The Nevada County picayune., 1910-05-20
The Death of John the Baptist
Sunday School Lesson for May 2, 1916
Specially Arranged for This Pape.

anger Is better than the mighty; and he hat ruleth his spirit than he that taketh l city."-Prov. 1892.
 TIME.-JoEn probably was beheaded in March A. D. 9. after spending year fin prison.
 PLACE.-John was imprisoned at Machaerus. Herods palace-f fortress on the east of the Dead Sea.
 Suggestion and Practical Thought.
 Herod: a Scoundrel on a Throne.- Who was the Herod that imprisoned John the Baptist? Four Herods are mentioned fin the New Testament. and It Is necessary to keep them distinct.
 l. Herod the Great. king of Judea from 37 B. c. to i A. D., the Herod who ruled when Christ was born, and massacred the babies of Bethlehem. He was cruel tyrant He married ten wives and had many children, one of whom was
 ?. Herod the Tetrarch, called Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Peraea from A. D. to 39 A. D., or during our Lords ministry. He was the Herod to whom Pilate sent Christ during his trial, and 1t was he who im- prisoned John the Baptist
 3. Herod Agrippa l., grandson of Herod the Great, his father being Aristobulus. was king of Judea A. D. 41-44, having a realm equal to that of Herod the Great. It was he that slew James the brother of John, imprisoned Peter, accepted divine honor, and was miserably eaten up of worms.
 i. Herod Agrippa IT., son of the fore. going, was therefore great-grandson of Herod the Great When Paul made his famous plea before Festus this Herod was present. with his sister. wife Bernice
 What was the character of Herod Antipas? He was a weak. sensual. and treacherous man. Our Lord spoke of him as that fox"
 John: Hero in Dungeon. 3-5 How did John the Baptist get into Herod imprisoned him because he feared that Johns vast audien ies might be used to foment a revolution. That may have been assigned in pub lie as pretext. but the reason given by Matthew is certainly the real one--- that John had openly rebuked Herod for his unholy connection with his brothers wife
 Herodias: an Unnatural Mothe/- Vs. 6-S. Who was Herodias, who was plotting against the prophet? She was the niece of Herod and of his brother Philip.
 What opportunity did Herodias find for gaining her desire against John? Herod's birthday was kept with a bril- liant feast ito his lords, and the high captains, and the chief men of Cali lee" (Mark). "A luxurious feast of the period was not regarded as com plete unless 1t closed with some gross pantomimic representation; and doubtless Herod had adopted the civil fashion of his day. But he had not anticipated for his guests the rare lux ury of seeing a princess-his own niece. granddaughter of Herod the Great and of Marianne, a descendant therefore of Simon the high priest and the great line of Maccabaean princes
 "a princess who afterward became the wife of a tetrarch and the mother of a king. g."-Farrar.
 Who was this degraded girl? Her name was Salome, and she was the laughter of Herodias and her first husband, Philip.
 What are We to think of Herod's promise, whatsoever she would ask? It shows that, weak and foolish as he was, his wits were infiamed and con- fused by wine
 Why did Salome go out and ask her mother what to ask (Mark)? This feature of the story does not look like a plot, or as If Herodias had not dared to confide the whole of 1t to her daughter. Should she ask for jewels. beautiful clothes. a palace? Prof. Stalker puts these words into the mothers mouth: Little fool. you know not what you ask; what would all these things be to you and me un- queened and outcast as we may be any day if John the Baptist lives?" So the girl went back "straightway with haste" (Mark) and exclaimed: My wish Is that you give me here, immedi- ately, on a dish. the head of John the Baptist" Her indecent haste. her hideous petition. show that she shared the furies of her race."-Farrar
 The Transient Triumph of Wrong Vs. 9.l2. How did Salome's request affect Herod? "The king was sorry" (Mark: exceedingly sorry"). This. was not genuine repentance. or Herod would have withdrawn his promise: since falsehood. though always sin. Is a far less sin than murder What was the close of the tragedy! The noble head was placed upon charger-a broad. fiat platter wont to contain meat for the table: and in- deed the sight was meat to the ven geance hungry Herodias. The young dancing girl received 1t. and. now frightful as a Megaera. carried the | hideous burden to her mother
 The Voice of Conscience. We have