. Policy as well as habit led them to look upon the nomadic life with an unfavourable eye; and from this circumstance, as well as from the hereditary character of offices among the Egyptians, the two races were kept entirely distinct. A separate district of the country was assigned to the Israelites, where they retained to a considerable extent the character of a pastoral tribe; the Egyptian deserts, and the neighbouring country of Arabia Petraea, affording ample opportunities for indulging in their primitive customs. The ordinary influence, however, of a more civilized and powerful people upon their dependents or allies, by degrees became perceptible; and we find the Israelites beginning to practise some of the arts of the Egyptians, and falling gradually into their idolatry. Gratitude or contempt secured the descendants of Jacob from the jealousy that their increasing numbers was calculated to awaken, till the founder of a new dynasty perceived the full extent of the danger to which his usurped dominion was exposed, and, regardless of national obligations, formed a plan for the extermination of the dangerous visitors. The rigour with which his savage plan was carried into execution, led to events by which it was frustrated, and proved the occasion of the establishment of the Israelites as a separate and independent people. Under the visible interposition of the Most High, Moses, who had been marvellously preserved from becoming the victim of the royal mandate, gave a new aspect to the destinies of the race. He led forth his countrymen from the house of their bondage, delivering to them a body of laws and institutions, which not only gave an indelible stamp to the Jewish character, but exerted an influence that continues to be experienced throughout the Christian and Mahommedan world. Like other lawgivers, he appointed religious ceremonies to be mingled with political institutions, but with this remarkable difference, that while under other systems religion is used as a means for civil security, the institutions of political society were employed by Moses to give permanency to the doctrines and practices of a pure theology.

The plan which had been entered upon by Moses for the introduction of the descendants of Abraham into the land promised to their progenitor, was carried into effect by Joshua, who succeeded to Moses; and who proceeded against the tribes which now inhabited that country, with a severity that can be condemned only by those who forget or deny the authority under which he acted, or the atrocious wickedness which warranted or called for the extreme manifestations of the divine displeasure. The command for the total destruction of the Canaanites, however, was only partially executed; and many of the evils which afterwards befell the Jewish people arose from the example of the families which had been spared with an ill-judged and presumptuous clemency. Many of the tribes also seem to have saved themselves by a timely flight, which it does not appear that the Israelites were called upon to interfere with. Proprius mentions that the peopling of Northern Africa by the Phoenicians took place in consequence of the flight of that people before the victorious Joshua.

Possession being taken of the land of Canaan, it was parcelled out among the twelve Israelitish tribes, which were to a certain extent independent of each other, though descended from the same stock, and worshipping at the same shrine, and united by certain general interests, they formed but one nation. Their government was strictly theocratical, without, however, excluding the ordinary forms of earthly rule. During the life of Joshua, the supreme power was exercised by that individual, as it had been by Moses, under the sanction of divine appointment, with the assistance of certain ordinary magistrates. From the death of Joshua, during a period of 450 years, in the absence of a regular succession of recognised rulers, the civil constitution of the confederated tribes was fluctuating and uncertain. Their common origin and religion, the chief bonds of their union, often proved too feeble to withstand the influence of local interests and jealousies. Single tribes followed their own views, to the neglect of the common wishes or the common weal; leagues formed between two or more tribes for special purposes awakened the suspicions of their neighbours; these circumstances were aggravated by hereditary rivalries; and the government was preserved from dismemberment only by the rulers or Judges whom Providence upon great emergencies raised up to undertake the cause of the people, defending them from their enemies, or preserving them from intestine commotions.

