probably held at first in some great street or market-place, fince we read of no buildings erected for that purpose before this time; but, as they quickly found the inconvenience of it in cold and rainy weather, it is not without good reafon fuppofed, that this obliged them to build fome convenient places to affemble in, which have been fince known by the name of fynagogues and schools. For the fame purpose the Chaldee paraphrafes, known by the Chaldee name of Targums, were alfo introduced much about the paraphrafame time, to facilitate the knowlege of the Mofaic law, duced. fes introand of the other facred volumes, among those who were unacquainted with the original; but as thefe were not finished till a confiderable time after Nehemiah's death, we shall take a more proper time to speak of them. Thus far had this great man carried on the reformation of the Jewish church and state.

How long Nehemiah lived after he had made this refor- Nehemiah's mation, whether he continued in his place of governor, death. and whether he died in Judæa, or in Perfia, neither the text nor Jofephus inform us ; only the latter fays, that he died in an advanced age; and indeed even at the time where his book ends, he must have been at least feventy years of age. In his days, and about the eleventh year of Darius Nothus, died the high priest Eliashib, after he had enjoyed the pontifical dignity forty years; and was fucceeded by his fon Joiada, called by Jofephus, Judas, the father of that Manaffes (U), whom Nehemiah had forced to retire into Samaria. Whilft that governor lived, he fupported his character by the moft exemplary zeal for religion, juftice, and the good of his nation; and the dignity of his office by a magnificent hospitality (X).

Y Antiq. lib. xi. fub fin. ult. cap. 5. Vide Nehem. xii. 19.

(U) As for the unworthy fon of Joiada, whom Jofephus calls Manaffeh, inftead of complying with the governor's orders, of parting with his strange wife, he retired with her to Samaria, to his father-in-law; and drew a great many other rebellious Jews after him, who had been guilty either of the fame, or any of thofe enormous crimes, which were then reforming at

After

z Id. ibid. cap. 6.

Jerufalem; and went and fet-
tled themfelves under the pro-
tection of Sanballat, the Sa-
maritan governor.

(X) The daily provision of
his table was an ox, fix fat
fheep, with fowl, fish, wine,
and other things in proportion;
at which he entertained, be-
fides a hundred and fifty of the
head rulers, who eat constantly
with him, all the ftrangers of
C 4

any

Yr. of Fl.

1939.

After his death, the face of that government was wholly changed. We hear no more of any governors of Ante Chr. Judæa; but the country feems to have been joined and fubject to the prefecture of Syria, from which the highpriests received their authority, as shall be seen in the next fection.

4c9.

Yr. of Fl. 1975.

373.

SE C T. II.

The State of the Jews under the High-priests and
Maccabees.

HITHERTO we have had Ezra and Nehemiah for our guides: after them we have no canonical books concerning the Jewish nation; fo that we fhall be forced to fetch all our intelligence from thofe of the Maccabees, and to fill up all the chafms out of Jofephus; as for profane authors, they were fo little acquainted with the Jews, that we have little or nothing from them, but what falls in occafionally with other parts of their history. Judea was now become more ftrictly a province of Syria, and under the prefecture of it, the governors committed the administration of the Jewish ftate to their high-priests; fo that from this time we may afcribe the greatest part of thofe misfortunes that befel their nation, to a fet of men, who afpired to that high dignity, more through ambition and avarice, than any real zeal for their religion, or the welfare of their country. This epocha begins with a fignal inftance of it, which is the more remarkable, because we have it from Jofephus, who is not often apt to turn accufer of his brethren.

Johanan fucceeded his father Joiada in the high-priesthood, about the thirty-fourth year of Artaxerxes Mnemon. Ante Chr. Bagofes, being then governor of Syria and Phoenicia, had contracted an intimate friendship with Jefhua, the brother of the pontiff; and had promised him a grant of the highpriesthood, fome few years after Johanan's inveftiture. Jefhua, whom our hiftorian calls Jefus, came immediately to Jerufalem, and acquainted his brother with it:

Febua killed in

the temple.

a Ant. lib. xi. cap. 7.
any diftinction, who came from
other countries to Jerufalem;
all which expence he support
ed at his own private charge,
and without receiving any of

b Nehem. xii. 11, & 22.

the allowance which was ufually paid to the governors of that province, who had preceded him,

their interview was in the inner court of the temple, where the dispute arofe to fuch a height, that Johanan, in ftriving to throw him out of that holy place, gave him a mortal wound. Bagofes, being informed of this accident, repaired immediately to the place, and upbraided the Jews in the feverest terms, for thus polluting the temple of their God: he next offered to enter that holy place; but, being obftructed by the priests, he asked them angrily, whether they thought his living body more impure than the dead carcafe which lay there unburied. Without ftaying for an anfwer, he forcibly entered; and, being fully informed of the fact, impofed a heavy mulct upon Johanan the temple, which was not taken off, till the death of Ar- fined for it. taxerxes changed the face of affairs. However, they were not altogether free from troubles in the reign of his fucceffor; for Ochus, having conquered the greatest part of Phoenicia, marched directly towards Judæa, befieged Yr. of Fl. and took Jericho, and carried off a great number of Jews captives, part of whom he fent into Egypt, and part into Ante Chr. Hyrcania, along the Cafpian fea. Whether they had engaged with the Phoenicians against that prince, or by what other way they had disobliged him, our authors do not tell us, nor whether his refentment stopped here, or was felt in any other part of Judæa. About ten years after, in the eighteenth year of that monarch's reign, died Johanan, their high-prieft, in the thirty-fecond year of his high-priesthood; and was fucceeded by his fon Jaddua; Jaddua and, in three years, Ochus was poifoned by Bagoas, who fucceeds set up his youngest fon Arfaces on the Perfian throne, who Johanan. was foon after fucceeded by Darius III.

