The Makers and Teachers of Judaism by Charles Foster Kent

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The Historical Bible

THE MAKERS AND TEACHERS OF JUDAISM

FROM THE FALL OF JERUSALEM TO THE DEATH OF HEROD THE GREAT

BY

CHARLES FOSTER KENT, PH.D.

WOOLSEY PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE IN YALE UNIVERSITY

WITH MAPS AND CHARTS

1911

PREFACE

The period represented by this volume is in many ways the most complex and
confusing in Israel's history. The record is not that of the life of a
nation but of the scattered remnants of a race. It was inevitable that
under the influence of their varied environment, the survivors of the
Jewish race should develop very different beliefs and characteristics.
The result is that many different currents of thought and shades of belief
are reflected in the literature of this period; some of it is dross, but
much of it is purest gold. While the period following the destruction of
Jerusalem was a reflective and a retrospective age in which the teaching
of the earlier priests and prophets gained wide acceptance, it was also a
creative era. Fully half of the literature of the Old Testament and all of
the important writings of the Apocrypha come from these tragic five
centuries. Although the historical records are by no means complete, the
great crises in Israel's life are illuminated by such remarkable
historical writings as the memoirs of Nehemiah, the first book of
Maccabees, and the detailed histories of Josephus.

The majority of the writings, however, reveal above all the soul of the
race. Out of its anguish and suffering came the immortal poems found in
Isaiah 40-66, the book of Job, and the Psalter. Instead of the distinctly
nationalistic point of view, which characterizes practically all of the
writings of the pre-exilic period, the interest becomes individual and the
outlook universal. During these centuries Israel's prophets, priests,
and sages became not merely teachers of the nation but of humanity.
Conspicuous among the great teachers of his day stands the noble sage,
Jesus the son of Sirach, who gleaned out and presented in effective form
that which was most vital in the earlier teaching of his race. In his
broad, simple faith in God and man, in his emphasis on deeds and
character, as well as ceremonial, and in his practical philosophy of life
he was a worthy forerunner of the Great Teacher whose name he bore.

This period represents the culmination and fruition of the divine
Influences at work in Israel's early history. It was during this period
that Judaism was born and attained its full development, Israel accepted
the absolute rule of the written law, and the scribes succeeded the earlier
prophets and sages. Out of the heat and conflict of the Maccabean
struggle the parties of the Pharisees and Sadducees sprang into existence
and won their commanding place in the life of Judaism. Hence this period
is the natural historical introduction to the study of the birth and early
development of Christianity. It is also the link that binds the revelation
found in the Old Testament to that of the New.

The volume of literature coming from this period is so vast that it has
been necessary to abridge it at many points in order to utilize that which
is most valuable. This has been done by leaving out those passages which
are of secondary origin or value, and by preserving at the same time the
language and logical thought of the original writers. In the verbose and
voluminous writings of Josephus the resulting text is in most cases far
clearer and more useful; for the repetitious clauses found in the original
often obscure the real thought of the writer. No apology or explanation is
required for the use of such apocryphal writings as I Maccabees, Ben Sira,
the Wisdom of Solomon, or Josephus's histories, for these are required to
bridge the two centuries which intervene between the latest writings of
the Old Testament and the earliest writings of the New. They make it
possible to study biblical history as an unbroken unit from the days of
Moses to the close of the first Christian century, and thus concretely to
emphasize the significant but often the forgotten fact that God was
revealing himself unceasingly through the life of his people, and that the
Bible which records that revelation consists not of two disconnected parts
but is one book.

To two of my former students, the Reverend Harold B. Hunting and Ralph H.
Pierce, I am under obligation for valuable aid and suggestions in
preparing this volume for press.

C.F.K.
YALE UNIVERSITY,
_October_, 1911.

CONTENTS

THE EXILE AND REVIVAL OF THE JUDEAN COMMUNITY

Section XCI. THE JEWS IN PALESTINE AND EGYPT

Lam. 2:1-10, 5:1-18, Jer. 43:3-12, 44:1-14, 28.

