THE

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT

CONNECTED

IN

THE HISTORY

OF THE

JEWS AND NEIGHBOURING NATIONS,

FROM

THE DECLENSION OF THE KINGDOMS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH TO THE TIME OF CHRIST.

PART II.

BOOK I.

An. 291. Ptolemy Soter 14.]-ELEAZER, the brother of Simon the Just,' succeeded him in the high-priesthood at Jerusalem, and there executed this office fifteen years. But whereas Simon the Just had been also president of the Sanhedrin, or national council of the Jews, he was in this last charge succeeded by Antigonus of Socho, to which he was recommended by his great learning. For he was an eminent scribe in the law of God, and a great teacher of righteousness among the people. And he being the first of the Tannaim or Mishnical doctors, from his school all those had their original who were afterward called by that name. And these were all the doctors of the Jewish law from the death of Simon the Just to the time that Rabbi Judah Hakkadosh composed the Mishnah, which was about the middle of the second century after Christ, as hath been before observed. In the Gospels, they are sometimes called scribes, sometimes lawyers, and sometimes those that sat in Moses's seat. For those different appellations all denote the same profession of men, that is, those who having been brought up in the knowledge of the law of God, and the tradition of the elders concerning it, taught it in the schools and synagogues of the Jews, and judged according to it in their Sanhedrins. For out of the number of these doctors were chosen all such as were members of those courts, that is, either of the great Sanhedrin of seventy-two, which was for the whole nation, or of the Sanhedrin of twenty-three, which was in every city of Judah. And such were Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Gamaliel: and in respect hereof it is that they are called elders, counsellors, and rulers, because, being of the number of those who were chosen into these councils, they did there declare and execute those laws, by which they ruled and governed the people.

The Jews tell us great things of this Simon the Just, and speak of great alterations that happened on his death in some parts of their divine worship, and the signs of the divine acceptance, that had till then appeared in the perform

1 Joseph. Antiq. lib. 12. c. 2. Chronicon Alexand. Eusebii Chronicon.

2 Chronicon Alexandrinum.

3 Juchasin, Shalsheleth Haccabbala, et Zemach David. R. A. Levita in Historica Cabbala.

ance of them. For it is said in the Jerusalem Talmud,' that "All the time of Simon the Just, the scape-goat had scarce come to the middle of the precipice of the mountain, from whence he was cast down, but he was broken into pieces: but, when Simon the Just was dead, he fled away alive into the desert, and was eaten of the Saracens. While Simon the Just lived, the lot of God in the day of expiation went forth always to the right hand: but Simon the Just being dead, it went forth sometimes to the right hand and sometimes to the left. All the days of Simon the Just, the little scarlet tongue looked always white: but when Simon the Just was dead, it looked sometimes white and sometimes red. All the days of Simon the Just, the west light always burnt; but, when he was dead, it sometimes burnt and sometimes went out. All the days of Simon the Just, the fire upon the altar burnt clear and bright, and, after two pieces of wood laid on in the morning, they laid on nothing else the whole day after; but when he was dead, the force of the fire languished in such a manner that they were forced to supply it all the day. All the days of Simon the Just, a blessing was sent upon the two loaves, and the shew-bread; so that a portion came to every priest, to the quantity of an olive at least; and there were some who did eat, and there were others to whom something remained after they had eaten their fill: but when Simon the Just was dead, that blessing was withdrawn; and so little remained to each priest, that those who were modest withdrew their hands, and those who were greedy still stretched them out." For the explication hereof, it is to be observed, that, on the great day of expiation, which was a most solemn fast among the Jews, kept by them every year on the tenth day of their month Tizri (which answers to our September,) two goats were brought into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there, on the north side of the altar, presented before the high-priest, the one to be the scape-goat, and the other to be sacrificed unto the Lord. And in order to determine which of them should be for each purpose, lots were cast to decide the matter; the manner of which was as followeth. The goats being put one before the right hand of the high-priest," and the other before the left hand, an urn was brought, and placed in the middle between them, and two lots were cast into it (they might be of wood, silver, or gold, but under the second temple they were always gold.) On the one of these was written For the Lord, and on the other For the scape-goat; which being well shaken together, the high-priest put both his hands into the urn, and with his right hand took out one lot, and with his left hand the other, and according to the writing on them were the goats appointed, as they stood on each hand of the high-priest, either for the Lord, to be sacrificed to him, or to be the scape-goat, to be let escape into the wilderness: that is, if the right hand lot were For the Lord, then the goat that stood before him at the right hand was to be sacrificed, and the other to be the scape-goat; but if the left hand lot were For the Lord, then the goat that stood at the left hand was to be sacrificed, and the other to be the scape-goat, and therefore, whereas it is said, that the lot of God, till the death of Simon the Just, went forth always to the right hand, the meaning is, that till then the high-priest always drew out with his right hand the lot For the Lord, and with his left, that For the scape-goat; but afterward with each hand sometimes one lot, and sometimes the other. As soon as the goats were thus appointed each to their proper use, the high-priest bound upon the head of the scape-goat a long piece (they call it a tongue) of scarlet. And this is that scarlet tongue, which, the Talmud saith, looked always white till the death of Simon the Just, but afterward sometimes white and sometimes red. And the change of red into white being here spoken of as a

