New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-06

whoever failed to escape IT was demonstrapy
destined to ruin. Nothing could better sun
Oriental princes, the exigencies OF whose posi-
tions required frequent criminal ADVENTURES
usually taking the form of assassinauons OF
massacres The principle had but one draw
back: it could be turned against the reignlng
prince by any usurper, who, II he succeeoeo' ""s
thenceforth justified by the event.
Solomon,s reign was peaceful, hut IL PRODUCED
little permanent good for Judah and israci.
The temple which this prince built NJ he''"n
insists was to all practical intents person"'
chape of his own. For Israel 1t had Mt the nn'o
no significance, and but little for Judah Inc
prophets generally denounced it because Oh the
expense, and also because they Represented ,iie
really popular views of oil public questions. M.
Remains views concerning the structure ltscil
will be found highly interesting and worthy OF
"a reful examination he asserts in the first place
that no modern attempt 20 reconstruct the build
inc has been in the least successful SIhe sketch
given by himself is Of an edfce so strange that
IL can hardly be reproduced through the imagina-
ton 1t consists \of Cyclopesn foundations ana
lower walls Of stone;- and superstructurc OF
the frailest character, in wood The biblical
accounts are for the most part dlscredted' as
being confused attempts by persons Ignorant
of oil forms of architecture to describe struct-
rra tho memory of which tradition had failed to
preserve. NJ Renan thinks the Temple was
probably in the main copied from Egyptian or
Assyrian models lie laughs at the account OF
the two pillars named respectively Jachin ana
Boaz, and suggests that the legend grew OUT OF
practice of the Tyrian workmen OF putting IN
scriptons on their pillars at the base ana ouo
of sight, recording the names OF the makers
with a form of prayer for the stability of the
work.
As to the dimensions of the Temple. "we may
IMAGINE il to have been about the Size of Notre
Dame de Lorette, at Paris. and having some
exterior analogy with that fine chapel But
while Solomon amused himself greatly
with his little chef-doeuvre, he was
almost alone in regarding 1t seriously;
what strikes us, in fact, IS the alb
sence Of the people in all this. The Temple of
Jerusalem was the plaything of the monarch
NOT n creation Of the nation The Temple at
first was a kind Of holy chapel, like that OF
ST. Louis, not the rendezvous Of all Israel
The prophets viewed it askance The develop
ment of prophetsm, in Israel and Judah, pro
ceeded outside of the Temple, until day when
prophetm appropriated the edifice and en-
trenched itself therein The first Thora' was
conceived in reaction against the IempIe Mosaislh
is, is one sense but reply to Solomon" Bnlt
by King almost Indifferent in matters OF rehgion,
its tendency was opposed to the spirit of Israel
Far from elevatng Jahve above all other Gods,
the Temple of Solomon proclaimed virtually
that Jahve was only like the rest, not indeed
inferior but little superior to other Gods, at least
beyond the territory which was specially conse-
Grated to him. Solomon had worked against
the tendencies of his people, and when he died the
natural results followed. His influence was
ephemeral Scarcely anything he had done sur
vived him. His memory was odious among the
tribes. Malicious stories were told about his
harcm. 1t was said that he had kidnapped
Young girls and immured them there 1t is
certain that the little poem written much later
known as The Song of Songs embodies the
III will of the true Israel, which remained I'M
corrupted, toward a reign which had cost it so
much and from which it had profted so little
The legendary Solomon is thus reduced by NJ
Rcnan. The historical reality hidden behind
81 many marvellous stories was something like
this thousand years before Christ there regned,
in a small Syrian capital a petty sovereign
intelligent. free from national prejudices, not
communicating the true vocation OF his race, wise,
according to the standard Of the time, though
apparently not superior in morality to the average
Oriental rulers OF his period. The intelligence
which evidently characterized him brought him,
luckily, a reputation for science and philosophy.
Each succeeding age interpreted that reputation
in accordance with prevailing ideas Nc'omoh
was thus in turn cxtolled as parabo'St, ma 0ural-
ist sceptic, magician, astrologcr, aIchemst, cao-
habstr He did not CO. pose the Proverbs
ascribed to him, though he may have directed
their collection. "Not only have we no writing
of Solomon, but it is probable that ne wrote
nothing We rather conceive him as hhahI
of Bagdad, amused by men of letters VINO COM
piled Under his directions like Haroun-a- has
child, surrounded by singers. story teiiers, WIS
with whom he willingly adopted the tone OF
good fellowship and collaboration" Solomon,
however NJ Renan thinks, though so little IN
harmony with the antique Jewish spirit, is
complete personiication of that spirit as 1t has
developed in modern times. He Is avenged on
the prophets and pietists by the epicureaa
element in his race "The Sadducee is as muca
Jew as tile exalted disciple of the prophets,
and from the point Of view of the Sadducees
which has become that of the majority OF Jews
| of modern times Solomon was right. IL was
the prophets who destroyed the nation
After the death of Solomon came the. scpara-
ton of Israel and Judah and the erection OF the
two kingdoms, which thenceforward continued &c
| decline gradually toward hopeless anarchy. But
the division proved fruitful in some ways. The
setting apart Of the northern tribes cleared Inc
path for the rehabilitation Of the prophets
Whether the role of the prophets was TO eHec'
the national ruin Of tie people of Israel while
establishing their spiritual supremacy, NJ Renar
does not appear TO have altogether determined
But he is positive that they are important alds u
the latter and lie does not doubt that their poh'i
cal agency injured the State He gives an inter
estinC. though some may think it in parts o fanci
full, description of the gradual bringing together
Of the patriarchal legends, and the composition O
the sacred books which form the early part o.
the Old Testament The analysis Of the Jehovisti
and Elohistic narratives Is adroit, learned an'
clear The ascription Of the Judac cosmogony u
ChaIdaean sources is ingenious, but not fully sup
ported In his view, the place of Moses IN TN
Pentatcuch is largely legendary. as is nearly tn
whole of the framework in which the machner.
of legislation is set The art with which tn
division of literary material is made between tn