1997.

351.

In the fourth year of this prince's reign, the Jews gave him such an inftance of their loyalty, as plainly fhewed they had not forgot what they had fuffered from Ochus for fiding with his enemies. Alexander the Great, having refolved upon the fiege of Tyre, and being informed that the Tyrians, a nation wholly given to trade, received all their provifions from Judæa, Samaria, and Galilee, fent to Jaddua, the then high-prieft, to demand that fupply of them, which they were wont to pay to the Perfians. Jaddua modeftly excufed himself from complying with his His fidedemand, alleging, that his oath of fidelity to Darius did lity to Danot permit him to transfer that tribute to an enemy. Alex- rius. ander, provoked at this refufal, had no fooner completed the reduction of Tyre, than he marched ftraight to Jeru

Jofeph, ex Hecat, contra Apion. lib. i. Solin. Syncel. & al.

falem,

Alexander's re

falem, refolved to punish the Jews with as great feverity as he had exercifed upon the Tyrians. He was advancing with full speed towards their metropolis, when the ponfentment. tiff, attended by all the priests in their habits of ceremony, met him at some distance from the city, in order to deprecate his wrath, and were very graciously received. Alexander entering Jerufalem, the high-prieft and his retinue conducted him to the temple, where he caufed a great number of victims to be offered to the God of the Jews. The reader may see an account of this transaction in our Hiftory of Alexander the Great, with an account of the great favours which that monarch granted to the Jews, and his poftponing the request of the Samaritans to another opportunity. All that we need to add here is, that the temple of the latter on Mount Garrizzim proved the fource of continual evils to the Jews, and the conftant afylum of their apoftate brethren, who never failed to go over to the Samaritans, as soon as they found themselves in danger of punishment for any enormous crimes d

lexandria.

Fews Set- Alexander at the fame time conferred many favours on tled at A- the Jews, a great number of whom, at his return into Alexandria, he fettled there, and endowed with large privileges and immunities, allowing them the free exercise of their religion, and admitting them to the fame franchifes and liberties with his own Macedonians. But what gave them the greatest advantage over their Samaritan rivals, was an infurrection in their capital against his favourite Andromachus, whom he had made governor of Syria and Palestine.

Highly favoured by

Alexander.

Fadlua Jucceeded by Onias.

Their miferable Aate under

Alexander's fuccellors.

All this while the Jews continued in his favour, both in Palestine and out of it; only thofe that were in his army, were like to have forfeited it by their refufal to affift at the rebuilding of the temple of Belus, which that monarch had begun. The invincible conftancy with which they bore his fevereft punishments, wrought at length fo far upon him, that he discharged them from his service, and fent them into their own country. Four years after his decease, died alfo Jaddua, the Jewish highprieft, in the twentieth year of his pontificate, and was fucceeded by his fon Onias, who enjoyed that dignity about twenty-one years.

With Alexander expired the profperous ftate of the Jews: their country, being fituate between Syria and

Hecatæus Abder. ap. Jofeph. cont. Apion. lib. ii. e Quint. Curt. lib. iv. cap. 8. f Jofeph. ex Hecat. lib. i. cont. Apion.

2028. Ante Chr.

320.

Egypt, became fubject to all the revolutions and wars, which his ambitious fucceffors waged against each other; being fucceffively invaded and captivated by the Syrians and Egyptians, and conftantly oppreffed under either government. At first it was given, together with Syria and Phoenicia, to Leomedon the Mitylenian, one of Alexander's generals, and confirmed to him by a second partition-treaty; but he being foon after ftripped of the other Yr. of Fl. two by Ptolemy, Judæa was the only nation which stood firm to him, from a fenfe of their oath of allegiance; fo that the Egyptian king was forced to invade it with a powerful army, and accordingly laid close fiege to Jerufalem. The place, being ftrongly fortified by art and nature, might have found him work enough, had not a fuperftitious fear of breaking the fabbath prevented the befieged from making any defence on that day; which being understood by the king, he caused it to be ftormed on the Jerufalem fabbath, and accordingly took the city without any oppo- taken by fition. This fuccefs did not however prevent his treat- Ptolemy. ing them with great severity; he carried near a hundred 100,000 thoufand of them captives into Egypt; but reflecting foon Jews car. after on their known loyalty to their former conquerors, tive into ried capand the facred regard they paid to their oaths, and being, Egypt. by the reduction of Jerufalem, become mafter of Judæa and Samaria, he committed the keeping of feveral confiderable garisons, both here and in Egypt, to them; and having made them fwear allegiance to him, and to his heirs and fucceffors, endowed them with the fame privileges they had enjoyed under the Macedonians (Y).

By

g Chron. Alex. Eufeb. in Chron. Jofeph. Ant. lib. xi. cap. ult. Ꮒ Agathar. ap. Jofeph. cont. Apion. lib. i. Arift. in Libell, de LXX. Interp.

(Y) Of those whom he car. ried away into Egypt, he chofe about thirty thousand of the ftouteft to fill his garifons; the rest he fent, fome to affift them with provifions, others into Libya and Cyrene, which he had lately fubdued. Appian adds, that he demolished the walls of Jerufalem before he returned home. However, he fhewed fuch kindness to those Jews that came to fettle in E

gypt, that great numbers of them, being attracted, partly by the fertility of the country, and partly by the great privileges they enjoyed, flocked thither from other parts.

From the latter of the countries above mentioned, were defcended the Cyrenean Jews, among whom was Jafon, author of the Hiftory of the Maccabees, in five books, now lost, but of which the fecond book

of