consecrated to mercy. Hence those who entreated favour, fell at and caught hold of the kness of the person whose kindness they supplicated. This mode of supplication is particularly referred to in the following passages in HOMER. Των νυν μεν μνησασα παρέξει, και λαβε γουνών. Now therefore, of these things reminding Jove, To which the following answer is made: Και τότ' έπειτα τοι ειμι Διος ποτι χαλκοβατες δω, "Then will I to Jove's brazen floored abode, That I may clasp his knees; and much misdeem Iliad I. 407. COWPER Iliad I. 426, 427. COWPER. In the same manner we find our Lord accosted, Matt. xvii. 14. There came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, yovureTV avrov, falling down at his knees. As to the lifting up, or stretching out the hands (often joined to kneeling) of which we have seen already several instances, and of which we have a very remarkable one in Exod. chap. xvii. 11. where the lifting up, or stretching out of the hands of Moses was the means of Israel's prevailing over Amalek; we find many examples of both in antient authors. Thus VIRGIL, Corripio è stratis corpus, TENDOQUE SUPINAS I started from my bed, and raised on high Æneid iii. 176, 177. PITT. In some cases, the person petitioning came forward, and either sat in the dust or kneeled on the ground, placing his left hand on the knee of him, from whom he expected the favour, while he touched the person's chin with his right. We have an instance of this also in HOMER: Και ρα παροιθ' αυτοίο καθέζετο, και λαβε γούνων Iliad I. 500, 501 Suppliant the goddess stood: one hand she plac'd POPE. When the supplicant could not approach the person to whom he prayed, as where a deity was the object of the prayer, he washed his hands, made an offering, and kneeling down, either stretched out both his hands to heaven, or laid them upon the offering or sacrifice, or upon the altar. Thus Homer represents the priest of Apollo praying: Χερνίψαντο δ' επειτα, και ουλοχύτας ανέλοντο. Iliad I. ver. 449, 450 With water purify their hands, and take 4 POPE.1 The practice of standing with their hands spread out towards heaven, was adopted by the primitive Christians when offering their supplications they stood up, says Tertullian, and directed their eyes towards heaven with expanded hands. A similar testimony is given by Clement of Alexandria: "We lift up our head and elevate our hands towards heaven." So also, Saint Paul, when exhorting Christians to pray for all classes of persons, describes the gesture then used in prayer. (1 Tim. ii. 8.)-Wherefore LIFT UP holy HANDS without wrath or doubting. Those who affected superior sanctity, or who from motives of ostentation and hypocrisy, it appears, prayed in the streets, and made long prayers, were severely censured by our Lord for their formal and hypocritical devotion. (Matt. vi. 5. and xxiii. 14.) When at a distance from the temple, the more devout Jews turned themselves towards it when they prayed. have an instance of this in the conduct of Daniel.5 (Dan. vi. 10.) When the orientals pray seriously, in a state of grief, they hide their faces in their bosom. To this circumstance, the Psalmist alludes (xxxv. 13.), when he says, My prayer returned into mine own bosom.6 What the stated public prayers were in the time of our Lord it is now impossible exactly to ascertain; it is probable that many of the. eighteen prayers, which are said to have been collected together by Rabbi Gamaliel the Elder, the master of St. Paul, were then in use; 1 Dr. A. Clarke on Exod. ix. 29. 2 Apolog. c. 30. p. 30. edit. Rigaltii. We 3 Stromata, lib. ii. p. 722. The practice of extending the hands in prayer still obtains in the East. See Harmer's Observations, vol. ii. pp. 511-513. Fragments supplementary to Calmet, No. cclxxviii. 4 This practice is also general throughout the East. Both Hindoos and Musulmauns offer their devotions in the most public places; as, at the landing places of rivers, in the public streets, and on the roofs of boats, without the least modesty or effort at concealment. Ward's History of the Hindoos, vol. ii. p. 335. See also Fragments, No. cv., and Lightfoot's Hora Hebraicæ on Matt. vi. 5. (Works, vol. ii. 156.) 5 Lamy is of opinion that Hezekiah did so, and that we are to understand his turning his face to the wall (2 Kings xx. 2.) of his turning towards the temple. De Tabernaculo, lib. vii. c. 1. § 5. 