ated in
after-ages. And no one more than he resembled, in his sufferings and
life, that greater Prophet and Sage who was led as a lamb to the
slaughter, that the world through him might be saved.

JUDAS MACCABAEUS.

DIED, 160 B.C.

RESTORATION OF THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH.

After the heroic ages of Joshua, Gideon, and David, no warriors
appeared in Jewish history equal to Judas Maccabaeus and his brothers in
bravery, in patriotism, and in noble deeds. They delivered the Hebrew
nation when it had sunk to abject submission under the kings of Syria,
and when its glory and strength alike had departed. The conquests of
Judas especially were marvellous, considering the weakness of the Jewish
nation and the strength of its enemies. No hero that chivalry has
produced surpassed him in courage and ability; his exploits would be
fabulous and incredible if not so well attested. He is not a familiar
character, since the Apocrypha, from which our chief knowledge of his
deeds is derived, is now rarely read. Jewish history resembles that of
Europe in the Middle Ages in the sentiments which are born of danger,
oppression, and trial. As a point of mere historical interest, the dark
ages that preceded the coming of the Messiah furnish reproachless
models of chivalry, courage, and magnanimity, and also the foundation of
many of those institutions that cannot be traced to the laws of Moses.

But before I present the wonderful career of Judas Maccabaeus, we must
look to the circumstances which made that career remarkable
and eventful.

On the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity there was among
them only the nucleus of a nation: more remained in Persia and Assyria
than returned to Judaea. We see an infant colony rather than a developed
State; it was so feeble as scarcely to attract the notice of the
surrounding monarchies. In all probability the population of Judaea did
not number a quarter as many as those whom Moses led out of Egypt; it
did not furnish a tenth part as many fighting men as were enrolled in
the armies of Saul; it existed only under the protection afforded by the
Persian monarchs. The Temple as rebuilt by Nehemiah bore but a feeble
resemblance to that which Nebuchadnezzar destroyed; it had neither
costly vessels nor golden ornaments nor precious woods to remind the
scattered and impoverished people of the glory of Solomon. Although the
walls of Jerusalem were partially restored, its streets were fil