I. The Significance of the Destruction of the Hebrew State.--II. The Book
of Lamentations.--III. Authorship and Date of the Book.--IV. Its Real
Character.--Numbers and Fortunes of the Jews Who Remained in Palestine.--
VI. Fortunes of the Jews in Egypt.--VII. The Jewish Colony at Elephantine.
--VIII. The Temple of Jahu at Elephantine.

Section XCII. EZEKIEL'S MESSAGE TO HIS SCATTERED COUNTRYMEN.

Ezek. 37, 40:1, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21b, 44-47, 41:1-8a, 43:1-9, 44:9-16,
23, 24, 45:1-8.

I. The Home of the Exiles in Babylon.--II. Their New Conditions and
Occupations.--III. Their Religious Life. IV. The Prophecies of Ezekiel.--

V. The Resurrection of the Dead Nation.--VI. The Divine Shepherd.--
VII. Ezekiel's Plan of the Restored Temple.

Section XCIII. THE CLOSING YEARS OF THE BABYLONIAN RULE

II Kings 25:27-30, Isa. 9:1-7, 11:1-10, 13:2-4, 11, 17, 18b, 19-22, Ezra
6:3-5, 5:14, 15, 1:5-6, I Esdr. 5:4-6, Ezra 3:2-4, 6b.

I. The Transformation of the Jews into a Literary People.--II. The
Literary Activity of the Babylonian Period.--III. The Holiness Code.--
IV. The Liberation of Jehoiachin and the Hopes of the Jews.--V. The Rule
of Nabonidus.--VII. Rise and Conquests of Cyrus.--VII. His Capture of
Babylon.--VIII. His Treatment of Conquered Peoples.

Section XCIV. THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE

Hag. 1, 2, Ezra 5:3-6:14.

I. The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.--II. The Chronicler's Conception of the
Restoration.--III. Convulsions in the Persian Empire.--IV. Haggai's
Effective Addresses.--V. The Attempt to Stop the Rebuilding of the
Temple.--VI. The Significance of the Restoration of the Temple.

Section XCV. ZECHARIAH'S VISIONS AND ENCOURAGING ADDRESSES

Zech. 1:7-4:6a, 11-14, 8b-10, 6:9-15, 7, 8:1-8.

I. Zechariah's Ancestry and Point of View.--II. The Book of Zechariah.
--III. Problems and Hopes of the Judean Community.--IV. Zechariah's
Assurances of Jehovah's Care.--V. Preparations for the Crowning of
Zerubbabel.--VI. Disappointment of these Patriotic Hopes.--VII.
Zechariah's Later Exhortations and Predictions.

Section XCVI. ISRAEL'S TRAINING AND DESTINY

Isa. 40:1-4, 6, 31, 41:1-4, 8-10, 42:1-7, 10-15, 22-28, 44:1-5.

I. The Seventy Years Following the Rebuilding of the Temple.--
II. Spiritual Forces in Judaism.--III. Evidences that Isaiah 40-66 Were
Written in Palestine.--IV. Their Probable Date.--V. Their Literary
Characteristics.--VI. Their Theme and Purpose.--VII. Reasons Why Jehovah
Will Restore His People.

Section XCVII. CONDITIONS AND PROBLEMS WITHIN THE JUDEAN COMMUNITY

Mal. 1:6-14, 2, 3, 4:1-3, Ps. 22:1-18.

I. Date of the Book of Malachi.--II. Neglect of the Temple Service.--

III. The Need of a Great Moral Awakening.--IV. The Lot of the Faithful.--
V. The Problem of Suffering in the Literature of the Period.

Section XCVIII. THE PROBLEM AND TEACHINGS OF THE BOOK OF JOB

Job 1, 2 3:2, 11, 13-15, 17, 19, 20-22, 25, 26, 4:1-7, 17-19, 5:17-22, 26,
27, 6:1-4b, 14, 15, 20-30, 7:1-6, 9-18, 20, 21, 8:1-6, 9:1-7, 16-20, 24,
31-35, 10:9-15, 20-22, 11:1, 7-9, 13-15, 12:1-3, 13:7-18, 21-25, 14:7-10,
13-15, 18, 19, 15:4-6, 16:1-4, 11-13a, 18-21, 18:1, 5-7, 19:1, 13-15,
23-27, 20:1-5, 21:1, 7-9, 22:1-5, 23, 27, 28, 23:1-6, 25:1-4, 26:1, 27:2,
4, 5, 7-9, 29:1-5, 30:15-21, 31:5-8, 35-37, 40:2, 8, 9, 38:2-7, 8-11,
39-41, 42:2, 3, 5, 8.

