Other books were still floating to and fro, the Wisdom of the Son of Sirach, the Psalter of Solomon. These for reasons unknown to us, were not accepted by the Maccabæan compiler. But the inestimable additions made by him were now secured to the sacred volume in a far more enduring sense than was thought of by the historian who described their annexation in the subsequent century -"they remain with us." The Hebrew Canon henceforth consisted, not only of "the "Law and the Prophets," but also of this third instalment which, from the roll to which they were appended, took the name of "the Psalms," 2 or more generally, from their own indeterminate character, "the Writings," "the Sacred Writings," "the Books,' "the other Books." That is to say, That is to say, inferior as their place was compared with the older volume, they took the name, which, little as it could have been then anticipated, was destined afterwards to comprehend and throw into the shade the titles borne even by the venerated Law and the inspired Prophets. They were emphatically "the Scriptures," the "Hagiographa," "the Holy Scriptures," "the Bibles," the "Biblia "Sacra" of the Jewish Church. Already in the Book of Daniel there is a slight trace of the name "Book " or "Bible," including the writings of Jeremiah. But, as a general rule, the name, naturally appropriate to more purely literary productions, belonged only to hese later additions, and it was only long afterwards that it ascended to its higher level and embraced with in iron grasp the whole multifarious volume of the Old and the New Covenant.

The door was closed, and, as far as the Church of Palestine was concerned, no new intruder was ever ad

1 2 Macc. i. 14.

2 Luke rxiv. 44.

mitted. But there were several modifications still possible, so difficult is it even for the strictest rigor to fetter those books, "which are like living creatures with hands "and feet." The Word of God, whether written or unwritten, cannot be bound with earthly chains. First, they were divided and sub-divided afresh, in order to assimilate them to the fancy which soon sprang up of making their number exactly equal to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. For this purpose the Law was broken up into five parts, the Book of Kings into four parts. The Lesser Prophets were broken into their component twelve. The Greater Prophets were divided into the Books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. There was yet another subdivision. The "Former " prophets comprised the historical books of Joshua, Judges, and the books of Kings. The "Hinder" prophets were divided into the "Great" (i. e. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah), and the "Small" (i. e. the twelve lesser prophets), Ruth was reckoned as part of "Judges," and the Lamentations as one with Jeremiah. Again, either for the purposes of public reading or from doubt as to their character, five were taken out of the whole collection, and ranged on separate rolls, called "Megilloth." These were Ruth, Esther, Canticles, Ecclesiastes, and Lamentations. Secondly, the arrangement of the Books, as they issued from the hands of the Maccabæan leader, had preserved on the whole the order in which the successive accretions had been formed. At the head was the Pentateuch; then came the Books which, whether of the earlier histories or of the Prophets, properly so called, were comprised under the common title of Prophet ical. And last were "the Scriptures," ending with the Chronicles. This was to the Jews of that age the last

book of the Canon. ment was pulled to pieces by the Alexandrian critics, whose labors we have already indicated. They determined to disregard entirely the redactions of Nehemiah and Judas Maccabæus, and placed the books as far as possible according to their subjects and chronology. "The collection of the Prophets" was torn asunder, and into the midst of it, following on the last book of the Kings, were inserted the three later historical books from the Hagiographa the Chronicles, Ezra, now broken into two parts, and Esther. These were fol lowed by the poetical books, according to the supposed order of their authorship—Job, the Psalms, the Proverbs, the Canticles, and Ecclesiastes; and then followed at last the second part of Nehemiah's collection of the Prophets, preserving the priority of the twelve Lesser Prophets, and thus, with a true instinct of the latest book of the whole series, closing with Daniel, followed by the three kindred books of the Maccabees. This was the arrangement which prevailed more or less till it was once more disturbed by the Churches of the Reformation, which have combined by a rough compromise the Maccabæan Canon with the Alexandrian order. The Greek Bible kept the entrance open for the admission of yet newer books, for which Judas Maccabæus had left no place, and to which we have already adverted. But it is to him that we owe the distinction between he Hebrew and the Grecian books, to which the Reformers returned, and which remains a lasting monument of the victory of the holy Hebrew cause over the Græco-Syrian kingdom, though in quite another sense than he intended it. In later ages, both in the Jewish and the Christian Church, not only has this hard line. of demarcation been questioned, but several of the

But all this time-honored arrange

books which he admitted - Ezekiel, the Canticles, Esther, and Ecclesiastes have been challenged. Yet on the whole his judgment has been confirmed. The Greek additions, at least down to the last unexpected burst of Israelite prophecy, in the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles, have always borne even when most admired, a stamp of inferiority. The original Hebrew books, even when most open to censure, have yet a native vigor and conciseness which belongs to the old Palestinian atmosphere" the Rock of 'Abraham, from whence they were hewn." Even as theologian, Judas " has fought the battle of Israel.”1

1 1 Macc. iii. 2.

NOTE ON ACRA AND MOUNT ZION.

Without embarking on the intricate question of the interior topography of Jerusalem, there are two points which are clear in the Macca- Zion and ban time:—

Acra.

1. "Mount Zion" in 1 Macc. iii. 37, 60; v. 54; vi. 62; vii. 33; xii., is the Temple Hill-that which in 2 Chron. iii. 1 and in later times has been called Mount Moriah.

2. The "city or citadel of David" (1 Macc. i. 33; xiv. 36) is that which was occupied by the Syrian fortress, and usually known by the name of Acra" (with the definite article) "the Height" (1 Macc. iv. 2; ix. 52; x. 32; xiii. 52; xiv. 7; 2 Macc. xv. 31, 35.)

1. That "Mount Zion" had changed its meaning since 2 Sam. v. 7, ง (1 Chron. xi. 5), when it was identical with the citadel of David. 2. That" Acra " afterwards changed its meaning, when it was identified by Josephus, Ant., xii. 5, 4; xiii. 6, 7; B. J. v. 4. 1. I. 22, with the Lower Hill.

3. That both were different from the Baris or tower occupied by the Persian garrison, close to the Temple (Neh. ii. 8, vii. 2) and apparently on the site of the later Tower of Antonia.

NOTE ON THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION.

I am indebted to the kindness of a modern Hebrew scholar for the ac companying description of the present celebration of the Hanucah or Feast of the Dedication:

The

"The Feast of Lights is observed as an eight days' holiday, on which, "however, all manner of work is allowed without restriction. At home on ' each evening, as soon as possible as is consistent with their "arrangements, the lights are lit, commencing with one green Hanucah. taper on the first night, the number increasing by one every evening, eight being used on the last occasion. Tapers are the ordinary "custom, but the more orthodox people use oil and wick; but either is