Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

404. STATE OF IDOLATRY IN THE TIME OF CHRIST. 515

sacrifices. In many temples, especially those of Esculapius, Isis, Osiris, and Horus, he slept on the skin of the victim through the night, with the expectation of obtaining some information by a dream respecting the means and medicines, by which his disease might be cured; or of hearing some response purporting to come from the Oracle, but produced in reality by the deceitful machination of the priests. Virgil, accordingly, uses the following expressions, "Pellibus incubuit stratis, somnosque petivit," Aeneid, VII. 59. comp. Plautus IN CURCUL. Act. I. Sc. I. 2. 61. The cures, that took place, were inscribed on tables for that purpose, and preserved in the temple, in order that the priests might produce them in confirmation and proof of the power of their idol deities, Diodorus Sic. I. 25. Is. 65: 4. Amos 2: 8.

$404. STATE of Idolatry in the time of CHRIST.

In the time of Christ, many of the practices, marked for their enormity, and others equally distinguished for folly, which had prevailed in the worship of the heathen deities, had gone into general desuetude, although they were not wholly abolished. That the cruel enormities, to which we allude, were not wholly done away, is evident from the fact, that at Rome as late as the time of Nero or Vespasian, a Greek, a Grecian lady, and some others of the enemies of the Romans, were buried alive for the purpose of appeasing the anger of the gods. The victims, offered for this purpose, were called xaváquara, Pliny XXVIII. 3. Indeed so late as the second century, human beings were sometimes immolated in this metropolis of the world, Eusebius, Praep. evang. IV. 16.

The heathen Oracles had, in a measure, lost their authority, but not altogether, and the old deceptions were still practised in the temples of Esculapius, Isis, Osiris, and Horus, Strabo, p. 801. Omens and prodigies were also accounted of less weight than formerly, but they still continued to be carefully observed, and are frequently mentioned by Livy, Suetonius, Tacitus, and Dion Cassius. Manners and morals grew worse and worse. Deities increased in number, and the APOTHEOSIS of vicious emperors was not unfrequent. About these things, the Epicurean sect cared nothing, the disciples of the Academy did not pretend to affirm much one way or the

516

404. STATE OF IDOLATRY IN THE TIME OF christ.

other, while those of the Porch explained the whole on their system of Pantheism. The philosophers indeed disputed with much subtilty respecting the architect of the universe, but they knew nothing about the CREATOR, the all-wise, and all-powerful Judge of

men.

They worshipped the gods themselves, and threw no obstacles in the way of others rendering them the same worship; but they had understanding enough at the same time on the subject to condemn the vices, which had been attributed to them, and to give them an allegorical interpretation. They still left to them the government of the world and of men; but they exploded the idea of the existence of TARTARUS or the Infernal Regions although they failed, as it is remarked by Polybius, (Hist. VI. 6.) to substitute any thing better in its place. The doctrine, which some of them advanced, respecting the existence of the soul after death, they found themselves unable to maintain by such arguments, as would be considered proof; and they overlooked altogether the subject of the difference of allotment to the good and evil, when this life is over, Cicero, Tusc. QUAES. LIB. I. 11.

The good principles, which some advanced, were controverted and denied by others, and the people, not being in a condition to pass an opinion on disputes of this nature, followed the authority of the priests. If indeed, any tenets of the philosophers obtained circulation among the populace, they were only those of the worst kind; such as the simultaneous death of the soul and the body, and the denial of a divine Providence, Pliny, HIST. NAT. Lib. II. 2. VII. 56.

As respects some of the moral duties, the philosophers may have made some advance, as to correctness, on former opinions; but how deficient they were after all, will be seen, when it is remarked, that they made the honour, utility, and propriety of actions the rule of their moral merit or demerit, and permitted the practice of fornication, the prostitution of boys, the exposure of children, and the hatred of enemies. The Stoics defended the practice of suicide, insisted on the sternest apathy, and joined with the Platonists in recommending a contemplative life. As such a life did not suit with the feelings and practice of the great bulk of mankind, the philosophers indulged only in intercourse with one another. But even if they had been unanimous, in teaching a

$405. OF IMAGes made for sacred purposes.

517 system of morals, which might be considered perfect, there would have been a want of something still; there would have been a want of motives, of incitements, to influence them and their disciples, to put it into practice. Whence Cicero complains, that the doctrines of these philosophers were rather the ostentation of learning, than the prompter and law of their conduct, TUSCUL QUAEST. Lib. II. 4.

$405. OF IMAGES MADE FOR Sacred Purposes.

Two kinds of these images are mentioned in the Bible, viz. those of Jehovah and those of the false deities; which, especially in the history of the kingdom of Israel, (2 K. 10: 29. 13: 2, 11. 14: 24.) are carefully distinguished from each other. Both were interdicted to the Hebrews, for they were considered as being in danger of attributing some inherent efficacy to those of Jehovah, as well as of the other deities, Exod. 32: 4. Deut. 13: 2, 3. 4: 12 -20.

