Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven,
For his mercy endureth forever,

was the oft-repeated refrain that was sung in the temple service by the
warriors when they returned victorious from battle and by the people as
they went about their tasks. The sense of constant danger and of great
achievement bound together the Jews of this period as perhaps never
before since the days of the exile. The same experiences developed a
powerful religious consciousness. Jehovah had repeatedly and signally
demonstrated that he was in their midst. Without his strong hand they
were helpless against their foes. The apostates had been expelled, and
the classes that remained were bound closely together by their desire to
preserve their hard-won liberties, by their devotion to the temple and its
services and by a profound respect for the authority of their scriptures.
The voice of the living prophet was silent. The priests had ceased to
teach and were simply ministers at the altar, and in the turmoil of the
Maccabean struggle the teaching of the wise had practically come to an
end. Instead the Jews became in every sense the people of the book. It
was at this time and as a result of the forces at work in this age that
the scribes attained their place as the chief teachers of the people. It
was natural that they who copied, edited, and above all interpreted the
revered Law and the Prophets should have the ear of the masses and
should be regarded more and more as the authorized teachers of the
Jewish race. Judaism had at last attained its maturity.



Section CXIII. THE RULE OF JOHN HYRCANUS AND ARISTOBULUS

[Sidenote: I Macc. 16:11-17]