Annals of the Jewish Nation During the Period of the Second Temple

denominated, "a standing miracle," in confirmation of the truth of God. Certainly, it is not too much to assert, that it is a most remarkable verification of the divine predictions delivered by Moses, almost four thousand years ago; and as a dispensation of Providence, it is unique, and can only be accounted for, by referring it to the Divine will.

Every impartial observer must admit, that there is something truly wonderful in the history of this people; and it is not easy to see how any candid mind can evade the conviction, that the history of the Jews alone, is sufficient to establish the divine origin of the Bible.

The history of this people, until after their return from the Babylonish captivity, is contained in the sacred books of the Old Testament. These are accessible to all, and it is hoped will become more and more an object of general attention. During this whole period, no other writers arose whose works have reached our times. On them alone, therefore, should we depend for information respecting the early history of the Hebrew nation; and it may better be read there, than in any narrative of human composition. But from the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, until the commencement of the Evangelical history, a period of nearly five centuries, no inspired writer has recorded the revolutions, and extraordinary events, which occurred, in the Jewish nation; and yet, the history of this period contains the fulfilment of many important prophecies recorded in the Old Testament; and the origin of that political, moral, and ecclesiastical, state of things, which we find in

existence, at the time of the advent of Christ. Without the knowledge of the events which occurred in this period, the intelligent reader must be utterly at a loss to account for what he reads in the New Testament. Here, he finds a king in Judea, while the nation is in fact subject to the Romans. Various sects and religious institutions are familiarly spoken of, concerning which we read nothing in the Old Testmanent. It is exceedingly important to have this chasm filled up; and this has been attempted by several; but has been accomplished by none so satisfactorily, as by the learned Doctor Prideaux, whose CONNEXION, is a work of great research and inestimable value to the Biblical student; but is at once, too learned and too voluminous, for the common reader; and, indeed, the style is so involved and obscure, and so little regard is paid to lucid order in the arrangement, that the work is far less read, even by the learned, than it deserves to be. The object of the compiler, of the little volume which is now presented to the public, has been, to furnish what he believed to be a desideratum, to aid the Biblical studies of young persons, and common readers. And, after examining other authors, on this period of Jewish history, he was of opinion, that all that was needful could be extracted from the abovementioned work of Dr. Prideaux, as far as his history extends. But as this learned writer brings down his account of the Jews no lower than the ADVENT, it was necessary to derive the narrative of the remaining interesting period, from other sources; especially from the history of Josephus and the Collections of Lardner, have been the

principal. And this is the reason why this work has not been entitled, an abridgment of Dr. Prideaux's Connexion; and, also, because, in some instances, the opinions and statements of others have been preferred; but it is desired that it may be understood, that the materials for by far the largest part of this volume, have been derived from this learned author. A. A.

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