Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-02-01
The SUNDAY SCHOOL


after our last lesson. on the third day OF Adar,
tho twelfth month. February. H. & SIS The
month varied with tho new moon The third
day OF Adar In 1892 wEs March .: IN 1893 will be
February 70; in 1924, February 10. The Pass.
over was held six weeks later. tho 18th OF
Nissan. March April
PLACE Jerusalem and tho newly built tom.
pie.
prophets. -Haggai and zechariah
RULERs.-DariUs Hystaspcs, tho father of
XerNes, the Ahasucrus OF Esther. was king of
the Mcdo-Perstan ompirc sixth year,: Zcrub.
babel. tho governor OF Judca twentieth year,:
IatnSt. Persian governor OF Syria and Pales.
tine; TArQuintus Superbus at Rome.
TUE SECTION or HISTORY includes Ezra,
chaps. and 9. with review OF the work of
Haggai and Zechariah. and OF Ezra, chaps 3 4
LESSON NOTES.
Rebuilding the Temple. Yer. IA. The
foundations of the temple were laid in
the autumn of b. c. $50, soon after the
arrival of the first company of 80. 900
eNiles at Jerusalem from Babylon. But
so much opposition arose and so many
difficulties presented themselves that
the work ceased when the foundation
was laid. For fifteen years nothing
more was done till the autumn of II. c.
500. when the people went To work
again through the prophesving of
Haggai the prophet and Zcchariah," as
we have seen in the last three lessons.
But it required four years TO complete
the temple. At first there was great
opposition. Tatnai, the governor of
Syria and Palestine, interfered. writ
ing letters 10 Darius, inquiring il there
were any such permission given TO the
Jews 10y Cyrus as the Jews claimed. No
such record was found in Babylon.
where IL would naturally be kept, but
in the distant province of the Modes,
in the royal archives at Achmetha
(Ecbatana), one of its capitals.
the roll was found containing the de-
cree of Cyrus. Darius confirmed the
decree, and commanded Governor Tat
mai TO give immediate aid 10 the work
In money and supplies, and ordered that
whatsoever should alter this word. -
should be impaled on timber from his
own house, and the house made n heap
OF ruins. This answer must have come
after the prophecies of Zechariah we
studied in our last lesson. But Zech-
nriah prophesied again. According 10
the commandment of the God" given
through the prophets. And Arta-
NerNes This aid that Artaxerxes gave
was sixty years later, but the fact was
added here because, since he contrib
uted to the identifying of the temple
(chap. :: 20), and promoted the same
by his edict Gbid. 1920, he might be
thought to deserve mention, together
with Cyrus and Darius, as one OF those
who helped forward the completion of
the work. This Artaxerxes was not
the one mentioned in AT, but the
grandson of Darius.
The site was the same as that Of Sol
onions temple, on Mount Morinh. The
top of the hill was large quadrangle
of perhaps II acres, 900 feet by COO
so terraced rs to be higher in
the CENTER where the temple stood.
This is only about one-third of the size
of the courts in Herod's time. for sew.
eral acres had been added on the north
before he rebuilt the temple, and he
doubled the extent OF the inclosurc.
The Structure, If built according to the
decree of Cyrus, was sixty cubits high
and sixty long (6:3), while Solomon's
was only forty wide and thirty high.
But ii must have been vastly inferior in
ornament and splendor. The Holy of
Holes was empty. The ark, the
cherubs. the tables of stone, the vase
OF mamma, the rod of Aaron. were gone.
The golden shields had vanished. Even
the high priest, though he had re.
covered his official dress, had not been
able to resume the breastplate with
the oracular stones ezra 2:GS; Neh.
1863. The doors of the temple were of
gold. In three particulars the general
arrangements differed from those
of the ancient sanctuary. With the
rigid jealousy which rendered this
period hostile t. all which approached
the Canaanitc worship, there were NO
more 20 be seen in the courts those
beautiful clusters of palm and olive
and cedar, which had furnished some of
the most striking imagery of the poetry
of the monarchy. Another feature
characteristic OF the period was the
fortress-tower built ut the northwestern
corner of the sanctuary, which. serv-
ing in the first instance as a resi-.
dencc OF the Persian governor. became
in later days the tower of Antonio. from
which the Roman garrison controlled
the proud population of Jerusalem.
Thirdly. the court of the worshipers was
- -'at+NNs '-fHI Wv AtAf AAA INC UFNL time
into two compa-tm ants, OF which the
outer inclosure was known as the court
of the Gentiles. Into this temple were
placed the golden vessels OF the old
temple. restored by order of Cyrus
Ezra l:T-iD.
The Purpose. The temple was the
center Of worship for the nation. IL
united them more than any other pow
er could; 10 lifted their minds and hearts
TO God, the source OK every good; il in.
structcd them by It's symbols in the
knowledge OF the true religion; il led
them t. cousccrate themselves TO God.
And all this was not for themselves
alone. IL was the one true light set
upon a hill, seen far and wide. whose
rays proclaimed the one true God for
all men. The Jews religion was mis-.
sionary religion
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
I. Patient continuance in well-doiup
viii oc crowned with success at last
o. The way Of success Is "accordino
70 thc elw-audmeut 81 God"
PRATTLE OF THE CHILDREN.
s LITTLE girl was taking % ride wi.h