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第349章

the antiquities of the jews-1-第349章

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〃a remnant;〃 while an 〃immense number〃 of the ten tribes never
returned; but; as he believed; continued then beyond Euphrates;
ch。 5。 sect。 2; 3; of which multitude; the Jews beyond Euphrates;
he speaks frequently elsewhere; though; by the way; he never
takes them to be idolaters; but looks on them still as observers
of the laws of Moses。 The 〃certain part〃 of the people that now
came up from Babylon; at the end of this chapter; imply the same
smaller number of Jews that now came up; and will no way agree
with the four millions。

(7) The history contained in this section is entirely wanting in
all our other copies; both of Ezra and Esdras。

(8) Dr。 Hudson takes notice here; that this kind of brass or
copper; or rather mixture of gold and brass or copper; was called
aurichalcum; and that this was of old esteemed the most precious
of all metals。

(9) This procedure of Esdras; and of the best part of the Jewish
nation; after their return from the Babylonish captivity; of
reducing the Jewish marriages; once for all; to the strictness of
the law of Moses; without any regard to the greatness of those
who had broken it; and without regard to that natural affection
or compassion for their heathen wives; and their children by
them; which made it so hard for Esdras to correct it; deserves
greatly to be observed and imitated in all attempts for
reformation among Christians; the contrary conduct having ever
been the bane of true religion; both among Jews and Christians;
while political views; or human passions; or prudential motives;
are suffered to take place instead of the Divine laws; and so the
blessing of God is forfeited; and the church still suffered to
continue corrupt from one generation to another。 See ch。 8。 sect。
2。

(10) This Jewish feast of tabernacles was imitated in several
heathen solemnities; as Spanheim here observes and proves。 He
also further observes presently; what great regard many heathens
had to the monuments of their forefathers; as Nehemiah had here;
sect。 6。

(11) This rule of Esdras; not to fast on a festival day; is
quoted in the Apostolical Constitutions; B。 V。; as obtaining
among Christians also。

(12) This miserable condition of the Jews; and their capital;
must have been after the death of Esdras; their former governor;
and before Nehemiah came with his commission to build the walls
of Jerusalem。 Nor is that at all disagreeable to these histories
in Josephus; since Esdras came on the seventh; and Nehemiah not
till the twenty…fifth of Xerxes; at the interval of eighteen
years。

(13) This showing king Xerxes's epistles to God; or laying them
open before God in the temple; is very like the laying open the
epistles of Sennacherib before him also by Hezekiah; 2 Kings
19:14; Isaiah 37:14; although this last was for a memorial; to
put him in mind of the enemies; in order to move the Divine
compassion; and the present as a token of gratitude for mercies
already received; as Hayercamp well observes on this place。

(14) It may not be very improper to remark here; with what an
unusual accuracy Josephus determines these years of Xerxes; in
which the walls of Jerusalem were built; viz。 that Nehemiah came
with his commission in the twenty…fifth of Xerxes; that the walls
were two years and four months in building; and that they were
finished on the twenty…eighth of Xerxes; sect。 7; 8。 It may also
be remarked further; that Josephus hardly ever mentions more than
one infallible astronomical character; I mean an eclipse of the
moon; and this a little before the death of Herod the Great;
Antiq。 B。 XVII。 ch。 6。 sect。 4。 Now on these two chronological
characters in great measure depend some of the most important
points belonging to Christianity; viz。 the explication of
Daniel's seventy weeks; and the duration of our Savior's
ministry; and the time of his death; in correspondence to those
seventy weeks。 See the Supplement to the Lit。 Accorap。 of Proph。
p。 72。

(15) Since some skeptical persons are willing to discard this
Book of Esther as no true history; and even our learned and
judicious Dr。 Wall; in his late posthumous Critical Notes upon
all the other Hebrew books of the Old Testament; gives none upon
the Canticles; or upon Esther; and seems thereby to give up this
book; as well as he gives up the Canticles; as indefensible; I
shall venture to say; that almost all the objections against this
Book of Esther are gone at once; if; as we certainly ought to do;
and as Dean Prideaux has justly done; we place this history under
Artsxerxes Longimanus; as do both the Septuagint interpretation
and Josephus。 The learned Dr。 Lee; in his posthumous Dissertation
on the Second Book of Esdras; p。 25; also says; that 〃the truth
of this history is demonstrated by the feast of Purlin; kept up
from that time to this very day。 And this surprising providential
revolution in favor of a captive people; thereby constantly
commemorated; standeth even upon a firmer basis than that there
ever was such a man as king Alexander 'the Great' in the world;
of whose reign there is no such abiding monument at this day to
be found any where。 Nor will they; I dare say; who quarrel at
this or any other of the sacred histories; find it a very easy
matter to reconcile the different accounts which were given by
historians of the affairs of this king; or to confirm any one
fact of his whatever with the same evidence which is here given
for the principal fact in this sacred book; or even so much as to
prove the existence of such a person; of whom so great things are
related; but。 upon granting this Book of Esther; or sixth of
Esdras; (as it is placed in some of the most ancient copies of
the Vulgate;) to be a most true and certain history;〃 etc。

(16) If the Chaldee paraphrast be in the right; that Artaxerxes
intended to show Vashti to his guests naked; it is no wonder at
all that she would not submit to such an indignity; but still if
it were not so gross as that; yet it might; in the king's cups;
be done in a way so indecent; as the Persian laws would not then
bear; no more than the common laws of modesty。 And that the king
had some such design seems not improbable; for otherwise the
principal of these royal guests could be no strangers to the
queen; nor unapprized of her beauty; so far as decency admitted。
However; since Providence was now paving the way for the
introduction of a Jewess into the king's affections; in order to
bring about one of the most wonderful deliverances which the
Jewish or any other nation ever had; we need not be further
solicitous about the motives by which the king was induced to
divorce Vashti; and marry Esther。

(17) Herodotus says that this law 'against any one's coming
uncalled to the kings of Persia when they were sitting on their
thrones' was first enacted by Deioces 'i。e。 by him who first
withdrew the Medes from the dominion of the Assyrians; and
himself first reigned over them'。 Thus also; lays Spanheim; stood
guards; with their axes; about the throne of Tenus; or Tenudus;
that the offender might by them be punished immediately。

(18) Whether this adoration required of Mordecai to Haman were by
him deemed too like the adoration due only to God; as Josephus
seems here to think; as well as the Septuagint interpreters also;
by their translation of Esther 13:12…14; or whether he thought he
ought to pay no sort of adoration to an Amalekite; which nation
had been such great sinners as to have been universally devoted
to destruction by God himself; Exodus 17:14…16; 1 Samuel 15:18;
or whether both causes concurred; cannot now; I doubt; be
certainly determined。

(19) The true reason why king Artaxerxes did not here properly
revoke his former barbarous decree for the universal slaughter of
the Jews; but only empowered and encouraged the Jews to fight for
their lives; and to kill their enemies; if they attempted their
destruction; seems to have been that old law of the Medes and
Persians; not yet laid aside; that whatever decree was signed
both by the king and his lords could not be changed; but remained
unalterable; Daniel 6:7…9; 12; 15; 17; Esther 1:19; 8:8。 And
Haman having engrossed the royal favor

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