Greek, Seleucus, and Antiochus Epiphanes, Kings of Syria

48 CHAPTER VII.   Of the state of the Jewish Nation in the days of Mattathias the Priest, the father of the valiant Maccabees 55 CHAPTER VIII.   The Government of the Jewish Nation under the Maccabees, or as they were otherwise called, the Asmoneans, this being the family name 62 CHAPTER IX.   Of the Jewish affairs under the conduct of the posterity and successors of Simon the Maccabee 79 CHAPTER X.   Of the Government of Herod the Great and his posterity over Israel 96
PART SECOND. CHAPTER I.   The Assideans 111 CHAPTER II.   The Pharisees 113 CHAPTER III.   The Sadducees 117 CHAPTER IV.   The Samaritans 120 CHAPTER V.   The Essenes 123 CHAPTER VI.   The Herodians 125 CHAPTER VII.   The Galileans or Gaulonites 127 CHAPTER VIII.   The Karayeem or Karaites 129 CHAPTER IX.   Of the Synagogues among the Jews 133 CHAPTER X.   Of the origin and introduction of Prayer among the Jews 138 CHAPTER XI.   Of the Ureem and Thumeem 147 CHAPTER XII.   Of the Mishna or Oral Law 152 CHAPTER XIII.   Of the Gemara-Completion, usually styled the Talmud 169 CHAPTER XIV.   Appendix 172

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CHAPTER I.

In fulfilment of the prophecies of Jeremiah and the other prophets, Israel and Judah were carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the days of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah; and as predicted by the prophets of the Lord, the bondage continued during seventy years.

This banishment was inflicted as a just punishment on the people for their repeated misconduct and impiety towards the Gracious God, and for their direct opposition to the constant exhortations and unceasing warnings of the Almighty, through the medium of his inspired and holy prophets.

The seventy years of captivity being ended, God put it into the mind of Cyrus, king of Persia, again to restore Israel to their own land and possessions, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, which was pronounced by him above one hundred years previously. Accordingly Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple. He also restored to them the golden and silver vessels which were used for divine service in the former temple built by king Solomon.

Many of the people of the several tribes availed themselves of this opportunity to return to the land of their fathers—but so far as history informs us, it appears that the majority of those who returned to Jerusalem, consisted chiefly of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, together with a number of Priests and Levites. And now it was for the first time, that they were all united under the title or name