This is broadly speaking. No cut and dried principle ever sways a nation as a whole. There is always overlapping of sentiment and unending mixture of motive. Life is the resultant of millions of forces, but in the end in the noble nation that resultant is along the line of noble resolve, whilst in an ignoble nation other considerations preponderate. The resulting action is largely the touch-stone of the class of forces developing it. Thus our war with Germany. Our detractors, especially the yapping curs amongst ourselves, delight to see in our action nothing but selfishness, baseness, and folly. Those who love their country, the best the world has to tell of, may be satisfied her action saved mankind. Thus with the Jews in relation to Hellenism. Their conception of life in its relation to the unseen was impressing itself on the world at large and with increasing power as their prosperity increased. On the other hand, the Greek charm; its metaphysical subtlety, its historical associations never lost its hold on the educated Jew. Mark even the writings of St. Paul. But as a whole, over the centuries, the Jewish outlook on life was the Puritan outlook. And this was what divided them from their fellow man, and more, what divided them amongst themselves. And it is still what divides the world in general to-day. And as with ourselves, it is not in words or creeds or metaphysics that we must seek the difference, but in the fundamentals of life itself. A man is not puritan and therefore serious, but is serious, non-emotional and zealous and therefore puritan. And though we find the puritanism of the Jew in many garbs, yet for all that it has been and is still to be the driving force of many a movement with which its connection is not too obvious. Up till now the temptation has been the worship of strange gods in gross forms and with doubtful ceremonial. The ensuing period is to find the temptation in subtler guise, but in essentials the same. It is now to be wrapped up in the beauties of Greek culture, and reaction against it is to be occasion of offence to neighbours, as well as of fierce quarrellings amongst

themselves. Previous dispute had been as to which hated enemy-Assryian or Egyptian; Syrian Greek or Egyptian Greek- they should cast in their lot with, but with the Syrian Greek established in power the temptation was to please their master by accepting his religion. As it appealed to many, both intellectually and emotionally as well, in the rising flood of Hellenism the purer Judaistic faith was to be almost entirely swept away. With the "fashionables" it was to be altogether out of date. But for all that it will be Hellenism and not puritanism which runs counter to the race consciousness as a whole. The very loveliness and exquisiteness of the Greek anthropomorphism was ever an offence to the Semitic thought, which found its cradle in Arabia, and which has ever known its God as a spirit alone. And in this instinct, especially as developed in their educated peasant of the Scottish type, is great material. It is in such we find the makings of a fierce race of patriots. These Puritans have always been rare fighters. Men of simple manners and intense earnestness, with no great powers of ratiocination, they will know no temporizing, and with the prophets on their side they will live their faith and not talk it. And the story of their struggle is one of absorbing interest. It is the motif of the two books of the Maccabees. These commence with the time when their fortunes are at their lowest ebb-when the temple knows no more the worship of Jehovah; and they conclude with the rout of their Syrian-Greek tyrants and the triumphant re-establishment of the ancient faith. And anticipating days to come, we are to witness them as they go from strength to strength until they became the proudest of the earth. Until the northern nations of Europe emerge from barbarism to reinvigorate a diseased world it is doubtful if any. other race were ever quite their equal. The Persian in his strength had passed away; the people proper of Egypt were never quite their peers; the Greek we are to see become degenerate, whilst the Roman was always at heart a boor. What other people could have

resorted to emetics to increase delight in feasting! At the time of our Lord we are to find the Jews as rich and influential colonists in every city of the empire and forming a great though loose confederation, of which Jerusalem was their holy city and centre. When finally we see them throwing down the gauntlet to Rome itself, we shall find it was no act of mere madness but a very real bid for independence even if not for the supremacy of the world. Consolidated, and at the zenith of their fortunes, they had never been denied. A succession of weak or wicked emperorsTiberius, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitllius-had brought the empire to the verge of ruin, from which it was only saved by the genius of Vespasian. The extent of the danger run was shown by the rejoicing over his triumphs. Vespasian himself, though of no family, was acclaimed emperor, and the arch of Titus -erected by Domitian to celebrate the victories of his father and brother over the Jews-is still one of the glories of the city of Rome. But there had been no arch, no victories, had the Jews been then united amongst themselves. Unhappily, at this great crisis in their history they were to be more seriously divided than ever was the case with them, and in their divisions was to be found the hideous ruin of them all.