At last the people, impatient of the uncertain government which seemed to be exerted over them, resolved upon the establishment of a monarchy, which might unite all in one peaceful kingdom. A member of the tribe of Benjamin, named Saul, was raised by common suffrage to the sovereignty, and held the sway over all the tribes of Israel about forty years. His reign was far from being either prosperous or happy; and though his bravery preserved the Israelites from external adversaries, he was deficient in that political sagacity which was necessary to consolidate the principles of the new monarchy. Upon his death, the tribes of Ju- Jews

dah and Benjamin refused to acknowledge the authority of his son, and elected as his successor a youth named David, who had been marked out by the prophet Samuel as destined to kingly honours, and whose adventurous exploits, generous enthusiasm, and princely bearing, had endeared him to his tribe. His prudence proved equal to his valour and his piety; and in a short time he succeeded in uniting all the tribes in one kingdom, fixing his capital at Jerusalem. He was succeeded by his son Solomon, under whose reign the kingdom of Israel was carried to its highest degree of prosperity. The descendants of Abraham now formed the principal monarchy in Western Asia. From the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates, from the river of Egypt to Berytus, and towards the east to the Hagarenes on the Persian Gulf, all were subject to the sway of Solomon, under whose wise and peaceful rule trade flourished, commerce was extended, and the arts and sciences found patronage and protection. It often happens, that when a prince like David has settled a kingdom on solid foundations, his son is induced to indulge a taste for luxurious magnificence; and to this, as well as to his sense of religion, some have ascribed the building of the temple, the great event of his reign.

Upon the death of Solomon, the kingdom fell asunder under the feeble and impolitic sway of his son and successor Rehoboam. The causes of disunion lay deep in the character and situation of the different tribes; and, though counteracted for a time, they were ever ready to operate when occasion was afforded. The jealousies that subsisted between the twelve sons of Jacob seems to have been inherited by their descendants; but it was only among the more powerful tribes that such jealousies could lead to a dismemberment of the commonwealth. From the beginning a rivalry may be observed between the tribes of Joseph and Judah. The former inherited a double portion in the allotments to Ephraim and Manasseh, the two sons of Joseph; and their founder had been distinguished from his brethren by the blessings pronounced upon him. The tribe of Judah had the right of primogeniture, and the promised Messiah was to spring from them. In this way the two tribes regarded each other with ill-concealed sentiments of hostility; and Shechem and Jerusalem, their respective capitals, were each the focus of a party ready to engage in active warfare. The impolitic exactions of Rehoboam, while they gave dissatisfaction to all his subjects, inflamed the Ephraimites to open revolt, which, fomented as it was by the ambition of Jeroboam, terminated in the establishment of a separate kingdom. This kingdom comprehended all the tribes, with the exception of the two southernmost (those of Judah and Benjamin), together with all the tributary nations as far as the Euphrates. The royal residence in the new kingdom was in Shechem, where the Mosaic ritual was superseded by a new mode of worship, and the link that bound Ephraim and Judah together finally severed.

The kingdom of Israel, as distinguished from that of Judah, had a distinct existence about 235 years, when it was invaded by Shalmaneser, who carried away the principal inhabitants into captivity. From that period all traces of the ten tribes as a distinct people are in a great measure lost. Colonists from Babylon and other eastern cities mingled with the Israelites who were left in the land of Palestine, and the mixed race were afterwards known by the name of Samaritans.

The kingdom of Judah enjoyed a somewhat longer existence than that of Israel. At last, however, about 135 years after the transference of the ten tribes to Media, the king of Babylon carried away captive the inhabitants of the land of Judah, which was left for a time wholly deserted, or occupied only by wandering tribes.

During the captivity of Judah, the vanquished people seem to have enjoyed a more than usual share of the favour of their conquerors, and were considered more in the light of colonists than of captives. They were not, as they had been in Egypt, confined to a separate territory, but mingled freely with the Babylonians; being settled in thinly peopled districts, where, by a moderate degree of industry, they found an abundant sustenance. Upon the banks of the Euphrates they met some of the expatriated Israelites, who attached themselves to the tribes that had adhered to the pure worship of their fathers; and the name of Jews, from the larger tribe, was applied from this period to all who were recognised as the descendants of Jacob. The wisdom of many of the institutions of Moses now appeared, as they preserved the Hebrews a distinct people, notwithstanding the most intimate intercourse with another race, and secured their attachment to the great principles of monotheism in the midst of prevailing idolatry.