I. The Structure of the Book of Job.--II. Dates of the Different Parts.--
III. The Prose Story.--IV. The Poem of Job.--V. Progress in Job's
Thought.--VI. Significance of the Speeches of Job.

Section XCIX. THE TRAINING AND MISSION OF THE TRUE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH

Isa. 49:1-15, 50:4-10, 52:13-15, 53.

I. The Different Portraits of Jehovah's Servant.--II. The Prophet's
Purpose.--III. The Character and Condition of Those to Whom the Prophet
Appealed.--IV. The Task and Training of Jehovah's Servant.--V. Methods of
Jehovah's Servant.--VI. Realization of the Ideal of Service.

Section C. NEHEMIAH'S WORK IN REBUILDING THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM

Neh. 1-4, 6, 7:1-5a, 12:31, 32, 37-40.

I. Nehemiah's Memoirs.--II. Nehemiah's Response to the Call to Service.--
III. Obstacles that Confronted Him.--IV. His Plan of Work.--V. The
Restored Walls.--VI. Completion and Dedication of the Walls.

Section CI. NEHEMIAH'S SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS REFORMS

Isa. 56, 58:2-12, Neh. 5, 13:4-31.

I. Cruelty and Hypocrisy of the Jewish Leaders.--II. Nehemiah's Method of
Correcting the Social Evils in the Community.--III. The Historical Value
of Nehemiah 13.--IV. Regulations Regarding the Temple Service.--
V. Provisions Regarding Sabbath Observance and Foreign Marriages.--
VI. Significance of Nehemiah's Work.

Section CII. TRADITIONAL ACCOUNT OF THE ADOPTION OF THE PRIESTLY LAW

Ezra 7:1, 6-10, Neh. 7:73b-8:4a, 5, 6, 9-18, 9:1-3, 6-8. 32-38, 10:28-39b

I. The Ezra Tradition.--II. The Historical Value of the Ezra Tradition.--
III. The Facts Underlying It.--IV. Origin and Aims of the Priestly
Laws.--V. Their Important Regulations.--VI. Their Practical Effects.

Section CIII. THE JEWISH STATE DURING THE LAST CENTURY OF PERSIAN RULE

Ps. 36:5-10, Joel 2:1-29, Jos. Ant. XI, 7-8:2.

I. Prosperity of the Judean Community.--II. The Growth of the Psalter.--
III. The Prophecy of Joel.--IV. Hopes of the Jews.--V. Rule of the High
Priests.--VI. The Date of the Samaritan Schism.--VII. Its Nature and
Consequences.

THE GREEK AND MACCABEAN AGE

Section CIV. THE JEWS UNDER THEIR GREEK RULERS

I Mac. 1:1-4, Jos. Ant. XI, 8:7a, e, XII, 1:1b-d, g-j, 2:1a, 5d, e,
4:1d-f, 2a-f, 3b, 4a-c, 5a-c. e, 6a, 3:3a, b, c-e.

I. Josephus's Histories.--II. Alexander's Conquests.--III. The Jews in
Egypt and Alexandria.--IV. The Rule of the Ptolemies.--V. Fortunes of the
Jews of Palestine.--VI. Conquest of Palestine by the Seleucids In 311 B.C.

Section CV. THE WISE AND THEIR TEACHINGS

Prov. 1:2-6, 8:1-6, 13-27, 29-35, 13:14,20, 24:5, 12:10, 20:13, 23:16,
29-35, 29:20, 15:23, 19:11, 16:32, 23:36-28, 4:25-27, 14:15, 26:12, 27:2,
4:23, 11:6, 21:3, 15:1, 3:27, 14:21, 19:17, 25:21,22, 3:11,12, 1:5,6.