The images of Jehovah were,

I. The Calf, mentioned in Exod. 32: 4, 5; and the two calves erected by Jeroboam in the cities of Dan and Bethel. They were made in imitation of the two celebrated living bulls in Egypt, viz. Apis at Memphis and Mnevis at Heliopolis. These calves are said to be gold in the same sense, that the Table and Altar are said to be so, i. e. covered with gold.

II. The Ephod of Gideon. This certainly was not the sacerdotal garment, called an Ephod; for such a garment could not have been made of gold, which is represented to have been the case with the Ephod in question, Judg. 6: 25-33. 8: 24–27. It was a piece of wood, sculptured in the likeness of an Ephod, and covered with gold. In confirmation of this view, it may be observed, that the word is used, (Is. 30: 22,) for a covering or superficies of gold.

III. The image of Micah in mount Ephraim; which is expressly said to be an image of Jehovah, Judg. 17: 3--13. 18: 3, 6, 15–31. Idols, properly so called, occur under different names, which are sometimes interchanged with each other. The words and, an image or effigy are general terms, which are appli ed to idols and effigies for sacred purposes of any kind; the words

518

406. OF THE HOST OR ARMY OF HEAVEN.

20 and 30 mean properly a sculptured image; na may mean any monument whatever; especially one for superstitious purposes. The word means a covering of silver and gold, and by synecdoche, the idol itself, which is thus covered; the terms

and from the Arabic to cut out or hew, signify an idol, as the etymology of the words intimates, which is hewn out or sculptured.

Idols are sometimes denominated. The word does not

appear to be from the Arabic, to be large, but from the Hebrew to roll, because the trunks of these idols could be easily rolled; with a contemptuous allusion, at the same time, to the round and voluble excrements of certain brute animals. We also find other contemptuous names for idols, viz. Yg an abomination and, an appellation, applied to idols, on account of their weakness. Jehovah, on the contrary, is termed the

the אֲבִיר יִשְׂרָאֵל the Mighty one of Jacob, and אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב,Mighty

mighty one of Israel, Gen. 49: 24. Is. 49: 26. 60: 16. Ps. 132: 2, 5.

406. OF THE HOST OR Army of Heaven.

The Host of Heaven, y, which are represented as being made the objects of worship, are the stars. As early as the time of Moses, we find, that these heavenly bodies were not only worshipped themselves, but also images of them, Exod. 20: 4. Deut. 17: 3. Hence, through a failure of distinguishing between second and original causes, or what may be termed the permission of God in his Providence and his immediate agency, which is common among Oriental writers, the stars are said in Deut. 4: 19, to be distributed among the nations, as objects of their worship, while God has selected the people of Israel for his own, that they might worship Him. The Mehestani, (the disciples of Zoroaster,) not only worshipped the stars, but paid their homage likewise to the innumerable spirits, with which, in their opinion, they were peopled. These spirits they believed to be their guardian defenders against the evil Ahrimanius and his demons, Dan. 4: 23.

Notwithstanding the worship of the stars, a practice, which was very widely spread, was interdicted to the Hebrews, they

407. OF THE sun and the goD BAAL.

519 very often, especially during the seventy years immediately preceding the Captivity, adored them, erected altars, and burnt incense to them in their houses, 1 K. 22: 19. 2 Chron. 18: 18. 33: 3. 2 K. 17: 16. 21: 3. 23: 4, 5. Jer. 8: 2. 19:13. Zeph. 1:5.

NOTE. The phrase, nis, Jehovah of hosts, or rather when fully written, nisam Jehovah, the Lord of hosts, which occurs first in the book of Psalms and the books of Samuel, is not to be rendered the God of the stars nor the God of the gods; for, however frequently the singular may be thus used, it is certain, that the plural, viz. nis, is never employed in reference to the stars. Nor is another rendering, which is sometimes given, viz. the God of armies, a correct one. It is true, that, at a very ancient period, the Hebrews were donominated the armies or hosts of Jehovah, nis; but we never find, at the early period to which we allude, the converse of these expressions, viz. nisam the God of armies. We prefer, therefore, the rendering of the Septuagint, which translates the phrase in question, лаντoxoάtwo, the ruler of all things or the omnipotent. Indeed both the singular and the plural ni, which are from the verb to arise, are applied to every thing, which arises or makes its appearance either in earth or heaven, Gen. 2: 1.

$407. OF THE Sun, and the god Baal.

The Sun, , as an object of worship, is always mentioned by Moses, in connexion with the moon and stars, to all of which, as it would seem from his representations, effigies or images were erected, Exod. 20: 4. Deut. 4: 19. 17: 13. The sect of the Arabians, called Nabataeans, erected altars to the Sun, on the tops of houses, and worshipped him with libations and with the burning of incense, Strabo, p. 784. comp. Jer. 19: 13. Zeph. 1: 5. We find, that a city was consecrated to the Sun in Egypt, in the time of Joseph, and that men of distinguished rank were set apart to his service, Gen. 41: 45, 50. 46: 20. The city, to which we allude, viz. Heliopolis, (in Hebrew in and 7,) was a place of note, so late as the time of Jeremiah, (see chap. 43: 13,) in consequence of the obelisks, viny na niaxa, which were erected in honour of

« AnteriorContinuar »