6 6 generally, from their own indeterminate character, 'the Writings,' the Sacred Writings,' 'the Books,' 'the other 'Books.' 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 these later additions, and it was not till long afterwards that it ascended to its higher level and embraced with an iron grasp the whole multifarious volume of the Old and the New Covenant. 6 The door was closed, and, as far as the Church of Palestine was concerned, no new intruder was ever admitted. But there were several modifications still possible, so difficult is it even for the strictest rigour 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 sprang up of making their number exactly equal to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. For this purpose the Law was disintegrated into five parts. The two large groups, under the name of the Prophets,' — the former,' containing the historical books of Joshua and Judges, and the Book of Kings, and the hinder,' containing Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah, and the Lesser Prophets all in one— were now broken up. Joshua and Judges became two books. The Book of Kings' was divided into four, and the Prophets 6 into fifteen component parts. 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 Prophetical. And last were the Scriptures,' ending with the Chronicles. This was to the Jews of that age the last book of the Canon. But all this time-honoured arrangement was pulled to pieces by the Alexandrian critics, whose labours 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 followed 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 com bined by a rough compromise the Maccabean 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 which, as we have indicated, were to exercise a still wider influence. But it is to him that we owe the distinction between the 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 books which he admitted-Ezekiel, the Canticles, Esther, and Ecclesiasteshave 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 vigour and conciseness which belongs to the old Palestinian atmosphere- the Rock of Abraham, from 'whence they were hewn.' Even as a theologian, Judas' has 'fought the battle of Israel.'1 344 Zion and Acra. NOTE ON ACRA AND MOUNT ZION. Without embarking on the intricate question of the interior 1. Mount Zion' in 1 Macc. iv. 37, 60; v. 54; vi. 62; From this it follows:- 1. That 'Mount Zion' had changed its meaning since 2 Sam. v. 7, 9 (1 Chron. xi. 5), when it was identical with the citadel of David. 2. ThatAcra' 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 accompanying description of the present celebration of the Hanucah or Feast of the Dedication : The Feast of Lights is observed as an eight days' holiday, on which, however, all manner of work is allowed without re'striction. At home on each evening, as soon as possible as is Hanucah. ' consistent with their arrangements, the lights are lit, commenc- The ing with one green 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 ortho'dox people use oil and wick; but either is allowable. The pre'scribed formula of blessing is said over these lights, and they ' burn for half-an-hour, during which all work is at a standstill. Latterly, that is to say in modern times, a very pretty hymn ' has been added, written as an acrostic by one Mordecai. The 'tune is popular, not only in England, but throughout the world 'where Jews are to be found. This is about the whole of the 'home service, except that at every meal, when grace is said, 'a special prayer is added, commemorative of God's mercies in rescuing the nation from the hands of their Greek oppressors. This prayer is also said in synagogue every morning, noon, and 'night, being introduced among the eighteen Benedictions, which ' are repeated three times daily throughout the year. 'In the synagogue the feast is likewise observed with some 'solemnity. There is usually a large gathering on the first 'night, but this falls off during the remainder of the week. 'Every evening during the week the officiating minister ascends 'a platform and lights the candles as at home exactly. Here large wax candles are employed; oil is allowed, but I have never seen it. The hymn referred to before is not said in synagogue, but Psalm xxx. is repeated instead, more stress being laid upon the opening evening's service than the others. In 'the more important metropolitan synagogues, the service on the first night is stirring and choral. 'Ordinarily, on Mondays and Thursdays, a scroll of the Law is ' taken from the Ark and a small portion of the Pentateuch is read 'to the congregants, varying from a dozen to two dozen verses, 'but during Hanucah the Law is read every morning. As, however, there is naturally no allusion to the Feast of Dedication to 'be found in the Pentateuch, the history of the Dedication of the 'Tabernacle is read in lieu of it, as being the readiest reminder; and this is subdivided into eight sections, one for each day. 'On the Sabbath of the feast (there may be two Sabbaths if the 'first day is Saturday) this section is read in addition to the 'Lesson of the day, so that two scrolls are removed from the Ark; the reading from the Prophets, common to every Sabbath, |