book of the Maccabees give any account of it. Though, upon Judas's restoring the jewish worship in the temple, there must be some person to officiate as high-priest upon some occasions: And Onias being fled into Egypt, whether Judas himself did it occasionally, or deputed one of the other priests to do it, is not certain: Perhaps Judas might do the duty, as being of the chief families of the priesthood, though he did not assume the title.

44 Q. Did Jonathan accept of these proposals?

A. There being no other high-priest in view, he accepted it by the consent of all the people; and at the feast of tabernacles he put on the holy robe. Being thus dignified, he joined with Alexander, who still grew stronger, and slew his rival Demetrius in battle.

Note here, That from this time forward the high-priesthood continued in this family of the Asmoneans or Maccabees till the time of Herod, who changed it from an office of inheritance to an arbitrary appointment. It may be proper to observe here, that the family whence the Maccabees came are called Asmoneans. For Mattathias their father was the son of John, the son of Simon, the son of Asmonæus.

45 Q. But was Jonathan of the eldest family of Aaron, to whom the priesthood belonged?

A. Whether the Maccabees or Asmoneans were of the race of Josedeck, the highpriest, is uncertain; Ezra iii. 2. but it is certain they were of the course of Joarib, which was of the first class of the sons of Aaron; 1 Mac. ii. 1. 1 Chron. xxiv. 7. And therefore, on the failure of the former family of priests, and none appearing with a better title, he had the first right to succeed: Besides that he was chosen to it in a vacancy by all the people.

46 Q. Where was Onias all this while?

A. Having fled into Egypt, he gained such an interest in Ptolemy Philometer, the king, as to build a jewish temple in Egypt, exactly like that of Jerusalem, adorned with the same furniture of vessels and altars for incense and sacrifice; and to have himself and his family established the high-priests of it, where they performed the same religious service as was done at Jerusalem.

47 Q. In what part of Egypt did he build this temple?

A. In the place where Heliopolis, or the city of the sun, stood; and there he built a city also, and called it Onion, after his own name?

48 Q. But how did he persuade the Jews to perform such worship at this temple? A. By citing the words of Isaiah, chapter xix. verses 18, 19. In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan:-In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, &c. Which is truly to be interpreted concerning the future state of the gospel in that country in the days of the Messiah; but Onias applied it to his own temple and altar.

49 Q. How long did this temple continue?

A. Till after the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, which was above two hundred years; and then the city Onion and the temple were both destroyed by the command of Vespasian, the emperor of Rome.

50 Q. Did Jonathan go on to secure the Jews of Judea in their possessions and their religion?

A. By making leagues with the princes and states that favoured him, and by assisting

sometimes one and sometimes another, as the interest and powers of princes were often changing, he defended and governed his own nation.

51 Q. What became of him at last?

A. By the treachery of one Tryphon, who sought the kingdom of Syria, he was seized, and shut up close prisoner in Ptolemais; 1 Mac. xi. and 12. and afterwards was slain with his two sons; chap. xiii.

52 Q. Who succeeded Jonathan in the high-priesthood and government?

A. Simon his brother, by the request of all the people.

53 Q. What were some of the first enterprizes of Simon?

A. After an honourable burial of his brother at Modin, the city of his fathers, and the noble and lofty monument, and seven pyramids which he set up for his parents, his four brethren and himself, he fortified the cities of Judea, made a league with young Demetrius, the son of Demetrius, took the city of Gaza, cleansed the houses from idols, and built himself a house there.

54 Q. Did the garrison in the tower of Acra, near the temple, continue to annoy the Jews in their worship?

A. Notwithstanding all the attempts of Judas and Jonathan, these enemies remained still till the days of Simon, who shut them up so closely, that after great numbers perished with famine, the rest yielded up the tower to Simon: Immediately he cleansed it from its pollutions, and entered into it with harps and songs, and great triumph.

55 Q. What precautions did Simon take against the like annoyance for time to come? A. By consent and assistance of the people, he pulled down the tower, and reduced the mountain itself so low, that there might be no possibility of any future annoyance to the worship of the temple from that place.

56 Q. What further success had Simon in his government?

A. He established Jerusalem and Judea in great peace and plenty; he sought out the law, and made it to be obeyed; he beautified the sanctuary, multiplied the vessels of the temple, and maintained their religion in the divine institutions of it.

57 Q. What peculiar honour was done him by the Jews?

A. In a general assembly of the priests and elders, and the people of the Jews, met together at Jerusalem, he was constituted their prince, as well as their high-priest; and these dignities and offices were settled upon his posterity for ever. This was engraven on tables of brass, together with the good deeds of himself and his family, which had merited such an honour; and these tables were hung up in the sanctuary.

