The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-04-14
THE PARABLE.

THE PARABLE.
AN ORIENTAL WEDDING.-JEsUs de-
clares that when the Son of man shall come
at the contamination of the age. and when
the Temple shall be destroyed, and the Jew
ish nation itself shall be everthrown, and the
kingdom of heaven will appear to manifest
great power and glory, it will resemble in its
administration described scene at an ORR
entail wedding when the bridegroom came to
take his wife, or to bring her to his own
home, the precise time of which might not be
previously known. The ceremonies of He
brew wedding are described below:
Marriage Customs.
The essential feature of the wedding cere-
mony consisted in taking the bride to her
future husbands home. When the evening
of the wedding day arrived, the bridegroom,
attired in wedding apparel, set out at a fixed
hour accompanied with his companions,
known as " children of the bride-chamber,"
to bring the bride either to her new home or
to some other place appointed for the recep-
ton. This marriage procession was, and still
is the essential feature in the Eastern we'd
ding; and it gave peculiar signitcance to
the Hebrew phrase, :" to take wife," The
bride, attired in her bridal costume, awaited
the arrival of the bridegroom. With her
maids she joined the procession, which then
marched back through the streets to the APP
pointed place, where feast was prepared
for the company. Music, torches, and every
demonstration of joy accompanied the train.
As the procession neared the bridegrooms
house. it was joined by other friends of the
bride and groom, swelling its tumult and ac
companying it to its destination. When this
was reached the procession entered, includ-
inc ha i'm tad nnQ than
shut, and no one arriving subsequently was
permitted to enter.-Reu. Lyman Abbott,
documentary on Matthew"
1t was the custom to hold weddings after
night fall. The bridegroom and some friends
went to the house of the bride, and after re-
liRious ceremonies there he set forth toward
his own abode in a grand procession, which
was illuminated by torches or lamps In the
hands of the participants and often preceded
by musicians. In the utterly dark streets of
an Asiatic city every one who goes forth at
night is expected, and in modern Jerusalem
is strictly required by the authorities, to
carry light. Other invited guests, who had
not gone to the brides home, could join the
procession at any point, and enter with II
into the bridegroom's residence to share In
the festivities. But without burning lamp
or torch they could not march in the process
sion, and so could not enter the house. In
order to join the procession conveniently
such persons might assemble beforehand at
different points along the proposed route
and wait for the bridegroom's approach.
When the bridegroom came from distance
the festivities were sometimes held at the
residence of the bride.-JOhn A. Broodus,
DID,, LID.
The parable of the five wise and five fool
ish virgins, who waited in the night for the
bridegroom, and only half of whom took
gladstone part in the marriage because five
lacked oil, is constructed on the basis of
oil arrio in
with which the bridegroom and his friends
appeared at night in the brides house, some
times to be ceremoniously entertained in the
house of the wedding by the bride and her
companions, who met him with torches, as
Matthew supposes, and sometimes to con-
duct, amid glitter of lamps and shouts of ju-
bilation, his bride into his ancestral house,
DR.. Theodore Kein, Jesus of Nazara."
THE F0OLIsH.-At the time of the pre-
dicted coming of the Son of man, his reign,
which is called the kingdom of heaven, is
described as resembling ten yirgins-who
were invited to wedding and who took their
lamps or torches, and went to meet and join
the procession of the bridegroom,-fve of
whom were foolish and five were wise and
prudent. Ten was the usual quorum for an
assembly or procession, adopted probably
basis of Enumeration. The described foolish
ness of five of the number consisted in the
circumstance that they neglected to provide
and carry oil to renew their lamps should the
procession be delayed long enough to ex-
haust what was in them. 1t will be remem-
bered that the unfaithfnl servant described
in the last Lesson acted upon the presump
ton that his absent master would delay his
return. The procession was delayed till mid
night, and the virgins are represented as
waiting and being asleep when the approach
of the wedding party was announced. The
lamps of the foolish five were going out for
want of oil, and while they went to procure
oil for their lamps, the procession arrived at
its destination and went in to partake of the
marriage feast, when the door was closed
and the foolish or imprudent guests were de-
MED admission to the wedding ceremonies.
The foolish virgins may represent those die
ciples of CHRIST who expected an immediate
coming of their Lord, and who, because his
presence and kingdom were not manifested
in the manner nor as soon as they expected,
were not prepared for its advent, nor quail
fed to enjoy its blessings, and were excluded
with the unbelieVin0 JeWs They NAV also