The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-22

ed, asserts that the Mount Marian of
2 Chronicles 81, is identical with the
mountain in the land of Moriah refer
red to in Genesis 1922. In the first in
stance it is said that the Lord appear
ed to David and in the second instance
it is the place where Abraham is said
to have offered his son Isaac as a
sacrifice to the Lord. The design of
God in commanding the sacrifice of
Isaac was to institute a most vivid
type of the one great sacrifice OF
Christ; Abraham typifying God and
Isaac our Lord Jesus How appropri-
ate, then, that Abraham should be di-
rected to the very spot on which the
Temple afterward stood and in the vi
cinity of which the cross was erected!
1t may be that Jesus was crucified in
exactly in the same place where Isaac
1000 years before had been typically
sacrificed. The tradition of the Jewish
people and the universal belief of
Christiandom, on such a point as this
are likely to be right. This sacred
and hallowed place is now in the pos
session of the Mohammedans.
Q.-Who is the first person men
toned in the Bible as wearing a ring?
(Cleo.)
Answer.-In ancient times it was
the custom to indicate a special and
marked degree of favor by placing q
ring upon the finger of the one to-
manifested. When the ring contained
a signet, then it became a mark or
symbol of authority Thus we read
of Joseph being honored by Pharaoh,
king of Egypt after he had inter-
preted the kings dream: "And the
thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh,
and in the eyes of all his servants.
And Pharaoh said unto his servants,
Can we find such an one as this (verse
$50, a man in whom is the spirit of
God? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph,
Forasmuch as God hath showed thee
all this, there is none so discreet and
wise thou art: Thou shalt be over
my house, and according unto thy
word shall all my people be ruled:
only in the throne will I be greater
than thou. And Pharaoh said unto
the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took
off his ring from his hand and put it
upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him
in vestures of fine linen, and put a
gold chain about his neck.''-Genesis
41:3742.
Q.-What man was SO shocked by
the wrong doing of others that he
plucked out his hair? (Esau.)
Answer.-The Jewish people had
been in captivity to. Babylon for the
space of seventy years, at the end of
which time, in the first year of Cyrus.
effect that all of the Jews who desired
to return to their own land were at
liberty to do so. Acting upon this
proclamation, there were 1880
Israelites who returned to the land of
Palestine. Among these was Ezra,
the favorite Scribe and Priest, who
accomplished the work of reorganiza-
ton OTTER the people had become set
tied in the land. When he came to the
work of reorganizing the priesthood
he found that the members of the
Levitical or priestly tribe had inter-
married with the peoples of the sur
rounding countries, thing which had
been expressly prohibited in the law
which Moses had given to them. Upon
hearing this, Ezra was overcome with
grief as he himself said, "And when L
heard this thing, 1 rent my garment
and my mantle, and plucked off the
hair of my bead and of my beard, and
sat down astonished. Ezra 9:3. The
orthodox Jews to this day object to
any of their people intermarrying
with other races, and sometimes mani
rest their grief and sorrow in the same
way IN which Ezra Indicated his grief,
when some go contrary to the old law
arrangem ents.