I. Structure and Authorship of the Book of Proverbs.--II. Date of the
Different Collections.--III. The Wise in Israel's Early History.--
IV. Their Prominence in the Greek Period.--V. Their Aims.--VI. Their
Methods.--VII. Their Important Teachings.

Section CVI. THE DIFFERENT CURRENTS OF THOUGHT IN JUDAISM DURING THE
GREEK PERIOD

Ps. 19:7-14, 46, 22:27-30, Jonah 1, 2:1,10, 3, 4, Eccles. 1:12-18, 2:1-17,
24-26.

I. The Ritualists.--II. The Legalists.--III. The Disciples of the
Prophets.--IV. The Date and Character of the Book of Jonah.--V. Its
Teachings.--VI. The Book of Ecclesiastes.--VII. Koheleth's Philosophy of
Life.

Section CVII. THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS THE SON OF SIRACH

B. Sir. 1:1-10, 2:1-9, 3:17-30, 4:2, 9, 10, 20-25, 28-31, 5:1-2,
6:2, 4-8, 14-16, 7:12, 13, 20-22, 28-30.

I. Date and Character of Jesus the Son of Sirach.--II. His Writings.--
III. The History of the Book.--IV. Its Picture of Jewish Life.--V. Rise of
the Scribes.--VI. The Teachings of Ben Sira.

Section CVIII. THE CAUSES OF THE MACCABEAN STRUGGLE

I Mac. 1:10-22,24-63.

I. The Character and Contents of I Maccabees.--II. Character and Contents
of II Maccabees.--III. Aggressive Character of Hellenic Culture.--
IV. Contrast between Hellenism and Judaism.--V. Apostasy of the Jews and
Perfidy of the High Priests.--VI. Character of Antiochus Epiphanes.--
VII. His Policy toward the Jews.

Section CIX. THE EFFECT OF PERSECUTION UPON THE JEWS

I Mac. 2, Dan. 7:1-27, 12:1-3.

I. The Uprising Led by Mattathias.--II. Party of the Hasideans or Pious.--
III. Date of the Visions in Daniel 7-12.--IV. Their Real Character and
Aim.--V. The Four Heathen Kingdoms and the Kingdom of God.

Section CX. THE VICTORIES THAT GAVE THE JEWS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

I Mac. 3:1-43,46-60, 4.

I. The Character of Judas.--II. Obstacles against which Judas Contended.--
III. Defeat of Apollonius and Seron.--IV. The Battle of Emmaus.--V. The
Battle at Bethsura.--VI. Restoration of the Temple Service.--VII. The New
Spirit in Judaism.

Section CXI. THE LONG CONTEST FOR POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE

I Mac. 5:1-23, 45, 54, 65-68, 63, 6:18-63, 7, 9:1-31, 10:1-21, 67-71,
74-76, 11:20-29.

I. The Political Situation.--II. The Jewish Attitude toward the Heathen
Reflected in the Book of Esther.--III. Campaigns against the Neighboring
Peoples.--IV. The Battle of Beth-zacharias.--V. Victories Over Nicanor.--
VI. The Death of Judas.--VII. Dissensions in the Syrian Court.--
VIII. Concessions to Jonathan.

Section CXII. PEACE AND PROSPERITY UNDER SIMON

I Mac. 11:38-40, 54-56, 12:39-53, 13:1-11, 20-30, 33, 43-53, 14:16-18,
38-49, 4-15.

I. Capture and Death of Jonathan.--II. Character and Policy of Simon.--
III. His Conquests.--IV. His Authority.--V. Completion of the Psalter.--
VI. The Religious Life Reflected in the Later Psalms.

Section CXIII. THE RULE OF JOHN HYRCANUS AND ARISTOBULUS

I Mac. 16:11-22, Jos. Jew. War, I, 2:3c-4b, 4d, 5, 6, Jos. Ant. XIII,
9:1d, e, Jos. Jew. War, I, 2:7a, b, Jos. Ant. XIII, 10:5, 6a, c, 7,
11:1a-c, 3a, 3e.

