In general it may be said that the extra-canonical writings do not exhibit the pure Biblical types. The writers, unrestrained by divine inspiration, were deflected from the normal lines of Biblical development by various influences bearing upon them, either from internal weaknesses and defects of Jewish disposition and character, or from the religious ideas of the Persians or the Greeks, which became the historical environment of their thinking and of their life. Hellenistic culture was spread over the Orient by the conquests of Alexander and propagated in the kingdoms of his successors by Greek officials and colonists. This culture attracted not a few of the Jews in Syria, Palestine, and especially in Egypt, by its wealth of beauty and richness of thought. The two centuries divided by the advent of the Messiah are those in which this type of thought became powerful. It idealized the Messianic promise, and resolved the person of the Messiah and His kingdom into the mystic and hazy hope of a better and more ethical future. Persian religious ideas seem to have had little influence during the period of the Persian domination; but in the Greek period these made their influence felt in a direction contrary to that of the Greek culture, especially among the Jews remaining on the east of the Euphrates and in its broad valley. The prophetic times were reduced to definite numbers, and the person of the Messiah was resolved into a series of human saviours. These ideas came into Palestine in connection with the Maccabean revolution, and subsequently in the rise and predominance of the zealots among the Jews. The internal weakness of Jewish character disclosed itself in the tendency to overlook the spiritual elements of the Messianic idea and to hope for the restora tion of the kingdom to Israel, with all the worldly prosperity that seemed involved therein. The Messiah, the Son of David, who is not so prominent in the last period of the Messianic promise of the Old Testament as He was during the existence of the Hebrew monarchy, was crowded into the background or else forgotten, and the common desire of the nation, especially in times undisturbed by revolutionary efforts on the one hand or of persecution on the other, was for the judicial interposition of God Himself. The Biblical Messianic idea was not altogether forgotten. It was retained, and found expression in several writings which adhered closely to the Biblical models. But these were overwhelmed by the mass of literature and the weight of opinion, which were constantly leading the nation away from the pure Messianic ideals of the Old Testament. THE PALESTINIAN MESSIANIC IDEA. § 1. The stricter Palestinian Judaism fixed its hopes upon the triumph of Israel through divine intervention and judgment. Elijah was to return and restore the tribes of Israel. The kingdom of David was to be revived. Ferusalem was to be rebuilt of precious stones and become the everlasting abode of God and His people. All nations would become tributary. There would be an everlasting covenant. One of the latest writings of the Old Testament was doubtless the book of Ecclesiastes, a product of the type of Hebrew wisdom, written by an unknown author of the Greek epoch. The first writing of the apocryphal literature was of the same type. It is called the book of Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Sirach.' There is no Messianic prophecy in the book of Ecclesiastes. We could hardly expect any in Ecclesiasticus. "It represents an orthodox but moderate and cold Judaism, before there were either Pharisees or Sadducees." There are, however, in the section on the ancient worthies, several passages referring to the ancient covenants with their Messianic ideals. Those mentioned are the covenants with Noah,' Abraham,' Aaron, Phinehas, David.' And there is an important passage which seems to set forth the author's own Messianic ideal. In a long eulogy of Elijah he refers to the prediction of Malachi respecting Elijah, which he paraphrases: 6 Who wast written of in reproofs for set times, To pacify wrath before rage, To turn the heart of father to son, And to restore the tribes of Jacob. Blessed is he that hath seen thee and died. Yet he will not die, he will fully live. (xlviii. 