The captivity of the Jews continued till the year 536, when Cyrus ascended the Medo-Persian throne. This great prince had been foretold by the Jewish prophet Isaiah, as the man from whom deliverance was to come to the captive people; and in the first year of his reign he proclaimed a decree, permitting, or rather inviting, all the people of the God of Heaven, without exception, to return to Judea, and rebuild the temple of Jerusalem. About 50,000 availed themselves of this permission. They assembled at an appointed place, according to the usual mode of collecting a caravan, and proceeded under the conduct of Zerubbabel, who was nominated leader of the caravan, and governor of Judea. The return to Jerusalem took place about the close of the first year of Cyrus, after seventy years of captivity.

The building of a new temple, and the rebuilding and fortifying the city, were the two national objects which the restored captives had most at heart; and in the second year of their return the foundation of a new temple was laid. The jealousies and enmities, however, of the colonists at Samaria presented obstacles to the advancement of the work, and for a time it seems to have been abandoned. This lukewarmness on the part of the people called forth the indignant expostulations of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, which were attended with such effect, that, by the joint application of Zerubbabel the governor, and Joshua the son of Josedeck the priest, the original decree of Cyrus was renewed by Darius, one of his successors, and the temple was finished without further interruption. The obstacles towards restoring the city of Jerusalem were not so soon overcome. The fears of the Persian government were wrought upon by the representations of the Samaritans, as to the danger of the defection of the Jews if their city were again fortified; and thus, though Ezra was allowed by Artaxerxes Longimanus to take with him to Jerusalem as many of the Jews of Chaldea as were disposed to return, his powers, though considerable, did not extend to the fortifying of the city. It was not till the death of Zerubbabel, about twelve years after the return of Ezra, that Nehemiah was appointed his successor as governor of Judea, with authority to repair the city and rebuild the walls. This change in the policy of the Persians towards the Jews has been ascribed to the humiliating conditions of the peace which Artaxerxes was obliged to make with the Athenians after the signal defeat of his forces by Cimon, by which conditions no Persian army was to approach within three days' march of the sea. Being thus excluded from the line of sea-coast, it became an object to the Persians to have a fortified town like Jerusalem in their interest, which, without infringing upon the treaty with the Athenians, might serve as a pass for keeping open the communication between Persia and Egypt, which latter country had been reduced new under the Persian yoke. The extraordinary rapidity with which Nehemiah executed the important trust committed to him, the abuses which were introduced upon his return to Persia, and the steps which he took in consequence for the restoration of the Mosaic polity, and which he completed in the reign of Darius Nothus, are set forth in the book which bears his name, which, with that of his contemporary Malachi, closes the Old Testament canon.

