into that splendid city, and not see it. (Ezek. 17: 13-15. Jer. 37:3-10. 2 Kings 24: 18-20;-25: 1-7. 2 Chr. 36: 11-17.) Soon after, Nebuzar-adan, the commander of the royal lifeguard, came and took everything that was valuable out of the temple, set fire to it and to the city, and threw down the fortifications; put to death the principal inhabitants, and forced the rest to go into exile. (2 Kings 25: 8-21. 2 Chr. 36: 17-21. Jer. 52: 12 ff.) The Hebrew, Gedaliah, was appointed governor of the country-people who still remained in Judea; but Ishmael, a prince of the royal family, murdered him, with all the Hebrews and Chaldees who were attached to him; when, four years after, the land was entirely bereaved of its inhabitants. SECTION XIII.* THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS. The Kingdom of Israel, from its Establishment, in 975, to its Fall, in 722 B. C. 1. JEROBOAM, the first king of Israel, reigned twenty-two years, or till 954 B. C. His capital was Shechem (Napolose), forty miles north of Jerusalem. The constitutional changes which he introduced drove all those citizens who were displeased with his innovations of their fundamental laws, into Judea. The priests and Levites especially, all left Israel, and relinquished not only their tithes, but also their cities.† By this sacrifice, it is evident they preferred the worship of the true God to the peaceful enjoyment of their property. Nadan, the son of Jeroboam, succeeded to the throne; but, in the second year of his reign, he was put to death, with all his family, by Baasha, as Ahijah had predicted. (1 Kings 14: 7-10 ;-15: 25-30.) Baasha fixed his residence at Tirzah: he reigned twenty-four years. Because he did not reform the abuses of Jeroboam, the prophet Jehu declared to him, that God had determined to exterminate his family. (1 Kings 15: 33, 34;-16: 1-7.) Elah, his son, succeeded him; but, in the second year of his reign, he was murdered, with all his family, by Zimri, according to the prediction of Jehu. Zimri reigned seven days, when the army elected Omri, their general, king, and marched to Tirzah. Zimri offered no resistance, but fled to the harem, which he set on fire, and perished in the flames, B. C. 929. 2. The people then made Tibni king; but being unable to oppose Omri, the kingdom was divided in its allegiance, until the *The Levites had forty-eight cities, with fields, pastures, and gardens, assigned them for their residence and support. death of Tibni, about six years after, when Omri was generally acknowledged. Omri built Samaria, thirty-two miles north of Jerusalem, and made it his capital; and there all the succeeding kings of Israel resided. He reigned twelve years, and was succeeded by his son Ahab, the worst of all the Israelitish monarchs, and entirely under the influence of his idolatrous wife, Jezebel, a daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre. Jezebel maintained a multitude of priests and prophets of Baal, the god of the Syrians and Sidonians; and idolatry became the predominant religion; when, at last, the prophet Elijah pronounced the judgment of God upon Ahab and his house, that during the reign of his son, his whole race should be exterminated. (1 Kings 16: 29; 21: 17.)] 3. Ahaziah was no better than his father Ahab. He fell from an apartment of his palace, and died in the second year of his reign. His brother Jehoram succeeded him, and reigned twelve years, from about 896 to 884 B. C. By the prophecies and miracles of Elijah, he had been brought to acknowledge Jehovah as his God and Sovereign; but as he suffered the golden calves to remain, and made no attempt to abolish idolatry, probably because he feared the power of his mother, Jezebel, who patronized these abominations, the kingdom was promised to Jehu, the commander-in-chief, by a disciple of Elisha. Jehu immediately executed the sentence pronounced against Ahab's house, by shooting Jehoram, and extirpating his whole family,-his mother, Jezebel, included, (2 Kings 3; 8; 9) B. C. 884. 