10-11.) The Syriac paraphrases the first line "who is destined to come before the day of the Lord cometh," and gives the correct interpretation. Elijah was to come before 1 The book was composed in Hebrew and translated into Greek by the grandson of the author. There is also a Syriac version from a Hebrew original, and many other versions have been translated from these. The translations only have been preserved, but these help to restore the Hebrew original. Authorities differ as to the time of composition of the book. It is assigned to 180 B.C. by De Wette, Ewald, Dillmann, Drummond, and Cheyne. But Scholtz, Vaihinger, and Keil place it as early as 260 B.C. Edersheim conjectures that the original work was written about 235 B.C., Schürer puts it between 190 and 170 B.C. 2 Edersheim, Ecclesiasticus in Apocrypha, ii., p. 2. London, 1888. 3 xliv. 18. 4 xliv. 21-23. 6 xlv. 24. • xlv. 7. xlv. 25; xlvii. 11. I agree with Edersheim in preference for the Syriac text of lines 5 and 6, which is more consistent than the Greek, and which gives better rhythm and fine antithesis. the day of the Lord, the judgment day. He was taken up in a chariot and whirlwind of fire to heaven. He will return to accomplish his predicted mission, and that man will be happy who has the privilege of seeing him before he dies. He will enjoy the fulness of life. The first book of Maccabees' knows nothing more of the Messianic idea than the ancient promises of the everlasting priesthood of Phinehas and the everlasting kingdom of David. The story of Judith' brings into prominence the day of judgment. In her song of thanksgiving Judith concludes with these words: Woe to the nations that rise up against my kindred! The Lord Almighty will take vengeance on them in the day of judgment, Putting fire and worms into their flesh And they will feel them and weep forever.1 It is evident that the author has in mind the judgment scene of the great prophet of the exile," the rotting, burning carcasses of the wicked outside the holy city in the valley of Hinnom." The second book of Maccabees' has no trace of the Messianic idea except in the expectation of the fulfilment 1 The first book of Maccabees was written in Hebrew and translated into Greek. It is assigned by Ewald to 105 B.C., by Grimm to 105-64 B.C., by Westcott to 120-100 B.C., by Rawlinson to 116-106 B.C. 2 ii. 54, 57. The book of Judith was written by a Palestinian Jew in Hebrew and was translated into Greek. The translation only has been preserved. The date is uncertain. It is assigned to 79-70 B.C. by Ball, to 131-129 B.C. by Ewald. Isaiah lxvi. 24. 4 xvi. 17. • Ball renders the last line on the partial authority of Vulgate and Syriac, "burn in evil forever." 7 This is an epitome of a larger work written in Greek by Jason of Cyrene, not long after 160 B.C. This work was also written in Greek not much later than the original. It is assigned by critics to the latter part of the second century or the first half of the first century B.C. of the promise: "He will shortly have mercy upon us, and gather us together out of every land under heaven into the holy place." 1 Tobit,' in his prayer, praises the Lord in His promises respecting the glorious future of Jerusalem: O Jerusalem! city of the Holy One,3 He will scourge thee for thy children's works, And will have mercy again on the sons of the just. Praise the Lord aright,* And bless the king of the ages, In order that his tabernacle may be built in thee again with joy, And to love the miserable in thee, Even gifts to the king of heaven. Generations of generations will give thee great joy. Cursed will be all who hate thee; Blessed will be all who love thee (for ever). Rejoice and be glad for the sons of the just, For they will be gathered together and bless the Lord of the just. O blessed are those who love thee, They will rejoice in thy peace. Blessed are they who have been sorrowful for all thy scourges; 1 ii. 13. The book of Tobit was written by a Palestinian Jew in Hebrew. The original has been lost and only translations are preserved. Great differences exist among critics as to its time of composition. Graetz, Neubauer, and Rosenthal ascribe it to the time of Hadrian. It is assigned by Ewald to the fourth century B.C., by Fuller to the second century B.C., by Vaihinger to the first century B.C. It may be appropriately used in this place so far as the Messianic idea is concerned. * The LXX. wóλıç άyím sustained by the Vulgate civitas Dei is better than the "holy city" of A. V. after the Itala. dyatis of the LXX. is sustained by the Vulgate in bonis tuis, and the Itala in bono, and is preferable to the variant ô- άya@óç. |