THE HISTORICAL BOOKS.—(Continued.)

SPECIAL TEXT: "Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandest thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there."—NEHEMIAH.

NOTES.

1. Historical Period of Ezra and Nehemiah: "The time covered by the two books of Ezra and Nehemiah together is about a century; for the narrative of Ezra begins in the first year of the reign of Cyrus, 538 B. C., and that of Nehemiah stops soon after the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, 432 B. C. A great part of this space, however, is left without record; and we may distinguish three periods: 1. The period that elapsed from the first return of exiles to the completion of the temple; 2. the time of Ezra's activity as leader of the second colony of returned exiles; and 3, the period when Ezra and Nehemiah are seen together in the work of reformation at Jerusalem. The first two periods are embraced in the book of Ezra; the last, in the book of Nehemiah." (Bible Treasury, p. 69.)

2. Book of Ezra. Protestant View: "The Book of Ezra contains records of events occurring about the termination of the Babylonian exile. It comprises accounts of the favors bestowed upon the Jews by Persian kings; of the rebuilding of the temple; of the mission of Ezra to Jerusalem, and his regulations and reforms. Such records forming the subject of the Book of Ezra, we must not be surprised that its parts are not so intimately connected with each other as we might have expected if the author had set forth his intention to furnish a complete history of his times. * * * * The beginning of the book of Ezra agrees verbatum with the conclusion of the second book of Chronicles, and terminates abruptly with the statement of the divorces affected by his authority, by which the marriages of Israelites with foreign women were dissolved. Since the book of Ezra has no marked conclusion, it was, even in early times, considered to form part of the book of Nehemiah, the contents of which are of a similar description. As, however, the book of Ezra is a collection of records of remarkable events occurring at the conclusion of the exile and in the times immediately following it, attempting no display of the art of book-making, the mere want of an artificial conclusion cannot be considered a sufficient reason for regarding it as the first portion of Nehemiah. It is, however, likely that the similarity of the contents of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah was the cause of their being placed together in the Hebrew Bible." (Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature, Kitto, p. 690.)

3. Catholic View of the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah:

(a) Ezra, called by Catholics "Esdras:" "This book taketh its name from the writer: who was a holy priest, and doctor of the law. He is called by the Hebrews Ezra."

(b) Nehemiah—Catholic form of name, "Nehemias:" "This book takes its name from the writer, who was cup-bearer to Artaxerxes (surnamed Longimanus) king of Persia, and was sent by him with a commission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. It is also called the Second Book of Esdras; because it is a continuation of the history, begun by Esdras, of the state of the people of God after their return from captivity." (Introductions in Douay Bible to First and Second Book of Esdras.)

4. Book of Esther: "Esther derives its name from the Jewish lady, who, having become wife of the king of Persia, employed her royal influence to effect a memorable deliverance for the persecuted Church of God. Various opinions are embraced and supported as to the authorship of this book, some ascribing it to Ezra, to Nehemiah, and to Mordecai. The preponderance of authorities is in favor of the last." (Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, p 8.)

5. Historical Character: "The historical character of the book of Esther is undoubted, since, besides many internal evidences, its authenticity is proved by the strong testimony of the feast of Purim, the celebration of which can be traced up to the events which are described in this book. Its claim, however, to canonical authority, has been questioned on the ground that the name of God does not once occur in it. But the uniform tradition both of the Jewish and the Christian churches supports this claim, which nothing in the book tends to shake; while it is a record of the superintending care of divine providence over his chosen people, with which it is of the utmost importance the church should be furnished. The name of God is strangely enough omitted, but the presence of God is felt throughout the history; and the whole tone and tendency of the book is so decidedly subservient to the honor of God and the cause of true religion that it has been generally received by the Church in all ages into the sacred canon." (Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, p. 8.)

6. Purim: "A celebrated Jewish festival instituted by Mordecai, at the suggestion of Esther, in the reign of Ahasuerus, king of Persia, to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from the designs of Haman. It derived its name from the lots cast every day for twelve months in presence of Haman, with the view of discovering an auspicious day for the destruction of all the Jews in the Persian dominion; when the lot fell on the 13th day of Adar (February and part of March)." (Kitto's Biblical Literature, p. 588.)

"The fact that the feast of Purim has come down to us from time almost immemorial," says Prof. Stuart, "proves as certainly that the main events related in the book of Esther happened, as the Declaration of Independence and the celebration of the Fourth of July prove that we separated from Great Britain, and became an independent nation. The book of Esther was an essential document to explain the feast of Purim." (Quoted in Smith's Bible Dictionary, p. 778.)

7. Omission of the Name of God in Esther. "In respect to the omission of the name of God in the book, Mr. Baumgarten remarks that it is the less surprising, because it occurs in a history which is so full of interpositions, revealing the actual presence of him who presides over the destiny of men and nations, and also the power of that faith in the unseen One, which made the actors in this drama so hopeful, enduring, and triumphant. The historical credibility of the events related in the book is well attested, and at present generally acknowledged." (Smith's Bible Dictionary, p 778.)