I. Murder of Simon.--II. The Syrian Invasion.--III. John's Military Policy
and Conquests.--IV. The Break with the Pharisees.--V. The Reign of
Aristobulus.

Section CXIV THE PHARISEES, SADDUCEES, AND ESSENES

Jos. Ant. XVIII, 1:2, 3a-c, 3d, 4a, b, 5a, b, Jos. Jew. War, II, 8:2-8,
9a-c, 10b, c, 11b, 12.

I. Influences that Gave Rise to the Jewish Parties.--II. Character and
Beliefs of the Pharisees.--III. Of the Sadducees.--IV. Of the Essenes.

Section CXV. THE LIFE AND FAITH OF THE JEWS OF THE DISPERSION

Jos. Ant. XII, 3:1a, VII, 3:3a, b, 10:2d-3e, XIII, 10:4, Wisd. Of Sol.
6:12-16, 7:25-8:1, 7, 1:1-8, 12-15, 2:23-3:1, 5:15, 16, 11:24-12:2,
15:1-3.

I. Conditions of the Jews in Antioch and Asia Minor.--II. In Egypt.--
III. The Jewish Temple at Leontopolis.--IV. Translation of the Hebrew
Scriptures into Greek.--V. Apologetic Jewish Writings.--VI. The Wisdom of
Solomon.--VII. Its Important Teachings.

Section CXVI. THE DECLINE OF THE MACCABEAN KINGDOM

Jos. Jew. War, I, 4:1-4c, 5c, 6a, c, 8c, d, 5:1-7:7.

I. The Character and Policy of Alexander Janneus.--II. The Effects of His
Rule.--III. Alexandra's Reign.--IV. Quarrels between Hyrcanus and
Aristobulus.--V. Rome's Intervention.--VI. Cause of the Fall of the Jewish
Kingdom.--VII. Political, Intellectual, and Religious Effects of the
Maccabean Struggle.

THE RULE OF ROME

Section CXVII. THE RISE OF THE HERODIAN HOUSE

Jos. Jew. War, I, 8:2, 4a, 5-7, 9b, 9:1, 3a-6b, 10:1, 2a, 3a, 4, 5a, b,
11:1, 4, 6, 12:3-5, 13:1a, Jos. Ant. XIV, 13:1, Jos. Jew. War, I, 13:7,
8c, 14:1b, 2, 4, 15:3, 4, 16:1, 17:1, 8, 9a, 18:1, 2c, 4a.

I. The Fruitless Struggle against Rome.--II. Antipater's Policy.--
III. Herod's Early Record.--IV. The Parthian Conquest.--V. Herod Made King
of the Jews.

Section CXVIII. HEROD'S POLICY AND REIGN

Jos. Jew. War, I, 19:1, 2a, 20:1, 2, 3b-4a, 21:13, 1-4, 6a-8a, 9a-10a, 11,
22:1-4, 23:1a, d, 2a-c, d-3a, 24:1a, 27:1, 2a, 6b, 28:1a, 29:2c, 30:5a,
31:1a, 33:1, 7, 8a.

I. Herod's Character.--II. His Attitude toward Rome. III. His Building
Activity.--IV. His Attitude toward His Subjects.--V. The Tragedy of His
Domestic Life.--VI. Effects of His Reign.

Section CXIX. HEROD'S TEMPLE

Jos. Ant. XV, 11:1a, 2c, 3a-l, 4a, g, 5a-g, h-k, 6.

I. Herod's Motives.--II. Preparations for the Rebuilding of the Temple.--
III. The Approaches to the Temple.--IV. The Organization of the Temple.

Section CXX. THE MESSIANIC HOPES AND THE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF JUDAISM

Sibyl. Oracles, III, 7:67-84, 17:23-46, Enoch 46:1-3, 48:3-6, 49:27-29,
51:1, 2.

I. The Growth of Israel's Messianic Hopes.--II. The Kingly, Nationalistic
Type of Messianic Hope.--III. The Apocalyptic, Catastrophic Type.--IV. The
Ethical and Universalistic Type.--V. The Messianic Hopes of Judaism at the
Beginning of the Christian Era.