CHAPTER XII.

THE EMPIRE OF ALEXANDER.

29. AND with the year B.C. 333 once more we see the Jews in the throes of a terrible crisis. The Persian and Greek are in mortal combat and the Greek is to prove triumphant. And they refuse him assistance. They are confident in the power of the "Great King." More, they assist Tyre, leagued with his enemy. Tyre is in need of corn and they supply it, but they have none for him.

And now, with his irresistible army, Alexander was come to balance accounts. The days of terror when Nebuchadnezzar had come on like errand palsy with fear, and they hasten to placate the conqueror. Continuing from the Talmud: "Simon was performing the functions of High Priest during the triumphal career of Alexander. The sons of Judah found no cause to oppose this warrior, and when after his first victories over the Persian army he came to Syria on his way to Egypt, they joined with the kingdoms which paid him homage. Simon the righteous, as representative of the nation, proceeded to the sea coast to greet the conqueror attired in his priestly robes and attended by a number of priests and nobles in the full dignity of their costumes." They were then brought into his presence when, to the surprise of all, Alexander at once approached the High Priest and greeted him with great friendliness; and when his officers expressed their astonishment at this mark of condescension, he told them that in the same form and feature this same priest, clad in the same robes he now wore, had appeared to him in a dream, and promised him success in arms. Thus his reason; but Alexander, with farseeing policy, respected all religions, spared all temples. In Polybius (Bk. v. 1) we have the account of how, "when incensed against and victorious over Thebes, he ordered all the inhabitants to be sold for slaves and the city to be levelled to the ground, yet he employed the greatest care that no offence should be committed even through accident, against the temples or other consecrated places." And then Alexander was conducted through the temple by Simon. On entering he said, "Blessed be the Lord of this house." He was charmed with the beauty of the structure, and expressed a desire to have a statue of himself erected as a remembrance between the porch and the altar. Simon informed him that it was not allowable to erect any statue or image within the temple walls, but promised that as a remembrance the males born among his people that year should be called Alexander. That

is the manner in which the Rabbis Alexander obtained their names.

Alexander continued well disposed towards the High Priest, and through his intercessions granted the Jews religious freedom and release from all tributary burden during the sabbatic year and the Jews entered Alexander's army and assisted in his conquests." This terrible moment was thus safely got through. Both sides had reason to congratulate themselves on the outcome of the interview. It is well known that the transcendent genius of the great general-e.g. Marlborough-is shown as much in the management of men as in the fighting of his battles. It is easy to be wise after the event and it is a fair index of greatness if it can stand this test. We can now appreciate the wisdom of Alexander. It almost looks the obvious. But it astonished his own staff. Were these Jews to be cowed or conciliated? He could do with no nest of hornets in his rear to cut his retreat in case things did not go too well in Egypt. He chose the bold course, hence this little side-play; and some of these fierce fighters were no doubt a welcome addition to his forces. With them he had no quarrel; probably he respected them for their loyalty to Persia none the less that they now sought terms with himself. And could he rely upon them? Well there always has been a vein of loyalty in this people-we in England have proved it-and he relied on it. As for the Persian he had not been their conqueror but their deliverer, and this from the beginning to the end determined the relations between the two peoples. And they were now ended. The new régime started auspiciously, but, continuing from the Talmud: "This state of affairs lasted, unfortunately, only until the death of Alexander. In the quarrels amongst the generals which followed and continued for two decades, the Jewish people suffered much. The armies of Antigonus and his son Demetrius destroyed the fertile fields, gave wings to blessed peace, and filled the inhabitants of Judea with horror and dismay. It was on