ful to his God, sinks into the idolatry against which he was to have been a living protest; the chosen people are for their sins scattered through the idolatrous nations, as through so many prison houses. Captivity recalls the Israelites to their sacred work; it brings them also in touch with the peoples who through them are to be blessed. Then-like the completing of an electric circuit that brings the flash of discovery — comes the conquering career of Cyrus, and the deliverance that makes the Divine plan clear. Israel emerges from Babylon, no longer assimilated to the secular government of the nations, but a people organised for a spiritual work, waiting until the Church of Israel shall expand into the Church Universal.

Such is the History of the People of Israel as Presented by Themselves.

CHAPTER III

THE HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH AS PRESENTED BY ITSELF

BETWEEN the point where the narrative of the Old Testament leaves off and that where the narrative of the New Testament begins there is an interval of some four centuries. During this period the Jews changed little, the rest of the world was wholly transformed. The seat

of power had shifted from the far east to the far west; the civilised world had become the Roman empire; by permission of Rome Herod and other kings reigned in the holy land, and in time a Roman governor was found in Jerusalem. A new intellectual life had commenced for the world under the leadership of the Greeks; though this affected the Jews of Palestine comparatively little, it had permeated other countries into which the Christian Church was destined to extend. In the midst of this changing world the Jews from the time of the return had never lost their distinctiveness as a spiritual people. The religion of the Law, under leadership of scribes and rabbis, had gradually stiffened into a system of fanaticism; the 'Tradition of the Elders' had covered over the Law itself with a host of unwritten precepts, themes of endless disputations, and making life a burden of ceremonial usages and things to be avoided. . Geographically, the holy land now appears in the form of three provinces : the southern province is Judæa, focus of the religious

zeal of the people; there is an inferior province of Galilee round the northern lake; between is the province of the Samaritans, hated as descendants of the mixed peoples who inhabited the holy land during the exile, and mingled worship of Jehovah with heathen superstitions. Among religious parties two stand out as prominent: the Pharisees, great upholders of traditions, the worship of angels, and the doctrine of a future life; the Sadducees, who appear in the New Testament as opponents of the resurrection doctrine and the belief in angels, and who take their stand on the Law itself. Both agree in hating the Roman conqueror, and looking eagerly for the Messiah of prophecy, who should lead the Jews to the conquest of the world.

If we make a proper arrangement of our materials it is possible to see that the literary characteristics distinguishing narrative in the Old Testament are, with the natural modifications, continued in the New Testament. Old Testament narrative is a combination of history and story connected annals of mere events, and vivid incidents which from time to time bring out the real spirit of the history. But where the theme is the sacred work of Jesus, and its continuation by his successors, the eminent points will be, not incidents that make a subject for stories, but rather thoughts which find expression in discourse. Accordingly, the gospels are made. up of the Acts and Words of Jesus: the Words — of parable or discourse-scattered through the Acts just as the stories are interspersed in the annals of the older narrative. Again, one book contains the Acts of the Apostles'; but for the successive Words, or discourses in which the apostles expressed the spirit of their minis

try, we have to go outside this book to the separate works entitled 'Epistles.' It is practicable, however, to introduce the several epistles at their proper points of connection with the narrative; thus by a combination of The Book of Acts with The-Epistles the second stage of the history can be assimilated to the first. In this way the present chapter proposes to follow the History of the New Testament Church as Presented by Itself. It may be added that of the four gospels available two belong to a different division of literature, and will be considered at the proper place; while that of St. Mark seems to be a simple succession of memoirs. It is The Gospel of St. Luke that will be followed here; both because his is the narrative which is continued in Acts, and also because St. Luke's preface manifests him as having the bent of an historian, who out of the best traditions "traces the course of all things accurately from the first," and then. "writes in order."

The Life of Jesus

Where the purpose is not to narrate or even sketch the history, but simply to introduce to the literature in which it is contained, it may well happen that the most important parts of the history are precisely the parts that need the briefest treatment. The incidents of

Christ's life are so familiar, and the style of St. Luke so perspicuous, that nothing is requisite here except to indicate the principles of connection in the author's mind, which seem to govern the order of narration and the prominence given to different parts. In the preliminary section, which precedes the ministry of Jesus, even this

is unnecessary. It is obvious how St. Luke has carried his inquiries back to the earliest announcement received by the parents of the birth that is coming, alike of Jesus and his forerunner John; there follow the births of the two, the testimony borne to Jesus when he is presented in the Temple, the incident of his boyhood showing his attraction to the house of his Father. The ministry of John then appears as a call to repentance, pointing to a greater successor; the successor is divinely indicated when Jesus comes to be baptized. The baptism is followed by the temptation in the wilderness; and then the way is left free for Jesus to commence his ministry.

The ministry of Jesus, prior to the final incidents in Jerusalem, appears in Luke's narrative to fall into two main divisions.1 The first is the ministry in Galilee. With an historian's instinct, Luke makes his first incident the appearance of Jesus in his own city, and his claim to be the Redeemer pictured in The Book of Isaiah. With this are associated what would seem to be typical sketches of his daily life: a general work of healing and notable examples, casting out of devils, preaching in the synagogues and prayer in desert places, the call of followers. Soon opposition begins to show itself: the forgiveness of sins appears to the Pharisees blasphemy, objection is taken to companying with publicans and sinners, to works of necessity and mercy on the sabbath; Jesus makes answer to all. There is the first suggestion of organisation in the choice of the twelve disciples; with these before him Jesus speaks the Sermon on the Mount, which embodies his general moral teaching. We now find a group of more notable events: a Roman centurion

1 For references, see Life of Jesus in the Appendix.