6

1 Mishna et Gemara Hierosol. in Yoma.

2 That is, the most western of the seven lamps of the golden candlesticks, which stood in the holy place in the temple.

3 That is, the two wave-loaves offered in the feast of Pentecost, of which see Lev. xxiii. 15-21.

4 That is, the twelve loaves of shew-bread, which were placed upon the shew-bread table in the holy place every sabbath, and taken away the next sabbath after, and divided among the priests that then officiated. See Lev, xxiv. 5-10. 5 Mishnah in Yoma. Maimonides in Yom. Haccipurim.

6 Lev. xvi. 8.

7 Mishnah et Maimonides, ibid.

sign of God's accepting of the expiation of that day, hither may be referred what is said in Isaiah, (ch. i. ver. 18,) "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool;" or rather to this text may be referred the foundation of all that they say of this matter. After the goat for the Lord was offered up in sacrifice to him, the scape-goat was brought before the high-priest, who, laying both his hands upon his head, confessed over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, and all their sins; by that ceremony putting them all upon the head of that goat: and then sent him away by a fit person into the wilderness. The place where they led him was a rock or precipice at the distance of twelve miles from Jerusalem, where he was to be let escape, to carry away the sins of the children of Israel with him far out of sight. Till the time of Simon the Just, the Talmud saith, this goat was always dashed in pieces, in the fall, on his being let loose over the precipice; but that afterward he always escaped, and flying into Arabia, was there taken and eaten by the Saracens.

An. 288. Ptolemy Soter 17.]-Demetrius having, as he thought, thoroughly settled his affairs in Greece and Macedon,' made great preparations to recover his father's empire in Asia; for which purpose he got together an army of a hundred thousand men, and a fleet of five hundred sail of ships, which was a greater force, both by sea and land, than had been gotten together by any prince since the time of Alexander the Great.

An. 287. Ptolemy Soter 18.]-This alarming Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Scleucus, they all three entered into a confederacy together for their mutual defence against his designs, and also drew in Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, to join with him herein. And, therefore, while Lysimachus invaded Macedonia on the one side, Pyrrhus did the same to the other. This drew Demetrius out of Greece (where he was then attending his preparations for the Asian expedition) back into Macedonia, for the defence of that country. But before he could arrive thither, Pyrrhus having taken Berea, a great city in Macedonia, where many of Demetrius's soldiers had their families, friends, and effects, the news hereof no sooner got into the army, but it put all into disorder and mutiny, many declaring, that they would follow him no farther, but return home to defend their friends, families, and fortunes, in their own country; whereon Demetrius, seeing his interest absolutely lost among them, fled in the disguise of a private soldier into Greece, and all his army revolted to Pyrrhus, and made him their king. Demetrius on his return into Greece, having there ordered his affairs in the best manner his present circumstances would admit, committed the care of all he had in those parts to Antigonus his son, and with all the remainder of his forces that could be spared from thence (which amounted to about eleven thousand men,) went on board his fleet, and sailed into Asia, there in a desperate manner to seek his fortunes. On his arrival at Miletus, he took that city, and there married Ptolemais, the daughter of Ptolemy. She was brought to him thither by Eurydice her mother, the wife of Ptolemy, and sister of Phila, Demetrius's former wife, who died a little before of a dose of poison, which she desperately took on her husband's flight out of Macedonia, to avoid the calamity which she thought would follow that declension of his fortune. However, this did not hinder Ptolemy from marrying his daughter to him, and of this marriage was born Demetrius, who afterward reigned in Cyrene.