From the time of the return from the Babylonian captivity, a remarkable change is observable in the character of the Jews, and in the features of their policy, civil and ecclesiastical. The infliction of the judgments threatened in their sacred books for their disobedience, seems to have impressed upon their minds a deeper reverence for the institutes of their Great Lawgiver; while the fulfillment of the predictions respecting their restoration to their own country led them to direct their views to the prophecies which spoke of the whole earth being brought to acknowledge the sovereignty of the God of Jacob. Of the tendency to idolatry, accordingly, for which they had hitherto been distinguished, we find few farther traces; and it was succeeded by a scrupulous adherence to the Mosaic ritual, on the observance of which they built their hopes of the accomplishment of the divine promises to their nation under the expected Messiah. This change was connected with certain alterations in their institutions, which exercised a decided influence upon the destiny of the Jewish people in succeeding times. We refer to the establishment of the national councils known by the name of the Sanhedrins, and to the introduction of the synagogue worship. The precise period of their origin cannot be ascertained, but it seems not improbable that it was almost as early as the time of the return from Babylon, though a considerable period intervened before either system was in full operation. It has been conjectured that Nehemiah, in the conduct of his government, sought the assistance of a council or senate, consisting of the most influential individuals in Jerusalem; and that, in imitation of this national council, smaller senates were formed by degrees in each separate district, conducting the affairs of the community under the authority of the great Sanhedrin. These councils were intimately connected with the synagogues. As the Mosaic law was made to extend to all the actions of civil as well as to the duties of religious life, the Scriptures became of constant reference in each community. The people assembled to hear it read and explained as a religious exercise; and as it was the statute-book of the magistrate, its true meaning and right application to the circumstances which occurred became a matter of daily consideration. This gave rise to a class of men qualified for the important office of explaining the law. Skill in this department became the greatest distinction to which all paid reverential homage; and the direction of the worship of the synagogue, and the conduct of the courts of law, fell under the authority of the learned doctors or scribes, in whom were united the professions of law and of divinity. This was followed by a loss of power on the part of the priests, who became little more than the ministers of the sanctuary, without any authority as leaders of the people. Such was the great change effected in the course of a few centuries after the return from the captivity. The power of the priests passed into the hands of the rabbis; and instead of the schools of the prophets, and worship on high places, we have the Sanhedrins and the synagogues. The Jews who remained between the Tigris and the Euphrates, and those also who from this period began to scatter themselves throughout Egypt, Syria, and Asia Minor, and, at a later period, over Greece and Italy, and the other parts of the western world, adopted or carried along with them the synagogue service. While their personal interests prompted them to wander over different lands, a common feeling united them all to the country promised to their fathers, and to the hopes connected with its possession. These expatriated Jews conformed themselves to the regulations prescribed from time to time by the learned doctors of Judea; they contributed to the support of the services of the temple so long as it remained; and by these means, and by avoiding all intercourse by marriage with other nations, the Jews were distinguished as a separate people over all the world, and the spirit was confirmed which has preserved them from being confounded with others even to the present time.

After the death of Nehemiah, Judea was annexed to the prefecture of Syria, the administration of Jewish affairs being left to the high priests, subject to the control, however, of the provincial rulers. In this condition the Jews continued till the overthrow of the Persian empire by Alexander the Great, when Jerusalem became subject to the power of that mighty conqueror.

Upon the death of Alexander, the peace and security which the Jews had enjoyed under the Persian dynasty were changed for scenes of bloodshed and devastation. In the wars which took place amongst the successors of Alexander, Judea, from its situation between Syria and Egypt, became alternately the prey of each. In the words of Josephus, the Jews resembled a ship tossed by a hurricane, and buffeted on both sides by the waves, while they lived in the midst of contending seas. At first their country was allotted to Laomedon, along with Cæle-Syria and Phoenicia. But the ambitious views of Ptolemy Lagus, king of Egypt, being directed to the whole of Syria, he entered Judea, and choosing the Sabbath day for the assault of Jerusalem, he met with no resistance from the inhabitants, 100,000 of whom he carried off as captives, settling them in Cyrene and Alexandria; thus laying the foundation of the Jewish colony in Alexandria, which for 400 years holds a conspicuous place in the Jewish annals. With the exception of the period when Judea was overrun by Antigonus, it continued under the power of Ptolemy, whose policy towards the Jews was wise and liberal. During the reign of this prince, Simon the Just was high priest, who, according to Jewish tradition, was the last member of the great synagogue, and in this character completed the sacred canon. Ptolemy Lagus was succeeded by Ptolemy Philadelphus as king of Egypt. Under his reign the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into the Greek (named the Septuagint, from an idle legend as to the number of individuals employed in the work) was probably begun, though not completed till a later period. During the wars of Antiochus the Great with the Ptolemies, the inhabitants of Judea were subjected to severe suffering. Their country was laid waste, and to which sidesoever victory inclined, they were equally exposed to injury. Though they had received many favours under the sway of the Ptolemies, the Jews espoused the cause of Antiochus, who showed his gratitude by lightening their burdens, by gifts towards defraying the expenses of their sacrifices, and by securing them in the peaceable observance of the rites of their religion.

