506 A SHORT VIEW OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 8. Q. What other remarkable. actions are ascribed to IIyr. cams ? A, I-Íe was esteemed a prophet for one or two notable predictions, or knowledge of things clone at a distance. He builded the castle Baris, on a steep rock, fiftycubits high, with- out the outer square of the temple ; but on the same mountain : This was the palace of all the Asmonean princes in Jerusalem, and here the sacred robes of the high -priest were always laid up when they were not in use. 9. Q. What use was afterward made of this castle? A. Herod new built it, and made it a very strong fortress, to com- mand both the city and the temple ; and called it Antonia, in honour of his great friend Mark Antony of Rome: He raised it so high that he might see what was done in the temple, and send his soldiers in case of any tumult. Here the Romans kept a strong garrison, and the governor of it was called captain of the temple ; Acts xxi. 31. Note, It was from this place the centinel spying the Jews ready to kill Paul, gave notice to the governor, or chief captain, who went down immediately with some soldiers into the court of the Gentiles, whither they had dragged St. Paul to kill him, and rescued him, and brought him up the stairs intothis castle ; and it was upon these stairs, that Paul obtained leave to speak to the people ; See Acts xxi. 20â0. 10. Q. What troubles did Hyrcanus meet with toward the end of his life ? A. His title to the high-priesthood was un- justly called in, question by a 'bola man among the pharisees; and, being craftily imposedupon to think it the opinion of all that party, he hastily renounced that sect, for whichhe had be- fore the greatest value, he abolished their constitutions, and fall- ing in with the sect of the Sadducees, lost his esteem and love among the common people. 11. Q. Since you mention the sect of the Pharisees here, pray let us know what were the chief sects among the Jews ? A. About this time, the most considerable sects were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes ;, though in-the next century, arose also the Herodians ; and some hundred of years after was a sect called the Karaites. 12. Q. What peculiar opinions were held by the Pharisees ? A. The most distinguishing character of this sect was their zeal for the traditions of the elders ;. for while they acknowledged the writings of -Moses, and the prophets, to be divine, they pre- tended that these traditions also were delivered to Moses on mount Sinai; and conveyed down, without writing, through the several generations of the Jews, from father to son : And, by reason of their pretences to a more strict and rigorous observance of the law, 'according to their traditions, which they liad super added to it, they looked on themselves as more holy than other men, and they were called Pharisees, that is, persons separated -from others.
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