6 Burder's Oriental Literature, vol. ii. p. 20. and as all persons were not able to commit them to memory, it is also probable that a summary of them was drawn up. But we know certainly that it was customary for the more eminent doctors of the Jews to compose forms of short prayers, which they delivered to their scholars. Thus John the Baptist gave his disciples such a form and Jesus Christ, at the request of his disciples, gave them that most perfect model emphatically termed the Lord's Prayer, which the very learned Mr. Gregory has shown that he collected out of the Jewish euchologies: he has translated the whole form from them as follows: "Our Father, which art in heaven, be gracious unto us! O Lord our God, hallowed be thy name, and let the remembrance of thee be glorified in heaven above, and upon earth here below. Let thy kingdom reign over us, now and for ever. The holy men of old said, remit and forgive unto all men whatsoever they have done against me. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing. For thine is the kingdom, and thou shalt reign in glory for ever, and for evermore." II. With what reverence the Jews regarded their temple, we have already seen and in proportion to the sanctity of the place was the solemn and holy behaviour required of all who came to worship there. The law, indeed, had prohibited the approach of all uncleanness; but to the enactments of Moses the great masters of traditions added a variety of other trifling regulations, which the law had not named, while they scrupled not to make the "house of prayer," a den of thieves. Dr. Lightfoot has collected many of these traditions respecting the temple worship; an abridgment of which will form a proper supplement to the preceding observations. 1. No man might enter the "mountain of the house," for so they called the temple, with his staff; weapons of offence being unsuited to the house of peace; and it being reputed indecorous to lean, when there, on any other staff than God. On this account it was, that our Lord expelled the buyers and sellers of cattle from the temple, with a whip of cords. (John ii. 15.)-2. No man was permitted to enter with shoes on his feet;3 nor with dust on his feet, which he was obliged to wipe or wash (thus intimating the necessity of approaching the Most High divested of all worldly cares and affections); nor with money in his purse, nor with his purse about him.-3. Having arrived at the temple, every worshipper was prohibited from spitting there, as well as from using any irreverent gestures, or making it a thoroughfare to shorten his distance in crossing from one part of See the Works of the Rev. and learned Mr. John Gregorie, p. 168. London, 1683. See also Dr. Lightfoot's Hor. Heb. on Matt. vi. 9–13. Drusius, in Critici Sacri. vol. vi. col. 259, 260. Whitby and other commentators, in loc. Dr. Hales has an excellent commentary on this prayer, in his Analysis of Chronology, vol. ii. book ii. pp. 1005–1011. The forms, &c. of prayer of the modern Jews are described by Mr. Allen. Modern Judaism, pp. 326–354. 2 See pp. 232, 233. supra. 3 This prohibition was derived from the command of God to Moses (Exod iii. 5.), and Joshua, (v. 15.) The same usage obtains throughout the East to this day. the city to another: and on entering the court, he must walk leisurely and gravely to his place, and there demean himself as in the presence of God.-4. Having now entered to pray and attend the service, he was to stand with his feet one even with the other; and, casting his eyes downward, while he raised his heart upward, must cross his hands upon his breast, and stand as a servant before his master with all reverence and fear. The practice of looking down in prayer the Jews derived from those passages of Scripture, which speak of being ashamed to look up towards heaven, on account of their sinfulness: to this position of looking down and laying his hands upon his heart, the demeanour of the devout publican (Luke xviii. 13.) seems to be parallel. Even the priests when they pronounced the blessing upon the people, neither looked up towards heaven, nor level upon the people, but down upon the ground; and the people were prohibited from looking upon them.-5. However weary the worshipper might be with standing, he might on no account sit down either in the Israelites' or priests' court; no person whatever being allowed that privilege, except the kings of the house of David.-6. Having offered their prayers in the manner already noticed, and performed the services, they were to depart in the same order in which they had entered; and as they were prohibited to turn their backs upon the altar, they went backward till they were out of the court, and departed from the temple by a different gate from that by which they had entered.2 III. The Jewish months being lunar were originally calculated from the first appearance of the moon, on which the Feast of the NewMoon, or beginning of months (as the Hebrews termed it) was celebrated. (Exod. xii. 2. Numb. x. 10. xxviii. 