58 Q. What regard was paid to him among the heathen nations?

A. Several princes and people, the Lacedemonians, the Romans, and Antiochus, surnamed Sidetes, the son of Demetrius, king of Syria, all sought his friendship, made leagues and covenants with him, and conferred on him special honours; 1 Mac. xiv.

and xv.

59 Q. Did Antiochus keep his covenants with Simon?

A. By no means; for when he had vanquished Tryphon, his rival, he brake his league with Simon, and invaded some part of Judea: But his general, Cendebeus, was routed by Simon and his two eldest sons, Judas and John, whose surname was Hyrcanus. 60 Q. What was the fate of Simon at last?

A. When Simon was visiting the cities, and giving orders for their welfare, one Ptolemeus, who was his son-in-law, invited him and his sons to a banquet at Jericho,

and slew Simon, with two of his sons, in order to get the government of the country into his own hands; and sent privately to kill John also.

61 Q. Did Ptolemeus succeed in this his treacherous and murderous enterprize? A. John having got timely notice of it, slew the assassins, and was invested with the high-priesthood and the government after his father.

Note, Here ends that excellent history, the first book of the Maccabees. The following part of this account of the Jews is borrowed chiefly from Josephus, who usually calls John by the surname of Hyrcanus.

SECTION VII.

OF THE JEWISH AFFAIRS UNDER THE CONDUCT OF THE POSTERITY AND SUCCESSORS OF SIMON THE MACCABEE; AND OF THE SEVERAL SECTS AMONG THE JEWS, VIZ. PHARISEES, SADDUCEES, ESSENES, Herodians, AND KARAITES.

1 QUESTION.

DID John Hyrcanus enjoy his office in peace?

Answer. Antiochus Sidetes being informed of the death of Simon, and being invited by Ptolemeus, invaded Judea again, besieged Jerusalem, and reduced Hyrcanus and the Jews to the last extremity by famine: But when they sued for peace he granted it, upon condition of paying certain tributes to the king, and demolishing the fortifications of Jerusalem.

Note, About this time Jesus the son of Sirach, a Jew of Jerusalem, coming into Egypt, translated the book of Ecclesiasticus, written by Jesus his grandfather, out of Hebrew into Greek, for the use of the hellenistic Jews there. The ancients called it panareton, or the treasury of all virtue.

2 Q. How did the affairs of the Jews succeed under Hyrcanus?

A. A few years afterwards he took advantage of the vast confusions that ensued among the nations upon the death of Antiochus, to enlarge his borders, by seizing some neighbouring towns on several sides of Judea; and to renounce all his dependance upon the kings of Syria.

3 Q. Was he supported therein by any foreign powers?

A. He renewed the league of friendship which his father Simon had made with the Romans, who were then growing to their grandeur; and they ordered that he should be freed from the late imposed tribute, and that the Syrians should make reparation for the damages they had done him.

4 Q. In what manner did Hyrcanus deal with the Edomites, or Idumeans, who were on the south of Judea?

A. He constrained them to embrace the jewish religion, or to leave their country; whereupon they chose to forsake their idolatry, and became proselytes to judaism, and were mingled and incorporated with the Jews; and by this means, in less than two hundred years, their very name was lost.

Note, In defence of this practice of Hyrcanus among the Idumeans, which seems to be so contrary to the laws of nature and scripture, it may be said, that at this time these Edomites had encroached on the land of Judea, and inhabited all the south part of it; so

that Hyrcanus, in banishing those who would not become Jews, did but dispossess them of that country which was given to the Jews by God himself. Yet it must be confessed, by this practice he seems to have set an unhappy pattern to his successors, to impose the religion of the Jews on conquered countries by force.

5 Q. How did he treat the Samaritans on the north when his power was thus increased?

A. He marched with his army and took Shechem, which was then the chief seat of the Samaritan sect; and he destroyed their temple on mount Gerizim, which Sandballat had built; though they continued still to keep an altar there, and to offer sacrifices.

6 Q. How came Shechem to be their chief seat instead of Samaria?

A. They were expelled from Samaria by Alexander, for killing one of his deputy governors in a tumult; and they retiring to Shechem, made that their chief seat; while Alexander repeopled Samaria with heathens of the Syrian and Macedonian race.