4. Jehu reigned twenty-eight years. He entirely abolished idolatry, and put to death the idolatrous priests and prophets of Baal, who had been invited to a great festival. (2 King 10: 18 -28.) But the idolatry of Ahab and Jezebel was not annihilated by his coercive reformation. Many still practised it; but it was no longer upheld by the regal authority. For his services he received a divine promise that his son's sons should possess the throne for four generations. These, 1, Jehoahaz, reigned seventeen years; 2, Joash, seventeen years; Jeroboam II., forty-one years; and Zachariah, who was murdered by Shallum in the sixth month of his reign, 202 of the Revolt, 773 B. C. 5. During the reign of this family, they were constantly at war with the Syrians of Damascus, who deprived Jehu of the whole territory east of the Jordan; and Benhadad III. obliged Jehoahaz and Joash to pay tribute, until the idolatrous generation became extinct, when Joash was able to hold him in check, and in the end to gain the preponderance over him; whilst Jeroboam II., the son of Joash, recovered all the conquests the Syrians had made in the previous reigns, and restored the kingdom to its ancient boundaries, as Jonah had predicted. (2 Kings 13; 14.) But as soon as Israel was freed from the F Syrians it was disturbed by domestic broils, and rapidly hastened to destruction. 6. For twelve years after the death of Jeroboam II. internal commotions prevailed. Kings were suddenly raised to the throne, and as suddenly removed; agreeably to the representation which Hosea, who prophesied at this time, gives of the state of the kingdom. Shallum, who murdered Zachariah, was in his turn put to death within one month, by his general, Menahem. Menahem reigned ten years, and died a natural death; but his reign was unfortunate. Pul, king of Assyria, made war against him; and he being unable to resist this powerful conqueror, purchased peace by the payment of 1000 talents, or 3,000,000 shekels of silver,* and became tributary to him. As this sum was raised by a tax of fifty shekels a head on his military men, it appears that Menahem's army amounted to 60,000, and that, during the preceeding disputes, a military government had been established. (2 Kings 15: 16.) Pekakiah, the son of Menahem, succeeded him; but after a reign of two years, he was murdered by Pekah, the commander of his army, in the year of Azariah or Uzziah's death, 216 of the Revolt, 759 B. C. (2 Kings 15: 23. 2 Chron. 26: 3.) 7. Pekah formed an alliance with Rezin, the Syrian king of Damascus,† to invade Judah, (2 Kings 15: 37;-16: 5.) They were partly successful against Ahaz. They besieged him in Jerusalem; but not being able to take it, they wasted the country around, and withdrew. They returned the year following; and Ahaz, being unable to withstand them, sent the gold and silver of the temple and of the royal treasury, to obtain the assistance of Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, who came and took Damascus, slew Rezin, and carried his people captive to Ker, probably the river Cyrus in Iberia, which at the present day is called Kur by the Russians, and Kier by the Persians. (2 Kings 16: 9.) Pekah was murdered by Hosea, within two years after, in the third or fourth year of Ahaz; and as Hosea did not ascend the throne of Israel till the twelfth year of the same reign (2 Kings 17: 1), a state of anarchy must have continued for nine years, that is, from 235 to 244 of the Revolt, and from 740 to 731 B. C. 8. Hosea, or Hoshea, the last king of Israel, was a better ruler than most of his predecessors; but his kingdom was too much weakened by the late revolutions, to resist its powerful neighbours. Therefore, when Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, * 1 Shekel 60 Shekels, 1 Maneh 50 Manehs, 1 Talent 1000 Talents 10 Troy dwts. at 5s. per oz. 2 lbs. 6 oz. 125 lbs. 125,000 lbs. 026 7 10 0 375 0 0 275,000 0 0 The kingdom of Damascus was a Jewish province in the the time of David and Solomon, when, towards the end of his reign, it declared itself independent. Its rulers were Rezin I., about 980; Benhadad I., about 900; Hazel, about 850; Benhadad II., about 830; and Rezin, the ally of Pekah, killed 742 B. C. invaded him, he was obliged to become tributary. He afterwards imprudently attempted to shake off the yoke: he formed an alliance with So, king