APPENDIX I. A PRACTICAL BIBLICAL REFERENCE LIBRARY

APPENDIX II. GENERAL QUESTIONS AND SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH.

LIST OF MAPS AND CHARTS

JEWISH AND CONTEMPORARY CHRONOLOGY FROM 597 TO 165 B.C.

THE EMPIRES OF BABYLONIA, PERSIA, AND ALEXANDER

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN PALESTINE DURING THE PERSIAN AND GREEK
PERIODS

THE JERUSALEM OF NEHEMIAH

CHRONOLOGY OF THE MACCABEAN AND ROMAN PERIODS

PALESTINE DURING THE MACCABEAN PERIOD

* * * * *

THE EXILE AND THE REVIVAL OF THE JUDEAN COMMUNITY

Section XCI. THE JEWS IN PALESTINE AND EGYPT

[Sidenote: Lam. 2:1-5]
How the Lord hath beclouded in his anger the daughter of Zion!
He hath cast down from heaven to earth the beauty of Israel,
And he hath not kept in remembrance his footstool in the day of his anger.
The Lord hath swallowed up without mercy every habitation of Jacob,
He hath thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah,
He hath struck to the ground, he hath polluted her king and her princes.
He hath cut off in the fierceness of his anger all of Israel's strength,
He hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy,
He hath burnt in Jacob like a flame, which devours on all sides.
He hath bent his bow as an enemy, he hath stood as an adversary,
He hath slain all the desirable men in the tent of Zion,
He hath poured out his fury as fire [on the daughter of Judah].
The Lord hath become like an enemy, he hath swallowed up Israel,
He hath swallowed up all of his palaces, he hath destroyed his fortresses,
And he hath multiplied in the daughter of Judah sighing and lamentation.

[Sidenote: Lam. 2:6,7]
He hath torn down as a vine his dwelling, he hath destroyed his assembling
place,
He hath caused to be forgotten in Zion, fast day and sabbath,
And hath spurned in his indignant anger, king and priest.
The Lord hath rejected his altar, he hath abhorred his
sanctuary,
He hath given up into the hands of the enemy the ark of the covenant,
They have made a din in Jehovah's house, as in the solemn feast day.

[Sidenote: Lam. 2:8-10]
Jehovah hath determined to destroy the wall of Zion,
He hath stretched out the line, he hath not held back his hand from
destroying,
He hath made rampart and wall lament, they mourn together,
Her gates have sunk into the ground, he hath destroyed her defences,
Her king and her princes are among the heathen, there is no law.
Her prophets also receive from Jehovah no vision.
Silent, upon the earth sit the elders of Zion;
They cast dust upon their heads; they are girded with sackcloth;
With heads bowed to earth are the daughters of Jerusalem.

[Sidenote: Lam. 5:1-7]
Remember, O Jehovah, what has befallen us,
Look and see our disgrace.
Our inheritance is turned over to aliens,
Our homes belong to foreigners.
We are orphans and fatherless,
Our mothers are like widows.
We drink our water for money,
Our wood comes to us by purchase.
The yoke upon our necks harasses us,
We are weary, but find no rest.
We have given the hand to the Egyptians,
And to the Assyrians, that we might be sated with food.
Our fathers sinned and are no more,
While we bear their guilt.

[Sidenote: Lam. 5:8-13]
Slaves have dominion over us,
With none to deliver from their hand.
We get our bread at the peril of our lives,
Because of the sword of the wilderness.
Our skin becomes hot like an oven,
Because of the glowing heat of famine.
They ravish the women in Zion,
The virgins in the cities of Judah.
Princes are hanged up by the hand,
The person of the elders is not honored.
The young men bear up the mill,
And the children stumble under the wood.

[Sidenote: Lam. 5:14-18]
The elders have ceased from the gate,
The young men from their music.
The joy of our heart has ceased,
Our dance is turned into mourning.
The crown has fallen from our head;
Woe to us! for we have sinned.

For this reason our heart is faint,
For these causes our eyes are dim;
For the mountain of Zion is desolate;
The jackals walk over it.

