Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-10-19

view Of the Same.
Lesson for October ~.
Ezra's Journey to Jerusalem IL the sub
ject OF this lesson. the text Of which Is
found in Ezra 8: 21-32.
With this lesson we enter upon a field
Of Old Testament literature In which the
higher critics have been making their
most recent explorations, with results
which are surprising, to say the least. 1t
was thought until recently that the lead
ing events of the age Of Ezra and Nehe-
miah--the middle third OF the fifth CEN
tury b. C.-were definitely fixed; that
Ezra's arrival at Jerusalem was In the
year 458, the seventh year Of Artaxerxes
l., and that Nehemiah came In 40, re-
turning to Susa In 433, and thereaft er
making q second journey to Jerusalem.
Recent writer's, such as the late Prof.
Rosters Of Holland, the English scholar
t. X. Cheyne, and the Americans DIR.
Torrey and Prof. 9. r. Kent. claim to
have proved that this order was not the
true one; that the books Of Ezra and
Nehemiah were not only compiled at a
late period (close Of third century, when
Persian history of the fifth century was
grossly misunderstood or misrepresented,
but also that the most of their sources
were unreliable. BY processes which do
not commend themselves to the ordinary
reader they set aside statements which
conflict with their theories as interpola-
tions and reach the conclusion that there
was no general return Of Jews from Bab-
ylon to Jerusalem in 537; that the temple
xya h,,i1 hxy xyha haI
in Babylon but were descended from
those left behind by Nebuchadnezzar;
that Nehemiah, and not Ezra, was the
first leader who brought Jews back from
Babylon and introduced reforms; that
Ezra's work Is to be placed about the
time of the interval between Incidentally
two visits. Those who care to look into
these theories will find them presented
in Kent's History Of the Jewish people"
and more briefly In an article by 7. K.
Cheyne in the October Biblical World.
Until further proof Is offered to show
that Ezra did not come until after Nehe-
miah we may safely accept the ordinary
view Of this history. 1t Is, of course, nee
essary to recognize the very evident fact
that the books of Ezra and Nehemiah,
like the books Of Chronicles with which
they are closely connected, are compila-
tons, which could not have received their
final form In the centuries with which
they deal. But while we must take into
account the influence Of the third or
fourth century editors In handling the an
cient documents and records which form
ed their sources, the wholesale discount
ing Of the sources themselves which is
characteristic Of the men above named is
unjustifable. The letters to and from
the king of Persia which are inserted in
the earlier chapters Of Ezra. for exam
pie, and which are retained in their orig
inal Aramic In the midst Of the Hebrew,
undoubtedly date from a time long pre-
vious to that Of the final editor of the
book. To assert that they were copied
from the original documents is to claim
something which Is equally incapable Of
proof and Of disproof; but to toss them
lightly aside as mere literary inventions
Is gratuitous blunder. Similarly of the
personal memoirs Of Ezra. Let the stu
dent never forget that Chronicles, Ezra
and Nehemiah are in a very important
sense unit, a single book, representing
a single tendency though of course work
ed upon by many hands. Each helps to
interpret the other.
The Artaxerxes who was on the throne
Of Persia during the times of Ezra and
Nehemiah was the first of three kings of
that name, and ruled 465425 B. G. He
was the grandson of Darius and the son
of Xerxes (Ahasuerus), who was Esther's
husband. During his reign the Persian
power began to weaken, the stubborn re-
bellion Of the satrap Megabyzus of Syria
being an example Of that decline
Explanatory.
"The river Of Ahava" was probably
some stream or canal near Babylon. Its
exact location Is unknown.-The fast
which Ezra proclaimed was to prepare
the people for a proper conception Of the
solemnity and Importance Of the step
they were about to take. Fasting as a
sign Of grief Is very ancient; as a relg-
ious observance, among the Jews, it was
rapidly developed during the exile, and
thereafter became more and more funda-
mentally the ceremonial system of the ma
ton.
The reason for Ezra's hesitation seems
to have been that to ask the king for a
strong guard to accompany the caravan
might imply distrust In the power Of Je-
hovah.
This arrangement for caring for the
treasures donated by Persian generosity
shows that Ezra had some business
sense"-a quality which good men often
totally lack, to their frequent sorrow and
confusion. He did not propose to be ac-
cused of embezzling public funds.
The wsrk which Ezra did when he
reached Jerusalem is Of course more i'm
portant than his journey, and therefore
it should be included in this lesson. He
caused the people to adopt an elaborate
ritual and ceremonial system as much
more elaborate than the Deuteronomic
law adopted under Josiah, 621 B. c. as
the Deuteronomic law was more elabo-
rate than the simple system which pre-
vailed In the earlier years Of the kingdom.
Ezekiel and Ezra are the two great names
in the priestly reformation Of Judaism
Ezekiel as idealist and prophet, Ezra as
practical administrator. Ezra also inten-
sifed the national feeling of the Jews, ais
stern repression Of mixed marriages being
an example Of this. They were from his
time more than ever before a peculiar,
separate people.
Next Lesson-"Psalm Of Deliverance. /"
Psalms S5 and 1875.