A very different policy was pursued by Antiochus Epiphanes, who, in all his dealings with the Jewish people, was influenced only by his rapacity, and bigotry, and cruelty. The first act of his reign was to depose the high priest Onias, that the vacated office might be conferred upon Joshua, brother of Onias, who had bribed the king to this injustice by the promise of a large tribute, to enable him to pay which, certain privileges were conferred on him, to be employed in introducing Grecian customs among his countrymen, and in weaning them from their national pe- cularities. The new high priest assumed the Grecian name of Jason, allowed the services of the temple to fall into disuse, and established a gymnasium, where, under the pretext of practising athletic exercises, the Jews were won over to heathenism. Jason was soon supplanted in his turn by his brother Menelaus, who, in like manner, made it his aim to substitute Grecian for Jewish customs. In the meantime, the attention of Antiochus was attracted towards Egypt, which he invaded with a powerful army that was everywhere victorious. While there, exaggerated reports reached him of a revolt of the Jewish people, and his arms were immediately directed against Judea. Jerusalem was taken; 80,000 of the inhabitants were sold as slaves or put to the sword; and, while he plundered the temple of all its treasures, he showed his enmity against the Jewish religion by desecrating with every abomination all that the Jews esteemed most holy. After this, he anew directed his attempts against Egypt. For a time success seemed doubtful; but the weaker party made an appeal to Rome, and the firmness of Popilius Lenas compelled Antiochus to submission and retreat.

Disappointed in his designs against Egypt, Antiochus returned to his capital, where he issued a decree commanding all the inhabitants of his empire to worship the gods of the king, and to acknowledge no religion but his. It may be doubtful whether in this edict the sovereign consulted most his rapacity or bigotry. At that time the temples were not only enriched by the offerings of the votaries, but, from the security afforded by the character of their sanctity, were the great banks of deposit; and Antiochus seems to have laid the plan for plundering the temples throughout his dominions, after suppressing their worship. Among his heathen subjects, the decree met with ready obedience. The compliance in Judca, however, was not universal, and the partial opposition which was made led to those measures of frantic severity on the part of Antiochus that awakened into life the spirit of the Maccabees, whom God raised up among their degenerate countrymen to defend his cause, and give an example to mankind.

A Grecian named Athenaeus, well acquainted with all the forms of heathen worship, was sent to Jerusalem to instruct the Jews in the religion they were henceforth to observe, with full powers to enforce compliance. He dedicated the temple to Jupiter Olympus; the statue of Jupiter (the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel) was set up on the altar of Jehovah; and throughout all Judea idol altars were erected, upon which, under penalty of the most barbarous tortures, the Jews were compelled to offer sacrifice. Circumcision, the keeping of the Sabbath, and other observances of the ceremonial law, were made capital offences, and all the copies of the sacred books that could be found were destroyed. Groves were planted and idolatrous altars erected in every city; and at fixed periods the citizens were required to offer sacrifice, and to join in the religious processions; and officers were sent into all the towns, attended by a military force, to command obedience to the royal edict. At first they met with no opposition; but the hour of resistance was approaching. We learn from the first book of the Maccabees, that when the officers of King Antiochus, in traversing Judca, came to the city of Modin to make the people sacrifice, they commanded Mattathias, a priest of the sons of Joarib, to come first and fulfil the king's commandment. Mattathias answered with a loud voice, God forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances: We will not hearken to the king's voice to go from our religion, either to the right or to the left. Now, when he had left speaking these words, there came one of the Jews, in the sight of all, to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according to the king's commandment. Which thing, when Mattathias saw, he was inflamed with zeal, and his reins trembled, neither could he forbear to show his anger according to judgment; wherefore he ran and slew him upon the altar. Also the king's commissioner, who compelled men to sacrifice, he killed at that time, and the altar he pulled down. Thus dealt he zealously for the law of God, as Phineas did unto Zambri the son of Salom. And Mattathias cried throughout the city with a loud voice, saying, whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me. So he and his sons fled unto the mountains, and left all that they ever had in the city."