7 Q. Did Hyrcanus extend his power further on that side of the country?

A. He besieged Samaria and took it, and utterly demolished it; he not only ruled in Judea, but in Galilee also, and the neighbouring towns: He became one of the most considerable princes of his age, and preserved the jewish church and state in safety from their enemies, throughout a long government.

8 Q. What other remarkable actions are ascribed to Hyrcanus?.

A. He was esteemed a prophet for one or two notable predictions, or knowledge of things done at a distance. He built the castle Baris on a steep rock, fifty cubits high, without the outer square of the temple, but on the same mountain: This was the palace of all the asmonean princes in Jerusalem, and here the sacred robes of the high-priest were always laid up when they were not in use.

9 Q. What use was afterward made of this castle?

A. Herod new built it, and made it a very strong fortress, to command both the city and the temple, and called it Antonia, in honour of his great friend, Mark Anthony of Rome: He raised it so high that he might see what was done in the temple, and send his soldiers in case of any tumult. Here the Romans kept a strong garrison, and the governor of it was called captain of the temple; Acts xxi. 31.

Note, It was from this place the centinels spying the Jews ready to kill Paul, gave notice to the governor, or chief captain, who went down immediately with some soldiers into the court of the gentiles, whither they had dragged St. Paul to kill him, and rescued him, and brought him up the stairs into this castle; and it was upon these stairs that Paul obtained leave to speak to the people. See Acts xxi. 26—40.

10 Q. What troubles did Hyrcanus meet with toward the end of his life?

A. His title to the high-priesthood was unjustly called in question by a bold man among the Pharisees; and, being craftily imposed upon to think it the opinion of all that party, he hastily renounced that sect, for which he had before the greatest value, he abolished their constitutions, and falling in with the sect of the Sadducees, lost his esteem and love among the common people.

11 Q. Since you mention the sect of the Pharisees here, pray let us know what were the chief sects among the Jews?

4. About this time, the most considerable sects were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes; though, in the next century, arose also the Herodians; and some hundred of years after was a sect called the Karaites.

12 Q. What peculiar opinions were held by the Pharisees?

A. The most distinguishing character of this sect was their zeal for the traditions of the elders; for while they acknowledged the writings of Moses and the prophets to be divine, they pretended that these traditions also were delivered to Moses on mount Sinai, and conveyed down, without writing, through the several generations of the Jews, from father to son: And, by reason of their pretences to a more strict and rigorous observance of the law, according to their traditions, which they had superadded to it, they looked on themselves as more holy than other men, and they were called Pharisees, that is, persons separated from others.

Note, These were the persons who had so much corrupted the law in our Saviour's time, and made it void by their traditions: Yet their doctrine generally prevailed among the scribes and the lawyers, who were writers and explainers of the law; and the bulk of the common people had them in high esteem and veneration, so that they were the most numerons of any sect.

13 Q. Is the sect of the Pharisees still in being?

A. The present religion of the Jews, in their several dispersions, except among the few Karaites, is wholly formed and practised according to the traditions of the Pharisees, rather than according to the law and prophets: So that they have corrupted the old jewish religion, in the same manner as the papists have the christian.

14 Q. What were the opinions of the Sadducees?

A. The Sadducees at first are supposed by Doctor Prideaux to be no more than the Zadikim, who only stuck to the written word of God, renouncing all other traditions: And that probably they went no further than this in the days of Hyrcanus; though the talmudical writers derive their name and their dangerous doctrines more early, from one Zadoc, as is before related. But it is certain that afterward the Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead, and the very being of angels or spirits, or souls of men departed, and any existence in a future state: They supposed God to be the only Spirit, and that he rewarded and punished mankind in this world only, and there was nothing to be hoped or feared after death: Which principles render this sect an impious party of men.

15 Q. What did they profess as the rule of their religion?

A. They not only rejected all unwritten traditions, but all the written word of God, except the five books of Moses; for the doctrine of a future state is not so evidently taught therein: And therefore Christ argues not with them out of the Psalms or prophets, but only out of the law of Moses; when he proves a future state or resurrection from God's being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Luke xx. 37.

16 Q. How long did this sect of the Sadducees continue?

A. Though all the common people had the chief veneration for the Pharisees, yet most of the richest and the greatest among them fell into the opinions of the Sadducees for several generations, but they were all cut off in the destruction of Jerusalem; nor do we find any mention of them as a sect for many ages after, till their name was revived and applied to the Karaites by way of reproach.

17 Q. Who were these Karaites?

A. A much better sect among the Jews, who, in the sixth century after Christ, began to be so much offended with the incredible stories and fooleries of the talmud which was VOL. III.

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