11. Isa. i. 13, 14.) It seems to have been in use long before the time of Moses, who by the divine command prescribed what ceremonies were then to be observed. It was proclaimed with the sound of trumpets (Numb. x. 10. Psal. lxxxi. 3.): and several additional sacrifices were offered. (Numb. xxviii. 11-15.) IV. Besides the sabbath, Moses instituted other festivals: three of these, viz. the passover, the feast of pentecost, and the feast of tabernacles, which are usually denominated the Great Festivals, were distinguished from the sabbath, and indeed from all other holy days, by the circumstance of each of them lasting seven (one for eight) successive days: during which the Jews were bound to rejoice before the Lord for all their deliverances and mercies. (Deut. xvi. 11 -15.) All the males of the twelve tribes were bound to be present at these grand festivals (Exod. xxxiv. 23. Deut. xvi. 16.); and for their encouragement to attend they were assured that no man should desire their land during their absence (Exod. xxxiv. 24.); in other words, that they should be secure from hostile invasion during their attendance on religious worship -a manifest proof this of the OL. III. 1 See pp. 292-295. supra. divine origin of their religion, as well as of the power and particular providence of God, in working thrice every year an especial miracle for the protection of his people. The design of these meetings was partly to unite the Jews among themselves, and, teaching them to regard each other as brethren and fellow-citizens, to promote mutual love and friendship. To this the Psalmist probably refers in Psal. cxxii. 3, 4.; and it was partly that, as one church, they might make one congregation, and join in solemn worship together. Further, so large a concourse of people would give the greater solemnity to these festivals and as no Israelite was to present himself before the Lord without some offering (Deut. xvi. 16, 17.), ample provision was thus made for the support of the ministers of the sanctuary. On these occasions, although the men were required to attend, it does not appear that women were prevented from going if they chose, at least to the passover. (See 1 Sam. i. 3. 7. Luke ii. 41.) For greater security, however, against the attacks of robbers on the road, they used to travel in large companies, those who came from the same city, canton, or district forming one company. They carried necessaries along with them, and tents for their lodging at night. It was among such a "company" that Joseph and Mary sought Jesus Christ (Luke ii. 44.) and to their journeying through a dreary valley on one of these festivals, the Psalmist probably alludes. (Ixxxiv. 6.) Further, as the Jewish sanctuary and service contained in them a shadow of good things to come, and were typical of the Christian church, this prescribed concourse from all parts of the country might be intended to typify the gathering of the people to Christ and into his church, from all parts of the world under the Christian dispensation. Hence St. Paul, alluding to these general assemblies of the Israelites on the three grand feasts, says "We are come to the general assembly of the church." (Heb. xii. 23.) But besides the benefits to be derived from the religious celebration of these ordinances, Michaelis has pointed out several instances in which they produced a salutary effect on the community. Not only would their meeting together in one place for the purposes of religion and social intercourse tend to prevent a total alienation of rival tribes, as well as civil war, but it would also afford them an opportunity of being mutually reconciled. Further, it is not improbable that these annual meetings promoted the internal commerce of the Israelites, who were prohibited from carrying on traffic with 66 1 Nearly similar to this is the mode of travelling in the East to this hour. Such companies they now call caravans; and in many places there are buildings fitted up for their reception, called caravanserais. This account of the Israelites' mode of travelling furnishes a ready answer to the question, how Joseph and Mary could make a day's journey without discovering, before night, that Jesus was not in the company." In the day-time, as circumstances might lead them, the travellers would probably mingle with their friends and acquaintance; but in the evening, when they were about to encamp, every one would join the family to which he belonged. As Jesus then did not appear when it was growing late, his parents first sought him, where they supposed he would most probably be, among his rela tions and acquaintance; and not finding him, returned to Jerusalem. Dr. Campe bell's Translation of the Gospels, vol. ii. p. 449. note on Luke ii. 44. |