Such was the commencement of that noble stand which Mattathias and his sons made for the religion and liberties of their country. Mattathias was the son of John, the son of Simeon, the son of Asmonæus, from whom the family had the name of Asmonæan. Different accounts have been given of the name of Maccabee, by which they are more generally known. The common explanation is, that it was from the four initial letters of the words which were displayed on their banner (Mi Cha-moka Baalim Jahoh, who is like unto thee among the gods, O Lord). Others conceive that it was the surname given by Mattathias to one of his sons, on account of his valiant exploits,—the Hammerer.

Having fled to the mountains, Mattathias was soon joined by associates from all parts of the country, who needed only a leader to animate them to resistance. Mattathias lived but a short time to direct the energies of this devoted band; but upon his death he left fit successors in his valiant sons, who, during a period of twenty-six years, maintained a war with five successive kings of Syria, which terminated in the establishment of the independence of their country. Judas Maccabeus, the third son of Mattathias, was the first who undertook the management of affairs. His successes were for a time uninterrupted. From a petty revolt, the contest soon assumed the character of a mighty war; the chosen generals of Antiochus were defeated at the head of assembled hosts; in less than three years Jerusalem was once more in the hands of the Jews, its altars repaired, its temple purified, and the sacred services restored; and, soon after the death of Antiochus, the Syrians were compelled to conclude a peace with the Maccabees.

Had the Jews been united amongst themselves, they might now have defied the power of their enemies. But there were many elements of disunion in this ill-fated nation. The zealous attachment to their ceremonial and traditional law, which animated the greater part of the followers of Judas, and which was one great cause of their success, was offensive to the party which had arisen with less rigid views, and who were afterwards distinguished by the name of Sadducees; and there was a numerous party, who, having conformed to the Grecian worship, were wholly in the interest of the Syrians. The Syrians were not slow in availing themselves of these internal differences, and war again began to rage. Though deserted by many of his followers, success still attended the arms of Judas, till he was slain in a furious conflict with the flower of the army of Demetrius, which with desperate resolution he had attacked near Azotus with only eight hundred men.

Judas was succeeded in command by his brother Jonathan. He fought at first with various fortune; but the prudence and enterprising valour of which he partook in common with the whole family were crowned at last with success. In the contests for the crown of Syria between Demetrius and Alexander Balas, the alliance of Jonathan was courted by the rival parties; and he was thus enabled to make terms most favourable for Judca. But in the wars that succeeded the death of Balas, he was treacher- ously slain by Trypho, who, under professions of friend- ship, had tempted him to enter Ptolemais without a suffi- cient force for his protection.

Simon was now the only brother who survived of the house of Mattathias; but the fate of his family did not daunt him, and he at once accepted of the hazardous pre- eminence to which the suffrages of his countrymen call- ed him. "Since all my brethren," said he, "are slain for Israel's sake, and I am left alone, far be it from me to spare my own life in any time of trouble, for I am no bet- ter than my brethren; doubtless, I will avenge my na- tion and the sanctuary, and our wives and children." The

hus given he soon fulfilled. With characteristic energy, he put the whole country in a posture of defence; and entering into a league with Demetrius, the rival of the perfidious Trypho, he secured such privileges for the Jews, that from this period, n. c. 143, they date their freedom from the Syrian yoke. At this time the Jews elected Simon ethnarch or prince, as well as high priest; the office to be hereditary in his family. The government of Simon was marked by vigour and wisdom. But, like the rest of his family, he was doomed to a violent death, being assassinated at an entertainment by his own son-in-