INVASIONS BY EGYPTIANS AND SYRIANS. 225 lain before his face, his eyes put out; and thus the last of the royal house of David, blind and childless, was led away into a foreign prison. Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple demolished, and the people were carried captive to Babylon, where they continued seventy years, in fulfilment of prophecy. Having remained in captivity during the appointed period, they were permitted by Cyrus, the Persian king, who had conquered Babylon, to return to their native land, 536 years B.C. This was accomplished under the direction of Zerubbabel and Joshua, their leaders. They soon began the rebuilding of the temple, but their enemies prevented them from making any progress. Several years afterwards they commenced the work anew, and completed it in the space of four years, 516 B.C. Upon this event they celebrated the first passover. The Jews, in their dependent state, continued to enjoy a degree of prosperity under the sovereigns of Persia, after the time of Cyrus. His successors, down to the era of Alexander, had, in general, treated them with much kindness. Darius, son of Cyrus, favored the Jews during his long reign. Xerxes confirmed their privileges. Under Artaxerxes they were still more favored, through the influence of his queen, Esther, a Jewess. From this prince, who is styled in Scripture Ahasuerus, Ezra, a man of priestly descent, obtained very liberal presents among the Jews remaining in Babylonia, to be applied to the service of the temple, and authority to re-establish the government according to the divine constitution, 480 B.C. Several years afterwards, under the same prince, Nehemiah, his cup-bearer, obtained leave to go to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. He and Joiada, the highpriest, reformed many abuses respecting tithes, the observation of the Sabbath, and the marrying of strange wives. The Jewish people being again settled by Nehemiah, were governed by their high-priests, and the council of the elders called the Sanhedrin. Under Alexander the Great they continued to enjoy these immunities and privileges, and he even exempted them from paying tribute every seventh year. His death proved a calamity to the Jews. From this time, 323 B.C., Judea was successively invaded and subdued by the Egyptians and Syrians, and the inhabitants were reduced to bondage. Under the priesthood of Onias I., Ptolemy, governor of Egypt, taking advantage of the circumstance that the Jews would not fight on the Sabbath, captured Jerusalem on that day, and carried off 100,000 persons, whom, however, he afterwards treated kindly. When Eleazer was highpriest, he sent to Ptolemy Philadelphus six men of every tribe to translate the sacred Scriptures into Greek. This translation is the celebrated one called the Septuagint, 277 B.C. In 170 B.C., Jason, the brother of the high-priest, on false reports of the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, who at this time held the Jews in subjection, raised great disturbances in Jerusalem, with a view to secure the high-priesthood. Antiochus, irritated by the frequent revolts of the Jews, marched to Jerusalem, slew 80,000 people, took 40,000 captives, and then entered the temple and plundered the treasures. This prince having commanded the Jews to observe the rites of the heathen, and to eat of the sacrifices, some of the more conscientious among them chose rather to suffer death. The same year the king's commissioner, who had been intrusted with this iniquitous business, was killed by Matathias and his five sons, who thereupon fled into the wilderness. This was the commencement of that resistance against the Syrian power, under the Maccabees, which terminated in the independence of the nation. CHAPTER XII. THE JEWS. The Maccabees Resist the Syrians-Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem-Articles of the Jewish Creed-Prayers in the Synagogue. JUDA THE MACCABEES RESIST THE SYRIANS. UDAS MACCABÆUS, the bravest of the sons of Matathias, having been chosen by the Jews for their prince and governor, made war against Antiochus, and defeated several of his generals. The monarch, hearing of the defeat of his troops in Judea, took an oath that he would destroy the whole nation. As he hastened to Jerusalem, he fell from his chariot, and died miserably. In a battle with a general of one of his successors, Judas was killed. He was succeeded by his brother Jonathan, who, after many signal services rendered to his country, was basely murdered by Tryphon, an officer of the young Antiochus, who aspired at the same time to the crown of Syria. Jonathan was succeeded by Simon his brother, who subdued the cities of Gaza and Joppa, and cleared Judea of many of the Syrians. He was murdered in the midst of his conquests by his son-in-law, Ptolemy Physcon. John Hyrcanus, son of Simon Maccabæus, uniting in his person the offices of high-priest and generalissimo of the army, subdued the enemies of his country, ceased to pay homage to the kings of Syria, firmly established his government, and is celebrated for his many valuable qualities. He not only delivered his nation from the oppression of Syria, but he made some conquests both in Arabia and Phoenicia, |