From Miletus, Demetrius invaded Caria and Lydia,3 and having taken many cities from Lysimachus, in those provinces, and there much augmented his forces with new recruits, at length made himself master of Sardis. But on the coming of Agathocles, the son of Lysimachus, with an army against him, he was forced again to quit all that he had taken, and marched eastward. His intentions in taking this rout were to pass into Armenia and Media, and seize those provinces. But Agathocles, having coasted him all the way in his march,

1 Plutarch. in Demetrio et Pyrrho. Justin. lib. 16. c. 2.

3 Plutarch. în Demetrio.

2 Plutarch. et Justin. lib. 16. c. 2.

reduced him to great distress for want of provisions and forage, which brought a sickness into his army, that destroyed a great number of them, and, when he attempted to pass Mount Taurus with the remainder, he found all the passes over it seized by Agathocles: whereby being obstructed from proceeding any farther that way, he marched backward to Tarsus in Cilicia, a town belonging to Seleucus, and from thence signified to that prince the calamitous condition he was reduced to, earnestly prayed relief and assistance from him for the subsisting of himself and the forces that followed him. Seleucus, being movea with this representation of his doleful case, at first took compassion on him and ordered his lieutenants in those parts to furnish him and his forces with all things necessary. But afterward being put in mind of the valour and enterprising genius of this prince, and of his great abilities in the arts and stratagems of war, and his undaunted boldness for the attempting of any design he should have an opportunity for, he began to think that the setting up of such a man again might tend to the endangering of his own affairs, and therefore, instead of helping him any farther, he resolved to lay hold of this opportunity absolutely to crush him, and accordingly marched against him with an army for this purpose: of which Demetrius having received intelligence, he seized on those fastnesses of Mount Taurus where he could best defend himself, and from thence sent again to Seleucus, entreating him that he would permit him to pass into the east, that there seizing some country of the barbarous nations, he might therein pass the remainder of his life in quiet and repose; or otherwise, if he liked not this, that he would at least allow him quarters for that winter, and not in the rigorous season of the year, drive him out in a naked and starving condition into the very jaws of his enemies, to be devoured and destroyed by them. But Seleucus not at all liking his design of going into the east, this first part of his request served only to increase his jealousy, and therefore all that he would grant him was, to take winter-quarters in Cataonia (a province confining upon Cappadocia) for two months during the severity of the winter, and after that to be gone. And then he immediately put guards on all the passes of the mountains leading from Cilicia into Syria, to obstruct his coming that way. Demetrius finding himself hereby pent up and beset, that is, by Agathocles on the one side, and by Seleucus on the other, was necessitated to betake himself to force for the extricating of himself, and therefore falling upon Seleucus's forces, that guarded the passes of the mountains into Syria, he drove them thence and entered through them into that country.

An. 286. Ptolemy Soter 19.]-But when he was ready to have proceeded farther on some bold enterprise for the restoring of affairs,' he was taken with a dangerous sickness, which lasted forty days. In the interim most of his men deserted: whereby finding himself, on his recovery, reduced to the utmost necessity, he resolved to make a desperate attempt upon Seleucus, by storming his camp in the night, with that small handful of his forces that still remained with him. But his design being discovered by a deserter, and thereby disappointed just as he was ready to have put it in execution, and many more of his soldiers deserting from him hereon, he attempted to make a retreat back over the mountains, and if possible that way again reach his fleet. But finding all the passes there seized against him, he was forced to take shelter in the woods; but being there ready to be starved, he was brought at length to the necessity of surrendering himself into the hands of Seleucus, who having caused him, under a strong guard, to be carried to the Syrian Chersonesus near Laodicea, there kept him a prisoner till he died. He allowed him there the freedom of a park to hunt in, and all other accommodations both for the pleasures as well as the necessaries of life. Whereon giving himself wholly up to eating, drinking, gaming, and laziness, he passed away the remainder of his life in those voluptuous and idle enjoyments, till at length, having fed up his body hereby to an excessive fatness, and filled it with gross and noxious humours,

1 Plutarch. in Demetrio.