
and our turn, though long delayed, must come at last. We were blithe in
our youthful days, half a century since, what prevents our being so
still? Thou hast seen thy children and children’s children. Join with me
in her praise, my friends.—The Lord has given her store of children and
of guests; and she has received them both as the gift of God, and tended
them faithfully!”

All present congratulated the venerable pair, and Iddo continued, “Why
didst not thou, Selumiel, bring thy wife and Sulamith, who is lovelier
than the fairest rose of Jericho? A prize for some fortunate youth, for
as Solomon has said, ‘A virtuous wife is more precious than pearls.’”

“What would Israel be,” said Elisama, as the sounds of festivity from
the adjacent apartments penetrated into theirs, “what would Israel be
without the festivals of Jehovah? Here we are all assembled before the
Lord, to praise his faithfulness which is great, and his mercy which is
renewed every morning. What compared with these are the Grecian games at
Olympia and Nemea? Would that Myron were here! We children of Israel are
_one_ people; we have _one_ God, and _one_ city of the Lord; and every
Jew in Egypt, Asia, Syria, and Chaldea, always turns his eyes in his
prayers towards this one place. Think, my friends, that while so many
hundreds of thousands are assembled in Jerusalem, millions in the
remotest countries, into which our people has been scattered, cast
longing looks this evening towards us, envying us our joy, and desiring
nothing more, than to to be in the Holy City and in the courts of
Jehovah! I only regret that Gerizim and Leontopolis——”

“Hush,” interposed Iddo, “to-day speak only of pleasing subjects. Our
prince has subdued the rebellious daughter Gerizim. Jehovah ceases not
to concern himself with the injuries of Joseph.”

“The prophet,” replied Elisama, “has declared that all the nations of
the earth shall be united in the valley of Jehoshaphat, and when the
Messiah comes the sceptre of Judah shall be extended over the whole
earth.”

“Hyrcanus stands beside the altar,” said another of the company, “and
the family of the Maccabees is flourishing. Who knows whether the
Messiah will not speedily appear from among them?”

“No,” said Elisama, “the Messiah must come from the family of David, and
the Maccabees are Levites of the family of Jojarib. The Jewish people
and the priests consented that Simon should be their prince and
high-priest, till God raise up the true prophet unto them. The Messiah,
therefore, will not be a Maccabee though Hyrcanus unites in himself the
three offices to which he will be anointed. But would that he who is
promised were come! His way is prepared; Israel is once more free, and a
people. What would I give, if in my grey hairs I might yet be permitted
to behold him! What a glorious passover will that be, when He keeps it
with us, in Baris or on Zion, and his people accompany him with palm
branches and Hosannas! I envy you, Helon, for you may live to see that
day.”

“It will be a happy day,” said Helon, “but not more happy than this.”
The old men smiled at his enthusiasm, and rejoiced that among the youth
of Israel there should be such joy in keeping the festivals of Jehovah.

It was now become late. The hired servant, stationed by the waterclock
in the court, called the fifth hour of night, and the paschal meal was
not permitted to last longer than to the end of the first watch of the
night, which terminated somewhere about an hour before midnight. There
were two other watches between this and daylight, divided by the two
cock-crowings. They heard the guests in the other apartments reciting
the song of praise, and hastened to conclude. With the same prayer as
before, they washed their hands again from the silver basin, and Iddo
having again blessed the cup, they drank once more from it. This was
called the cup of thanksgiving. The second part of the Hallel was now
sung, consisting of the 115th, 116th, 117th, and 118th psalms. Helon
thought of the words of Isaiah, “Ye shall sing as on the night of a holy
feast, and rejoice in your hearts as when they go with a pipe to the
mountain of the Lord, to the refuge of Israel.”[116] When the Hallel was
finished, hands were again washed, and the cup was blessed and sent
round for the fourth and last time. Helon would gladly have joined in
praying the great Hallel, as they call the series of psalms from the
120th to the 137th, after which it was customary to send round the cup a
fifth time, but midnight was already too near. The company broke up, and
all retired to rest, designing to be early in the temple on the
following day.

Footnote 116:

  Isaiah xxx. 29.


                               CHAPTER V.
                      THE DAY AFTER THE PASSOVER.


While the paschal lamb was eaten by the people, the priests in the
temple were cleansing the altar of burnt-offering. This was commonly
done in the last watch of the night, towards the cock-crowing, but on
this occasion during the first. Next they themselves partook of the
paschal lamb, and soon after midnight the gates were opened, for the
ingress of the children of Israel, many of whom were there, even at this
early hour, in order to see the splendour of the illuminated temple. As
soon as the watchman had answered in the affirmative the customary
question of the priest, “Does it begin to be light as far as Hebron?”
all the streets leading to the temple were filled with men, dressed in
their gayest clothes. On no other occasion of the year was the temple so
crowded as on the morning after the Passover.

The usual morning sacrifice was first of all offered. The lamps were
extinguished, incense was burnt upon the altar, and the lamb was
sacrificed to Jehovah, with the usual meat and drink offering. Then
followed the special offering for the feast, two young bullocks, a ram,
seven yearling lambs with meat and drink offerings. Next, a goat was
offered as a sin-offering; the Hallel was sung, and the blessing
pronounced. The whole body of the priests was assembled; on ordinary
days, only some families of the fathers were present; on the sabbath the
whole course; but on high festivals the whole twenty-four courses, the
collective body of the priesthood.

Helon had been among the first who had come up to the temple of Jehovah,
at the crowing of the cock. He beheld all with deep interest and
profound devotion, and as he gazed on the temple and the splendid ritual
performed in it, the fond wish of his early childhood awoke in his
heart, that he too might be thought worthy to become a priest of
Jehovah, and to minister at his altar. With increasing eagerness he
looked for the appearance of the high-priest, the head and crown of the
tribe of Levi and of all Israel. He had expected him to appear
yesterday, and during the morning sacrifice, but he had not shown
himself. Helon felt an enthusiastic admiration for the heroic family of
the Maccabees, and none of them all had risen to such an eminence as
John Hyrcanus. In Egypt, in Hebron, on the pilgrimage, and through the
whole preceding day, he had been hearing the praises of the man whom he
was now about to see.

He was standing upon the lowest of the fifteen steps, which led from the
court of Israel to that of the women, when there arose a cry among the
thousands who surrounded him, “The high-priest is coming!” He came from
an adjoining building and walked towards the altar. The breastplate with
its precious stones beamed from his breast. Over the ordinary white robe
of the priests, which descended in folds to his feet, he wore a
magnificent upper robe of a blue purple. The bells between the
pomegranates, on the borders of his robe, gave a clear sound as he
walked. Over this upper garment he had a third, which was shorter,
called the ephod, splendidly embroidered with purple, dark blue, crimson
and thread of gold, on a white ground. On his head was a white turban,
and over this a second, striped with dark blue. On his forehead he wore
a plate of gold, on which the name of Jehovah was inscribed; and being
at once high-priest and prince, this was connected with a