of Egypt, and imprisoned the Assyrian officer who was appointed to collect the tribute. Upon this, Shalmaneser laid seige to Samaria; and after three years he gained possession of it and destroyed it. During all this time the king of Egypt made no attempt to come to the assistance of Israel, as Isaiah had declared from the first, in language of strong reprehension against the alliance. (Isa. 30: 1-7.) Shalmaneser carried the principal inhabitants and soldiers to Halah (Chalachene), to the river Habor (Chaboras, and in Ezekiel, Chebar), and to Gozan on the east side of the Tigris, and to the cities of the Medes. On the other hand, colonists were brought to Samaria from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, comprehending the modern provinces of Persis, Chusistan, and Suisiana, in Persia, to the eastward of the Tigris; 722, B. c. The kingdom of Israel, or of the ten tribes, was destroyed in the 253d year of the Revolt from Rehoboam, or in 722 B. C SECTION XIV.* THE HISTORY OF GREECE. First Period-to the time of Cadmus, about 519 B. C. Geographical Outline.-Greece presents a large irregular peninsula, intersected by many chains of mountains, separating its different districts, and opposing natural impediments to general intercourse, and therefore to rapid civilization. Ancient Greece included that country which lay between the Adriatic and Ionian seas on the west, and the Ægean sea on the south-west. Its principal divisions were Peloponnesus, Thessaly, Græcia Proper, Macedonia, and Epirus; which were subdivided as follows: Chief Cities. Argos, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Nauplia. Rivers and Mountains, Sparta, Amyclo, Sellasia. River: Eurotas. Mountain : Messene, Ithome, Pylos (Navarin). Olympia, Ellis, Cyllene. Rivers: Alpheus, Peneus, Sellis. Mantinea, Tegea, Orchomenus, Heræa, Psophis; subse- Gomphi, Azorus. PELASGIOTIS. Larissa, Gouni. THESSALIOTIS. Pharsalia, PHTHIOTIS. MAGNESIA. Pheræ. Magnesia. Rivers the Peneus, Apidanus. Mountains: Olympus; the chain of Eta, Othrys, and Pindus to the south GRÆCIA PROPRIA. MACEDONIA. EPIRUS. Subdivisions. MEGARIS. PHOCIS. LOCRIS. DORIS. ÆTOLIA. PEONIA. PIERIA. EMATHIA. MYGDONIA. AMPHAXITES. CHALCIDICE. Athens, with the harbours, Piræus, Phalerum and Munychia. Hamlets: Marathon, Eleusis, Decelea, &c. Rivers: Ilissus, Cephissus. Megara. Thebes, Platea, Tanagra, Thespia, Charonea, Lebadea, Delphi, Crissa, with the harbour of Cirrha, Elatea. Naupactus (Lepanto), Amphissa, Calydon, Thermus. River: Achelous. Berea, Edessa, Pella. Apollonia (Polina), Olynthus, Stagira. Rivers: Strymon, Axius (Vardar), Erigon, Haliacmon. ACARNANIA. Actium, Argos. THRSPROTIA. Buthrotum, Dodona. ISLANDS Crete. Cities: Cydonia, Gortyna, Cnossus. Mountain: Ida. Cyprus. Cities: Salamis, Paphos, Citium. SMALLER ISLANDS of the Coast-Corcyra, Leucadia, Cephalonia, Ithaca, Zacynthus, Cythera, Ægina, Salamis, Euboea, Cyclades, and Sporades, &c. The Gulfs of Peloponnesus indent it in such a manner that it resembles a leaf, and from that of a mulberry it has acquired the name of the Morea. 1. Greece was originally inhabited by various tribes, two of which, the Pelasgi and Hellenes, both probably of Asiatic origin, claim our attention at a very early period. The Pelasgi were the first who acquired a supremacy over the aboriginal races, and according to their own traditions, they were then uncultivated savages. They received the first lessons of civilization from the Titans, a Phoenician or Egyptian colony, who settled in the The Titans gave the Pelasgi country about the time of Moses. the first ideas of religion; for they were a religious people. They taught the savages to worship the Phoenician gods, Saturn, Jupiter, Ceres, &c., who were nothing more than deified heroes; and by a progress of ideas not unnatural, this rude people confounded in after times their gods with the Titans who introduced them; and hence sprang the numberless fables respecting their gods and demi-gods. 2. The Titans seem also to have been a turbulent people; for they The celebrated pass of Thermopylae is only sixty paces broad, and affords room but for a single carriage between Mount Eta and the Malian Gulf. |