'ZOO A SHORT VIEW OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. to revenge Nicanor's death, and to establish Alcimus in the priesthood. 38. Q. What success had this second expedition of Bac- chides against the Jews? A. A very unhappy one indeed for the Jews ! for he so much over-powered Judas with the number of his forces who had then but three thousand men with him, that even the greatest part of these three thousand fled from him for fear ; and Judas being ashamed to fly for his life, he was slain through an excess of courage. 39. Q. What mischief ensued on the death of Judas ? A. The Jews were greatly disheartened, Bacchides prevailed every 'Where, took Jerusalem, subdued the greatest part of the coun- try, and put to death the friendsof Judas where he could find 'them ; many apostate Jews sided with him. Alcimus exercised the high-priesthood in a very wicked manner, and imitated the heathen superstition in the worship of God, he gave orders to pull down the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary, and is supposed also to break down the wall which divided the snore holy part of the mountain of the templefrom the less holy, and gave the Gentiles equal liberty with the Jews to enter there. Note, First, It is said in 1 Mac. ix. 54. that he actually pulled down the work of the' prophets, whatever that was but that heonly gave order for pulling down the wall of the inner court, which may be supposed to be the court of thepriests. Note, Secondly, It is hard to determine how far the wall which separated the Gentiles from that outer court of the temple which was made for the Jews, was of God's appointment, or how early it wasbuilt ; we do not read of it in scripture, neither in the building of the temple of Solomon, where there was only the court of the priests, and the great court ; nor in the rebuilding it by Zerubbabel does scripture tell us of such a separation. In- deed, in Jehoshaphat's time we read of a new court ; 2 Citron. xx. 5. What it was no man knows certainly ; perhaps it was only one court renewed. For in Manasseh's days, which was about two hundred years after, there were but two courts; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 5. Doctor Prideaux indeed supposes, that the latter prophets Haggai and Zechariah, ordered a low wall, or rather inclosure, to be built, called Chel, in the second temple, within which no uncircumcised person should enter : and one reason of that opinion is, because 1 Maccab. ix. 54. it is said, that Alcimus pulled down also the work of the prophets. That there was such a separating wall in the days of the Maccabees, or before, is generally supposed ; that this court of the Gen- tiles was also in Herod's temple, is a;reed, and there seems -to be a reference to it in Eph. ii. 14, "Having broken down the middle wall 'of partition." See Lowth on Ezek. xl. 17. But whether any of the arguments are effectual to prove
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=