[Sidenote: Jer. 43:8-12]
The word of Jehovah also came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, Take great
stones in thy hand, and bury them in the loose foundation in the
brick-covered place before Pharaoh's palace door in Tahpanhes in the sight
of the men of Judah; and say to them, 'Thus saith, Jehovah hosts, the God
of Israel, "Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadrezzar the king of
Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that you
have buried, and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. And he
shall come and shall smite the land of Egypt; such as are for death shall
be given to death, and such as are for captivity shall be given to
captivity, and such as are for the sword shall be given to the sword. And
he will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and will burn
them and carry them away. And he shall wrap himself in the land of Egypt,
as a shepherd puts on his mantle, and shall go forth from there in peace.
He shall also break the obelisks of Heliopolis and the temples of the gods
of Egypt shall he burn with fire."'

[Sidenote: Jer. 44:1-10]
The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwelt in the
land of Egypt, who dwelt at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in upper
Egypt, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Ye have
seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the
cities of Judah; and behold, they are this day a desolation, and no man
dwelleth in them, because of their wickedness which they have committed to
provoke me to anger in that they went to offer sacrifices to other gods,
that they knew not, neither they nor ye, nor your fathers. However, I
constantly sent to them all my servants the prophets, saying, "Oh, do not
this abominable thing that I hate." But they neither hearkened nor
inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to offer no sacrifice to
other gods. And so my wrath and mine anger was poured forth and was
kindled against the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, and they
were wasted and desolate, as is now the case.' Therefore now thus saith
Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Why do you commit a great
Crime against yourselves to cut off from you man and woman, infant and
sucking child, out of the midst of Judah so that ye leave none remaining,
in that ye provoke me to anger with the work of your hands, offering
sacrifice to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye have gone to
sojourn, that ye may be cut off, and that ye may be an object of cursing
and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? Have ye forgotten the
crimes of your fathers, and the crimes of the kings of Judah, and the
crimes of their princes, which they committed in the land of Judah and in
the streets of Jerusalem? They are not humbled even to this day, neither
have they feared nor walked in my law nor in my statutes that I set before
you and before your fathers.'

[Sidenote: Jer. 44:11-13, 22]
'Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I set
my face against you for evil to cut off the remnant of Judah in the land
of Egypt, and they shall fall by the sword and by famine; they shall
die, small and great, and they shall be an object of execration, of
astonishment, of cursing, and of reproach. For I will punish those who
dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by
famine, and by pestilence, so that none of the remnant of Judah, who have
gone into the land of Egypt to reside there, shall escape or be left to
return to the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return; for
none shall return except as fugitives. And they who escape the sword shall
return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all
the remnant of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn
there shall know whose word shall be confirmed, mine or theirs."'

I. The Significance of the Destruction of the Hebrew State. The
destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. resulted in a mighty Transformation
of the life and thought of Israel. It marked the final Overthrow of the
old Hebrew kingdoms, and the gradual rise of that new and important factor
in human history known as Judaism. For over three centuries the Jews who
survived the great catastrophe were helpless under the rule of the great
world powers which in succession conquered southwestern Asia. For the
great majority of the Jewish race it represented the beginning of that
long exile which has continued until the present. Scattered from the
desert of Sahara to the distant land of China, and from the Black Sea to
the Indian Ocean, the different groups of exiles quickly began to adapt
themselves to their changed surroundings and to absorb the new knowledge
and the powerful influences which gradually transformed their beliefs and
ideals. While their vision was vastly broadened by this contact, the
danger and horror of being completely engulfed in the great heathen world
bound the faithful more closely together, and in time made Judaism
the solid, unbreakable rock that has withstood the assaults and the
disintegrating forces of the ages. At first the survivors of the great
catastrophe were stunned by the blow that had shattered their nation. They
lived only in their memories of the past and in their hopes for the
future. At last, in the long period of misery and enforced meditation,
they began not only to accept but also to apply the eternal principles
proclaimed by their earlier prophets. Thus amidst these entirely new
conditions they gained a broader and deeper faith and were still further
trained for the divine task of teaching mankind.

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